Ice Hockey: Hockey's Back! Thoughts after opening night?

Biased much? lol I didn't see the game just the score so I guess I'll just have to take your word on it. Leafs stomped Philly btw rather soundly though still not a 60 minute effort and I still think Belak would be better off elsewhere. Berg has redeemed himself slightly more but we could still get a better D in there. Allison is showing why we got him now and Kaberle is eyeing Norris What a return for O'Neil McCabe was decent but nothing to brag about, Atropov just seems to get better game by game as does Steen and Stajan and Wellwood. 88 was not phased at all by playing against his longtime former team. Locked horns with Foresberg from time to time but nothing really came out of it. Draw each and every time. And scored a big Goal. Big win overall we're technically at .500 now we just need another big win against Montreal and Ottawa and I'll be much more optimistic about this season.(Toronto will get in 7th playoff positon IMO)

How does this shootout lineup sound

Sundin

O'Neil

Lindros

How does this lineups look?(With Sundin back)

Tucker - Allison - O'Neill
Poni - Wellwood - Atropov
Steen - Lindros - Stajan
Kilger - Sundin - Domi

or

Tucker - Allison - O'Neill
Poni - Wellwood - Atropov
Steen - Sundin - Stajan
Kilger - Lindros - Domi

or

Tucker - Allison - O'Neill
Poni - Sundin - Atropov
Steen - Wellwood - Stajan
Kilger - Lindros - Domi

With this D

McCabe - Kaberle
Klee - Berg
Khavanov - Coliacovo

Don't forget Telqvist, he had a helluva game, his best as a pro. If he can keep it up, what a great goaltending tandom.

Hey Habs fan

If we're using Ottawa as the measuring stick, at least they needed two skills competition's to beat the Leafs, and if you like Berg and Belak so much, you can have them.

Originally posted by Karlsberg
Hey Habs fan

If we're using Ottawa as the measuring stick, at least they needed two skills competition's to beat the Leafs, and if you like Berg and Belak so much, you can have them.

Berg had a solid game with Klee against Philly.

Well leafs smashed ATL into the ground. Too bad it wasn't on regular TV. Last time I checked it was 9-1 with O'Neil with the Hat-Trick and Atl's players trying to run our stars into the IR list...... Heartly(the ATL coach) Cannot control his #ing players. He doesn't diserve to Coach if he can't control his goons.

now that it is a couple of weeks into the season what are your thoughts on the new rules? how is the shootout going over with the fans?

I don't think a skills competition should decide a game. Ever.

No obstruction is working as is two line passes. The smaller goalie equipment is great!

Originally posted by truenorth

Originally posted by shaunc7
I could see these teams meeting up in the playoffs a lot now that Toronto will not be a factor.

I'm going to hold you to that. Toronto isn't as bad as I or anyone else expected. If it wasn't for the shootout TO's record would be 0-1-2. Not much different than the Sens, picked by many to win the cup, 1-0-2.

Ya gotta love the Mon/TO fans.

Was just wondering how your crow was this morning?

ps. If La bell center is such a great place for habs fans why can I hear a "go Leafs go" chant. I've seen the Leafs and Montreal in the ACC. You may hear some light applause when Montreal scores, but nothing like what I heard last night.

Looking around for Habs fans, hmm, where are they?

Leafs beat Canadiens, IN MONTREAL! I didn't see the game but listened to it on the radio. Karlsberg is right, you sure could hear the Leafs fans there. It's great to see this rivalry alive again, been a while since both teams were contenders at the same time.

I was at the Habs Leafs game. Wow, what a great atmosphere (except for about 30 or 40 leaf fans in my section who were boooing the tribute to the old habs legends, not very classy) But on the whole, fans from both sides were great. I must admit I am very surprised with the Leafs play. Lindros had a great game. The Canadiens too played very well. Of course I would have prefered a Habs win, but I am still satisfied, really got my money's worth. Perhaps I am wrong about Toronto not being a factor, but there is still many games to be played. But even though it kind of pains me, I must admit the Leafs have looked good the last 3 games.

now to clear something up:
Karlsberg wrote:
"ps. If La bell center is such a great place for habs fans why can I hear a "go Leafs go" chant. I've seen the Leafs and Montreal in the ACC. You may hear some light applause when Montreal scores, but nothing like what I heard last night."
This question seems simple, but is very complex. So many reasons for this. First, the Leafs organization reserves most of the tickets for corporate sales( ie corporate season tickets) That is fine, but in Montreal if they did that I think there would be riots. Of course I am exageratting, but the fans would hold a serious grudge for years on the team, they would boycott buying any habs gear, wouldn't buy the remaining tickets etc. While Habs fans are die-hards, they do not enjoy being screwed over (hence one of the many reasons the Expos are gone, people gave up on an organization that kept stabbing them in the back...amongst many other reasons) I think Toronto fans are a lot more complacent. I also think its terrible and sad that the majority of the true Leaf fans have little opportunity to see their team at home; its a shame and many of my friends who are Leaf fans agree that this is the case. Therefore, any chance they can get to see a game, they go. Whether it be to Buffalo, Ottawa or Montreal, Leafs fans go because, yes, they want to support their team on the road, but perhaps more importantly because this might be the only occassion to see them play.
Second part to answering this statement is that the reason you don't see the ACC packed with Habs fans for a habs leafs game is the same reason I mentioned above, no tickets. However, this is not meant to be a stab at Toronto, but another reason many Leaf fans come to Montreal is because of the bar, club, strip bar etc scene here. Montreal, in my and many others opinon, is a much more happening city than Toronto. And many Torontonians I know are the first to point this out. Therefore if by chance Habs fans could get tickets in Toronto, the excitement of visiting downtown Toronto is really not very high. Again, not to be a stab at the city, Toronto does have a lot to offer, but in this context its not quite a sell (for most).
To point something out though, many Montreal fans head down to Boston for Habs Bruins games (tickets are available and Boston is very fun) Certainly, it is not like how many Leaf fans come to Toronto, but there are a lot of Habs fans that make the short 5 hour drive to Boston (I think more would go if Montreal played in Boston on the weekend, but that doesn't happen very often)
Anyways, I just thought I disect the situation. There are many reasons why the Bell Centre gets packed with Leaf fans. Even though I am a Habs fan, I love it. It is an amazing atmosphere and when a close game is played its all the more better.
So its 1-1 for the season. Let's hope the rest of the MTL-TOR games were as good as the last one.
Cheers

Well the next three games should be gimmes Carolina, Philly and Boston (not sure wether it's in that order though) We keep playing like a offensive powerhouse that I believe this team to be then they have shown to be capable of then I see a 3 way race for #1 spot in the East.

Eddie is almost back in shape. He is apparently a historically cold goalie at the biggining of the season. We have a real dilemma though when Sundin comes back. What are we gonna do with Wellwood? He has showed that he is a PP specialist (he's Points per game is at 1 even with an average icetime of 12 minutes per game)

Here are some random stats I cherry picked to make the leafs look good (Hey I wasn't really expecting this so gimme a break )

Goal Scorers:
Eric Lindros-5 (2nd in the NHL)
Jeff O'Neill-4
Darcy Tucker-3

Points:
Bryan McCabe-9 (2nd in NHL)
Jason Allison, Tomas Kaberle- 8

Goals/Game-4.50, 1st in the NHL!!!!

Goals Against/Game-2.83, 13th in NHL

PP %-29.4%, 2nd in NHL!!!

FO %-52.4, 5th in NHL.

[Edited on 10/16/05 by sardion2000]

Still with a 3 game Winning Streak I think the weakest point on this team is #3 Wade Belak. He is an enforcer. Fighting is down 40 %. We don't need him.

[Edited on 10/16/05 by sardion2000]

So is this a Leafs thread or a generic NHL thread

I have been impressed with the scoring. 3 goal leads going into the 3rd period are scary. It doesn't take much for a team to get a goal, get a little more pumped, and then pop off 2 more.

If they are going to make a big deal outta the shoot out, start showing more of the shootouts. Show each player during the highlights, break into a game and show shootouts.

Oh, someone forgot to tell the Minnesota Wild that the rules changes are meant to INCREASE scoring. Fear the Wild's power play. You don't want to go shorthanded against these guys, and neither Gaborik nor Koivu have played yet this year!

I hope Mats Sundin heals quickly.

Originally posted by crayon
So is this a Leafs thread or a generic NHL thread

I'd say it would depend on who is going to contribute to the thread.

Just got back from the Habs Bruins game. One of the most exiciting games I have seen in a long time. So many close chances, especially for Montreal.
The most revealing aspect about tonights game is that the Habs of old (past 3 or 4 years) would have never been able to come back from a 2-0 defecit to a team like Boston. However this year, their speed and added characted with Perezhogin really give them an edge an more opportunity to get late goals. Thoedore still looks a bit shaky, however the offence looked great. Montreal is definitley one of the fastest teams on the ice, especially there first line. Kovalev and Koivu had an amazing night handiling the puck, hopefully that will continue.
Great game overall

courtesy www.tsn.ca

Canadiens pay tribute to Expos


Canadian Press

10/18/2005 10:53:27 PM

MONTREAL (CP) - Youppi!, the furry orange mascot, was an instant hit with the fans as his new team, the Canadiens, paid tribute to the departed Montreal Expos on Tuesday night.

His first task was to help former Expos stars Gary Carter and Andre Dawson raise an Expos banner to the Bell Centre rafters.

The Canadiens announced last month they acquired the rights to Youppi!, but at the time, internet polls ran two-to-one against the storied team taking on the long-time Expos mascot.

Thus far, his role was restricted to greeting fans at the entrance, but he made his first on-ice appearance before the Canadiens-Boston Bruins game on Tuesday night.

The scoreboard showed Youppi! in full hockey gear and a red Canadiens jersey walking from the dressing room to the ice carrying a plastic stick and oversized puck. A huge cheer arose when he stepped onto the ice and skated around the rink.





''It's nice that he's going from one sport to the next,'' Carter said of the mascot. ''We knew he would skate so we think he'll be a great representative.

''The young fans will enjoy Youppi! And as Andre said, it's just a class act by the Canadiens to recognize the 36 years of the Expos' existence. It's a sad time for us that they're no longer with us.''

The Expos banner in the team's original powder blue read: Montreal Expos 1969-2004 and carried the numbers of the team's four retired jerseys - No. 10 for both Dawson and Rusty Staub, No. 8 for Carter and No. 30 for Tim Raines.

The Expos, done in by a weak Canadian dollar, steep major league player salaries and low attendance, were moved to Washington, D.C., this year.

''The last few years, you could see it was inevitable, but as an ex-player here, you hated to see it happen,'' said Dawson, wearing a Canadiens jersey.

''Baseball is a business and they make moves in what they see is the best interests of the game, but for me, Montreal was my first stop. Montreal was always special to me and it hurt me to see the team leave.''

Nice post and a nice tribute, damn shame that the Expo's had to leave.

For a visual, here's..............................




BTW, this would have made a nice thread.

Yeah, it's a real shame about the Expos. As far as i'm concerned baseball owes Montreal a world series. Nobody would have beat the Expos that strike year. Raw deal all around. I remember thinking the Jays weren't too bad that year, and it would have been cool to lose to you guys. Expos win that world series, all the free agents stay, and you're on your way to a dynasty. Two world series rings are the only thing holding the jays above water right now. In my opinion it's only a matter of time before they're gone too.

Shaunc7, I just didn't want you to count the Leafs out. There are Habs jersey's in Toronto like there are Leaf jerseys in Montreal. Is there a better rivalry in sports? We need to meet in the playoffs. We are getting bored of eliminating the Senators. May the best team win. No hard feelings eh!

Toronto ticket prices are ridiculous. You can get tickets (from scalpers) it just costs an arm and leg. Buffalo is another alternative.
They have some good deals. They just sell too many seasons tickets. After they're all gone it leaves about 1000 tickets for the general public. Most of which get picked up by the scalpers. People actually get on a waiting list to buy seasons tickets.

The only people to blame are Leafs management. The Leafs are actually showing 12 games exclusively on Leafs TV this year. Now Leafs TV only cost a few bucks a month, but it's the principle of it all. I can't really justify paying to go to a game anywhere. I have a mortgage to pay after all. Now they're going to start charging me to watch at home. I e-mailed them my complaint. The response I got was that those games weren't picked up by a network and they thought fans would like some chance to see those games. I don't know about anyone else but it smells like BS to me. I can't help but feel it's 12 games this year, 20 the next. Enter pay-per-view.

The problem I have is that I was a Leaf fan in the 80's. I sat through Harold Ballard. It's just in the blood you know. I can't hate them, all I can do is ignore the off ice BS and watch the team play. I love the new rules. The teams are all just a little more equal. It's very exciting. If someone could pick a cup winner now they're a better man than I.

Don't you know Karlsberg that a lot of teachers are going to retiring soon, gotta keep that revenue coming in, and INCREASING!

If there are anymore games like last night there will be some teachers going hungry. That Leafs-Flyers game was a real stinker. That was just plain old boring to watch. Players are starting to figure out that you can stand in front of the net un-hindered. Then all you have to do is pound in shots from the point. All the penalties, and there were questionable ones on both sides, really seemed to interupt the flow. It was a real struggle to stay awake.

The Habs continue to get things done. The biggest aspect of the team this year compared to previous seasons is their determintation. I hate to use that word because determination is such an abstract thing. But it was so eveident after the Islanders scored the tieing goal (Jose's fault once again) ;you could just see how much confidence the Habs had in knowing that they would score another goal to win it. They just grabbed the puck and went up the ice and created opportunities. It was amazing to watch.

Now about Theodore. You can hear the gossip and rumblings throughout the bell centre and the city that people are not impressed with him. A small chant of 'let's trade Jo-se' was sung on the way out of the bell centre. People have realized that he will not be the goalie that will bring Montreal another cup. Furthermore, the name Luongo is being talked about an awful lot here. He is a native Montrealer and it easy to see and hear how much the fans here want Gainey to make a blockbuster trade. The latest rumour is Theodore, Higgins and Zednik for Luongo and Horton. If the Habs continue with their stellar offence and its NOT complemented by stellar goaltending (in other words they start losing games 5-4 or 6-5) this dicontent for Jose will get stronger. The next few weeks should be interested.