Official NHL Hockey Thread interim version

[Mysteriosa]

On 10/4/2020 at 7:32 PM, RWG said:

I'm glad the Lightning won the cup because it's good for the league if, every once in a while, the best team in the league actually won the cup. The discourse would be horrible if Dallas had won. Everyone would be talking about how choking defensive systems and boring hockey are how you win the cup, and all the contending teams would try to emulate that.

 

I am sad for Rick Bowness though.

 

Who even knows when we see hockey again? The league says December or January, but I think it will be weird and complicated and challenging.

I hate Dallas AND the Lightning, so I wasn't thrilled by the games.  I don't think games should have been jammed together like they were, having them every day.  Dallas doing so well made the Flames look good, but really I don't know how Dallas managed to squeak through.  It was almost out a few times.

 

January seems likely, but I think it will be hard.

On 10/6/2020 at 5:25 PM, ShortstopVM said:

Not even listening to the pundits on NBCSN right now because I'm too busy playing that Taylor Swift song.

 

Alexis Lafreniere... Welcome to New York; it's been waiting for you.  

Sweet.  Congrats!

 

The news today is so weird.

First Flames let Quine and Rieder go to Edmonton and to Buffalo.  I liked both of them.  Rieder was particularly good in the playoffs. (and both were not expensive)   Jankowski went to the Penguins (if they can't sort him out no one can). 

 

Then Talbot the goalie signed with Minnesota.  At the time the Flames still hadn't nailed down a goalie, and I bet they didn't really have a backup plan if the one they wanted changed his mind.  I'm happy for Talbot, because he has a family that wants to put down roots and not move every yr.   Markstrom finally signed with Calgary, which surprised me a bit.  I wasn't sure he'd leave Vancouver.  He has a no move clause and a 6 yr contract.

 

Then Brodie left to go to the Leafs for a 4 yr 20 million contract.

I'm glad we have a goalie, but realistically, goal tending was not the main problem.  (They also have decided to keep interim coach Ward.  I don't think Ward makes good decisions. )  I'm not sure what they will do next.  And it's weird that hockey ended in Fall instead of starting.  It feels upside down. 

Edited October 10, 2020 by Mysteriosa

[RWG]

I never thought Markstrom would end up signing somewhere else, up until maybe the last hour before free agency. I thought he'd be open enough for a discount. But Calgary blew his socks off with 6 years/$6 million per, and there's nothing we can do about that. I would be livid if Benning had given him that. I'm glad he got his payday though. Guy is a fierce competitor.

 

Tanev is hard to lose. He has been my favourite Canuck, after the Sedins, for the last 10 years. I have all the time in the world for him as a player and a person. But $4.5 million over FOUR YEARS is a horrible signing by Calgary. If he plays out that whole contract, I'd be shocked if plays the equivalent of two seasons, based on how often he gets injured. And he has sneakily been declining for years, which was sort of masked this year because he played with Quinn Hughes all season. It is going to suck to watch him play against us in a Flames jersey. But it would suck even more if we'd matched Calgary's offer.

 

Stecher left too, for basically nothing, to the Detroit Red Wings, who just had the worst season in the cap-era NHL. We now have no one on the right side on defense other than Tyler Myers, who makes $5 million. That is an inexcusable fumble by Jim Benning.

 

Based on their social media, Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes seem heartbroken about losing Markstrom (Pettersson's close friend) and Tanev (Hughes's d partner and mentor). Time for them to be big boys, I guess.

 

I didn't think it was possible the Canucks would lose ALL of their UFAs, but assuming they don't circle back on Toffoli (I doubt they will), that's what will happen. The Canucks are probably 10 wins worse than they were last season.

 

Calgary also signed Louie Domingue. Since Calgary appears set on stealing all of our players, do you want to take Jim Benning too?

[RWG]

Canucks did rebound a bit by getting Nate Schmidt for a 3rd-round pick in 2020 from Vegas. Vegas was in cap hell because of the Pietrangelo signing, so they had to give up a lower-end top-pairing dman for basically nothing, to a divisional opponent. That's obviously a win for the Canucks, but they've still had a bad offseason on aggregate.

 

The Pietrangelo signing by Vegas was a little surprising to me. I respect that they want to make a huge splash every offseason and be in on every #1 free-agent, but when they were eliminated, nobody thought "Vegas needs a #1 dman." It was, "Vegas needs scorers who can finish." There's also the ruthlessness of them getting rid of whoever they need to to make cap space for such players. You can do it once or twice, but eventually, the room is going to get ansty and unhappy that all their fiends are being jettisoned because the group isn't given more than one chance.

 

 

[Mysteriosa]

On 10/11/2020 at 7:59 PM, RWG said:

I never thought Markstrom would end up signing somewhere else, up until maybe the last hour before free agency. I thought he'd be open enough for a discount. But Calgary blew his socks off with 6 years/$6 million per, and there's nothing we can do about that. I would be livid if Benning had given him that. I'm glad he got his payday though. Guy is a fierce competitor.

 

Tanev is hard to lose. He has been my favourite Canuck, after the Sedins, for the last 10 years. I have all the time in the world for him as a player and a person. But $4.5 million over FOUR YEARS is a horrible signing by Calgary. If he plays out that whole contract, I'd be shocked if plays the equivalent of two seasons, based on how often he gets injured. And he has sneakily been declining for years, which was sort of masked this year because he played with Quinn Hughes all season. It is going to suck to watch him play against us in a Flames jersey. But it would suck even more if we'd matched Calgary's offer.

 

Stecher left too, for basically nothing, to the Detroit Red Wings, who just had the worst season in the cap-era NHL. We now have no one on the right side on defense other than Tyler Myers, who makes $5 million. That is an inexcusable fumble by Jim Benning.

 

Based on their social media, Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes seem heartbroken about losing Markstrom (Pettersson's close friend) and Tanev (Hughes's d partner and mentor). Time for them to be big boys, I guess.

 

I didn't think it was possible the Canucks would lose ALL of their UFAs, but assuming they don't circle back on Toffoli (I doubt they will), that's what will happen. The Canucks are probably 10 wins worse than they were last season.

 

Calgary also signed Louie Domingue. Since Calgary appears set on stealing all of our players, do you want to take Jim Benning too?

STEAL THEM, STEAL THEM ALL!!!

 

No, I do not want Jim Benning. 

 

For ages people thought that maybe all these smaller deals were going to be part of a future larger deal to get something the Flames really want.  Hmm.  Maybe not. I'm thinking if that was the plan, it has fallen through.

 

It's nice to have Markstrom, but I'm hoping we're not planning to lean on our goalie till he squeaks instead of playing defence.  Fun listening to an interview with Talbot who signed with Minnesota and said he was looking forward to a structured team that plays tight defence.  He's seen the Flames defence in action in the playoffs, and it was not pretty.

 

I am sad without hockey.  Cheered briefly by the odd news on Twitter that Todd Bertuzzi said if Trump lost the election he wanted to move back to Vancouver, that notorious hotbed of Conservative feeling...

 

 

On 10/17/2020 at 7:43 PM, RWG said:

Canucks did rebound a bit by getting Nate Schmidt for a 3rd-round pick in 2020 from Vegas. Vegas was in cap hell because of the Pietrangelo signing, so they had to give up a lower-end top-pairing dman for basically nothing, to a divisional opponent. That's obviously a win for the Canucks, but they've still had a bad offseason on aggregate.

 

The Pietrangelo signing by Vegas was a little surprising to me. I respect that they want to make a huge splash every offseason and be in on every #1 free-agent, but when they were eliminated, nobody thought "Vegas needs a #1 dman." It was, "Vegas needs scorers who can finish." There's also the ruthlessness of them getting rid of whoever they need to to make cap space for such players. You can do it once or twice, but eventually, the room is going to get ansty and unhappy that all their fiends are being jettisoned because the group isn't given more than one chance.

 

 

You have a point.  Vegas seems to dump overboard anyone who doesn't fit the convenience of the moment.  Bonus marks for calling them fiends...

Sometimes it is easier to win with a bunch of lesser names that work hard, than a few big names that have egos attached.

 

I'm curious whether Seattle can pull off a spectacular first season like Vegas.  No pressure.  

 

 

[RWG]

On 11/8/2020 at 12:58 AM, Mysteriosa said:

STEAL THEM, STEAL THEM ALL!!!

 

No, I do not want Jim Benning. 

 

For ages people thought that maybe all these smaller deals were going to be part of a future larger deal to get something the Flames really want.  Hmm.  Maybe not. I'm thinking if that was the plan, it has fallen through.

 

It's nice to have Markstrom, but I'm hoping we're not planning to lean on our goalie till he squeaks instead of playing defence.  Fun listening to an interview with Talbot who signed with Minnesota and said he was looking forward to a structured team that plays tight defence.  He's seen the Flames defence in action in the playoffs, and it was not pretty.

 

I am sad without hockey.  Cheered briefly by the odd news on Twitter that Todd Bertuzzi said if Trump lost the election he wanted to move back to Vancouver, that notorious hotbed of Conservative feeling...

 

 

You have a point.  Vegas seems to dump overboard anyone who doesn't fit the convenience of the moment.  Bonus marks for calling them fiends...

Sometimes it is easier to win with a bunch of lesser names that work hard, than a few big names that have egos attached.

 

I'm curious whether Seattle can pull off a spectacular first season like Vegas.  No pressure.  

 

 

 

You got Leivo too. =/ Calgary signed him for very little and the Canucks apparently couldn't match. There is obviously an internal salary cap here. Daddy told Jim Benning he can't have a new toy this year.

 

I'm not even that mad that the Canucks have effectively decided to take a step back this year. It is going to be a weird, short year, with an all-Canadian division probably for the whole regular season. If last year's cup didn't have an asterisk (I think it did), this year's certainly will.

 

It will be a treat for Markstrom too, not needing to make 35 saves every night to win.

 

Vancouver is one of North America's most left-wing cities, in a province with an NDP premier and a country with a Liberal prime minster. I am actually moving back to BC next week, but unlike with Todd, it has nothing to do with politics.

 

I didn't think Seattle would have as good a first season as Vegas did, because the other teams wouldn't allow the expansion drafter to walk all over them like they did Vegas. I still don't think they will, but because of all the economic damage the coronavirus has inflicted, Seattle may end up with as big of an advantage that Vegas had all the same. Perhaps moreso of an advantage than Vegas had.

 

The league and players just agreed to a new CBA four months ago, and Bettman is already asking the players to defer more escrow. I'm guessing Gary just told the owners to agree to what they did to get them back into the bubble and told them they'd renegotiate if they can't get fans in the stands in the fall. I think the players will probably cave as usual, because Bettman will always be successful in blaming them for any stoppages. But with players angered a new and probably about a third of owners not wanting to play without fans at all, they may just not come back until next season.

 

[Mysteriosa]

I'm back.  Someone in my family had to go to hospital and have surgery, they're out now and ok, but 2020 is officially awful as if it wasn't already.  

 

Meanwhile hockey.  There isn't any.  Except Juniors, and now Alberta seems headed for lockdown I'm not sure if that is still a go?  And why couldn't they have made people behave themselves weeks ago so things weren't locked down for Christmas?  Oh Alberta...*sighs*

On 11/24/2020 at 6:01 PM, RWG said:

It will be a treat for Markstrom too, not needing to make 35 saves every night to win.

 

Vancouver is one of North America's most left-wing cities, in a province with an NDP premier and a country with a Liberal prime minster. I am actually moving back to BC next week, but unlike with Todd, it has nothing to do with politics.

 

I didn't think Seattle would have as good a first season as Vegas did, because the other teams wouldn't allow the expansion drafter to walk all over them like they did Vegas. I still don't think they will, but because of all the economic damage the coronavirus has inflicted, Seattle may end up with as big of an advantage that Vegas had all the same. Perhaps moreso of an advantage than Vegas had.

I forgot Markstrom is here now.  One day he might actually play, too... 

 

Calgary Hitmen had a drive through Teddy Bear Lane instead of their Teddy Bear Toss.  This is sadness.  

 

Woo.  BC.  I like BC weather.    How are you?  Are you happy to be back?

 

It's a tricky time to start a franchise.  Or anything, really!  True, the Vegas draft was like, here are all the keys to the castle.  Seattle will have a cooler logo.

 

I see your anthem singer is your ex-anthem singer because he wanted to sing at an anti mask rally.  How bizarre.

 

Then I see that there is a British soccer reporter who has the exact same name so people attacked him on Twitter, and he had no idea why!  

 

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/british-soccer-reporter-mistaken-for-fired-vancouver-canucks-anthem-singer-1.5830683

 

And then another layer of bizarre.  Don Cherry, appearing from wherever he hangs out now, saying it is wrong to fire the anthem singer. (he would know how that feels.  They could start a club...)

 

It does seem to me that what he does on his days off, as long as it is legal, should not really be a thing.  (I mean, he isn't drug dealing on the side)  But at this point I'm not sure I care a whole lot either way, it's just weird to see the actual owner of the Canucks announce anthem guy is fired on Twitter?  Um...wow.

 

On a happier note, Iginla was interviewed as a man on the street about the weather by a reporter who had no idea who he is.  They know now.   

 

 

 

Edited December 9, 2020 by Mysteriosa

[RWG]

On 12/9/2020 at 1:07 AM, Mysteriosa said:

I'm back.  Someone in my family had to go to hospital and have surgery, they're out now and ok, but 2020 is officially awful as if it wasn't already.  

 

Meanwhile hockey.  There isn't any.  Except Juniors, and now Alberta seems headed for lockdown I'm not sure if that is still a go?  And why couldn't they have made people behave themselves weeks ago so things weren't locked down for Christmas?  Oh Alberta...*sighs* 

I forgot Markstrom is here now.  One day he might actually play, too... 

 

Calgary Hitmen had a drive through Teddy Bear Lane instead of their Teddy Bear Toss.  This is sadness.  

 

 

Sorry to hear. Glad they are doing ok now. 2020 blows. 

 

They named the Team Canada roster today. I hope they are able play the world juniors, but getting all the players from all over the world there and keeping the virus out will be difficult.

 

I think most of the country except the Atlantic provinces has no gathering restrictions in place for Christmas. I understand the need for the restriction and will follow it, but it does feel like the way this pandemic has played out, how fast they re-opened everything and how slow they were to close it again, it's like they timed it specfiically so that the worst part would play out at Christmas. We could have had a more normal Christmas, but oh well.

 

On 12/9/2020 at 1:07 AM, Mysteriosa said:

Woo.  BC.  I like BC weather.    How are you?  Are you happy to be back?

 

It's a tricky time to start a franchise.  Or anything, really!  True, the Vegas draft was like, here are all the keys to the castle.  Seattle will have a cooler logo.

 

I see your anthem singer is your ex-anthem singer because he wanted to sing at an anti mask rally.  How bizarre.

 

Then I see that there is a British soccer reporter who has the exact same name so people attacked him on Twitter, and he had no idea why!  

 

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/british-soccer-reporter-mistaken-for-fired-vancouver-canucks-anthem-singer-1.5830683

 

And then another layer of bizarre.  Don Cherry, appearing from wherever he hangs out now, saying it is wrong to fire the anthem singer. (he would know how that feels.  They could start a club...)

 

It does seem to me that what he does on his days off, as long as it is legal, should not really be a thing.  (I mean, he isn't drug dealing on the side)  But at this point I'm not sure I care a whole lot either way, it's just weird to see the actual owner of the Canucks announce anthem guy is fired on Twitter?  Um...wow.

 

On a happier note, Iginla was interviewed as a man on the street about the weather by a reporter who had no idea who he is.  They know now.   

 

 

 

 

Thanks for asking, I'm pretty good! I kind of had to move back because of a parent's health thing that is unfortunate, but it is otherwise nice to be back. BC weather at this time is just rainy and cold... southern Ontario is actually nicer in fall. But I suppose either is preferable to Alberta weather.

 

Apparently Mark Donnelly was only singing 7 games a year as of last season. I think the Saturday night ones on HNIC. His bizarre political activities have been coming up more and more in recent years, and I think the team got sick of hearing about it and started using other people more. Also, the Canucks, like every NHL team, have had to lay off a good chunk of its office and operations staff because of the virus. The owner has lost millions of dollars because of it and desperately wants it to end ASAP, so I can understand him getting mad at the singer for wanting to do a public event for people who think it's fake.

 

Considering Aquilini fired him on Twitter and did it almost right after the story about the anti-mask rally came out, I think it's safe to say he can have a short temper.

 

lol I love how Jarome Iginla spent 20 years having to answer dumb questions about the power play yet is happy to participate in a "local citizens weigh in" segment for the local news. And people wonder why hockey players like playing and living in the U.S. Besides the taxes, they can just live normal lives there.

 

John Shannon leaked a scoop about the NHL planning to buy private doses of the coronavirus vaccine for its upcoming season, right after they finish robbing an orphanage of its Christmas food.

 

The reaction was very funny as you can see by the number of replies. I don't know who at the NHL thought this would be a smart thing to leak. Shannon had to issue another tweet clarifying that the NHL would not want to do until the vaccine is available for private purchase and that they won't cut the line. That doesn't make sense though, because the first tweet says "upcoming season," which starts in a few weeks.

 

I do get why the NHL would try that though. They are going head on into the pandemic with teams travelling around the continent and there is a hard stop because of the Olympics. If teams pick up the virus and have outbreaks, the league isn't able to move games back like the NFL and MLB have when they've had teams knocked out of play. NBC wouldn't broadcast the games. It feels like there's a lot of pressure on Bettman right now, especially after the owners just lost cash because of the MOU he encouraged them to sign.

 

We still don't have a start date!

Edited December 14, 2020 by RWG

[Mysteriosa]

22 hours ago, RWG said:

Sorry to hear. Glad they are doing ok now. 2020 blows. 

 

They named the Team Canada roster today. I hope they are able play the world juniors, but getting all the players from all over the world there and keeping the virus out will be difficult.

 

I think most of the country except the Atlantic provinces has no gathering restrictions in place for Christmas. I understand the need for the restriction and will follow it, but it does feel like the way this pandemic has played out, how fast they re-opened everything and how slow they were to close it again, it's like they timed it specfiically so that the worst part would play out at Christmas. We could have had a more normal Christmas, but oh well.

Thanks!  And yes it really does.

 

It seems like junior players testing positive is already happening.

 

I really think if they had closed things down a month ago, Christmas would have straightened out.  Since there was a gap between the announcement and the deadline, everyone ran to the mall to finish their shopping!  

 

22 hours ago, RWG said:

Thanks for asking, I'm pretty good! I kind of had to move back because of a parent's health thing that is unfortunate, but it is otherwise nice to be back. BC weather at this time is just rainy and cold... southern Ontario is actually nicer in fall. But I suppose either is preferable to Alberta weather.

 

Apparently Mark Donnelly was only singing 7 games a year as of last season. I think the Saturday night ones on HNIC. His bizarre political activities have been coming up more and more in recent years, and I think the team got sick of hearing about it and started using other people more. Also, the Canucks, like every NHL team, have had to lay off a good chunk of its office and operations staff because of the virus. The owner has lost millions of dollars because of it and desperately wants it to end ASAP, so I can understand him getting mad at the singer for wanting to do a public event for people who think it's fake.

 

Considering Aquilini fired him on Twitter and did it almost right after the story about the anti-mask rally came out, I think it's safe to say he can have a short temper.

Oh, I'm sorry to hear that.  Sunday it was -14 Celsius in the day in Calgary, and -17 at night with -25 wind chill.  The very next day it was 1 degree Celsius and -8 at night.  At least the temperature is going back up, but I never get used to the swings in temperature.

 

I didn't know Donnelly had bizarre politics, but I can see why they'd be annoyed that he thinks it is all imagination, especially when he is one of the few people still on payroll.  He does look eccentric.

22 hours ago, RWG said:

lol I love how Jarome Iginla spent 20 years having to answer dumb questions about the power play yet is happy to participate in a "local citizens weigh in" segment for the local news. And people wonder why hockey players like playing and living in the U.S. Besides the taxes, they can just live normal lives there.

 

The answer is in the dressing room!  We have to get possession of the puck and then shoot it more...  

 

Oh, I did find out that Iginla is thinking of coming back to the west. 

 

He apparently used to invite Conroy over to his house, take him outside to a mini rink, and compete to see who was the best.  Kids were not allowed to participate because it was too dangerous!  OK then.  Definitely a type A personality.

https://www.thechronicleherald.ca/sports/hockey/20-to-20-calgarys-sporting-icons-of-the-2000s-so-far-jarome-iginla-528837/

 

22 hours ago, RWG said:

John Shannon leaked a scoop about the NHL planning to buy private doses of the coronavirus vaccine for its upcoming season, right after they finish robbing an orphanage of its Christmas food.

 

The reaction was very funny as you can see by the number of replies. I don't know who at the NHL thought this would be a smart thing to leak. Shannon had to issue another tweet clarifying that the NHL would not want to do until the vaccine is available for private purchase and that they won't cut the line. That doesn't make sense though, because the first tweet says "upcoming season," which starts in a few weeks.

 

That sounds like the time the Flames organization decided to get the team flu shots, and it became a scandal in Calgary, because it looked like they were cutting in line.

John Shannon.  Blah.  I am thinking Bettman would do pretty much anything to get things going again.

 

Oh, I also heard about a mini scandal where Holtby tried to get a new mask design, and aboriginal artists were annoyed he didn't ask them to create the aboriginal symbol he wanted, so he apologized.  

 

The other week it was the fact he was stuck at the border trying to get the right documents to import his pet tortoises.  Some people said turtles, but I see they are in fact tortoises.  There is a joke here somewhere.  

https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/canucks-hockey/canucks-braden-holtby-slowed-at-canadian-border-due-to-pet-tortoises-2891321

 

No start date.  Sigh.  I feel weird without hockey.  Flames will forget how it works.  They do have new jerseys, including the return of the black flaming horse design.  I was not aware that it had a name.  Blasty?  Really?  I always kind of liked it though.  

 

Given how many Canuck players Flames took, this next tweet is quite well timed.

 

 

[RWG]

I'd totally forgotten what December in Victoria was like: rain, rain, cloudy with showers, rain, rain, cloudy with sunny breaks, cloudy with showers, rain, rain.

 

On 12/14/2020 at 10:53 PM, Mysteriosa said:

Thanks!  And yes it really does.

 

It seems like junior players testing positive is already happening.

 

I really think if they had closed things down a month ago, Christmas would have straightened out.  Since there was a gap between the announcement and the deadline, everyone ran to the mall to finish their shopping!  

 

Germany just had eight players test postive. They play their first game the 25th and then Canada again on the 26th. Sweden had two more staff members test positive, after just sending their coach home to Sweden after he tested positive. So yeah, not a great start.

 

It's hard to say. In B.C., the restrictions seem to be glacially moving the daily case counts in the right direction. In Ontario, they don't seem to have had any impact at all, as people aren't following them.

 

On 12/14/2020 at 10:53 PM, Mysteriosa said:

I didn't know Donnelly had bizarre politics, but I can see why they'd be annoyed that he thinks it is all imagination, especially when he is one of the few people still on payroll.  He does look eccentric.

The answer is in the dressing room!  We have to get possession of the puck and then shoot it more...  

 

Oh, I did find out that Iginla is thinking of coming back to the west. 

 

He apparently used to invite Conroy over to his house, take him outside to a mini rink, and compete to see who was the best.  Kids were not allowed to participate because it was too dangerous!  OK then.  Definitely a type A personality.

https://www.thechronicleherald.ca/sports/hockey/20-to-20-calgarys-sporting-icons-of-the-2000s-so-far-jarome-iginla-528837/

 

That sounds like the time the Flames organization decided to get the team flu shots, and it became a scandal in Calgary, because it looked like they were cutting in line.

John Shannon.  Blah.  I am thinking Bettman would do pretty much anything to get things going again.

 

Oh, I also heard about a mini scandal where Holtby tried to get a new mask design, and aboriginal artists were annoyed he didn't ask them to create the aboriginal symbol he wanted, so he apologized.  

 

The other week it was the fact he was stuck at the border trying to get the right documents to import his pet tortoises.  Some people said turtles, but I see they are in fact tortoises.  There is a joke here somewhere.  

https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/canucks-hockey/canucks-braden-holtby-slowed-at-canadian-border-due-to-pet-tortoises-2891321

 

 

Donnelly did a radio interview the night Aquilini fired him on Twitter and it was funny. He started off speaking calmly and by the end was just screaming about how all this is fake and ridiculous. His first controversy wasn't politics but the fact he underwent some controversial and unsafe weight loss procedure where they sucked like a hundred pounds off.

 

I remember the Flames H1N1 thing. The Flames or Alberta Health or both had to fire people over it, if I recall correctly.

 

Iginla is impossible to dislike. Just elite tier classiness.

 

John Shannon is a huge tool for the NHL. He is very tight with the league though and has good information. Apparently he was pretty fierce/yelled at people a lot when he produced Hockey Night in Canada.

 

Yeah, the Holtby thing tee'd off a whole conversation about the logo. Obviously, different Inigenous people will have different views, and I hope the team listens to the ones who have issues with it. That said, if it were truly as problematic as alleged, I feel like it would have come up at some point in the previous 20 years.

 

 

 

On 12/14/2020 at 10:53 PM, Mysteriosa said:

No start date.  Sigh.  I feel weird without hockey.  Flames will forget how it works.  They do have new jerseys, including the return of the black flaming horse design.  I was not aware that it had a name.  Blasty?  Really?  I always kind of liked it though.  

 

 

Given how many Canuck players Flames took, this next tweet is quite well timed.

 

 

 

I like the horse. Is his name really Blasty though? That can't be for real.

 

They're saying mid-January now. The NHL and NHLPA have an agreement in place. The NHL still needs approval from the five provinces' health officers to allow the teams to travel between provinces, and to play their games, which violate gathering restrictions. The meetings are continuing tomorrow. It is good to know that the NHL is just allowed to demand the time and resources of these taxpayer-funded public health authorities.

 

After Markstrom, Tanev, Leivo, and Domingue, seeing the Flames steal the exact colours used in the Canucks' existing alternate/throwback jerseys was not shocking.

 

 

According to Friedman, four of the provinces have caved to the NHL's demands RE travel and games. The lone standout is rumored to be B.C. Friedman said a possible resolution, if that province can't agree, would be to have that province's team play in another Canadian city. So Calgary may as well just take the whole enchilada and have the Calgary Canucks this year too.

 

Edited December 19, 2020 by RWG

[Mysteriosa]

On 12/18/2020 at 11:53 PM, RWG said:

I'd totally forgotten what December in Victoria was like: rain, rain, cloudy with showers, rain, rain, cloudy with sunny breaks, cloudy with showers, rain, rain.

I've got deep snow.  At least they've plowed some of it on my street now so the middle of the street is passable (but not the edges).  Victoria is so mild.  Rain every day is not thrilling though.

 

Merry Christmas!

 

On 12/18/2020 at 11:53 PM, RWG said:

Donnelly did a radio interview the night Aquilini fired him on Twitter and it was funny. He started off speaking calmly and by the end was just screaming about how all this is fake and ridiculous

There must be the calm anthem singing Donnelly, and the wild off the chain off the rink Donnelly.

 

On 12/18/2020 at 11:53 PM, RWG said:

Iginla is impossible to dislike. Just elite tier classiness.

Woo!  Yes.  And surprisingly open to fights on the ice, despite being mainly a scoring guy.  

 

On 12/18/2020 at 11:53 PM, RWG said:

Yeah, the Holtby thing tee'd off a whole conversation about the logo. Obviously, different Inigenous people will have different views, and I hope the team listens to the ones who have issues with it. That said, if it were truly as problematic as alleged, I feel like it would have come up at some point in the previous 20 years.

 

I don't think it is a demeaning logo.  I've always liked it.  I think letting someone Indigenous redesign a version would be cool.

 

On 12/18/2020 at 11:53 PM, RWG said:

like the horse. Is his name really Blasty though? That can't be for real.

 

They're saying mid-January now. The NHL and NHLPA have an agreement in place. The NHL still needs approval from the five provinces' health officers to allow the teams to travel between provinces, and to play their games, which violate gathering restrictions. The meetings are continuing tomorrow. It is good to know that the NHL is just allowed to demand the time and resources of these taxpayer-funded public health authorities.

 

After Markstrom, Tanev, Leivo, and Domingue, seeing the Flames steal the exact colours used in the Canucks' existing alternate/throwback jerseys was not shocking.

 

I have never ever heard he was called Blasty before now so I was surprised.  Maybe it was online.  Usually people just say the flaming horse logo.

 

Am I the only one who doesn't find it exciting to see Canada beat junior teams 16-2?  Or 10-0.  Bleh.  And then there are the teams that are tricky and we're never ready for them.

 

I want NHL hockey.  I want it.  I think I want it.  I forget.  January as a season start is just weird.

 

LOL.  I'm taking this, and this and oh, that too...  Have you any equipment you're not using?  Can we borrow your Zamboni?

 

First shocker for me is that Lundqvist needs heart surgery.  He's got to be the fittest man on earth.

Today I see that Zdeno Chara has changed teams?  What?  What is this?  

 

 

 

 

[ShortstopVM]

a) All the best to Henrik Lundqvist as he undergoes his open-heart surgery  I thank him for everything he has done for the Rangers the past fifteen seasons.   His number will hang from the famous Garden ceiling one day.

 

b) Congratulations to Captain Cally on his thirteen-year NHL career  It's a shame that the Rangers couldn't win the Cup for him (or Henrik, for that matter) in 2012 or 2014.  

Edited December 31, 2020 by ShortstopVM

[RWG]

On 12/30/2020 at 6:00 PM, Mysteriosa said:

I've got deep snow.  At least they've plowed some of it on my street now so the middle of the street is passable (but not the edges).  Victoria is so mild.  Rain every day is not thrilling though.

 

Merry Christmas!

 

There must be the calm anthem singing Donnelly, and the wild off the chain off the rink Donnelly.

 

Woo!  Yes.  And surprisingly open to fights on the ice, despite being mainly a scoring guy.  

 

 

I don't think it is a demeaning logo.  I've always liked it.  I think letting someone Indigenous redesign a version would be cool.

 

I have never ever heard he was called Blasty before now so I was surprised.  Maybe it was online.  Usually people just say the flaming horse logo.

 

Am I the only one who doesn't find it exciting to see Canada beat junior teams 16-2?  Or 10-0.  Bleh.  And then there are the teams that are tricky and we're never ready for them.

 

I want NHL hockey.  I want it.  I think I want it.  I forget.  January as a season start is just weird.

 

LOL.  I'm taking this, and this and oh, that too...  Have you any equipment you're not using?  Can we borrow your Zamboni?

 

First shocker for me is that Lundqvist needs heart surgery.  He's got to be the fittest man on earth.

Today I see that Zdeno Chara has changed teams?  What?  What is this?  

 

 

 

 

 

Happy New Year! And belated Merry Xmas.

 

Donnelly did another freedom rally performance on New Year's. Must be nice to be selfish enough to feel completely exempt from the rules, while the rest of us forgo seeing our families to try to get the numbers down.

 

TSN wants more teams = more games to put on TV = more revenue. Thus we have to pretend like the 16-2 games are somehow meaningful for both teams. Austria lost all their games and was outscored 29-1 collectively. They had to leave their families at Xmas and travel during a pandemic to do that. We criticize the women's internal game for having no competitve balance, but people find it ungallant to bring that up in regards to the world juniors.

 

I watched Finland stun Sweden. That was a good game. I really like Costmar on Sweden... not actually expecting him to be an NHL player for the Canucks, but maybe. I watched the beginning of Canada-Czech Republic but turned off cause it was completely one-sided like most of the games.

 

They're doing hologram interviews of the coaches on TSN. Though when Duthie and McKenzie interviewed the Igor Larionov hologram, they weren't facing him.

 

The Bruins and Chara are blaming each other for the breakup. It sounds like Bruins wouldn't guarantee him he'd be in the top 6, so he left. Washington is becoming the premier destination for players who have played 85304 years for another franchise.

 

I have to be honest, my excitement for this season and the Canadian Division are pretty tempered. Playing the same six teams all season might get kind of old. I don't want to watch the Leafs 10 times.

 

 Also, whoever wins the Stanley Cup this year will have played 10 of the 31 teams in the league. Are we really going to pretend this won't come with an asterisk??

 

On 12/31/2020 at 12:03 AM, ShortstopVM said:

a) All the best to Henrik Lundqvist as he undergoes his open-heart surgery  I thank him for everything he has done for the Rangers the past fifteen seasons.   His number will hang from the famous Garden ceiling one day.

 

b) Congratulations to Captain Cally on his thirteen-year NHL career  It's a shame that the Rangers couldn't win the Cup for him (or Henrik, for that matter) in 2012 or 2014.  

 

Really hoping Hank heals fast.

[RWG]

The USA beat Canada 2-1 in the world junior final. I didn't really follow it at all this year, but experts say it was a shocking upset. I trust them that the Canadian team was deeper this year, but it's not exactly shocking when it's the US winning their fourth gold in the last 10 years, to Canda's three. I did watch some of the gold medal game. I sincerely like Trevor Zegras's cockiness.

 

The Canucks' first-ever helmet sponsor is... Rogers! The same people who broadcast the games and that the building is named after. The Oilers are also using Rogers. Calgary and Toronto both got Scotiabank. There's not much diversity in the NHL portfolio is there. Most of the American teams are using the same banks and whatevers that already have sponsorships or naming rights with. The NHL basically just goes to its rich uncles whenever it needs money.

 

I won't pretend to care about the helmet ads but the Penguins' one is a bit unsightly.

 

 

And Dallas and Columbus both have Covid outbreaks, or concerns at least. The season starts in a few days... here goes.

 

 

Edited January 9, 2021 by RWG

[ShortstopVM]

On 1/9/2021 at 12:59 AM, RWG said:

The USA beat Canada 2-1 in the world junior final. I didn't really follow it at all this year, but experts say it was a shocking upset. I trust them that the Canadian team was deeper this year, but it's not exactly shocking when it's the US winning their fourth gold in the last 10 years, to Canda's three. I did watch some of the gold medal game. I sincerely like Trevor Zegras's cockiness.

 

 

That third period was a defensive masterpiece. *chef's kiss* It wasn't just Spencer Knight making saves in goal, but his teammates blocking shots and cutting off passing lanes.  According to the NHL Network's pundits, USA had the tougher path to the Final and were more battle-tested.

 

Quote

The Canucks' first-ever helmet sponsor is... Rogers! The same people who broadcast the games and that the building is named after. The Oilers are also using Rogers. Calgary and Toronto both got Scotiabank. There's not much diversity in the NHL portfolio is there. Most of the American teams are using the same banks and whatevers that already have sponsorships or naming rights with. The NHL basically just goes to its rich uncles whenever it needs money.

 

I won't pretend to care about the helmet ads but the Penguins' one is a bit unsightly.

 

Yeah, the helmet ads are a no-go for me...

 

Speaking of defense... I wish the Rangers could play some right now. Down 3-0 TO THE FISHSTICKS AFTER THE FIRST PERIOD OF THE SEASON?!?!?

 

Edited January 15, 2021 by ShortstopVM

[Mysteriosa]

On 1/2/2021 at 7:04 PM, RWG said:

The Bruins and Chara are blaming each other for the breakup. It sounds like Bruins wouldn't guarantee him he'd be in the top 6, so he left. Washington is becoming the premier destination for players who have played 85304 years for another franchise.

 

I have to be honest, my excitement for this season and the Canadian Division are pretty tempered. Playing the same six teams all season might get kind of old. I don't want to watch the Leafs 10 times.

Washington might be interesting this year.  I never thought Chara would leave that organization.  I guess you never know what is going on behind the scenes.

 

So far the hockey has been kind of hum-ho, even though the Flames beat the Canucks, twice.   The first game I missed because I was watching a movie...and the second one I listened to and I think I fell asleep for some of the middle bit.  I tried watching it later, and Flames were lucky to win that one really as the first period was dismal.  Both goalies were making uncharacteristic mistakes.  Markstrom has nice form.  We're going to lean on him till he squeaks.

 

I was excited about hockey coming back, but it feels weird to start in January.

 

No one wants to watch the Leafs, except Leaf fans.  Calgary has a break and then plays them next.

 

On 1/8/2021 at 10:59 PM, RWG said:

The Canucks' first-ever helmet sponsor is... Rogers! The same people who broadcast the games and that the building is named after. The Oilers are also using Rogers. Calgary and Toronto both got Scotiabank. There's not much diversity in the NHL portfolio is there. Most of the American teams are using the same banks and whatevers that already have sponsorships or naming rights with. The NHL basically just goes to its rich uncles whenever it needs money.

I thought it was kind of tacky.  Like when you watch the Spengler Cup (back when it was allowed) and everything has weird little logos and colours all over it.  Even the refs.

 

On 1/14/2021 at 6:02 PM, ShortstopVM said:

Speaking of defense... I wish the Rangers could play some right now. Down 3-0 TO THE FISHSTICKS AFTER THE FIRST PERIOD OF THE SEASON?!?!?

[RWG]

On 1/22/2021 at 3:44 PM, Mysteriosa said:

Washington might be interesting this year.  I never thought Chara would leave that organization.  I guess you never know what is going on behind the scenes.

 

So far the hockey has been kind of hum-ho, even though the Flames beat the Canucks, twice.   The first game I missed because I was watching a movie...and the second one I listened to and I think I fell asleep for some of the middle bit.  I tried watching it later, and Flames were lucky to win that one really as the first period was dismal.  Both goalies were making uncharacteristic mistakes.  Markstrom has nice form.  We're going to lean on him till he squeaks.

 

I was excited about hockey coming back, but it feels weird to start in January.

 

No one wants to watch the Leafs, except Leaf fans.  Calgary has a break and then plays them next.

 

I thought it was kind of tacky.  Like when you watch the Spengler Cup (back when it was allowed) and everything has weird little logos and colours all over it.  Even the refs.

 

 

The Canucks started 2-4 and all of their losses have been pretty ugly. Quinn  Hughes doesn't look great and Elias Pettersson hasn't scored yet. He didn't go more than three games without scoring last year. The sky is falling. I didn't see much of the Calgary games, but I know Markstrom predictably shut them down though.

 

I haven't watched a lot though. Just a few periods here and there. The teams all look rusty, and the hockey isn't that good. The remote regional broadcasts are quite poor. I really miss fans in the arena and find the fake crowd noise really irritating. The other thing is the scheduling. Right now, the Canucks are playing their 7th game in 11 nights. That's too much for me.

 

Dubios got traded to Winnipeg. It's assumed that the reason is Torts, though there is another rumored reason... If it was because he was unhappy with the coach, I don't get how Tortorella always wins these standoffs with first-round picks. Tortorella is less valuable than all of them.

Edited January 24, 2021 by RWG

[ShortstopVM]

 

THIS came out of nowhere.  

 

The dysfunctionality of this team right now...  

[RWG]

Just this week, New Jersey, Buffalo, Vegas, Minnesota, and Colorado have all had a week's slate of games postponed because of Covid outbreaks. That's now eight or nine teams this season and we're only a quarter of the way through. It's becoming a royal disaster. NHL players are young and healthy, but the more teams have outbreaks, the more likely it is there are more edge cases with players experiencing issues beyond the normal two-week span. The Wild have a 19-year-old top prospect, Marco Rossi, who is still struggling with symptoms despite testing positive in November. It's assumed the brain fog from Covid is what's kept Jonathan Toews sidelined this season. The NHL needs to be very careful here.

 

Friedman said on 31 Thoughts today that the NHL will not consider a universe in which they are unable to start next season in October, as they would a normal season, as a full 82-game schedule (meaning they'll sacrifice parts of this season if they have to). This is driven by the Seattle expansion team's joining. It is quite something that a year into this pandemic, Gary Bettman is dealing in musts and certainties, when we all know by now that the virus is the only one who gets to decide how when and if anything can happen.

 

The NHL just announced new measures to try to slow the rate of Covid spread in the league, which include removing the glass behind the bench to improve ventilation (?) and making it so players can't arrive so early to the rink for games. OK, but last weekend, a player tested positive before the second part of a back-to-back series, and the NHL's opinion was that the second game could still go forward and that they didn't even need to inform the other team about their opponent's postiive test. And the league will not consider measures that affect it financially, like removing fans from the arenas that have them or scrapping the weekend daytime games that are played before that day's test results come back. So you have to wonder whether they sincerely expect these measures to change anything.

Edited February 6, 2021 by RWG

[Mysteriosa]

On 1/23/2021 at 6:26 PM, RWG said:

The teams all look rusty, and the hockey isn't that good. The remote regional broadcasts are quite poor. I really miss fans in the arena and find the fake crowd noise really irritating. The other thing is the scheduling. Right now, the Canucks are playing their 7th game in 11 nights. That's too much for me.

 

Dubios got traded to Winnipeg. It's assumed that the reason is Torts, though there is another rumored reason... If it was because he was unhappy with the coach, I don't get how Tortorella always wins these standoffs with first-round picks. Tortorella is less valuable than all of them.

Speaking of hockey that isn't good, the Flames are playing Edmonton and taking too many penalties... This week on sports radio they discussed the way the Flames have been inconsistent for basically years,  and decided they are in fact, mediocre.   And it may be the core's fault.

Fake crowd noises are so stupid.  

Flames had several days off and now all their games are crammed together.

 

Winnipeg fans seemed irate that Laine got traded.

 

Meanwhile oops, Bennett's agent told everyone (Friedman!)  he wants to be traded, then the Flames sat him out, then they are now playing him because Derek Ryan broke a finger.  Hey you suck, but we need someone to fill in this empty space.   Awkward!

On 1/31/2021 at 12:12 PM, ShortstopVM said:

THIS came out of nowhere.  

 

The dysfunctionality of this team right now...  

I found myself the other day feeling sad because we lost Byron on waivers eons ago, and he went to Montreal.  Sniff.  They used to call him Mighty Mouse because he was small but useful.  He never should have been put on waivers.  

 

21 hours ago, RWG said:

Friedman said on 31 Thoughts today that the NHL will not consider a universe in which they are unable to start next season in October, as they would a normal season, as a full 82-game schedule (meaning they'll sacrifice parts of this season if they have to). This is driven by the Seattle expansion team's joining. It is quite something that a year into this pandemic, Gary Bettman is dealing in musts and certainties, when we all know by now that the virus is the only one who gets to decide how when and if anything can happen.

It doesn't seem very likely that they can get their full season, and not with people.  At the moment Calgary's farm team the Stockton Heat are playing in the Saddledome instead of California, to avoid getting stuck in quarantine everytime they get called up, and the Hitmen have been bumped to another arena minus fans.  Normal is not due back for quite some time.  Also...we're going to run out of ice!

[ShortstopVM]

15 hours ago, Mysteriosa said:

I found myself the other day feeling sad because we lost Byron on waivers eons ago, and he went to Montreal.  Sniff.  They used to call him Mighty Mouse because he was small but useful.  He never should have been put on waivers.  

 

In fairness, I'm not sad to see DeAngelo go; apparently he was [becoming] problematic to his teammates behind the scenes, and let's just say it boiled over after the OT loss to Pittsburgh 

 

The fact that we've won back-to-back games since his removal from the active roster - probably speaks to something... 

[Smoochy]

Preds are absolutely pathetic this year. Have absolutely zero penalty kill, their power play is garbage, and defense as a whole as been nearly non-existent. I know Hynes isn't the only issue, but he sure as shit seems to not be helping anything. Only positive I've seen is that Forsberg is still a top notch winger and we actually have a couple of guys who can drop the gloves if needed (Borocop and Olivier) because we've been pushed around a ton ever since McLeod left (I liked Austin Watson, but he was an absolutely awful fighter).

 

Hopefully they can get it together, but it's not looking to well through these first batch of games. Season is still young though, so I'm hopeful.

[Mysteriosa]

On 2/7/2021 at 12:28 PM, ShortstopVM said:

 

In fairness, I'm not sad to see DeAngelo go; apparently he was [becoming] problematic to his teammates behind the scenes, and let's just say it boiled over after the OT loss to Pittsburgh 

 

The fact that we've won back-to-back games since his removal from the active roster - probably speaks to something... 

Well that's OK then!  

Seems like Bennett might be sticking around after all.  He wanted a trade and now he's playing with Gaudreau and Monahan.  Mass confusion.

 

Yesterday I watched the Flames win over Winnipeg and that's the first time they looked like they had it together.   They lost twice to Winnipeg while looking really awful, then they won over Edmonton by some kind of miracle despite taking lots of penalties, and now they look like they are playing real hockey. 

 

I never realized Holstrom is really good at playing the puck.  

 

4 hours ago, Smoochy said:

Preds are absolutely pathetic this year. Have absolutely zero penalty kill, their power play is garbage, and defense as a whole as been nearly non-existent. I know Hynes isn't the only issue, but he sure as shit seems to not be helping anything. Only positive I've seen is that Forsberg is still a top notch winger and we actually have a couple of guys who can drop the gloves if needed (Borocop and Olivier) because we've been pushed around a ton ever since McLeod left (I liked Austin Watson, but he was an absolutely awful fighter).

 

Hopefully they can get it together, but it's not looking to well through these first batch of games. Season is still young though, so I'm hopeful.

I think there's lots and lots of rust.  The routine everyone is used to has gone out the window, so maybe it takes longer to get going.

 

Intrigued:  Brian Burke has got a new job with the Penguins.

 

Meanwhile Bell Canada is laying off whole TSN sports radio stations without telling them first.  Not a good look for a company that prides itself on a mental health campaign every year.

 

Forgot to mention in January that Evander Kane filed for bankruptcy!  Despite having a $49 million dollar contract.  Wow.  

https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/sharks-evander-kane-files-for-bankruptcy-with-more-than-26-million-in-debt-154136922.html

 

[RWG]

The Blue Jackets trading away a player who didn't get along with John Tortorella for another player who obviously was not going to get along with John Tortorella is just *chef's kiss*.

 

Patrik Laine has already been benched four games in, despite scoring three goals in his first four games with Columbus. Maybe Torts could learn live with some attitude in exchange for goals, but as always, he needs to make everyhing as dramatic and contentious as possible. I agree with Down Goes Brown: the only conclusion left is that this is fun for Torts, getting into feuds with people and getting to talk about them in front of the media.

 

It does sound like Jim Benning is finally circling the drain in Vancouver. Friedman thought he was safe a few weeks ago, but it seems to have changed.

 

 

There are other rumors and signs out there. Some are that if they lose three or four in this series against Calgary, that could be it. At the same time, it's not like there's a ton of pressure on the organization to move, with fans unable to vote with their wallets right now.

 

On 2/10/2021 at 2:02 PM, Mysteriosa said:

Well that's OK then!  

Seems like Bennett might be sticking around after all.  He wanted a trade and now he's playing with Gaudreau and Monahan.  Mass confusion.

 

 

Bennett for Virtanen is an idea you hear a lot. Bennett is the better player, but knowing our luck, Virtanen would finally figure it out and flourish in Calgary and score a hat trick in the first game against us.

 

The Gaudreau trade rumours have been out there for years now. Eric Francis is adamant he won't re-sign in Calgary... for whatever that's worth.

 

On 2/10/2021 at 2:02 PM, Mysteriosa said:

Intrigued:  Brian Burke has got a new job with the Penguins.

 

Meanwhile Bell Canada is laying off whole TSN sports radio stations without telling them first.  Not a good look for a company that prides itself on a mental health campaign every year.

 

Forgot to mention in January that Evander Kane filed for bankruptcy!  Despite having a $49 million dollar contract.  Wow.  

https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/sharks-evander-kane-files-for-bankruptcy-with-more-than-26-million-in-debt-154136922.html

 

 

When Burke left Calgary, he was adamant that it was his choice, that he was sick of running hockey teams and just wanted to do broadcasting. So much for that I guess. I think Hextall is a good hire, but the Burke part of it is bizarre.

 

I listened to TSN 1040 for years, going back to when it was the Team 1040 under different ownership. I still listened to it for the five years I was in Toronto. It was always my gateway to sports stories, news, and opinions. I can't believe it's gone, just like that.

 

I was listening when it happened. They went to break, then Toronto took over the boards and played an announcement saying the station was no longer a sports talk station. Then they played "Good Riddance" by Green Day, as staff were pulled into a meeting to be told they were laid off and had 30 minutes to remove belongings from the building.

 

Supposedly, TSN 1040 was profitable, and advertisers were happy. It outdrew the Sportsnet station in town. (For context though, both lost every ratings book to the news talk stations, CBC Radio 1, all the music stations, and the French, Mandarin, and Punjabi stations.) Even if it were slightly profitable, Bell doesn't have to pay a radio station's worth of personnel anymore. Just one person in Toronto playing standup comedy clips on an iPad. 

 

Bell reported net earnings of just under a billion dollars through Q4 of 2020 (ie., during the pandemic). They also helped themselves to $122 million of Covid recovery subsidies (supposedly designed to help small businesses keep people on the payroll during the pandemic), increased shareholder dividends, and laid off hundreds of people across the country. I wrote my MP to ask if anything can be done to look into what corporations who received this money did with it. As for the let's talk initiative, if you can't pay your $80 phone bill anymore because your incredibly profitable employer threw you ought during a pandemic, or caused this, that's on you I guess. They should be disqualified from the conversation on mental health.

[Mysteriosa]

Help, help the sky is falling...

 

LOL.

 

This is one bad roller coaster.

Flames lose to Vancouver 3-1.  They all vow to be better next time.

 

Flames win over Vancouver 4-3.  Yay it's fixed! 

Scary moment when Valimaki dives over the boards with his skate blades in the air to avoid too many men penalty.

https://redditvids.com/v/lkv6pj

 

Flames lose 5-1 to Vancouver.  Not fixed.  Plus sometimes the Flames look disinterested and Markstrom is trying to do way too much.  Some people thought it was the Flames worst game so far (but just wait a bit).  On the radio Warrener says maybe the team don't like each other as much as they say they do, and is pretty scathing about the players lacking energy.

 

Flames lose to Oilers 2-1.  Oh dear.  McDavid gets no points but Edmonton still won.

Flames lose to Oilers 7-1.  McDavid gets 5 points.  On local news the broadcaster describes it as "the Flames were destroyed".  Markstrom was pulled.

 

Poor Rittich.  He only gets to play nowadays if Markstrom is blown out of the water.  I can't blame Markstrom, I think we broke him.

 

Interesting.  Apparently in the meeting Flames had early on they told Tkachuk to tone it down!   Since he's the energy guy, that looks like Houston there's a problem.

 

Giordano has long seemed to me as a good guy who is not particularly passionate when it comes to inspiring other players, and is less so every year.  He doesn't get super angry if he loses.  He doesn't have the Iginla level of type A competitive spirit.

Gaudreau tends to wait around for the puck and complain to officials.  Given how he should be our main scoring guy, he's often kind of fading in and out.  Monahan has been injured for the last few games.

 

And now we get the Leafs.  

 

On 2/12/2021 at 11:40 PM, RWG said:

Bennett for Virtanen is an idea you hear a lot. Bennett is the better player, but knowing our luck, Virtanen would finally figure it out and flourish in Calgary and score a hat trick in the first game against us.

 

The Gaudreau trade rumours have been out there for years now. Eric Francis is adamant he won't re-sign in Calgary... for whatever that's worth

 

I always have a soft spot for Virtanen because he used to be a Calgary Hitman (WHL).  Bennett is going to leave and go somewhere, I'm just not sure where.

Gaudreau I liked initially, but I find his character lacks something, and defensively he can be scary.  Like Francis would know.

 

On 2/12/2021 at 11:40 PM, RWG said:

Bell reported net earnings of just under a billion dollars through Q4 of 2020 (ie., during the pandemic). They also helped themselves to $122 million of Covid recovery subsidies (supposedly designed to help small businesses keep people on the payroll during the pandemic), increased shareholder dividends, and laid off hundreds of people across the country.

That is the bit that really annoys me.  Whether the stations did well or poorly, taking money subsidies and then giving everyone in management and shareholders money and laying off employees shouldn't have been allowed.  They aren't a small business and they didn't keep anyone!  

 

 

 

[RWG]

5 hours ago, Mysteriosa said:

Help, help the sky is falling...

 

LOL.

 

This is one bad roller coaster.

Flames lose to Vancouver 3-1.  They all vow to be better next time.

 

Flames win over Vancouver 4-3.  Yay it's fixed! 

Scary moment when Valimaki dives over the boards with his skate blades in the air to avoid too many men penalty.

https://redditvids.com/v/lkv6pj

 

Flames lose 5-1 to Vancouver.  Not fixed.  Plus sometimes the Flames look disinterested and Markstrom is trying to do way too much.  Some people thought it was the Flames worst game so far (but just wait a bit).  On the radio Warrener says maybe the team don't like each other as much as they say they do, and is pretty scathing about the players lacking energy.

 

Flames lose to Oilers 2-1.  Oh dear.  McDavid gets no points but Edmonton still won.

Flames lose to Oilers 7-1.  McDavid gets 5 points.  On local news the broadcaster describes it as "the Flames were destroyed".  Markstrom was pulled.

 

Poor Rittich.  He only gets to play nowadays if Markstrom is blown out of the water.  I can't blame Markstrom, I think we broke him.

 

Interesting.  Apparently in the meeting Flames had early on they told Tkachuk to tone it down!   Since he's the energy guy, that looks like Houston there's a problem.

 

Giordano has long seemed to me as a good guy who is not particularly passionate when it comes to inspiring other players, and is less so every year.  He doesn't get super angry if he loses.  He doesn't have the Iginla level of type A competitive spirit.

Gaudreau tends to wait around for the puck and complain to officials.  Given how he should be our main scoring guy, he's often kind of fading in and out.  Monahan has been injured for the last few games.

 

And now we get the Leafs.  

 

 

I always have a soft spot for Virtanen because he used to be a Calgary Hitman (WHL).  Bennett is going to leave and go somewhere, I'm just not sure where.

Gaudreau I liked initially, but I find his character lacks something, and defensively he can be scary.  Like Francis would know.

 

That is the bit that really annoys me.  Whether the stations did well or poorly, taking money subsidies and then giving everyone in management and shareholders money and laying off employees shouldn't have been allowed.  They aren't a small business and they didn't keep anyone!  

 

 

 

 

Markstrom looks really overworked. Was it really necessary to start him all four games against Vancouver? He doesn't play well when he's tired (look at the 5-1 game), and now he's injured.

 

I think it would sometimes get old being on Tkachuk's team, always having to defend things he does. But when you tell him that he's just going to think you don't want it as bad as he does. It's sort of amazing how Muzzin just flipping the puck at him as completely derailed the Flames' season.

 

A thing I find weird about the years the Flames have had Gaudreau and Monahan in their primes is the coaches they had during that time: Bob Hartley, Glen Gulutzan, Bill Peters, and Geoff Ward. Not really any inspiring hires. The Flames' cohension as a team does get brought up... you have to wonder if it is at least partially responsible for them not being able to achieve the contender status they should have by now.

 

It would be pretty funny if it ends being Vancouver and Calgary as the two teams missing the playoffs, after what happened in the offseason. That is the way it looks like it's going right now.