The Most Wonderful Time of the Year - Playoff Hockey - Page 20

Cards4ever · 06-09-2003, 01:47 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by bbor
Game 7 is always a Pick-em game...with a slight advantage to the home team...and whoever scores the games first goal

I wouldn't be surprised if it was the games only goal.

bbor · 06-09-2003, 02:33 PM

There's my point

Cards4ever · 06-09-2003, 02:35 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by bbor
There's my point

And here I thought it was at the top of your head!

Hey, do you know who drafted Crosby this weekend?

bbor · 06-09-2003, 02:45 PM

In the Q?

I havent a clue...i did'nt even know their draft was this past weekend.

Cards4ever · 06-09-2003, 03:13 PM

Yep, the draft was Saturday.

Cards4ever · 06-09-2003, 03:47 PM

As expected, he was the first pick, now we will see if he plays there or, goes back to Shattuck.

http://www.lhjmq.qc.ca/lang_en/index...12ca1f2b99ef73

Cards4ever · 06-09-2003, 03:47 PM

As expected, he was the first pick, now we will see if he plays there or, goes back to Shattuck.

http://www.lhjmq.qc.ca/lang_en/index...12ca1f2b99ef73

Chief Rum · 06-09-2003, 09:43 PM

Congratulations, Devils, on your victory. You truly earned it. The better team definitely won tonight. We never could play with you guys on your ice.

Champagne tastes best when drunk out of a Stanley Cup, I have heard, and the Devils will once again discover that joy tonight. I dare say their win tonight elevates their recent franchise run to the level of the likes of the Avalanche and Wings in recent hockey history.

As for the Ducks, we'll be back.

Chief Rum

Dr. Sak · 06-09-2003, 09:46 PM

The Jersey Trash showed their class by Booing Giggy. Great series!!

sachmo71 · 06-09-2003, 09:53 PM

Yay for Lags, Nieuwy, and Marshall! Too bad about the booing...I guess I can understand it seeing as how Brodeur was just as good as Guigere in the finals. Still, it looked really bad.

Congrats, Devils! Maybe the Stars will be inspired by their former teammates hoisting the cup!

sterlingice · 06-09-2003, 10:00 PM

Someone really needs to shoot sideline reporters after the game. Whoever that woman was just kept asking the stupidest questions: "Does it ever get old?" "Yeah, I've decided next year I want to be at home watching this game".

The booing was truly classless, but what do you expect. They learn from their brethren across the state line.

SI

ISiddiqui · 06-09-2003, 10:21 PM

Wooooo!

Go Devils

.

Great series... as for the booing... do you think Anaheim fans would have liked it if Game 7 was in their rink and Brodeur won the Conn Smythe? Come on! Your team wins the Stanley Cup, you don't want a player from the other team getting the MVP of the playoffs award!

klayman · 06-09-2003, 10:36 PM

Great series...hope next year isn't the last one.

This was fun, we should have a hockey sticky all year round

Chief Rum · 06-09-2003, 11:45 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ISiddiqui
Wooooo!

Go Devils .

Great series... as for the booing... do you think Anaheim fans would have liked it if Game 7 was in their rink and Brodeur won the Conn Smythe? Come on! Your team wins the Stanley Cup, you don't want a player from the other team getting the MVP of the playoffs award!

No, God forbid you could actually note that Guigere was easily the most important player to his team in these Cup playoffs, or that it should be fairly awarded to such a player, even if he isn't on your winning team.

No, I don't know if the Anaheim fans would have reacted better, but my guess is there would have been less booing.

Once again, as long as it's done by a New Jersey-ite (be they a player or fan), nothing can be wrong, eh?

Chief Rum

bbor · 06-10-2003, 12:47 AM

I'm sad that it's over

Happy to see Jiggy get MVP,there was no other choice.

If you are the Ducks you have to think you may have let a once i a lifetime opportunity slip by...no offence CR...but it would take another miricle to get the Ducks to the finals again.

bbor · 06-10-2003, 12:48 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by klayman
Great series...hope next year isn't the last one.

This was fun, we should have a hockey sticky all year round

Truer words have never been spoken Klayman....on both counts

Chief Rum · 06-10-2003, 01:13 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by bbor
I'm sad that it's over

Happy to see Jiggy get MVP,there was no other choice.

If you are the Ducks you have to think you may have let a once i a lifetime opportunity slip by...no offence CR...but it would take another miricle to get the Ducks to the finals again.

Oh I agree it won't be easy, bbor. But I think you are vastly underrating this organization if you really think ti is a once in a lifetime shot.

Remember, as recently as three years ago, this organization was still selling out all of its home games, and its merchandise has remained as one of the bigger sellers, for whatever reason. Combine that with the fiscally conservative nature of those calling the shots, and you have a relatively healthy organization for the NHL (which isn't saying much, and Disney is trying to sell, but hopefully a new CBA in '04 will help with that).

So this organization isn't about to fall apart from financial problems, I don't think, especially when the team is likely to see a large resurgence in interest in the area (an area that is now making the Anegls the highest attended team in MLB).

Now look at the talent on the roster. It is mostly young and developing still. Sure, we have key contributors in Oates, Thomas, and Olausson that are old and won't be around long.

But almost all of the rest of the roster is years away from retirement, and most are still getting better. Kariya is 30. Rucchin turns 32 this summer. Sykora, LeClerc, Havelid, Niedermayer, Carney and Salei are in their prime (as is Kariya). Chistov was one of the better offensive rookies int he league, and will only get better. Smirnov and #1 pick Lupul are also dynamic offensive talents who are among the best up and coming players in the league. Sauer and Vishnevsky are two of the better young defensemen in the league. Giguere is just 26. And we have one of the NHL's best goalie prospects in Ilya Bryzgalov waiting to challenge him.

Add to all this a proven GM in Murray and one of the best young coaches in the league in Babcock, and with the confidence that such a playoff run will surely inspire, this team really has little reason to not be looking forward to the future.

And this doesn't even mention that the Ducks are going to be trying very hard to lure Selanne back to Orange County, and I understand the interest is quite mutual.

Will we get to the Cup Finals again? I hope so, but there are way too many great teams in the West to make a call like that. Will we up and disappear? Not hardly--I don't think you're really looking too close at this roster of you think so.

Chief Rum

bbor · 06-10-2003, 01:44 AM

I don't think you'll dissapear...but i'm looking at the fact that the Ducks did very little during the regular season.

They were a far better team in the play-offs than they were in the regular season.

So i guess my question is...Which team is the real Ducks?

If it is the play-off team...well then i have no doubt they will be contenders for the next few years...BUT...if it is the team that was preforming during the regular season they will have difficulty just making the play-offs.

I like the talent they have mind you.....i would love to have Chistoff (sp) on my team....i think he should be getting more ice time than he does...i feel Babcock severly underused him in the finals....that guy has spunk.

klayman · 06-10-2003, 01:55 AM

Actually, I think the Ducks were one of the best teams in the NHL in the 2nd half of the season. I'm not sure why they had a bad 1st half, be it injuries or trades, but if I remember correctly, their 2nd half performance was somewhere around 3rd in the league. They went 25-14-3 in the 2nd half, prorated over the entire season gives them a 50-28-6 record, 2nd only to Ottawa. That's a pretty good season if they keep it up.

Chief Rum · 06-10-2003, 02:04 AM

I wouldn't say we did little in the rgeular season. You have to remember, the Western Conference is very competitive. Not to say the Eastern is not (it is, too), but the West has been very tough for some years now.

It took a little time with injuries, and a new coach, and a new system, but the Ducks finally were playing like they would in the playoffs right around January.

I don't recall the final tally, but from January 1 until the end of the regular season, the Ducks were statistically one of the best teams in the NHL. From January through mid-March, only one team had a better record than us since January 1, and that was Dallas. Ironically, it was after the acquisitions of Thomas and Niedermayer that we cooled off a bit down the stretch, but we still finished around the top five or so in the league in that time period.

You didn't witness a team suddenly elevating its game in the playoffs. You witnessed a team continuing to play as it had for months, after taking some early lumps in an effort to jell.

Are the Ducks as good as a regular Finals team? I don't know about that. I think Jiggy got really hot at the right time and that helped us quite a bit. But he didn't really get that much better from what he did in the regular season, when he was one of the league's best. And the offense actually did worse than in the regular season, if you can believe that.

Trust me, it was a different team playing in March than it was in November, and I'm not talking about the acquisitions of Ozolinsh, Thomas and Niedermayer. I said from the very beginning that people were underrating the Ducks because of their final season totals, and not evaluating how they had performed during the second half of the season. And sure enough, they ended up shocking some pretty great teams with their play.

Agreed about Chistov. His ice time got less and less as the season went on. I'm still not sure if it was just a move to more veterans during the playoff races in the West, or if Babcock actually has a problem with some of Chistov's play, but that kid is just really exciting when he's on the ice and playing well. I am hoping to see a lot more of him and Smirnov next year, and hoping Lupul, a Top 5 pick center last year, makes the squad in September.

And that doesn't even mention the St. Cloud player we signed that Cards4Ever assures me is one of the best amateur players in the nation (admittedly in his early 20s and a product of the American collegiate league, although this is how Chris Drury, among others entered the league).

Chief Rum

Chief Rum · 06-10-2003, 02:07 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by klayman
Actually, I think the Ducks were one of the best teams in the NHL in the 2nd half of the season. I'm not sure why they had a bad 1st half, be it injuries or trades, but if I remember correctly, their 2nd half performance was somewhere around 3rd in the league. They went 25-14-3 in the 2nd half, prorated over the entire season gives them a 50-28-6 record, 2nd only to Ottawa. That's a pretty good season if they keep it up.

Thanks, klayman, you found the numbers I knew were out there, but was too lazy to go find them.

Chief Rum

klayman · 06-10-2003, 02:46 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Chief Rum
Thanks, klayman, you found the numbers I knew were out there, but was too lazy to go find them.

And you call yourself a Duck fan...you should have those numbers memorized

Chief Rum · 06-10-2003, 02:51 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by klayman
And you call yourself a Duck fan...you should have those numbers memorized

Heh...well, I knew they were good!

Chief Rum

Honolulu_Blue · 06-10-2003, 03:32 AM

Too bad. It would have been nice to see the Ducks win. I am not surprised at all by the result, but it would have been nice. Assuming Giguere feeds off this play-off performance (like Roy in 1986), then the Ducks will be in the hunt for years to come. They do have a decent talent base with Kariya, Rucchin (if he stays healthy), Ozolinsh, Chistov, Smrinov, etc, etc. We all know that the goalie in hockey is by far the most important position in sports. Hasek carried a subpar Buffalo team for years. They were always dangerous in the play-offs. Though it's still too early to tell if Giguere reaches the level of a Hasek, Roy, or Broduer, Giguere and the Ducks could be the "Sabres" of the West for years to come.

It would be cool to have a hockey stickey all year 'round. Almost 1,000 posts. It was nice seeing "Honolulu_Blue" up at the top of the board each morning. He, like the long-suffering sport he and the loyal posters on this thread, have long since deserved such notice.

sterlingice · 06-10-2003, 04:06 AM

I'm in the ranks with the skeptics: It's not impossible but it's just very difficult to make it out of the West because of the Colorado-Detroit-Dallas gauntlet. Just ask those three teams because there is no one consensus best team since they all keep beating each other up.

SI

Cards4ever · 06-10-2003, 08:18 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Chief Rum
And that doesn't even mention the St. Cloud player we signed that Cards4Ever assures me is one of the best amateur players in the nation (admittedly in his early 20s and a product of the American collegiate league, although this is how Chris Drury, among others entered the league).

Chief Rum

I think you are talking about Chris Kunitz, who's from Ferris State. He was a Hobey Baker candidate and impressed me highly in the 2 games I saw him play in Minneapolis during the regional games.

I think the Ducks are back, especially if they get Selanne. That will add to their depth and scoring punch.

I don't understand the Jersey fans, they won the big prize, the Cup, who cares about anything else!

It was great having our thread stickied, soon it will be time for the draft, FA, and then camps will open and before you know it, it'll be time to start playing again!

Honolulu_Blue · 06-10-2003, 09:00 AM

It was classless for New Jersey fans to boo. That being said there was a "war of words" between the two netminders. Things got pretty heated there for a while. So, I guess I could understand the boos to some extent. Still, I would have cheered (note: Unless some how Patrick Roy won. I would not cheer for that). Like Cards said, won the Cup, who cares about the Con Smythe (unless it was rewarded to Evil, see above)?

Clinging... to... top... of board.... Unstickied... losing... ground....

sachmo71 · 06-10-2003, 09:04 AM

I hope the Ducks are as deep as they looked. I hope they don't pull a Carolina...

Honolulu_Blue · 06-10-2003, 09:24 AM

I don't think they will. I guess it mostly depends upon how Jiguere reacts next year. He was a solid goalie the last two regular seasons but elevated his game to epic proportions this play-offs. He keeps in this vein, he wont need to be as dominating, and the Ducks should be decent. Given the West, I could see them makin the play-offs next year in the bottom half of the 8.

Carolina's duo of Weekes and Irbe were shaky at best. They had lots of injuries. Their young talent didn't pan out.

Guess it could happen to the Ducks, but they should be ok, methinks.

Must... hold... on....

klayman · 06-10-2003, 09:35 AM

non-stickied hockey thread = sadness

superbama · 06-10-2003, 09:40 AM

You think you guys can keep this thread up without sticky till Sept?

sachmo71 · 06-10-2003, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by superbama
You think you guys can keep this thread up without sticky till Sept?

Is that a challenge? Maybe we could roll in EHM:FE research talk...

ISiddiqui · 06-10-2003, 10:30 AM

Quote:

It was classless for New Jersey fans to boo. That being said there was a "war of words" between the two netminders. Things got pretty heated there for a while. So, I guess I could understand the boos to some extent. Still, I would have cheered (note: Unless some how Patrick Roy won. I would not cheer for that). Like Cards said, won the Cup, who cares about the Con Smythe (unless it was rewarded to Evil, see above)?

Again, do you think if your favorite hockey team won the Cup, and RIGHT BEFORE they got that cup a person from the other team won the Conn Smythe, that they wouldn't boo? That's just silly, of course they would! I don't care what team it would be, they'd boo the guy.

As said by the Conn Smythe Winner himself: "I'm not surprised they booed me,'' Giguere said. "In New Jersey, they probably wanted their guy winning it and this is very understandable.''

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/playof...ory?id=1565783

klayman · 06-10-2003, 10:38 AM

I don't recall booing Hextall when he won the Conn Smythe here in Edmonton. I don't recall anyone booing him either. And we HATED Hextall...but what did we care, we just won the cup.

chrisj · 06-10-2003, 10:52 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Cards4ever
As expected, he was the first pick, now we will see if he plays there or, goes back to Shattuck.

http://www.lhjmq.qc.ca/lang_en/index...12ca1f2b99ef73

Crosby has already confirmed that he will be playing in the QMJHL next season... can't wait to see him play again. He is the real deal.

Honolulu_Blue · 06-10-2003, 11:13 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by sachmo71
Is that a challenge? Maybe we could roll in EHM:FE research talk...

Sounds like one to me!

So. Anyone here doing research for EHM:FE? I would have loved to, but my living in Belgium is a serious hinderance to my hockey coverage...

I can't wait for this game.

Cards4ever · 06-10-2003, 11:32 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by chrisj
Crosby has already confirmed that he will be playing in the QMJHL next season... can't wait to see him play again. He is the real deal.

He sure is, I was hoping he'd come back and play for Shattuck so I could see him play more, but, if he ended up at UND, then it's better for him to go back to the Q.

sachmo71 · 06-10-2003, 11:48 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Honolulu_Blue
Sounds like one to me!

So. Anyone here doing research for EHM:FE? I would have loved to, but my living in Belgium is a serious hinderance to my hockey coverage...

I can't wait for this game.

Yes, I am.

Honolulu_Blue · 06-10-2003, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by sachmo71
Yes, I am.

Really? Sweet. What's the 411, Sach? Give us some deets!

I think have expended my quota of "hip" slang for the month.

sachmo71 · 06-10-2003, 01:30 PM

There isn't too much to tell at this point. They are working out player rating guidelines right now, while the head researchers finalize who will research the specific teams. Lots more information is avaliable at the CM Forums.

Cards4ever · 06-10-2003, 01:30 PM

I think I'm going to be helping with the College Hockey part.

bbor · 06-10-2003, 02:00 PM

What is Shattuck?

Honolulu_Blue · 06-10-2003, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by sachmo71
There isn't too much to tell at this point. They are working out player rating guidelines right now, while the head researchers finalize who will research the specific teams. Lots more information is avaliable at the CM Forums.

I have read the board there and am familiar with their system. Just wondering if you knew which team you would be researching, what the abilities were, guidleines, etc, etc.

Cards4ever · 06-10-2003, 02:14 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by bbor
What is Shattuck?

Shattuck-Saint Mary's is a private school(HS) in Faribualt, MN. They play a Junior A schedule that doesn't allow them to play in the Minnesota HS League, but allows them to travel and play alot of games. The Coach of the Kings, Andy Murray, was their coach before getting the Kings job. They have won a few National championships, and you will hear from their alumni in the near future, Zach Parise will get drafted in the first round of the NHL draft, he plays at UND right now.

Noop · 06-10-2003, 02:17 PM

I'm just posting because its a long thread and i want to be apart of history.

noop

bbor · 06-10-2003, 02:22 PM

John Leclair has waived his no trade clause..but only to these teams....Dallas...NYR...L.a Kings....Detroit...

Think he wants to stay in the States and win a cup?

Honolulu_Blue · 06-10-2003, 02:28 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by bbor
John Leclair has waived his no trade clause..but only to these teams....Dallas...NYR...L.a Kings....Detroit...

Think he wants to stay in the States and win a cup?

Certainly sounds like it. Interesting that he didn't include Colorado in that list as well, no? I guess he feels that no Roy = no Cup. Then again, neither the Rangers or Kings even made the playoffs. Both have some talent though.

I'd love to see big John LeClair in the Winged Wheel. It'd be excellent. I have no idea what the Wings could use as trade bait. Philly and Detroit seem to need similar parts. What is Philly looking for? A goalie? Another defenseman?

Come on, lads! Let's get this bad boy to a respectable 1,000 posts!

Chief Rum · 06-10-2003, 02:36 PM

It would be great to see LeClair in a Kings uniform. It would also be nice if we could keep this thread up here until September.

Of course, just getting it to 1000 would be an accomplishment, I think, and I believe my post here is #996. So that's a very realistic goal.

As for EHM:FE, I, too, am a researcher for that game, albeit just one of sachmo's flunkies.

I am looking forward to hearing the guidelines for what we wil be doing.

I don't suppose you have any word on that yet, sachmo? With the offseason coming up, the rosters will probably be changing as fast as we can research them.

Chief Rum

ISiddiqui · 06-10-2003, 02:54 PM

Quote:

John Leclair has waived his no trade clause..but only to these teams....Dallas...NYR...L.a Kings....Detroit...

I can understand the New York gives you recognition and LOADS of money, but for the life of me, I don't understand why a star player would want to go to the Rangers.

sachmo71 · 06-10-2003, 03:02 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Honolulu_Blue
I have read the board there and am familiar with their system. Just wondering if you knew which team you would be researching, what the abilities were, guidleines, etc, etc.

It seems that this is still being worked out. I'm not researching a specific team, but will be collecting the ratings submitted by the team researchers and putting them into a database. My area is the NHL Pacific Division. I do know that there are a few spots left for researchers, so if anyone is interested in scouting, I would suggest heading over to the EHM:FE forums and making your avaliability known in the researcher application thread.

Chief,
I wish I knew a little more, but right now I'm still trying to nail down the Dallas job. I've got a guy, but I'm not sure if it's going to work out. Also, there is still some paperwork that needs to be taken care of before anything detailed can start. We should get rolling soon, though. The HR forum over at CM is starting to buzz. No one has informed me of any timetables for anything, so right now I'm not worrying too much about anything.

06-09-2003, 02:33 PM	#952
bbor Pro Starter Join Date: May 2001 Location: toronto	There's my point __________________ Pumpy Tudors Now that I've cracked and made that admission, I wonder if I'm only a couple of steps away from wanting to tongue-kiss Jaromir Jagr and give Bobby Clarke a blowjob.

06-09-2003, 02:45 PM	#954
bbor Pro Starter Join Date: May 2001 Location: toronto	In the Q? I havent a clue...i did'nt even know their draft was this past weekend. __________________ Pumpy Tudors Now that I've cracked and made that admission, I wonder if I'm only a couple of steps away from wanting to tongue-kiss Jaromir Jagr and give Bobby Clarke a blowjob.

06-09-2003, 03:13 PM	#955
Cards4ever College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Eagan, MN	Yep, the draft was Saturday. __________________ Cardinal Baseball & Gopher Hockey, what else do you need?

06-09-2003, 03:47 PM	#956
Cards4ever College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Eagan, MN	As expected, he was the first pick, now we will see if he plays there or, goes back to Shattuck. http://www.lhjmq.qc.ca/lang_en/index...12ca1f2b99ef73 __________________ Cardinal Baseball & Gopher Hockey, what else do you need?

06-09-2003, 03:47 PM	#957
Cards4ever College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Eagan, MN	As expected, he was the first pick, now we will see if he plays there or, goes back to Shattuck. http://www.lhjmq.qc.ca/lang_en/index...12ca1f2b99ef73 __________________ Cardinal Baseball & Gopher Hockey, what else do you need?

06-09-2003, 09:43 PM	#958
Chief Rum Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Where Hip Hop lives	Well played, New Jersey Congratulations, Devils, on your victory. You truly earned it. The better team definitely won tonight. We never could play with you guys on your ice. Champagne tastes best when drunk out of a Stanley Cup, I have heard, and the Devils will once again discover that joy tonight. I dare say their win tonight elevates their recent franchise run to the level of the likes of the Avalanche and Wings in recent hockey history. As for the Ducks, we'll be back. Chief Rum __________________ . . I would rather be wrong...Than live in the shadows of your song...My mind is open wide...And now I'm ready to start...You're not sure...You open the door...And step out into the dark...Now I'm ready.

06-09-2003, 09:46 PM	#959
Dr. Sak Grizzled Veteran Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Stuck in Yinzerville, PA	The Jersey Trash showed their class by Booing Giggy. Great series!!

06-09-2003, 09:53 PM	#960
sachmo71 The boy who cried Trout Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: TX	Yay for Lags, Nieuwy, and Marshall! Too bad about the booing...I guess I can understand it seeing as how Brodeur was just as good as Guigere in the finals. Still, it looked really bad. Congrats, Devils! Maybe the Stars will be inspired by their former teammates hoisting the cup!

06-09-2003, 10:00 PM	#961
sterlingice Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Back in Houston!	Someone really needs to shoot sideline reporters after the game. Whoever that woman was just kept asking the stupidest questions: "Does it ever get old?" "Yeah, I've decided next year I want to be at home watching this game". The booing was truly classless, but what do you expect. They learn from their brethren across the state line. SI __________________ Houston Hippopotami, III.3: 20th Anniversary Thread - All former HT players are encouraged to check it out! Janos: "Only America could produce an imbecile of your caliber!" Freakazoid: "That's because we make lots of things better than other people!"

06-09-2003, 10:21 PM	#962
ISiddiqui Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Decatur, GA	Wooooo! Go Devils . Great series... as for the booing... do you think Anaheim fans would have liked it if Game 7 was in their rink and Brodeur won the Conn Smythe? Come on! Your team wins the Stanley Cup, you don't want a player from the other team getting the MVP of the playoffs award! __________________ "A prayer for the wild at heart, kept in cages" -Tennessee Williams

06-09-2003, 10:36 PM	#963
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	Great series...hope next year isn't the last one. This was fun, we should have a hockey sticky all year round

06-10-2003, 12:47 AM	#965
bbor Pro Starter Join Date: May 2001 Location: toronto	I'm sad that it's over Happy to see Jiggy get MVP,there was no other choice. If you are the Ducks you have to think you may have let a once i a lifetime opportunity slip by...no offence CR...but it would take another miricle to get the Ducks to the finals again. __________________ Pumpy Tudors Now that I've cracked and made that admission, I wonder if I'm only a couple of steps away from wanting to tongue-kiss Jaromir Jagr and give Bobby Clarke a blowjob.

06-10-2003, 01:44 AM	#968
bbor Pro Starter Join Date: May 2001 Location: toronto	I don't think you'll dissapear...but i'm looking at the fact that the Ducks did very little during the regular season. They were a far better team in the play-offs than they were in the regular season. So i guess my question is...Which team is the real Ducks? If it is the play-off team...well then i have no doubt they will be contenders for the next few years...BUT...if it is the team that was preforming during the regular season they will have difficulty just making the play-offs. I like the talent they have mind you.....i would love to have Chistoff (sp) on my team....i think he should be getting more ice time than he does...i feel Babcock severly underused him in the finals....that guy has spunk. __________________ Pumpy Tudors Now that I've cracked and made that admission, I wonder if I'm only a couple of steps away from wanting to tongue-kiss Jaromir Jagr and give Bobby Clarke a blowjob.

06-10-2003, 01:55 AM	#969
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	Actually, I think the Ducks were one of the best teams in the NHL in the 2nd half of the season. I'm not sure why they had a bad 1st half, be it injuries or trades, but if I remember correctly, their 2nd half performance was somewhere around 3rd in the league. They went 25-14-3 in the 2nd half, prorated over the entire season gives them a 50-28-6 record, 2nd only to Ottawa. That's a pretty good season if they keep it up.

06-10-2003, 02:04 AM	#970
Chief Rum Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Where Hip Hop lives	I wouldn't say we did little in the rgeular season. You have to remember, the Western Conference is very competitive. Not to say the Eastern is not (it is, too), but the West has been very tough for some years now. It took a little time with injuries, and a new coach, and a new system, but the Ducks finally were playing like they would in the playoffs right around January. I don't recall the final tally, but from January 1 until the end of the regular season, the Ducks were statistically one of the best teams in the NHL. From January through mid-March, only one team had a better record than us since January 1, and that was Dallas. Ironically, it was after the acquisitions of Thomas and Niedermayer that we cooled off a bit down the stretch, but we still finished around the top five or so in the league in that time period. You didn't witness a team suddenly elevating its game in the playoffs. You witnessed a team continuing to play as it had for months, after taking some early lumps in an effort to jell. Are the Ducks as good as a regular Finals team? I don't know about that. I think Jiggy got really hot at the right time and that helped us quite a bit. But he didn't really get that much better from what he did in the regular season, when he was one of the league's best. And the offense actually did worse than in the regular season, if you can believe that. Trust me, it was a different team playing in March than it was in November, and I'm not talking about the acquisitions of Ozolinsh, Thomas and Niedermayer. I said from the very beginning that people were underrating the Ducks because of their final season totals, and not evaluating how they had performed during the second half of the season. And sure enough, they ended up shocking some pretty great teams with their play. Agreed about Chistov. His ice time got less and less as the season went on. I'm still not sure if it was just a move to more veterans during the playoff races in the West, or if Babcock actually has a problem with some of Chistov's play, but that kid is just really exciting when he's on the ice and playing well. I am hoping to see a lot more of him and Smirnov next year, and hoping Lupul, a Top 5 pick center last year, makes the squad in September. And that doesn't even mention the St. Cloud player we signed that Cards4Ever assures me is one of the best amateur players in the nation (admittedly in his early 20s and a product of the American collegiate league, although this is how Chris Drury, among others entered the league). Chief Rum __________________ . . I would rather be wrong...Than live in the shadows of your song...My mind is open wide...And now I'm ready to start...You're not sure...You open the door...And step out into the dark...Now I'm ready.

06-10-2003, 03:32 AM	#974
Honolulu_Blue Hockey Boy Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Royal Oak, MI	Too bad. It would have been nice to see the Ducks win. I am not surprised at all by the result, but it would have been nice. Assuming Giguere feeds off this play-off performance (like Roy in 1986), then the Ducks will be in the hunt for years to come. They do have a decent talent base with Kariya, Rucchin (if he stays healthy), Ozolinsh, Chistov, Smrinov, etc, etc. We all know that the goalie in hockey is by far the most important position in sports. Hasek carried a subpar Buffalo team for years. They were always dangerous in the play-offs. Though it's still too early to tell if Giguere reaches the level of a Hasek, Roy, or Broduer, Giguere and the Ducks could be the "Sabres" of the West for years to come. It would be cool to have a hockey stickey all year 'round. Almost 1,000 posts. It was nice seeing "Honolulu_Blue" up at the top of the board each morning. He, like the long-suffering sport he and the loyal posters on this thread, have long since deserved such notice. __________________ *Steve Yzerman*: 1,755 points in 1,514 regular season games. 185 points in 196 postseason games. A First-Team All-Star, Conn Smythe Trophy winner, Selke Trophy winner, Masterton Trophy winner, member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, Olympic gold medallist, and a three-time Stanley Cup Champion. Longest serving captain of one team in the history of the NHL (19 seasons).

06-10-2003, 04:06 AM	#975
sterlingice Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Back in Houston!	I'm in the ranks with the skeptics: It's not impossible but it's just very difficult to make it out of the West because of the Colorado-Detroit-Dallas gauntlet. Just ask those three teams because there is no one consensus best team since they all keep beating each other up. SI __________________ Houston Hippopotami, III.3: 20th Anniversary Thread - All former HT players are encouraged to check it out! Janos: "Only America could produce an imbecile of your caliber!" Freakazoid: "That's because we make lots of things better than other people!" Last edited by sterlingice : 06-10-2003 at 04:07 AM.

06-10-2003, 09:00 AM	#977
Honolulu_Blue Hockey Boy Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Royal Oak, MI	It was classless for New Jersey fans to boo. That being said there was a "war of words" between the two netminders. Things got pretty heated there for a while. So, I guess I could understand the boos to some extent. Still, I would have cheered (note: Unless some how Patrick Roy won. I would not cheer for that). Like Cards said, won the Cup, who cares about the Con Smythe (unless it was rewarded to Evil, see above)? Clinging... to... top... of board.... Unstickied... losing... ground.... __________________ *Steve Yzerman*: 1,755 points in 1,514 regular season games. 185 points in 196 postseason games. A First-Team All-Star, Conn Smythe Trophy winner, Selke Trophy winner, Masterton Trophy winner, member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, Olympic gold medallist, and a three-time Stanley Cup Champion. Longest serving captain of one team in the history of the NHL (19 seasons).

06-10-2003, 09:04 AM	#978
sachmo71 The boy who cried Trout Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: TX	I hope the Ducks are as deep as they looked. I hope they don't pull a Carolina...

06-10-2003, 09:24 AM	#979
Honolulu_Blue Hockey Boy Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Royal Oak, MI	I don't think they will. I guess it mostly depends upon how Jiguere reacts next year. He was a solid goalie the last two regular seasons but elevated his game to epic proportions this play-offs. He keeps in this vein, he wont need to be as dominating, and the Ducks should be decent. Given the West, I could see them makin the play-offs next year in the bottom half of the 8. Carolina's duo of Weekes and Irbe were shaky at best. They had lots of injuries. Their young talent didn't pan out. Guess it could happen to the Ducks, but they should be ok, methinks. Must... hold... on.... __________________ *Steve Yzerman*: 1,755 points in 1,514 regular season games. 185 points in 196 postseason games. A First-Team All-Star, Conn Smythe Trophy winner, Selke Trophy winner, Masterton Trophy winner, member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, Olympic gold medallist, and a three-time Stanley Cup Champion. Longest serving captain of one team in the history of the NHL (19 seasons).

06-10-2003, 09:35 AM	#980
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	non-stickied hockey thread = sadness

06-10-2003, 09:40 AM	#981
superbama H.S. Freshman Team Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Seattle ,Wa	You think you guys can keep this thread up without sticky till Sept?

06-10-2003, 10:38 AM	#984
klayman College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Edmonton	I don't recall booing Hextall when he won the Conn Smythe here in Edmonton. I don't recall anyone booing him either. And we HATED Hextall...but what did we care, we just won the cup.

06-10-2003, 01:30 PM	#990
sachmo71 The boy who cried Trout Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: TX	There isn't too much to tell at this point. They are working out player rating guidelines right now, while the head researchers finalize who will research the specific teams. Lots more information is avaliable at the CM Forums.

06-10-2003, 01:30 PM	#991
Cards4ever College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Eagan, MN	I think I'm going to be helping with the College Hockey part. __________________ Cardinal Baseball & Gopher Hockey, what else do you need?

06-10-2003, 02:00 PM	#992
bbor Pro Starter Join Date: May 2001 Location: toronto	What is Shattuck? __________________ Pumpy Tudors Now that I've cracked and made that admission, I wonder if I'm only a couple of steps away from wanting to tongue-kiss Jaromir Jagr and give Bobby Clarke a blowjob.

06-10-2003, 02:17 PM	#995
Noop Bonafide Seminole Fan Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Miami	I'm just posting because its a long thread and i want to be apart of history. noop __________________ Subby's favorite woman hater.

06-10-2003, 02:22 PM	#996
bbor Pro Starter Join Date: May 2001 Location: toronto	John Leclair has waived his no trade clause..but only to these teams....Dallas...NYR...L.a Kings....Detroit... Think he wants to stay in the States and win a cup? __________________ Pumpy Tudors Now that I've cracked and made that admission, I wonder if I'm only a couple of steps away from wanting to tongue-kiss Jaromir Jagr and give Bobby Clarke a blowjob.

06-10-2003, 02:36 PM	#998
Chief Rum Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Where Hip Hop lives	It would be great to see LeClair in a Kings uniform. It would also be nice if we could keep this thread up here until September. Of course, just getting it to 1000 would be an accomplishment, I think, and I believe my post here is #996. So that's a very realistic goal. As for EHM:FE, I, too, am a researcher for that game, albeit just one of sachmo's flunkies. I am looking forward to hearing the guidelines for what we wil be doing. I don't suppose you have any word on that yet, sachmo? With the offseason coming up, the rosters will probably be changing as fast as we can research them. Chief Rum __________________ . . I would rather be wrong...Than live in the shadows of your song...My mind is open wide...And now I'm ready to start...You're not sure...You open the door...And step out into the dark...Now I'm ready.

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