I dunno. After the strike and lockout... With all the player movement between teams and no continuity. Plus, but for a year or so right before that, I didn't have a problem with all the defense. Scoring chances are far more exciting than goal after goal. All the rule changes sorta made it to much like basketball.

I was transplanted from NYC to Texas at 3. I grew up playing with the other 40 or so kids in North Texas well before the Stars came down here and turned hockey into sliced bread. I am not ashamed to admit that I always shed a tear when I saw the winning team skate the cup even if it was the team I was rooting against. After two months of battling, how could you not feel good for those guys.

So, on paper I care. But unless it's the Rangers, I'm not watching.

Lemuel Gulliver wrote:I am not ashamed to admit that I always shed a tear when I saw the winning team skate the cup even if it was the team I was rooting against.

Word. I cried when the Devils won in '03 (but I was also in the throes of depression and cried at everything). I even cried for the Evil Empire Red Wings in '98, the year after the Konstantinov accident, when they brought him out on the ice in his wheelchair.

I was at the Ranger game on Sunday. Sean Avery was waving his stick and hands in Brodeur's face like a five-year old during a Rangers 5 on 3 power play. I said to my brother: "Check it out, I've never seen anything like this". On Monday, there was a new rule in hockey. That was awesome. I love that crazy son-of-a-bitch. Losing in OT off a cheap goal was not so awesome. But the Rangers won last night, so they're up 3 games to 1.

Not Crap.


Also, I watched Brodeur the whole game and he's dirty as hell.

Potvin sucks.

Fuck the Rangers.

vockins wrote:Fuck the Rangers.

Why must you make me cry?

I'll second the "Fuck the Rangers." They swept my Thrashers last year. Fuck those clowns, especially Sean Avery.

I don't have TV so I can't watch the playoffs. Since the Thrashers couldn't make it to the dance I'm getting my playoff hockey fix by listening to Atlanta's AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves, in their quest for the Calder Cup online. They lost to the Milwaukee Admirals in game one of round one last night. Man, fuck the Ads.

Edward wrote:I'll second the "Fuck the Rangers."

Thirded. Avery's been around the block a few times and should know better, but it's broadly in character with his reputation so we shouldn't be surprised. The last time a team was reduced to that kind of silly desperation in the Garden, Jeff Van Gundy was dragging out 4th quarters with annoying hack-a-Shaq shenanigans.

I miss living near the border and getting Canadian TV. I had some success last year streaming Hockey Night In Canada by way of a Canadian proxy server, but I couldn't get that to work last night. Maybe they are on to us. If anyone has some good information about how to do this I'd love to hear it.

I'm not too worried about my Red WIngs just yet. Good to see McCarty out there again.

No, I don't think I will "fuck the Rangers."

If Avery were on your team, you guys would all love him.

I love that a Thrashers fan calls us clowns. What the fuck is a Thrasher anyway. There should be no hockey in Georgia to begin with.

You suck

I'll be watching Rangers playoff hockey if any Thrashers or Islander fans need me.

This year the winner will come out of the west. Again. And this trend will continue until y'all get some decent hockey clubs out east. Detroit, San Jose, maybe Anaheim. There is nothing in the east that can counter these teams in the playoffs, and one of them will take the west. And yet somehow Marty will win the Vezina and Ovechkin will win the Hart, etc.

The real question to me is why aren't there any good Canadian teams? While every hockey team is technically Canadian, how come Canada can't put together a team with half a chance anymore? Calgary's been keeping it together against the Sharks, and may even make it to the next round, but they're primed to implode. Now that they have a legitimate chance of winning the series, they no longer have any chance of winning the series. Because they're Canadian. It's your national sport, why can't you put together a good team?!?!?

Where's Vancouver? Oh yeah - same place they've been for the last 3 years, hiding behind Luongo.

Edmonton? Didn't they piss off every GM in the league by paying way too much for anyone they could get with a name so that they could finally get back into the playoffs?

Ottawa? Honestly? There is video of the Spartan (a Greek, not roman historical figure, but never mind) proclaiming the pending victory on the ice before game 3, and I've seen school plays that were less lame, and certainly better produced. I won't link to this video because it embarrasses humanity to watch it.

That said, the Sharks vs. Habs was the best game of hockey I've seen this year. I would love to see that be the cup final. I haven't seen enough of the Habs games to get a real bead on them as a team, but the kid's good in goal, no doubt, and their playoff run's looked pretty good so far. Even if it's Boston they're playing.