Around the NHL 2011-2012

[LabattBlue]

Chara comes up behind Boyle yesterday and breaks his stick across the back of Boyle. Referee is right behing them, sees the whole thing...no penalty. :blink:

[plenzmd1]

I saw the first and second periods only, this game was a beauty. Crosby is nails, and his slashing on Giroux, wth was that no-call!? Hartnell is hard not to like, if as a Sabres fan you can see past the sweater he wears.

 

And a couple of years ago, the Flyers fans were ready to run him out of town. He had the kind of regualr season that Leino had this year..but then got hot in the playoffs and they made the Final and he has not looked back..

[nobody]

I understand the timing and what Pit was doing but the hit on Briere was clean.

 

Though the game is over - should the Pens have their top line on the ice when they are down 3 with a minute left?

 

Flyers overreact.

[Eleven]

I saw the first and second periods only, this game was a beauty. Crosby is nails, and his slashing on Giroux, wth was that no-call!? Hartnell is hard not to like, if as a Sabres fan you can see past the sweater he wears.

 

I would LOVE to have Hartnell on this team.

[TrueBlueGED]

I would LOVE to have Hartnell on this team.

 

So would I, but until we do, I hope he keels over :devil:

[deluca67]

Stamkos with 58 goals and Malkin with 48 goals. Gaborik with 40 and James Neal is sitting on 39.

 

Not a big year for goal scorers. Possibly only 4 players with 40 or more goals this season. A disturbing trend has developed.

 

40 or more goals scorers::

 

Post Lockout

 

2005-06 12 players with 40 or more goals

2006-07 10 players

2007-08 10 players

2008-09 8 players

2009-10 7 players

2010-11 5 players

2011-12 4 players

 

Pre-Lockout

 

2003-04 3 players

[dEnnis the Menace]

Flyer's Coach Fined...

 

I don't see why you would think Pittsburgh is going to come out with either of their top 2 lines. makes no sense at that point. just grind out the last minute.

[Eleven]

Stamkos with 58 goals and Malkin with 48 goals. Gaborik with 40 and James Neal is sitting on 39. Not a big year for goal scorers. Possibly only 4 players with 40 or more goals this season. A disturbing trend has developed. 40 or more goals scorers:: Post Lockout 2005-06 12 players with 40 or more goals 2006-07 10 players 2007-08 10 players 2008-09 8 players 2009-10 7 players 2010-11 5 players 2011-12 4 players Pre-Lockout 2003-04 3 players

 

You have illustrated why I liked the NHL better right after the lockout. It's not just that my favorite team was better; the league was better.

[deluca67]

Flyer's Coach Fined...

 

I don't see why you would think Pittsburgh is going to come out with either of their top 2 lines. makes no sense at that point. just grind out the last minute.

There was no need for the League to get involved in this. Both teams did what they had to do on the ice and that's where it should be left. A little post-game coaches banter is fine, especially when it precedes a 1st round match-up of two of the top five teams in the league.

[shrader]

You have illustrated why I liked the NHL better right after the lockout. It's not just that my favorite team was better; the league was better.

 

Soon enough we'll return to the last season before the lockout where Nash, Iginla, and Kovalchuk lead the league with 41.

[dEnnis the Menace]

There was no need for the League to get involved in this. Both teams did what they had to do on the ice and that's where it should be left. A little post-game coaches banter is fine, especially when it precedes a 1st round match-up of two of the top five teams in the league.

 

Laviolette was being a cry baby, and him going berserk (ALA Lindy during Ottawa brawl) was what drew the attention of the league I guess (from what I'm reading, I didn't see the video). They play once more to close the season out, then play a 7 game series. That is going to be a must watch series!

[Taro T]

Stamkos with 58 goals and Malkin with 48 goals. Gaborik with 40 and James Neal is sitting on 39.

 

Not a big year for goal scorers. Possibly only 4 players with 40 or more goals this season. A disturbing trend has developed.

 

40 or more goals scorers::

 

Post Lockout

 

2005-06 12 players with 40 or more goals

2006-07 10 players

2007-08 10 players

2008-09 8 players

2009-10 7 players

2010-11 5 players

2011-12 4 players

 

Pre-Lockout

 

2003-04 3 players

While I think they went a little overboard on not letting stuff go back in the 1st season after the lockout, I thought the 3rd - 5th seasons were fairly optimal between 'letting guys play' and not letting the skilled players get mugged where ever they went.

 

I'm hoping (but not hopeful) that the recent upsurge in uncalled restraint penalties is due to the league taking a step back in trying to figure out how to address 'the concussion issue' and that they are only allowing the game to get slowed down temporarily while they figure out how to minimize concussions without taking the speed out of the game.

 

The games aren't as tough to watch as Tampa - Calgary was yet; though they are getting there. Is it any coincidence that Hitchcock failed miserably coming out of the lockout but had top teams prior to it and again this year?

 

Right now, the league doesn't seem completely on board with taking the hits from behind out of the game, though they seemed to be the suspendable infraction du jour for a couple of weeks there. Without taking those from behind whiplash inducing hits out of the game, I'm not sure how you significantly reduce the concussions without taking some speed out of the game. Even if you do take those hits out (and those DO need to be out of the game), you still might need to get some speed out to game to get the concussion rate to an 'acceptable' (however defined) level. I like that they're going to the hybrid icing rule; it's a start by removing a gratuitous hit while not (completely) removing a competitive element of the game.

 

Note: very poorly thought out proposal ahead. (I'm sure there are several unintended consequences attached to it and haven't had time to think out what the majority of them might be.) Maybe, to cut down on the number of hits from behind into the boards, they make that a 4 minute double minor (like cutting a guy with a high stick is essentially an automatic 4) but to keep guys from intentionally putting themselves into the vulnerable position to get the call if it's determined that the hittee did intentionally put himself at risk, he can get a 2 minute minor for stupidity (though the official call would be 'unsportsmanlike conduct'). That way it is still a powerplay for drilling somebody headfirst into the boards - essentially automatically, but it isn't a full 4 automatically. And if a guy is consistantly getting called for putting himself in a vulnerable position intentionally, maybe HE gets a game or 2 suspension - for his own protection. (Again, not terribly well thought out, but I would really like to see the league put something in place that reduces concussions without removing speed nor clean hitting from the game. Perhaps they could stop calling clean hip checks as kneeing to keep hitting in the game while reducing head shots. That would lower the point of impact on players and allow more of a player's body to absorb the impact of the hit and not have it all aimed at the neck & head with the skull and brain meeting up in ways they aren't designed to.)

 

Though the league didn't adapt the Milbury bearhug rule at the GM's meetings, they do seem to have requested a more liberal interpretation of what ISN'T interference, as calls that were interference a couple of months ago don't seem to still be considered as such. I really believe until they figure out what they're doing with concussions the product on the ice will suffer. It will be a true shame if the ones winning the battle for the game's soul are the Milbury's and Campbell's of this world. Though they seem to think the game is big enough and good enough as is (or more accurately, as it was circa '03), this game can be so much more than that.

 

 

/disjointed rant

[shrader]

Taro, I wish it was simply about the concussions, but the relaxation on the obstruction calls has been pretty steady right from the start. It began to creep in towards the tail end of 2006 and has grown steadily ever since. At this point we will probably have to wait and see if the shoulder and elbow pad mandate ever goes through and how that would effect the head injuries. Hopefully that is far more of an issue than speed is.

 

And the bearhug rule was a Burke idea, wasn't it?

[spndnchz]

Taro, I wish it was simply about the concussions, but the relaxation on the obstruction calls has been pretty steady right from the start. It began to creep in towards the tail end of 2006 and has grown steadily ever since. At this point we will probably have to wait and see if the shoulder and elbow pad mandate ever goes through and how that would effect the head injuries. Hopefully that is far more of an issue than speed is.

 

And the bearhug rule was a Burke idea, wasn't it?

 

Yes.

[Taro T]

Taro, I wish it was simply about the concussions, but the relaxation on the obstruction calls has been pretty steady right from the start. It began to creep in towards the tail end of 2006 and has grown steadily ever since. At this point we will probably have to wait and see if the shoulder and elbow pad mandate ever goes through and how that would effect the head injuries. Hopefully that is far more of an issue than speed is.

 

And the bearhug rule was a Burke idea, wasn't it?

I wouldn't say that it's been steady, but the progress of the enforcement has been essentially unidirectional. (Though what gets let go in an individual season increases the further into the playoffs one goes. Both of the Red Wings / Pens finals were nearly unbearable IMHO and not simply because of what teams were playing. When the regular season reopens the next year, they tend to call it tighter than they did in the previous playoffs.)

 

I'd agree that it would be good if de-armorizing the players can reduce the concussions. But, as stated before, I am more hoping they don't take speed out of the game than hopeful about it. It doesn't help to keep grace and speed in the game when arguably the 2 most influential owners both are partial to thuggery on the ice.

 

And as chz already posted, yeah, the bearhug was Burkie. The most original thing Milbury could come up with would be beating a 12 year old with a shoe, or something along those lines.

[TrueBlueGED]

In my view, the only way the concussion problem gets fixed (or minimized as best it can) is with both severe and consistent discipline, which apparently is nowhere on the horizon. Hits to the head or severe boarding should be automatic 5 games minimum for 1st time offenders, with repeat offenders getting 20. Severe? Yes. Over the top? Maybe. But if Duncan Keith is facing 20 games, I don't think he hunts Daniel Sedin's head all game. Taro I know you said you think the league was a bit overboard with obstruction coming out of the lockout, but if they weren't, do you really think the players would have adjusted accordingly? I personally don't. And I'm using the same logic with head hits and hits from behind...I happen to believe the only way to genuinely alter player behavior is with very harsh (perhaps overly harsh) consequences. I just don't think a game here, 2 games there is anywhere near enough to alter behavior.

 

Also Taro, I like your idea about the penalties as a concept. But my cynical side doesn't know if the refs would be able to pull it off during a game.

[tiredsounds]

I just don't think a game here, 2 games there is anywhere near enough to alter behavior.

 

yep. you either ban them for something like 15-20 games a time, or fine them something like two years salary. or both.

 

(actually, you know what, scrap that, just get rid of the ice, skates, sticks and all that rubbish and just get them to play tag for an hour. that'd certainly give the huge scorelines bettman is crazy for! BUFFALO 426 PITTSBURGH 421 :w00t: )

[Randall Flagg]

 

There was no need for the League to get involved in this. Both teams did what they had to do on the ice and that's where it should be left. A little post-game coaches banter is fine, especially when it precedes a 1st round match-up of two of the top five teams in the league.

I find your avatar very offensive.

 

 

:P

[LastPommerFan]

Not sure if anyone has pointed this out, but Florida is poised to win the SE Division with fewer wins than everyone but Carolina, and fewer Regulation wins that everyone. That might be the best case to change the points system.

[dEnnis the Menace]

Not sure if anyone has pointed this out, but Florida is poised to win the SE Division with fewer wins than everyone but Carolina, and fewer Regulation wins that everyone. That might be the best case to change the points system.

 

I had to go look at the standings at NHL.com to believe it myself. But wow! haha! And they play NJ in the first round? hmmm.

[shrader]

Not sure if anyone has pointed this out, but Florida is poised to win the SE Division with fewer wins than everyone but Carolina, and fewer Regulation wins that everyone. That might be the best case to change the points system.

 

I have no problem with it. All those OT losses are just ties. Go back historically and you'll find plenty of seasons where teams had those kind of numbers in the tie column. Florida just hasn't been able to take advantage of the inflated numbers in the win column that the NHL now has.

[LastPommerFan]

I have no problem with it. All those OT losses are just ties. Go back historically and you'll find plenty of seasons where teams had those kind of numbers in the tie column. Florida just hasn't been able to take advantage of the inflated numbers in the win column that the NHL now has.

 

But they aren't ties, they are losses, the other team walked away with a win all 18 times. Florida could potentially win the South East Division and get home ice in the playoffs with 37 wins and 45 losses.

[JJFIVEOH]

But the only team in the East who has fewer reg loses in the Rangers. Guess it depends on how you look at it.

[shrader]

But they aren't ties, they are losses, the other team walked away with a win all 18 times. Florida could potentially win the South East Division and get home ice in the playoffs with 37 wins and 45 losses.

 

Call them what you will, but that point is essentially the same version of what was a tie pre-lockout. They now give a bonus point to the winner of a skills competition. The only ones that don't fit that exact label are the games that are actually won in OT without a shootout. They are not the same thing as a loss. And the playoff tie breaker tells us the same exact thing about the shootout wins, they are not the same thing as a regular win either.

[LastPommerFan]

Call them what you will, but that point is essentially the same version of what was a tie pre-lockout. They now give a bonus point to the winner of a skills competition. The only ones that don't fit that exact label are the games that are actually won in OT without a shootout. They are not the same thing as a loss. And the playoff tie breaker tells us the same exact thing about the shootout wins, they are not the same thing as a regular win either.

 

A loss in OT used to be a Loss, 0 pts. Florida has 7 points for losing in 62 minutes instead of 58.