Not sure how many of us here are hockey fans but I am incredily happy about the NHL returning...beers, chicken wings, and watching CBJ choke over and over again is a feeling like no other...with Team USA winning gold at the World Juniors yesterday, that itch ive been dying to scratch has finally seen its final days... shame that Columbus wont be hosting the All Star game this year but it will soon enough...really think if CBJ can get things figured out that Columbus could turn itself into a heck of a hockey town
Itll be an interesting, short, season with the massive lay off and players returning after playing in leagues around the World but at least the puck can finally be dropped and the 4th most popular professional sport (booyah) is back in action.
Sean Kuraly, great scorer, 3rd overall draft pick on Team USA is from Dublin...great to see central ohio kids doing big things in hockey
My parents live right down the street from the Kuraly's (I'm actually the same age as his older brother Chris) and I went to the same high school as Trent Vogelhuber for a few years, who was the 7th round pick by the CBJ in the '07 draft (last player drafted). Unfortunately for Trent, his career was sidelined by some injuries but he played well while at Miami...don't think he'll be an NHL-caliber player though. Although with the Jackets who knows haha
Was it ever gone?
haha, very few (I am in this very few) noticed
You and me both. Good day to have Hockey back. Now...if the Blackhawks can find Patrick Kane in Sweeden, hopefully sober enough to make a flight, I'll be happy.
4-6 seconds from point A to point B and when you get to point B, be pissed off
Let's go B's.
Now that hockey is back, the first thing I'm going to do is: take a nap.
Hooray said 3% of the population.
Idk about C-Bus, but the city of Pittsburgh is pumped about the news. Go Pens!
wow i didnt know hockey was on strike or whatever.
Finally! As a Pens fan, I hate the lockout because it robs us of watching elite players in their prime, and the Penguins have a lot of these guys. Obviously Crosby is freakishly talented. Malkin, Letang, Neal, Fleury, etc..
Football is over, college basketball hasn't been too great so far, I really don't like the NBA...hockey helps make Winter more endurable.
"You win with people." - Woody Hayes
short season, could lead to the Jackets winning the cup...who am i kidding, if it were a 1 game season, the jackets would lose 10-0 while outshooting their opponent by 30
wasn't the All Star game supposed to be in C-bus this year?
They had to cancel the game, go figure. I pull for the Jackets as my 2nd-favorite team
"You win with people." - Woody Hayes
it was supposed to be in Columbus...they are going to have it in like 2015 or something to make up for canceling it this year
I had kind of considered coming down with my son to watch a Blue Jackets game(I live in Cleveland), but after watching this little tit for tat take place..I've decided to stick with Minor League hockey.......I'm really losing my taste for Major legue sports of any kind.................
Battles are sometimes won by generals; wars are nearly always won by sergeants and privates. Football is no different, the guys down in the trenches win the games, not the coach.
I'm glad it's over but I wish people weren't so willing to welcome the NHL back in open arms... after all this was the 4th lockout in like 20 years. We shouldn't just forgive and forget.
That being said, this can only help the Blue Jackets because they get to skip the months of November, December, and most of January which were generally very bad months.
GO LEAFS GO!
The city of Boston is indebted for Seguin and Hamilton.
I'm with you there! Shouldn't be too different from most seasons because we only play half a season anyway.
I grew up playing baseball, basketball and football. My son played hockey and my daughter played soccer. Until they started, I had 0 interest in either sport.
I now appreciate both but really like hockey and am glad they settled their grievances.
"Here officer, hold my beer while I find my license."
Best day of the year, just awesome. Go bolts.
Never understood why hockey isnt popular. Its a fast paced exciting and hard fought contest. My only guess is because not many people grew up playing due to lack of ice or finances as it is very exp3nsive to play while anyone can pick up a basketball or soccerball etc. But still the excitment it brings as a strategical team sport completely trumps the nba. Ohh look another dunk. Ohh look a now call 6 step travel. To me the nba is just a show on the same par and respect as profesional wr3stling. (dont confuse this with college hoops where it is still a team game and the kids play their arses off.)
Mario Lemieux is still one of the best all-time athletes I've ever seen perform in person. That guy was so special because he was so talented, yet so big at the same time...6'4'' + and had a long reach. Ridiculous eye/hand coordination. Just special all around. It's a shame he couldn't stay healthy his whole career, but, man - it was great while it lasted!
And, also, a feat I don't think we'll ever see matched again. It's so rare it rivals any other sports rare feats: scoring 5 goals in 1 game...5 different ways...in the same game ! : 1 even strength, 1 power play, 1 short-handed, 1 penalty shot, and one empty-net. Un-freaking-real. Think about that. May be the most underrated/greatest/craziest individual sports record out there. What are the odds....1 in 1,000,000,000,000? A penalty shot is rare enough, then to actually score on the penalty shot. I think they guy, before his first retirement was the only player to score on every penalty shot he ever took; and also the only player in NHL history to average 2.0 points or greater per game. Unreal.
All that while being a smoker, too. Until Hodgkins, I think...
yeah I heard that, too. He smoked in the locker room in his early career. LOL - reminds me of something like Anchorman or some old school stuff
The golden era when i was a kid. Loved him and Dougie Gilmore.
Those videos are awesome - thanks. Lemieux is my favorite hockey player of all-time.
I still think this is my favorite assist I've ever seen in my life, made by Crosby. The moves he makes to set up this goal are ridiculous. The entire video is pretty sick, especially the #1 assist. But the #4 assist, (against the Islanders), is the one I'm talking about, (FF to 7:12-8:12 for the #4 assist).
"You win with people." - Woody Hayes
(or here):
"You win with people." - Woody Hayes
and then there's this...ok I'm done now
"You win with people." - Woody Hayes
Great vids.
Here is one more. You gotta watch the whole video, but #4 (@2:25) is a goal against the Flyers I saw live on tv. I can't describe it, just have to watch it!
incredible
"You win with people." - Woody Hayes
I am with you on this. I love hockey. Wish it would get more support. No postseason is better than the NHL's IMO, especially a game 7 in the playoffs...some of those Pens/Wings stanley cup games recently had me on the edge of my seat for all 3 periods... Also, World Juniors gets a lot of attention, at least outside of the US...with our guys bringing home the gold this time around id hope for more attention to hockey but not going to happen with the NFL playoffs and the NBA...nevertheless, I will be watching as much hockey as I can this winter
Thank goodness. About damn time. They finally put all their greed or whatever it was aside. Kind of like another 11th hour deal out there. NHL might have been permanently doomed if the season was totally lost.
Class of 2010.
I no longer have any desire to watch NHL Hockey. For the legitmately 7th most popular sport in the US ( NFL, NCAAF, NBA, NCAAM, MLB, NASCAR in no specific order) to miss a large chunk of the season for the 2nd time in ten years during labor negotiations, they deserve no love nor cheer. They should learn their role.
It's ahead of Nascar don't kid yourself. Probably on the same par as college basketball in this country, maybe not in Ohio but in this country certainly.
It actually isn't even close. I'm a hockey fan, but it just isn't that popular in the US. Not a single hockey game, even the final Stanley Cup game, ranked as one of the Top 50 most watched sporting events in the US last year.. http://www.sportsgrid.com/nfl/2012-most-watched-sports/
It's a regional sport, so it won't appear on that list. It's very popular on northern border states.
OK, but it's not ahead of NASCAR, or the NFL, MLB, NBA, CFB, or CBB, and is very close to being behind the MLS/EPL.
It's ahead of Nascar, the only reason Nascar is ahead of it is because of the shifting population towards the south. The tv rights I also believe has affected it a lot as well. Most people don't even have nbcsn. Just Detroit's hockey fans put it ahead of mls.
People in New England LOVE hockey.
time to
yes! one of Paul Newman's finest movies
"You win with people." - Woody Hayes
So how many games are they gonna play till the post season starts? 16?
Go CBJ! Stanley Cup is yours baby!
Back to seeing Brad Marchand agitate the other teams game in game out. God I love being a Bruins fan.
I'm just excited to see a fresh and healthy Looch-Horty line. Not to mention the D-pairing of whoever Hamilton plays with.
I also want to see Seguin develop into the 40 goal/90 point guy I think he can become (he obviously won't get these numbers this year because of the shortened season but you get it).
I'm glad it's back. I missed the NHL and the Blue Jackets. This will be the first year of not getting Center Ice so I won't be able to see much of the CBJ unless they play the Kings or Ducks or they are on NHL Network or NBC Sports. I'm still pissed with the NHL for the Lockout and out of protest, no money is being spent on anything NHL related for this year.
I am an original season ticket holder and rarely missed a game in ten years. I don't have any interest in the season starting. Scott Howson has ruined our franchise with stupid trades and continually signing older washed up players. I really lost interest when they traded Rick Nash. Howson's inability to provide Nash with some quality help led to him wanting out and I for one don't blame him. Until the front office goes this franchise will remain the bumbling organization it has been for ten years.
shortbus20
They lost me after the last strike/ lockout which cost them the entire season. I have not followed them since. I really can’t understand when you have such a poor product in terms of national interest and TV revenue why you would allow another labor issue to possibly destroy what is left of the sport. They can’t seem to get out of their own way.
(Had to dig deep back to find a good hockey thread), but just wanted to say GREAT WIN by the Jackets tonight!
They're getting closer and closer to that playoff spot, hoping they can maybe even get a 7th seed or better. Nice to see them gel at the right time...and it's always nice to see Columbus > Detroit in yet another way.
"You win with people." - Woody Hayes
Ya, I'd want that 7 seed instead of the 8 too if I were a Jackets fan.
4-6 seconds from point A to point B and when you get to point B, be pissed off
getting really really close... 3 points clear....2 to play, neither will be easy...Detroit has 2 games in hand (4 left), dallas with 1 game in hand (3 left) ...need them to lose...detroit has 3 games in a row at home with phoenix, LA, and nashville...but nice for two of them to hand L's on the wings... then they finish away at the stars... Stars are at the sharks, then host the jackets and detroit....again, goign to be ridiculously close but this is definitely my favorite jackets team, regardless of the outcome
At this point we have a greater chance of making the playoffs than Detroit or Dallas. Even with their game in hand Dallas is still 3 points behind us and we play them, and Detroit with 2 games in hand, has a tough road with Phoenix, LA and then ending the season @Dallas. Columbus isn't going to catch Minnesota for the 7th seed, or I highly doubt it.
Well hey, you guys get to enjoy hockey for another 7 games then. That's pretty cool....
I keed, I keed...ok I don't. Chicago is going to curb stomp the Jacks if they land at #8.
4-6 seconds from point A to point B and when you get to point B, be pissed off
i dunno about that, every single game cbj v chi this year was a one goal game, with at least one of those going to OT. it would be close, but i agree that chi would take the series
I love you Brewster but curb stomp is a little strong.....it's not as if the Black Hawks have destroyed us in any of the games we've played. Even if they do sweep the series, I think each game will be hard fought for both teams.
"I'm One Bad Buckeye, and I approve this message."
Well its the playoffs so everything is usually pretty tough. Few games are decided by a lot of goals, fewer series are decided by a large margin.
I'll say this-Columbus has a style and the hot goal tender to keep them in games, but while Chicago is rightly praised for its great offense, their puck control style sort of goes under the radar. They don't need great performances out of their goaltenders because generally they aren't facing a ton of shots. For a team that isn't great offensively-and CBJ isn't, their challenge gets compounded by the fact that they won't have the puck much to begin with if Chicago plays its game so Bob has to be exceptional to keep his team in the game because when the Hawks get rolling, the puck doesn't stop flyin at you.
I'm a little worried that Emery might have a long term problem. It isn't that I dislike Crawford, but he can let some soft goals through and that's what can keep Columbus in a game. Chicago really wants to make every shot their opponent takes come from a tough angle\boards\what have you but if Craw lets a dribbler or two go, the Hawks might have a problem.
The games will be hard fought because the style CBJ plays can muck things up for the Hawks between the blue lines, but what's kept Chicago so good this year has been their depth and that will ultimately be too much for CBJ. The Hawks third line is better than most team's second line-that's what's usually going to do teams in. Toews, Kane, Hossa get all of the love but Saad, Bickell, Stalberg and Kruger are really the guys that turn the talent gap into a talent chasm.
4-2 at best, 4-1 is more likely.
4-6 seconds from point A to point B and when you get to point B, be pissed off
It seems like every year almost, there's an 8 seed who beats a 1 seed, or a 7 beating a 2.
The seeding in hockey playoffs don't seem to matter.
I know the Hawks are strong, but they could perhaps overlook this gritty CBJ team.
I like how CBJ is starting to put it all together at the right time.
Never say never...go Jackets!
I'm just happy to be here
I know nothing about Hockey but:
1. I really love going to games and I would love to get tickets to a Stanley Cup finals game (hopefully one day in CBUS). Bucket list stuff, I have heard from many its the greatest atmosphere in sports.
2. F Michigan therefore F the Red Wings.
couldnt agree more with point 2. my day was made when prospel got a 10min game misconduct for getting in a redwing players face and point to the scoreboard hahaha
I was just thinking last night that the new line of Prospal/Letestu/Gaborik should get broken up because they really hadn't done anything the last 3-4 games...and then boom 3 goals from that line.
I'll admit it, up until about 3-4 weeks ago I was saying the team should tank it, start Mason, etc. The top 5-6 in the draft could all be homeruns, and that's what the CBJ need. BUT...2 games left and we're talking playoffs?? PLAYOFFS??!!
It's been such a fun ride. 14-7-7 in one goal games. They've got a nice mix of young guys and old vets. No real offensive superstar, but they're getting it done. Here's a few reasons why:
1) They solidified they're goaltending situation. Riding Bob, I believe he'll finish out starting 27 of the last 28 games. He's a big-time Vezina candidate.
2) The 48 game schedule. They probably couldn't ride Bob this much in a full 82 game schedule.
3) "Chemistry." Team started 5-12-2. A lot of new faces and shuffling of lines, but recently they've solidified their lines and are playing well together.
4) Early one goal losses. They were so close in so many of their losses early, but now they're winning with late goals in the 3rd, OT, etc. Those early season battles have seasoned them well for this late push.
So, yeah...Saturday...should probably get tickets if you're free, right?