the march issue of "let's all laugh at the panthers sales pitch" is out:



bonus LOL for featuring crosby, who may not be facing this team until it's in quebec

3/10/2011 2:06:22 PM

Quote :

"He is in constant motion"

He is, the puck isn't. The rule says the play is dead as soon as the puck stops moving forward. That's why an unintentional double-hit doesn't count but a skip over the shoulder or a trickler does.

3/10/2011 7:17:43 PM

I see Vinyl.. my bad. For a regulation goal it's pretty. SO goal, it's cheating.

3/10/2011 7:49:56 PM

No worries. Toews and Quenneville both seem to think the rule is the player, too.

3/10/2011 8:04:09 PM

What do you guys think about 3 point games? A friend of mine started a hockey blog and wrote a fairly decent article about it. Too bad he's a Pens fan.

http://whatthepucknhl.blogspot.com/

3/10/2011 11:37:44 PM

Before reading the article I thought the proposal would be like this:

3 points - Win in regulation
2 points - Win in overtime
1 point - Loss in overtime
0 points - Loss in regulation

I guess that's about the same as the proposal as what is in the blog. I think the NHL would want the fans to see MORE points rather than fewer.

3/11/2011 9:26:10 AM

yea i really don't see why its not worth more to beat a team in regulation than in OT. doesn't make sense. i think if you put value in getting to OT, then you should put equal value (1 pt) in winning without it.

3/11/2011 9:34:54 AM

I, too, think it should be 3-2-1-0.

3/11/2011 9:43:41 AM

I would like to see:

3 points for a win in regulation or OT
2 points for a SO win
1 point for a SO loss
0 points for a loss in regulation or OT

And maybe extend OT a couple minutes and make it 5-on-5. This way every game is worth the same amount of points and there is incentive to finish the game before the shootout. You have to give something to both teams once they get to the SO because essentially it's a tied game.

They were talking about this on NHL Live the other day. Billy Jaffe said that he liked the current system because it makes the playoff race more exciting, even though it's harder for a team like New Jersey to catch up with the run that they've had.

[Edited on March 11, 2011 at 9:54 AM. Reason : so basically the same as ^^^, but only split the pts if there's a SO]

3/11/2011 9:52:32 AM

An interesting take zsl, but at the point it basically becomes a 4th period. Teams would then argue that you should just eliminate OT and go straight to shoot out.

I do see your point, though.

I'm still a proponent of limiting the size of the goaltenders pads. Sorry Vinyl

3/11/2011 10:11:15 AM

Sort of off topic from the OT rules... but an interesting question came up regarding the pending NFL lockout.

What league or sport do you think would benefit the most if there were an NFL lockout?

I think there are two very obvious winners... college football and the NHL. The NBA is facing its own lockout next year also, and the NBA is failing currently. I think it's too saturated.

The NCAA would benefit because they would have all 4 days of football, and their t.v. contracts would go way up. Already have success on Thursday and Saturday, and the Va Tech/BSU game had very good ratings that would build a case for MNCF. Put a marquee game on that night = win.

The NHL would be the next to benefit. Similar to football in that it is fast paced and very physical. It is also one of three of the main sports from October - February. Now, if both the NBA and NFL lock out, it would be the only sport.

Thoughts?

3/11/2011 10:19:20 AM

i wouldnt say football is as fast paced as hockey, but you're right that it would be a great opportunity to bring in new fans. The most important thing if an NFL lockout did occur would be for the NHL to secure former NFL timeslots on network television. Also, they'd need to get anouncers that aren't dead boring. Nothing kills tv sports more than bad commentary. Its why watching anything on ESPN is impossible.

3/14/2011 10:07:07 AM

Quote :

"I'm still a proponent of limiting the size of the goaltenders pads. Sorry Vinyl"

They've already done that. Twice. All it does is make the goalies faster and more agile.

3/14/2011 3:22:27 PM

I think they are still massive compared to the pads of the 80's?

Looks like Sid is skating again, for what it's worth.

3/14/2011 6:17:54 PM

The chest pads and pants are, but the leg pads are actually smaller and lighter.

An average pad from the early '90s was 32" x 13" and weighed 10+ pounds. An average pad today is 36" x 11" and weighs less than six pounds.

3/14/2011 6:21:46 PM

Would you agree that the length being longer takes away even more of the "5 hole" in the butterfly position? I think it would also allow the goalie to not be as flexible in the butterfly. I think it takes away even more of the ice, also, when the goalies are going post to post.


I also said the 80's, not the 90's. However, you're input was definitely valuable. I didn't realize the pads were smaller, the lighter weight kind of seems like a no brainer, though. I suppose that's how these guys are a little more acrobatic than their predecessors.

3/14/2011 8:14:31 PM

Sorry I misread the '80s/'90s. Goal pad technology was virtually unchanged from the '50s to the early '90s, though, when they started replacing leather and deer hair with synthetics and foam and then were able to change the design of the pad itself.

The thing about the five hole is this: in a properly played butterfly system, the stick and knees take away the five hole. That's why Patrick Roy was so successful with it even wearing the old-style pads. The longer pads don't cover the five hole any more, because it's already covered. However, since the thigh rises are longer, you can have your knees farther apart and still cover. Couple that with ultra-flexible guys like Tuukka Rask, and you've got a ton more lateral coverage at the corners, which is what makes such a huge difference on one-timers and two-on-ones.

Really, the thing that amazes me every time pad downsizing comes up is that none of the league brass seems to realize that goalies have just gotten a lot better. Look at a breakaway from the '80s and one from today. Even a top-tier goalie like Grant Fuhr is reaching, flailing, and diving to get a piece of a puck. These days, with every goalie in the league having been brought up with a goalie coach, it's a calm push, and explosion to the post, and an easy chest stop 80% of the time. Yes, equipment got huge for a while, and coupled with better goaltending systems and tight D, scoring dropped severely. Now the game has opened up and pads have gotten smaller, but the coaching still exists, and athletes on par with power forwards are becoming goaltenders. You could dress them like lacrosse goalies and they'd still get the job done.

3/15/2011 6:11:20 PM

I totally agree with you. It's always good to read a different perspective than what I think. Even being an econ major, I still sometimes fail to see the other side or read more before coming to a conclusion.

Surprised you used Rask, but definitely credible. Is Lundqvist (sp?) the best in the league?

I think he is, and Cam is top 5.

3/15/2011 6:51:24 PM

All of the Scandinavian guys are incredibly flexible, but the Finns seem to top the class. I actually think Hannu Toivonen is the most flexible goaltender I've ever seen, but I figured using a career backup/AHL guy as an example wouldn't be as strong.

Lundqvist is very flexible, but there's also an optical illusion built into the design of his pads that makes his knees look like they're closer together than they really are when he's in the butterfly; it looks like he has much more hip & ankle flare than he actually does.

3/15/2011 8:25:41 PM

So Pacioretty apparently will be able to resume full contact practice in 3-5 weeks and be back in time for the playoffs. How the hell does that happen?

3/17/2011 1:11:27 PM

Hockey players are tough and he's got an entire staff of physicians and PT folks at his disposal.

3/17/2011 6:41:58 PM

I'm aware, but he should have probably died . Seriously though, he was diagnosed with a serious concussion and with the amount of players who went down to concussions for long periods of time this year, I thought he would have been lucky to come back early next season.

3/17/2011 6:54:34 PM

when considering the long-term effects, biology took into consideration that chara is not a repeat offender

3/17/2011 9:33:18 PM

Really Goons? Way to lose to the Trashers. . .

3/17/2011 9:51:28 PM

^^^ Technically, any time you lose consciousness it's automatically a Grade III concussion, which is as severe as the grading scale goes. I was out for almost three minutes (Grade IIIb) after a soccer game freshman year and was back to normal and playing within two weeks. Every person is different and every hit is different, no matter how they look.

3/17/2011 10:12:44 PM

It's also French-Canadian medicine. They use illegal stuff like steroids.

This is mostly a joke.

3/18/2011 9:42:45 AM

So the Devils lose last night to the Crapitals 3-0 when the Caps put a whopping 12 shots on net. Please please please please rain down with all the Marty hate that I know TWW can muster. He certainly deserves it.

3/19/2011 10:42:33 AM

i believe cooke would have just worn out his welcome with pens fans by taking an elbowing major late in a tie game, except the pens scored a SHG

on to the next suspension

[Edited on March 20, 2011 at 2:32 PM. Reason : and then the rags score 5-on-3]

[Edited on March 20, 2011 at 2:33 PM. Reason : twice ]

3/20/2011 2:29:56 PM

dude, come on Penguins

3/20/2011 2:32:10 PM

Cooke suspended through 1st round of playoffs.

3/21/2011 5:48:39 PM

I'm perfectly fine with this so long as this serves as precedent for other players and didn't happen just because it's Matt Cooke.

3/21/2011 6:34:44 PM

eh, it's probably more because it's Matt Cooke.

(completely deserved)

3/21/2011 6:52:23 PM

There's certainly an element of it just being Matt Cooke, but it can't set that much of a precedent; not many players are on their fifth headshot suspension in two years.

3/21/2011 7:18:28 PM

What pisses me off the most is that the GMs had a chance to do something about head shots last week, decided to do nothing, and now here we are again. For once, the NHL did the right thing with this suspension, but I want a standard punishment like there is in junior and international hockey. I think it's a bullshit excuse to say, "Well if you ban head shots completely, you're taking some of the physicality out of the game." I think that's the retarded Don Cherry mindset that ruined the game in the 90s. The rules have to evolve with the game.

And for the record, I love having Matt Cooke as a Penguin the same way I liked Colby Armstrong, Jarkko Ruutu, and Darius Kasparaitis. I just wish he would cut down on the bullshit.

[Edited on March 21, 2011 at 8:41 PM. Reason : ]

3/21/2011 8:34:58 PM

i was gonna post something about cooke, i agree, but you mentioned kasparaitis soooooooo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuVy1sk3Kds

3/21/2011 8:47:23 PM

cooke deserved every game he got. his own gm called it "warranted"

not sure heatley didnt deserve more than 2, i think he should have gotten 4. i mean shit, thorntons hit got two games and perron still isnt right.

[Edited on March 21, 2011 at 8:55 PM. Reason : .]

3/21/2011 8:54:27 PM

^^Oh man, I was 11 and my parents let me stay up for overtime. I almost jumped through the ceiling when Kaspar scored, and then I ran laps around the downstairs of my house

3/21/2011 9:18:39 PM

Quote :

"So the Devils lose last night to the Crapitals 3-0 when the Caps put a whopping 12 shots on net. Please please please please rain down with all the Marty hate that I know TWW can muster. He certainly deserves it. "

(Actually I feel bad talking shit because I've watched pretty much zero hockey this season)

(Well, just kidding. Fuck Marty)

3/21/2011 11:53:40 PM

Justin Williams done for the year w/a shoulder injury

3/22/2011 3:33:19 PM

well, at least it wasnt his knee

3/23/2011 1:39:43 AM

I'm surprised he made it this long.

3/23/2011 1:43:20 AM

http://www.sporcle.com/games/Spontaneous/matt-cooke-suspensions

3/23/2011 11:59:42 AM

I still can't figure out what happened here:

3/23/2011 1:56:45 PM

MIND BULLETS

3/23/2011 2:09:57 PM

LOL

3/23/2011 4:04:56 PM

it's that active ice they have in los angeles

3/23/2011 4:55:06 PM

That's one of those triangle pucks

3/23/2011 9:26:52 PM

Habs/Bruins tonight. should be some good violence

3/24/2011 1:47:23 PM

I sure am glad that the NHL is coming down hard on head shots by repeat offenders
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEAoCANIdGs&feature=player_embedded

I can't believe that the guy responsible for the worst cheap shot to the head in NHL history just gets a pass on this.


Looks like Doug Weight is retiring.
http://mobile.newsday.com/inf/infomo;JSESSIONID=772DB40E3FF8C1810F3A.3089?site=newsday&view=islanders_item&feed:a=newsday_5min&feed:c=islanders&feed:i=1.2788595

Shero: 'No expectation' of Crosby regular season return
http://post-gazette.com/pg/11089/1135743-100.stm

[Edited on March 30, 2011 at 5:52 PM. Reason : ]

3/30/2011 5:52:17 PM

Anyone else have problems with the center ice package on twc? I fucking hate it. I've had it on both DTV and dish and it's 100 times better. I also had gamecenter the last two seasons and even found that to be better. I get two HD games a night on twc, with the rest being in SD. Most nights, the HD channels show up saying "GAME _ is currently unavailable." I've tried calling multiple times which never helps. They've sent people out to fix it, but the problems still occur and they refuse to lower my bill

Anyway, I'm just pissed off and tired of watching hockey in standard def, epecially when it's supposed to be in HD. Didn't know if anyone else had similar problems or advice.

3/31/2011 8:55:28 PM