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Post by Simey on Dec 4, 2008 11:47:30 GMT -5
Well, Channel Five showed their match vs. Detroit last week (much to my delight  ) and they won! In Detroit, too!! Okay, so Detroit were far from at their best having been touring round the place a lot beforehand, but it was great to see Montréal playing pretty well and getting the better of the Red Wings at home! ;D And the Habs are doing okay - they showed a Canadian-teams-only table last night (due to the all-Canadian games during the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday) and the Habs were at the top. What is going on at Ottawa though? I fell asleep during Chicago vs. Anaheim last night, with the Blackhawks 1-0 up (yay!), but I recorded it so will be catching up with it later. Next week: NYR vs. Atlanta.  I'll watch it anyway, but, BC, if you could think of some incentives for taking notice of this one, I'd appreciate it as I have little interest in the Rangers and pretty much none in the Thrashers - is that bad? |
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Post by Black Cat on Dec 4, 2008 13:23:30 GMT -5
Next week: NYR vs. Atlanta. I'll watch it anyway, but, BC, if you could think of some incentives for taking notice of this one, I'd appreciate it as I have little interest in the Rangers and pretty much none in the Thrashers - is that bad? Atlanta have some good players like Ilya Kovalchuk and... errr... well, that's pretty much it. They are last in the standings. On the other hand, the Rangers are currently in second place in the league behind San Jose (they have played more games than any other team though...). They made a comeback yesterday against Pittsburgh (3-2 in SO) and they are playing the Habs tonight. They are playing well although they are not as spectacular as the Penguins. You can expect an easy win for New York against the Thrashers. About Ottawa, it's hard to understand what exactly is happening. The only explanation I see is that they have lost too many good players in the recent years and that they weren't able to replace them. That's funny because one of my friend is working at the local radio station and she's a huge Sens fan. Her boss, who is a Habs fan, decided that it would be a good marketing plan for the station to make a challenge each time both teams played each other and broadcast the said challenge on the airwaves. If the Habs win a game, it is her to do something live on the radio (last time, she went the following morning to a restaurant dressed with a Habs jersey and a red wig). If the Sens win, it is her boss who has to do something "humiliating". As you can see in my profile, I'm midway between Ottawa and Montreal, so we have an even number of fans for both teams around here, so these challenges are getting a lot of success. ;D |
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Post by Simey on Dec 4, 2008 17:59:11 GMT -5
That sounds cool! I'm guessing she'll have to take on more challenges than her boss! (I certainly hope so anyway.  ) |
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Post by Black Cat on Dec 5, 2008 12:34:58 GMT -5
Hey, the Habs celebrated their 99th birthday yesterday with a 6-2 win over the Rangers. For the occasion, they were wearing a replica of their 1915-16 jersey, which has the same design as the regular one, except that the logo is a big CA instead of CH. I'm waiting for the Barber Shop jersey from the 1912-13 season that they will be wearing in February.  |
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Post by Simey on Dec 6, 2008 4:27:44 GMT -5
Awesome! That's a terrific age for a sports team - especially in a league where some of the teams have only been around since the nineties - and sounds like a great win over one of the league's top performers of late!
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Post by Simey on Dec 11, 2008 15:43:26 GMT -5
Well, NYR vs. Atlanta was actually a pretty decent match - the only thing it really lacked was atmosphere, what with the stadium being barely half full, if that (a whole swathe of empty seats opposite the main camera position - didn't look good at all).
I'm sure the answer is in some way 'money', but I can't understand why an NHL team would be based in a city where it doesn't draw a good crowd when there are plenty of northern - especially Canadian - cities which would see a venue packed out if only they had a team. It seems crazy.
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Post by Black Cat on Dec 11, 2008 16:57:38 GMT -5
I'm sure the answer is in some way 'money', but I can't understand why an NHL team would be based in a city where it doesn't draw a good crowd when there are plenty of northern - especially Canadian - cities which would see a venue packed out if only they had a team. It seems crazy. You've just put your finger on the problem. Winnipeg lost its team to Phoenix back in the 90s. And now what? The Coyotes are reportly losing 30 million$ this season alone. That's a problem the NHL doesn't seem to understand: hockey is a winter sport and winter is not the same for people in Texas, Arizona and Florida than in Canada. Most of the people in cities such as Phoenix, Atlanta, Tampa Bay and Miami don't have a culture of hockey like Boston, Buffalo or Minneapolis have. Ok, Columbus is struggling even if it is in the north, but I think it has something to do with the lack of success of the team and the lack of superstars (who thought hockey would survive in LA for so long? Thanks to Marcel Dionne and Wayne Gretzky). I say that the NHL must bring back teams from the southern states to the north. Give back a team to Quebec, Harford and Winnipeg; give a team to Seattle, Cleveland and Hamilton. |
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Post by Sarra on Dec 30, 2008 4:44:56 GMT -5
Well as most of you know I am from Michigan. And I am pretty much the typical Detroit Red Wings Fan - obsessed.
They are going to win back-to-back Stanley Cups. Pavel Datsyuk is pretty much my hero.
I know they have been playing kind of the week this year (though they still have a great record). A lot of their lines have been adjusted. They've fallen short on a few of their strengths but they've also improved on their weaknesses. I think Detroit is much stronger this year in Shootouts but their 4 on 4 game really needs improvement. And it is really frustrating to me that while Datsyuk and Hossa are new at playing together they sync together so well but the defense sometimes doesn't have a clue.
Still. They have a solid team. Datsyuk, Hossa, and Zetterberg dominate the ice. Living in Michigan and actually getting to meet Gordie Howe as a kid really makes me a Detroit fan at heart and I'll always support them.
Go Detroit!!!
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Post by Simey on Jan 4, 2009 18:54:50 GMT -5
I've at last been to my first hockey of the season: Coventry Blaze (of course) vs. Sheffield Steelers, 2nd and 1st placed in the league respectively. On the up side it was a cracking match, aside from the first ten minutes when Coventry were slow to get going and conceded two goals pretty quickly without putting up much resistance. On the down side Coventry lost. In overtime. Whilst on a powerplay!?!! The three periods having ended 3 all, Sheffield took a penalty with only 1min52 remaining in overtime and that looked certain to seal it, or at the very least push it to a shoot-out. But after a desperately almost-but-not-quite shot from the Blaze, the puck was squeezed out to a lone Steeler waiting just out in centre ice and from then on it practically was a shoot-out, a one-on-one between him and the goalie. He scored and the Skydome was instantly awash with disbelief. Having scraped our collective jaws from the floor, the capacity crowd was thankfully very respectful to the victors and their impressively large army of fans that had made the long journey south, and despite the result I cannot be too disappointed, because it was a terrific game of hockey and it highlighted just what a thrilling race the league is coming to be this season. So I'm a bit:  |
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Post by Black Cat on Jan 5, 2009 14:02:55 GMT -5
Now that's something I will never get used to: sponsored names for hockey teams. The Eurologix Sheffield Steelers? The Coors Belfast Giants? The Cassidy Coventry Blaze? Even the league has a sponsored name: bmibaby Elite Ice Hockey League. The "bmibaby" thing before the actual name of the league makes me think it's a chick hockey league were the teams are wearing pink! Anyways, as long as the product on the ice is good, what's the importance of a stupid name?
For Xmas, I got tickets for the Habs vs Sens in Ottawa in two weeks. Now that's going to be fun. Last time I went to see a game between Montréal and Ottawa in the national capital, I almost received a beer can on my head! Okay, it was a football game (canadian football), so the crowd was not exactly the same kind of people that goes to a hockey game.
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Post by Simey on Jan 6, 2009 11:12:04 GMT -5
Now that's something I will never get used to: sponsored names for hockey teams. The Eurologix Sheffield Steelers? The Coors Belfast Giants? The Cassidy Coventry Blaze? Even the league has a sponsored name: bmibaby Elite Ice Hockey League. The "bmibaby" thing before the actual name of the league makes me think it's a chick hockey league were the teams are wearing pink! ;D bmibaby is actually a budget airline. Everything is sponsored in Elite League hockey! In Coventry the pucks are sponsored by Coventry University, the penalty boxes by the Cassidy group (which is a developer), the powerplays by Pyramid Design, the penalty kills by someone else. And the players are all sponsored as well, by things like Volvo Truck and Bus, Bartlett Towing Services, Victory Windows, Woodcrafts of Coventry - it really is hilarious, but it just goes to show what a minority sport it is over here: they really need all these sponsors in order to keep it all going. I really like the fact that the sport is not awash with money - it feels much more worthwhile supporting a team to whom every penny you spend buying tickets or merchandise is important because they simply don't have much money to throw around. Exactly! That's what you have to get used to! Awesome! I assume they have a good rivalry, although this season they are top and bottom of the Canadian teams respectively (unless something has changed over Christmas....?). Anyway, I'll be wanting a full report on this thread! One of my hopes of the last year has been to one day see Montréal play live! Channel Five are showing Montréal vs. NYR early Thursday morning, which I'm really, really looking forward to! Yeah, I don't know what it's generally like in North America, but the hockey crowd in Coventry is great, and not at all aggressive as seems so often to be the case at football (soccer) matches (though I've never attended a football match myself). There's plenty of booing when a controversial refereeing decision goes the wrong way and a bit of friendly(ish) jeering when an opposition player makes a silly error, and things like that, but nothing genuinely unpleasant that I've ever noticed. And it does seem to be a bit more of a family-oriented crowd to some extent than you might expect with football. Anyway, great sport, great crowd - it doesn't get much better! |
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Post by Black Cat on Jan 6, 2009 13:32:55 GMT -5
Awesome! I assume they have a good rivalry Surprisingly, no, the rivalry is not that important. Ottawa is closer to Montréal than Québec City is, but the rivalry between the Habs and Nordiques was way more important. Habs vs Bruins, Leafs vs Habs, Sens vs Leafs, Avs vs Wings... these are all major rivalries due to the fact these teams met often in the playoffs and have a certain history of playing dirty against each other. But never since the Sens came back in the NHL have both Montréal and Ottawa met in playoff but once it happens, the rivalry between these teams will really exist. Anyway, I'll be wanting a full report on this thread! Err, okay. I'll do my best. Starting this Wednesday and until January 18th, I'll be the hockey expert for a daily 15-minutes show about the local hockey tournament that is held each year in the city were I'm working. The show will be broadcasted on the local community TV network (that is, approx. 4000 houses) and on the internet. This is going to be fun! |
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Post by Simey on Jan 6, 2009 13:52:03 GMT -5
Err, okay. I'll do my best. Well, I don't mean anything vastly long, just what it was like attending the match. Cool! Where on the internet? (Not that I'd understand the language, but still....) |
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Post by Black Cat on Jan 6, 2009 13:54:50 GMT -5
I have to check myself. It starts this Wednesday but the show will only air the next day. Until then, I'll try to find the link.
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Post by Simey on Jan 8, 2009 8:37:57 GMT -5
Okay, Montréal vs. NYR last night - very fun! Not an out-and-out classic match, but a very decent one, and one with the right result! ;D I wasn't up to date over Christmas with the Canadiens' injury woes, but Jaroslav Halak certainly did a sterling job last night in the absence of Carey Price, and though I'm sure Saku Koivu and, er, someone else who I've forgotten are missed, the team seemed to work very well. One of Robert Lang's goals was a beauty, and they even scored a couple of powerplay goals!  It's a shame they didn't make it to the end without taking a penalty, as looked possible for a while - apparently it's been very long time since they managed that (it was mentioned how long, but I can't remember that) - but they seem to be a team on the up, and when they get their injured players back, the rise should only continue, one would hope. By the way, having listened to the BBC Coventry monthly hockey radio show last night, it seems that the Sheffield goalie deliberately kicking the goal off its moorings at least once, maybe twice, during the match last Sunday may have cost Coventry a goal or two. Watching the match, whilst it was clear that two goals had been disallowed, and that at least one of those had been wiped because the net had come loose, it was not evident what had caused that. Obviously, the EIHL does not have sophisticated replay equipment available at matches like the NHL does, so a lot more goes unnoticed by the referees, but twice the goal judge gave a goal and the referee waved it off, which having found out maybe why that happened is kind of frustrating. Does this sort of thing happen much? |
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) and they won! In Detroit, too!!
I'll watch it anyway, but, BC, if you could think of some incentives for taking notice of this one, I'd appreciate it as I have little interest in the Rangers and pretty much none in the Thrashers - is that bad?
)
