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Winter of Discontent: The 2017-18 NHL Season


HedleyLamarr

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5 hours ago, the admiral said:

A team where guys are shooting ~30% and always win at home because the road team is drunk will get exposed in a best-of-seven? NAW

This is another one of those moments where I can't tell if it's the real admiral, or just putting forth an absurd statement to knock it down.

 

Do you really think, in a league where personality is treated like a contagious disease, that teams would really be out partying all night after the first ten games or so where it became apparent that the Something Knights were not pushovers? On the other hand, I don't think a bunch of multi-millionaires would have trouble finding drugs/booze/women wherever they went. And only one player has an outrageous shooting percentage. A good chunk of their road losses came when Fleury and/or Subban were hurt; their road record will probably improve if Fleury stays healthy the rest of the season.

 

I still wouldn't have predicted it, but is it really shocking that a hockey team of a bunch of decent guys "playing their game", "setting the tone", "insert hard-working cliche here", etc. with some above-average guys forced out by salary cap and the generous expansion draft could do well?  

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I watched the Jets, in the wake of their designated Vegas outing, and Hawks both go into Las Vegas and crap up the ice. The home-road split can't lie. These idiots can't be trusted to visit Las Vegas.

♫ oh yeah, board goes on, long after the thrill of postin' is gone ♫

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40 minutes ago, the admiral said:

I watched the Jets, in the wake of their designated Vegas outing, and Hawks both go into Las Vegas and crap up the ice. The home-road split can't lie. These idiots can't be trusted to visit Las Vegas.

Well, I gotta go see the nightlife in Winnipeg, then. The Jets have 33 points in 20 home games, and only 26 points in 26 road games. There are multiple playoff teams whose road records aren't great.

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Come on, is it that hard to believe that Las Vegas holds a special place in the imagination of the douchebag? Sure, you can drink anywhere, but VEGAS WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO BARRRRRFF

♫ oh yeah, board goes on, long after the thrill of postin' is gone ♫

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There was an article in The Athletic about how Tortorella trusts his guys to be professionals and doesn't treat the "party" cities differently. Example: Under Todd Richards they used to fly to Nashville the night before the game, hold a morning skate, and then leave right after the game ended to discourage staying out late. Now they're flying to Vegas two days early. 

 

I think there is something to the Knights' home record. I think it'll change once teams get accustomed to going there for road games and it becomes just another city on the circuit. I also think they have a good home record because the NHL basically handed them a playoff team through incredibly generous expansion draft rules. I had to wait 9 years for my team to have a non-crappy season. They get it right out of the gate. 

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Bottom line, this league looks illegitimate as hell as when an expansion team is one of the best in the league in large part because rich white guys are slaves to the marketing for one specific city, not to mention far more generous expansion draft terms than any team has ever gotten.

♫ oh yeah, board goes on, long after the thrill of postin' is gone ♫

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Plus their fan numbers will fade when the novelty wears off and the Raiders come to town. This won't last.

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Bruins have been on a hell of a tear as of late, 16 straight games with at least 1 point. Only 3 behind Tampa now.  

 

Now to wait & see if they actually remember the NHL season extends past March. 

Red Sox: 8    Celtics: 17    Bruins: 6    Patriots: 5

Phantom Merch Collector.

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OMG Vegas is a load of crap. Almost every city in the NHL presents nightlife possibilities for young, rich, famous dudes. This is parity, plain and simple. The NHL is a couple of good teams, a couple of atrocious teams, and everyone else is in the middle. With the salary cap and the expansion draft rules there was no way this team was going to be the Capitals or even the Sharks or Senators.

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I love the implication that these multi-millionaires who all get at least three months off every year had never heard of Las Vegas until the NHL decided to put a team there. Just good Canadian farm boys who spend their summers fixing the tractor, I'm sure.

 

The Golden Knights are 12-9-2 on the road... not terrible by any means. Five losses and one OTL were with their third- or fourth-string goalies. If they were something like 4-16-3, then I'd probably be on board with the narrative.

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On 1/21/2018 at 1:52 AM, ElwoodCuse said:

OMG Vegas is a load of crap. Almost every city in the NHL presents nightlife possibilities for young, rich, famous dudes. This is parity, plain and simple. The NHL is a couple of good teams, a couple of atrocious teams, and everyone else is in the middle. With the salary cap and the expansion draft rules there was no way this team was going to be the Capitals or even the Sharks or Senators.

 

On 1/21/2018 at 2:19 AM, Cosmic said:

I love the implication that these multi-millionaires who all get at least three months off every year had never heard of Las Vegas until the NHL decided to put a team there. Just good Canadian farm boys who spend their summers fixing the tractor, I'm sure.

 

The Golden Knights are 12-9-2 on the road... not terrible by any means. Five losses and one OTL were with their third- or fourth-string goalies. If they were something like 4-16-3, then I'd probably be on board with the narrative.

 

Purely anecdotal, but the Jackets seem way more excited about going to Las Vegas than they have other road cities also known for having good nightlife. They went 3 days early and made a vacation of sorts out of it. I don't deny that NHL players have probably been to Las Vegas before, but this is still the first time they've been with their full teams and just because I've been to Las Vegas before doesn't mean I wouldn't tie one on the second time. 

 

Could it be possible that it's some kind of combination between Vegas being gifted a lot of good players in the expansion draft AND  having a unique home ice advantage? It seems that way to me. 

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On 1/20/2018 at 11:19 AM, CRichardson said:

Plus their fan numbers will fade when the novelty wears off and the Raiders come to town. This won't last.

I don’t know man. I’m not a huge hockey fan, but I’ve been to more Knights games than I ever thought I would. And I had two teams in my backyard back in Cali.

 

Honestly I think the locals are trying to prove a point to the country that there is a heartbeat outside of the strip. We can and will support pro teams. History may not be on our side, but it feels like a movement. It will be interesting to see attendance during a bad year.

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Controversy aside, do you think a single person tunes in to see the musical act at the NHL All-Star Game? Get the intermission over with as soon as possible, and get back to the hockey; it will make your game into a better TV product.

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On 1/27/2018 at 5:50 PM, ninersdd said:

All Star game in San Jose next year. I wonder if Owen Nolan will show up.

yet the Capitals have not hosted one since 1982 and Pittsburgh since 1990 (both with new buildings since then).  

so long and thanks for all the fish.

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