2023-'24 NHL season

[GDAWG]

TBH, I like it when series in the NHL, NBA or MLB go to 7 games, which means its a fun series.

[infrared41]

11 minutes ago, Unocal said:

 

Goodbye, farewell, and amen.

 

You asked for it, you got it.

[FiddySicks]

2 hours ago, rmackman said:

 

I wasn't going to post anything, but after a comment like this (and some others) I have a response. 

 

First, hating the Panthers is pretty dumb. A franchise with ZERO championships until last night. The epitome of underdogs for most of their existence. '93-'97 were wonderful. '98-'14 were... let's just say not great. Since 2015 they've been growing in the right direction, and the last three seasons have been three of the best iterations of this franchise we've ever seen. 

 

For years the Panthers were just...there. Now everyone loathes them? GTFO. Don't whine about Florida's lack of state taxes. For years big free agents didn't really come here because ownership didn't want to spend well, and they had some good drafts but nothing amazing. 

 

Before Bobrovsky and Tkachuk, the last big star that was here who was huge upon arrival (and wasn't on the last legs of their careers) was Pavel Bure. Roberto Luongo did arrive via trade, but he wasn't a star yet. Neither was Olli Jokinen who grew in South Florida. 

 

This ownership started building this team the right way. They put smart people in the right places. In sports, that's not always so common. I don't love everything they did, but they did a TON of good. This team is gritty, resilient, intense, and opportunistic. Kind of like the '96 Year of the Rat squad, but with far more depth and talent. 

 

Don't tell me you hate hockey in Florida because it's not a traditional hockey market. Since the Panthers arrived, youth hockey has exploded. It's even produced an NHLer (Shayne Gostisbehere). That's pretty darn quick for 30 years. 

 

Also, only 33% of South Florida residents are natives, so yes, road fans pack our barn. Guess what...that happens to the Miami Dolphins, Miami Heat, and the Miami Marlins. There's no avoiding it in the regular season because of the number of transplants...but what happens in the playoffs? Did you see how full Amerant Bank Arena was? It was LOUD...and I know because I flew down from Milwaukee for Game 1.

 

See, in South Florida there's a LOT to do. Fans have choice, and they show up when a team is successful. If you lose, they'll go spend their discretionary dollars on one of the other four major sports teams live (don't forget Messi and Inter Miami). Either that or they stay home because taking your family to games is expensive! You can't tell how many people are actually watching/following the Panthers on TV, though. 

 

One last thing... whatever happened to Canada Nice? Edmonton Oilers have been so godawful this series. I'm a part of a few Florida Panthers fan groups on Facebook, and holy crap were they ever Trojan Horsed by Oilers fans. The amount of trolling and nastiness by Edmonton fans just looking to pick fights was nauseating. I don't have time to fight the internet. Bunch of fools probably living in their mom's basements. One Panthers fan shared a story about flying to Edmonton with his son for Games 2 & 3, and Edmonton fans blocked his young son from the restroom and told him to use the women's restroom. Being a prick to adults is one thing, but to a kid?!? What a bunch of a-holes. I've been to Toronto and Montreal, and nobody was like that...yet they, too, have passionate fan bases. These last three weeks have really soured my opinion of Edmonton fans. Maybe it's a loud minority, but that group is embarrassing. 

 

So, here's one of the "6" or "15" fans. I've waited and watched for 30 D**N YEARS! This franchise has been woven into the fabric of my life in so many ways. From getting my first hockey jersey from my mom in '93, to experiencing the 1996 Year of the Rat with my brother and dad. I actually worked for them from '06-'08; made lifelong friends from it. It's where I first learned data analytics, which I use in my career today. The Panthers were in my wife and I's engagement photos, they're already imprinting on our son! I can't even tell you how many games I've been to over the years. They connect family, friends, and then some. From John Vanbiesbrouck and Scott Mellanby to Pavel Bure to Olli Jokinen to Roberto Luongo to even Jaromir Jagr to THIS TEAM RIGHT HERE WITH FUTURE HALL OF FAMERS LIKE SASHA BARKOV AND SERGEI BOBROVSKY! From the Miami Arena to Amerant Bank Arena. To experience this live for Game 1 and to see them win it all in an electric Game 7. This is incredible. I don't think I ever thought this would happen, but it did.

 

Be sour if your team didn't win this year, but don't hate on an underdog franchise that's lasted longer, and actually done more (now) than the Quebec Nordiques, Minnesota North Stars, Hartford Whalers, Atlanta Thrashers, and Winnipeg Jets v. 1.0.

 

WE HAVE ARRIVED, AND I COULDN'T BE MORE ECSTATIC! LET'S GO PANTHERS!!!!

 

 

 

First off, congrats, my guy. I’m MUCH happier for you this time around than I was when your Gators were winning (also, gotta give an obligatory shout out to my Vols for winning the College World Series on the same night! Woo!)

 

Second, on this response post to Ualwaysmad:

 

[Kevin W.]

1 hour ago, infrared41 said:

 

You asked for it, you got it.

I was a few pages back and I was about to put him on ignore. I guess that's a moot point.

 

Anyway, congrats to the Panthers and commiserations to the Oilers fans.

[GDAWG]

The PWHL Finals went to a deciding game 5 and the Stanley Cup Finals went to a Game 7.  

[Cosmic]

7 hours ago, Unocal said:

Last year, Vegas was the weakest roster to ever win a Cup.

Are you seriously ignoring the 1896 Winnipeg Victorias?! I'm surprised those jays could figure out which end of the skate to point down! I'll never forgive Attie Howard for what he did. 

 

The day the Stanley Cup went west of the Rideau Canal, I knew all was lost.

[rmackman]

8 hours ago, FiddySicks said:

 

First off, congrats, my guy. I’m MUCH happier for you this time around than I was when your Gators were winning (also, gotta give an obligatory shout out to my Vols for winning the College World Series on the same night! Woo!)

 

Second, on this response post to Ualwaysmad:

 

 

Thanks man, and you're probably right about not worth the energy. I think that was all pent up after dealing with three weeks of Edmonton trolls, and then this. The interwebs are full of trolls these days, and it always seems to be getting worse.

[AnPheitseog]

9 hours ago, GDAWG said:

TBH, I like it when series in the NHL, NBA or MLB go to 7 games, which means its a fun series.

See, I think six is the perfect number. Couple of wins both ways and eliminated a lucky bounce being what decided it. 
 

Like don’t get me wrong, I love the passion of game 7. I do. But especially in OT it can come down to a fluke and decided. Imagine when a defender clears and catches and edge and scores? Lucky bounce makes goal. 

[spartacat_12]

9 hours ago, infrared41 said:

You asked for it, you got it.

 

[Sport]

Bizarre hill to die on lol. If the Florida Panthers can win the Stanley Cup then it means anyone can win the Stanley Cup. Not too long ago the Panthers were the most irrelevant team in all of major professional sports and their home games were the most dead atmosphere this side of Glendale. If they can turn that around then every fan of every bad team should feel a little bit of hope.  

[SFGiants58]

10 hours ago, infrared41 said:

 

You asked for it, you got it.

Insert Conan tossing Thulsa Doom’s head down the giant staircase.

 

9 minutes ago, Sport said:

Bizarre hill to die on lol. 

His teams to hate were always so bloody random. Miami Heat, the Diamondbacks, these Panthers, etc. Also, his weird obsession with calling the Chiefs “soft.”

 

Anywho, congrats to the “Steve French squad” and I hope Edmonton can return.

[Pharos04]

Glad that there are fans who appreciate when their team who was always considered unlikely to win it all finally does so. 
Enjoy every second of it  @rmackman!

[tBBP]

I mean, as an actual born-and-raised native [north] Floridian, I of course am ecstatic the Panthers won Lord Stanley's cup...especially after they got the brakes beat off them last postseason, old-man-strength-style, at the hands of my other NHL team last postseason (that being VGK). Had they lost these Finals, I don't see how they would have rebounded as a franchise, so good for them! And as @rmackman mentioned, all those fun memories of the mid-90s came back in force, from the rats to Bure/Vanviesbrouck to the recent run-up over the last couple years. Who knows? Maybe they become the next Tampa Bay Lightning and go on a run of dominating the NHL...which I'm sure will send a certain segment of hockeyheads straight into cataclysmic meltdown.

 

Speaking of Tampa Bay and southern markets in general, despite what any haters might like to try to purport, all but two of those markets have proven successful. (The outliers, of course, were Atlanta and Phoenix.) Here's another fun fact: all but one of those "southern/sunbelt" teams have won at least one Stanley Cup, and the one that didn't, Nashville, at least made it to the Finals. So there's that, too. Are some fans annoying? Sure. But one can find pockets of annoying fans with every team's fanbase. The point of the matter is this: the game is growing and becoming more recognized...and played.

 

Last little anecdote and y'all can have this back:

 

1.) Didn't a former #1 pick come from Phoenix a couple years back? (Auston Matthews, that'd be.) His story goes that he grew interested in playing the game by virtue of watching the Coyotes. So there's that.

 

2.) Here's your historical nugget for today. Anyone have any idea who the first American-born Black NHL player was, and where he's from?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anyone?

 

Well, it's Val James, who hails from, of all places, Ocala, Florida (where half my maternal family's roots are from). Yes, he moved away when he was younger—kinda had to if he was gonna play hockey professionally—but the man basically taught himself how to play the game. So there is also that.

 

Okay, y'all can have this back now. Congrats to the Florida Panthers!

[GDAWG]

2 hours ago, AnPheitseog said:

See, I think six is the perfect number. Couple of wins both ways and eliminated a lucky bounce being what decided it. 
 

Like don’t get me wrong, I love the passion of game 7. I do. But especially in OT it can come down to a fluke and decided. Imagine when a defender clears and catches and edge and scores? Lucky bounce makes goal. 

 

So a six game series would be first to three wins?

[AnPheitseog]

2 minutes ago, GDAWG said:

 

So a six game series would be first to three wins?

best of seven, but decided in 6 games. so a 4-2 game count

[Cujo]

On 6/25/2024 at 9:21 PM, GDAWG said:

Is California and Las Vegas considered Sun Belt though?

 

Southern California: YES.

 

Las Vegas: For the sake of this conversation: HELL YES.

 

-----

 

Update: The 2018 Caps are also Sun Belt. Who knew!

 

[Cujo]

On 6/26/2024 at 5:05 AM, Cosmic said:

Last year, Vegas was the weakest roster to ever win a Cup.

 

False.

 

This isn't being said if the same coaches/players are wearing the jersey of a Canadian-based or Original 6 team. The hate for Vegas, Florida, and every warm-climate city on here is wild and sad.

 

Also, COPE.

[Maz]

On 6/26/2024 at 12:08 AM, infrared41 said:

 

You asked for it, you got it.

 

Bro wanted to nuke the whole NHL because teams south of the 38th parallel dare to exist and ended up nuking himself.

[SFGiants58]

Also, complaining about the Stanley Cup going to the beach? When LA has two cups and Anaheim has one? Not to mention the guys who’ve served booze out of the cup or dented it?

 

[Cujo]

On 6/25/2024 at 9:23 PM, Unocal said:

Sunbelt hockey is the worst thing to happen to the NHL in my lifetime. It has devalued a revered trophy into a crappy sunshine souvenir.

 

The NHL is dead. Hockey DIED last night in that worthless strip mall of an arena

 

I have never hated a team as much as this disgrace of a champion.

 

They are not true champions. They are everything wrong with sport.

 

Anything else?