2011-12 NHL Season

[maz]

You're certainly raising a stink as if he broke some law. As I said, he's not the first person to turn down an invitation from the President and he won't be the last. It happened. It's in the past. Get over it.

I'm trying to. You're the one who is acting like I'm some criminal for saying he should have gone. I was only giving my reasoning. Sorry for exercising my... ahem... right to defend my opinion. Thank you, good day, sit down.

I'm not going to push this any further. I think he should have gone, you all are okay with him not going, nothing is going to change that. This is going in circles. The end.

---

On topic - Who replaces Ovechkin?

[BrySmalls]

On topic - Who replaces Ovechkin?

James Neal!

[Billy B]

Toews is out for the All-Star Game. Scott Hartnell will be taking his place.

[NEW.ERA]

Gotta think Neal takes Ovi's spot.

[BigBubba]

The Panhers could very well be a top 3 seed and finish 9th in points. They're tied for 9th in wins as of now. If the Leafs don't make the playoffs even though they did better than a team in the playoffs, I will throw every pillow in my house at a wall. Any post in comic sans for a month.

Just saw on SportsCenter (OMG A HOCKEY HIGHLIGHT ON ESPN!!!!) a clip of the weak-ass hit that earned Ovechkin a three-game suspension.

Are you :censored:ing kidding me Bettman? Are. you. :censored:ing. kidding. me????

That's Shanahan's decision, not Bettwoman's.

[maz]

Toews is out for the All-Star Game. Scott Hartnell will be taking his place.

And suddenly Letang thinks twice about accepting his invitation.

[RedSox44]

The Panhers could very well be a top 3 seed and finish 9th in points. They're tied for 9th in wins as of now. If the Leafs don't make the playoffs even though they did better than a team in the playoffs, I will throw every pillow in my house at a wall. Any post in comic sans for a month.

I will hold you to that.

[DEAD!]

The Panhers could very well be a top 3 seed and finish 9th in points. They're tied for 9th in wins as of now. If the Leafs don't make the playoffs even though they did better than a team in the playoffs, I will throw every pillow in my house at a wall. Any post in comic sans for a month.

I will hold you to that.

... and change name to DanGilbert

[Brian in Boston]

Here's the problem I have with Tim Thomas' choice to skip the White House ceremony honoring the Boston Bruins as Stanley Cup champs: in embracing the "choice [he] had to make as an INDIVIDUAL", Thomas overshadowed the team's celebration of a collective accomplishment.

Further, despite his protestations that his choice "was not about politics or party", Thomas made his absence a commentary on our nation's governance and political process the moment he issued a public statement announcing that he skipped the event because the federal government "has grown out of control, threatening the Rights, Liberties, and Property of the people... this is in direct opposition to the Constitution and the Founding Fathers' vision for the Federal Government".

Tim Thomas chose to turn an event that was, by design, meant to be a benign photo-op recognizing the accomplishments of an entire NHL franchise into a vehicle by which he could make public his personally-held political beliefs. In doing so, he selfishly put himself ahead of his teammates.

Bottom line? Tim Thomas is undoubtedly free to formulate, hold, and share whatever beliefs and opinions he likes - on a range of topics, including politics - whenever he wants to do so. That said, sometimes discretion is the better part of valor. Sometimes, the truly selfless thing to do is to put aside one's personal goals and desires - if only temporarily - out of respect for others. There are 364 others days in this year when Tim Thomas could have used the bully-pulpit he's afforded by his sports celebrity to espouse his socio-political philosophy. Had he done so, he wouldn't have stolen the spotlight from his teammates on a day that was meant to be a celebration of the Boston Bruins' collective accomplishments.

[CS85]

Get all the political crap out of this thread right now. Stop it. Nobody cares.

[Brian in Boston]

I don't see where this ever became about his politics.

Only inasmuch as Thomas himself cited the fact that he exercised his right not to attend the event because the federal government "has grown out of control, threatening the Rights, Liberties, and Property of the People... this is in direct opposition to the Constitution and the Founding Fathers vision for the Federal Government."

Now, as I previously stated, my problem with Thomas' decision to not attend the White House ceremony has nothing to do with his political beliefs. Rather, I believe that Thomas' failing is that he selfishly put himself ahead of his teammates.

The issue is not his beliefs, the issue is that Tim Thomas decided Tim Thomas was bigger than the Boston Bruins 2011 NHL Championship Team.

Bingo!

Ice hockey is arguably the most team-oriented of the "Big Four" sports on the US/Canadian major-pro landscape. It remains to be seen whether Thomas' decision will create an on-going rift between him and any of his Bruins teammates.

[CS85]

I don't see where this ever became about his politics.

Only inasmuch as Thomas himself cited the fact that he exercised his right not to attend the event because the federal government "has grown out of control, threatening the Rights, Liberties, and Property of the People... this is in direct opposition to the Constitution and the Founding Fathers vision for the Federal Government."

Now, as I previously stated, my problem with Thomas' decision to not attend the White House ceremony has nothing to do with his political beliefs. Rather, I believe that Thomas' failing is that he selfishly put himself ahead of his teammates.

Your problem is on topic. However some OTHERS want to pollute every given thread at every given opportunity with mindless ramblings on Obama, the 1st amendment, and other partisan crap that has absolutely nothing to do with hockey.

The issue is not his beliefs, the issue is that Tim Thomas decided Tim Thomas was bigger than the Boston Bruins 2011 NHL Championship Team.

Bingo!

Ice hockey is arguably the most team-oriented of the "Big Four" sports on the US/Canadian major-pro landscape. It remains to be seen whether Thomas' decision will create an on-going rift between him and any of his Bruins teammates.

That's what seriously grinds the hell out of my gears on this. If anyone has played ANY team sport, it's one of the ultimate bonds you can have in your life, win or lose. But a championship team in professional sports, especially ice hockey, I imagine is a bond that's for life.

Yet Tim Thomas was a jerk about it. If this was George W Bush and Tim Thomas was a liberal, he'd still have been a jerk. I'm a Bears fan and I think Dan Hampton's a goddamn jerk for not doing the 85 Bears white house ceremony. Meeting the president with your title team is an honor that just doesn't happen for the majority of players to ever play pro sports, yet Thomas would rather stay home because of some delusional sense of higher purpose.

ANYWAY, I hope to god that no more political crap stems off of this. Let it lie, resist the urge. Nobody wants to read multiple paragraphs of your political ramblings. Stop that.

ON TOPIC, Toews' arm injury perturbs me. I'm hoping they pull one over on the Preds tonight, but I just don't see it happening. Crawford kind of sucks.

[maz]

Here's to hoping Fleury can hold on for one more game and get the pens the win tonight and keep the momentum going into the All-Star break. His long start streak has got him back to the old school Fleury style of "make the big saves, but let in a bunch of softies". The pens can't bail him out with four or five goals a night forever.

[wildwing64]

Ducks called up Jacques again. Pretty much for the purpose of serving his 3 game suspension. Not sure if want.

[Don]

Saying that he has to go if he's invited is just your opinion. There's no law against turning down an invitation from the President. Thomas isn't the first to do so and he won't be the last.

Pardon the cliche, but it's a free country.

Actually, no, he does not have the right to refuse. If he does (and did) refuse, the Boston Bruins are well within their rights to suspend him. They choose not to. He is under contract with that team and he is obligated to show up to team functions.

[Brass]

As an American, you just don't refuse an invitation to the White House. It is an honor.

And as a teammate, you don't stay back while your team visits the White House.

And as a teammate, you respect the decisions of your fellow teammates.

[speedy]

As an American, you just don't refuse an invitation to the White House. It is an honor.

And as a teammate, you don't stay back while your team visits the White House.

And as a teammate, you respect the decisions of your fellow teammates.

Yahtzee. These guys are adults, they're not going to get butt-hurt for not going to the ceremony. As long as he shows up on game day it's all gravy.

[TFoA]

As an American, you just don't refuse an invitation to the White House. It is an honor.

And as a teammate, you don't stay back while your team visits the White House.

And as a teammate, you respect the decisions of your fellow teammates.

Yahtzee. These guys are adults, they're not going to get butt-hurt for not going to the ceremony. As long as he shows up on game day it's all gravy.

Exactly. If I were in the Bruins' situation, I really couldn't care less about whatever that man's political leanings are. As long as he continues to stand on his head 60 minutes a night, everything's lovely.

[The_Admiral]

I'm watching CSN Philly's feed of the Flyers vs. Rampant Point Inflation, and I have to say that their play-by-play guy is very good. Very exact, rapid-fire delivery. I like the rolling rambling of Messrs. Foley and Olczyk, of course, but this is a nice approach.

Nice hometown crowd. Snort.

Illegitimate goal against Bobrovsky. Blatant interference missed. Panthers get a lot of gift calls. The fix is in.

[Brass]

As an American, you just don't refuse an invitation to the White House. It is an honor.

And as a teammate, you don't stay back while your team visits the White House.

And as a teammate, you respect the decisions of your fellow teammates.

Yahtzee. These guys are adults, they're not going to get butt-hurt for not going to the ceremony. As long as he shows up on game day it's all gravy.

Exactly. If I were in the Bruins' situation, I really couldn't care less about whatever that man's political leanings are. As long as he continues to stand on his head 60 minutes a night, everything's lovely.

Furthermore, knowing the relationship between all the players and knowing their tightness, there is no way that any of the B's were upset with Thomas' decision. They're the most "family-like" sports bunch I've seen in Boston since the late-2004 Boston Red Sox.