2011-12 NHL Season

[HedleyLamarr]

I have NHL Gamecenter and a pizza baking in the oven, so I thought I'd pregame for Habs-Hawks with a little Coyotes @ Hurricanes action. Bad idea. Befitting a hockey game being contested between teams from Phoenix and Raleigh, this is one of the rare untelevised contests in Big Four sports. There's no away feed, and the so-called home feed is some sort of in-arena production called "CanesVision HD" that briefly had the radio audio before puckdrop but is now silent. EXCEPT, however, when the ref announces a penalty over his wireless mic. That gets picked up. I can also hear the organ playing, but as soon as it's done, it's silent again.

Phoenix scored. I'd never know, because I was looking away from the TV.

This is some weird stuff. I feel like I'm watching Twilight Zone Public Access.

EDIT: OH MY FREAKING LORD JESUS CHRIST THEY JUST KEPT CUTTING TO PEOPLE IN THE CROWD EVERY SECOND I'M GOING TO HAVE A GODDAMN SEIZURE

WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!?

EDIT: Gamecenter went to commercial break for the second TV timeout. I wanted to see if they'd play Press Your Luck.

EDIT: my liveblogging of untelevised televised hockey is mercifully over. The score was 1-1 when I left. I don't want either team to win.

In case you didn't know before, every home team has an in-house production crew. What you were watching is what I call the "Control Room" feed.....you're basically watching a team's video that would appear on the JumboTron, and the only audio you hear is the ref, the PA announcer, and random music clips that are played during play stoppages. Very rarely do you hear the crowd.

It really is a sports team's Public Access show.

Continuing on the Canes-Coyotes feed on Center Ice/Gamecenter

...Free wings for a year just by answering "what are Santa's 9 reindeer?" I need to make a road trip to Raleigh with all these gimmicks they got going on during TV timeouts

A couple years ago, we did a Thrashers roady in Carolina. They had what I assumed was a Family Feud-like game, and the topic was "Birds in Sports", and when the kid answered "Thrashers", the announcer guy said "Right! It's a bird, it's this little blue thing!".

But most of the time, especially if kids are involved, the questions are dumbed-down just so the folks win prizes. Sponsors of these easier games aren't too fond of not being able to give out these prizes....

[CS85]

Blackhawks with a good win, I missed most of it. From what I've seen Bickell had a much-needed big game, I'm hoping Pirri/Morin also did well. Crawford's return is fine with me.

[The_Admiral]

In case you didn't know before, every home team has an in-house production crew. What you were watching is what I call the "Control Room" feed.....you're basically watching a team's video that would appear on the JumboTron, and the only audio you hear is the ref, the PA announcer, and random music clips that are played during play stoppages. Very rarely do you hear the crowd.

I figured it was what they showed in the concourses, if not the JumboTron (why would the scoreboard overlays be on there if they're ON a scoreboard? and why are you going to an arena to watch TV, anyway?). I was puzzled as to why it was being presented so poorly.

Oh, and Pirri played well, Morin stuck it out on the fourth line rather admirably.

[Kramerica Industries]

Always love to watch games where it's 4-0 before 15 minutes have been played.

What a waste.

[ninersdd]

5-0! Are the Lightning THIS bad? Admittedly it seems they always perform poorly in SJ.

[njmeadowlanders]

Now THAT'S the 24/7 we all know and love. Good episode tonight.

[The_Admiral]

5-0! Are the Lightning THIS bad?

It's been all downhill since the Flyers pantsed them (in a game the Bolts won!). That and, you know, Dwayne Roloson is crappy and old.

[Kramerica Industries]

Roloson hasn't even played that much recently, and with good reason.

He put everything he had left into the playoff run last year. It would've seemed unceremonial to let him go in the off-season after what he did, but the Lightning, realistically, should've known there was no chance of him replicating his 2011 successes for an entire season.

And Mathieu Garon is a decent goal-tender, but not really someone you want being the starter. Furthermore, their special teams play has also disintegrated from last year, despite being a better 5-on-5 team than they were. Add it all up, and you have a team that is 14-19 and currently on the outside-looking-in when it comes to the playoff picture. And a team that isn't nearly as close to the calibre of the Bruins/Flyers teams this year as they were last year.

Honestly, I'd be shocked if Boston doesn't win the Conference again. They are head and shoulders above the rest of the contenders.

5-0! Are the Lightning THIS bad? Admittedly it seems they always perform poorly in SJ.

After tonight, they'll be 6-7-1 life-time in San Jose.

But 1-7-1 in the last nine games. They actually started the series history by winning the first five games at the Shark Tank, but their only other win came in March 2003.

I looked this crap up last night. I have no life.

[The_Admiral]

I like that whoever put together the Shark Tank's organ decided that the world would be a better place if every song sounded like the intro to "Jump" by Van Halen. He's not entirely wrong, either!

So if you're Smartest General Manager Of All Time Except For The Whole Goalie Thing Steve Yzerman, where do you go with this Lightning team, which is really rather talented up front? Are there spare parts to sell? Should they try to buy and see if they can't pass Winnipeg? Maybe they should just keep talking about how great Steve Yzerman is and see if that in and of itself earns points in the standings.

[oddball]

Have people sat down and thought that maybe after a year the league has caught up with Tampa and their "system" and know exactly how to expose every weakness of it and therefore exposing a horrible system and a horrible coach? Or maybe the fact that Tampa really doesn't have many top-notch talented players and the secondary players played so far over their heads that it actually made a bad team into a good team for one year?

[The_Admiral]

I'm sure teams know how to bust a 1-3-1, it's just a matter of whether they can execute it. They are now, it seems. And while they have a terrific core with pretty good roleplayers, I'd say yeah, their roleplayers did overachieve last year. More importantly, their goaltending is terrible.

I'm just glad Steve Yzerman isn't a genius anymore. That was sickening, and I want to drink the tears of everyone who believed in him.

I like that whoever put together the Shark Tank's organ decided that the world would be a better place if every song sounded like the intro to "Jump" by Van Halen. He's not entirely wrong, either!

And I forgot the orchestra hit! DONK-DONK!

[Kramerica Industries]

No doubt Bergenheim's rediculous post-season elevated the Lightning and, in the process, inflated his stock.

I never thought he was a wise investment long-term (good luck, Mr. Tallon!), but I was hoping Gagne would come back for another year. There's a proven playoff performer who's leadership helped them advance to within a game of the Cup Final.

But that's beside the point. As alluded to above, the goaltending is friggen awful. And they aren't getting much better as a whole until something changes on that front.

[charger77]

I like that whoever put together the Shark Tank's organ decided that the world would be a better place if every song sounded like the intro to "Jump" by Van Halen. He's not entirely wrong, either!

So if you're Smartest General Manager Of All Time Except For The Whole Goalie Thing Steve Yzerman, where do you go with this Lightning team, which is really rather talented up front? Are there spare parts to sell? Should they try to buy and see if they can't pass Winnipeg? Maybe they should just keep talking about how great Steve Yzerman is and see if that in and of itself earns points in the standings.

Awesome!

Is it also safe to say that Kronwall will not be hearing from Shanahan for leaving his feet when he hit Kessler in the head last night? And no penalty for Howard's tantrum/going after a player after a goal/chesting up to the ref?

[DarkJourney]

Sharks lose Havlat for the next two months after hamstring surgery.

[Maz]

Engelland has been suspended three games. I don't agree with it. He did deserve the ass-kicking he got afterwards, though. Definitely was charging, and deserved to be penalized. Was not a head shot. Chicago player put himself in a vulnerable position well after Engelland committed to the hit. All he is guilty of is leaving his feet. And I'll leave it at that.

[The_Admiral]

No, that was a headshot, and the onus is on Engelland not to hit the guy in the head. Which he did. After he leapt off the ice.

And why oh why was he not penalized for the hit, anyway? Therein lies the folly of the instigator rule: you shouldn't be rewarded with a power play because your teammate did something so egregious that the other team had to forgo the silly-ass Mutually Assured Slapfighting of "The Hockey Code" and just start kicking the crap out of him. Hawks should've killed the penalty, don't get me wrong, but at least it was a nice gesture to see from a team that all too often lets opponents get away with all the physicality they want.

For a team whose franchise player may have had his career ended by lack of respect for the game, the Penguins have a rather tone-deaf approach.

[NEW.ERA]

Nik Kronwall destroys Ryan Kesler

[IceCap]

I await Shanahan's fair and just ruling on that.

[Maz]

No, that was a headshot, and the onus is on Engelland not to hit the guy in the head. Which he did. After he leapt off the ice.

And why oh why was he not penalized for the hit, anyway? Therein lies the folly of the instigator rule: you shouldn't be rewarded with a power play because your teammate did something so egregious that the other team had to forgo the silly-ass Mutually Assured Slapfighting of "The Hockey Code" and just start kicking the crap out of him. Hawks should've killed the penalty, don't get me wrong, but at least it was a nice gesture to see from a team that all too often lets opponents get away with all the physicality they want.

For a team whose franchise player may have had his career ended by lack of respect for the game, the Penguins have a rather tone-deaf approach.

I am going to reiterate the fact that he put himself into a vulnerable position after Engelland committed to the hit making it appear to look like a shot to the head, and leave it at that. If he had remained in an upright, normal position the "main point of impact" would have been at the shoulder, and it would have been a more full-bodied hit. Should Engelland have gotten a charging call? Yes. I was surprised we got a powerplay out of that. At very least it should have been a 4-on4. To me this looks like a combination of "not enough punishment was done at the time so we're gonna make up for it" combined with Shanahan going "it was close enough, so let's suspend him anyway to send a message."

In any case, what's done is done, the point is moot. I will say, though, that your accusation of the pens being "tone-deaf" in respect to head shots and physicality is false.

[The_Admiral]

I am going to reiterate the fact that he put himself into a vulnerable position after Engelland committed to the hit making it appear to look like a shot to the head

Kruger is out indefinitely with a concussion