Your 2012 National Hockey Lockout Thread

[SenatorJake]

How can you be the top defenseman in the league when you dont kill penalties?

Because he had a million points so he didn't have to

Isnt the primary function of a defenseman to....defend?

Which he does. While he may not as physically dominant as Weber or Chara, Karlsson exhibited some great defensive stickwork throughout the season.

[NEW.ERA]

Hey guys spoilers would help. It's not airing live out west.

I kid, obviously.

[habsfan1]

Results of 2012 NHL Awards

Hart: Evgeni Malkin

Vezina: Henrik Lundqvist

Art Ross: Evgeni Malkin

Rocket Richard: Steven Stamkos

Norris: Erik Karlsson

Calder: Gabriel Landeskog

Masterton: Max Pacioretty

Selke: Patrice Bergeron

Lady Byng: Brian Campbell

King Clancy: Daniel Alfredsson

Jennings: Jaroslav Halak & Brian Elliot

Jack Adams: Ken Hitchcock

Ted Lindsay Award: Evgeni Malkin

Mark Messier Award: Shane Doan

NHL Foundation Award: Mike Fisher

GM of the Year: Doug Armstrong

NHL 13 Cover Athlete: Claude Giroux

And some ramdom thoughts...

- Never heard of Gabriel Landeskog. I thought for sure Henrique would get it, or maybe Nugent-Hopkins. But it was the "other guy" who won it. Will we get to hear more about him next year, or is this a future bust?

- I'm happy for Pacioretty. It's nice to see some Habs take home some hardware Go Habs Go!!

- 3 Trophies for Malkin. His english also got a bit better, I think.

[NEW.ERA]

Landeskog was the most NHL ready prospect coming out last year. Dude will have a fantastic career.

[The_Admiral]

Never heard of Gabriel Landeskog.

buh

[BigBubba]

All-Rookie Team: Henrique, Landeskog, Nugent-Hopkins, Faulk, Gardiner (yay)

[BigEd76]

NHL 13 Cover Athlete: Claude Giroux

:grin:

[Don]

How can you be the top defenseman in the league when you dont kill penalties?

Because he had a million points so he didn't have to

Isnt the primary function of a defenseman to....defend?

Which he does. While he may not as physically dominant as Weber or Chara, Karlsson exhibited some great defensive stickwork throughout the season.

His coach (Jack Adams finalist!) trusted him on defense so much he saddled him with a whopping 33 seconds of average shorthanded time on ice per game this year! (Edit: that was good for 210th among defenders in the league. 210!) Boggles my mind. Selke is this way too. Why dont voters dig deeper to find actual defense first forwards instead of seemingly requiring them be good at offense too? Thats not how the award is defined.

It is what it is and I dont know why it bothers me. Otherwise I didnt have much of a problem with the other winners tonight, all were deserving.

[SenatorJake]

How can you be the top defenseman in the league when you dont kill penalties?

Because he had a million points so he didn't have to

Isnt the primary function of a defenseman to....defend?

Which he does. While he may not as physically dominant as Weber or Chara, Karlsson exhibited some great defensive stickwork throughout the season.

His coach (Jack Adams finalist!) trusted him on defense so much he saddled him with a whopping 33 seconds of average shorthanded time on ice per game this year! (Edit: that was good for 210th among defenders in the league. 210!) Boggles my mind. Selke is this way too. Why dont voters dig deeper to find actual defense first forwards instead of seemingly requiring them be good at offense too? Thats not how the award is defined.

It is what it is and I dont know why it bothers me. Otherwise I didnt have much of a problem with the other winners tonight, all were deserving.

You could look at ice time statistics and ignore the fact that he already plays 25 minutes a games, or y'know, you could actually watch this kid play.

Honestly, I haven't seen a defenceman rush up the ice the way he does in ages.

[Don]

I know Sens fans are fiercely loyal to their guys and I get it, trust me I do. I know plenty of Sens fans and I have watched the kid play. He is not a liability defensively, but he is not one of your "play in all situations" defensemen. For me thats what the Norris should be about, not best offensive defenseman, which it has become. We've come a long way from when Rod Langway won back to back Norris Trophy's scoring a combined 65 pts for both seasons thats for sure.

[SenatorJake]

I know Sens fans are fiercely loyal to their guys and I get it, trust me I do. I know plenty of Sens fans and I have watched the kid play. He is not a liability defensively, but he is not one of your "play in all situations" defensemen. For me thats what the Norris should be about, not best offensive defenseman, which it has become. We've come a long way from when Rod Langway won back to back Norris Trophy's scoring a combined 65 pts for both seasons thats for sure.

Hmmm... yeah, that's a fair argument.

Normally I'd agree with this, but the way Karlsson stood out from the rest of NHL defenders (by playing a different style, granted) is something you don't see very often.

He scored 78pts and beat his nearest competitor on defence by a whopping 21 pts, all this in a year where scoring was down and many quality forwards were unable to top 75pts.

I think it's a nice piece of recognition for a defenceman that can hopefully start a trend where we start to see more skilled, young defenders rushing the puck out of their own end.

That being said, I certainly he hope works on his defensive game this summer, since it is by no means perfect. The stickwork he exhibited this past season was a welcome addition to his game, but to be one of the greats, he'll definitely have to keep improving on his positioning and boardwork.

[Funky Bunky]

- Never heard of Gabriel Landeskog. I thought for sure Henrique would get it, or maybe Nugent-Hopkins. But it was the "other guy" who won it. Will we get to hear more about him next year, or is this a future bust?

You've heard of RNH, but not Landeskog? Well, he was the second overall pick last year, behind RNH. He's definitely not going to bust. He plays a great two way game, and he's a pretty mature. Probably the future captain of the Avs.

[habsfan1]

- Never heard of Gabriel Landeskog. I thought for sure Henrique would get it, or maybe Nugent-Hopkins. But it was the "other guy" who won it. Will we get to hear more about him next year, or is this a future bust?

You've heard of RNH, but not Landeskog? Well, he was the second overall pick last year, behind RNH. He's definitely not going to bust. He plays a great two way game, and he's a pretty mature. Probably the future captain of the Avs.

I did not pay attention to the draft last year as much as I'm going to this year, due to the Habs not being in a valuable position back then. Which is why I only remember the guy who went first. Oh there's also that guy from Winnipeg...no I forgot his name too.

[spartacat_12]

How can you be the top defenseman in the league when you dont kill penalties?

Because he had a million points so he didn't have to

Isnt the primary function of a defenseman to....defend?

Isn't the best defense a good offense? The criteria for the award is the defenseman who demonstrates the greatest all-around ability in the position. It's not like Karlsson can't defend. He was a +16 and led all defenseman in takeaways. He just happens to be much more gifted offensively. I have faith that he will continue to round out his game and that this won't be the last time we see him up on that stage.

On a side note, does anyone else think it's ridiculous that the awards weren't being broadcast live on CBC. I made the mistake of going on my computer during a commercial break and seeing all the winners of awards that hadn't been presented yet on TV. CBC needs to stop relying on the Hockey Night in Canada name alone and actually step their game up. I honestly think it's more fitting that TSN has the old theme song because they clearly offer the best hockey coverage in the country.

[Funky Bunky]

- Never heard of Gabriel Landeskog. I thought for sure Henrique would get it, or maybe Nugent-Hopkins. But it was the "other guy" who won it. Will we get to hear more about him next year, or is this a future bust?

You've heard of RNH, but not Landeskog? Well, he was the second overall pick last year, behind RNH. He's definitely not going to bust. He plays a great two way game, and he's a pretty mature. Probably the future captain of the Avs.

I did not pay attention to the draft last year as much as I'm going to this year, due to the Habs not being in a valuable position back then. Which is why I only remember the guy who went first. Oh there's also that guy from Winnipeg...no I forgot his name too.

I can understand, as I tend to do the same (to a degree) when the Ducks aren't picking very high, but its a bit surprising that you've never even heard of him, since he got quite a bit of hype too. All is good, and now you know him, so when he's eventually the flavor of the month in Toronto, you'll know who they're talking about.

[Sport]

NHL 13 Cover Athlete: Claude Giroux

:grin:

WHAT!? The Blue Jackets campaign to get RJ Umberger on the cover didn't work!? OUTRAGE

[Sport]

Results of 2012 NHL Awards

Mark Messier Award: Shane Doan

I guess leading all his teammates to be complaining dufuses (dufus? dufi?) who don't understand the situation in Glendale takes some Mark Messier style leadership.

[BrySmalls]

Can we equate the NHL barely awarding the Norris to Erik Karlsson for this past season, to a makeup for not awarding the Norris to Mike Green in 2008-09?

Here are the stats for comparison:

Karlsson (2011-12):

G: 19

A: 59

PTS: 78

PTS/G: 0.96

+/-: +16

SOG: 261

PCT: 7.3

GWG: 5

PPG: 3

PPA: 25

PPP: 30

Nearest Scoring Defenseman: Dustin Byfuglien and Brian Campbell with 53 PTS. Difference of 25 PTS.

Norris Votes: 1,069 PTS (66 - 1st; 31 - 2nd; 32 - 3rd; 9 - 4th; and 5 - 5th)

Norris Finish: 1st

Green (2008-09):

G: 31

A: 42

PTS: 73

PTS/G: 1.07

+/-: +24

SOG: 243

PCT: 12.8

GWG: 4

PPG: 18

PPA: 20

PPP: 38

Nearest Scoring Defenseman: Andrei Markov with 64 PTS. Difference of 9 PTS.

Norris Votes: 982 PTS (50 - 1st; 53 - 2nd; 19 - 3rd; 4 - 4th; and 4 - 5th)

Norris Finish: 2nd (behind Chara)

Here are the splits for the three Norris Trophy finalists for the seasons in question:

2008-09: Chara, Green, and Lidstrom

2011-12: Karlsson, Weber, and Chara

[NEW.ERA]

Schedule is out.

They obviously didn't fix it to give Winnipeg two games against the Western Conference Canadian teams.

Anyways the Flames only have two afternoon games!!!!!! YES!!!!!

[Sodboy13]

Mark Messier Award: Shane Doan

Was this for all the crying he did through the postseason? If so, well-earned.

Also, I feel like looking at the upcoming NHL schedule is like reading an instruction manual for a Hoverboard. Here's something rather interesting that will never happen in real life, ever!