The 2013 NHL Season Thread

[Cosmic]

Looking forward to explaining to my kids why it was special that the Sabres hosted the first Winter Classic... when every team has one outdoor home game per year in ten years.

[cmm]

And your second-winningest coach in Islander history is now Jack Capuano. Hard to believe.

[Coast2CoastAM2006]

And your second-winningest coach in Islander history is now Jack Capuano. Hard to believe.

Not really considering the decade and a half of suckage the Isles participated in. This should hardly come as a surprise. For the first time in a LONG time, i feel good about the direction of the Islanders.

[AlexWilson]

*Jets win last five games*

*still miss playoffs*

SAME OLD THRASHERS

No. The Jet's'll make the playoffs, as will the Beej. Just you wait.

[Sport]

Watch, the Blue Jackets will finish tied with Detroit for 8th with the same total wins, but will lose the ROW tiebreaker and not make the playoffs despite going 4-0-1 against the Red Wings because that would be the most Blue Jacketsy thing that could happen.

Allow me to explain further. Scott Howson was the guy who championed the ROW tiebreaker over head-to-head as the first tiebreaker in order to minimize the importance of the shootout. Howson's revenge.

[STL FANATIC]

Shootout wins suck, so I like the ROW tiebreaker, but the first tiebreaker should still be ROW in H2H match-ups.

[Lee.]

*Jets win last five games*

*still miss playoffs*

SAME OLD THRASHERS

No. The Jet's'll make the playoffs, as will the Beej. Just you wait.

1. Winnipeg faces Columbus in final.

2. NHL trumpets a great day for hockey and small markets

3. Columbus is moved to Atlanta, Winnipeg sent to Phoenix

[Sport]

Shootout wins suck, so I like the ROW tiebreaker, but the first tiebreaker should still be ROW in H2H match-ups.

I agree completely.

[IceCap]

Six bloody outdoor games? Two in the same stadium? It wasn't bad enough that every minor and junior league had to dilute the idea of an outdoor game, but now the NHL's just nuked the concept straight to hell.

[The_Admiral]

I hope these games make so much money that the salary floor gets jacked up to $50 million. Then the fun starts.

[The Six]

Six bloody outdoor games? Two in the same stadium? It wasn't bad enough that every minor and junior league had to dilute the idea of an outdoor game, but now the NHL's just nuked the concept straight to hell.

I don't really see it as something to get outraged about.

[IceCap]

Six bloody outdoor games? Two in the same stadium? It wasn't bad enough that every minor and junior league had to dilute the idea of an outdoor game, but now the NHL's just nuked the concept straight to hell.

I don't really see it as something to get outraged about.

I wouldn't say outraged, chief. More like disappointed that the NHL screws up even when they hit a home run. I mean I get it, you're happy that the LA area gets to host an outdoor game. Congrats. Should they get one at the expense of what was the league's one guaranteed yearly success though? Sorry, no.

Further you and others keep going on about this LA game being about promoting hockey in California. Which is great, except that the two teams featured are both from southern California. As much as I hate to defend the Sharks, they really should be a part of a game meant to promote the sport state-wide. Otherwise you're only really promoting the NHL within one metro area. Not an entire state.

[Kramerica Industries]

Six bloody outdoor games? Two in the same stadium? It wasn't bad enough that every minor and junior league had to dilute the idea of an outdoor game, but now the NHL's just nuked the concept straight to hell.

To everyone else: try reading this with an English accent.

I dunno, those Brits make everything sound more refined.

[The Six]

Six bloody outdoor games? Two in the same stadium? It wasn't bad enough that every minor and junior league had to dilute the idea of an outdoor game, but now the NHL's just nuked the concept straight to hell.

I don't really see it as something to get outraged about.

I wouldn't say outraged, chief. More like disappointed that the NHL screws up even when they hit a home run. I mean I get it, you're happy that the LA area gets to host an outdoor game. Congrats. Should they get one at the expense of what was the league's one guaranteed yearly success though? Sorry, no.

Further you and others keep going on about this LA game being about promoting hockey in California. Which is great, except that the two teams featured are both from southern California. As much as I hate to defend the Sharks, they really should be a part of a game meant to promote the sport state-wide. Otherwise you're only really promoting the NHL within one metro area. Not an entire state.

You sure looked outraged. The novelty's already gone. The only way to keep it special would be to do it once every few years. Even once a year dilutes it. Plus, when you have 30 teams it's hard to do the concept of one game that everyone wants to be a part of. Even if LA didn't get it I wouldn't be complaining about the number of games.

[The_Admiral]

I don't understand how only having one a year dilutes it. I don't think it was ever intended to be a one-time novelty that we'd all fondly look back on forever. It was intended to be an annual event so that the NHL would have a mass-appeal special occasion during winter. They succeeded in creating that, by most metrics. I don't know if this kills the golden goose, but it sure is demanding an awful lot of its reproductive system, that's for sure.

[zpqmaowl]

IF they continue the BS of six games into next season, I could live with Busch Stadium, AT&T Park, Sports Authority Field, FedEx Field, Investors Group Field, and the big one at Target Field.

However, I wouldn't be surprised to see Carter-Finley Stadium, LP Field, Sun Life Stadium, Raymond James Stadium, Rogers Centre, or Jerryworld thrown into the mix. OITGDNHL.

[IceCap]

Six bloody outdoor games? Two in the same stadium? It wasn't bad enough that every minor and junior league had to dilute the idea of an outdoor game, but now the NHL's just nuked the concept straight to hell.

I don't really see it as something to get outraged about.

I wouldn't say outraged, chief. More like disappointed that the NHL screws up even when they hit a home run. I mean I get it, you're happy that the LA area gets to host an outdoor game. Congrats. Should they get one at the expense of what was the league's one guaranteed yearly success though? Sorry, no.

Further you and others keep going on about this LA game being about promoting hockey in California. Which is great, except that the two teams featured are both from southern California. As much as I hate to defend the Sharks, they really should be a part of a game meant to promote the sport state-wide. Otherwise you're only really promoting the NHL within one metro area. Not an entire state.

You sure looked outraged.

Then blame the internets for their inability to convey mood and tone.

The novelty's already gone. The only way to keep it special would be to do it once every few years. Even once a year dilutes it.

Nah, it doesn't.

Plus, when you have 30 teams it's hard to do the concept of one game that everyone wants to be a part of. Even if LA didn't get it I wouldn't be complaining about the number of games.

I'm all for opening up the visitor's slot in the Winter Classic to the entire league. No reason why the warm weather teams cannot participate. I'm also for expanding the location to cities that could host it but haven't had the chance. The Twin Cities and Denver probably should get Winter Classic games before the state of Pennsylvania gets another. There are ways to expand team participation without nuking the concept into irrelevancy.

[TheOldRoman]

Wait, why the F is the Blackhawks game March 1st? Do they realize that it's just as likely to be freezing as it is to be 55 and sunny?

[spartacat_12]

Here's the biggest downside to winning 5 Cups in 7 years:

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/kevin-lowe-to-oilers-fans-i-apologize/

So to sum it up, Lowe thinks that because he happened to play on the same team as Gretzky, Messier, Kurri, Coffey, and Fuhr he is capable of building a winning team. Also, the only people that matter to him are the fans in the building, not the ones that watch on TV and see commercials, or the ones that spend money on merchandise. And on top of that having an 8th seeded team get within one period of the Stanley Cup (7 years ago!) because of a hot goalie and a HOF defenseman, who left the next year because he didn't like the city, means that this is a successful management group. The Oilers need to quit living in the past and bring in some fresh blood.

[The Six]

The NHL will always want one of its NBC Sports Division teams in it. You're not gonna see other teams get a chance when it's the same rotation over and over. Adding more games gets those other cities in. And I wouldn't be anymore excited about the game in LA if it were the only one that year, and got the "Winter Classic" name.