The 2013 NHL Season Thread

[The_Admiral]

Yeah, that was one of the worst fights of all time, up there with the one Gretzky had. At least he stuck up for himself, I guess. I hate Thornton and his perpetual derpface.

[Kevin W.]

He's already found a Swedish power forward named Victor Lumberingh.

If you could score a couple of power play goals, that'd be great.

[The_Admiral]

Joe Thornton celebrates a successful excursion to Crate & Barrel.

[NEW.ERA]

I gotta wonder about Hossa's long term ability to keep playing, it seems like he's extremely vulnerable to any head contact. He could easily get another blow just as hard as

the one from Hansen from any random hit or incidental contact.

Thanks, concern troll!

It's most likely just my bias from them being the team I watch more than the other 29, but it feels like the Blackhawks are routinely abused with no recourse. The stuff like Thornton on Toews or Mitchell on Toews or Torres on Hossa or

Canucks on Everyone get all the attention, but there's all the little stuff. I mean, I can tell you that Marcus Kruger gets destroyed more than Mr. Bill. And yet there's nothing they can really do about it. The whole "fight to show you won't

take it" thing doesn't work because they have fought and still kept taking it. And straight-up going after offenders doesn't work, because no one liked to fight John Scott and Bollig/Mayers just get instigator penalties when they do. (Which always raises the question, which fights are not instigated? Do the fighters need to mail

each other identical memoranda of intent and have them postmarked on the same day for the fight to be considered uninstigated? In fact, isn't it more apt to say that when a person lays a hit so dirty that it requires the opponent's teammate

to abort the game's fundamental premise of putting the play object in the designated space in order to just rush over and start beating the crap out of the guy, that that fellow has done the instigating? It's such crap.

So what is to be done? I mean, under the Bowmans' watch, this is always going to be a finesse team (or in the case of 2011, as much finesse as Dale Tallon's Salary Cap Capers

allowed). And that should be okay; this is the kind of team that the NHL should want at the forefront, not the plugapaloozas in Phoenix and Nashville that make the game unwatchable. I don't want to sacrifice a roster spot for a goon,

even if it did work. But man, this team just takes a lot of crap.

Well Toews did instigate a fight with Thornton last week(and wasn't tossed when he could've been), so I guess they're even now.

Your talking about goons, it's like the Sharks recalled some guy called Pelech who sucks and just fights and has no skill whatsoever. It made no sense as to why the team called him up.

HAHAHAHA! Ole Matty Pelech, enjoy him.

Once a former first rounder from Darryl Sutter's stable of picks.

[Sodboy13]

Darryl Sutter's stable of picks.

Talk about a glue factory starter kit.

[Cosmic]

I suspect Leino and Ehrhoff weren't Regier so much as Pegula insisting upon making a big splash and dropping a lot of money, no matter on whom. I mean, Ville Leino.

And I think that guy just called Buffalo sports fans, and by extension himself, retarded. Still, it's good to see a Steinbeck reference in the hockey thread and not have it be that Keith Tkachuk just wrote a new book called East of Eatin'.

It certainly feels like that sometimes... pouring your heart and soul into teams (Sabres and Bills) that aren't contending, but you keep getting your hopes up anyway.

Fun note on the Ville Leino signing... Darcy Regier left Toronto (where GM's were gathering at the office of Brad Richards' agent) before July 1, effectively taking the Sabres out of the Brad Richards sweepstakes. After signing Leino to that stupid deal, they insisted Leino was their #1 target all along.

[wildwing64]

Oh crap. Brian Burke is back with the Ducks, as a scout. Somehow I always felt like he'd come back. Guess we're gonna have a return to PUGNACITY, TRUCULENCE, BELLIGERENCE, and TESTOSTEROCITY. I looked at a thesaurus and found BELLICOSITY, too.

HARD-NOSED SLOBBLEDEGOCK.

This news surprised me. I'm not sure if having Burke back in Anaheim will be a good or bad thing, or if anything will come out of it at all.

I don't see him getting back his position as GM though.

[Island_Style]

Excuse me for tooting my homer horn but Huberdeau will be a superstar in this league. If we keep him he will be Mr. Panther by the time it is all over. Anyone see that penalty shot tonight against the Flyers?

[The_Admiral]

I've heard nothing but great things about him, but he's in a bad situation. He could wind up like Tavares where he has some good years for a bad team before it all comes together.

Finishing in Pretend Third Place with a -24 differential is not "coming together," note.

[Island_Style]

I've heard nothing but great things about him, but he's in a bad situation. He could wind up like Tavares where he has some good years for a bad team before it all comes together.

Finishing in Pretend Third Place with a -24 differential is not "coming together," note.

No but it is promising that it did happen. Isles can't say that.

[CS85]

Canes/Jets has defied the odds and is a pretty solid little contest. Also the Canes intermission reporter is kind of hot.

[The_Admiral]

Jannik Hansen is still whining about being suspended. "Now I have to have this on my record! I've never even been suspended in my life! Hossa was flopping!" This team, it will never end.

[CS85]

Jannik Hansen is still whining about being suspended. "Now I have to have this on my record! I've never even been suspended in my life! Hossa was flopping!" This team, it will never end.

There are no words for this unspeakable douchery.

Here's what he said, if you anyone was wondering. Admiral's paraphrasing is pretty much spot on.

"Of course, you know that you are a repeat offender now if something happens again," he said after participating in Thursday's optional game-day skate at American Airlines Center. "You are trying to play an honest game and play the right way and not step too far over the line and it's unfortunate. But that's the way it is right now."

"It bothers me that you have that on your record now," he said. "Not that it makes any difference, I am not going to change my game in any way. I am still going to play the same way that I have always, but you have that on you now and if something happens in the future you are repeat offender."

Hossa, meanwhile, practised with the Hawks on Thursday and could play Friday night against San Jose.

"Doesn't surprise me," Hansen said of Hossa's quick return.

When asked to expand upon that remark, Hansen said: "I should probably stay out of that one."

[Sodboy13]

Artem Anisimov took a hit in a real bad way tonight. Because the Blue Jackets. Eesh.

[The_Admiral]

I've been using "Vancouver" for unspeakable douchery and it's served me well.

http://video.tsn.ca/?dl=main/latest/1/0/869957/clip/675

When he was told Hossa practiced, he laughed and said "doesn't surprise me." Sorry you...didn't hit him in the back of the head hard enough? Canuck player was a whiny bitch. Doesn't surprise me!

[Kramerica Industries]

Artem Anisimov took a hit in a real bad way tonight. Because the Blue Jackets. Eesh.

Did Jimmy Howard pretend to snipe him with his goal stick?

[The_Admiral]

Oh that was really bad. Just a bad freak collision. Sounds like Quincey blew out a knee on the play, too.

[CS85]

Weird hit. There was no "OH " moment, Ansimov took the elbow and went into the void.

[Morgan33]

Why don't you guys whine about it some more... Talk about making something out of nothing.

[Kevin W.]

Why don't you guys whine about it some more... Talk about making something out of nothing.

Says the guy whose fanbase still won't stop talking about Duncan Keith's hit on Daniel Sedin despite the fact that Keith was rightfully suspended for it.