2007/2008 Hockey Thread

[Clawson]

Pretty much everybody I talk to here wants to adopt Ovechkin into a Canadian and ship Crosby off to Russia.

[gunnar hendershow]

Crosby's too much of a pretty boy. Ovechkin's a badass who is unfortunately going to see his career end early because he gives his entire body on the ice.

[Clawson]

Crosby's too much of a pretty boy. Ovechkin's a badass who is unfortunately going to see his career end early because he gives his entire body on the ice.

[gunnar hendershow]

Rick DiPietro move over.

Flyers sign leading-scorer Richards to 12-year extension

PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia Flyers signed scoring leader Mike Richards to a 12-year contract extension Thursday.

While the team didn't disclose financial terms, The Canadian Press reported the deal was for $69 million.

The 22-year-old forward has a career-high 14 goals this season and also has 20 assists. He's third in the NHL with three short-handed goals.

Richards' new contract will start next season and run through the 2019-20 season. The team announced the extension before its game Thursday night against Montreal.

"Mike has become an integral part of our core group and we are extremely happy to have him under contract long term," general manager Paul Holmgren said. "We believe that he will continue to grow as a player and as a leader."

The Flyers' first-round draft pick in 2003, Richards has 35 goals and 65 assists over three NHL seasons. He's making just over $940,000 this season.

"I am very happy to be part of the organization for hopefully the rest of my career,'' Richards said.

So that's about $6 million a year of a cap hit? He's a good player, but the NHL's a young player's league now and by the end of his 20's he won't be anywhere as effective.

[Plubby]

Crosby's too much of a pretty boy. Ovechkin's a badass who is unfortunately going to see his career end early because he gives his entire body on the ice.

Last time the Leafs played Crosby, Toskala tripped him as he went through the crease and Crosby banged his ankle on the post. He went down and clutched his knee...then when he was skating off he was back to the ankle. Funniest thing I've ever seen, mainly due to Toskala sending him flying and being all non-chalant about it.

Thus was born the legacy of Iron-Stick Tosky?

[Guest Mr. Potato Head]

12 years, even for 'the next Bobby Clarke', is ridiculous.

Although I feel a little bit of pride, because I remember watching him play junior here for a few years, where he just DOMINATED the league. Fuck we had a stacked team back then - Richards, Derek Roy, Afinigenov, Allan Rourke, Boris Valabik, Steve Eminger, Greg Campbell, David Clarkson, Matt Lashoff, Petr Kanko, Serge Payer, Andrew Peters...all ended up in the NHL.

[The Sultan of Swank]

Montreal plays their first complete game in about 10 games. Jesus please don't fuck it up.

Also, Sergei Kostitsyn, pretty fucking good.

[Clawson]

Hmmm....I was wondering why Stajan got a penalty when the Montreal player went in front of him and fell and then when Poni got blocked from the puck by two Montreal players. This explains it:

#2 Kerry Fraser

[Gabriel]

Stajan got called because he took out a guy who was on his way to the puck before they were even close to it. Then he got beat to it by Hamrlik because of that, and the ref's saw it.

I'm liking this game tonight. I don't want to see too many goals, because I love Toskala and Price both, and want to see them do well... but I prefer the Habs to the Leafs, so I'm hoping for a close game. If there are no more goals tonight, but the play stays as it has been, I'll be happy.

[Clawson]

Stajan got called because he took out a guy who was on his way to the puck before they were even close to it. Then he got beat to it by Hamrlik because of that, and the ref's saw it.

Edited December 16, 2007 by Clawson

[The Sultan of Swank]

Yeah well there were about 10 instances of holding, tripping, hooking and your boy Antropov throwing his mits in peoples faces like crazy so I don't think McClutz getting injured or not would have changed the game. I mean shit, even when Montreal had only 14 shots through 2 periods, they were fucking dominating the Leafs. Montreal and Toronto both have a habit of just not showing up to some games. And tonight Toronto was a victim on just not showing up to play. It's not a knock against the team, it's just how I saw the game, one team wanted it, the other sort of flailed around a lot.

[Gabriel]

I think Toronto wanted it too. Toskala looked relatively good in net, despite the score... and they had some decent offensive chances. They just looked too weak in their own end for the Montreal offense.

The Habs looked rock solid everywhere except on defense, and even then, they looked good enough to be a team that consistently stays above .500

With the way Price has managed to play even when his team refuses to show up, it's almost criminal to think that Huet is coming back and will most likely be taking the bulk of the work on again.

That said... holy fuck, who would have guessed that Sanford Vs Garon would be the goaltending battle it turned out to be? Color me surprised.

[Cactus Drags]

The fuck? Colorado posting two consecutive wins? Jordon freakin' Leopold getting a goal? Craziness.

[The Sultan of Swank]

McCabe is out for a whole whack of time. Broken wrist in 3 places, I didn't see the hit as particularly dirty... also Kostitsyn is like half the size of McCabe... guess it was an awkward way to get hit into the boards. Hope he recovers quickly. Toronto needs him.

[Clawson]

Yeah well there were about 10 instances of holding, tripping, hooking and your boy Antropov throwing his mits in peoples faces like crazy so I don't think McClutz getting injured or not would have changed the game. I mean shit, even when Montreal had only 14 shots through 2 periods, they were fucking dominating the Leafs. Montreal and Toronto both have a habit of just not showing up to some games. And tonight Toronto was a victim on just not showing up to play. It's not a knock against the team, it's just how I saw the game, one team wanted it, the other sort of flailed around a lot.

[The Sultan of Swank]

Point taken if you withdraw your defense of McCabe's "cheap shot" comment about Bouillon dropping Tucker last season. haha.

[Clawson]

Well it was when Tucker wasn't ready for it but guys get decked like that all the time. Usually it's guys like Bouillon who get dropped. And it was the same game that Tucker ran him over after he hit another Leaf right? So an eye for an eye there.

[Toe]

Toronto lost, but that is ok by me. Carey Price was great, stole the game for Montreal (at least through period one). Toronto did not look disgusting, they just made some mistakes and got burned by Koivu especially. Losing McCabe hurts, but he hasn't been scoring goals.

We just need Toskala to keep playing like he has. I am hoping this last game was us underachieving and playing poorly, and not the previous 6 or 7 being us overachieving.

[Clawson]

Well when you consider 3 out of Montreal's 4 goals were deflections and the other was impossible to stop I'm not worried about Vesa too much.

[The Sultan of Swank]

Ahem. Montreal seriously outplayed the Leafs the other night.