2008/2009 Hockey Thread v2.0

[SeanDMan]

Smyl = Steamer.

[Gabriel]

Smyl = Steamer.

Okay then...

I'm not a huge Canucks fan like you. Actually... I raised to hate them. Regardless... my point still stands though... there are other guys just as deserving, if not more, than Naslund... but to capitalize on the moment, his number will go up first.

People can argue all they want, but Cliff Ronning and Pavel Bure are both guys I think should one day have their numbers retired.

[SeanDMan]

Pavel Bure for sure will one day get his jersey up there. Ronning, I don't know. He was a big part of 94, but so was Courtnall, Greg Addams, Babych, Memesso... hell, we might as well retire Jiri Slegr too.

I think the two people ahead of Naslund are Bure and Captain Kirk. It's hard to retire a number currently being worn by your captain too, so I think Naslund is probably front of the line.

[Gabriel]

Pavel Bure for sure will one day get his jersey up there. Ronning, I don't know. He was a big part of 94, but so was Courtnall, Greg Addams, Babych, Memesso... hell, we might as well retire Jiri Slegr too.

I think the two people ahead of Naslund are Bure and Captain Kirk. It's hard to retire a number currently being worn by your captain too, so I think Naslund is probably front of the line.

I would like McLean up there, but I didn't list him because of the Luongo factor... but, I can see the number being retired in the future, with both men's names going up as well.

[Clawson]

Is Wayne Maki's number even retired? I remember reading it was just taken out of circulation, and Messier wore it too. I don't think 28 will be worn for a while in Vancouver either.

[Guest King Tut]

Admittedly, I'm only posting this for future reference.

[SeanDMan]

Admittedly, I'm only posting this for future reference.

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Eh?


Also, yes, Maki's number was put back in circulation for Messier to wear. Some Canucks fans claim that as long as it's still in circulation, we're cursed.  

[SeanDMan]

By the way, we all know it's hard to get an accurate report when it comes to playoff injuries, but this news makes me wonder if we even want them; when asked about the injury that took Sami Salo out of game 2 and kept him out for game 3 in the Vancouver-Chicago series, Salo went on record with the words "a burning sensation when I pee".

[Guest King Tut]

Yeah, but he also said 'maybe'.

[Gabriel]

I really don't understand why Gary Bettman hates Jim Balsille so much. As far as I'm aware, he's not a legal liability, he has more than enough money, he loves the game, and he wants to bail out a team that's so far in debt it's coming out their ass.

I understand the idea behind having teams in big American markets and that's fine... but not when the rest of the league has to keep them afloat. A team should be able to maintain themselves on their own, with revenue sharing being something to just help even out the playing field a bit. As it stands though, there are 3 or 4 teams that are doing horribly financially, and are only in operation still because of the top 5 earning teams in the league. That doesn't make any sense to me.

Balsille wants to buy the club, pay out their debts, and move them to a market where he believes they will be financially independent of the other teams, and perhaps even become a top earning club.

Bettman had no issue pulling out of Quebec and Winnipeg... Phoenix is in just as bad shape, if not worse. Either it's a business, or it isn't. If Bettman was worried about business, he'd be helping facilitate a move... so that leads me to believe that maybe Jim beat him up and stole his lunch money when they were younger, or something.

[Evil Chase K]

Personally I think Balsillie is an asshole. He seems like a real sleazebag whenever I hear him talk.

Plus he has a tendency to swear on television...

[SeanDMan]

OH NO, HE SAID A FOUR LETTER WORD! RUN FOR THE HILLS!

[Plubby]

CHICAGOOOOOOOOOOO~! I miss you, Coach Q.

[Guest King Tut]

I think Vancouver's still got what it takes to get past the Hawks, but that's as far as they'll go. Whoever wins the Detroit/Anaheim series is going to take the Cup.

[Toe]

The main reasons for Bettman saying no to Balsille are that Bettman dislikes Balsille for trying to circumvent the league rules and procedures, and putting teams in the United States has been Bettman's goal. To let a team leave and come to Canada will be an admission of failure, at least in part, for Bettman. He does not want to do that.

[Guest King Tut]

Right, but Bettman's also said consistently that teams won't move if there's somebody willing to buy the team and keep them in their current location - Winnipeg couldn't raise the money, neither could Quebec. Phoenix maybe can if Reinsdorf's interested.

Hartford's the only exception I can come up with.

[Gabriel]

Great games today... just, awesome.

One of these two series' is going to 7, the other will end on Monday night.

[SeanDMan]

I think it goes seven, but maybe that's just me.

[Plubby]

Ovie should have gone for that hit, I think. Johnny Nobody would have...

[SeanDMan]

Both of these teams want to destroy the other one tonight.