NHL 2010/2011

[PeauKA]

Chara setting another record with an 105.9 mph blast. Glad I don't play in goal, or the NHL for that matter (well I wish I did, but not for the reason mentioned!), certainly wouldn't want to be blocking shots that fast!

[SeanDMan]

Imagine being a defensemen and taking it from ten feet closer.

I am pretty sure Zdeno Chara should just be illegal.

Maybe write it into the next CBA.

Section 7, Chapter 4, Article I

Zdeno Chara. Can't have that.

Article II

Tim Thomas also. Dude can't be human.

I am not sure the Bruins will sign off on this, but they sort of owe Bettman for letting them rape the Leafs in that Kessel deal.

[Guest Mr. Potato Head]

...they've always done the superskills in teams? They just used to pick the teams by conference instead of draft.

Right, but for the most part, everyone still went out one at a time for the competitions. The question was "how hard can this guy shoot?" not "which of these guys can shoot harder?".

[Pizza]

The question was still "how hard can this guy shoot?". Chara won. You're overthinking things.

[sahyder1]

Finally watching the All-Star draft. Love the concept.

Edit: yeah, and I completely disagree with MPH on this skills competition. It is about the bragging rights. Why not have it go by team?

Edit 2: As good as the draft was the Red Carpet Show before the Skills competition was an absolute joke. Let the guys talk trash, I honestly don't give a damn about what suit they are wearing.

Edited January 30, 2011 by sahyder1

[Toe]

I like Kessel getting picked last. He seemed to have a good sense of humour about it, donated some money to cancer research, and now has motivation to score 9 goals in the game today.

[Pizza]

Curling: Bigger deal than the All Star game, according to CBC. I blame MPH for this.

[Guest Mr. Potato Head]

Curling: Bigger deal than the All Star game, according to CBC. I blame MPH for this.

Bigger deal than the all-star pregame. Plus, it fits with the policy of "finish what you start" that every broadcaster should use.

Plus, this is an epic choke job by McEwen

[Pizza]

He'll pull it out, no way Howard makes this.

Edit: Ahahahah Mcewen.

Edited January 30, 2011 by pizzamonkey

[Guest Mr. Potato Head]

He made it, amazing fucking shot.

[Guest Mr. Potato Head]

McEwen wins though

[Pizza]

That was an awesome finish, good call CBC.

[TGWL]

I agree with MPH, the accurate shooting was a disappointment this year. I would like to know how many targets they can hit, with how many pucks, in how many seconds. Fuck bragging rights, this is about showing off your skill. I also hated the duel camera view.

[Plubby]

Cameras at twenty paces!

[Gabriel]

Being that the unofficial second half of the season starts tonight, I thought I'd take a look at my pre-season predictions and how those are coming.

Eastern Conference:

x-Washington

x-Pittsburgh

x-Boston

New Jersey

Tampa Bay

Philadelphia

New York

Buffalo

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ottawa

Toronto

Montreal

Atlanta

Florida

Long Island

Carolina

Western Conference:

x-Nashville

x-San Jose

x-Calgary

Chicago

Vancouver

Detroit

Los Angeles

Phoenix

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

St. Louis

Minnesota

Colorado

Dallas

Anaheim

Columbus

Edmonton

Notes:

-The Capitals are in 5th in the East, but the goaltending has been settling down of late, and they seem to be turning it on down the stretch.

-Penguins are 4th in the East, 5 points out of first, held by the Flyers. Crosby's out and the team's been struggling. I don't see them reaching 2nd in the conference before the end of the year.

-I had New Jersey in 4th, but they're the bottom of the league right now. The team seems to be heating up, but they won't be able to make the playoffs.

-As mentioned, the Flyers are first in the East, which is somewhat surprising, but the team found a way to continue the momentum they had from the Cup run last year and the emergence of Bobrovsky in net has really helped elevate a team that is built for the grind. Expect them to go far in the post-season, no matter where they finish the regular season.

-I had Ottawa in 9th, but was very close to putting them in the post-season. The team has completely fallen apart, and looks to be on the path to deconstruction at the deadline.

-I had the Habs on the outside-looking-in, but the stellar play of Carey Price and emergence of depth players in key positions has put Le Canadiens into contention.

-The Thrashers have to be considered a darkhorse heading into the stretch-drive here. Big Byuff's play on the back-end has given the team a stability that they haven't had in previous seasons. Kinda funny though, Superstar Player Kovalchuk leaves Atlanta and the team starts to really heat up. He heads to New Jersey, and that team completely tanks. Gee, I wonder who won that exchange?

-I had Nashville pegged as a shocking number one in the West at the beginning of the year, and a lot of people were dumbfounded by my projection. Here we are in February though, and the team is six points back of the Red Wings for first in the Central Division, and they've done it without key acquisition Matthew Lombardi. Imagine where they'd have been with him in the lineup.

-The Sharks and Flames were pegged 2 and 3, but both teams are in the battle for the bottom seeds in the post-season. The Sharks haven't shown too many signs of battling out of the funk, whereas the Flames have been red-hot prior to the All-Star break. Calgary won't make the 3rd seed, but they WILL be in the hunt for the final four spots in the Western Conference playoffs.

-I saw Vancouver and Detroit having disappointing years (for the clubs), but they've proven me wrong as they sit 1 and 2 in the West. I see one of the two teams slowing down before the post-season, either giving Nashville a first place finish in the Central Division, or making the race for 1st in the Northwest a very exciting one between the Canucks and Flames prior to the end of the year.

-The Kings are one piece away from tearing up the ranks of the Western Conference, and I fully expect Dean Lombardi to do everything he can to find that at the deadline. The Kings will make the playoffs.

[SeanDMan]

haha Calgary in a race haha maybe for the lottery haha

[TGWL]

I had the 6th 7th and 8th spot coming down to either Buffalo, Toronto, Montreal, Rangers. Tampa, Atlanta or Carolina. With 4 of them obviously just out of the playoffs.

[Guest Mr. Potato Head]

I am glad I was able to predict New Jersey's collapse.

Six out of eight current playoff teams in the east (had Buffalo and Ottawa instead of Atlanta and the Rangers), and in the west (LA and Calgary instead of Dallas and Nashville).

[Plubby]

Calgary was a joke prediction at the top of the season and it's now not even a funny joke. sadface.

[Guest Mr. Potato Head]

Toronto reassigns Jerry D'Amigo from the Marlies to Kitchener. It's not Skinner or even Morin, but it's not a bad consolation prize.