2007/2008 Hockey Thread

[Plubby]

Vokoun? Florida-Vokoun? Lol, good luck.

[Gabriel]

Vokoun? Florida-Vokoun? Lol, good luck.

[Plubby]

I think Lehtonen's much better than Vokoun.

[SeanDMan]

Florida sucked with Luongo in net. They could go back in time, kidnap 1993 Patrick Roy, load him up with steroids and amphetamines, and replace his bones with adamantium, and Florida would still find a way to lose. Vokoun will suffer this year because his team is just awful.

[The Sultan of Swank]

My team will rock shit. I sure plan on it.

Also, I really think that the Habs have a shot at being the surprise team in the East. Everyone has already cast them off because we lost Souray, but if Komi and Higgins have good years along with our all-belarus line coming up, we could end up as high as 4th or 5th.

[Plubby]

No, Basha. That's what your heart is telling you.

For the record, even as one-eyed Avalanche as I am, I'm banking on no higher than 6th. And I could see us missing the playoffs again.

[Guest Mr. Potato Head]

I'm half-heartedly going with Buffalo as my team. It'd be a full heart if not for the 'ZOMG BANDWAGON!' accusations.

[Toe]

I'm half-heartedly going with Buffalo as my team. It'd be a full heart if not for the 'ZOMG BANDWAGON!' accusations.

[Plubby]

I think Toronto might smack Montreal around some this season.

[The Sultan of Swank]

I don't.

[Toe]

Toronto could be the best team in the league and Montreal the worst, it wouldn't really matter. Against each other it's always going to be some exciting and tight games.

Edited September 12, 2007 by Toe

[Toe]

Toronto's new jerseys are pretty much the same thing they wear now, just without a lot of the silver the was around the numbers, and without the stripes at the bottom of the jersey and the TLM logo on the shoulder. They look good, and I am glad they didn't tinker too much. Much like the Canadians, the Maple Leafs have a pretty long tradition, and straying too far from the traditional style would be met with a lot of negativity. I am pretty sure the third jersey with the old school Leafs logo and blue shoulders is being retained - I love that jersey.

Also, Mark Bell is suspended for 15 games. He has been sober for 365 days, but the NHL felt it neccesary to suspend him. The Leafs and Mark Bell both seem to have accepted this, but the NHLPA is looking into all possible legal actions as they see the suspension as too harsh.

[Cactus Drags]

I read that no team was having a third jersey this season due to the Edge redesigns, and they'd start alternate jerseys again for next season.

[Toe]

I read that no team was having a third jersey this season due to the Edge redesigns, and they'd start alternate jerseys again for next season.

[thatshortguy]

Thrashers will bust out their new Edge unis in about nine hours or so. No matter, because I will always rawk my home red jersey when the time calls for it.

That said, the team still needs to show me they can put teams away and stay strong down the stretch. They've got a lot of heart and an offense that can look like a blur, but I'd like to see them pick up a defense that can just break an opponent down when they get the lead.

[Toe]

Thrashers will bust out their new Edge unis in about nine hours or so. No matter, because I will always rawk my home red jersey when the time calls for it.

That said, the team still needs to show me they can put teams away and stay strong down the stretch. They've got a lot of heart and an offense that can look like a blur, but I'd like to see them pick up a defense that can just break an opponent down when they get the lead.

[gunnar hendershow]

God, after going to the hockey Hall of Fame I saw what I wanted hockey to be. I wanted it to be like baseball, where every team tries to cling on to its old tradition (or if they're new, try and create a legacy). But the NHL is trying to start anew, as if 2005 was the birth of the league. The new uniform designs are growing proof of this. It's not going to make me stop watching hockey, I'm sure the owners know that. And in the end it'll probably lure in young sports fans who haven't really had a huge exposure to hockey (Let's face it, despite all these teams, after the early 90's and the Mighty Ducks movies, hockey really became a secondary sport in much of the U.S., and only continued to go downward until the lost season), so it works from a business standpoint. But as a selfish, traditional fan -- I'm not happy.

[Gabriel]

So, the Ducks lose to the Kings in the first pre-season game of the year. 5-4 was the score. Bryzgalov and Cloutier started the game for their respective teams. Both men were replaced midway through the game by rookie JP Levasseur and Jean Sebastien Aubin (again, respectively).

Not a good start for Bryzgalov, who is essentially fighting for his spot as backup at this point in time, nevermind trying to regain the starting job.

Same for Cloutier, who coming into camp was probably the favorite to be the starter. With JS Aubin and potentially even Jonathan Bernier breathing down your neck, you've gotta do better than three goals on ten shots. Aubin is a former starting goaltender who is hungry to prove that he wasn't a fluke, and Bernier is one of the more ready young goaltenders looking for a job in the NHL.

[SeanDMan]

I think LA will suprise a lot of people this year. They've tended to suck due to mangames lost but they have less veterans and more youngsters around, so look for them to make a big step forward this year. They just need a goalie.

[Gabriel]

I think LA will suprise a lot of people this year. They've tended to suck due to mangames lost but they have less veterans and more youngsters around, so look for them to make a big step forward this year. They just need a goalie.