posted
Part of me wants to jump up and down and see if I can get tickets for the Caps home opener.
Part of me wants tobeg fans to never go to or watch another NHL game again to punish them for the lockout and to tell the other sports leagues that if you sell a product that depends on the emotional attachment of your customers, you would do well not to jerk them around like this.
Posts: 26071 | Registered: Oct 2003
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To be fair, I haven't really been into professional hockey since around 1998, but I could see myself getting back into it.
The reasons I lost interest were numerous, but it was mostly because the Pittsburg Penguins, who I had followed so closely for the couple years previous were trading away all their good players for cheaper ones. You know, to save cash after going bankrupt (Jagr, Kovalev, others). When Mario came back and I cheared, but he spent most of his time injured, and the team sunk to last place.
It just wasn't making me happy watching my beloved team get worse and worse every year.
During the year without hockey, I have moved a couple times, and can use that, along with the gap, to pick a new team. Perhaps one closer to me.
Now the three closest hockey teams to Omaha are the Minnesota Wild, the Colorado Avalanche, and the St. Louis Blues.
I will never be an Avalanche fan. Far too many of those as there is. I've never really liked the Blues either.
But the Wild is a fairly new team, and the closest to me. Their colors and name don't suck. Looking at their record the last year they played, they were last in their division, but still one game over 500. Looking at their roster that year, the only guy I've ever heard of is the goalie.
Sounds pretty good team to get behind . No bandwagon, and lots of room for improvement.
Posts: 5656 | Registered: Oct 1999
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posted
Our sports talk guys called it weeks ago. They knew today would be the day it was announced, as it's the lull day after the MLB 'all star' game...no other news to get in the way.
Posts: 5422 | Registered: Dec 2001
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posted
I am a huge Red Wings fan, so I am glad in part...but the other part of me is pissed, and doesn't want to support such a group of greedy, ignorant, spoiled people.
I mean BOTH sides of this, not just one. They make more money than I ever will, and they get all pouty and lose a whole season over this crap?
Remember the Wings are the team where everyone took a voluntary pay cut so they could get Hull and Chelios a couple years ago! McCarty has a cancer research foundation! They care more about the team, and the fans than money.
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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posted
I myself was on the owners side in the conflict. The best thing to ever happen to pro football was the salary cap.
A salary cap in baseball would make that sport infinitely more interesting to me.
Of course I wasn't opposed to a salary cap in hockey. The owners didn't seem "greedy" to me, since half of them were losing money under the old way. The best thing to happen to their pocket books was not having a season.
Though I didn't follow the dispute as much as some folks, and perhaps I am wrong about some details...
Posts: 5656 | Registered: Oct 1999
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posted
I'd like to stay mad and spite them too, but if enough people do that the game will suffer and I really don't want to lose the game again. So I guess I'm going to have to be the bigger man here.
It's an interesting deal, though. There's a 1.9% difference between the lowest and highest spending teams, which is about the same as the NFL, and players become unrestricted free agents at 27 or after 7 years play (whichever comes first) which could mean a lot more player movement.
On the whole though, it's great news for the small market teams who've had to syphon off their talent because they couldn't afford to keep them. Looks like the Wings, Avalance, and their ilk won't be able to buy cups any more Posts: 3243 | Registered: Apr 2002
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posted
I sided more with the owners as well, but not completely. There were plenty of offers that might have worked, and they were all idiots to lose a season, and God knows how many fans, over this.
Posts: 15082 | Registered: Jul 2001
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posted
I'm kind of disappointed that this isn't one of those mesmerizing flash animation loops. Or is that what the Mushroom thing is about?
Posts: 2010 | Registered: Apr 2003
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posted
I have been off professional hockey since I was unable to watch the Canadiens on tv with my grandfather, so, let's see, about thirty years.
My dad coached hockey when I was a kid, so I loved watching hockey th most when it was right in front of me.
I played for a year in college, the best sports year of my life. And I continue to enjoy watching women's hockey. I got to see the top US girls play in Lake Placid a few weeks ago for a scouting camp. They get better and better each year. My friend's daughter was recruited as goalie for UNH. It was so much fun to watch her, and I plan to go and see her next year.
Posts: 10890 | Registered: May 2003
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posted
Yea, heard about this earlier in the day, and im pretty excited. And dissappointed. To set things straight, the NFL sucks, for numerous reasons, one of them being the salary cap. The constant movement of players leaves little/no time to get to like them, or to not dislike them. I'm a huge Wings fan. The Wings are a really great team, player wise, fan-interaction wise, and the fact that they communicate so much, and are all pretty much really good friends. Even if they were still a great team, with a constant movement of superstars going in and out of Detroit, I wouldn't be able to appreciate them nearly as much, and I would lose a great deal of devotion, due to the fact that it would look too much like a company.
I don't think I'd look at it like the Wings 'buy' their cups (of course this, like the rest of my ranting, is most likely bias-ism). They collect a talented group of individuals that are supported by a heavily devoted fan base, like us folk here in Hockey Town.
I'm glad hockeys back, relived in fact. But I'm just hoping that the contract that was dealt around doesn't affect teams enough to rip them apart just because the collective talents of their team want a fair (comparitavly to the rest of the NHL teams, and across other US sports leagues) paycheck.
Here's looking forward to a new (and hopefully better{whatever your definition of that may be}) 05-06 NHL season!
GO WINGS!
P.S. Lyrhawn and Kwea, do you guys live in the Detroit area?
Posts: 879 | Registered: Apr 2005
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posted
Hey, Wings fans, remember 1995? Who could ever forget such a heavily favored team being swept in the Finals.
And by no less than the Gretzky-maligned "Mickey Mouse operation," the New Jersey Devils.
quote:New Jersey became just the sixth team in history to win a Stanley Cup Championship in their first finals appearance, and the first to sweep a series. (Emphasis added)
posted
We remember taking it back to back in 97 and 98. And then again in 2002.
I remember Game Four of the 2002 finals against Carolina. I was going to my graduation ceremony a couple days later, but my high school always had an All Night Party for the seniors. There were events, and it was basically a carnival that lasted all night.
Well I left my house for the party (which is at the school) when the game was at the end of the third period, still tied. I got there and went to the detention room, which was the only room open that had a tv, and began watching it with a couple other fans. A couple HOURS later 60 kids were crammed into a room the size of a large pantry staring at the television as the game was going into TRIPLE overtime.
By that time it was 2 in the morning. Hot and stuffy in there. The kids who couldn't fit into the room were funneling drinks in to us in exchange for us letting them know what was going on. Every time the puck clanked off the pipes the whole room screamed. Every check, every penalty and power play, every line change practically we'd "Oooh!" and "ahh!" when something would happen.
Finally in the Third OT, Larionov brought the LONGEST Stanley Cup final game ever to a close for a Wings victory.
That's a night I wish I could live over and over again.
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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posted
Being a Red Wings fan who is opposed to a hockey salary cap is like being a Yankees fan opposed to a baseball one.
Posts: 5656 | Registered: Oct 1999
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I just heard on the radio that during the 'no-season' there was an all time number of babies being conceived in Calgary. The radio host was trying to claim that if there isn't any hockey to watch, well, then you might as well ...
Posts: 367 | Registered: Apr 2004
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quote:Originally posted by FlyingCow: No, sorry, still not following... is it some sort of strange Canadian sport? Like Curling?
Hey! Don't go talking about curling like that. I love that game. I'm awful at it but it is so much fun.
Posts: 132 | Registered: Apr 2005
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posted
Thank God. I was really worried the NHL was going to collapse. Hockey is the only sport we have here in the states where 'World Champions' really means World Champions; unlike Baseball, Football, or Basketball.
Looking forward to the new season!
Posts: 339 | Registered: Mar 2005
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Wings fan here too. Been watching them since the 80's (you know, back when they couldn't win a game even if they shot all the players on the opposing team).
11 mile huh?
I lived off of 8 mile in Redford. Take Beach Daily Rd to the old fire house on the park, take a right on ......Pickford, then a... left on Glenmore. The fourth house down is the one I lived in until we moved in 1989. Wow, I still remember all that.....I hated that place. The Catholic School on the corner of Beach and 8 is where they tried to teach me until 5th grade. Then I went to public school.
Posts: 2208 | Registered: Feb 2004
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posted
Philly may be fun, but 30 years without the Cup? Winning back to back is great, but if they're your only Cup wins, then something's missing. I'll take and keep my Devils, thank you very much.
But props to Roenick for his comments last month. Loved it.
quote:We're trying to get this thing back on the ice and make it better for the fans. If you don't realize that, then don't come. We don't want you in the rink, we don't want you in the stadium, we don't want you to watch hockey.
posted
I grew up two blocks from Hall and Van Dyke, in Utica. Right where M59 starts, although back then it was a much smaller highway.
There is a pizza shop, Bushamies (sp?), at the end of the road where I use to live, people from all over go there it was so good.
About 20 min from Detroit, if the traffic was good.
My dad worked at Lakeside mall, at the 3rd largest JCPenney in the country....I thin it was the largest one for a while when it first opened... Posts: 15082 | Registered: Jul 2001
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quote: Philly may be fun, but 30 years without the Cup? Winning back to back is great, but if they're your only Cup wins, then something's missing.
Ouch!! I hate when the truth hurts. But I'm glad to see the NHL back. I had nothing to watch after football season. (don't say it New England, I already know.)
Posts: 9 | Registered: Apr 2005
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posted
I was just at the mall yesterday, I popped in a sports store and noticed all Red Wings jerseys were 40% off (these are the quality ones). So I'm thinking I may have to grab one for only $90. Probably Datsyuk's. (although in the long run it would be cooler to have someones jersey who was more well known, ie Yzerman, Lindstrom, *mental block*). This is bad, not remembering players on the team.
Posts: 879 | Registered: Apr 2005
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posted
I'd prefer Datsyuk or Zetterberg. I like the younger players.
But Yzerman, Lidstrom, McCarty, Chelios, Shanahan, Dandenault.
Hatcher would be stretching it, as far as I'm concerned he hasn't really been playing on the Wings long enough to want his jersey.
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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posted
Heh. They kept flipping coins this morning, trying to show the odds that the Sabres could get the first pick. The idea was they had to guess 4 coin flips in a row. Can you tell they are hockey starved?
Posts: 5422 | Registered: Dec 2001
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posted
Well, there probably wasn't a better place for him to go, under the wing of one of the greatest players ever who came into the league with similar expectations. Pittsburgh is going to have an interesting starting line, that's for sure.
Posts: 3243 | Registered: Apr 2002
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