Best goal since Ovechkin '06

[Chidoro]

I just can't believe how good the guys have gotten at the game

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBQArUjP ... re=related

this is the Ovechkin goal being referred to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECCFrr8T ... re=related

[Truant]

That was absolutely beautiful.

[Trek]

Saw that yesturday, it was amazing

[Sabek]

Nash is one of the few bright stars on our Jackets team.

[Xyun]

That Ovechkin goal was against the Phoenix Coyotes.


IN YOUR FACE WINNOW!

[Gonzoie - Luclin]

There is a reason i drafted Nash, Ovechkin, and Briere on my fantasy team

[Sabek]

That Ovechkin goal was against the Phoenix Coyotes.


IN YOUR FACE WINNOW!

So was the Nash goal.

Arizona hockey = teh suck.

[Winnow]

Nash is a two time MVP. I don't understand why he was playing hockey against an Arizona team though.

Our women's pro basketball is more popular than our NHL team in Arizona. Wayne Gretzky is a curse! He's hanging onto the sport too long like Favre!

Has hockey made a comeback since the league destroyed itself during the strike or are they still airing games on OTV and some women's channel?

[Gonzoie - Luclin]

It has made a comeback nationwide, but it doesn't even feel like it ever left here in philly. We are more concerned with redemption from last year than we are the strike.

[Winnow]

It has made a comeback nationwide, but it doesn't even feel like it ever left here in philly. We are more concerned with redemption from last year than we are the strike.

What national channels is it broadcast on? Is the Stanley cup on non cable channel?

[Wulfran]

They're airing the Sunday morning/afternoon games on NBC now that the NFL season is done and honestly (or as my biased Canadian, hockey loving self can be on the subject) the game is a lot healthier since the lockout: the competitiveness is not just limited to money clubs and the odd years when young talented clubs make runs before their salaries break them up; the game itself has become better through the revamped enforcement of a lot of the stick, obstruction and interference penalties. The attendance numbers are up, and league revenues are up to a point where they have had to increase the salary caps each year since the new CBA went into effect. The only thing that hasn't changed is that Toronto still sucks and thats not really a bad thing, just expected

[Funkmasterr]

I'm not really a big sports guy at all, but my girlfriends parents have season tickets to the Wild, and I really enjoy myself whenever I go to a game. Constant action, some good fights, lively crowd (the Xcel Energy Center is always packed for Wild games.)

[Zamtuk]

Blue Jacket games are fun. Getting bombed at Frogbear Wildboar before and after the game is also fun.

That is all.

[Trek]

Some cities shouldnt have hockey teams, since they have never been able to put fans in the seats. Overall, I still enjoy hockey, the new rules and even the shootout. I even see the Kings as a very good team in 1-2 seasons so you might as well totally forget about the Yotes anyways. If you didnt like hockey before, you wont like it now.

[Gonzoie - Luclin]

If you didnt like hockey before, you wont like it now.

I dont agree. I find a lot more people are getting into hockey now that the game has a faster pace.

[Spang]

I always considered hockey to be a fast-paced game. Have they stopped calling penalties and gotten rid of fighting?

[Gonzoie - Luclin]

Main reason for the upped pace is no more 2 line pass penalty. Goalies also wear less padding now so more goals are scored.

[Trek]

If you didnt like hockey before, you wont like it now.

I dont agree. I find a lot more people are getting into hockey now that the game has a faster pace.

Main reason for the upped pace is no more 2 line pass penalty. Goalies also wear less padding now so more goals are scored.

Hockey was always fast paced, the new rules really didnt change much except how teams defend and come out of the zone. The added obstruction and hooking penalties stop the game probably as much or more then 2 line passes did, but do add more PP's. But the added PP's dont equate to more goals per game either, the goals per game avg has stayed between 5-6 for 10+ years so the new rules pretty much shifted the goal scoring around to different types of players. The hooking/obstruction penalties may allow for the appearance of a faster game since skill players have much more room and can flash their moves, which makes for a more exciting game for sure.

I dont see how a 2 line pass rule/no rule can make someone all of a sudden like hockey, I think if new people are enjoying it now, they never took the time to watch it enough to learn the rules.

Also, I dont think goalies are wearing less padding just yet(I could have missed something), but the size of their padding will almost definately change (get smaller) soon, within a season or 2. That will almost definately push the GPG(goals per game) up over 6 easy.

[Chidoro]

Nash is a two time MVP. I don't understand why he was playing hockey against an Arizona team though.

Our women's pro basketball is more popular than our NHL team in Arizona. Wayne Gretzky is a curse! He's hanging onto the sport too long like Favre!

Has hockey made a comeback since the league destroyed itself during the strike or are they still airing games on OTV and some women's channel?

The Coyotes average nearly 15k per game, the champion Mercury, 7,700. swing and a miss there.
Their record is 7-3-1 in 2008 and are only 3 points out of the final playoff spot currently. They've been doing pretty damn well since (and I know this is going to mean nothing to you) they picked up Bryzgalov in goal. It's parity is just one of the great things about hockey (another is that the players actually give a crap when they're playing throughout the regular season).

I know you like to tweak on the board, we get it. But hockey has definitely been on the uptick. The game is much better since the lockout. There is so much talent in the league these days and it's only getting better. That's great that you don't like it or that you think that tv ratings justify your sport of choice, there's plenty of people sitting in the seats every night that disagree, there's a network that gives the sport priority, and a network solely about the sport that's being added rapidly to cable channels across America.

[Winnow]

Hockey is one of the more fun sports to actually watch in person for a single game while not caring about the overall standings, etc.

[Wulfran]

I always considered hockey to be a fast-paced game. Have they stopped calling penalties and gotten rid of fighting?

Well there have been a lot of changes/reversions in the seasons since the lockout.

Time of play - I saw one time on CBC I think where the actual average time is where it was previous, around 2hr 20 min to play 3x20 min periods but this is now including possible shootouts after a 5 min overtime if there is a tie

speed of play- up a lot since the lockout, pretty much back to what a remember from the 80s. As mentioned the removal of the redline in calling 2 line passes has opened up puck movement out of the defensive zone a fair bit.

penalties - still up from immediately prior to lockout where few things short of felonies were called but is coming down from the post-lockout season where coaches and players would complain the games were about Power Plays and not 5-on-5 play. The rules are being enforced and players are getting used to where the line is after it was pretty moved pretty dramatically

Fighting - still present and actually increased in frequency

attendance and revenues - up across the board. Some teams still struggle, some make money hand over fist. I think thats a reflection of some poor or at least premature expansion choices. The TV ratings are somewhat flat but a) that was expected with the lockout and b) it seems to be something experienced across the sports and entertainment world with the ever increasing competition for viewers time and attentions

goalie padding - the leg pads are regulated and must be approved for use by the league office. They're supposedly looking at the catching gloves next. Its overdue IMO when you compare the added size/difference in profile in someone like Patrick Roy as a rookie and just before his retirement. I'm all for protecting players and with goalies, the advent of graphite composite sticks meant higher shot velocities (on average... old timers like Iafrate and McInnis could still blast it with wood) but they shouldn't be able to totally block the net.

And Winnow, all sports are more fun to watch in person than on TV! You get the atmosphere, you see the little shit the cameras miss, the players interactions with the refs and the benches, etc. Hell I might even enjoy a pro baseball game from what I hear... but I'm not about to fly a thousand miles to see one

[Canelek]

Hockey is truly a sport where TV does not do it justice. Not many people are fans due to TV coverage (even when there was TV coverage). Football, however (especially pro), is much better on TV imo....college football is better suited live only if you include tailgating and/or being an avid fan. Baseball is better live also, but only to a fan of the sport. So much tradition is hard to miss!

As to the goals, both were incredible! The Nash goal was certainly more impressive on the stickwork.