Hockey Thread 2015-16: RIP Gordie Howe

Welcome one and all to the thread where the sport of "Ice Hockey" is discussed. Here you can talk teams, strategies, or cry because your favorite team is already doomed.

Video Games!

At present, the only serious hockey game is the EA Sports NHL Series as 2K Sports decided to stop making them paused after 2K11 and then made the 2K14 version mobile-only for some reason. As for arcade hockey games, there were plenty of bad ones from the Gretzky years (if it had his name on them, it probably was) and the glorious NHL Hitz series that lasted for all of 3 years (if you include the watered-down "Pro" version). EA released one of its own in 2009 but no one really cared.

Strap on your pads, lace up those skates, and grab that Jason Voorhees mask you had stashed away for Halloween, it's time to talk some hockey and sacrifice your teeth in the name of Lord Stanley!

My Dallas Stars started with YAY! and then it was Oh No! and now I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey 98 was pretty rad.

Wanted to watch the Caps instead of debate pregame, saw them losing 3-0, turned back to the debate.

They lost 5-0. Probably didn't help that Ovi disappeared for "personal reasons."

This is the year that I finally gave NHL Center Ice a try in order to watch most Blackhawks (out of market) games this year. So it turns out NHL Center Ice is terrible if you happen to have Comcast as a cable provider. Not a single game in HD. I ended up going with GameCenter Live. It looks great in HD on my Roku. And I can choose to have the Chicago announcers, which is a big plus after having to put up with that annoying New York (Long Island) announcer in that second game.

I also root for the Sharks, since I live in San Jose, as long as it doesn't impact the Blackhawks. This year the teams have started off 3-0-0 and 2-1-0, respectively. Same starting records as last year, and we all know how it panned out for both teams.

I don't know if I count as an old-timer, since I've only been watching hockey since the early 90s. I'm okay with the new coach challenge, mainly because if it were part of the game a couple of years ago, the Blackhawks would likely be defending their back-to-back championship. Suck it Kings! Now if they'd do something about waiving off goals because play continued even though there was an "intent" to blow the whistle.

@dochaus: I just read that his "personal reason" was oversleeping, which I secretly find kinda awesome.

I guess the NHL defines "personal reasons" in the sameway it defines "lower body injury" (meaning anything below the scalp).

The Sabres could lose their next 79 games and I'll continue to be content just watching Jack Eichel be awesome. This is what it's like to have a superstar on your team huh?

aw gawd dere shite again

I was thinking about making an NHL/Hockey thread this year since every other sport has their own thread now but you beat me to it.

Are there any other active Bombers that are Leafs fans? The pain is real so far this season.

I'm in Chicago so things have been pretty neat lately. I have different championship hats to match any occasion!

@rotnac: The Jays are going to have a longer season than the Leafs at this point.

Let's go Canucks!

@jslack: Believe me, the Leafs will be having a very long season but for all the wrong reasons. Babcock said it best that "there will be pain" this season. That said, the amount of outstanding talent they have developing in the Marlies this year is proof that the future looks bright in Leaf Land. I'm fully invested in the Shana-plan.

The Leafs haven't been able to buy a win yet but the system they're playing under Babs is unquestionably more sound than Randy Carlyle's fuck-defence-go-guns-blazing-but-get-outshot approach. I don't mind if Toronto finishes near the bottom of the standings this year since they're at the beginning of a rebuild. The only thing I care about is if they show up and give a damn from game 1 to 82.

I am all for being able to challenge if a goalie is shoved into the net on a goal, that makes sense. What doesn't make sense? being able to challenge and off sides, the league did fine without that for decades, now it just kills any momentum that a team has. And I am not just saying that because the sabres got screwed by it.

My Canadiens are up 4-0, so its a good season so far for me. Family genetics and the fact that I was born on the island of Montreal require me to hate the Leafs but man, can they not catch a break?

Also, since my girlfriend's from Maryland, we follow the Caps and...that was a savage loss the other day, oughta assign a rookie to make sure Ovey gets outta bed ;w;

Also I love the 3v3 overtime, it's nuts xD

pens have started the season 0-3..... we will see what happens...also the pirates started pretty similar.

@rotnac: Ya, believe in babs and the shana-plan for sure. I really like Babcock's honesty with the fans this season. There's no way it will be good for leafs fans, but don't glad you aren't giving up hope for future seasons. That team is a mess. Good luck! Bet you wish you guys had Domi though.

Is it bad that it's mid-October and I've already tuned out my favorite team (the Devils)? I went to the opener on Friday, and they played like poop. I watched the game Monday, and they played like poop. It's a young team, but they're so young it's going to be tough to watch. Last year's first-round pick is going to spend the year in the minors. This year is a rebuilding year, but it's going to be one hell of an ugly rebuild.

And thanks to the Sabres, this level of badness can't even guarantee the second overall pick. Great.

WOOOOT new hockey thread for the new season!

ALSO @dochaus why are you THE arbiter of such threads that involves baseball, hockey, and UNLIMITED ANIME?

@gaspower: Well, gotta distract myself from the onslaught of depressing real-life news somehow.

Also been thinking of starting a basketball thread if no one gets to that later.

@jslack: yeah, having another Domi wearing blue and white would've been great. It's just unfortunate Max is stuck in Arizona of all places. I don't think anyone can name more than 5 players that are on the Coyotes without needing to look it up.

Best of luck with your team as well. It seems like you've been on a steady downhill slope since your Stanley Cup run against Boston. Looking from the outside Gillis really made a mess of things until he got the boot.

@rotnac: Ya, Arizona exceeding expectations. Also, their new jerseys are sweet.

Canucks are doing good this year - for the first time in forever we have a youth movement. In the past, our management refused to let any rookies on the team, sending them down until they were over 21. This is a nice fresh change.

@akeripper4: @corvak: I wouldn't worry or be too ecstatic about these early records - unless your team misses the playoffs by a few games at the end of the season. The scores on a handful of games don't signify how a team will perform throughout the season, unless they actually completely sucked on the ice. Then, well, you should hope for some trades.

@jslack:Most teams this year are finally starting to embrace a youth movement which is kind of exciting to see. The average age for several teams this year has gone down considerably.

@akeripper4: Keep your chin up, it's still real early and you got Kessel now who never gets injured and regularly scored at least 35 goals with the Leafs. I would expect him to have a career year this season with the Pens and get at least 45-50 goals. Being on a line with either Crosby or Malkin this year is a massive step up from Bozak. I'll definitely be following the Pens this year. Praise be to The Phil!

@ascagnel: yeah dude it's all Buffalo's fault for being the first team in the history of the NHL built to lose on purpose.

Blame the GMs for deciding it was a problem, not the Sabres for being the billionth team in league history to execute a rebuild that way.

(and teams will still totally lose on purpose, they solved nothing)

Who's ready for some Friday night hockey?!

Tonight's match-ups:

• Toronto (1-2-1) @ Columbus (0-5-0) | Toronto wins 6-3 in Regulation
• San Jose (4-0-0) @ New Jersey (0-3-1) | San Jose wins 2-1 in a Skills Competition Shootout
• Carolina (1-3-0) @ Detroit (3-1-0) | Carolina wins 5-3
• Calgary (1-3-0) @ Winnipeg (4-1-0) | Jets win 3-1 in
• St. Louis (4-1-0) @ Vancouver (3-1-1) | Blues win 4-3 in regulation
• Colorado (2-2-0) @ Anaheim (0-3-1) | Avs win 3-0
• Minnesota (3-0-1) @ Los Angeles (1-3-0) | Kings win 2-1 in OT

EDIT: Updated w/ scores. I'll update the rest (maybe) when the rest of the games are over.

I'm just waiting for Coach Q to finally settle on what he wants to do with the Blackhawks' first line. I thought Teuvo was the perfect fit, but that pretty much guts the third line with Bickell still around. I can only guess that he's trying to get Marko some more experience with the system with the Ice Hogs before calling him up.

Also, Go Sharks!

Babcock wins his first as the Leafs' bench boss the same night Detroit gets their first loss.

Also, anyone else feel like they should just make 3 on 3 a full 20 minutes? Shootouts should be gone for good. Whether or not your team wins or loses, they're the shittiest way to watch a game end especially now with 3 on 3 being real fun to watch.

Girlfriend got me tickets to my first live game for my birthday! Unfortunately as Ducks fans we had to watch them get blown out 4-0 by Arizona but the experience was great and we had a lot of fun.

@lttibbles: Your girlfriend sounds awesome! Your team getting shutout is much less awesome (at least it wasn't against Edmonton). Hopefully you fare better next time you attend a game!

I haven't attended an NHL game since 97 when the Leafs lost to the Sabres 5-3.

@rotnac: She really is, woke me up in the middle of the night before saying "Hey wanna go see a hockey game?"

The Ducks aren't seeming so hot this season from what I've seen in Wednesday's and tonight's game it seems like the players aren't really fired up to play.

Looks like the Caps are indeed better when Ovi doesn't get totally wasted the night before oversleep. After crushing both Chicago and Carolina by 4-1 scores, with Ovi notching the last goal in both games, and domination on the Power Play, this team is looking great.

Feeling a little sorry for Saad, but at least he's getting paid the big bucks he wanted.

Les Canadiens du Montreal are undefeated with only one game where they won by a single goal. Meanwhile, on the opposite end of that spectrum, the Columbus Blue Jackets have fired their coach and hired John Tortorella after losing every single game so far. Ironically enough, this is about 12-15 hours after various hockey news headlines about how Tort was miffed that no struggling teams were calling him. I wonder what changed in that span to make CBJ say "fuck it let's try him."

They probably figured it was Torts or Carlyle. Having Torts in CBJ will be fun but it would've been hilarious to have Carlyle coach Clarkson again. I can imagine though that Boudreau is next to get fired this season and that's maybe where Carlyle will be going back to.

Also, can we update the main post and keep it relevant like the other sports/wrestling threads? There's a handful of teams playing a lot worse than the Leafs and Oilers.

I hear ya. I can't really feel sorry for him though, with the way everything went down with contract talks this summer between him and the Hawks - at least that's my understanding of it.

@rotnac: *grumble* fine, I updated the OP with some more recent news.

Yeah, he was asking for too much too soon. He should have gone for a one-year contract to see if they could offer him something better next year. I don't know how Marko Dano will pan out, but Artem Anisimov with Panarin and Kane is a great #2 line to have.

I'm still waiting on Dano myself too. I would imagine he'll get the call from Rockford at some point this season. I'm just hoping the Hawks can tread water in the Central until Keith gets back. Panarin and Anisimov have been solid additions so far.

Is it the goal tending? Because I'm starting to think the problem wasn't the coach. What's the record for worst start, because the Blue Jackets might be going for a record at 0-8 so far.

@sergio: From what I know (and Googled), 4-5 different teams started 0-7 before getting their act together. The absolute worst was the '43-44 NY Rangers team with an 0-11 start. The '83-84 Capitals started 0-7, then after picking up a good defender went 48-20-5. Maybe the Jackets do need a shrink to sit down with Bobrovsky and help him defeat his inner demons, or just cut him and find a different goalie altogether, see if that helps.

Alright the Cubs dropped the ball, the Bears look mediocre at best, and if Derrick Rose plays 8 games for the Bulls this year I'll be shocked. Please Blackhawks you're my only hope. Also this seems like a good place to ask. Does NHL center ice work outside of America? I just moved to Japan.

@commisar123: Well, the Cubs only really had one or two pitchers, and they decided not to trade for one this season. It's amazing that got so far, so fast, that they convinced me they could almost pull it off. Barring injuries, I see them improving. They just need to spend some money for a pitcher or two.

The Bears have been mediocre for over a decade, including the year they went to the Super Bowl. It's so frustrating because they're just "good" enough to get a bad draft pick but also miss the playoffs. I haven't bothered watching a game this season. I might not sound like a Bears fan when I say this, but I was hoping they'd tank this year so maybe they'd get a decent draft pick.

The Bulls are just wasted potential lost to injuries.

Blackhawks just need to figure out that first line. Their second line is solid, doing most of the scoring this season. I've only missed one game so far, but from what I've seen, they've only played one bad period. Sure they've been outscored in their losses, but they played well enough to win those games, just a combination of good goaltending and the bounces not going their way.

To answer your question. NHL Center Ice is the package sold through cable/satellite providers. I doubt it'd work outside of North America. It's terrible, so you're better off there. You want NHL GameCenter Live. You can use any device that has an app: PS4, Roku, iOS; or you can watch it from a web browser. I think it would work in Japan, but no guarantees. The only problem, with both subscriptions, is that there are blackout games when they play on national TV, so you can't watch some games live. They are still archived on GameCenter, so you can watch it the following day. Center Ice doesn't do archives.

I hate to admit this but the Habs are freaky good right now. I'm gonna call it now though, the Leafs are gonna play spoiler tomorrow night and give them their first loss. It's gotta happen at some point right?

thanks! :D

Caps scored a touchdown on the Oilers! Kuznetzov (a.k.a. Ovechkin Jr.) scoring a hat trick, all of his first three goals on the season, in Edmonton! Like, what even is defense, maaaaaaan?

Somebody forgot to send the memo to the Kings that only the offense shows up for Friday night hockey.

• Habs/Sabres: 9 goals
• Bruins/Isles: 8 goals
• Bolts/Jets: 7 goals
• Wings/Flames: 5 goals
• Caps/Oilers: 11 goals
• Canes/Kings: 3 goals

@mightyduck: It may be a while before we see him.

The Jackets won a hockey! They'll have to settle for only having the second-worst start in NHL history!

Carey Price is not human. Stops 49 out of 52 shots and served his team a win on a silver platter last night. If he doesn't win the Vezina this year there is something wrong. He's the reason the Habs are where they are right now.

Interesting to see how this all plays out. In the summer the organization made it seem like it was a big deal that he was acquired...hmmm. I mean, it could very well end up being the case with more time.

I'm glad the Blackhawks were able to still win this in overtime, but the referees and the situation room completely blew the call:

25.2 Infractions – When Goalkeeper is On the Ice – A goal will be awarded when an attacking player, in the act of shooting the puck into the goal (between the normal position of the posts and completely across the goal line), is prevented from scoring as a result of a defending player or goalkeeper displacing the goal post, either deliberately or accidentally.

It doesn't matter whether Andersen knocked the goal out accidentally when he pushed off on it. Panarin was in the act of shooting, and his shot went between where the posts would have been and crossed the goal line. He's the reason Andersen was kicking off the post.

The rule the NHL is citing to disallow it:

78.5 Disallowed Goals – Apparent goals shall be disallowed by the Referee and the appropriate announcement made by the Public Address Announcer for the following reasons:

(x) When the net becomes displaced accidentally. The goal frame is considered to be displaced if either or both goal pegs are no longer in their respective holes in the ice, or the net has come completely off one or both pegs, prior to or as the puck enters the goal.

This is clearly for if the offense displaces it, or if it gets displaced before a shot is attempted.

Heck. There are two rules that said this goal should have been allowed.

63.6 Awarded Goal - In the event that the goal post is displaced, either deliberately or accidentally, by a defending player, prior to the puck crossing the goal line between the normal position of the goalposts, the Referee may award a goal.

In order to award a goal in this situation, the goal post must have been displaced by the actions of a defending player, the puck must have been shot (or the player must be in the act of shooting) at the goal prior to the goal post being displaced, and it must be determined that the puck would have entered the net between the normal position of the goal posts.

I guess the NHL felt sorry for the Ducks for sucking so far this year - have a pity point.

Well put, I was surprised myself, especially after thinking about what the rules themselves are.

Good to see the Hawks are still rolling without Keith. Also watching the Stars/Ducks on the free center ice preview at the moment. Stars came roaring back after being down 3-0. Ducks just can't catch a break.