2023-24 NHL Season Thread.

[VanillaO]

It's also good to be a Leafs fan because even at their worst of the worst you still have a lot of die hard fans to talk to. Other sports teams, a few bad seasons and people act like they dont exist. The leafs will always be #1 in Toronto, if they're first or 30th. Those are real fans.

You should go to a Browns home game. Cleveland fans are die hard for a team that has been awful for I don't even know how long.

[Rennadrel]

Longer then the Leafs, that much is for sure.

[SMT12]

I was watching the leafs game the other night and noticed the refs have something on there helmet, are they gopros? o.O

[Kabuks]

Confirmed that Clarkson has a 10 game suspension and Kessel has a phone hearing at 4pm tomorrow. (or today cause its 12:18)

[BicycleMafioso]

I heard Brunner is now a Devil.

[Elgefar]

Not a bad deal for either part. Devils gets a "younger" winger for the team, and Brunner gets his multi year deal in America

[Spectral]

Hoping for Kessel to get a significant suspension as well.

edit - To be clear, Scott behaved like an embarrassing douche as well.

- - - Updated - - -

Wow! Just heard he's suspended for the remainder of preseason. Hockey really might as well just go with the Wheel-O-Penalty at this point. Being suspended for preseason is a reward!

Wheel of Justice link obligatory: http://www.nhlwheelofjustice.com/

Phil Kessel has been fined the paltry amount allowed in the CBA as a result of his actions on John Scott. In reviewing this play, we also took into consideration that Phil Kessel is a superstar.

[BicycleMafioso]

Well, John Scott did what John Scott is supposed to do. I heard from a third party that Kessel had said that Scott didn't "just jump him" but was more like "I'm coming now".

Heard from that same party that Kessel speared the guy. I think a pre-season suspension is not uncalled for. If those circumstances are true. I have no interest in the Leafs whatsoever, so I cannot comment for my own sake.

[Spectral]

I think a pre-season suspension is not uncalled for.

Oddly, I'd be 100% fine with them saying, "no suspension here, move along everyone". Suspending him for preseason is just outright hilarious.

[VanillaO]

The whole situation was fucking dumb. Pre-season game - Rolston sends out his goon with a couple minutes left after one of his players got knocked senseless by the ice in a fight he chose to be in. Carlyle tries to diffuse the situation by sending out no fighters. John Scott, (apparently) not understanding his role, tells Kessel he's coming. Kessel responds how any sane person would with a 'you've got to be shitting me' and defending himself the only way he knows how. David Clarkson facepalms the hardest of everyone involved, proving he's just as dumb (or maybe dumber) than John Scott.

@tetrisgoat: John Scott didn't do what he's supposed to do. His job as an enforcer is to protect the players on his team - not to go after other players when one of his teammates is unintentionally hurt in an accident. Enforcers don't go out to pick fights with just anyone, because they need vengeance. How pathetic does a player have to be to even TRY to fight a guy who is clearly a skill player and the best player on another team?


Realistically the whole situation could have been avoided if, when Scott drops his gloves, Kessel just turtles or skates away. Scott would get penalized, no one gets suspended for 10 games, and we move on.

[Spectral]

So, Rolston got a fine for leaving Scott in the game. That's kind of bizarre. He was in the game at the time of the incident, was left on the ice, and acted like a fool. I'm not really clear why it's the coach's responsibility to prevent that.

@tetrisgoat: John Scott didn't do what he's supposed to do. His job as an enforcer is to protect the players on his team - not to go after other players when one of his teammates is unintentionally hurt in an accident. Enforcers don't go out to pick fights with just anyone, because they need vengeance. How pathetic does a player have to be to even TRY to fight a guy who is clearly a skill player and the best player on another team?

Indeed, it's a bad look. I don't really know how else to put it. It's just stupid looking for Scott. It's not a crime against humanity or anything, he just looks like an idiot.

[Rennadrel]

It's a hilarious bunch of stupidity. Yes, Kessel slashed Scott, twice even. The first one warranted a penalty, the second one was not even close to intent to injure, he barely even hit Scott in the ankle.

[VanillaO]

The fine is for sending out his enforcer with 2 minutes left in a game he's losing with the intention of causing problems. Standard penalty is actually a 1 game suspension for the coach. Probably just a fine because it's pre-season.

[Spectral]

I can't see any possible reason that a coach should be suspended for putting a player that's on his roster on the ice.

[VanillaO]

My bad, I mis-remembered the rule. It's not a coach suspension - the player gets 1 game, and the coach gets an automatic fine.

It's the instigator rule 46.something or other if you care to look it up.

[Rennadrel]

I can't see any possible reason that a coach should be suspended for putting a player that's on his roster on the ice.

Only rookie coaches put goons on the ice with less then 2 minutes left in a game.

[Raleik]

Only rookie coaches put goons on the ice with less then 2 minutes left in a game.

There weren't less than 2 minutes left in the game. I forget the exact time, but there were more than 5 minutes remaining in the game, which means that rule 46.22 doesn't apply. Plus, Scott was on the ice before the Devane-Tropp fight, so it wasn't as if he was put on the ice solely to exact revenge. And, Toronto had last change, so if they suspected something from Scott, Carlyle really should've put a different line out there to either dissuade Scott from trying to fight, or to at least get somebody besides Kessel in the cross-hairs of a fight. I don't agree with Scott's actions by any means, but really there's zero reason for Rolston to have been fined for the situation.

[Rennadrel]

Kessel was already on the ice, you can't change once you are on and that incident happened off a draw at centre ice. Scott was put on after the Leafs had made their change.

[Raleik]

Kessel was already on the ice, you can't change once you are on and that incident happened off a draw at centre ice. Scott was put on after the Leafs had made their change.

"Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News also points out the Sabres were down forwards due to injury, and that Scott had played nearly eight-and-a-half minutes prior to the incident. Also, the Maple Leafs had the final change."

Scott was sent to the ice before the Tropp-Devane fight. Due to injuries, Scott was left in the game, he was not sent out after the fight specifically in order to start something, he was left on the ice to finish his shift. The Leafs had last change, and so could have lined anyone up against him. It wasn't possible for Scott to have been sent out there after Kessel went on the ice. The rule is the visiting team places their line-up on the ice, and then the home team can make any desired substitution unless it was an icing, which it wasn't. Carlyle was fully capable of switching things up so that Kessel wasn't lined up next to Scott. I'm not trying to defend Scott, just pointing out that Rolston didn't break any rules and shouldn't have been fined, and Carlyle could have put a different line up out there if he was worried about Scott.

[Stommped]

This is too funny. Bollig attempting to duplicate Kaner's stickhandling video: