2023-24 NHL Season Thread.

[Zeoni]

1987 - 2007 all of our first draft picks were either used to pickup shit or traded soon after for shit. If you want to praise our scouting staff, you're going to embarrass yourself. The team motto is (for the most part) size over skill.

Truculence! I know of it well.

[Nazrark]

That facility looks pretty sweet... jeez. I'm weirdly jealous of the natural light. The gym I go to is in the middle of the city, so barely any light gets in because of tall buildings :/

The Bell Centre is surrounded by tall buildings on three sides. It's a pretty great facility. I was able to go on tour there with some other Habs fans when the GM at the time (Gainey) learned a bunch of us came from Manitoba to watch the game. Which there was around 40 of us.

[VanillaO]

Oh - I assumed their practice facility was not at the same spot as the arena. Stupid spoiled Toronto..

[Nazrark]

Oh - I assumed their practice facility was not at the same spot as the arena. Stupid spoiled Toronto..

It is a smaller rink attached to the Bell Centre. But it is all in one place. The practice rink the Jets is at the MTS Iceplex which is about a 10-15 minute drive (depending on the traffic) to the Phonebooth. It has 4 rinks and is used for provincial tournaments all the time. But it also has a gym, pool and the such as well.

[Rennadrel]

Well many ice hockey professionals in Finland consider him as the best Finnish ice hockey player at the moment. Yes, that includes players like Mikko Koivu, Mikael Granlund, Jussi Jokinen etc.

He isn't the best ice hockey player in the world, but it's an abomination to even compare someone like Kadri to him.

Consider for a moment how many great hockey players have come out of Canada and how many have come out of Finland. Most Finnish hockey players will never see the NHL because they just aren't good enough. Anyone remember the last big European hockey free agent that came over because he wasn't drafted? Touted as being as good as Ed Belfour or Curtis Joseph as a butterfly style goalie, Jonas Gustavsson had one decent year with the Leafs on a mediocre team and has not exactly been the greatest thing since sliced bread since he came here. And there was a guy before who was highly touted by European scouts as being really good and he wound up being shit in the NHL.

See, it's hard to be a great hockey player when you are Canadian because there is a plethora of talent that has and continues to come out of this country. It's not hard to be perceived as being a great Finnish player because the list of great players to ever come out of that country is incredibly small. Also, it's not hard to be perceived as a great hockey player when the competition isn't exactly the top tier. Put any of these Finnish stars through the Canadian hockey system and see if they even get drafted into junior hockey. The competition is tough and there is a reason why we as a country and the NHL as a league, are the best. The best players play in the best league and the majority hail from the country that has been producing them for over 100 years.

By all accounts Nazem Kadri is a good Canadian hockey player who hasn't even hit his full stride yet. He has more NHL games played in the NHL and more on North American ice then Kontiola has while being 6 years younger. What makes you think that a 29 year old can learn to play in our league and be as good as or better then someone who has yet to show his true peak as a pro hockey player at 23? Until he steps on the ice in the NHL, Kontiola is a crap shoot of a signing.

[Stommped]

How the fuck have you guys spent 3 pages talking about this random 1 yr deal for the Finnish player? No one thinks talking about if Legwand can replace Spezza is more important? We might just need two threads: NHL Thread and Maple Leafs thread.

[Tradewind]

How the fuck have you guys spent 3 pages talking about this random 1 yr deal for the Finnish player? No one thinks talking about if Legwand can replace Spezza is more important? We might just need two threads: NHL Thread and Maple Leafs thread.

Now you know what watching TSN is like! You are now 5.7% more Canadian!

[draynay]

How the fuck have you guys spent 3 pages talking about this random 1 yr deal for the Finnish player? No one thinks talking about if Legwand can replace Spezza is more important? We might just need two threads: NHL Thread and Maple Leafs thread.

need a Finland thread apparently

[Zeoni]

How the fuck have you guys spent 3 pages talking about this random 1 yr deal for the Finnish player? No one thinks talking about if Legwand can replace Spezza is more important? We might just need two threads: NHL Thread and Maple Leafs thread.

Who cares, Senators are boring and are gonna suck dick next year. If Anderson is shit or gets injured they're almost shoe ins for McDavid

[Puupi]

How the fuck have you guys spent 3 pages talking about this random 1 yr deal for the Finnish player? No one thinks talking about if Legwand can replace Spezza is more important? We might just need two threads: NHL Thread and Maple Leafs thread.

Well it's a contract, which many of us Finns have been waiting for years. "Why oh why isn't he in NHL?" people have been crying. Reporters always ask him about NHL and now the thing is happening! Who gives a fuck about "Legwand replacing Spezza". The organization is in a total mess, that question is a totally secondary matter. First they need to fill their roster.

*snip*

Yeah Finland is a small country with limited amount of players and talent. But that also leads to the fact that people know these players a lot better than someone being just another random Canadian average talented forward.

Nevertheless, I'm done speaking for Kontiola. It's just sad that even Toronto fans don't understand what kind of jewel they got. Well, ignorance is bliss I guess.

- - - Updated - - -

http://nypost.com/2014/07/04/wayne-gretzky-vying-for-nhl-team-in-seattle/

I wonder if this is going to happen anytime soon...

[Epuration]

http://nypost.com/2014/07/04/wayne-g...am-in-seattle/

I wonder if this is going to happen anytime soon...

http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2...omment-page-1/
I would put money on this happening first.

[Shaani]

- - - Updated - - -

http://nypost.com/2014/07/04/wayne-g...am-in-seattle/

I wonder if this is going to happen anytime soon...

Not sure, Canadian Press published this:

N.Y. - Wayne Gretzky's agent is denying a report that the Great One is trying to bring an NHL team to Seattle.

The New York Post reported Friday that Gretzky is part of a group of investors working on a deal to bring either a new or existing franchise to the city.

Darren Blake, Gretzky's agent, told The Canadian Press in an email that the 53-year-old Hall of Famer isn't involved in any bid.
[...]
There would be significant hurdles to clear if Seattle were to host an NHL franchise, starting with the lack of an arena.
[...]
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has also said the league isn't interested in expansion, meaning any prospective investors would need a team to relocate.

Source: http://www.thehockeynews.com/article...o-Seattle.html

[Greeney]

How the fuck have you guys spent 3 pages talking about this random 1 yr deal for the Finnish player? No one thinks talking about if Legwand can replace Spezza is more important? We might just need two threads: NHL Thread and Maple Leafs thread.

Not a chance, but even if he did replace Spezza they're still one of the least impressive rosters in the league.

[Rennadrel]

Ottawa will once again be at the bottom of the barrel this season. It's so hilarious how people want to play there less then they do in Toronto.

[Nazrark]

It has to be Murray that is doing that to players.

[Rennadrel]

Ottawa is such a fairweather fan city though, when their fans get outnumbered by Toronto fans in their own building and they apparently operate on a considerably lower budget then any other Canadian hockey team. It's no wonder no one wants to play there, they are still very much a weak hockey market. Dare I say that if they can't break even year to year and are incapable of properly building a team, is it possible that the team gets moved?

[Shaani]

Some days ago I noticed this documentation and finally took the time to watch it earlier today.
It's 46 minutes long but well worth watching.
It shows how the flood devastated the Saddledome and how things got fixed again in such a short time.
It's a really emotional documentation.

[Zeoni]

That flood was the best thing to happen to my company, we made so much fuckin' money last year because of it

[Tradewind]

That flood was the best thing to happen to my company, we made so much fuckin' money last year because of it

I got a week off work That shit was insane all over though.

That said, despite the amazing work fixing up the dome, I can't wait til Murray/Alvin/etc. put up for a new arena. Bet it'll get done before Edmonton gets theirs lol.

Nenshi is also a fuckin boss.

[Zeoni]

I got a week off work That shit was insane all over though.

That said, despite the amazing work fixing up the dome, I can't wait til Murray/Alvin/etc. put up for a new arena. Bet it'll get done before Edmonton gets theirs lol.

Nenshi is also a fuckin boss.

Nenshi is an awful mayor the only reason he got reelected is because of the flood lol.

Anyways, you been down to Winsport at all? Dev Camp started, Gaudreau is incredible in person my god. Bennett made a couple really nice plays and validated my excitement for him. Unfortunately Jankowski and Poirier were injured or something.