BS: Ice Hockey 2008-09

Subject: RE: BS: Ice Hockey 2008-09
From: GUEST,JTS
Date: 25 Dec 08 - 10:08 AM

The Senator are in last place in their division this year. I don't have much hope for them all their good defensemen are gone. The Salary Cap has damaged them even more than the Penguins.

The Hurricanes are better. But this looks like San Jose's year. Joe Thornton deserves a shot at the Cup.

Subject: RE: BS: Ice Hockey 2008-09
From: wysiwyg
Date: 25 Dec 08 - 10:37 AM

Hi Jack!

I think that overall, the salary cap has done a good job of helping the league balance out the teams, but it sure has squeezed individual hockey careers into shorter timeframes and made demotions as players age pretty ugly. I think the players' assn will address that-- hope so.

BTW our local FSN is running old, classic Pens games today. Maybe other local FSNs are, too.

Also, on media-- heard ESPN is taking back hockey coverage next year.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: Ice Hockey 2008-09
From: Beer
Date: 31 Jan 09 - 10:16 AM

So the Canadians are in a slump and the Red Wings are right there as well. What else is happening?
Adrien

Subject: RE: BS: Ice Hockey 2008-09
From: bobad
Date: 31 Jan 09 - 10:20 AM

The Sens are down and out.

Subject: RE: BS: Ice Hockey 2008-09
From: wysiwyg
Date: 31 Jan 09 - 10:25 AM

The Pens are off the schneid and fun, again, to watch. Can they make a Cup run out of it? We'll see. It'll help immensely to get Gonchar off IR.

Our ECHL team is firmly ON the schneid. Last night's game-- they played like a bunch of inflatable women dancing with their prom dates.

And there's no more NHL radio as far as I can tell, only expensive TV crap on the puder. The money-grab for fans' dollars is back on, even in these economic times. And I hear ESPN is taking back the US TV coverage as soon as the Versus contract expires-- it BETTER be affordable.

~Susan

Subject: RE: BS: Ice Hockey 2008-09
From: Beer
Date: 31 Jan 09 - 10:39 AM

Susan,
I listen to all Red Wing games off the R/Wing home page. They have a radio connection.

Maybe the Pens have one as well.
adrien

Subject: RE: BS: Ice Hockey 2008-09
From: wysiwyg
Date: 31 Jan 09 - 10:51 AM

Yeah, maybe, if you can do it LIVE. What I need is the replay-later feature NHL Radio accidentally left open, so I can use Total Recorder to catch a car-MP3. The Pens site used to have a link to that--"Hear the most recent game." Gone.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: Ice Hockey 2008-09
From: Becca72
Date: 31 Jan 09 - 12:34 PM

My Caps are leading their division :-)

Subject: RE: BS: Ice Hockey 2008-09
From: wysiwyg
Date: 28 Feb 09 - 03:41 PM

I've been thinking this for some time, and wanting to say it.

First, I like Crosby. And I like it when we win.

BUT

I do not like a team being holding itself hostage financially by not making him play with who EVER they give him as a line-mate. If he is really as great as they all say he is, it should be ON HIM to make his line-mates look good.

I do not like a man of Crosby's age as Captain. Gonchar ought to be our Captain and they should name him, retroactively, now.

I do not like the awed stories of how much time Crosby spends on the ice alone "honing his skills," because I do not like to see him hot-dog those skills in a game instead of playing with his line-mates. (He looks a little too much, to me, like the kind of guitar nerd who NEVER plays with OTHERS and spends all his time alone in a room with his precious guitar.)

ANY new linemate has immediately done well with Sid because HE is making the adjustments, but then when he expects them to adjust in return, they are only mortal and it doesn't continue to go well. Stop buying pals, stop the enabling!

===

OUR GM

I do not like the job Ray Shero is doing as GM. Failing to keep guys we now have to scramble to replace, firing a coach to replace him with a clone of the same coach-- not liking this job he's doing.

===

NEW COACH

I LIKE our new coach (BTW he's a lookalike "lost-fraternal-twin" for our features broadcaster, who I think is a sportscaster-wannabe), but he's not doing a THING Therrien wasn't already doing and the Pens, obediently playing well for him, are not doing anything differently than they did with (and for) Therrien last year.

===

I LIKE it when we win but there is something really neat about this team that is not neat anymore. I think they did all this insanity to justify the bucks for the new Arena, and whenever I smell a rat it's no longer just plain fun.

~Susan