The Official MERB 2010-2011 NHL Hockey Thread

[lgna69xxx]

Leave it to Brian Burke to be the trendsetter, by getting the ball rolling a few weeks back with starting the trades which set the tone, thus leaving us all with a pretty boring trade deadline day, today.

I agree that the Caps did some good things today, as did the LA Kings in getting Dustin Penner, although at a huge cost, but if they win the Cup then all is well.

Hows this for the Leafs and ottawa on draft day 2011? Leafs have 12 and ott has 11 draft picks in this years draft. Not to shabby eh? But rumor is Burke will trade his 2 first rounders to move up in the draft, if he can find a willing partner. Continuing his word to restock the Leafs farm system like he has done since day 1 on the job, well, another possible 12 young players will certainly continue that trend. Kudos Mr. Burke.

Btw, the Leafs are now 11 points ahead of last season's totals at this same time, although i would feel much better about our playoff hopes if Reimer was 100% , and after last nights injury, nobody knows yet where he stands in that department. But clearly this orginization is headed in the right direction.

Great few weeks of NHL wheelin' n dealin' but today's Deadline Day deals lacked POP!

I loved the Caps adding Wideman and Arnott for their run. Of course what they really need is a veteran goalie to help their 2 young studs develop.

 

[evillethings]

Btw, the Leafs are now 11 points ahead of last season's totals at this same time, although i would feel much better about our playoff hopes if Reimer was 100% , and after last nights injury, nobody knows yet where he stands in that department. But clearly this orginization is headed in the right direction.

Yeah, an impressive climb towards a playoff spot.

 

[JH Fan]

Hope so JH Fan. Knowing MTL, there will be parade on Ste-Cat if the Nucks win the Cup... afterall, Luongo should've been a Hab and exHabs Higgins + Lapierre are still Canadiens Alumni. Canadiens, Canucks, same thing no?! LOL

Well I hope anyway... as our Bruins fan said (and they are quite right)... even if the Habs 'win or loose' on the first round we might even see some action outside the Bell Center.

Hey ! we just love spring out here !

 

[evillethings]

I'm trying not to get too excited for Price and the Habs... especially after that win over the #3 ranked Eastern Conf. Bolts!

Of course, I wonder if Pierre Gauthier is looking at the contracts due to expire at the end of the season... there are lots of guys who can walk. I think the cap system has forced dumb GMs out of the game or at least revealed who they are.

 

[evillethings]

Islanders Surprising

Anyone else love the resurgence of the Islanders led by Al Montoya, Andrew MacDonald, Travis Hamonic, Michael Grabner, and John Taveras?!!??

Clearly the coaching change helped a couple of mths back. However, I wonder how much of a turning point that Brent Johnson knockout punch on Rick Dipietro was... still a great 1 punch knockdown even if Rick is made of glass.

 

[evillethings]

Anyone else enjoying the Avalanche and Blues fall apart? Not sure what John the mouth Davidson has done in St.Louis since landing there, but that's clearly a franchise without direction... you could already tell a few yrs back when they signed old guy Paul Kariya and Jay McKee... where are those players now???

What about Colorado, really sad. I've read how the players apparently gave up on the coach Joe Sacco... then it'd be the GM's job to rid the team of the cancerous player(s) to right the ship. The Avs surprise me only because they showed so much promise last season when Sacco took over.

Definitely like watching a train wreck with those 2 teams!

 

[evillethings]

Chara hit on Pacioretty

Last evening's Chara check on Max Pacioretty into the stanchion near the Habs bench ... if we wanted to connect the dots, we could draw the conclusion that Chara's hit was delivered as a message to Max regarding a little shove Pacioretty gave Chara after scoring an OT goal in Jan'11 that left Big Z a little PO'ed.

[video=youtube;ow1cw8l_rm8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ow1cw8l_rm8[/video]

 

[Montreal Sex City]

HABS' PACIORETTY SUFFERS CONCUSSION, FRACTURED VERTEBRAE

It's confirmed and it's very sad.

http://www.tsn.ca/

 

[Merlot]

Hello all,

HABS' PACIORETTY SUFFERS CONCUSSION, FRACTURED VERTEBRAE

It's confirmed and it's very sad.

http://www.tsn.ca/

Yes, pray for the guy. It's truly sad to see anyone get so badly injured. As a Patriots fan I remember the Jack Tatum hit on Daryl Stingley and how his body instantly crumpled like a rag doll into neck-down paralysis. It's heart breaking to see or imagine anyone going through anything of the kind. It doesn't matter who the person is or who that person plays for or what kind of positive or negative past such a suffering person has had. It's tragic, and I pray for full recovery. I still haven't gotten over the fate of Stingley, and I offer every bit of good will and sympathy for Pacioretty to get through this and back into his previous level of health and playing form.

On the NHL ruling not to fine or suspend Chara. I'm very surprised. Two factors made a severe ruling seem inevitable. The most pertinent element by 99% was the seriousness of the injury of course. It was frightening to see the immediate aftermath, and dsiturbing to hear the medical report. Then there is the importance of the Montreal fan base to the sport and their obvious feelings about what they saw. For the NHL to make this decision the league officials must have felt very confident nothing more was warranted considering the storm they will now face. This decision took a lot of courage, especially since it would have been very easy in view of the circumstances to be more punitive.

All the best hopes and wishes for Pacioretty.

Chara hit on Pacioretty

Last evening's Chara check on Max Pacioretty into the stanchion near the Habs bench ... if we wanted to connect the dots, we could draw the conclusion that Chara's hit was delivered as a message to Max regarding a little shove Pacioretty gave Chara after scoring an OT goal in Jan'11 that left Big Z a little PO'ed.

Isn't every hit a "message". But if anyone is implying that Chara intended to inflict such severe consequences on Pacioretty then that view is far more closer to being an indication of competitive bias than truth. Chara has no record of being a thug.

Maybe the NHL is being too lenient here, but they aren't being inconsistent at least. We remember the blindside hit Matt Cooke put on Marc Savard that put him out for an extended time and never being the same for the rest of the year, and the NHL's decision not to suspend Cooke.

And for you hockey fans who love "hard play", isn't this just a predictable result. What do you expect.

Sympathies,

Merlot

 

[Techman]

That decision was total bullshit. Somehow I don't think the result would've been the same if it was Campbell's kid who went down. What has to happen before someone in the league smartens up? Does someone have to die? Chara has been after Pacioretty ever since that tiny little push after the overtime win. Is Chara that sensitive that he can't handle being touched at all and has to practically kill someone to get revenge? And after all that, the Bruins still tried to goad Suban into a fight near the end of the game. Are they just total assholes or what? Possibly destroying one young kid's career wasn't enough?

Accident my ass!!!!!

 

[JH Fan]

Chara has no record of being a thug. Merlot

Ok Merlot gimme a break ! I mean... I know how smart and intelligent you are but... Chara no thug ?

He's a big bully and a big babby cuze deep inside he can't accept loosing face which is exactly what happened here when Lindros made him fly.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AKMxEXhAjk&feature=related


And what about here ? I'm sure it was not his intention to hit Ennis in the back hey ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSVF5bZFv_w&feature=related

And ho ! look this one at 34sec....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEHhM9wGDqo&feature=related

And what about this one on 40sec. what's that ? a punch on the side of the head ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4_johidZhU&feature=related

And with Gionta ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhO66BooIGc&feature=related

And what about with Koci at 24sec. ? pushing his head hard down ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q31wY26la9U&feature=fvwrel

And here ? another of his favorite moove ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ey0-mcKTuDQ&feature=related

IRMC

 

[Techman]

If anyone wants to send a note of encouragement to Max you can do it here: http://canadiens.nhl.com/club/page.htm?id=68349

 

[Montreal Sex City]

And for you hockey fans who love "hard play", isn't this just a predictable result. What do you expect.

Sympathies,

Merlot

I was interested to see what would be the effect of the fallowing game after their last confrontation.
I didn't expect to have a normal Canadiens-Boston confrontation (my favorite as always) and all
the game was low profile kinda in some ways. I tough about it cause the last one was definetly
more of a boxe confrontation then a hockey game. There is limits after all and yes, it's all
about what are we expecting when encouraging those.

However, I like the games to be very effective and menly. Do I prefer to see them losing it and
share a few smack to each other then this, absolutely. Do I prefer to see real plays then having
them punching each other, of course. More talented the players are, more impressif the games
can get.

What I find inconcevable is that some injuries, and God knows how those are getting heavier,
or if you prefer, how we are discovering further what they are all about, will most likely just
end up for ever some carriers. No matter what will be the result of the judgement if it was
intentionnal or not, not matter if he had insurances to cover such thing, when you can't
play anymore, you can't. Not only it's a great new hope for the team gone it's a
lifetime dream gone for him and for ever !

 

[Merlot]

Ok Merlot gimme a break ! I mean... I know how smart and intelligent you are but... Chara no thug ?

He's a big bully and a big babby cuze deep inside he can't accept loosing face which is exactly what happened here when Lindros made him fly.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AKMxEXhAjk&feature=related


And what about here ? I'm sure it was not his intention to hit Ennis in the back hey ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSVF5bZFv_w&feature=related

And ho ! look this one at 34sec....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEHhM9wGDqo&feature=related

And what about this one on 40sec. what's that ? a punch on the side of the head ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4_johidZhU&feature=related

And with Gionta ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhO66BooIGc&feature=related

And what about with Koci at 24sec. ? pushing his head hard down ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q31wY26la9U&feature=fvwrel

And here ? another of his favorite moove ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ey0-mcKTuDQ&feature=related

IRMC

Hello JHF,

Okay. First, please stop trying to butter me up.

Second, let's have it your way and say Chara is a repetitive thug, and have it Techman's way by saying it was no accident. We're all agreed? Good. So what the hell is the NHL thinking. Savard got brutalized and nothing happened. Pacioretty got brutalized and nothing happened. Then I'm sure there have dozens and dozens, if not hundreds of incidents just like these. So why isn't the NHL doing something? Is the league just run by unsympathetic brutes? Are they pandering to the fans who love and continually encourage more hard play? The NHL has consistently failed in so many cases like this, so are you two saying there's a policy problem in the NHL, or is this just partisan bias against something done to YOUR player?

Remember I'm the one who doesn't like a pitcher throwing at the head for any reason, whether it's traditionally accepted as a tactic or not. And I certainly haven't followed hockey much because of the rougher style and concurrent the lack of disciplinary actions regarding medically verified concussions and other serious injuries. The thing that kills me is that the current majority of NHL fans love hard play and promote it, but whine when it happens to their players. The majority of fans are happy with hard play, but don't seem be able to connect their preferred style of play with consequences like these. Then the same kind of fans who ransack and torch sections of their own city cry over lack of penalties for serious injuries. Give ME a break!!!

I think the penalty in this case and many other cases should have been severe, regardless of intent by the player. But where do you avid hockey fans who have so often reveled in the out-muscle-and-hit-the-other-guy-harder style of play get off. You want hard play, push for it, enjoy it, but you want the perfectly predictable results of all of that punished severely??? Hypocrisy be thy name. The NHL is just listening to your wishes. If you don't like the consequences
...LOOK IN THE MIRROR!

Regarding Subban, his own reputation for cheap dirty shots seems pretty well acknowledged among hockey fans of many teams. If he wants to play it that way then stop the hypocritical whining about him being called out. Waaa!!!

Of course maybe you guys aren't hypocrites after all. Would any of you please point to a post where Montreal fans complained of a such a disturbing hit by a member of their team. Or has such a hit never happened...lol. WAITING!!!

Not only it's a great new hope for the team gone it's a
lifetime dream gone for him and for ever !

Agreed. So what do NHL fans expect when the kind of game they prefer inevitably leads to these horrendous episodes.


Merlot

 

[JH Fan]

The the same kind of fans who ransack and torch sections of their own city cry over lack of penalties for serious injuries. Give ME a break!!!
Merlot

I knew somehow you would come back with this

Take it easy Merlot ! It's just hockey.. man ! the usual stuff !
Guys get paid millions so it's normal to see some goin' down.... in any team !

 

[Jman47]

So why isn't the NHL doing something? Is the league just run by unsympathetic brutes? Are they pandering to the fans who love and continually encourage more hard play?

Give ME a break!!!

I think the penalty in this case and many other cases should have been severe, regardless of intent by the player. But where do you avid hockey fans who have so often reveled in the out-muscle-and-hit-the-other-guy-harder style of play get off. You want hard play, push for it, enjoy it, but you want the perfectly predictable results of all of that punished severely??? Hypocrisy be thy name.

The injury here is sad. I wish a speedy recovery and long career to Pacioretty. But I have to laugh at the irony and the hypocrisy of sports fans sometimes...

It's always ok...UNTIL...someone is hurt OR it happens to someone on MY team. In contact sports...its part of the game...period.

To me it just looked like this guy was in the wrong place on the ice at the wrong time.

 

[Techman]

Agreed. So what do NHL fans expect when the kind of game they prefer
inevitably leads to these horrendous episodes.


Merlot

If I want to see people trying to kill each other, I'll go watch the UFC. I enjoy a hard hitting, hard played, skillful hockey game. I stopped following hockey for years during the clutch and grab era. When they changed the rules and removed the redline, I started following it again. Now all I see is a game where the guy in charge of discipline has a son playing for one of the teams, the Boston Bruins in fact. Because of that, this person did not make the judgement handed down today, his flunky did it. Is it a big surprise that a player on the same team as his boss's son didn't get even a slap on the wrist? No conflict of interest there. Chara almost killed someone on the ice and gets nothing, but Sean Avery gets tossed out for the season for making a rude comment about an ex-gf. Now I'm not a fan of Avery in any way, but isn't there something wrong with this picture?

And I think that the statement released by Les Canadiens was sad and gutless. How about they stand behind their players and make a strong statement? Ooooh they might get fined! Big fucking deal! The fine wouldn't even amount to the profit they pull in on beer and hotdogs during one period of one hockey game!

As far as Suban is concerned, how come everyone calls him disrespectful for what the says ON THE ICE, when a Bruins rookie, Marchand, can disrespect the Habs from the dressing room to the press and no one says a word? What do the Habs have to do to get justice? Do they have to teach Georges St-Pierre to play hockey and dress him for the next game?

I don't want to see any player on any team die on the ice or even get carried off the ice on a stretcher as the result of a cheap hit or any other reason. But if you could guarantee exactly that, you could probably sell out every arena in the US for every game. Well that's not the game I want to watch and I am not that kind of fan. I hope that Max gets a good lawyer and sues Chara's ass off. There is more than enough proof that Chara was looking for revenge for what was basically a love tap three games ago to get a judgement in civil court.

In the meantime, I hope that on the 24th, the Habs go back to Boston and kick the Bruins ass where it really counts. On the scoreboard.

 

[Merlot]

Hello all,

Now all I see is a game where the guy in charge of discipline has a son playing for one of the teams, the Boston Bruins in fact. Because of that, this person did not make the judgement handed down today, his flunky did it. Is it a big surprise that a player on the same team as his boss's son didn't get even a slap on the wrist?

If true it stinks to high heaven. But let's not act like the Canadiens are the only victims. Bruins and others teams with players being equally seriously injured have been similarly victimized without consequences to the attacker many times.

Regarding Subban or any other hockey player, who cares about words. The problem with him is his frequent habit of hitting from one's back, but backing down from one's front.

Take it easy Merlot ! It's just hockey.. man ! the usual stuff !
Guys get paid millions so it's normal to see some goin' down.... in any team !

As someone once said: "isn't that special". This is just PERFECT! You infer this episode is just "normal", and you indicate it's not the life-threatening injury that matters, because what the hell, he gets "paid millions" to take this risk. Ohhhhhh, it's because it was a player on the wrong team. So what was the basis for all this crying...errr...I mean complaining? Just partisanship.

Some of you hockey fans remind me of a scene from the movie "The Quick and The Dead" where a guy challenges someone to a gun fight he doesn't think will fight back, says he will kill the opponent, then complains when the opponent shoots him first.

Hilarious,

Merlot

 

[JH Fan]

Hello all,



If true it stinks to high heaven. But let's not act like the Canadiens are the only victims. Bruins and others teams with players being equally seriously injured have been similarly victimized without consequences to the attacker many times.

Regarding Subban or any other hockey player, who cares about words. The problem with him is his frequent habit of hitting from one's back, but backing down from one's front.



As someone once said: "isn't that special". This is just PERFECT! You infer this episode is just "normal", and you indicate it's not the life-threatening injury that matters, because what the hell, he gets "paid millions" to take this risk. Ohhhhhh, it's because it was a player on the wrong team. So what was the basis for all this crying...errr...I mean complaining? Just partisanship.

Some of you hockey fans remind me of a scene from the movie "The Quick and The Dead" where a guy challenges someone to a gun fight he doesn't think will fight back, says he will kill the opponent, then complains when the opponent shoots him first.

Hilarious,

Merlot

Woh ! calm down mon petit Merlot
I basically showed that Chara's no angel !

Crying ? complaining ? Hardly ever !

BTW Luv the 'Butter me up' expression !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJKND7Y6Xg4&feature=related

 

[Techman]

Merlot, no one said hockey was or can be perfect. I find some things that happen to be disgusting and some things to be very hypocritical. Like Mario Lemieux complaining about Crosby getting hit but he says nothing about any thing else that happens. Not to mention that he has one of the dirtiest players in the game, Cooke, on his payroll. And why all of a sudden, do players who lay out an opponent with a totally clean and legal hit in the middle of the ice always seem to have to defend themselves from some goon lately?

The game has changed. Players are bigger and faster but the rink is still the same size. They wear enough armour to protect them from a shotgun blast but which is hard enough to decapitate an opposing player. But the rules to protect the players have not kept up with the game and those in charge of enforcing the rules seem to have their collective heads up their asses. Chara was let off partly because he has never been suspended before, which is wrong by the way. And the next time something happens and he almost kills someone, they can use the same excuse because he wasn't suspended this time either.

If someone doesn't take a stand, maybe the next time we have a discussion like this will be because someone HAS been killed on the ice. And when that happens, everyone will be talking about how the NHL missed so many chances to make a definitive statement and put a stop to things. In the meantime, Bettman is too interested in keeping teams in markets with no fans than in opening his eyes to what is happening in the game. I don't know about you, but I have no interest at all in seeing some 22 year old kid lose his life playing a game he loves.