Hockey

[shadows]

Originally Posted by ila

It should be interesting. The site is near a war zone. Having said that though I would like to be able to attend those games. The Caucasus is a very interesting area and the scenery I've heard is something else.

I would also have loved to be able to go, but not just for the Olympics or scenery. I have a friend that lives there, but we have lost touch. I am worried that something may have happened, but it is not like I can check and see since it is so far away(unless I get Sarah Palin to strain her peepers and check it out for me).

[ila]

Originally Posted by shadows

I would also have loved to be able to go, but not just for the Olympics or scenery. I have a friend that lives there, but we have lost touch. I am worried that something may have happened, but it is not like I can check and see since it is so far away(unless I get Sarah Palin to strain her peepers and check it out for me).

Sarah can only see Russia from her home.

[shadows]

Originally Posted by ila

Sarah can only see Russia from her home.

She got an upgrade.

[dauls]

Originally Posted by ila

I saw a documentary not too long ago about the doping that used to happen to the East German women. A lot of the women who were given drugs were interviewed. The doping on them started when they were still in their early teens and were injected by their coaches, doctors, etc. They were told not to worry because everything was okay. As it turned out everything was not okay and these women are still paying the price in health problems to this very day.

The East Germans were a crafty bunch. Stasi files give details of all the athletes doped and all those that failed the secret doping tests that were performed inside East Germany. Any athlete testing positive was refused permission to travel to overseas competition, and all failed results were hidden from the IAAF and the IOC.

Because of this only one East German athlete failed a doping test in competition, Ilona Slupianek, a shot putter from the Berlin Dynamo Club, was stripped of her gold medal after testing positive for steroids at the European Cup in 1977.


Heidi Krieger:

Heidi was an East German shot putter who was invited to the prestigious Dynamo Sports Club and Boarding School in East Berlin at age thirteen in 1979. Soon after arriving the coaches started giving her bright blue pills that they told her and her parents were vitamins.

Almost immediately, her body began to change, her muscles expanded and her face, nose and hands started to enlarge. Her mood also went haywire (depression, aggression, etc.), hair sprouted across her stomach and face, her voice became deeper and her libido swung violently.

Coaches again said they were a side effects of the extra training and would be short-lived. Anyone who voiced doubts or concerns was told that they would be punished if they persisted with questioning the wisdom of their coaches.

The daily dose of pills was gradually increased and 'glucose' injections were given.

At age 20 in 1986 she won gold at the European Championships, but she was unable to cope with crippling mood swings and chronic pain. She retired in 1990.

In 1997 Heidi underwent Sex Reassignment Surgery and changed her name to Andreas.

Although Andreas Krieger's unease over his sexual identity pre-dated the doping programme, he says that the androgenic abuse left him with little choice but to have a sex-change operation. "I had no sympathy with my body, it had changed beyond all recognition," he says. "It was as though they had killed Heidi. Becoming Andreas was the next logical step."

He then hoped for justice against those who had wreaked havoc with his life. In May 2002, H?ppner and Ewald, the masterminds of the doping programme, were brought before a court in Berlin to face charges of actual bodily harm. More than 140 athletes testified. H?ppner and Ewald were found guilty but only received sentences of 22 months (suspended) and 18 months probation. Krieger was happy with the verdict, but not the lenient sentences.

At the hearing Andreas met Ute Krause (a talented female swimmer) who also testified. They have since married and they help each other cope with the depression, etc. that resulted from their doping during the 1980s.

Other East German athletes whose lives were wrecked by doping

George Sievers: Collapsed and died, aged 16, at poolside in 1973 while training. His parents were not given access to the autopsy report. Documents uncovered after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 revealed that his death was probably caused by a ruptured heart from steroid overloads.

Catherine Menschner: Had to retire early from swimming because of complications from steroid injections. She suffered permanent damage to her spine and reproductive organs.

Birgit Heukrodt: A swimming champion who was diagnosed with a liver tumour in 1993. She became a renowned surgeon.

Christiane Knacke-Sommer: The swimmer, testifying at the trial of sports doctors and coaches in 2000, pointed at the defendants, shouting: ?They destroyed my body and my mind. They even poisoned my medal.? She then threw the bronze medal she had won in the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow to the floor.

Rica Reinisch: Won three swimming gold medals at the Moscow Olympics in 1980, quit the sport in 1982 and was diagnosed with ovarian cysts because of high levels of testosterone in her system. She suffered several miscarriages.

* Excerpts pinched from a Times Online article based on an interview by Matthew Syed (journalist, commentator and two-time GB Olympic competitor).

[smc]

Originally Posted by shadows

The difference(if Thomas ends up being in net for Boston, that is) is that Thomas is rested as he never played in net for the US, while Halak played in net for Slovakia. So Thomas should theoretically be more rested for tonight's game.

Toronto has Carolina tonight. Oh boy! That should be a real humdinger.

And what's the matter, smc? Didn't you like the taste of my poutine?

I went to the game. Got last-minute tickets. It was Rask in the net, and he did a great job until the 3rd period. Habs 4-1.

Best part of the night, though, other than the drinking binge at pub after the game, was the subway ride in. At one stop, about 15 Habs fans got on. I started speaking French to them, so they thought I was a Bostonian Canadiens fan. We talked for a few minutes, I shared my support for Team Canada in the Olympics, and then I hit them with a zinger: "Your Habs will be crushed tonight." And I used Quebecois slang. You should have seen the looks on their faces. Priceless.

Too bad I was SO, SO wrong.

[shadows]

Originally Posted by smc

I went to the game. Got last-minute tickets. It was Rask in the net, and he did a great job until the 3rd period. Habs 4-1.

Best part of the night, though, other than the drinking binge at pub after the game, was the subway ride in. At one stop, about 15 Habs fans got on. I started speaking French to them, so they thought I was a Bostonian Canadiens fan. We talked for a few minutes, I shared my support for Team Canada in the Olympics, and then I hit them with a zinger: "Your Habs will be crushed tonight." And I used Quebecois slang. You should have seen the looks on their faces. Priceless.

Too bad I was SO, SO wrong.

They were probably hoping to see you on the subway ride back, so they could laugh hardily at you.

[shadows]

Originally Posted by dauls

The East Germans were a crafty bunch. Stasi files give details of all the athletes doped and all those that failed the secret doping tests that were performed inside East Germany. Any athlete testing positive was refused permission to travel to overseas competition, and all failed results were hidden from the IAAF and the IOC.

Because of this only one East German athlete failed a doping test in competition, Ilona Slupianek, a shot putter from the Berlin Dynamo Club, was stripped of her gold medal after testing positive for steroids at the European Cup in 1977.


Heidi Krieger:

Heidi was an East German shot putter who was invited to the prestigious Dynamo Sports Club and Boarding School in East Berlin at age thirteen in 1979. Soon after arriving the coaches started giving her bright blue pills that they told her and her parents were vitamins.

Almost immediately, her body began to change, her muscles expanded and her face, nose and hands started to enlarge. Her mood also went haywire (depression, aggression, etc.), hair sprouted across her stomach and face, her voice became deeper and her libido swung violently.

Coaches again said they were a side effects of the extra training and would be short-lived. Anyone who voiced doubts or concerns was told that they would be punished if they persisted with questioning the wisdom of their coaches.

The daily dose of pills was gradually increased and 'glucose' injections were given.

At age 20 in 1986 she won gold at the European Championships, but she was unable to cope with crippling mood swings and chronic pain. She retired in 1990.

In 1997 Heidi underwent Sex Reassignment Surgery and changed her name to Andreas.

Although Andreas Krieger's unease over his sexual identity pre-dated the doping programme, he says that the androgenic abuse left him with little choice but to have a sex-change operation. "I had no sympathy with my body, it had changed beyond all recognition," he says. "It was as though they had killed Heidi. Becoming Andreas was the next logical step."

He then hoped for justice against those who had wreaked havoc with his life. In May 2002, H?ppner and Ewald, the masterminds of the doping programme, were brought before a court in Berlin to face charges of actual bodily harm. More than 140 athletes testified. H?ppner and Ewald were found guilty but only received sentences of 22 months (suspended) and 18 months probation. Krieger was happy with the verdict, but not the lenient sentences.

At the hearing Andreas met Ute Krause (a talented female swimmer) who also testified. They have since married and they help each other cope with the depression, etc. that resulted from their doping during the 1980s.

Other East German athletes whose lives were wrecked by doping

George Sievers: Collapsed and died, aged 16, at poolside in 1973 while training. His parents were not given access to the autopsy report. Documents uncovered after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 revealed that his death was probably caused by a ruptured heart from steroid overloads.

Catherine Menschner: Had to retire early from swimming because of complications from steroid injections. She suffered permanent damage to her spine and reproductive organs.

Birgit Heukrodt: A swimming champion who was diagnosed with a liver tumour in 1993. She became a renowned surgeon.

Christiane Knacke-Sommer: The swimmer, testifying at the trial of sports doctors and coaches in 2000, pointed at the defendants, shouting: ?They destroyed my body and my mind. They even poisoned my medal.? She then threw the bronze medal she had won in the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow to the floor.

Rica Reinisch: Won three swimming gold medals at the Moscow Olympics in 1980, quit the sport in 1982 and was diagnosed with ovarian cysts because of high levels of testosterone in her system. She suffered several miscarriages.

* Excerpts pinched from a Times Online article based on an interview by Matthew Syed (journalist, commentator and two-time GB Olympic competitor).

Thanks for the article, dauls. It shows some of the true victims in all of this.

[smc]

Originally Posted by shadows

They were probably hoping to see you on the subway ride back, so they could laugh hardily at you.

Yeah, if I were lucky. Remember, they were from Montreal, and St-Laurent to boot. So they -- women first -- probably would've kicked my English-is-my-native-tongue, Bruins-loving ass!

[shadows]

Originally Posted by smc

Yeah, if I were lucky. Remember, they were from Montreal, and St-Laurent to boot. So they -- women first -- probably would've kicked my English-is-my-native-tongue, Bruins-loving ass!

Or offered you poutine.

[ila]

Originally Posted by smc

Yeah, if I were lucky. Remember, they were from Montreal, and St-Laurent to boot. So they -- women first -- probably would've kicked my English-is-my-native-tongue, Bruins-loving ass!

I rather think they would have bought you a beer. The French Canadians are very hospitable and when you speak Quebecois to them you will be treated like a true friend regardless of your team affiliation.

I have very many good Quebecois friends. They always appreciated my efforts to speak French even with my heavy maudit anglais accent.

BTW, smc, the more beer one has the better one gets when speaking a non-mother tongue language. At least I always thought so after having several beer with good friends.

[ila]

Originally Posted by shadows

Thanks for the article, dauls. It shows some of the true victims in all of this.

I echo shadows words on this, dauls. Thankyou very much.

[smc]

Originally Posted by ila

I rather think they would have bought you a beer. The French Canadians are very hospitable and when you speak Quebecois to them you will be treated like a true friend regardless of your team affiliation.

I have very many good Quebecois friends. They always appreciated my efforts to speak French even with my heavy maudit anglais accent.

BTW, smc, the more beer one has the better one gets when speaking a non-mother tongue language. At least I always thought so after having several beer with good friends.

Thanks, ila. I do pretty damn well without beer, too.

I was really joking about getting my ass kicked. I have a great time whenever I'm in Quebec, where the appreciation for my speaking French is even greater than in France (because of the whole national minority thing).

[GRH]

Well, my Canadiennes won on Saturday night against LA. And then I caught part of the Detroit vs. Chicago match on Sunday on NBC...A match which ended up being a pretty close game.

[shadows]

Originally Posted by GRH

Well, my Canadiennes won on Saturday night against LA. And then I caught part of the Detroit vs. Chicago match on Sunday on NBC...A match which ended up being a pretty close game.

And they won last night against Anaheim! They were down 3-0 and ended up winning 4-3 in the shootout. They are getting hot at just the right time.

Detroit almost blew that game against Chicago! Ladd had a hat trick.

[shadows]

Only two games of hockey on last night.

1. Dallas beat Washington 4-3 in the shootout. Washington outshot Dallas 52-27, but could not pull away with the victory. Washington had a 2-0 lead and then Dallas scored 3 goals in a row. The Capitals tied it up late in the game to send it to overtime. Nothing was resolved in OT, and Dallas got 2-5 in the shootout to win.

2. LA beat Columbus 6-0. What a freaking ugly game! LA outshot Columbus 35-11 and it was never in doubt. Alexander Frolov had a goal and 3 assists for the Kings. Mike Blunden of Columbus got a 5 minute major for Checking From Behind and also received a Game Misconduct.

[dauls]

Looks like the Devils are doing their best to miss the playoffs this season. The Devils have dropped 5 points behind the Penguins and are only 12 points above the 9th place Rangers.

On Sunday the Devils were shutout 2-0 by the NHL's 'worst' team, the Oilers, and that's bad enough. But Brodeur was named one of the game's three star players and the Devils were out-shot 35-22.

I thought the signing of Ilya Kovalchuk was meant to strengthen the Devils' offence.

Jacques Lemaire added, "the Devils weren't focused." "We simply went through the motions against a team that doesn't win a lot of games." "The Devils didn't put in the work that is needed for a win."

Next up, the Devils host the Rangers on Wednesday...

[smc]

Originally Posted by dauls

Looks like the Devils are doing their best to miss the playoffs this season.

dauls, your post makes me wonder: Why is there a hockey team in New Jersey? No wait, that's not exactly my question. What I really want to know is: Why is there a New Jersey?

Of course, the poor play of the Devils could be due to one of the two main features of New Jersey: air pollution and political corruption. Perhaps the players are breathing the air of all the chemical plants near Newark, or perhaps the team is being paid to lose as part of some statewide gambling ring among elected officials. Of course, I'm pretty sure they could just lose on their own.

[shadows]

Here are the scores from March 9th's games:

1. Toronto beat Boston 4-3 in overtime. Toronto finally won a game! In overtime! I am honestly shocked. Pleased that they finally won, but wished that it didn't happen to a team that a friend is rooting for and is fighting for a playoff spot(something the Leafs stopped doing about 20 games into the season).

2. Nashville beat Atlanta 2-1. I don't think I could care any less about this game than I already do.

3. Calgary beat Detroit 4-2. This is Calgary's third win in a row, and with the victory they leap over Detroit and take back 8th place(and kick Detroit into ninth).

4. Philadelphia beat the Islanders 3-2. The Flyers came back from a 2-0 deficit and got the much needed 2 points.

5. Montreal beat Tampa Bay 5-3. Montreal is playing some good hockey right now and Scott Gomez is continuing his stellar play of late. He had a goal and two assists in the contest. Steve Stamkos scored his 41st goal of the season(not bad for this being only his second season in the NHL).

6. Florida beat Minnesota 3-2 in a shootout. I thought I could not care any less about a game than I did with the Nashville/Atlanta game, but it looks like I was mistaken.

7. Vancouver beat Colorado 6-4. Vancouver stormed back in this one! They were down 4-1 at one point(and I thought that Luongo was going to get pulled again) but they never looked back. They scored the next 5 goals! Samuelsson had a hat-trick on Vancouver's first 3 goals scored, Daniel Sedin had a goal and 2 assists and Henrik Sedin had 3 assists.

8. Ottawa beat Edmonton 4-1. It was close for a while with the two teams being knotted at one goal apiece, but the wheels fell off in the third for the Oilers.

9. Columbus beat Anaheim 5-2. Columbus bounced back from their horrible game the night before against LA. Rick Nash did not play in this game, and is listed as having a "lower body" injury.

[Captn Sacto]

If you watched the game, what did you do between periods?

Check this link out


http://www.patspapers.com/blog/item/...l_hockey_game/

[smc]

Originally Posted by shadows

Here are the scores from March 9th's games:

1. Toronto beat Boston 4-3 in overtime. Toronto finally won a game! In overtime! I am honestly shocked. Pleased that they finally won, but wished that it didn't happen to a team that a friend is rooting for and is fighting for a playoff spot(something the Leafs stopped doing about 20 games into the season).

Thanks, friend, for the sentiment, and I'm glad to see your sorry team win for a change. But let's not get a head of ourselves. The Bruins may be stumbling, accidentally, into a playoff spot, but "fighting"? I mean, really, "fighting"?

[ila]

Originally Posted by shadows

5. Montreal beat Tampa Bay 5-3. Montreal is playing some good hockey right now and Scott Gomez is continuing his stellar play of late. He had a goal and two assists in the contest. Steve Stamkos scored his 41st goal of the season(not bad for this being only his second season in the NHL).

The Olympics break was good for Montreal. They again have the desire to win. Now hopefully they will keep on winning and return Lord Stanley's cup to its proper home.

[smc]

Originally Posted by ila

The Olympics break was good for Montreal. They again have the desire to win. Now hopefully they will keep on winning and return Lord Stanley's cup to its proper home.

I assume you mean Canada, but to be precise wouldn't the "proper home" for Lord Stanley's Cup be Ottawa?

[shadows]

Originally Posted by smc

Thanks, friend, for the sentiment, and I'm glad to see your sorry team win for a change. But let's not get a head of ourselves. The Bruins may be stumbling, accidentally, into a playoff spot, but "fighting"? I mean, really, "fighting"?

There will be some fighting going on during March 18th's game. I imagine that Cooke will be getting some teeth knocked out by either Chara or Lucic since Colin Campbell certainly showed his lack of balls again by not giving Cooke a suspension for his blindside hit on Savard. For crying out loud, even Lecavalier and St. Louis thought he should have been suspended! If your peers are disgusted by it, why the hell isn't the person in charge of discipline? Enjoy your smile Cooke, as it won't be the same after that game!

[shadows]

Originally Posted by smc

I assume you mean Canada, but to be precise wouldn't the "proper home" for Lord Stanley's Cup be Ottawa?

Blasphemy!

[smc]

Originally Posted by shadows

There will be some fighting going on during March 18th's game. I imagine that Cooke will be getting some teeth knocked out by either Chara or Lucic since Colin Campbell certainly showed his lack of balls again by not giving Cooke a suspension for his blindside hit on Savard. For crying out loud, even Lecavalier and St. Louis thought he should have been suspended! If your peers are disgusted by it, why the hell isn't the person in charge of discipline? Enjoy your smile Cooke, as it won't be the same after that game!

I think you may be right about Cooke, but who says you can't smile without teeth?

[shadows]

Originally Posted by smc

I think you may be right about Cooke, but who says you can't smile without teeth?

Losing his chicklets will be the least of his concerns.

[transjen]

Originally Posted by shadows

4. Philadelphia beat the Islanders 3-2. The Flyers came back from a 2-0 deficit and got the much needed 2 points.

Geee it's been so long that i have gotten how to do the happy dance
Jerseygirl Jen

[shadows]

Originally Posted by transjen

Geee it's been so long that i have gotten how to do the happy dance
Jerseygirl Jen

The Flyers are actually doing quite well lately. They can even get home-ice advantage if they continue to play well.

[transjen]

I dout the Flyers get past the first round
Jerseygirl Jen

[smc]

Originally Posted by transjen

I dout the Flyers get past the first round
Jerseygirl Jen

Hey, don't be so cynical. I doubt my Bruins even make it into the first round!

[transjen]

To me getting bounced in the first round is the same as not making it in
Jerseygirl Jen

SJ Sharks baby! They disappoint every year in the playoffs, but I love em anyway

[ila]

Originally Posted by smc

I assume you mean Canada, but to be precise wouldn't the "proper home" for Lord Stanley's Cup be Ottawa?

Nope, I meant that the break was good for Montreal. They are playing better now than before the Olympics.

The proper home for the Stanley Cup is Montreal. It's been there more often than anywhere else and has stayed in Montreal for longer at any one time than anywhere else.

[shadows]

Originally Posted by transjen

To me getting bounced in the first round is the same as not making it in
Jerseygirl Jen

At least your team wasn't eliminated immediately after pre-season....darned Leafs.

[shadows]

Here are the scores from March 10th's games:

1. Buffalo beat Dallas 5-3. Both goalies looked shaky early on, but Dallas just couldn't put any more pressure on Miller. Dallas only ended up with 20 shots on net while the Sabres had 43. Tomas Vanek scored his 20th goal of the season in this game. It is hard to believe he had so many last season yet only has 20(so far) this year. Talk about a dive in production!

2. New Jersey beat the Rangers 6-3. This was a see-saw battle at the start(leads kept on being given up) and the game was tied 3-3 at one point. Then the wheels fell off for the Rangers. The Rangers managed 3 goals off 19 shots, so it looks like Brodeur wasn't sharp either.
I am not sure how true this is, but Travis Zajac(a Centre on the Devil's) said "I think our top three lines are the best in the league. I'd put us up against anyone." Considering the play of the Devils in the past month or two, I wouldn't necessarily believe what he says. What do Devils fans think about his comment?

3. Washington beat Carolina 4-3 in overtime. Another game where no lead was safe.

4. Chicago beat LA 3-2 in overtime. Patrick Sharp got his 20th and 21st goals of the season. There are a lot of good young players on both teams. I feel that this would be a really fun playoff series to watch! I wonder if they will end up meeting each other this year? I hope so.

5. Phoenix beat Vancouver 4-3 in the shootout. Both teams scored 3 times in the shootout, but Bryzgalov prevented the shootout from going another round by deflecting Mason Raymond's shot up and over the net.

[smc]

Originally Posted by ila

Nope, I meant that the break was good for Montreal. They are playing better now than before the Olympics.

The proper home for the Stanley Cup is Montreal. It's been there more often than anywhere else and has stayed in Montreal for longer at any one time than anywhere else.

I was being sarcastic. After all, didn't Lord Stanley ultimately reside in Ottawa?

[smc]

Originally Posted by shadows

Here are the scores from March 10th's games:

1. Buffalo beat Dallas 5-3. Both goalies looked shaky early on, but Dallas just couldn't put any more pressure on Miller. Dallas only ended up with 20 shots on net while the Sabres had 43. Tomas Vanek scored his 20th goal of the season in this game. It is hard to believe he had so many last season yet only has 20(so far) this year. Talk about a dive in production!

2. New Jersey beat the Rangers 6-3. This was a see-saw battle at the start(leads kept on being given up) and the game was tied 3-3 at one point. Then the wheels fell off for the Rangers. The Rangers managed 3 goals off 19 shots, so it looks like Brodeur wasn't sharp either.
I am not sure how true this is, but Travis Zajac(a Centre on the Devil's) said "I think our top three lines are the best in the league. I'd put us up against anyone." Considering the play of the Devils in the past month or two, I wouldn't necessarily believe what he says. What do Devils fans think about his comment?

3. Washington beat Carolina 4-3 in overtime. Another game where no lead was safe.

4. Chicago beat LA 3-2 in overtime. Patrick Sharp got his 20th and 21st goals of the season. There are a lot of good young players on both teams. I feel that this would be a really fun playoff series to watch! I wonder if they will end up meeting each other this year? I hope so.

5. Phoenix beat Vancouver 4-3 in the shootout. Both teams scored 3 times in the shootout, but Bryzgalov prevented the shootout from going another round by deflecting Mason Raymond's shot up and over the net.

Perhaps I am just in a surly mood this evening after drinking too much and staying up too late, but I would just like to reiterate that there should not be NHL teams in places like Phoenix or Carolina or Washington or Dallas (to name only those in shadows' post). And let me add San Jose, for good measure. And anywhere else ice doesn't form naturally outside and stay long enough for 2 days of hockey!

[shadows]

Originally Posted by smc

Perhaps I am just in a surly mood this evening after drinking too much and staying up too late, but I would just like to reiterate that there should not be NHL teams in places like Phoenix or Carolina or Washington or Dallas (to name only those in shadows' post). And let me add San Jose, for good measure. And anywhere else ice doesn't form naturally outside and stay long enough for 2 days of hockey!

Washington got plenty of snow this year.

[smc]

Originally Posted by shadows

Washington got plenty of snow this year.

I amend my rant: places where the weather is consistent for hockey.

[dauls]

Originally Posted by smc

dauls, your post makes me wonder: Why is there a hockey team in New Jersey? No wait, that's not exactly my question. What I really want to know is: Why is there a New Jersey?

Of course, the poor play of the Devils could be due to one of the two main features of New Jersey: air pollution and political corruption. Perhaps the players are breathing the air of all the chemical plants near Newark, or perhaps the team is being paid to lose as part of some statewide gambling ring among elected officials. Of course, I'm pretty sure they could just lose on their own.

Thanks smc, it looks like your Devils slight, goaded them into playing a fairly decent game for once.

Originally Posted by shadows

March 10th: New Jersey beat the Rangers 6-3. This was a see-saw battle at the start(leads kept on being given up) and the game was tied 3-3 at one point. Then the wheels fell off for the Rangers. The Rangers managed 3 goals off 19 shots, so it looks like Brodeur wasn't sharp either.
I am not sure how true this is, but Travis Zajac(a Centre on the Devil's) said "I think our top three lines are the best in the league. I'd put us up against anyone." Considering the play of the Devils in the past month or two, I wouldn't necessarily believe what he says. What do Devils fans think about his comment?

A 6-3 win may have been good, but some of the post match comments were a bit over the top. OK the three lines worked for one game, a game in which the Devils had six different players scoring their six goals. But how will the Devils do against better opponents?

Maybe this new system is one they've been trying since signing Ilya Kovalchuk five weeks ago and on Wednesday it clicked for the first time.

We'll have to see if Wednesday's post match optimism remains after tonight's game against Divisional rivals and the Penguins.

[ila]

Originally Posted by smc

I was being sarcastic. After all, didn't Lord Stanley ultimately reside in Ottawa?

I know that you were being sarcastic and I took it that way. Lord St anley used to live in Ottawa, although he was only a temporary resident.

I was being facetious when I said that the proper home for the Stanley Cup is in Montreal. I also had to get a dig in at Toronto which hasn't won nearly as many cups as Montreal.

[ila]

Originally Posted by smc

Perhaps I am just in a surly mood this evening after drinking too much and staying up too late, but I would just like to reiterate that there should not be NHL teams in places like Phoenix or Carolina or Washington or Dallas (to name only those in shadows' post). And let me add San Jose, for good measure. And anywhere else ice doesn't form naturally outside and stay long enough for 2 days of hockey!

I couldn't agree with you more.

[Captn Sacto]

Originally Posted by smc

Perhaps I am just in a surly mood this evening after drinking too much and staying up too late, but I would just like to reiterate that there should not be NHL teams in places like Phoenix or Carolina or Washington or Dallas (to name only those in shadows' post). And let me add San Jose, for good measure. And anywhere else ice doesn't form naturally outside and stay long enough for 2 days of hockey!

Don't Forget to add Vancouver. There is not a single month where the ave low is below freezing

[ila]

Originally Posted by Captn Sacto

Don't Forget to add Vancouver. There is not a single month where the ave low is below freezing

Vancouver gets cold enough every winter to have ice for more than 2 days in a row. Vancouver is also in Canada and in Canada hockey is almost a religion.

[smc]

Originally Posted by ila

Vancouver gets cold enough every winter to have ice for more than 2 days in a row. Vancouver is also in Canada and in Canada hockey is almost a religion.

I'm with ila. It doesn't even matter about the weather in Canada; hockey in Canada is "automatic." I was talking about the United States. There should be no hockey below the Mason-Dixon Line. If the NHL feels the need to have so many teams, I propose professional hockey for Charlottetown, Halifax, Saint John, Regina, Saskatoon ...

Hell, let's let New Brunswick have teams in Fredericton and Moncton, too. And how about one in Thunder Bay.

I could list plenty of northern U.S. cities, too.

[smc]

Hey, shadows, I heard a good one today:

Why is the Hockey Hall Of Fame in Toronto?

It's the only way Leafs fans can get to see the Stanley Cup!

[shadows]

Originally Posted by smc

Hey, shadows, I heard a good one today:

Why is the Hockey Hall Of Fame in Toronto?

It's the only way Leafs fans can get to see the Stanley Cup!

I would get upset, but it's the truth.

[ila]

Originally Posted by smc

Hey, shadows, I heard a good one today:

Why is the Hockey Hall Of Fame in Toronto?

It's the only way Leafs fans can get to see the Stanley Cup!

Originally Posted by shadows

I would get upset, but it's the truth.

Toronto fans can always make the five hour trip to Montreal to look at the cup. As soon as Hamilton gets a team then they can make the one hour drive to Hamilton to see the cup.

[smc]

Originally Posted by ila

Toronto fans can always make the five hour trip to Montreal to look at the cup. As soon as Hamilton gets a team then they can make the one hour drive to Hamilton to see the cup.

Or Guelph, or Mississauga, or Kitchener, or St Catherines, or Vaughan, or ...

[shadows]

Damn it! I missed the 1000th post of the thread by one!