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****** right!
OFFICIAL HOCKEY THREAD: NHL, KHL, NCAA, IIHL
- Thread in 'Sports & Training' Thread starter Started by philballa09,
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Basketball is boring to watch live. Well then again I did go to a Clippers game and it was quiet as hell, no one into it. I think that's just LA sports fans in general though 
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Check our this commercial with all my buddies except for the long hair guy, I don't know him...
Ps it was all staged
Ps it was all staged
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rell826
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Agreed. Henrik proved me wrong last night. Hopefully this is the beginning of a turn for him. Only the second time in the last 12 starts that he's allowed 2 goals or less.
great win for the Rangers
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Showing as unavailable to me....
Ranking the Olympic defenseman groups.
It’s only been four years since the last Olympic games, but the blue line groups of some of the biggest gold-medal contenders will look dramatically different this time around. Each of the favorites -- Canada, Russia, Sweden and the U.S. -- has lost at least one pillar of its defense from the Vancouver games, either to retirement or a philosophical shift to younger players.
The list of veteran defensemen gone from the 2010 games is impressive: Scott Niedermayer, Chris Pronger, Nicklas Lidstrom, Brian Rafalski and Sergei Gonchar, to start.
“You knew what you were getting,” said Jamie Langenbrunner, Team USA’s captain in 2010, of those veteran stars. “This time around, you’ve got a bunch of guys in there for the first time. Great players, all of them. But it’s a different stage.”
As much debate as there has been about the final forward spots or the starting goaltenders, the gold medal may come down to which team has a young player or two emerge on defense and star on the world’s biggest stage. Drew Doughty did it in 2010 and Team Canada won gold. This time around, there’s no shortage of candidates -- including P.K. Subban, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Cam Fowler, Olli Maatta -- and somebody is going to make a difference with their star turn.
On Wednesday, we looked at the top Olympic forward groups, with help from executives, scouts, coaches and players. Likewise, here's the collection of the top defenseman groups:
1. Team Canada
In polling a few people around the league, all picked Canada as their best defense, except one. Still, replacing Niedermayer and Pronger is no easy task.
“Those are two of the great guys of my generation,” Langenbrunner said. "Guys that not only performed at the Olympics, they did it year in and year out, winning Cups.”
There are only two Cup-winners on the Canadian defense, in Duncan Keith and Doughty, so responsibility falls on those two to lead. Both are more than capable, and nobody in the world is playing better defensively than Keith right now. Dan Hamhuis and Marc-Edouard Vlasic are both good players who will have to prove they’re ready for the spotlight. Team Canada coach Mike Babcock said he had conversations with John Tortorella about Hamhuis, saying he’s been overplayed at times in Vancouver. That won’t be an issue with Canada, and Babcock likes what he’s getting there.
“He knows how to play. A cerebral player. Really gets the puck going out,” Babcock said. “He’s solid defensively, understands the game.”
As for Vlasic, he’s blossomed under Larry Robinson in San Jose, an influence you can’t underestimate. “We’ve watched him a lot,” said Canada GM Steve Yzerman. “He really moves the puck well. He skates well. Positionally, very, very sound. On a very good team that is very well-coached. We think he’s going to be a very good player in this tournament for us.”
2. Team Sweden
Sweden received the other first-place vote in our informal poll, from a Western Conference coach, and it’s clearly a guy who appreciates defensemen he’s seen over the years such as Alexander Edler, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Jonathan Ericsson, Niklas Hjalmarsson and Niklas Kronwall. These are some Western Conference-trained, battle-tested players.
Lidstrom is irreplaceable on this defense, but the depth here is impressive even without him. “They’re in good hands,” Lidstrom said when we chatted about Team Sweden’s D. “They’re going to have a very solid back end.”
The fact that this team was able to leave Jonas Brodin and Victor Hedman at home shows you how deep it is. Ekman-Larsson is a star but the most interesting player to watch will be Erik Karlsson, who is dynamic offensively but is high risk at times.
“Karlsson has already shown what he can do,” Lidstrom said. “He’s going to be fun to watch.”
3. Team USA
Dan Bylsma describes his defense this way: “We have some leadership on the back end. We have experience and we have guys who have been there before, but we’re also adding younger players. It goes back to being a team that’s going to be sound defensively and good defensively.”
That’s the identity of this American group as a whole, and it starts with their blue line. Ryan Suter is the workhorse, and a healthy Paul Martin will be leaned on heavily by Bylsma. But for Team USA to earn a medal, one of the young defensemen on this roster has to have a big tournament.
“[Justin] Faulk or Fowler or Shatty (Kevin Shattenkirk) -- these are all guys that this is their first chance at it,” Langenbrunner said. “I don’t think any of them have gone real deep in the playoffs yet. It’s going to be a new experience, a new kind of pressure at that level. I’m sure all of them are capable of it, but which ones will rise to the pressure situation?”
It’s an answer we won’t know until the tournament begins. The Brooks Orpik selection has opened Team USA GM David Poile up to criticism, but Orpik has a Stanley Cup on his resume and 87 career playoff games. That’s almost double Suter’s total. On a young defense, that experience may prove invaluable.
4. Team Russia
Count us among those surprised about the exclusion of Gonchar from this defense, but there is still plenty of talent on a team that hopes to win gold. Andrei Markov is the veteran leader of this defense, but the best player and one who should get the majority of the playing time is Slava Voynov. He’s 23 years old and already has a Stanley Cup and 38 playoff games to his credit. The bigger the stage the better he seems to play, and he’s a strong candidate to be a breakout player in these games if the Russians make a run.
While the Russian forward group has a heavy KHL influence, a majority of the defense comes from the NHL. Ilya Nikulin -- a former Thrashers draft pick whom Atlanta could never lure to North America -- is one of two exceptions, but he’s a veteran defenseman with plenty of international experience.
“He’s been a real steady player in Russia for quite awhile,” said one NHL scout who has seen him play on many occasions internationally. “He’s a big, strong guy, although he’s getting up there [in age] a little bit now. His skating is starting to show it. He’s got a big shot from the blue line, but not high-end skill. He’s puck-capable, first-pass capable. A steady Eddie.”
5. Team Finland
It’s tempting to put Slovakia in this spot simply because they have Zdeno Chara, whose presence alone is enough to elevate a defense among the elite. If Lubomir Visnovsky were completely healthy, Slovakia might be here. And don’t sleep on the Swiss, who have Raphael Diaz, Roman Josi, Mark Streit and Yannick Weber on defense. They’re a bit like Finland in that the sum of the parts is better than the individuals.
But Finland’s experience, led by Kimmo Timonen, gives them the edge. “Everybody can count the number of NHL defensemen Finland has, and it’s not that many,” said Team Finland assistant GM Jarmo Kekalainen. “We have a good mixture of skill and speed ... war horses and some players that have had good careers in Europe.”
Maatta has been a revelation this season in Pittsburgh, and could be the difference for Team Finland defensively. Meanwhile, Sami Salo and Sami Vatanen both bring offense from the blue line for the group. “The supporting cast will be hound dogs that bite you on the ankle, scratch and claw and just battle,” Kekalainen said.
The list of veteran defensemen gone from the 2010 games is impressive: Scott Niedermayer, Chris Pronger, Nicklas Lidstrom, Brian Rafalski and Sergei Gonchar, to start.
“You knew what you were getting,” said Jamie Langenbrunner, Team USA’s captain in 2010, of those veteran stars. “This time around, you’ve got a bunch of guys in there for the first time. Great players, all of them. But it’s a different stage.”
As much debate as there has been about the final forward spots or the starting goaltenders, the gold medal may come down to which team has a young player or two emerge on defense and star on the world’s biggest stage. Drew Doughty did it in 2010 and Team Canada won gold. This time around, there’s no shortage of candidates -- including P.K. Subban, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Cam Fowler, Olli Maatta -- and somebody is going to make a difference with their star turn.
On Wednesday, we looked at the top Olympic forward groups, with help from executives, scouts, coaches and players. Likewise, here's the collection of the top defenseman groups:
1. Team Canada
In polling a few people around the league, all picked Canada as their best defense, except one. Still, replacing Niedermayer and Pronger is no easy task.
“Those are two of the great guys of my generation,” Langenbrunner said. "Guys that not only performed at the Olympics, they did it year in and year out, winning Cups.”
There are only two Cup-winners on the Canadian defense, in Duncan Keith and Doughty, so responsibility falls on those two to lead. Both are more than capable, and nobody in the world is playing better defensively than Keith right now. Dan Hamhuis and Marc-Edouard Vlasic are both good players who will have to prove they’re ready for the spotlight. Team Canada coach Mike Babcock said he had conversations with John Tortorella about Hamhuis, saying he’s been overplayed at times in Vancouver. That won’t be an issue with Canada, and Babcock likes what he’s getting there.
“He knows how to play. A cerebral player. Really gets the puck going out,” Babcock said. “He’s solid defensively, understands the game.”
As for Vlasic, he’s blossomed under Larry Robinson in San Jose, an influence you can’t underestimate. “We’ve watched him a lot,” said Canada GM Steve Yzerman. “He really moves the puck well. He skates well. Positionally, very, very sound. On a very good team that is very well-coached. We think he’s going to be a very good player in this tournament for us.”
2. Team Sweden
Sweden received the other first-place vote in our informal poll, from a Western Conference coach, and it’s clearly a guy who appreciates defensemen he’s seen over the years such as Alexander Edler, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Jonathan Ericsson, Niklas Hjalmarsson and Niklas Kronwall. These are some Western Conference-trained, battle-tested players.
Lidstrom is irreplaceable on this defense, but the depth here is impressive even without him. “They’re in good hands,” Lidstrom said when we chatted about Team Sweden’s D. “They’re going to have a very solid back end.”
The fact that this team was able to leave Jonas Brodin and Victor Hedman at home shows you how deep it is. Ekman-Larsson is a star but the most interesting player to watch will be Erik Karlsson, who is dynamic offensively but is high risk at times.
“Karlsson has already shown what he can do,” Lidstrom said. “He’s going to be fun to watch.”
3. Team USA
Dan Bylsma describes his defense this way: “We have some leadership on the back end. We have experience and we have guys who have been there before, but we’re also adding younger players. It goes back to being a team that’s going to be sound defensively and good defensively.”
That’s the identity of this American group as a whole, and it starts with their blue line. Ryan Suter is the workhorse, and a healthy Paul Martin will be leaned on heavily by Bylsma. But for Team USA to earn a medal, one of the young defensemen on this roster has to have a big tournament.
“[Justin] Faulk or Fowler or Shatty (Kevin Shattenkirk) -- these are all guys that this is their first chance at it,” Langenbrunner said. “I don’t think any of them have gone real deep in the playoffs yet. It’s going to be a new experience, a new kind of pressure at that level. I’m sure all of them are capable of it, but which ones will rise to the pressure situation?”
It’s an answer we won’t know until the tournament begins. The Brooks Orpik selection has opened Team USA GM David Poile up to criticism, but Orpik has a Stanley Cup on his resume and 87 career playoff games. That’s almost double Suter’s total. On a young defense, that experience may prove invaluable.
4. Team Russia
Count us among those surprised about the exclusion of Gonchar from this defense, but there is still plenty of talent on a team that hopes to win gold. Andrei Markov is the veteran leader of this defense, but the best player and one who should get the majority of the playing time is Slava Voynov. He’s 23 years old and already has a Stanley Cup and 38 playoff games to his credit. The bigger the stage the better he seems to play, and he’s a strong candidate to be a breakout player in these games if the Russians make a run.
While the Russian forward group has a heavy KHL influence, a majority of the defense comes from the NHL. Ilya Nikulin -- a former Thrashers draft pick whom Atlanta could never lure to North America -- is one of two exceptions, but he’s a veteran defenseman with plenty of international experience.
“He’s been a real steady player in Russia for quite awhile,” said one NHL scout who has seen him play on many occasions internationally. “He’s a big, strong guy, although he’s getting up there [in age] a little bit now. His skating is starting to show it. He’s got a big shot from the blue line, but not high-end skill. He’s puck-capable, first-pass capable. A steady Eddie.”
5. Team Finland
It’s tempting to put Slovakia in this spot simply because they have Zdeno Chara, whose presence alone is enough to elevate a defense among the elite. If Lubomir Visnovsky were completely healthy, Slovakia might be here. And don’t sleep on the Swiss, who have Raphael Diaz, Roman Josi, Mark Streit and Yannick Weber on defense. They’re a bit like Finland in that the sum of the parts is better than the individuals.
But Finland’s experience, led by Kimmo Timonen, gives them the edge. “Everybody can count the number of NHL defensemen Finland has, and it’s not that many,” said Team Finland assistant GM Jarmo Kekalainen. “We have a good mixture of skill and speed ... war horses and some players that have had good careers in Europe.”
Maatta has been a revelation this season in Pittsburgh, and could be the difference for Team Finland defensively. Meanwhile, Sami Salo and Sami Vatanen both bring offense from the blue line for the group. “The supporting cast will be hound dogs that bite you on the ankle, scratch and claw and just battle,” Kekalainen said.
rell826
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Henrik's Stadium Series mask
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Justin Fontaine! Another Wild Hat Trick!
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Anyone ever get tired of their team winning? It's kinda boring watching the Ducks go down 2 every game and come back and win. It feels like watching a movie/show you read the spoilers for.
Why do the playoffs have to be 4 months away?
Why do the playoffs have to be 4 months away?
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Anyone ever get tired of their team winning? It's kinda boring watching the Ducks go down 2 every game and come back and win. It feels like watching a movie/show you read the spoilers for.
Why do the playoffs have to be 4 months away?
And everyone wonders why California fans get such a bad rap.
You must be a newer Ducks fan.
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Such an odd comment
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............
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I was just kidding guys. Maybe a little subtle brag. Enjoying the hell outta this team, specially with how bad the Lakers and Angels are. I would like to see them start games better though.
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I wish I could say at the same LV, but my Flames just got shutout again. 11-0 in two games 
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Sosly- Look at it this way, at least they aren't the Oilers. The Flames will be good again before Edmonton. Monahan is a stud and if they can get Ekblad this year and Eichel/Mcdavid next year they could be looking at competing relatively soon.
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Oh I know bro, can't wait I wish they would commit to losing already. I would be happy with Ekblad and then McDavid in '15
I wish they would commit to losing already. I would be happy with Ekblad and then McDavid in '15
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Oh I know bro, can't wait
What, the last 10 years haven't been enough?
It was there, I had to take it.
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All good LV, just seemed to come out of nowhere. Unfortunately I don't follow the west coasters nearly as well as I could. Always seeing the same Eastern Conference teams
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the black-hawks are gonna repeat
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