2011-2012 NHL discussion

[MikeThierry]

God I hate the Red Wings, lol

[Joseph]

Originally Posted by MikeThierry

God I hate the Red Wings, lol

And most Wings fans love that. lol

Visited Nashville last night for a matchup of my Hawks and those pesky Predators. I'd complain about their celebrations there, but I'll save that for some other time.

I don't even want to get into what is wrong with the Hawks. I saw a great effort last night. Emery had his problems, and was a bit lucky, but the effort was there fully for the first time in a while. I hope Nabakov is coming to the windy city, or hell even Khabibulin again. We need a goalie in the worst way.

[MikeThierry]

Originally Posted by Joseph

And most Wings fans love that. lol

Visited Nashville last night for a matchup of my Hawks and those pesky Predators. I'd complain about their celebrations there, but I'll save that for some other time.

I don't even want to get into what is wrong with the Hawks. I saw a great effort last night. Emery had his problems, and was a bit lucky, but the effort was there fully for the first time in a while. I hope Nabakov is coming to the windy city, or hell even Khabibulin again. We need a goalie in the worst way.

How do they celebrate?

[Joseph]

The problem with their celebration is two-fold for me. First off it borders [and in some parts surpasses] being unintelligible. Secondly its a little too....cliche [at least whats understandable].

I'll start with the latter and then work to the former. Its Nashville, TN. Country music city USA. The obvious thing to do, in my mind, is get a highly popular country music artist [and by that I mean a generic, bland, machine created redneck pop star, don't get me wrong, I love country music, just not the drivel that typically comes from Nashville.] They did that, Tim McGraw. They use his song 'I like it, I love it'. He even did a video in Predators gear for this that plays on the jumbo-tron/megatron when they score. The problem with that is, the video looks like it was shot by a high school AV club. Tim McGraws participation is either A) community service, or B) nothing more than cashing a check. I have never ever seen someone less into something than him in that video. So theres that, which is bad enough in its own right, but wait, theres more....

After they play that they jump [haphazardly] into Rock n Roll by Gary Glitter. Again a rather cliche thing to do in my opinion. The fans however chant 'You suck' in time with the song, but then as it goes into a bridge portion they chant something else that I can not for the life of me understand. I have to think that if this is somehow meant to 'get under the skin' of the opposing team, shouldn't they at least KNOW what you are chanting at them. I mean 'you suck' is all well and good, but the latter part seems to go on for 10 seconds or so and I just can't seem to decipher it. I'm sure I could look it up, its online somewhere I'm more than certain, but I can't be bothered.

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy hockey is becoming entrenched in Trashville, but they've got to step up their game on the fan interaction side of things. I mean Columbus is alright, a canon fire, some ACDC, it works, why can't the Predators get it right?

Obviously only my opinion, I'm sure no one cares, but its fun discussion. Besides, my teams playing so well there's nothing else I could complain about right?

[MikeThierry]

Ahh... I can see where that is annoying. For one, Gary Glitter is way overplayed. I think a lot of new teams do this kind of stuff though. I don't know maybe they are trying to appeal to the fan base but nothing is original. I can think of a number of celebrations league wide that are the same for multiple teams. However, celebrations like they have in Chicago and St. Louis are both original and unique to the fan base. Take for example the Blues celebration:

2008-09 St Louis Blues Goal Horn - YouTube

This has been around since the Blues came into existence in 1967. It hasn't changed with the times and it's one of the more traditional hockey celebrations in the NHL. I'll take that any day over Gary Glitter and any number of techno style music.

[Joseph]

Excellent and indeed old school.

Did you see the great one sided fight from todays Hawks vs Jackets game? John Scott vs Derrick Dorsett.

[Reds/Flyers Fan]

Can't wait to see my Avs next Friday night in Columbus. I won't be hard to spot: I'll be in the white Peter Forsberg jersey enjoying some Colorado beers before, during and after the game.

[Joseph]

Great game today between the Blackhawks and Blues. Good to see both teams play well and play hard. The game needs rivalries like this.

[MikeThierry]

Originally Posted by Joseph

Great game today between the Blackhawks and Blues. Good to see both teams play well and play hard. The game needs rivalries like this.

I was completely disappointed by that game, from a Blues fans standpoint. It's not that they lost, it's how they lost (not talking about the fluky, lucky goal on the part of Chicago). It was a completely gutless and heartless performance by the majority of our forwards in the second half. It angers me as a fan to see guys like Chris Stewart and Patrick Burgland being pushed off the puck so easily. Guys that big should not be bullied around. Even TJ Oshie was having a bad day.

I've come to the conclusion that Chris Stewart is Alex Semin lite. I just don't know what this guy's motivation is. He has all the talent in the world but plays, on most days, at half effort. Take that breakout he had yesterday for example. Instead of shooting that puck with purpose, he sort of just throws it at the net almost nonchalantly. That play right there is a microcosm of his season thus far. I can see now why the Avs wanted to trade him. The good thing about that deal is Kevin Shattenkirk is an absolute beast on the defensive end so the Blues still ended up on the positive end of the deal.

The Blues really need to play consistent on the road before I can consider them an elite team and team that will go deep in the playoffs. They are impossible to beat at home but have too many off periods on the road. The bottom line is if the Blues do not get home field advantage in the playoffs, they aren't going to advance far.

Oh by the way... Alex Pietrangelo is the best defenseman nobody knows about, lol.

[izzy's dad]

I am a Jackets fan, so I have nothing good to say about this season. But it looks like the Blue Jackets could be going into full rebuilding mode by trading Nash, Carter, Vermette, etc. Trading Rick Nash could be this franchises last ditch effort to build a winner before the NHL moves the team.

[timmario66]

Originally Posted by izzy's dad

I am a Jackets fan, so I have nothing good to say about this season. But it looks like the Blue Jackets could be going into full rebuilding mode by trading Nash, Carter, Vermette, etc. Trading Rick Nash could be this franchises last ditch effort to build a winner before the NHL moves the team.

They have a new lease agreement that will save them tons of money. Their attendance is up despite being horrific. They are not going anywhere.

[izzy's dad]

Originally Posted by timmario66

They have a new lease agreement that will save them tons of money. Their attendance is up despite being horrific. They are not going anywhere.

That is reassuring, I hadn't heard that. But they still need to blow this thing up and rebuild. And by blow it up I mean from the top down. I don't care if the Jackets roll out Ron Tugnutt and Tyler right again, this team needs to strip down to the bare bones and do it right.

[Reds/Flyers Fan]

Originally Posted by izzy's dad

I am a Jackets fan, so I have nothing good to say about this season. But it looks like the Blue Jackets could be going into full rebuilding mode by trading Nash, Carter, Vermette, etc. Trading Rick Nash could be this franchises last ditch effort to build a winner before the NHL moves the team.

I'm not sure they should have ever been placed in Columbus in the first place. That's a college sports town if ever there was one - and that ain't ever changing. The BJ's (just an brutal name, by the way ... what were they thinking?) tried to become Ohio's team but they're barely Columbus' team. The number of people in Dayton, Cleveland, Akron and Cincinnati that follow the Jackets is equivalent to the number of people in those cities who believe in the Loch Ness monster or the abominable snowman. As a person who frequents bars in both Cincy and Dayton, I can't tell you when the last time I saw the BJ's on the big screens was. And if they're playing Colorado (who I follow), I always have to request the game be put on and even then it's always on a small TV in the corner.

Great arena, embarrassment of a franchise. Move the team to Toronto (second team there) and be done with it.

[MikeThierry]

Originally Posted by Reds/Flyers Fan

I'm not sure they should have ever been placed in Columbus in the first place. That's a college sports town if ever there was one - and that ain't ever changing. The BJ's (just an brutal name, by the way ... what were they thinking?) tried to become Ohio's team but they're barely Columbus' team. The number of people in Dayton, Cleveland, Akron and Cincinnati that follow the Jackets is equivalent to the number of people in those cities who believe in the Loch Ness monster or the abominable snowman. As a person who frequents bars in both Cincy and Dayton, I can't tell you when the last time I saw the BJ's on the big screens was. And if they're playing Colorado (who I follow), I always have to request the game be put on and even then it's always on a small TV in the corner.

Great arena, embarrassment of a franchise. Move the team to Toronto (second team there) and be done with it.

Do you think an NHL team would have been successful if it was originally placed in Cincy? Columbus seemed like a head scratcher at the time.

[Reds/Flyers Fan]

Originally Posted by MikeThierry

Do you think an NHL team would have been successful if it was originally placed in Cincy? Columbus seemed like a head scratcher at the time.

The NHL is a strange thing to try to predict in the U.S. But I do think that Cincinnati would have been a better choice than Columbus (bigger metro; access to Dayton/Lexington/Louisville/Indy; less of an obsessed college town, etc.). The team would have had to win here, of course. If the BJ's would have moved to Cincy and proceeded to be the disaster that they have been in Columbus, they would have failed here too.

I can tell you this: The Blue Jackets are completely irrelevant in Ohio (outside of Columbus). And I don't think the powers-that-be accounted for that indifference. It's a shame really ... a state as populated as Ohio deserved a better shot at the NHL than Columbus. Cleveland has the NBA, Cincy should have got the NHL.