Hockey 2009-10

[desertgeek]

With the NHL starting up on Thursday, NHL teams playing European teams in exhibition games for the next couple of days (including Chicago stomping Davos 9-2 today) and the major European leagues getting going, I thought it would be good to have a general hockey thread going for the upcoming season. Doesn't matter what league you follow, let's just talk hockey.

[Whappeh]

Go Blackhawks.

[racingfan1]

Like most Predators fans, I have average hopes for this year. They'll probably make the playoffs with the half-assed team they got, because Barry Trotz is a god among coaches.

[desertgeek]

I would announce my rooting interests... but no one know if they'll still be here in 12 months time.

note where I live as your other clue as to who i'm talking about

[Karoug]

Hejje Brynäs!! And if i where to pick a fav team in the NHL it would be Washington Capitals.. Bäckström is made of awesome!

[Whappeh]

Originally Posted by desertgeek

I would announce my rooting interests... but no one know if they'll still be here in 12 months time.

note where I live as your other clue as to who i'm talking about

I'm hoping they stay in the Phoenix area. I think sending them to Glendale was a bad idea to begin with, and they should of stayed at the US Airways Centre.

[Karoug]

Peter Forsberg might be on his way back to the NHL...

[desertgeek]

Originally Posted by Whappeh

I'm hoping they stay in the Phoenix area. I think sending them to Glendale was a bad idea to begin with, and they should of stayed at the US Airways Centre.

The problem with US Airways Center is that a quarter of the seats were obstructed view. Those seats on the north end couldn't see anything below the near blue line. I would know, I spent one game in those seats. Trust me, they needed to move out of that place.

Now, I can't complain about Glendale too much because I'm on that side of the Valley. Their arena is only 9 miles from my house. But I agree that the arena location is one of their major problems, but it's not entirely of their own doing. They were going to put in Scottsdale (East Valley) and in a location that is fairly accessable (I've been by there many times). But politicans dragged their feet and Glendale stepped in with a deal.

Problem is that the guys who owned the team weren't in it for the right reasons. One was a real estate magnate who just brought the team to get the business/residential/shopping complex next to the arena (and he left 2-3 years ago). The other, the bum/thief/moving company guy who put the team into bankruptcy, wasted the teams money on things such as:

-paying for office space in the complex and leaving offices inside the arena empty

-having the team overpay for work done by his other companies, effectively using the team to keep his other companies in the black.

-paying the greatest player to play the game over $7 million to coach the team to no playoff appearances (average coaches salary is about $1 million). At least he resigned last week and now we have a good coach in Dave Tippett (at least everyone I've heard from says it's a good hire).

-of course, playing poorly leads to less tickets sold, which leads to less money.

Put all of that together and you get one massive clusterfuck.

That said, I'm cautiously optimistic about this year. We finally have a real coach. I think we have a very talented team. I think the players are going out there with a chip on their shoulders because they hear what all the "experts" are saying. If they can stay away from injuries, I think this is a playoff team. Not a high seed, but certainly a 6-8 seed.

But when there's only one team in the West that you can say "no way in hell are they going to the playoffs," who really knows.

[desertgeek]

Originally Posted by Karoug

Peter Forsberg might be on his way back to the NHL...

The Brett Farve of hockey.

[Whappeh]

Originally Posted by desertgeek

The problem with US Airways Center is that a quarter of the seats were obstructed view. Those seats on the north end couldn't see anything below the near blue line. I would know, I spent one game in those seats. Trust me, they needed to move out of that place.

Now, I can't complain about Glendale too much because I'm on that side of the Valley. Their arena is only 9 miles from my house. But I agree that the arena location is one of their major problems, but it's not entirely of their own doing. They were going to put in Scottsdale (East Valley) and in a location that is fairly accessable (I've been by there many times). But politicans dragged their feet and Glendale stepped in with a deal.

Problem is that the guys who owned the team weren't in it for the right reasons. One was a real estate magnate who just brought the team to get the business/residential/shopping complex next to the arena (and he left 2-3 years ago). The other, the bum/thief/moving company guy who put the team into bankruptcy, wasted the teams money on things such as:

-paying for office space in the complex and leaving offices inside the arena empty

-having the team overpay for work done by his other companies, effectively using the team to keep his other companies in the black.

-paying the greatest player to play the game over $7 million to coach the team to no playoff appearances (average coaches salary is about $1 million). At least he resigned last week and now we have a good coach in Dave Tippett (at least everyone I've heard from says it's a good hire).

-of course, playing poorly leads to less tickets sold, which leads to less money.

Put all of that together and you get one massive clusterfuck.

That said, I'm cautiously optimistic about this year. We finally have a real coach. I think we have a very talented team. I think the players are going out there with a chip on their shoulders because they hear what all the "experts" are saying. If they can stay away from injuries, I think this is a playoff team. Not a high seed, but certainly a 6-8 seed.

But when there's only one team in the West that you can say "no way in hell are they going to the playoffs," who really knows.

I'm just hoping they stay there, as I'm moving out to Phoenix next year and would love to start catching hockey on a regular basis. I never knew more about it then what you posted, so its good info. Strange about the obstructed view in the US Airways Centre.

[Karoug]

Originally Posted by desertgeek

The Brett Farve of hockey.

Having used mah google-fu, i must disagree.. Forsberg loves the games, and despite risking permanent damage he only wants to play Hockey. He even plays for free!

And Forsberg never retired, he was recovering from injury.

[desertgeek]

This is the best I can do to show what I mean. It's a seating chart for the arena when Arena Football was played there. The setup is essentially the same though.

http://azrattlers.com.ismmedia.com/I...ng%20Chart.jpg

[Whappeh]

What was obstructing the view?

[Koenig]

Originally Posted by racingfan1

Like most Predators fans, I have average hopes for this year. They'll probably make the playoffs with the half-assed team they got, because Barry Trotz is a god among coaches.

Whoa!?!?! There are Predators fans?

[desertgeek]

Originally Posted by Whappeh

What was obstructing the view?

If you look very carefully at the link, you'll see row numbers. On the north side of the arena, the 1st row for the lower deck is row 18. Row 18 was directly over the end boards, about 50 feet above the rink.

Basically, the arena was designed for basketball and really can't hold anything larger than that without resulting in the loss of seats.

[racingfan1]

Originally Posted by Koenig

Whoa!?!?! There are Predators fans?

Going by ticket sales, apparently there's a whole five of us.

[Whappeh]

I have a Predators sweater. No idea why.

[Koenig]

Originally Posted by Whappeh

I have a Predators sweater. No idea why.

Personally, I love their old mustard-yellow jerseys. Not joking either.

[NAIDANAC A]

Originally Posted by Koenig

Personally, I love their old mustard-yellow jerseys. Not joking either.

I got one of those

I also have an awesome away (read blue) of their original jersey with Dunham on it.

[Karoug]

Mats Sundin has retired!