2004/2005 NHL Offseason

[Scott]

Wow what Stoopid Hockey!  

Congrats to the Lightning and their Fans...Let's Riot!

[Rob]

Oh to be back home tonight...

Title Town Tampa bay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Scott]

Oh to be back home tonight...

Title Town Tampa bay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wait I though Green Bay was Title Town?

I've had the pleasure of savoring 2 World Series Championships but a boatload of disappointment, especially in the last 6 years

Vikings lost 2 NFC Championship Games 1998, 2000 and a Playoff Games in 1999
Twins lost in Playoffs in 2002 (ALCS), 2003
Wild lost in the Western Conference Championship 2003
Timberwolves...7 One and Dones and then losing to the Lakers in 2004 Western Conference Championship

I need to start cheering for Tampa Bay teams...Go D-Rays!!!

[Rob]

Now the Devil Rays thing is quite a stretch at this pont...but 3 years ago the Bolts sucked ass too...and now look at them.

I hope this team can stay together - they're very good and very young - now with Stanley Cup experience!

[Morgbug]

Very sad, Canada is weeping right now

Congrats to the Lightning though, very deserving, talented team.  Good series and they played their hearts out.  The truly bad part about this is that Bettman is gleaming.

Now comes the ugliness.  How long will the lockout be.  

[Scott]

I'm guessing January of '05...players will cave and the NHL will open its books wide open.  Its their own damn fault and its too bad because people have no idea what they are missing.  

[Rob]

I'm guessing January of '05...players will cave and the NHL will open its books wide open.  Its their own damn fault and its too bad because people have no idea what they are missing.  

Count me among the group that only recently discovered it...

I've started watching any and all playoff games I could get on my T.V. the year Lemieux came back and immediately started rooting for my home team (Bolts) - who were terrible for quite a while.  Hell, they were terrible two years ago - and made huge strides last season...

Loads of young raw talent finally starting to mature, an ever improving goal tender, and a few shrewd trades and whalla - two years later they're the champs.

There is no other sport like hockey - I love football first and foremost - but it doesn't give you headaches for hours and make your stomach sit on edge for entire games the way hockey can.  I'll probably be watching as long as I live.   I really wish it was more popular in the States...

[Morgbug]

Whoo, glad to see you've switched to optimist mode.  My guess is around November 05.  Full season for sure, then they'll start sweating when the second one doesn't ring up.  

I think lots of players will have contingencies for a year.  But not beyond that.  I think owners have other things to do and other sources of income, aside from tax deductible, money losing sports teams.  

[Scott]

Football is king in most of the US but Hockey here is #2 ahead of baseball and basketball.  I'm almost sheepish to admit this but I never have really learned how to ice skate so I never played.  My cousins all played but my dad played basketball and so that's what my family did.

I've played lots of Indoor Floor Hockey and Boot Hockey and Roller Hockey

The thing that got me interested was the Flames in '89 because of my teacher and then the Stars in '90-'91 and their almost Win against the Pens.  

I also played thousands of hours of Sega NHL so its been a passion for a long time

Agreed on the butterflies, Basketball has so many points that really the last 2 minutes are all that matter...Hockey like Soccer is sooo critical on every possession and play that it can't be beat


As for the lockout...I think the Owners will break up before the players cave.  Some of them were making money and won't sit there and watch profits go out the window.  Its such a mess that I can't even begin to think of all the bad things that could happen...plus all of the Negative PR and bad karma Baseball got for their lost World Series...the NHL can't be stoopid enough to do that again...can they

[Morgbug]

Wayne's world.  Caaaaaaaaar  That's every kid in Canada from age 6 (earlier now) to, well, 66.  The guys in the Winnipeg thread on the spawn.com board get together to play street hockey.  They rage in age from 13, to, well, me.  

My daughter can skate.  She's 4.  She has a plastic hockey stick.  She learned late in life.  

I keep a hockey stick in my car, just in case.  

I own Nordiques, North Stars and Jets jerseys.  

I only played hockey from 6 to 14, replacing it with basketball after 14.  Reason being I wasn't good enough to play hockey anymore.  

I was a goalie, which might explain a lot about my life

My community club has four levels for each age group.  

I hate the Leafs.  

[DSJ™]

This PC at work is pissing me off.

Congrat's to Tampa. Until next season, if there is one.

[Jesse James]

Pittsburgh's a 2-way tie between Baseball and Hockey after Football which will always dominate the Steel City.

That said, News always devotes mroe to Baseball which always garners heat from the real sports press in the city (in the papers and such) because the news channels will pimp the loser pirates like they're the end-all and be-all.

They suck, but have a nice stadium.

The Pens will live on though, and when they rebound (they will, I feel sure), they'll be back in the saddle.

I hope we build the underground arena they've said is a rumor.  THAT would kick ass.

[Scott]

WHA to begin play

One of the things I was thinking might happen...NHL might dissolve and a new league takes its place

[Jeff]

Trio of NHL All-Star Defensemen named to Hall of Fame:

Bourque, Coffey, Murphy to the Hall of Fame in 2004

Three VERY talented defensemen.  All three won the Stanley Cup at one point and played for the teams that most of here root for (Edmonton, Pitsburgh, Detroit, LA and more).

Jeff

[Rob]

Did anyone catch the awards ceremony today?  My bolts cleaned up this year...

2004 Stanley Cup
2004 Prince of Wales Trophy
Conn Smythe - Brad Richards
Jack Adams - John Tortorella
Lady Byng - Brad Richards
Lester B. Pearson - Martin St. Louis
Art Ross - Martin St. Louis
Hart - Martin St. Louis

It was nice to see the guys get so much recognition for their accomplishments this season.