Hockey Thread

I would jump every time, too, even if I had season tickets.  As for it being a general hockey thing, I pooh-poohed it for years because it was soooo "new hockey market" and I'm way too snobby for that kind of gimmick.  Boy was I wrong!  That cannon is the fucking bombdiggity.  I think it should be a part of every sport!  Let's replace the stupid singing of the national anthems before games with cannons for every home team point/goal/touchdown/etc.!

By the way, I'm sure I've spammed the TMI board with this before, but why not do it again - I don't think I've mentioned it here specifically.

If you like interesting hockey stats that are otherwise pointless, I have been compiling a list of scorers at every arena ever used for NHL games. It is currently at this poorly-named blog:

goalspernhlarena.blogspot.ca

So if you want to see who has scored the most goals at Jobing Arena or PNC Arena, there you go!

Sometimes, especially for the really old original arenas, the lists are complete. (Maintaining complete lists for the current arenas takes way more work than I have time for...)

I can't believe a Devil is the highest scorer at the Meadowlands! I was figuring it would be Mario. Zing! Sigh.

Canes are on a four-game win streak, and even though I still have serious doubts about their ability to make the playoffs, they're certainly making it an exciting time to hope I'm wrong. Eric Staal (8 points in the last 5 games) and Alex Semin (7 points in the last five games) have been incredible, and even Jiri Tlusty has been making some sigificant contributions to the recently reconstituted first forward line that was so dominant last season. We're finally scoring goals, including this goal by Nathan Gerbe, which I would argue is even more impressive than Hertl's similar goal for the Sharks earlier this season by virtue of the fact that this one came at a time when it mattered.

But the greatest moment of this win streak came tonight when the Canes, down 2-0 in a critical game against the Blue Jackets, scored three goals in less than two minutes in the third period to take the lead, win, and vault over Columbus for third place in the Metro division.  Will they keep this recent playoff-team-caliber play up?  I don't know, and I certainly have my doubts.  It wouldn't surprise me if they came second in the division with 98 points.  It wouldn't surprise if they opened up a 12-game losing streak tomorrow when they face the Habs, and finished with another top five draft pick as consolation prize.  But for now, it's a fun time to be a Canes fan in the thick of the playoff race, and I'll enjoy the good times for however long they last. 

Liked for mentioning the game that we shall all always speak of again.

And by "the game that we shall all always speak of again", you mean this one, right?

Aw, but it's the best kind of trash talking!  Because for every Avery Rule, there's a Jagr throwing out his shoulder trying to punch Scott Gomez and missing!

I will agree on the Howie Rose front.  Back in the day, our respective teams had the best announcers.  We've gone from national games called by In-His-Prime Doc and JD to Rambling-Old-Man Doc and Pierre "Seriously, if he opens his mouth to talk one more time, I'm renouncing hockey forever" Maguire.  ::sobs::  A few years ago, NHL Network replayed the '96 World Cup final and hearing Doc and JD calling a game where they actually did honest-to-gosh useful play-by-play and insightful analysis was like seeing a unicorn.

My 10th-place team was about to beat the 2nd-place team in my fantasy league, but then I lost because Brodeur fucked up my GAA. Yet I can't drop Brodeur, because what if he gets good again? (The other problem - my other goalie is Lundqvist...)

Yeah, he'll have a solid game here or there, but I'd put Uncle Daddy on the bench from here on out.  And I'm not even biased.

What if he gets good again?  HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!  Oh, that's rich!

::sobs uncontrollably::

And yeah, if Marty asks for a trade, whatever tiny part of my heart hasn't been calcified with cynicism is going to shrivel up and die.  That would be about as wrong as sports could possibly be.

So after a 3-0 shutout loss at the hands of the Habs (which I'm inclined to chalk up to playing their fifth game in seven days against a rested Montreal, and running into Carey Price at a bad time), the Canes beat the Blues 3-1 last night! That was exciting, especially since the Blues were 17-3-1 against the East heading into this game. And the Canes finish the month of January at 10-4, which was pretty critical, because they're still barely in the playoffs, and will probably fall out of the playoffs again between now and their next game on Tuesday. But things are looking up at the moment for the Canes. I'm still not convinced that this is a playoff team, but I think we've got as good a chance as anyone else fighting for that third spot in the Metro or second Eastern Wild Card. Hopefully they can carry their momentum into and beyond the Olympic Break.

And speaking of the Olympic Break, anyone have any thoughts on Parise being named the US captain?  He doesn't exactly seem like the obvious choice, but then again I'm not terribly familiar with him.  Do you have any input, Liz n Dicksgiving or Hugs and Hisses?  Or is anyone here a Wild fan (I can't think of anyone in our community who's a Wild fan off the top of my head), with some input on what Parise has been as a leader in Minnesota?

Anton Khudobin was named the NHL's First Star for the month of January. 10-4, 2.19 GAA, .927 save percentage. That is all.

"Is he back yet?"  Yes, he just returned this weekend.  He had been on IR for several weeks after his return a while ago, and then he was put on a conditioning stint with the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL, where he posted a .937 save % over the course of two games.  I don't know what happens next.  I'm not sure if Justin Peters can be grabbed off of waivers.  If he can be, then any team who needs a backup would be foolish not to take him, and if that's the case, then I expect the team to deal him for whatever they can get.  Although for the first time since '06, really the concept of trading Ward himself is no longer very far-fetched, and it's conceivable that he could be dealt as well.  I would want Jim Rutherford to wait until at least the trading deadline to trade Ward, though, as the sample size of games with Khudobin (he only has 38 career NHL starts) is too small to be very sure that his strong play is sustainable in the long term.

"Does he still have a starting job?"  I don't believe the Carolina organization has made that clear yet.  My guess is this:  Khudobin gets the start tomorrow against Winnepeg and barring a poor performance from Mr. Win-or-Die, Ward will only start one of four games between now and the Olympic break.  After the break, I would imagine that if Ward impresses in his NHL return, he could be worked in more and more until the Canes have a goaltending tandem.  If Ward doesn't play well, I think he'll finish the season a true backup and Khudobin will get the majority of the starts.  I don't think Cam is the clear-cut number one at any point this season unless Khudobin begins to legitimately disappoint.  Ward has been wildly inconsistent for several years now, and despite going 10-4 this month, the Canes are currently sitting at 10th in the East, so this team can't really afford to start Ward like he's a number one if he's not on top of his game.

Of course, it goes without saying that these scenarios are contingent upon Ward and Khudobin staying healthy.