NHL Thread: 2021-2022 Season

[logan5]

Originally Posted by JHikka

Probably still doesn't make up for losing both Tanev and Stecher.

He's an upgrade on Tanev, so out top 4 is better. Stecher is a bottom pairing d man and can easily be replaced.

I realize the term on Schmidt is risky as it takes him to age 34, but it is still shocking to see such a good defenseman basically given away. I wonder if an OEL/Loui Eriksson trade could still happen. That would make the Canucks D vastly better than last year.

[theman23]

Pretty sure the Knights needed to make room for Pietrangelo.

[Denscity]

Wow Calgary really loves the Vancouver Canucks! The Flames have now signed 4 players who were Canucks last year!

[Coldrsx]

RIP Joey Moss.

What a guy, what a life, what an inspiration.

[J.OT13]

I couldn't find a better thread for this, so since Ottawa's Draft pick was one of his final acts, I'd like to leave a thought for Alex Trebek. We've lost one of the World's greatest. A genuinely good person. A humanitarian. A person we should all strive to emulate in some form.

I regret that we have to have two consecutive posts about the death of Canadian icons.


https://www.nhl.com/senators/news/al...20/c-319593968

[esquire]

Now that Sportsnet has almost no live sports left to show, they've been putting on a lot of NHL Classics. Yesterday, for the first time ever, I watched the 1984 Good Friday Massacre game between the Canadiens and Nordiques... let me just say that is probably the most intense hockey game I've ever witnessed. It lived up to the hype. The Nordiques deserve to be brought back just on the strength of that game alone... that third period played 3-on-3 because of all the game misconducts dished out was just epic!

[Acajack]

Speaking of the Nordiques, the Colorado Avalanche's decision to use the Nordiques' jersey as one of the retro looks they needed to roll out for the new season, is getting mixed reviews in Quebec.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Speaking of the Nordiques, the Colorado Avalanche's decision to use the Nordiques' jersey as one of the retro looks they needed to roll out for the new season, is getting mixed reviews in Quebec.

It irritated me somewhat when the Coyotes appropriated the Jets' history with ceremonies honouring ex-Jets, that kind of thing , but it came to an end when the Jets returned.

It's funny though, SN is showing Nordiques games like every day, now the Avs are selling a Nordiques jersey... I've got a great idea guys, how about you bring the actual team back???

[VANRIDERFAN]

My favourite jerseys of all time

1. Nordiques
2. Black Hawks
3. Whalers
4. North Stars
5. Islanders
6. Canucks (hockey stick)
7. Red Wings

Too bad that 3 of the top 4 are no longer around.

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by esquire

It's funny though, SN is showing Nordiques games like every day, now the Avs are selling a Nordiques jersey... I've got a great idea guys, how about you bring the actual team back???

It still doesn't make much financial sense for them to be brought back, though.

Nostalgia is a very, very powerful tool (as can be seen in the retro jersey releases) but just because something was moderately passable in the 80s doesn't mean it would work in the 20s. NHL's got bigger fish to fry. Instead they'll just continue profiting on the likeness and image and weaning out whatever tiny revenue they can from it.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by JHikka

It still doesn't make much financial sense for them to be brought back, though.

Nostalgia is a very, very powerful tool (as can be seen in the retro jersey releases) but just because something was moderately passable in the 80s doesn't mean it would work in the 20s. NHL's got bigger fish to fry.

I guess the good news is the more franchises they add, the more likelihood there is that another one will fail like Atlanta did and get moved to Quebec.

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by esquire

I guess the good news is the more franchises they add, the more likelihood there is that another one will fail like Atlanta did and get moved to Quebec.

I'd argue the opposite, actually. The more franchises there are the less likely one individual one is to be a problem for the rest of them. The wider base the NHL has of stronger franchises the easier it is for them to carry weaker franchises. As long as the proportion of weak < strong doesn't get out of control then it'll be fine. Something like COVID obviously throws a wrench into that but I hope you get what I mean.

Something I read a few weeks ago, and a fun trivia piece: the last Stanley Cup winning team at any point to fold or relocate were the Montreal Maroons who folded in 1947. The NHL hasn't had a SC winner fold or relocate since.

When/if a relocation has to happen the NHL likely has better US options than QC, anyway.

People still keep talking about teams like Florida and Arizona relocating as if they haven't been in their locations for the past 20-25 years. At some point these folks have to give up and just admit these teams are here to stay.

It makes me uncomfortable to see supposed fans of a sport wish and hope for teams to fail as if those teams don't have fans and followers of their own that would be hurt and negatively affected by the team's loss. Surely we should all be hoping for the best for the sport regardless of where it's played instead of acting like vultures waiting for a carcass.

[Acajack]

NHL owners are very rich by (I assume) all of our standards, but they're not as uber-rich as NFL owners for example, and I've heard that the pandemic lockdown has hit the pocketbook of at least of some NHL team owners. So there is a faint hope that one of the teams that might be teetering (behind the scenes of course) might end up in Quebec City at some point.

It's a faint hope but still arguably better than what things looked like on March 12, 2020.

Another thing is that the pro sports business landscape is likely to be markedly different post-pandemic, and no one has a really good idea of what it will look like.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by JHikka

People still keep talking about teams like Florida and Arizona relocating as if they haven't been in their locations for the past 20-25 years. At some point these folks have to give up and just admit these teams are here to stay.
.

Longevity doesn't mean anything. At all.

The Minnesota North Stars were there for 26 years when they moved to Dallas.

How long were the Chargers in San Diego? 50 or 60 years?

The Cleveland Browns were in their city for how long before they moved to Baltimore?

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by Acajack

NHL owners are very rich by (I assume) all of our standards, but they're not as uber-rich as NFL owners for example, and I've heard that the pandemic lockdown has hit the pocketbook of at least of some NHL team owners. So there is a faint hope that one of the teams that might be teetering (behind the scenes of course) might end up in Quebec City at some point.

The Oilers still owe a Dallas hotel $28K due to a cheque bouncing so maybe they'll be the first to go.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by JHikka

The Oilers still owe a Dallas hotel $28K due to a cheque bouncing so maybe they'll be the first to go.

Could be. As I said the pro sports business could be transformed by all of this.

Though if a Canadian team were really in trouble and seriously thinking of moving, I don't have to look very far to think about who that might be. If I climbed up on my roof I just might be able to see them.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by JHikka

It makes me uncomfortable to see supposed fans of a sport wish and hope for teams to fail as if those teams don't have fans and followers of their own that would be hurt and negatively affected by the team's loss. Surely we should all be hoping for the best for the sport regardless of where it's played instead of acting like vultures waiting for a carcass.

Did anyone in Atlanta really care? Would anyone in Arizona or Florida really care? Maybe a few people here or there the way that some people in Winnipeg would be sad if the Goldeyes left town, but for the most part it wouldn't be a big deal. They have a lot of other stuff going on in those places... the Coyotes, Panthers, Hurricanes, etc. would be far better loved in Quebec.

For what it's worth if Quebec got an expansion team then I'd stop actively rooting for the sunbelt teams to fail.

Originally Posted by JHikka

The Oilers still owe a Dallas hotel $28K due to a cheque bouncing so maybe they'll be the first to go.

Not a good look for the Oilers... this makes their ownership look pretty sleazy.

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by esquire

Did anyone in Atlanta really care? Would anyone in Arizona or Florida really care? Maybe a few people here or there the way that some people in Winnipeg would be sad if the Goldeyes left town, but for the most part it wouldn't be a big deal. They have a lot of other stuff going on in those places... the Coyotes, Panthers, Hurricanes, etc. would be far better loved in Quebec.

These teams obviously have fans that follow and support the team, just not enough for people north of the border. What's a suitable number of people and fans to be affected before you feel a little bit bad about them losing a team they love and support?

Originally Posted by esquire

For what it's worth if Quebec got an expansion team then I'd stop actively rooting for the sunbelt teams to fail.

Would you?

Why do you root for them to fail? What do you have against hockey's absolutely, desperately needed growth and expansion? Surely it makes more sense to root for an expansion team in QC than to hope for other teams to fail miserably. The irony of Nordiques fans (and formerly Jets fans) hoping other teams are ripped away from their fans so that they can get a team back themselves that they previously lost never ceases to amaze.

If QC is ever going to end up with a team again a relocation due to COVID seems like the only possible solution. Keep in mind, though, that Videotron just celebrated its fifth anniversary, and soon it'll be ten years old, fifteen years old...Bell MTS was seven years old when the Jets returned.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by JHikka

It makes me uncomfortable to see supposed fans of a sport wish and hope for teams to fail as if those teams don't have fans and followers of their own that would be hurt and negatively affected by the team's loss. Surely we should all be hoping for the best for the sport regardless of where it's played instead of acting like vultures waiting for a carcass.

At first glance on a superficial level it's not a good look I agree, but if you look at how the NHL has taken its home base country for granted, often treating it like a an embarrassing retarded cousin that unfortunately can't be disinvited from the dance, and even siphoned hundreds of millions of dollars out of Canada to prop up sad-sack teams in the U.S., then it's easy to understand the sentiment.

As a Canadian (probably a more patriotic one than me), you should be able to easily understand this. Instead of cheering the fact that there are NHL teams playing the desert in front of wives, girlfriends and moms, yippee!

[VANRIDERFAN]

Originally Posted by Acajack

As a Canadian (probably a more patriotic one than me), you should be able to easily understand this. Instead of cheering the fact that there are NHL teams playing the desert in front of wives, girlfriends and moms, yippee!

Yes, but we're (Canadian NHL cities) in the BIG LEAGUES NOW!!!