Around The NHL

[DMelt36]

The real question is if Ovi makes good on going anyway, if the WSH owner is complicit, and if other players do the same regardless.



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It'll be interesting to see what happens when Ovi tells the NHL to **** off and heads to the Olympics anyway. The speculation I read is that this announcement means the NHL won't be "accommodating" the Olympics, meaning they won't schedule that 3-week break. But it will be up the discretion of each team as to whether or not they allow players to go. I can't imagine that Ovi is the only one who wants to go.

I get why the NHL is doing this, but I'm still pretty bummed about it. Loved watching the Olympics and loved watching the best compete in them. Plus I was still holding out hope that the US would finally slay that fucking Canadian dragon that's been hovering over them forever. The current crop of young American talent is only getting better, too.

 

[Tater]

I prefer to see them at their best in the NHL rather than seeing them split up by nationality playing for national pride.

I get it is a cool experience for them and they want to do it, but I am selfish and prefer seeing them in the NHL at their best.

I can live with it if they play in the Olympics, I am more happy if they skip the Olympics.

Same here.

 

[LordKOTL]

It'll be interesting to see what happens when Ovi tells the NHL to **** off and heads to the Olympics anyway. The speculation I read is that this announcement means the NHL won't be "accommodating" the Olympics, meaning they won't schedule that 3-week break. But it will be up the discretion of each team as to whether or not they allow players to go. I can't imagine that Ovi is the only one who wants to go.

I get why the NHL is doing this, but I'm still pretty bummed about it. Loved watching the Olympics and loved watching the best compete in them. Plus I was still holding out hope that the US would finally slay that fucking Canadian dragon that's been hovering over them forever. The current crop of young American talent is only getting better, too.

I think with guys like Matthews/McDavid, on the surface, theoretically not going to be able to play in the Olympics is going to be interesting.

I also agree that it's going to be up to the team management, and knowing what side their bread is buttered on. Thinking of a guy like Ovi--who at last check was hellbent on representing Russia: Do the caps risk losing the Ovi Cash-cow knowing he could pull a Datsyuk/Kovalchuck? or do they suck it up for a week or two and let him go--especially knowing he could bolt to the K and still make money hand over fist, as well as knowing that some team over here would sign him to a phat contract and let him play in the Olympics just for the prestige and marketing.

You'd have to think the same could happen with Panarin. If the 'hawks wouldn't let him go and he wants to, he could always bolt and the losers are the 'hawks and their fans.

Ditto with any other marquee player.

Or the management lets them go and the only losers are the Fantasy hockey failed jocks in their sweat-stained wifebeaters and skidmarked farting-crackers blubbering like big girls blouses that their fake team lost as they live out their childhood dreams vicariously.

Guess which side I take . I'm a rat bastard like that.

I prefer to see them at their best in the NHL rather than seeing them split up by nationality playing for national pride.

I get it is a cool experience for them and they want to do it, but I am selfish and prefer seeing them in the NHL at their best.

I can live with it if they play in the Olympics, I am more happy if they skip the Olympics.

At least you admit the selfishness--which is more than I could say about the bulk of the anti-Olympic crowd. The way I see it is if I was ever asked to represent my country on the world's stage because those in-the-know thought I was good enough, and the only people complaining were those who were living vicariously through me or exploiting my talent to fatten their wallet, I'd go without a second thought.

 

[ClydeLee]

I want them playing in the Olympics because selfishness. Jockey that matters to the players in January vs the dullest mid of the season.

And what the NHL is gonna have an all star game when before it? To show off how all these players are even more bored to be there than ever.

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[LordKOTL]

I want them playing in the Olympics because selfishness. Jockey that matters to the players in January vs the dullest mid of the season.

And what the NHL is gonna have an all star game when before it? To show off how all these players are even more bored to be there than ever.

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Repped because of the ASG angle, which never crossed my mind.

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[MassHavoc]

Kinda surprised no posts on this yet:
http://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/...e-not-participating-2018-olympics-south-korea

Honestly... I had just assumed someone else was going to do it.

 

[MassHavoc]

I like the Olympics with the NHL players. Not necessarily the timing of them or anything, but I like that it's essentially a shake up of NHL teams and allows me to see players i normally hate on a team that i can get behind. Or players that would never play together play together. It sucks how disruptive it is to the NHL and the season, but it also gives more hockey. As far as the All-star game... if they really want to get rid of something this is it. The Olympics is a much better all-star game than anything the NHL has put on in a long time.

 

[Ares]

At least you admit the selfishness--which is more than I could say about the bulk of the anti-Olympic crowd. The way I see it is if I was ever asked to represent my country on the world's stage because those in-the-know thought I was good enough, and the only people complaining were those who were living vicariously through me or exploiting my talent to fatten their wallet, I'd go without a second thought.

I mean I don't get a vote.... just an opinion on the topic.

And at the end of the day aren't all our opinions or hopes about sports pretty selfish.... I just want to see the Hawks win the Cup lol.

 

[LordKOTL]

I like the Olympics with the NHL players. Not necessarily the timing of them or anything, but I like that it's essentially a shake up of NHL teams and allows me to see players i normally hate on a team that i can get behind. Or players that would never play together play together. It sucks how disruptive it is to the NHL and the season, but it also gives more hockey. As far as the All-star game... if they really want to get rid of something this is it. The Olympics is a much better all-star game than anything the NHL has put on in a long time.

IMHO the ASG is more for the kids than anything. I don't know about you but in my case between the 84 and 88 Olympics (5 and 9 for me, respectively) was a fucking eternity--so keeping the ASG around is not necessarily bad as long as the players could have fun with it--like when Scott played. Keep it entertaining and guys there that want to be there and all's right in the world.

The Olympics every 4 years, from a kid's standpoint, just doesn't happen often enough as a showcase of talent, and the WCoH failed for a reason. Honestly the perfect solution in my book would be to have Ice Hockey back at the summer Olympics, but that would fly about as well as ValuJet DC-9

I mean I don't get a vote.... just an opinion on the topic.

And at the end of the day aren't all our opinions or hopes about sports pretty selfish.... I just want to see the Hawks win the Cup lol.

As do we all. You're realistic about it, though. We all want to see our favorite teams win but for 49 years we all survived without a 'hawks cup. Hell, for over 100 years we all survived without the Cubs winning it all. In the highly unlikley event that an injury happens in the Olympics to an player that actually prevents the 'hawks from winning, I'll manage to survive.

I just have a major problem with some fatass (like myself) sitting on his couch somewhere and wallowing in self-pity about their peaked-in-highschool limit to athletic prowess trying to live their sports dreams vicariously, and think they have the audacity to have a say in whether or not guys like Panarin, Ovi, Hoss, Toews, Kane, etc. "risk injury" to accept the honor of represent their country of birth on the international stage, all because it would **** up their fantasy hockey team.

 

[DMelt36]

I agree with KOTL that the WCoH didn't do much in its first installment this year, but I do wonder if that would become more of a thing over time. It's hard for tournaments like that to grab an instant buzz unless something crazy happens.

Heard comparisons of that to the World Baseball Classic, which no one gave a **** about the first few times around but has started to grab a fair amount of popularity in the last couple of seasons. This one being the most popular yet.

 

[Tater]

What a ******-bag Marchand is.

 

[DMelt36]

Big news for one of the Eastern Conference contenders: Pittsburgh D Kris Letang is having surgery on a herniated disc in his neck and the expected recovery time is 4-6 months. That's a huge blow for the Pens ... and likely a fatal one.

 

[Tater]

Big news for one of the Eastern Conference contenders: Pittsburgh D Kris Letang is having surgery on a herniated disc in his neck and the expected recovery time is 4-6 months. That's a huge blow for the Pens ... and likely a fatal one.

Ouch. Gonna be hard to get past the Caps now.

 

[MassHavoc]

Big news for one of the Eastern Conference contenders: Pittsburgh D Kris Letang is having surgery on a herniated disc in his neck and the expected recovery time is 4-6 months. That's a huge blow for the Pens ... and likely a fatal one.

I hate how much I used to like the Penguins with Lemieux and Jagr only to have it all undone by nut puncher.

 

[LordKOTL]

I agree with KOTL that the WCoH didn't do much in its first installment this year, but I do wonder if that would become more of a thing over time. It's hard for tournaments like that to grab an instant buzz unless something crazy happens.

Heard comparisons of that to the World Baseball Classic, which no one gave a **** about the first few times around but has started to grab a fair amount of popularity in the last couple of seasons. This one being the most popular yet.

"Team Europe" was fatally flawed and might be the Achilles heel from the get-go. This thing about players with the Olympics is representing their home countries, where nationalism and patriotism with respect to sports are far stronger than us in the Americas.

Case in point, when Slovakia last won the IIHF Mens Gold, the whole country pretty much shut down to watch. Could you same the same for even a City in Canad or the US?

Unless you get the Euro's buy-ins to do the WCoH over the Olympics, IMHO it's probably going to end up flopping.

 

[ClydeLee]

When when Slovakia can get a single player born since their countries devotion to score an NHL goal they might have some world stage interest.

I want them to do it again with not just team Europe but a team Scandinavia u23 as well

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[DMelt36]

So goddam happy for Bryan Bickell.

 

[Tater]

So goddam happy for Bryan Bickell.

Hell fucking yeah!

 

[Diehardfan]

Nice way to go out, good for him....class act by the Carolina coach.

https://www.nhl.com/news/bryan-bickell-scores-shootout-goal-in-final-nhl-game/c-288627446

 

[clonetrooper264]

Nice way to go out, good for him....class act by the Carolina coach.

https://www.nhl.com/news/bryan-bickell-scores-shootout-goal-in-final-nhl-game/c-288627446

Awesome moment! All hail da Bigfoot