The official 2007-08 NHL Season discussion thread.

[flea]

Aha...but he refused it even if it was mandatary??? Or was it just a recommendation from the league to wear helmets??

[batdad]

No it was not mandatory for him. Any "new" player who came into the league had to wear one, but the veterans did not have too, if they had not been wearing one.

Mctavish was just the last of the old guard left.

[flea]

Ahhh...ok, now its clear!!

Thanks for the explanation buddies!!!

Appreciate it!!

[B. Stinson]

Anyone think we'll see full face-masks in the future, like US college has now?

I've been telling myself for years that we'll be seeing it, and I still think we will. I've always seen the possibility of me sitting on the couch watching the Flyers win their 50th Cup in a row, and I'm telling my grandkids how players used to wear nothing more than a helmet when I watched hockey as a kid. And not even a simple visor was mandatory. Then they'll laugh, and call me old. ...Then I'll start crying like a baby.

[batdad]

Eventually yes. But maybe not in my lifetime. Some superstar is going to have to do it, to make it look "Cool" to the kids to keep it on after minor hockey ends, or college. Juniors don't even where them...so we are a long way away.

[Hypnotist]

Look at how many man games are lost to facial injuries and players are still digging in their heels when it comes to visors. Then look at how many man games are lost to neck lacerations. I'm sure it will be mandated in the next CBA

On a personal note, they are about as uncomfortable as you can get plus they retain both heat and sweat. I never wore one as an adult, but have never allowed my kids to play without one, other than playing shinny on the pond.

[CatchUp]

Can we please move the Habs to the West. We'll take the Oilers in return, or the Kings, or something.

Oh my god how did I miss this comment?!



Also:

Coach Guy Carbonneau says all his players are available tonight. Roman Hamrlik did not skate because being on the ice "activates his rash", so the coaching staff didn't want him to have to endure it twice today.

Gross.

Also also:

GO HABS!!!!!!!

[batdad]

Oh no, he is back!

Congrats to Carey Price. That was a whale of a performance. For some reason rookie Hab goalies always scare me.

[CatchUp]

Carbo is letting him go for the repeat tonight.

That was a pretty incredible game by the young lad for sure!

And yes, I am BACK!

[Danny]

lol Canes score 2 in the last minute with the goalie pulled to tie it against the Bruins.
Boston wins the shootout though
There must've been like 90 shots on goal in that game

Habs come back from 0-5 against the Rangers

[Coyote of the Sea]

so can someone help me out here? watching the yotes game against chicago last night, in the 3rd Joel Perrault got a 2 minute roughing penalty for being shoved up and held against the coyotes bench not once but twice. how the hell does that work?

or how the hell do you wave off icing on a puck that goes into the coyotes zone, from a Chicago player from behind the Chicago blue line? oh and not to add shoving someone into the net after the play isn't roughing but don't dare not do anything while a guy holds you against the bench.

I swear those refs were pathetic, i haven't watch hockey, till lately, for about 8-9 years and even i knew some of those calls were bull.

[B. Stinson]

so can someone help me out here? watching the yotes game against chicago last night, in the 3rd Joel Perrault got a 2 minute roughing penalty for being shoved up and held against the coyotes bench not once but twice. how the hell does that work?

or how the hell do you wave off icing on a puck that goes into the coyotes zone, from a Chicago player from behind the Chicago blue line? oh and not to add shoving someone into the net after the play isn't roughing but don't dare not do anything while a guy holds you against the bench.

Were any NHL referees in charge of the game? If so, that's the problem.

[Tasku]

Were any NHL referees in charge of the game? If so, that's the problem.

Heh. I think the problem is not NHL referees per se, it's referees in general. The problem of blind referees is global.

[batdad]

And here we go again. Referees causing games to have different results than they would have if there were "good" referees. Forget about it Coyote, refs NEVER change rhe result. Only the players do. Refs have an impact on the game and its flow, but you know what...good teams always manage to fight through the things they run into and still win.

Best example of this: Canada women's hockey team. Last winter olympics...could easily have blamed the refs...with 15 pp's against them...and 2 for. Did they? No..they just worked harder and won the game anyway.

Blaming referees is an excuse. And guys, can you help me out...anyone around a year or so ago???? Excuses are for _ _ _ _ _ _.

Linesman can waive off a potential icing any time they want...if they feel that it was

1. tipped by a player on the team whose zone the puck is going into.
2. the player on the team the icing would be in favor of is not in the linesman's discretion HUSTLING after the puck, and could have played it.
3. The linseman deems it not to be icing. Period.

Have not seen the hilites in question, but I know one of those three is the case.

As for Joel Perrault's roughing calls...sorry but if he is being pushed around by a Hawk at any time..he does not deserve to be playing. I don't buy that Perrault was innocent victim for a second.

And please don't whine about refs...never the reason a team loses. A team loses because they did not play hard enough. PERIOD!

And those who know me well enough know that I will not accept a ref blaming scenario for any team, including those I root for. Tis BS...period.

[Tasku]

Yes, I do agree, although the refs decisions can nevertheless be somewhat frustrating at times. But the only time a ref could really ruin a game is if he is clearly biased, and I don't think I've ever seen that happen, not looking at things objectively, without the narrowed vision of a fan.

But they're still blind fokkers!

[batdad]

Yes they are...but they are just as blind for both idiot teams on the ice. They see nothing correctly going in either direction. So they are a wash...the teams decide the game themselves.

And with the exception of the old days (Canada-Soviet Union) there is no case to make a call that a referee is biased for or against a team in ANY situation. And even the Canada-Soviet stuff would be difficult to prove without the referee admitting it, or being caught in a gambling fiasco.

[Coyote of the Sea]

wow wanna just go ahead and speak for me there? did i say the yotes lost because of the refs? no. did i say the ref were ****ing morons in the game? yes

I never said the yotes lost due to refs (read it over and over, i never said they lost due to refs) because they lost due to Lalime (with his great saves grrr )

just like the hawks won because of Lalime (the only goal they got was a luck goal taking just the right deflection off of a skate)

[batdad]

It is always interesting how fans of one team only notice that the refs/linseman made mistakes AGAINST their own team. Never the other way around.

Go to a Hawks board, check out the whinings about the ref during that game...there will be tons. Go to A Coyotes board and there will be whining there.

And did you mention the refs were morons to the HAwks too? NOpe, but Hawks fans think they were.

Hockey fans need to watch the whole game, not just what happens to their own team...

And if you read back through last years threads about the season, and the whinings about referees you will note:

I believe that anyone who whines about referees in a game where their team is playing, and only whines about it against their own team...that they are clearly in some way (whether they say it or not) blaming the refs for shafting their team, and at least Contributing to their defeat. Which the refs...did not.

The way you phrase things, clearly shows that you are upset at the officiating. Talk to me about sometime when you are able to do it on the basis of

1. two teams you don't care about
2. or even better..The Coyotes opponent was shafted by the refs in your mind.

Impartiality is key. You can't be impartial in this case...so it comes across as whining because your team lost. Sorry, but it does. ACtually..not sorry...but there you go.

[gibson41]

It is always interesting how fans of one team only notice that the refs/linseman made mistakes AGAINST their own team. Never the other way around.

Go to a Hawks board, check out the whinings about the ref during that game...there will be tons. Go to A Coyotes board and there will be whining there.

And did you mention the refs were morons to the HAwks too? NOpe, but Hawks fans think they were.

Hockey fans need to watch the whole game, not just what happens to their own team...

And if you read back through last years threads about the season, and the whinings about referees you will note:

I believe that anyone who whines about referees in a game where their team is playing, and only whines about it against their own team...that they are clearly in some way (whether they say it or not) blaming the refs for shafting their team, and at least Contributing to their defeat. Which the refs...did not.

The way you phrase things, clearly shows that you are upset at the officiating. Talk to me about sometime when you are able to do it on the basis of

1. two teams you don't care about
2. or even better..The Coyotes opponent was shafted by the refs in your mind.

Impartiality is key. You can't be impartial in this case...so it comes across as whining because your team lost. Sorry, but it does. ACtually..not sorry...but there you go.

So true ^ . Different thing is soccer, referrees can REALLY mess the game.

[Shadd666]

Different thing is soccer, referrees can REALLY mess the game.

No more than in hockey, or rugby, or handball, or basketball, or whatever sport where there's a ref.

What Batdad said about the refs applies to all sports with a ref. It's all up to the players to do a better job to win if needed. Winners do. Loosers don't. And you always see the same complaining, whinning and crying about their loss. They didn't do their job well enough; they deserved to loose. The refs have no impact on this. Period.

Btw, soccer sucks.

[gibson41]

Btw, soccer sucks.

Sure, it does.

But I am talking about the offsides and goals. In hockey you got the video refs, in football it's all up to the refs on the field. It can really screw up the result. Am I wrong?

[Danny]

Well, if a game is lost by one goal and one goal you gave up was irregular it is simply illogical to say the ref didn't have an impact on the outcome of the game. Whether the team was rubbish that day or not...that's not the point.

NHL refs suck for all teams equally. I don't even think it's their fault. Hate the "new NHL" rubbish. I rather have all the holds and hooks from the old days than the call lottery we're having right now.

[batdad]

NOpe. It is not illogical Danny. One play does not make the game. One missed call does not make the game. I guarantee you..give me any hockey game (or any other sport, but hockey is the one I know the best) and I will find you:

1. 4 or 5 mistakes that a team made that cost them the game at a different point in time than the disputed call.

2. 4 or 5 mistakes that the team that loses made that if they had not made them would have allowed the game to go down a different path.

3. 4 or 5 things the winning team did that allowed them to win the game.

Refs do not have a determining impact ... period. Players and goalies do. They put the refs in the position to make a call/non call, and human error is always there. It is ridiculous to state in any situation that a referee determined the outcome of any game. They never do. A result can occur where it "appears" a ref had an impact with a late call/non-call...but the players put the referee in that position. Players have the impact..positive and negative. Refs are there to make sure that the game is played fairly. And they do. Yep, they make mistakes but to say they "impact the outcome of the game" is not correct. They make the calls and non-calls they see as the right thing. And do a darn good job of it.

Again, back to Canada's women--If there was ever a case for a team to say they lost because of reffing...that is the one. Yet they just dug in harder and would not give in. They win. They made alot of mistakes, but they dug down deep and won the game.


Anyway, that is enough from me on this topic. But a note to everyone...when you whine about refs...batdad will come in and cuff you on the ear. EVERY>SINGLE>TIME


As for the "call lottery" it is not the case. The referees are calling what have always been penalties. When I was a kid..calls for blocking an opponent in a race for a puck were made. Then..that call stopped being made. It is interference plain and simple. You touch a guy in any way shape or form when the puck is not immediately on that players stick or in his possession...it is interference. Sometimes the refs call it holding, boarding, elbowing or whatever...but it is a penalty nonetheless.

The guys in the NHL now have played 90% of their lives without having this type of penalty called. Very hard for them to change and not do it. They are doing a good job of learning though. I see 5 kids games a week...the calls are happening there..and they are becoming fewer and fewer. Why? Because the kids have not played that way as long, and are more able to adapt. It has led to skill players being dominant and slow skaters not being around in the top leagues. This is the way it should be. Best to the top.

I predict...in 10 years you will notice a dramatic shift in the NHL back to offense and skill. Because the players will have then played 90% of their lives with the "new" rules. So the hooking, holding and interference will not be there. 15 years from now will be another golden age of the NHL.


/essay...again

[gibson41]

I still think that refs can screw up the game in soccer more than in any game. The result ends up usually 1-0, or 2-1, whatever...and if the one and only goal was irregural, from the offside, or scored by hand Mr.Maradona, you know...what can you do? As I said, in hockey they got at least video refs so fatal errors shouldn't happen. But anyway...The opposite team now has to try hard to tie the score, and even they dominate the game, the possesion, they have a lot more chances - when they lack scoring, oh well...the score rates, not the number of plays and chances.

Refs do not have determining impact. But if they make a serious bad call,...

But okay, this is going offtopic.

[Hypnotist]

Btw, soccer sucks.

NO IT DOESN"T!!!!! It blows.