EHM The Blue Line

So... The 11-12 season started with loss for the latest Stanley Cup champions
But at least, Philly won Personally, I've never been big fan of Flyers but now I cheer for Jagr, Voracek and Meszaros. I hope they all make significant impact on their team and Flyers will go far in the playoffs. And then I wish they will lose with Avalanche in the finals

Let's Go, 11-12 Season, Let's Go

Tough start for the Habs as usual..... Last year they had a losing record against teams that didn't make the playoffs, so losing to Toronto seems to only be natural..........

Yesterday game was boring to watch after the first. The team need to work on their chemistry but hey, it's the first game fo the season. That laser by Phaneuf was awesome.


@McQwak Thanks for creating the 11-12 thread! I was wondering if we were still talking about hockey here.

It's only been one game so far but Seguin looks much improved over last season. He looks stronger and more confident.

Forsberg's number has been retired tonight. Too bad those darn Wings break the fun.

Yeah, all elebrations are wierd, so far. Bruins lost, Avalanche lost. Expect Winnipeg will lose tonight, too.

McQwak wrote:Yeah, all elebrations are wierd, so far. Bruins lost, Avalanche lost. Expect Winnipeg will lose tonight, too.

Yup. Wpg lost big time (it didn't help there was a couple bad penalty calls, one resulting in a PPG). The Jets played really nervous for the first 10 minutes and then seemed to get better. Its easy to tell this is a growing team, but the bones are there. If the Jets make the playoffs this year it will be a miracle, and I don't really expect them to. The Jets organization has made it clear that they are in a building phase and only idiots will be disappointed in a bad season. At the end of tonights game the Jets got a standing ovation. 5-1 meant nothing to us as Winnipeggers, we got the Jets back and that's all that really matters.

The two hours prior to the game was filled with Jets Jets Jets. Talking about the old team, how it got its start, how they brought in the 'white out', European players, paying Hull the big salary, etc... It was quite interesting. They talked with former Jets like Steen, Hawerchuk, Tkachuk. All in all it was an interesting two hours into the game.

There are something like 600 extra tickets for each game and they have a raffle to make it fair. There are over 70,000 people (myself included) who are signed up for that. The Prime Minister of Canada was there to watch the game. According to the New York Times he had asked for 14 tickets. He got 2.

The only game I really want to see is Dec 17th vs the Ducks, so I can see Selanne play in Wpg one last time.

Qikdraw wrote: According to the New York Times he had asked for 14 tickets. He got 2.

That's probably a lie. I saw him on TV and behind him there was 4 guys in business suit who were looking pretty serious for an occasion like this. That was probably his goons.


By the way, the Winnipeg crowd was awesome, loudy, intense and in the first minutes of the game very intimidating. It take some time to score that one goal but at least they scored one, which I was hoping. The standing ovation at the first face-off was awesome too! I'm happy for you Winnipeg!

philou21 wrote:

Qikdraw wrote: According to the New York Times he had asked for 14 tickets. He got 2.

That's probably a lie. I saw him on TV and behind him there was 4 guys in business suit who were looking pretty serious for an occasion like this. That was probably his goons.

That very well may be. I donno. I was just regurgitating what I read in NYT. I should know better. lol

By the way, the Winnipeg crowd was awesome, loudy, intense and in the first minutes of the game very intimidating. It take some time to score that one goal but at least they scored one, which I was hoping. The standing ovation at the first face-off was awesome too! I'm happy for you Winnipeg!

A few guys at work were at the game, they said it was simply amazing. I wish I was there.

You will have your chances in the futur for sure now that you have the team don't worry. I understand though that that first game is something really special. If one day the Nordiques are coming back to Quebec City I'll do my best to go at that opening game for sure!

Well then I hope QC gets its team soon. Maybe it will be Phoenix?

I don't know but I'm not expecting a team in at least 3-4 or even 5 years. There still some Kasparaitis with the construction of the arena and I really don't know when they will start to build it. Why do I have to live in a province of old and whining people?

Did someone knew that Vcr traded Samuelsson, Strum in Florida for Booth, Reinprecht and a third round pick? Nobody have talked about that on my websites or in the news. It's not the deal of the year but it's not the smallest too. I'm really surprise to see the Panthers giving up Booth. I don't know how his doing since his comeback from his bad injury but he was doing a decent job with a team like the Panthers. I'm curious what he will do now in a good team like the Nucks.

Booth gives the Canucks more speed. Sturm and Samuelsson have none. And Canucks get another good utility player in Reinprecht. Panthers get two vets who can fit in anywhere in their lineup depending on how they are playing. Decent deal for both sides really. Canucks taking a bit of a gamble that Booth can find his game after those two bad concussions, and that his -31 from last season is not really David Booth. Playing with Kesler he should have no hope of that happening in Vancouver.

Sedin-Sedin-Burrows
Higgins-Kesler-Booth
Hansen-Malhotra-Hodgson
Weiss-Lapierre-Volpatti
Reinprecht-Ebbett

Raymond when he comes back will make this team pretty solid, and the speed factor has just increased and will again with Raymond back. If Ballard keeps playing well..the Canucks will be a solid side again.

-31? darn! But hey, what would you expect playing with a team like this? I really like Booth he is a hard working guy with alot of ambition. I hope he will be able to put up 60 pts and + seasons again.

And me who was expecting the Bruins to continu MTL horrible season beginning.

philou21 wrote:And me who was expecting the Bruins to continu MTL horrible season beginning.

A message in french!

Spoiler: Click to reveal

Hahahah good one ehmfans. Proud to be a Habs hater!

philou21 wrote:Hahahah good one ehmfans. Proud to be a Habs hater!

Who are you trying to fool? We all know you love them

Yeah, yeah keep going with that Manimal. You should be happy that I'm going to root for those stupid Rags on November 19th when I'm gonna see them at MTL.

Brent Severyn: My life as an enforcer http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/h ... nhl_bf3_a7

Great post selne. Outstanding (if poorly written or edited) article. Severyn really lets us in on what kind of hell life in the NHL can be for some guys. Enforcers are starting to speak up and this is a good thing. Hopefully more continue to do so. In particular liked the part about how star players can go off on the coach, and all is fine....but when an enforcer does well..

Also the part about how skills and skating deteriorate once you get labelled into a job as an enforcer. No ice time, using fists...so clear so obvious...yet so not discussed. These guys are still some of the most talented players in the world (not in the NHL if not...lots of guys are strong and tough, but cannot make the show) yet....they just end up in an endless circle of fighting...no ice...no improvement...no chance for success other than in fighting. Cannot be an easy way to make a living, even if getting paid $500,000 or more per year.

Who would have bet that Kessel and the Leafs would be that good in october honestly? I'm starting to wonder that they can make the playoffs this year.

It's the same as last year. They were good in the beginning but then started struggling.

Yes but they are 'better' 'longer' right now. Last year they won thier first four and then went 1-8-3., They were 5-4-1 at the end of October as oppoesed to 7-3-1 right now. Yes Kessel had a hot October last year, here's hoping he can sustain it. November will be a good test to see if they can sustain it, last year they were 3-9-3 in November.