# NHL February Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [February 2, 2009, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-february-thread/484145 "2009-02-02T21:11:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2009, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-february-thread/484145/21 "2009-02-08T22:17:45Z")
Red Wings 3 - Pens 0 Hossa - 1 goal Conklin - SO (25 saves) Way to go, Pens. Fleury - man, that kid is killing us. If Gonchar doesn’t get back on the ice and PP soon, this season is over. ---
**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-february-thread/484145/22 "2009-02-09T00:39:16Z")
Crosby: 1 shot. Ovechkin lit us up for two goals. Crosby gets _a_ shot. Somebody needs to tell Gary Bettman who the next face of the NHL really is. ---
**Author:** ![Key\_Lime\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/48db29/32.png) [@Key\_Lime\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Key_Lime_Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-february-thread/484145/23 "2009-02-09T00:42:44Z")
> [@Key\_Lime\_Guy](#): > > LA will miss the playoffs again… I might have to take that back (and would be THRILLED to do so). They are really getting it together. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-february-thread/484145/24 "2009-02-09T01:56:19Z")
:mad: Three losses in a row displeases me. ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-february-thread/484145/25 "2009-02-09T02:44:05Z")
> [@Harborwolf](#): > > Crosby: 1 shot. > > Ovechkin lit us up for two goals. Crosby gets _a_ shot. Somebody needs to tell Gary Bettman who the next face of the NHL really is. :rolleyes: Because clearly, we can judge the relative merits of players on a single game. ---
**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-february-thread/484145/26 "2009-02-09T03:44:01Z")
> [@Rysto](#): > > :rolleyes: > > Because clearly, we can judge the relative merits of players on a single game. Actually quite a few games. If we wanted to, we could throw in the Stanley Cup finals when Datsyuk and Zetterberg shut Crosby down completely. But let’s not quibble. No question Crosby is talented, but Ovechkin is in an entirely different league. ---
**Author:** ![Cowboy8467](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b5e925/32.png) [@Cowboy8467](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cowboy8467)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-february-thread/484145/27 "2009-02-09T16:34:25Z")
> [@Harborwolf](#): > > **No question Crosby is talented, but Ovechkin is in an entirely different league.** I second this 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-february-thread/484145/28 "2009-02-09T18:32:36Z")
> [@Harborwolf](#): > > Actually quite a few games. If we wanted to, we could throw in the Stanley Cup finals when Datsyuk and Zetterberg shut Crosby down completely. But let’s not quibble. No question Crosby is talented, but Ovechkin is in an entirely different league. 6 points in 6 games is “completely shut down” nowadays? ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-february-thread/484145/29 "2009-02-09T19:01:25Z")
I developed a distaste for Crosby from NBC’s insistence on having their “game of the week” alway be Pittsburgh vs. some-team-that-doesn’t-have-the-chosen-one. ---
**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-february-thread/484145/30 "2009-02-09T22:29:48Z")
> [@Rysto](#): > > 6 points in 6 games is “completely shut down” nowadays? Are you going to tell me that (if I may put a term Sean Hannity overuses to much better use) Sidney “The Annointed One” Crosby had a good series against Detroit? By the time Crosby registered his first goal in the series, the Pens were already down 2-0 in the series having been absolutely owned by Zetterberg. As I said above, there’s no question that Crosby is a talented hockey player. It’s just that he’s so overrated. He needs to stop the sucker punching (and cock knocking), quit diving and whining to the refs every time he gets touched, and play the game like a hockey player instead of a tempermental figure skater. For their part, the NHL needs to realize that there are other players that are just as talented or more so and that making hockey into the Sidney Crosby Show. I won’t even watch hockey on NBC for the very reason that Garygnu mentioned. For some reason I feel I should end this post with “There. I said it.” ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2009, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-february-thread/484145/31 "2009-02-11T03:33:16Z")
I hope all of you back in the East caught the **Sharks** kick the asses of the “league leading” Boston Bruins. That was fun to watch. Next up: the Penguins. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2009, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-february-thread/484145/32 "2009-02-11T03:58:21Z")
The Leafs are rebuilding, finally. And as we Leaffans like to say “wait till next year!” (Tongue firmly implanted in cheek.) I miss the Dougie/Wendel years. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2009, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-february-thread/484145/33 "2009-02-11T15:25:03Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > …And as we Leaffans like to say “wait till next year!” > … We Sharks fans usually don’t start saying that until the third round of the playoffs. ---
**Author:** ![Key\_Lime\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/48db29/32.png) [@Key\_Lime\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Key_Lime_Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2009, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-february-thread/484145/34 "2009-02-11T18:06:58Z")
Have you guys seen this awesome site? [http://www.sportsclubstats.com/NHL/Western.html](http://www.sportsclubstats.com/NHL/Western.html) [http://www.sportsclubstats.com/NHL/Eastern.html](http://www.sportsclubstats.com/NHL/Eastern.html) ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2009, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-february-thread/484145/35 "2009-02-11T18:09:55Z")
> [@Harborwolf](#): > > Not to mention that team defense is much worse than last year. Defenseman have been pinching in too much leaving forwards having to try to be defenseman. Forwards aren’t getting back as much as they were last season. Positioning has been absolutely terrible, allowing far too many wide open shots on goal, making bad nights worse for Ozzie and Conklin. I’m not going to say that Ozzie is having a great season, but I think a rough start due to horrendous defensive lapses shook him. > > As it stands now, I don’t see how the Wings can win the cup. They’ve had one good patch between the winter classic and the all star game where they looked like last years Wings. That’s it. If they don’t get their defense straightened up (getting outshot by St. Louis? Really?), they’ll be lucky to make it out of the first round. Well, they are a veteran team who may be able to turn it on when the playoffs start. Wouldn’t be the first team to coast through the regular season only to kick it up a notch in the postseason. ---
**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2009, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-february-thread/484145/36 "2009-02-11T22:08:07Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > Well, they are a veteran team who may be able to turn it on when the playoffs start. Wouldn’t be the first team to coast through the regular season only to kick it up a notch in the postseason. Also wouldn’t be the first cup winning team to bow out in the first round instead of kicking it up a notch. The habits you get into in the regular season are what get you through the playoffs. See the Red Wings last year or the Sharks this year (who to be honest are looking like the team to beat for the cup). You can’t expect to win the cup with a bottom penalty kill and with opposing forwards scoring at will from the front of your net. I think Detroit did make a good move by putting Datsyuk and Zetterberg back together. They’re both talented players, but together they are one of the best tandems in the NHL. Quick thought. I wonder if Detroit might be more active in the trade deadline than previously suspected. They’re looking to resign either (or miraculously both) Hossa and Franzen which would leave little money to resign UFA Mikael Sammuelsson or RFA Jiri Hudler who is set to pass his career best stats and would be due a raise. I wouldn’t be surprised if one of them (Samuelsson, Hudler, or longshot Franzen) gets moved at the deadline, possibly to Atlanta for Schneider. Anybody else have any thoughts regarding their teams and the deadline? ---
**Author:** ![Key\_Lime\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/48db29/32.png) [@Key\_Lime\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Key_Lime_Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-february-thread/484145/37 "2009-02-12T03:21:46Z")
> [@Harborwolf](#): > > Anybody else have any thoughts regarding their teams and the deadline? I could see the **Kings** possibly trading one of their prospects to make a playoff push. They could use a sniper. They could give Bernier or Hickey or Teubert. But likely they’ll stand pat. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-february-thread/484145/38 "2009-02-13T22:04:49Z")
I started watching hockey just recently, mostly to have background noise on TV when I’m studying/doing homework, but also because it’s damn hard to live in Montreal and not have at least some idea of how the Habs are doing. Except that every time I watch, the Habs lose. Every. Single. Game. I have never watched a hockey game this season where the Canadiens won. It’s my fault, apparently. I’m sorry! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2009, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-february-thread/484145/39 "2009-02-14T05:16:46Z")
> [@Harborwolf](#): > > the Sharks this year (who to be honest are looking like the team to beat for the cup). Thornton’s going to have to do something in the playoffs before I’m a believer in the Sharks. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2009, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-february-thread/484145/40 "2009-02-14T14:26:48Z")
The Phoenix Coyotes have been a horrible losing streak. If they miss the playoffs, they will most likely relocate or even fold. Nice win by the Stars last night though. They really put the Avery mess behind them and have been one of the hottest teams in the NHL this month. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-february-thread/484145.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-february-thread/484145.md?page=3)