This really isn’t the case with the Leafs though. They spend at the cap every year, and they spend among the most in the league on peripheral aspects like sports science, scouting, medical staff, facilities, etc. The culture seems to be one of complacency, but it’s not for lack of spending.
WTF is the NHL thinking starting the only game today at 10 PM eastern time?!
It’s perfectly acceptable to start a crucial playoff game in the late afternoon on a Sunday. Especially when you’d like to promote Connor McDavid as a star to those who haven’t seen the Edmonton Oilers since the Gretzky era.
Even a regular season matchup would be better as a late afternoon face off for a Sunday
There is no better place to put an NHL expansion team than Toronto. The market is horribly under-served. A second team would sell out easily - hell, a third team would sell out, if you’re smart enough to put them in places in the GTA where they would have some municipal identity and access to the market that can get to the games easier than they can get to downtown, places like Markham, Hamilton, Mississauga.
I cannot off the top of my head think of a more obvious market to handle two teams in the same sports league. It’s genuinely weird that the New York City area has THREE hockey teams, but Toronto has one. I know NYC is a way bigger city, but it isn’t a way bigger hockey market. No hockey market is bigger than Toronto.
I’m thinking you spelled Seattle wrong there.
Seattle is, at least, a northern-U.S. city. It doesn’t have a strong hockey tradition, unless you go way back.
I don’t doubt any of that at all. That makes a lot of sense.
Sigh. Well, enjoy the all American playoff finish…
It is pretty remarkable that it has been 30 years since the last Canadian team won one. Too bad about McDavid being out – being on the East Coast, I don’t get to watch him skate that often.
Regardless of who wins tonight between Seattle and Dallas, this is one of the odder semis brackets I’ve seen.
It’s been interesting watching McDavid and Draisaitl, trying to figure out what separates those guys from the next tier down. In Draisaitl’s case, it seems like lightning hands and an incredibly accurate shot, and that pays off huge for him. But with McDavid, it’s a whole bag of tools. He’s an exceptional skater, a great passer, incredibly strong on the stick (try taking a puck from him) and he’s a mix of talent and strength. Gretzky had to be protected, but if you hit McDavid he’ll hit you right back. That might get him a bit more space. But overall, he’s got the whole package.
No word on how good his golf game is.
Wow, that was everything I’d want out of a game 7 in the playoffs. From 10:00-4:00 remaining in the second, that was the most tense six minutes of hockey I can remember watching. Hintz undressing Oleksiak (a former Star) and scoring a very pretty goal was a beautiful way of relieving that tension. It still didn’t make it a done deal, and Bjorkstrand’s goal with just a few clicks left made it a nail biter to the end.
Yep, that’s what I watch the Stanley Cup Playoffs for.
ETA: Wow, not only no Canadian teams in this conference finals bracket, but they’re all from very sunny places. Dallas may get the most snow of the group, and that’s pretty weird.
That game had everything I’d want, except two more Kraken goals.
I love the goal that Johnston scored. Roofing it backhand in that tight is not easy.
Hehee, I’d say it has the appropriate number of Kraken goals, but I may be biased.
It was beautiful, but it was surely a nexus of skill and luck for it to go off of Grubauer’s mask and into the corner. Let that be a reminder to the Stars in the remaining games - this is a game of both skill and luck, in varying proportions.
Haha! Nice one.
Agreed, McDavid is ridiculously good on all fronts. 150 points this season, first time since Lemieux – that’s some good company.
Not a playoff team, but we’ve got a couple days lull now.
The Coyotes lost their arena referendums yesterday. This is the game room and not P&E, so unless there’s some way that the various local/state governments can just ignore the vote, then it looks like the Yotes may finally be done in Arizona.
https://thehockeynews.com/news/coyotes-lose-vote-on-proposed-tempe-arena-project-referendum
Where exactly would the Coyotes relocate to? It’s not like they can go back to Winnipeg. Maybe Houston?
Houston and Portland are the 2 most likely destinations. I have heard that Kansas City might be an option.
If I were making that choice, I’d move to Houston. It’s a big city with a suitable arena and a built in rival with the Stars.
Houston, Kansas City, Portland and Salt Lake City spring to mind and keeps the conferences balanced.
I wish it was bloody Quebec City, which is kinda a hockey town. I realise there are many “non-hockey” towns with NHL franchises (heh, most US cities?) but jeez Louise, it has a perfectly fine facility waiting to go (Videotron, third largest indoor NA arena that doesn’t have an NHL franchise), but Bettman has some sort of wierd fucking allergy to the idea, or something.