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Lord Stanley

Who will it be?

  • Anaheim

    Votes: 2 12.5%
  • Detroit

    Votes: 5 31.3%
  • Ottawa

    Votes: 9 56.3%
  • Buffalo

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    16

Noel

Member
Joined
Apr 23, 2007
Messages
613
MBTI Type
INFP
Coach Bombay: "Where was the Flying Fuckin' V like we practiced"? "Charlie, what the fuck".
 

Chaselation

New member
Joined
Apr 23, 2007
Messages
125
MBTI Type
INTP
Comparing our pole results with reality. I don't think we as a group will be recruited by Vegas to help them establish the lines any time soon.

Ottawa played like so much poop.
 

Haight

Doesn't Read Your Posts
Joined
Apr 18, 2007
Messages
6,232
MBTI Type
INTj
Man, the two people that picked the Ducks in this poll are looking pretty damn smart right now. :whistling:
 

spartan26

New member
Joined
Apr 29, 2007
Messages
189
MBTI Type
INTP
Man, the two people that picked the Ducks in this poll are looking pretty damn smart right now. :whistling:
I was much begrudged when I picked Anaheim at the start of the season to win it all but but they had two stud defenders who could each play 30 mins a night, a goalie, correction a conn smythe winning goalie and pretty much last year you could see how big and fast they were.

Heading into the playoffs I wasn't sure if they were firing on all cylinders and wasn't sure if San Jose's acquistions might help push them over the edge. I did pick them though out of the final four on this poll.

I can't remember if I went to a ducks game before the 95-96 season. I know it was freckin' loud and obnoxious. First off the area was so sterile that I called the place the Stepford Arena. Most people didn't know why the whistle would blow or why the goalie would leave the ice on a delayed penalty call. What I hated most was their trying to make the evening "fun for people who don't like hockey," I guess is the best way to put it. Every stoppage in play would feature some chick in a ducks jersey on the jumbotron asking someone a trivia question or trying to give some crap away. EVERY ONE! It just wouldn't end. And I'm not even a hockey purist. It was just too much.

People are definately more knowledgable but it can still be like watching diner theater. I was at a game earlier this season, ducks were getting shut out with about 5 min left in the third, the goalie misplays the puck out of the net and people start chanting his name. Even the kid next to me who I think played hs hockey there in the O.C. was like "WTF - He's got a 33-save shutout and you're gonna start chanting his name?!"

I know I'm a ways from Anahiem but I rarely see any Ducks gear outside of a game. Rarer still the new uni's. I think I see more LA Galaxy (maybe) gear. Even the San Diego Padres.

I'm not thrilled about it but I thought they were the best team in hockey. At least it wasn't a case of them riding a hot goalie.
 

Chaselation

New member
Joined
Apr 23, 2007
Messages
125
MBTI Type
INTP
I was much begrudged when I picked Anaheim at the start of the season to win it all but but they had two stud defenders who could each play 30 mins a night, a goalie, correction a conn smythe winning goalie and pretty much last year you could see how big and fast they were.

Heading into the playoffs I wasn't sure if they were firing on all cylinders and wasn't sure if San Jose's acquistions might help push them over the edge. I did pick them though out of the final four on this poll.

I can't remember if I went to a ducks game before the 95-96 season. I know it was freckin' loud and obnoxious. First off the area was so sterile that I called the place the Stepford Arena. Most people didn't know why the whistle would blow or why the goalie would leave the ice on a delayed penalty call. What I hated most was their trying to make the evening "fun for people who don't like hockey," I guess is the best way to put it. Every stoppage in play would feature some chick in a ducks jersey on the jumbotron asking someone a trivia question or trying to give some crap away. EVERY ONE! It just wouldn't end. And I'm not even a hockey purist. It was just too much.

People are definately more knowledgable but it can still be like watching diner theater. I was at a game earlier this season, ducks were getting shut out with about 5 min left in the third, the goalie misplays the puck out of the net and people start chanting his name. Even the kid next to me who I think played hs hockey there in the O.C. was like "WTF - He's got a 33-save shutout and you're gonna start chanting his name?!"

I know I'm a ways from Anahiem but I rarely see any Ducks gear outside of a game. Rarer still the new uni's. I think I see more LA Galaxy (maybe) gear. Even the San Diego Padres.

I'm not thrilled about it but I thought they were the best team in hockey. At least it wasn't a case of them riding a hot goalie.

Well said.

Unfortunately I don't think Pronger, Niedermayer and Selanne are grasped for their true skill level in a non hockey town (you would know better). My money was on the Sharks form day one this year. I was surprised Detroit got buy them.

Ottawa sucked, or perhaps they just looked bad in light of dominance but truthfully they should have made it interesting I don't think the divide was that great. Same goes for Buffalo.
 

spartan26

New member
Joined
Apr 29, 2007
Messages
189
MBTI Type
INTP
Well said.

Unfortunately I don't think Pronger, Niedermayer and Selanne are grasped for their true skill level in a non hockey town (you would know better). My money was on the Sharks form day one this year. I was surprised Detroit got buy them.

Ottawa sucked, or perhaps they just looked bad in light of dominance but truthfully they should have made it interesting I don't think the divide was that great. Same goes for Buffalo.
Thanks. You know there's often talk about the advantages of free agents coming to LA. (Ducks or Kings). There are a number of players who make LA their off season home, particularly the Manhattan Beach area. It's nice because there are other hockey players around, it's kinda fitness minded yet there are other athletes in the area. In fact, all of LA, there are celebs which takes the pressure off. You don't score a goal in a week in a half, no one's gonna write a column saying you need to be shipped out of town. You can go out to dinner and a movie and not have to answer the question of "how's the shoulder" 20x a night, EVERY night. Being a pro athlete would still get you in the VIP room in the top clubs in Hollywood and Beverly Hills. You can sit down at nice restaurant and no one's gonna recognize you so you can finish your meal. Or if they do before anyone comes over someone will whisper "Hey, isn't that the guy from Matchbox 20?"

On the other hand I could see how one would not feel appreciated here. You see plenty of kids and teens with, (well, adults too) Kobe, Odom, Eldon Brand jerseys walking around but you'll be hard pressed to see a Niedermayer sweater. You don't have to be a primadonna to think the team's mktg dept doesn't think you're worthy. I would think there could be something rather reaffirming in having a GM say come to SoCal and you'll be the man and then see how much hockey is beloved but when you start traveling to Edmonton or Denver or Boston you'll think our city has no love for us.

I think part of the reason Kariya and Saleanne left in the first place was, sure they can see they're the faces of the team but that was it. They asked for help and Disney wouldn't give it to them. Basically, "%*(&# you! We're at 90-95% capacity every night. A stay-at-home defensemen isn't going to sell us any more seats."

You know, I liked San Jose a lot too. But they weren't as impressive as I expected them to be a lot of times. I don't know what it is but you'd think they'd have or have had by now the "over the hump" playoff series win. Like knocking out Colorado right before the strike, I believe it was. You know something that tells the rest of the league, just as much as it says to themselves, 'don't mess w/us - we'll take you out.' But it still hasn't happened, I guess. No one was more surprised they didn't disassmantle detroit. THey're younger, deeper, I would've thought more physical but none of that came into play.

I know teams fair well, if not better when having two top line centers but maybe it's a case of too much biology and not enough chemistry up there. What happens when you bring in Joey Thornton? Marlau picked it up a notch but maybe he's wondering why are you bring some guy in, calling him the messiah when he could get Boston out of the second round.

Considering the team he's built, there's no way you can compare San Jose's GM with, Bobby Clarke but I think he really screwed up. There's no way you go through the season with two #1 goalies. Especially in a salary cap era. While it was kind favorable to have them since they both got hurt or weren't always playing well, it was the regular season. A decent backup should've at least one point in half the games he plays. It's not like either of those guys were coming off rookie seasons where you don't know what's going to happen. Take your pick. Frankly I was surprised it wasn't Tuskola but send he or Nabakov off for someone who you know will get you 30 goals and 60 assists. Hell, even package one with a 2nd round pick. The window's as wide open as it'll be, you gotta get someone who can produce now. The only reason I could see it not happening is if you adhere to the philosophy of don't trade away any of your players to teams in your own division. They really needed to get that deal done, not at deadline but it should've been done before they broke camp.

I did think the west was that much stronger than the east. I thought the one thing that could help the east would be if whoever came out of the west be so beat up, they could get them down by two games somewhat early.

Oh well, guess now we just wait for free agent signings...
 
Joined
Jun 6, 2007
Messages
7,312
MBTI Type
INTJ
I agree with much of what you said. It must be tough to be a Ducks fan in Anaheim/LA. They sell the building out every night because NHL hockey is a superior product, but the local media here all but ignore them. There were the obligatory stories on the local news that night, but if there was a parade I never heard about it. You don't see flags on cars and a general excitement in the residents like you do if the Lakers are in the NBA Finals or the Dodgers are in the World Series. I agree that the tremendous skill and talent of the Ducks are basically wasted on the area. If you're a player, you just have to be proud and share your accomplishment with your teammates, front office, family, and the 18,000 faithful that fill the building. It kind of makes me want to scream, because if my hometown Flyers won the Cup, the city would basically cease to function for two days. It would be HUGE. And it's the same in Detroit, Chicago, New York, etc.
 

spartan26

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Joined
Apr 29, 2007
Messages
189
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INTP
but if there was a parade I never heard about it. You don't see flags on cars and a general excitement in the residents like you do if the Lakers are in the NBA Finals or the Dodgers are in the World Series.
It was earlier today. I didn't hear about it until late. It was also the Gay Pride parade today. Can you imagine if someone had to drive from We Ho to O.C. this afternoon? You wouldn't have to even stick a hose from the exhaust pipe to inside your car. You could prolly die from the fumes before you even crossed Olympic. And I'm sure that death couldn't have come quick enough. At least it wasn't too hot today. I'm sure people would've stopped shooting at other cars and turned the pistols on themselves.

I was talking to someone at work about it. Most of the hockey fans in LA are Kings fans and pissed and then others just don't care. The Lakers and Dodgers do have decades of winning traditions though too. I'm not a ducks fan but it would've been nice to see more of the city get up for them. Hockey though has been too insular I think in the past and so I think it has to look at itself for many of the low level interest problems that it faces today.
 
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