NHL - Opening Day!

[Minnesota Mike]

Both of my teams won!

MN Wild 6
Cal Flames 3

Wild forward Marc Chouinard gets the season's first hat trick, as the team picked by some to finish last in the West knocks off the team picked to finish first.

NJ Devils 5
Pit Pens 1

Marty shows the Kid that there is a difference between NHL goalies and QMJHL goalies.

[tommahawk]

It's hard to remember what having the NHL playing is like. It's been too long.
My favorite team won last night. The Caps.

Our #1 pick was impressive

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Washington Capitals' top young prospect brought hockey back to the nation's capital with a pair of goals _ and a monster check so fierce it dislodged a support beam.

Alexander Ovechkin became the first Capitals player to score twice in his NHL debut, and Washington beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-2 on Wednesday night in the league's first game at the MCI Center in 550 days.

Dainius Zubrus also scored for the Capitals, and new captain Jeff Halpern had three assists in a game that included 18 penalties

http://www.wtopnews.com/index.php?nid=295&sid=585928

I'm glad hockey is back.

[PGiddy18]

....what a horrible game. I had to work the game. We packed up some things and put them back in the office at the beginning of the third period. When I had left the Flyers were winning 3-1... when I sat back down with 4:00 left... the score was 5-3 rangers. WTF!!

i'm looking for a BIG rebound on friday night... and there had better be one, because it's a 14 hour day for me, and this princess won't be happy without a win.

[fent]

guess whose team came back from 4-0 to win!

[smoak]

My Leafs lost in the first eveR shootout in the NHL... but I have a hard time caring about hockey. I just don't. The strike hurt and I don't see the NHL doing enough to reach out to fans.

[suppitty]

NHL should change its name to the NILL. National Ice Lacrosse League, because that's where the scores are headed. It's a shame because a lot of great records are going to be broken under the new rules.

BTW, a very impressive attendance number in Minnesota. If i read it correctly they were over capacity by 1k or more. KUTGW, MIke!

[Minnesota Mike]

...

i'm looking for a BIG rebound on friday night... and there had better be one, because it's a 14 hour day for me, and this princess won't be happy without a win.

Needless to say, my hopes for tonight are different than yours. I'll stop right there.

[Minnesota Mike]

NHL should change its name to the NILL. National Ice Lacrosse League, because that's where the scores are headed. It's a shame because a lot of great records are going to be broken under the new rules.

BTW, a very impressive attendance number in Minnesota. If i read it correctly they were over capacity by 1k or more. KUTGW, MIke!

It was a record crowd for a Wild game. We probably could have sold a couple thousand more tickets too, if there was anywhere to put the people.

[PGiddy18]

Needless to say, my hopes for tonight are different than yours. I'll stop right there.

lol! Thats the nicest you could have put that. I did watch your boys skate this morning. They looked good. I still can't get over how solid Brodeur is...

[MoeRedskins]

It was a record crowd for a Wild game. We probably could have sold a couple thousand more tickets too, if there was anywhere to put the people.

When i did tickets for the Caps they were talking about how the Wild have sold out every home game since the teams inception. Now that is pretty frickin impressive.

[suppitty]

When i did tickets for the Caps they were talking about how the Wild have sold out every home game since the teams inception. Now that is pretty frickin impressive.
Why did the team move to Dallas back in the day? It was before my time, but it seems as if Minnesota is the biggest hockey market of the country, not only with the Wild now, but with the Gophers being so popular as well.

[Minnesota Mike]

Why did the team move to Dallas back in the day? It was before my time, but it seems as if Minnesota is the biggest hockey market of the country, not only with the Wild now, but with the Gophers being so popular as well.

The Wild have sold out ever game since day, and that includes all regular season, playoff AND preseason games. I suspect that will continue through this entire season. The official capacity is 18,064 and there are 16,500 sold as season tickets - and there are about 5,000 people on the waiting list. They sell the rest as individual game tickets.

Norm Green bought and moved the North Stars before I moved here so I don't know all the details. But I know that it had a lot to do with the old arena being inadequate and some people in Dallas gave him a bunch of $$$ to move the team. He sold the team about two years after the move, and at a tidy profit too.

[skinfan43]

Hey MM, continued success w/your new position...& my Flyers thank you for Turner Stevenson...;)
(had to get that one in there after last night,lol)

[Minnesota Mike]

Hey MM, continued success w/your new position...& my Flyers thank you for Turner Stevenson...;)
(had to get that one in there after last night,lol)

You should be thanking the video judge for last night. That phantom goal was a ridiculous call. I'm not going to say it was the difference in the game, but it was among the worst calls I've ever seen.

[skinfan43]

Hey DS, what was up with the Pens shootout last night? Super Mario and Sid the Kid stoned by a rookie goaltender?? I was like "WHAT?!" when I saw the clips on ESPN.

[skinfan43]

You should be thanking the video judge for last night. That phantom goal was a ridiculous call. I'm not going to say it was the difference in the game, but it was among the worst calls I've ever seen.
Can't say i disagree, still must have been fun for Turner, though. League's chock full of WAY-talented rookies this season, it's setting the table (along w/the rule changes) for a REALLY exciting NHL - present and future. So far, i'm pretty happy with what i've seen (not to mention working w/the Flyers and their farm teams again,lol!) Let's see if the refs keep it up throughout the season AND playoffs...then i'll be truly convinced that all of this will work, and improve the league and its marketability.

[Minnesota Mike]

Can't say i disagree, still must have been fun for Turner, though. League's chock full of WAY-talented rookies this season, it's setting the table (along w/the rule changes) for a REALLY exciting NHL - present and future. So far, i'm pretty happy with what i've seen (not to mention working w/the Flyers and their farm teams again,lol!) Let's see if the refs keep it up throughout the season AND playoffs...then i'll be truly convinced that all of this will work, and improve the league and its marketability.

I think the players are catching on. So far in the regular season, it seems to me that there has been less clutching and grabbing than in the preseason, and fewer penalties also. I think it will take another month or so before the parade to the box really slows down, and it will be more because of the players learning what they can't do and less because of the refs letting more slide. It's an adjustment period, but I think it will be better soon.

And as far as the rookies go, because of the lockout, there are two year's worth of rookies out there this year - ie Crosby and Ovechkin. For the Devils, Parise is going to be good. For the Wild, we have 2 rookies that are injured (along with Gaborik right now) I can't wait until Mikko Koivu gets back on the ice. His knee got banged in the final preseason game and he will be out a month or so. And the other one is Patrick O'Sullivan who is healing a seperated shoulder right now. Hopefully he'll get a chance to get into an NHL game soon.

[skinfan43]

I think the players are catching on. So far in the regular season, it seems to me that there has been less clutching and grabbing than in the preseason, and fewer penalties also. I think it will take another month or so before the parade to the box really slows down, and it will be more because of the players learning what they can't do and less because of the refs letting more slide. It's an adjustment period, but I think it will be better soon.

And as far as the rookies go, because of the lockout, there are two year's worth of rookies out there this year - ie Crosby and Ovechkin. For the Devils, Parise is going to be good. For the Wild, we have 2 rookies that are injured (along with Gaborik right now) I can't wait until Mikko Koivu gets back on the ice. His knee got banged in the final preseason game and he will be out a month or so. And the other one is Patrick O'Sullivan who is healing a seperated shoulder right now. Hopefully he'll get a chance to get into an NHL game soon.
Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, and goalie Anterro Niittymaki will turn heads in Philly this year, esp. Richards IMO. He plays power play,penality kill,scores,fights,and has become a Captain on every team he has ever played on in his hockey life. (What a sweet goal in his 1st ever NHL game, BTW!) Parise looks impressive too, & being a Devils fan yourself, who would you compare him to? (Elias,perhaps?)

[Minnesota Mike]

Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, and goalie Anterro Niittymaki will turn heads in Philly this year, esp. Richards IMO. He plays power play,penality kill,scores,fights,and has become a Captain on every team he has ever played on in his hockey life. (What a sweet goal in his 1st ever NHL game, BTW!) Parise looks impressive too, & being a Devils fan yourself, who would you compare him to? (Elias,perhaps?)

I haven't seen enough of him to feel comfortable making a comparison at this point. He definately is about the same size as Elias though. I think at this point he is probably more fearless around the net than Elias is. I don't remember Elias being like that in his early career. Maybe it is also a function of the new rules that there is more opportunity to crash the net more.
I am looking forward to watching him some more. Hopefully he'll pot a couple tonight against the Rags.

[suppitty]

AAAAAAAAAAA! So many high-scoring games. The problem wasn't the number of goals, it was the quality of them. Now instead of having 4 ugly goals a game, we have 8 skate-deflected, jammed-in goals.

[Minnesota Mike]

Tonight I've got the Devils/Rangers and that will be followed by Wild @ Phx. Hopefully we can keep Wayne winless.

[Minnesota Mike]

....I still can't get over how solid Brodeur is...

This guy agrees with you:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/usatoday/20051007/sp_usatoday/martinbrodeurstillarockingoaldespitenhlsnewlook

[skinfan43]

Hey DStogie, CRAZY game tonight w/your Pens! Good to see our teams w/plenty of offense, just our defenses and goaltending are also offensive right now. Forsberg is amazing, Gagne is poised for a monster year w/him on his line. Crosby w/points in every game of his career so far, living up to the hype, just loving seeing hockey back:)

[PGiddy18]

Hey DStogie, CRAZY game tonight w/your Pens! Good to see our teams w/plenty of offense, just our defenses and goaltending are also offensive right now. Forsberg is amazing, Gagne is poised for a monster year w/him on his line. Crosby w/points in every game of his career so far, living up to the hype, just loving seeing hockey back:) The last Pens goal Nitty let up... :banghead: WHAT WAS HE THINKING! I guess he was trying to find out the scores of the other games around the league and forgot that he was playing in one himself!

[skinfan43]

The last Pens goal Nitty let up... :banghead: WHAT WAS HE THINKING! I guess he was trying to find out the scores of the other games around the league and forgot that he was playing in one himself!
Believe it or not Patty, I heard that he WAS looking up at the scoreboard, at a highlight reel they were playing of Forsberg, and didn't know play was starting! Thank God we won the game, or he'd be in DEEP ****! (can you imagine the crap he had to take in the lockerroom after the game,LOL)

[PGiddy18]

Believe it or not Patty, I heard that he WAS looking up at the scoreboard, at a highlight reel they were playing of Forsberg, and didn't know play was starting! Thank God we won the game, or he'd be in DEEP ****! (can you imagine the crap he had to take in the lockerroom after the game,LOL)

I'm not gonna lie, I was in a box when i saw that happen and I almost threw my water bottle at him. (THIS is why people in Philly have a bad reputation, because the players frustrate them so much.)