Official NHL 2005-2006 Season Thread

[RebelRose89]

insane game by buffalo and ottawa yestarday! Buffalo up 1 - 0 
hope the series is like that first game. Unbelievable action!

[Communist China]

insane game by buffalo and ottawa yestarday! Buffalo up 1 - 0?
hope the series is like that first game. Unbelievable action!

Yeah, this is the casual hockey fans's dreams come true.

[Mal Brossard]

insane game by buffalo and ottawa yestarday! Buffalo up 1 - 0 
hope the series is like that first game. Unbelievable action!

Yeah, this is the casual hockey fans's dreams come true.

And yet, a former die-hard hockey fan like me isn't watching.

Thank you, Mr. Bettman.

[Communist China]

^ Yeah, because 2-1 is way better than 7-6. Come on, man. I bet a lot of die hard fans loved it too. I know I did.

[alexh0618]

I can't believe the wings lost game 6. They played so well that game but their goalie blew it for them in the 3rd period.

[Skeba]

Wow... 6-0.

That one, I didn't see coming. Weird. I only saw the highlights reel (it's all I get out here, and even that's online), but the Devils looked really poor in comparison to the last series. I hope they get their act together so that it'll be a real series..

[Mal Brossard]

Well of course you'll see 7-6 scores when the teams get a combined 11 power play opportunities and manage to score one 3 of them and get 2 shorthanded goals.   Or 6-0 scores with a team going 5/8 on the power play.  Last thing I want to see is a 60-minute battle of power play and penalty killing units.  If I wanted to watch a high scoring sport with little physical play, I'd go watch baseball in the steroid era, or basketball.

The NHL wants nothing more than to have a boring-as-all-hell Finals matchup of Carolina vs. San Jose and it seems they're doing whatever they can to make it happen.  This league makes me sicker every day.

[sandman]

i think the hitting is more ferocious than ever. guys are skating into corners uncontested and slamming people.

and i think it's pathetic that teams still take tons of penalties. it's lazy play, nothing else. teams need to follow what the oilers did vs. the wings. smart, positional, team hockey.

[sandman]

i hope anyone that loves hockey saw the sabres-sens game last night. incredible game. non-stop action, vicious hitting, great goaltending. it doesn't get much better than that.

hopefully the sens find a way back into the series, cause this is a good one.

[Mal Brossard]

i think the hitting is more ferocious than ever. guys are skating into corners uncontested and slamming people.

and i think it's pathetic that teams still take tons of penalties. it's lazy play, nothing else. teams need to follow what the oilers did vs. the wings. smart, positional, team hockey.

Of course the hitting is more ferocious.  No one is held accountable for their actions anymore when it comes to borderline hits.

[sandman]

i think the hitting is more ferocious than ever. guys are skating into corners uncontested and slamming people.

and i think it's pathetic that teams still take tons of penalties. it's lazy play, nothing else. teams need to follow what the oilers did vs. the wings. smart, positional, team hockey.

Of course the hitting is more ferocious.? No one is held accountable for their actions anymore when it comes to borderline hits.

but you mentioned "little physical play". i disagree with that. the game is very physical.

i love fights as much as the next guy, but there hasn't been fighting in the playoffs in years.

[Mal Brossard]

Actually fighting seems to be up this year over past years in the playoffs, so I do appreciate that.  Physical play, especially clean physical play and fighting, seems to be down and has been decreasing for some time.

That being said, I think next year's attendance, TV ratings, and other numbers will be the litmus test of how the "new NHL" will go over with fans both old and new.

[Communist China]

Ottawa's got some problems. They were top seeded, and lost to a team they were 5-3 against in the regular season. Heatley and Havlat were a joke, neither of them having an impact on the series dispite their "star status". Alfreddson was okay, but also didn't live up to his reputation. Even Redden and Chara weren't consistent. For all the "stars" they have, their effort was embarrasing. The fact that they lost in 5 games, all of which were close, makes me question their motivation. If you want to disagree, then I suppose you believe Pominville is a better clutch player than Alfreddson. Ottawa had better try something else next year.

[Malcolm]

TORONTO (CP) - The Toronto Maple Leafs have agreed to a five-year deal with defenceman Bryan McCabe, a source told The Canadian Press.

The deal is worth between $5.5 million US and $6 million per year, the source said Wednesday.

McCabe would have been an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

According to a team spokesperson, the team has not reached an agreement with McCabe, but talks are progressing forward and a deal could happen soon.

Related Info
Off-Season Game Plan: Maple Leafs
Maple Leafs' salary commitments for 2006-07
He earned $3.458 million US last season when he was third among all NHL defencemen in goals (19) and points (68). Both were career highs.

Tomas Kaberle, McCabe's usual defence partner, signed a five-year deal for $4.25 million per season in February.

The Leafs missed the playoffs this season for the first time since 1998. Much of the blame was laid on a January tailspin during which they lost seven of nine games that McCabe missed with a groin injury.

McCabe never wanted to go elsewhere.

"I love it here," the 30-year-old blue-liner said in March. "I want to be here."

McCabe has 95 goals and 243 assists in 781 NHL games. He previously played for the New York Islanders, who drafted him 40th overall in 1993, the Vancouver Canucks and the Chicago Blackhawks.

Chicago traded him to Toronto in October 2000 for Alexander Karpovtsev and Toronto's fourth-round choice (Vladimir Gusev) in the 2001 entry draft.

[Neemo]

Toronto needs to make some moves...bigtime but they constantly build on this team...we need a shake up bigger than firing the coach IMO

Back to the playoffs....Tonight is gonna be intense....McKee didn't travel to Carolina with the team but says "I'll be there"...I heard that on the radio this morning.

For buffalo's sake I hope he plays and can contribute...that would be defensemen #4 to go down  and he's like the #1 shot blocker in the playoffs too. Miller has bee shakey too last few games...we'll see i guess

[Mal Brossard]

Carolina vs. Edmonton.

Just like 1999 and 2004, the fix is on.  Carolina in 7.

[Neemo]

Carolina in 7.

Ill ring in....Edmonton in 6

although a 7 game series is highly possible here IMO....that would be sweet OT game 7 for the cup

Pronger = Conn Smythe Trophy

[Malcolm]

Id love to see Edmonton win but ill take Carolina in 7...And for anyone who watches OTR they had the best one ive ever seen yesterday with the GM of the Leafs,Wild,Blues and wings on, such a good show

[Communist China]

Edmonton in 6 or 7. Carolina is overrated, it took them seven games to beat a team missing 4 defensemen and their best player in the playoffs, all this while having home ice. And Cole's injury doesn't equal Connolly's, maybe if Staal couldn't play for the series that would've been an even injury. But to score only one goal (I'm talkin about game six) against a team with 3 injured defensemen, and only 5 defensemen that could play in the second and third period, is pathetic. With the way Rolie is playing, I very much doubt Carolina can win.

[Mal Brossard]

The only reason I'm saying Carolina in 7 is twofold-- 1999 and 2004.  This league will do anything, even bend the rules, to allow the southern teams to win to help promote hockey in those markets.  Hull's "goal" in 1999 and Gelinas' disallowed goal in 2004 both had weak explanations from Bettman and others and both eventually led to southern teams to win it all.  Both are becoming thriving hockey markets after these wins.

Look for something similar to happen in this series, as well as poor officiating similar to that of the Carolina vs. Buffalo series.

Or maybe I'm just paranoid.  I'm cheering for Edmonton, but saying Carolina in 7.