TheSloth

In regard to Bettman's efforts with television

Maybe they underachieved because he was a terrible coach? Don't really feel that way, always liked Jacques and wish him luck with the Habs but I had no problem with him being canned, he had done all he could do with that team, it was time.

What really blew me away was the explanation of having less wear and tear on his arm(s) (pretty obvious but it didn't occur to me until they mentioned it). Really cool.

Detroit in 4! See AD, you don't know what the fuck you're talking about. Missed all the action this weekend, but that Malkin thing looks awesome. Cmon Penguins, make a series of this.

Yeah I understand your point. Ultimately I feel the NHL might always be in a position to have to financially support some team at some point but I guess I've got my fingers crossed that it will be cyclical, that Phoenix (or whoever) won't always be down, that if they get a winning team in place they can get out of the red and be in a position to contribute to the league. Like Booche said, if Dallas and Anaheim can do it, or even the standing fans of Carolina then it can be done elsewhere. Any franchise that goes on a decade garbage skid (excluding the perpetually crappy Leaves) might end up struggling. The league has a mechanism to compensate.

I hear you....in regards to the beer. I'm sticking with not contracting.

And don't think for a second the NHL doesn't think about rival leagues and protecting their own.

I'm not exactly saying that But maybe........Albany Atombombs! SanFrancisco Sinners!

I'm just killing time here and talking massive shit but one could argue that contraction would also free up talent for upstart leagues such as the KHL who could then in turn improve their product and come back to haunt the NHL.

You'll still come off better than Cherry.

It's probably directly proportional to their ability to grow facial hair. C'mon Cindy, shave that thing. Sadly my shit talk has put me in a position to cheer for the Penguins but he looks like a fucking idiot and it's hard to cheer for him.

Make sure you bring a copy editor with you.

Also, you've got the Ovie, Crosby and Malkin thing going and strong teams in Chicago and Boston. It might be the time to really try and get it going.

Not hateful enough but thanks. I'm not against trying in the US market. My boss and I talk about this all the time. I was saying a couple days ago that one of the huge complaints from the US was not being able to follow the puck. With a huge shift in the market to high definition and larger screens hockey is actually easier to watch these days. Maybe it's time for another push.

Seriously, is no one going to throw the fact Ottawa plays Toronto and Montreal multiple times, both having large arenas, in my face....sigh, where's the hate?. I'm super bored.

Especially Ottawa? Did you get that figure from the Ministry of pulling numbers out of your fucking ass? Ottawa had better road attendance than Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver and Edmonton. (but all are fairly similar numbers but seeing as you're being a douche by strangely singling out Ottawa I'll just stick with Ottawa having a better road attendance). Ottawa also had better road attendance than Atlanta, Colorado, Phoenix, St.Louis, Minnesota, Dallas, Carolina, Tampa and Florida. Fucking stupid people on Fridays are my favorite. (and I'm just busting your chops, you're not Roller after all)

Coming from the guy whose wife told him he wasn't allowed to gamble with me anymore after I took fifty off him in some stupid Patrick Roy bet I can't remember and besides that was hardly lippy. Ollie's going Wings so ít's almost a mortal lock that the Penguins are taking it.

You're right, I consulted star charts and horoscopes to determine the Wings are two top notch players down, that they won it last year, that they're playing the same team as last year and that the Penguins are playing better than last year...you got me.

So you think a team that has two of it's star players injured, that can't be nearly as hungry as they were the year before, will win the series in five against same team it took six games to beat the year before? And the team they're playing has matured considerably. That's a bit of a stretch.

There you have it Penguin fans, plan the parade.

I think the Penguins will be hungrier, are less injured and their goaltender isn't Osgood (who really has elevated his game but I keep expecting him to fold). Pens in six with the game winning goal coming in overtime from a big toe save from Fleury followed by a coast to coast, Coffey-esk goal from Orpik. Yeah that's right.

I hope they give Kovalev a bundle for the 15 goals he's going to put in next year. I'm sure he'll be earning that 6mil+ in the locker room though. Koivu is done. He looked like he was skating in molasses during the playoffs.

Oh yeah, Rooney stunk.