Random Hockey Shit

[donlever]

Thought we used to have a thread like this?

Anyway.

Page 2 for Jules Winnfield, Hockey Coach.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DB1gPmkP9Pf ... Vyd2hkOXRx

[306NucksFan]

Dante Fabro on waivers. Wouldn’t be a horrible reclamation project.

[Cornuck]

Here's a random hockey thought.

Is the NHL getting watered down by expansion?

I don't think so, the game is leveling out to some degree, but I think the average player is getting better over time. There's also a larger pool of better trained and conditioned young players coming up each year.

BUT - that's not to say that there's a limit on how many teams there should be. Also, can you imagine the games we would be watching if we went back to six teams? :O

[donlever]

I don't think the game is watered down at all skill/talent/entertainment wise.

I'm a bit old school and would like at least a modicum of the "rough and tumble" to remain in play (but I also think we have seen some of that edging back in over the past year or so).....

With the growth of the game at the youth level in some of the US markets....Texas, Florida, Colorado, California to name a few...as evidenced by the quality of US players and National teams (their netminding crushes us currently for instance) and the continued development in the EU and Slavic Nations partially due to interwebz/social media availability (guys like the Holiks/Jagrs/Sundins of the world did not get to see as much, if any in some cases, NHL play in their youth) I think the game will continue to grow on a Global scale and the NHL will benefit from that.

And as a byproduct so will we.

[Strangelove]

So we change from "Canucks" back to Vancouver Millionaires.

TA-DA, we're Stanley Cup champs!

Site becomes Millionaires Corner.

Cornuck becomes Millionuck, etc...

I've been pondering shit.

[Cornuck]

So we change from "Canucks" back to Vancouver Millionaires.

Can't argue with the logic there.

In other "RHS"

Is Ovechkin going to break 99's record this season?

[Strangelove]

Is Ovechkin going to break 99's record this season?

Hopefully he does it tonight.

Capitals 32, Leaves 0.

[Raile]

Is Ovechkin going to break 99's record this season?

Hopefully he does it tonight.

Capitals 32, Leaves 0.

[donlever]

Is Ovechkin going to break 99's record this season?

Hopefully he does it tonight.

With 13 points in 10 games and his team at a beyond solid 8-2 the 39 year old Ovechkin is displaying two T's, enduring talent with tenure.

He is at 859G after tonight.

Odds on him catching Gretzky this year appear very, very good.

Amazing, never thought I would see it.

...the point of posting becomes increasingly foggy.

[Strangelove]

Deleted: Sorry, I was a bit fucky yesterday.

[MJN]

Here's a random hockey thought.

Is the NHL getting watered down by expansion?

I don't think so, the game is leveling out to some degree, but I think the average player is getting better over time. There's also a larger pool of better trained and conditioned young players coming up each year.

BUT - that's not to say that there's a limit on how many teams there should be. Also, can you imagine the games we would be watching if we went back to six teams? :O

I kind of hope it does. I miss the Scott Walker types. The Sea of Granlunds has run its course, sure they can skate a bit better and stick handle, but I miss when hockey games used to matter. Back checking is over rated, punch the living crap out of someone.

[UWSaint]

I don't think the game is watered down at all skill/talent/entertainment wise.

I'm a bit old school and would like at least a modicum of the "rough and tumble" to remain in play (but I also think we have seen some of that edging back in over the past year or so).....

With the growth of the game at the youth level in some of the US markets....Texas, Florida, Colorado, California to name a few...as evidenced by the quality of US players and National teams (their netminding crushes us currently for instance) and the continued development in the EU and Slavic Nations partially due to interwebz/social media availability (guys like the Holiks/Jagrs/Sundins of the world did not get to see as much, if any in some cases, NHL play in their youth) I think the game will continue to grow on a Global scale and the NHL will benefit from that.

And as a byproduct so will we.

Donny — I researched a post during the summer in the league business thread in this “watered down” question. I will repost it here, maybe it will inspire more of a response…..

Please no.

No more watering down the talent level.

"Watering down the talent level" is a pretty weak argument. Of course if you had 8 teams in the league, each team would be unbelievably talented!

But the league's more talented than ever right now.

In my view, the modern NHL began when the Eastern Bloc fell.

It ushered in a flux of talent from the former Soviet Union and former Czechoslovakia.

At the same time, the professionalization of the game increased -- the athleticism and fitness of players dramatically increased. And there was a revolution in equipment, which enabled far more effective goaltending. National programs then improved dramatically -- USA and Sweden probably leading the way (compared to what they were).

While other nations improve the quality of their players through their national programs (and otherwise), Canada has maintained a lead. It is shrinking, but since the US won its first IIHF U-20 junior tourney (it now has 6), Canada has won 10.

Let's look at 2003-2004, the year Parise led the US to its first junior victory. That season was 3 years after the NHL completed its 1990s era expansion, which saw the league add the Sharks, Sens, Lightning, Panthers, Ducks in the first part of the decade and Predators, Wild, Blue Jackets and Thrashers at the end of the decade. In that season, 548 Canadians played in the NHL. (Before that second wave -- in the first full season after the 94-95 lockout, 533 Canadians played in the 26 team league. And before that 1990s expansion started, in 1990-91, the last full season before the USSR fell (though a handful of Russians and Czechs were here), there were 544 Canadians.

In other words, the rapid expansion of the NHL in the 1990s had no material effect on the number of Canadians in the league. Canada was the indisputably dominant international force in juniors during the 1990s. It is safe to say the quality of Canadian players was not declining. But Canadians did not did not increase there numbers in the NHL between 1990 and 2003 despite 9 more teams being added to the league because the NHL was drawing its players from a much larger market of players -- both in numbers and from nations who had upped their game.

And, as mentioned above, while Canadians have not dominated international hockey in the past 20 years, they still produce more of the best hockey players on the planet than any other nation. But in the past 20 years, the NHL has added only 2 teams. And last season, only 434 Canadians played in the NHL. Still the best hockey player producing nation in the world -- but with about 50 more NHL player jobs available as compared to 23 years ago, Canadians are down 100 players.

I don't think Canada's putting out worse players -- in fact, with improvements in fitness and professionalism, I expect the 500 best Canadians today are far better than the 500 best Canadians 3 decades ago (and certainly 4 decades ago). But the fact is USA and Sweden are producing a ton more NHL caliber players. And there have also been increases from Finland and there are a team's worth of guys from other countries who weren't part of the eastern block. (The former Eastern Bloc's totals peaked a while back -- the KHL (especially in its early years) provided a quicker path to money for Russians and other Eastern Europeans, and the transition to North America was always a little harder on these players than the Scandinavian and Finnish peers. Plus, I don't think the national programs from the east have improved much in the past 20 years).

The point is, if you want the relative talent of the pre 1990s NHL expansion, you could probably add about 6 or 7 teams to today's NHL. Adding 2 more team 4 or 5 years from now (which is what's on the table) is still going to leave a far better game than we had at the start of this GDHTB.

EDIT -- source for nationality from Quant Hockey (https://www.quanthockey.com/nhl/nationa ... stats.html).

[Topper]

14 year old kids who once he up on the farm and maybe had a two week hockey camp in the summer are now attending hockey academy bordering schools and have year round I've time.

Thirteenth forwards and eighth defensemen are better skaters than most NHL players thirty or forty years ago.

[5thhorseman]

Yup, hockey academies are basically a prerequisite now if a kid wants to make at least Junior A and get drafted. One or two ice times a day with classes in between.

But if you're not going to a top academy the schooling is 2nd rate so what's the backup plan if you don't make the NHL and your parents have already blown $100K or more?

[donlever]

Donny — I researched a post during the summer in the league business thread in this “watered down” question. I will repost it here, maybe it will inspire more of a response…..

Appreciate the effort UW but the ROI versus effort initiated @ this GDHTMB has declined considerably (and somewhat rapidly it seems).

Inspiration for real conversation seems to have dwindled to nil.

I've been back and forth on this for some time and taken the odd hiatus and thought about saying fuck it, it ain't worth it, but I do like a number of the folks here so I'll throw the odd BS comment (or lady photo) in once in a blue moon but realized turnover on time investment is not worth it to comment much further than that anymore.

It's a shame.

Socialz is partly to blame I'm sure.