Holy moly lads!

Sweet hocky fight

The original link no longer indicates why the player was kicked out of the league...

 

For the back story click here...

I'm going to need more details on how that went down. Because that is impressive.

That might be worse than bricking a slam dunk on a breakaway in basketball. Actually worse, because points are harder to come by in hockey. I'm assuming someone beat that dude after the game.

I'm not too worried about a lack of NBA. Haven't really watched it in years (probably since around the time that Shaq had been in the league about 5 years or so). And to be honest, kinda thinking it might be funny/just desserts if the season was lost. 

I think they're sort of ugly. A little too military looking for me, and it reminds me of a basketball logo for some reason. I was really hoping they'd just keep the classics, but there's money to be made, thus you get this damn new one.
I am however, pretty stoked like Staios that the Oilers have gone all in on the vintage jersey look both home and away.
Where the hell is Biff?

Gary Roberts. Too Much Man is actually a legitimate argument.

What's the story on this?

Well the Lakers did get beat by the Celtics last year in the finals four games to two, but i get your point they win alot.

And she's already complaining about b-ball withdrawals, and it's only been 4 days.  I'm quick to point out that football season starts in less than 3 months.

-- Edited by roddi kneff on Friday 19th of June 2009 06:51:40 AM

Note to the Detriot Red Wings... you take a two game lead by winning the first two at home, and then give up two in Pittsburgh which evens the series.  However, when you spank the Pens in your house 5-0 in game 5 to take a 3-2 series lead you've got to finsh them off.  Don't let it get to a game 7.  Oh well...Better luck next year.

Yeah, I was going crazy yesterday when I saw this. Seriously man, I hate to rub it in, but the Nucks are going to be sooooo terrible. Something has to be done about the ownership there. It's getting a little ridiculous.

It is also amazing to me how many incredibly great moves the Oil keep making. I really think they have a legitimate shot at making it to the second or third round of the playoffs next season. I checked the schedule and they're are two different opportunities for me to fly down there so we can do a Nucks, Oil double header. And they're both later in the season, which is rad cos I think the quality of hockey gets more intense later in the season.

So Nasland is officially a Rangers, sorry Biff. As you mentioned above the Nucks new GM is pretty clueless on what he's doing. My condolences on that, it looks like it's going to be another rough year for ya.
Did you see that K.Lowe totally ripped back at Burke! It was rad. You should check it out on the TSN board, they've got actual video of it. My favorite part is how K.Lowe brings up that he has six Stanley cup rings to Burke's one. As well K.Lowe brought up the fact that Burke totally f%$ked over the Nucks when he left, and the only reason that the Nucks did anything after that was because of Nonis.

Yeah, I was pretty bummed out about Hossa. But you know it doesn't even really bother me that he signed with the Wings. He took less money to go to a team that he feels will win the cup, and I totally respect that. Plus the Pens are super pissed, and that's never a bad thing.

I'm sorry about the Nucks, it looks like another banner year is in their immeadiate future. The curse of Nonis is going to haunt them for some time. I almost feel guitly that the Oil are looking so good.

I think you totally called it with the Lightning and Wings. Nice to Gretz has finally decided he doesn't want his team to suck, but I can never be a fan until they get rid of prince douche Doan.

Have you seen the clip of Burke publicly tossing heat at Lowe?! Umm, mabye Burke has forgotten that Lowe actually played hockey, and will hesitate to hockey shirt and Draper face him for his disparaging comments.

Ahh, Sundin watch continues. I am praying he either retires or refuses the Nucks advances. Speaking of the Nucks, it is nice to see that they have done nothing but sign pluggers, something they already have a healthy stock of. Our new GM is not endearing himself to anyone, fans or other GMs. Offering WAY to much money to a 37 year old who is considering retirement and signing an offer sheet are not the best first moves. I don't know what this idiot is waiting for. He has done nothing so far to make the club better.

The Oil look much improved, although they unfortunately lost out on Hossa. The Wings are going to be scary next year. Pretty much the same squad with the addition of one of the best scorers in the league. Wings vs. Lightning in the Cup final? The Lightning are going to be fascinating to watch once the season gets going.

Brian McGratten signed with the 'Yotes. Considering they already signed Olli Jokinen it looks as if Gretzky is taking on a stallions only policy.

It only keeps getting worse....

The Oilers have traded hard-hitting left winger Raffi Torres to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for 21-year-old centre Gilbert Brule, and sent defenceman Joni Pitkanen to the Carolina Hurricanes for winger Erik Cole.

While I'm totally crestfallen of the loss of my beloved Raffi, Cole is a stallion, so I'm trying to stay on the sunny side here. I really hope we end up signing Mike Commodore as well.

So far the Nucks have been pretty quite this morning.

"The Edmonton Oilers have acquired defenceman Lubomir Visnovsky from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for forward Jarret Stoll and defenceman Matt Greene."

Sorry Dold. Although Visnovsky will undoubtedly make the team better, there is no way to replace 2 good Canadian boys (thank you Don Cherry) like Stoll and Greene. At least they didn't move Raffi. Yet.

Well, now we have no reason to live....at least for another 3 months or so.

Did anybody else catch the triple OT last night. It was pretty insane.

Memorial Cup breaks. And it's Spokane's fault.

Biff I ran across this on the TSN board today. It's in response to all the questionable actions by the owners. This guy totally feels your pain.

"I feel sorry for Canuck fans. The ownership is taking them down the Maple Leaf road, and we all know where that leads - decades filled with losing records and incompetence."

Sad, and true. Good thing they got rid of those ass. coaches, I mean they were obviosly the problem right.

Just piping in to reiterate how incredibly angry I am that the Nucks fired Nonis to bring in a guy with no experience. It is only 3 days later and two teams are already clamoring for some Nonis love. Way to go Nucks! Here comes mediocrity!

Well Biff, the hockey gods continue to mock us. The four remaining teams are full of douche bags, the commentators can't get enough of Crosby and his dirt stache, and it looks like Nonis is going to the Leafs of all places. Wow, what a sad end to the year.
I keep going back and fourth between the Wings and Flyers on who I want to win the cup, I wouldn't even mind if the Stars won, I've got love for Morrow cos of his Winterhawks days. But I swear if the Penguins win were ****ed for years! You think the Crosby talk is bad now, just wait. At least if the Flyers win Gator and Lups will be apart of it (unfortunately so will Briere), and my hatred for the Wings has subsided a bit. I sort of enjoy the fact that they have so many old dudes, Chelios is still a complete stallion, mean as hes always been. God please, anyone but the Penguins! I'm praying that somehow Crosby pulls a Conks move, thus erasing all praise hes every received. Maybe then theyll make him save that pubic hair off his face.

Where did you hear about Lawton? The TSN boards been pointing at Burke because his wife lives and works in Nuck-town. He's mentioned that he'd like to be spending more time with her. I think it could happen.
I agree that basically Nonis has laid the bricks for greatness, and now someone else is going to be getting all the cred....lameo!

Sorry to hear the bad news Biff...

This just seems like a silly move to me since, 

A.)

The Canucks enjoyed their best regular season in franchise history in 2006-07, with 105 points to clinch the Northwest Division title. With 174 man-games lost on the blue line and a defence corps that never played at full strength all season.

And B.)

Nonis totally pulled off one of the biggest and most lopsided deals in NHL history! Unloading tuzzi and Auld to the Florida Panthers in exchange for Luongo.

Bob McKenzie is pretty un-stoked as well...


The firing of Vancouver GM Dave Nonis is wrong on so many levels.

I fully understand the disappointment in Vancouver with the Canucks missing the playoffs for the second time in three years, but it's tough to get by the following:

- Nonis has been the GM of the Canucks for only four years and one of those years was the NHL lockout. As a rule, GMs are given at least a five year run unless there is a sense the franchise is spiraling in the wrong direction and although the Canucks missed the playoffs this season, there doesn't appear to be any empirical evidence that the Canucks are on a free fall.

- Nonis was GM of the team last season when the franchise posted a record 105-point campaign and the team advanced to the second round of the playoffs.

- Nonis orchestrated one of the most lopsided trades in NHL history when he acquired netminder Roberto Luongo from the Florida Panthers.

- The Canucks missed the playoffs by three points this season despite losing a ridiculous number of man-game to injuries, especially to their core starting six on defence (Kevin Bieksa, 48 games, Lukas Krajicek, 43, Mattias Ohlund , 29, Aaron Miller, 25, Sami Salo, 19, and Willie Mitchell, 10). The surprise is they didn't miss by more than three points with that injury list.

One would have thought those factors would have allowed Nonis another year to make the bold moves he needed to make to transform the Canucks from a goaltending-dependent team with a pop-gun offence, but that is not to be.

On the flip side, perhaps we shouldn't be surprised.

Since Nonis took over from GM Brian Burke during the ownership era of John McCaw, the new Canucks' owner, Franceso Aquilini, obviously felt no sense of loyalty or attachment to a GM he did not hire.

The fact that Nonis is a low-key type individual who doesn't provide scintillating sound bites probably didn't help his cause either, but the sense throughout the league is that Nonis has put together a good organization in Vancouver and was doing a good job of drafting and developing young talent. Most thought he would get this off-season to make a bold initiative to re-vamp the persona of the team and inject some much needed offence.

But it's not to be.

Someone else will get that opportunity and while many will speculate on the possibility of Brian Burke returning to his old stamping ground in Vancouver, sources suggest Aquilini may already have his new man in place and that would most certainly rule out Burke, the subject of much conjecture for the vacant Toronto Maple Leaf GMs' job. Burke, of course, isn't going anywhere in the immediate short term.

Stay tuned, this should get interesting.

by Bob McKenzie

How rad would it be if the Nucks could get Burke back to work some of his "Ducks" style magic! I think that getting rid of Nonis was a pretty terrible move (similar to the Smyth trade, though not as bad), 
so they better make up for it by getting Burke. 
Thoughts?