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NBA, NHL and other sports thread-Winter/Spring 2011


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A new year and the never ending saga of sports continues. Feel free to discuss the NBA, NHL, College Basketball, start of the NASCAR 2011 season and even Soccer such as England's Preimer League.:cool:

 

Let start with tonight's 2011 NHL Outdoor aka "Winter Classic' from Heinz Stadium in Pittsburgh with the Pens hosting the Captials. Or the NBA continuing it's season as it rolls onto until 2011 as well. And the Spurs the hottest team in Pro hoops right now.

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The Caps beat the Pens 3-1 in a more 'rain classic' than a winter classic at Heinz Stadium in Pittsburgh. The ice looked melt and about to turn to mush.B)

 

The 2012 outdoor game should be played in a place like Buffalo or Minnesota which is very likely to be snow on the ground.

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A new year and the never ending saga of sports continues. Feel free to discuss the NBA, NHL, College Basketball, start of the NASCAR 2011 season and even Soccer such as England's Preimer League.:cool:

 

Let start with tonight's 2011 NHL Outdoor aka "Winter Classic' from Heinz Stadium in Pittsburgh with the Pens hosting the Captials. Or the NBA continuing it's season as it rolls onto until 2011 as well. And the Spurs the hottest team in Pro hoops right now.

 

 

The rain put a damper on things. Everyone said it was great, but I wasn't that impressed. They weren't able to play at their best... :(

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The rain put a damper on things. Everyone said it was great, but I wasn't that impressed. They weren't able to play at their best... :(

 

Well i agree i did not enjoy this year's one because of the rain. However this event got a great tv rating (for Hockey in America that is)and was the most watched 'regular season' NHL game in 35 years. Hell about 4.5 Million people in US alone watched which is better than how many usually watch the Stanley Cup Finals in June.:eek: Here link.

 

 

http://penguins.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=548243

 

I am sure B35 or EE Local has something to say. I wonder why none of the NYC area ballparks i.e "New" Yankee Stadium, 'New' Meadowlands Stadium or Citifield not hosted it yet.

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Well i agree i did not enjoy this year's one because of the rain. However this event got a great tv rating (for Hockey in America that is)and was the most watched 'regular season' NHL game in 35 years. Hell about 4.5 Million people in US alone watched which is better than how many usually watch the Stanley Cup Finals in June.:eek: Here link.

 

 

http://penguins.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=548243

 

I am sure B35 or EE Local has something to say. I wonder why none of the NYC area ballparks i.e "New" Yankee Stadium, 'New' Meadowlands Stadium or Citifield not hosted it yet.

 

The NHL is trying to put its biggest stars on the stage and right now Crosby and Ovechin are two of the biggest at the moment. However, if the Rangers can get back to playing the way they did in '94 who knows, but right now they don't have any real big names aside from Gaborik and Lundqvist and maybe Staal, but they are playing good hockey. I would think Minnesota (known as the State of Hockey) would be up for the running. If the Devils can get their act together, I could see a Rangers vs. Devils game at the Meadowlands or Yankees Stadium. :cool:

 

I have an NHL package which allows me to watch out of network games and the best games to watch are always the Canadian ones. Before moving to Italy to finish my degree, I was attending university up near Montréal and we'd get CBC, so I got to watch Hockey Night in Canada. Nothing like watching the Canadiens or the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday night. :cool:

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The NHL is trying to put its biggest stars on the stage and right now Crosby and Ovechin are two of the biggest at the moment. However, if the Rangers can get back to playing the way they did in '94 who knows, but right now they don't have any real big names aside from Gaborik and Lundqvist and maybe Staal, but they are playing good hockey. I would think Minnesota (known as the State of Hockey) would be up for the running. If the Devils can get their act together, I could see a Rangers vs. Devils game at the Meadowlands or Yankees Stadium. :cool:

 

The "new' Yankee Stadium is out for next few years as the NCAA has agreement to play the "Pinstrip" Bowl as FG pointed out.

 

I think a game at the new Meadowlands Stadium will happen. As far as next year's game in 2012(likely to be played on New Years Eve '11 to avoid a conflict in playing the end of the 2011 NFL regular season)the rumors from online/news media sources is that Lincoln Fiancincial Field in Philly home of the NFL's Eagles and the Detroit area such as the MLB's Tigers Ballpark at Commerica or the Univ of Michigan football stadium being the leading choices right now.

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2 of the biggest...

 

the problem w/ the NHL is that... Ovechkin & Crosby ARE the NHL.

they (the league) don't have anyone else they can market, to the point where those that aren't die-hard hockey fans, would know who they are, or have heard of them before.... You can't continue to shove only two players down ppl's throats & expect possible potential fans, or at the bare minimum, watchers, of hockey, to gain any real interest in the sport as a whole....

 

lol @ Minnesota... they were stupid for letting Gaborik go....

that would've been like the Thunder trading Kevin Durant... new teams should build around their star players... that's how a nucleus w/i a franchise grows.....

 

as far as NY (ratings) go, the fact that the Islanders haven't been relevant since the 70's/80's, and the Devils are stinkin up the place, aren't helping either...

 

the Rangers have gaining notoriety (sp?) over the years b/c of what they do for the community (that's another thing, a lot of NHL franchises aren't community oriented... far as league-wide goes, you have programs like "NBA Cares" {and that's not even domestic, it's GLOBAL}... "NFL punt, pass, & kick"... "MLB Charities").... Does Hockey even have anything like that? If they do, you never hear about it.... I mean, only a select few teams in the league have programs/charities that reach out to the community...

 

You see a slew of Ranger fans coming all over the tri-state area, from LI (Suffolk & Nassau) & Westchester... CT as well (I see them on the NH Line).... Whereas the crux of Islander fans in the tri-state area, are in Nassau County... I'm sure they exist, but of the hockey fans I know that live in the boroughs, not one of them are islander fans... they're either devils fans, ranger fans, or a fan of some other team.... most ppl. I know are devils fans though... lol...

 

 

As far as the West coast goes.... Only team I pay any attention to, are the Red Wings....

because they ALWAYS find a way to end up w/i the top 5 in the West....

they ALWAYS find a way to turn nobodies, into semi-stars at least...

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2 of the biggest...

 

the problem w/ the NHL is that... Ovechkin & Crosby ARE the NHL.

they (the league) don't have anyone else they can market, to the point where those that aren't die-hard hockey fans, would know who they are, or have heard of them before.... You can't continue to shove only two players down ppl's throats & expect possible potential fans, or at the bare minimum, watchers, of hockey, to gain any real interest in the sport as a whole....

 

as far as NY (ratings) go, the fact that the Islanders haven't been relevant since the 70's/80's, and the Devils are stinkin up the place, aren't helping either....

 

Hate to say it but unless the Islanders 'improve' on the ice i.e wins/playoff berths asap or move to the Nets 'new' arena in Brooklyn, within next couple of years (LI will not or can't afford to bulid them a new building for a while) I think Owner Charles Wang will sell and they will leave the NY metro area. The NYC/NJ area does not need '3' NHL teams IMO.

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Hate to say it but unless the Islanders 'improve' on the ice i.e wins/playoff berths asap or move to the Nets 'new' arena in Brooklyn, within next couple of years (LI will not or can't afford to bulid them a new building for a while) I think Owner Charles Wang will sell and they will leave the NY metro area. The NYC/NJ area does not need '3' NHL teams IMO.

 

Fine by me.... I wouldn't lose sleep over the Islanders leaving NY....

I really don't want the nets here either, for a few reasons....

 

both of those franchises stink to the high heavens...

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2 of the biggest...

 

the problem w/ the NHL is that... Ovechkin & Crosby ARE the NHL.

they (the league) don't have anyone else they can market, to the point where those that aren't die-hard hockey fans, would know who they are, or have heard of them before.... You can't continue to shove only two players down ppl's throats & expect possible potential fans, or at the bare minimum, watchers, of hockey, to gain any real interest in the sport as a whole....

 

lol @ Minnesota... they were stupid for letting Gaborik go....

that would've been like the Thunder trading Kevin Durant... new teams should build around their star players... that's how a nucleus w/i a franchise grows.....

 

as far as NY (ratings) go, the fact that the Islanders haven't been relevant since the 70's/80's, and the Devils are stinkin up the place, aren't helping either...

 

the Rangers have gaining notoriety (sp?) over the years b/c of what they do for the community (that's another thing, a lot of NHL franchises aren't community oriented... far as league-wide goes, you have programs like "NBA Cares" {and that's not even domestic, it's GLOBAL}... "NFL punt, pass, & kick"... "MLB Charities").... Does Hockey even have anything like that? If they do, you never hear about it.... I mean, only a select few teams in the league have programs/charities that reach out to the community...

 

You see a slew of Ranger fans coming all over the tri-state area, from LI (Suffolk & Nassau) & Westchester... CT as well (I see them on the NH Line).... Whereas the crux of Islander fans in the tri-state area, are in Nassau County... I'm sure they exist, but of the hockey fans I know that live in the boroughs, not one of them are islander fans... they're either devils fans, ranger fans, or a fan of some other team.... most ppl. I know are devils fans though... lol...

 

 

As far as the West coast goes.... Only team I pay any attention to, are the Red Wings....

because they ALWAYS find a way to end up w/i the top 5 in the West....

they ALWAYS find a way to turn nobodies, into semi-stars at least...

 

There is a thing w/the Islanders, sort of this Long Island pride that exists so of course folks from the boroughs wouldn't be Islander fans, just like there's a thing or this difference between Long Islanders and New Yorkers...

 

The NHL isn't really going to convert folks... You either like the sport or you don't. They're never going to be like the NFL or NBA because hockey is a rich sport in that those who play it generally have the means to do so. To play basketball, all you need is a basketball, maybe $20.00 for one or whatever they cost which isn't much. When I played, a hockey stick alone would cost at a minimum $30 - 40 and then they go up for the graphites, etc., plus shin pads, and skates and new wheels, etc. and those things need to replaced quite frequently so you're talking about a good $200.00 at least a month and that's just for street hockey. If you play ice hockey, you're paying for the equipment, but most importantly ice time, which is very pricey.

 

 

Hockey is like a religion in Canada and has a huge following, and it is also big in many parts of Europe. Their goal is really to expand the sport in those these markets (USA, Canada & Europe) and the sport has certainly grown since the lockout. I've been watching the sport since I was a kid, and even with some of my favourite players like Sakic retiring I am still a faithful fan.

 

With regards to the Red Wings, they're always good because they scout very well and always have a good mix of veterans in the mix like Lidstrom and Rafalski, but most importantly they play their system very well. Their one problem has usually been goaltending, but the thing is they're usually good enough up front and on the blue line to overcome that deficiency.

 

P.S. I'm saying this as a Nordiques/Avs fan who HATES the Red Wings. :mad:

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2 of the biggest...

 

the problem w/ the NHL is that... Ovechkin & Crosby ARE the NHL.

they (the league) don't have anyone else they can market, to the point where those that aren't die-hard hockey fans, would know who they are, or have heard of them before.... You can't continue to shove only two players down ppl's throats & expect possible potential fans, or at the bare minimum, watchers, of hockey, to gain any real interest in the sport as a whole....

 

lol @ Minnesota... they were stupid for letting Gaborik go....

that would've been like the Thunder trading Kevin Durant... new teams should build around their star players... that's how a nucleus w/i a franchise grows.....

 

as far as NY (ratings) go, the fact that the Islanders haven't been relevant since the 70's/80's, and the Devils are stinkin up the place, aren't helping either...

 

the Rangers have gaining notoriety (sp?) over the years b/c of what they do for the community (that's another thing, a lot of NHL franchises aren't community oriented... far as league-wide goes, you have programs like "NBA Cares" {and that's not even domestic, it's GLOBAL}... "NFL punt, pass, & kick"... "MLB Charities").... Does Hockey even have anything like that? If they do, you never hear about it.... I mean, only a select few teams in the league have programs/charities that reach out to the community...

 

You see a slew of Ranger fans coming all over the tri-state area, from LI (Suffolk & Nassau) & Westchester... CT as well (I see them on the NH Line).... Whereas the crux of Islander fans in the tri-state area, are in Nassau County... I'm sure they exist, but of the hockey fans I know that live in the boroughs, not one of them are islander fans... they're either devils fans, ranger fans, or a fan of some other team.... most ppl. I know are devils fans though... lol...

 

 

As far as the West coast goes.... Only team I pay any attention to, are the Red Wings....

because they ALWAYS find a way to end up w/i the top 5 in the West....

they ALWAYS find a way to turn nobodies, into semi-stars at least...

 

Oh yeah and on Gaborik, they were smart to let him go. If you notice, he was generally injured most of the time and they would've been taking a gamble to re-sign him, as that would've put them right at the top of their cap. They're playing great hockey right now, with a good mix of veterans.

 

If anything the Rangers knew that they took a big gamble on Gaborik and so far he's stayed relatively healthy, but how long that will last remains the big question.

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Fine by me.... I wouldn't lose sleep over the Islanders leaving NY....

I really don't want the nets here either, for a few reasons....

 

both of those franchises stink to the high heavens...

 

I know the Nets go back to the ABA days but when the NBA merge the '4' teams around 1977 (the Spurs, Pacers, Nuggets and of course the Nets) the NBA powers should have just let the Nets move to another part of the country.

 

The deal is done and construction has started for the Nets new Brooklyn "crib.' At least the NBA can support '2' teams in the NYC area if both of them are playing well. The NHL should only have at most '2' teams in the metro area as well.

 

I think the Islanders are the odd team out unless they either move to Brooklyn with the Nets in couple of years or get a new buliding in LI. I think the chances of Bugs Bunny becoming President of the United States are better than a new arena for the Islanders in LI before 2030.

 

And regarding NHL Boss Bettman trying to put teams in the US's "Sun Belt' area, he and the NHL Owners put way too many expansion teams in the late 1990's. While some "Sun Belt' teams like Dallas, Tampa and Carolina (with good ownership w/ deep pockets)have proven to be succesful, others like Nashville and Phoenix are terrible locations.

It's a wonder how Phoenix, Az. (no offense to our friend (EE) Local :)) has a NHL team while cities in Canada like Hamilton, Ontario and Winnipeg don't have them?

 

Just my takes on the NHL.

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No offense, but who cares about a bunch of guys hitting a puck back and forth? I'm pretty sure that 50% of hockey fans go to the games just to watch fights.

 

That people go to watch a bunch of guys scratching their crotches and hitting a ball around... Just like people come to watch a bunch of sweaty dudes running up and down the court and jumping around dunking balls.... :)

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That people go to watch a bunch of guys scratching their crotches and hitting a ball around... Just like people come to watch a bunch of sweaty dudes running up and down the court and jumping around dunking balls.... :)

 

 

As a 'casual NHL fan' (my favorite sports to watch are the NFL and MLB Baseball myself)if he does not like hockey that cool. Only thing is that he should (FG)not dis those who do like it.

 

Just like Ice cream not everyone like Strawberry flavored IC. Some do which is cool.:eek:

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I know the Nets go back to the ABA days but when the NBA merge the '4' teams around 1977 (the Spurs, Pacers, Nuggets and of course the Nets) the NBA powers should have just let the Nets move to another part of the country.

 

The deal is done and construction has started for the Nets new Brooklyn "crib.' At least the NBA can support '2' teams in the NYC area if both of them are playing well. The NHL should only have at most '2' teams in the metro area as well.

 

I think the Islanders are the odd team out unless they either move to Brooklyn with the Nets in couple of years or get a new buliding in LI. I think the chances of Bugs Bunny becoming President of the United States are better than a new arena for the Islanders in LI before 2030.

 

And regarding NHL Boss Bettman trying to put teams in the US's "Sun Belt' area, he and the NHL Owners put way too many expansion teams in the late 1990's. While some "Sun Belt' teams like Dallas, Tampa and Carolina (with good ownership w/ deep pockets)have proven to be succesful, others like Nashville and Phoenix are terrible locations.

It's a wonder how Phoenix, Az. (no offense to our friend (EE) Local :)) has a NHL team while cities in Canada like Hamilton, Ontario and Winnipeg don't have them?

 

Just my takes on the NHL.

 

It's not just about where the cities are located but also the markets where the cities are located. Winnipeg was a small market team who couldn't get a new hockey rink and that's one of the reasons they left to Arizona. The same situation is true of the Québec franchise that left to Colorado. The Edmonton Oilers is another example of a small market team. They were the team of the 80s but they have a really tight cap which makes it hard for them to build contenders for long periods of time.

 

Gary Bettman has been the major reason for the sunbelt teams. He has had a major hand in keeping the Coyotes in Phoenix as well as the Nashville Predators. His focus and belief is that the US is the market with the most potential to expand in and less needs to be done to expand the sport in Canada and even Europe to a degree. As it is now the NHL has been sinking money into the Coyotes to keep them afloat in hopes of the franchise surviving there and not moving yet again.

 

There is still talks and hopes that new franchises can return to Winnipeg, Québec and Hartford if new rinks can be built there like they did in Minnesota with the Wild, but as of now, there are no real plans for any expansion.

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It's just friendly trash-talking. My favorite sport is baseball. There are various ways to score, as well as towering home runs and spectacular defensive plays. My second favorite sport is basketball. Watch Blake Griffin on ESPN and you'll see why. Football is another sport I like. It is another high-speed, adrenaline-inducing sport. Hockey...is a bunch of European guys with names no one can pronounce hitting a puck back and forth. The only exciting thing are the fights. Since that's the only way the NHL makes money, they allow the fights (unlike other sports).

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As a 'casual NHL fan' (my favorite sports to watch are the NFL and MLB Baseball myself)if he does not like hockey that cool. Only thing is that he should (FG)not dis those who do like it.

 

Just like Ice cream not everyone like Strawberry flavored IC. Some do which is cool.:eek:

 

Living in Italy I watched tons of football (soccer), rugby and Formula 1. Here in the States these sports are less popular. I follow American football from time to time, baseball mainly during the playoffs or if one of my buddies get good seats to the Yankees or Mets' games. Basketball I used to follow but since the classics have retired it doesn't really interest me too much.

 

So my main sports are hockey and football (soccer) (especially Serie A) and Formula 1 when I can catch it on TV.

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It's not just about where the cities are located but also the markets where the cities are located. Winnipeg was a small market team who couldn't get a new hockey rink and that's one of the reasons they left to Arizona. The same situation is true of the Québec franchise that left to Colorado. The Edmonton Oilers is another example of a small market team. They were the team of the 80s but they have a really tight cap which makes it hard for them to build contenders for long periods of time.

 

Gary Bettman has been the major reason for the sunbelt teams. He has had a major hand in keeping the Coyotes in Phoenix as well as the Nashville Predators. His focus and belief is that the US is the market with the most potential to expand in and less needs to be done to expand the sport in Canada and even Europe to a degree. As it is now the NHL has been sinking money into the Coyotes to keep them afloat in hopes of the franchise surviving there and not moving yet again.

 

There is still talks and hopes that new franchises can return to Winnipeg, Québec and Hartford if new rinks can be built there like they did in Minnesota with the Wild, but as of now, there are no real plans for any expansion.

 

You can forget about Hartford ever getting a NHL or any pro (i.e MLB NFL or NBA)team. It too close to both Boston (bruins) and NYC (Rangers, Devils and Isles).

 

Ditto for Quebec for the same reasons, it's damn too close (2 hour drive)from Montreal (Habs). IMO the only cities in Canada in far future (5 years or more)that might get NHL teams are Hamilton, Ontario (2nd NHL club in Toronto area)and Winnipeg either w/ a moved team from the US 'sun belt' or expansion.

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Really? Remember the New England/Hartford Whalers W.H.A./N.H.L. and the Quebec (Quebec City) Nordiques?

 

Hartford had a W.H.A./N.H.L. franchise from 1974-1975 to 1996-1997; today they're the Carolina Hurricanes. Quebec (Quebec City) had a W.H.A./N.H.L. franchise from 1972-1973 to 1994-1995; today the Colorado Avalanche.

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You can forget about Hartford ever getting a NHL or any pro (i.e MLB NFL or NBA)team. It too close to both Boston (bruins) and NYC (Rangers, Devils and Isles).

 

Ditto for Quebec for the same reasons, it's damn too close (2 hour drive)from Montreal (Habs). IMO the only cities in Canada in far future (5 years or more)that might get NHL teams are Hamilton, Ontario (2nd NHL club in Toronto area)and Winnipeg either w/ a moved team from the US 'sun belt' or expansion.

 

 

It's not a question of distance... Look at Calgary and Edmonton and look at the rivalry between the two... It's a question of these teams already having a market in the past and a question of where else the NHL can expand. The way I see it, Winnipeg, Hamilton (as you mentioned), Québec and Hartford would be the next spots with possibilities of getting a team. You forget about the old rivalry between Montréal and Québec...

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