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2023-24 NHL Misc. Thread

Meanwhile, Gary Bettman has a hard on for keeping the NHL in Arizona like a misbehaved lapdog that dryhumps everyone by it's owner's leg.

Jim
Sure, but actually walking around the complex in Glendale I sort of get it. They've got absolutely every advantage you could have in terms of facilities and it's a HUGE market. Virtually every other ownership group in the league could not only survive in Phoenix, but would thrive ... and Bettman just can't find anybody both well financed enough and competent enough to get it done. It is 100% on ownership.
 
Random thoughts of an unemployed guy on a drizzly Tuesday afternoon:

Every record is breakable, of course, but it seems that Gretzky's points record and Brodeur's wins total are probably unbreakable. If Mario had been able to play another 500 or so games, maybe he could've gotten the points record? Maybe?
 
Sure, but actually walking around the complex in Glendale I sort of get it. They've got absolutely every advantage you could have in terms of facilities and it's a HUGE market. Virtually every other ownership group in the league could not only survive in Phoenix, but would thrive ... and Bettman just can't find anybody both well financed enough and competent enough to get it done. It is 100% on ownership.
The excuse/complaint has always been that Glendale is not where their fan base is located and that Scottsdale/East Valley is where they're located. Battling rush hour traffic through or around Phoenix from Scottsdale or Tempe or Mesa 41 nights a year is no fun.
 
The excuse/complaint has always been that Glendale is not where their fan base is located and that Scottsdale/East Valley is where they're located. Battling rush hour traffic through or around Phoenix from Scottsdale or Tempe or Mesa 41 nights a year is no fun.
Sure ... I understand the arguments, but in a city of 1.6 million I'd suggest that you could cultivate an adequate fan base if you actually tried.
 
Random thoughts of an unemployed guy on a drizzly Tuesday afternoon:

Every record is breakable, of course, but it seems that Gretzky's points record and Brodeur's wins total are probably unbreakable. If Mario had been able to play another 500 or so games, maybe he could've gotten the points record? Maybe?
Lemieux v. Gretzky would be close. Lemieux averaged 1.88 points per game, Gretzky 1.92. If Lemieux had been able to maintain that average through his 30s, he’d have needed another 605 games to get to 2,858 points. That’s a tall order for a guy that never once played 82 games in a season.
 
Yeah, the classic argument for Lemieux was if he had played in an era without quite so much hooking/slashing/holding/general obstruction then he would have had more freedom of movement and less wear and tear injuries. Of course, that wouldn't change the impact that his cancer had. It's a fun argument I guess, but ultimately pointless. Everybody plays in the era they play in.

The general trends probably work in favor of somebody ultimately getting close to Gretzky's point total, but not Brodeur's win total. The general trend towards speed and skill, along with the cap incentives to put skilled players on NHL rosters while they are in their ELC years probably will give several generations of skilled offensive players a fighting chance at Gretzky. The hard trend away from franchise goalies who carry 70 game per season workloads means the opposite for the goalie wins mark. But trends change.
 
The Flyers are getting hammered by the Habs 6-0. They're 2-5-3 since Torts benched Couturier. Way to flush the season coach.
 
And Dougie continues to get paid the big bucks. I mean, good for him and all that, get that bag son, but...you know...losing.
 
The Flyers are getting hammered by the Habs 6-0. They're 2-5-3 since Torts benched Couturier. Way to flush the season coach.
I don’t see any way Torts survives another year in Philly after that collapse and undressing of his team in the media.
 
And Dougie continues to get paid the big bucks. I mean, good for him and all that, get that bag son, but...you know...losing.
Dougie's long term absence almost certainly played a role the Devils missing the playoffs this year. He is their best Dman, and without him they have a gaping hole. So it might not have been the same miss the playoffs result if Dougie was healthy all season.
 
Dougie's long term absence almost certainly played a role the Devils missing the playoffs this year. He is their best Dman, and without him they have a gaping hole. So it might not have been the same miss the playoffs result if Dougie was healthy all season.
Yeah, my Devils fan friend was whining about playing 4 minor league dmen for most of the back half of the season. Maybe of the Devils hadn’t traded 2 top defensive prospects to get Timo Meier, they wouldn’t have been in such a bind.
 
We could have two top line D men on the market in the off season, especially if the Canes make a serious move to sign Guentzel.
 
Boy did Trocheck get screwed by Kelly Sutherland last night. Isles beat NYR, which is good for the Canes, but late in the game with the net empty, Tro goes to bat down a puck behind the net facing the glass and gets absolutely buried into the glass by Noah Dobson with no call. Isles calmly chip it out and score the empty netter immediately afterwards, which makes it even worse. Tro lost his mind on Sutherland and will probably get suspended or fined, but he's 100% correct. You HAVE to call boarding on that.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmm55gsIaI4
 
Frank Seravalli says that the league is drafting 2 schedules for next season, 1 with the Coyotes in Arizona, the other with them in Salt Lake City. SLC means a temporary home too, either the Delta Center where the Jazz play or the Maverik Center, where the ECHL Utah Grizzlies play and served as the main venue for the 2002 Olympics. The Delta Center isn’t configured for hockey, it’s analogous to Barclay’s Center or Spectrum Center in Charlotte, there are unusable seats. But, if Jazz owner Ryan Smith buys and relocates the Coyotes, he said he‘d build a hockey specific arena for them.


View: https://x.com/frank_seravalli/status/1778065322525819321?s=61&t=ZT8KDHkGMyk7V3JAuh5_ag
 
They've GOT to get this resolved. You simply cannot continue to allow one franchise to operate on a lower standard than the rest of the league.
 
They've GOT to get this resolved. You simply cannot continue to allow one franchise to operate on a lower standard than the rest of the league.
Gary can and will allow it to continue it seems...his fascination and unwavering support for this franchise despite all the mistakes made is the hill he has always decided to die on. How every other owner allows this is beyond comprehension by now but you have to resolve it once and for all.
 
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