NHL 2022/23 Season

I almost posted about how Ovie's gonna be #2 in goals soon and will likely surpass Gretzky in "Other Sports," but I don't think the NHL is THAT down bad yet.

Yet.

Anyway, Boston and New Jersey are insanely good, my Rangers are meh at best, and Connor McDavid is the best player in the league right now.

No posts until after the All-Star break.

Fine by me, Rangers are 19-4-3 since Dec. 5, even if the league is Boston - (moderate gap) - Carolina - (enormous gap) - Literally everyone else.

IMAGE(https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1247002454/photo/seattle-kraken-v-new-york-rangers.jpg?s=2048x2048&w=gi&k=20&c=jAWwDvC9niEVtGXEvpW7ZgpQrxBSPcSxFDVMw5U3JrI=)

Welcome to Broadway Vlad.

Prederick wrote:

...even if the league is Boston - (moderate gap) - Carolina - (enormous gap) - Literally everyone else.

IMAGE(https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1465171797/photo/new-york-rangers-v-carolina-hurricanes.jpg?s=2048x2048&w=gi&k=20&c=08uFj8X1QhMGyDHJ1cTq0saCzcyjEB-Shol8iwb6AB4=)

HAHAHAHAHA EAT IT

Rangers clear hurdles, get Kane from Blackhawks

IMAGE(https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1469925958/photo/tottenham-hotspur-v-chelsea-fc-premier-league.webp?s=1024x1024&w=gi&k=20&c=25wnHpu1H6IUDsp9CktZsRBku8PnBLDOwCUpom6WytM=)

Dunno how good he'll be in pads, but we needed an experienced forward.

/checks earpiece

...I'm sorry what?

End of an era in Los Angeles, as Jonathan Quick was traded to Columbus as part of a deal to get goalie Joonas Korpisalo and LHD Vladislav Gavrikov.

Quick has been atrocious this year, so much so that the Kings elevated AHL goalie Pheonix Copley and have been riding him for most of the season. Cal Petersen was supposed to take over for Quick, and was so bad himself that he's been banished to the AHL with no sign of return.

Both Korpisalo and Gavrikov are UFAs after this year, so we'll see if either is more than a rental. Given the Kings' goalie situation though, have to imagine they're going to work to keep Korpisalo if he's even halfway competent in net the rest of the way this season.

The move also opened up further cap space, leaving some speculation that the team might not be done yet.

FUTURE'S WEIRD Y'ALL

The "NHL Big City Greens Classic" features live, real-time volumetric animations of players and teams modeled after characters on the Emmy Award-winning show "Big City Greens." It's scheduled to air Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+, Disney Channel, Disney XD and Disney+. The traditional game telecast between the Rangers and Capitals will be available on ESPN and ESPN+.

The virtual game will take place in Big City's "Times Circle," and will feature animated avatars of actual players in the NHL game. When Alex Ovechkin takes a slap shot at MSG, the NHL Edge technology on his jersey and in the puck will register that and the player wearing his jersey in the Big City Greens Classic will do the same.

But along with the actual players, there will be characters from the show participating in the game. Gramma Alice and her son Bill will replace the starting goaltenders for the Capitals and Rangers. Cricket Green will replace a player on the Rangers while Tilly Green will replace one on the Capitals. Other characters might be involved later in the game and during intermissions.

The announcers for the game -- Drew Carter and Kevin Weekes -- will broadcast from ESPN's Bristol studio wearing motion capture suits. Their animated avatars will appear on the broadcast.

"We were blown away. It's an incredible accomplishment and such a cool way to watch hockey," said Chris Houghton, who co-created the animated show with his brother Shane. "This all came together so quickly, and it's all being rendered live as the actual players skate around on the ice."

Actual players ... and one chicken referee.

"The chicken ref," Nelson said, smiling. "Once he drops the puck, he poofs away and appears again when there's a faceoff."

I'm gonna need one of y'all to tune in for this and relay back info.

Prederick wrote:

FUTURE'S WEIRD Y'ALL

I'm gonna need one of y'all to tune in for this and relay back info.

LOL, GOD YES

WHY

WHO ASKED FOR THIS?

Did they not realize that the Nickelodeon X-Mas game worked because they had Patrick dunking on one of the teams?

DO IT WITH BLUEY NEXT

LA is up to 89 points, just one behind VGK for the Western Conference lead.

He's only played 3 games for the Kings, but Joonas Korpisalo has been as advertised. Hopefully he can be that guy going forward, and the Kings can nail him down with a contract extension and put an end to our goalie anxiety.

Prederick wrote:

Anyway, Boston and New Jersey are insanely good, my Rangers are meh at best, and Connor McDavid is the best player in the league right now.

That's 60 goals now for Connor McDavid.

He's got 136 points, which is more than anyone since Lemieux had 161 in 1995-96.

If you haven't been paying attention, the NHL's Pride campaign appears to be going... poorly.

A National Hockey League team with a Russian player has decided against wearing special warmup jerseys to commemorate Pride night, citing an anti-gay Kremlin law that could imperil Russian athletes when they return home.

The Chicago Blackhawks, who have at least two more players with connections to Russia, will not wear Pride-themed warmup jerseys before Sunday’s game against Vancouver, a person with knowledge of the matter told The Associated Press, because of security concerns involving the law, which expands restrictions on supporting LGBTQ rights. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed it in December.

The decision was made by the Blackhawks following discussions with security officials within and outside the franchise, according to a person familiar with the situation who spoke Wednesday to the AP on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the move.

Chicago coach Luke Richardson said Thursday that he and his players were disappointed and called it “an unfortunate situation.”

“I don’t think we can control the world issues, so that takes it out of our hands,” Richardson said. “We’re just making decisions as best we can as an organization and for everybody.”

Everyone on the Kings (and the Stars and Kraken) wore the Pride jerseys with zero incident.

And the Kings do have a (recently-acquired) Russian player, Vladislav Gavrikov, who has played on the Russian national team. He wore it.

And what a jersey it was:

IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/D0rVPr5.jpg)

Pheonix is... a joke.
By the way, I know hockey wives are notoriously beautiful, but some of the women in the Premier League are puck stoppingly beautiful as well.

Kings win Game 1 in an overtime thriller in Edmonton. Oh it's gonna be a stressful series.

Sure would be nice to play against Edmonton full strength for once. Last year it was no Doughty or Arvidsson. This year, Fiala and Vilardi are out (for now, supposedly returning at some point in the series). That's 51 goals right there. Let's see how Edmonton would fare without Draisaitl.

Also, as is tradition...

*Legion* wrote:

f**k Evander Kane and f**k any franchise that would still employ him in $CURRENT_YEAR.

*Legion* wrote:

Fiala ... out

On that note, Brock Faber stopped an overtime winner from going into a wide open net in his third NHL game.

I'll not be listening to your slander of our beloved scoring machine.

I'm very much looking forward to my dear Leafs losing to Tampa again, probably in 7, again.

I was all ready to be happy that Seattle was beating Colorado until I realized that Dave Hakstol is their coach. Boo. Now, I hope their entire team develops very uncomfortable hemorrhoids.

Fiala's been back for 1 period and he's scored an assist, drawn a penalty, and notched a second assist on the power play from that penalty.

TIL that the Seattle Kraken are a thing and that they are already relocating to Oklahoma City. Do they even have ice there?

Chairman_Mao wrote:

I'm very much looking forward to my dear Leafs losing to Tampa again, probably in 7, again.

Or building up for epic disappointment? Who knows, even a blind squirrel can find a nut sometimes.

Mixolyde wrote:

TIL that the Seattle Kraken are a thing and that they are already relocating to Oklahoma City. Do they even have ice there?

You almost had me.

Prederick wrote:
Mixolyde wrote:

TIL that the Seattle Kraken are a thing and that they are already relocating to Oklahoma City. Do they even have ice there?

You almost had me.

Sorry, turned out that article I saw was from a humor/satire site. *sigh* Can't trust anything on the internet anymore!

Mixolyde wrote:
Prederick wrote:
Mixolyde wrote:

TIL that the Seattle Kraken are a thing and that they are already relocating to Oklahoma City. Do they even have ice there?

You almost had me.

Sorry, turned out that article I saw was from a humor/satire site. *sigh* Can't trust anything on the internet anymore!

The best ones have that little kernel of truth in them.

This one was clearly written by a Seattle Supersonics fan.

Guess I am a Kraken fan now. How can you not love this story. Also I am already a Seattle Garages fan and just finished that Jon Bois documentary on the Mariners, so why not be a fan of more teams from a city I have never been to?

.............it's kinda nuts that Disney made a children's movie about hockey that was so popular, they made an expansion hockey team based on it, and they even won the Stanley Cup, right?

Prederick wrote:

.............it's kinda nuts that Disney made a children's movie about hockey that was so popular, they made an expansion hockey team based on it, and they even won the Stanley Cup, right?

The 90s were wild, man.

The NFL put a football team in Jacksonville.

*Legion* wrote:
Prederick wrote:

.............it's kinda nuts that Disney made a children's movie about hockey that was so popular, they made an expansion hockey team based on it, and they even won the Stanley Cup, right?

The 90s were wild, man.

The NFL put a football team in Jacksonville.

And the first finals they went to, they lost to the team Wayne Gretzky labeled a "Mickey Mouse organization."

As a Devils fan, I have no idea what's going on, this is not what I expected going into Game 6, let alone even getting to a Game 6.