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*** Official 2025-26 NHL, SEASON HAS STARTED, GALLY ENJOYING EVERY SECOND OF COREY PERRY ICE TIME *** (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter Zegras11
- Start date
steelerfan1
Footballguy
Bruins cleaning house...
HellToupee
Footballguy
Bruins had to eventually to do this. Sad to see Marchand go , horrible return. A conditional 2nd in 2027……Carlo is a good pickup by Toronto , good return for the B’s , Fraser Minten and a #1. Now I hope the clean out the front office when the season is over
northern exposure
Footballguy
Marchand is a UFA at the end of the season. Maybe he re-signs with Boston next season?
Todem
Footballguy
That’s what I figure will happen.
Northern Voice
Footballguy
I'm pretty happy with the Carlo addition. Even with Boston selling, the division is insane again this year with Tampa and Florida also loading up.
Easy to say with hindsight but firing Jim Montgomery was probably a mistake/looks like a panic move. Sacco won't last beyond the interim tag.
Northern Voice
Footballguy
My favourite story out of the trade deadline is that Jack Roslovic got a Rolex from Rantanen to give up number 96... for 12 games.
BeTheMatch
Footballguy
Bill Guerin needs to go. He's pretty much a complete failure at this point.
TheAristocrat
Footballguy
I thought I saw the logic in his moves towards a long term goal but the last 12-15 months have been baffling.
Thorn
Footballguy
I've seen a lot of this take on sports radio and twitter. But what would a team give up for a guy that is 36, currently injured, and a free agent at the end of the year? I think they did fine all things considered.
northern exposure
Footballguy
Panthers DMan Aaron Ekblad suspended 20 games (rest of regular season) for violating NHL's performance-enhancing drug policy.
Seth Jones trade looks even better now.
Seth Jones trade looks even better now.
TheAristocrat
Footballguy
Just saw this and had to confirm in the NHL app:
Second period shots on goal: Tampa Bay 20, Boston 0.
Yikes.
Second period shots on goal: Tampa Bay 20, Boston 0.
Yikes.
Andy Dufresne
Footballguy
Looks like I was right.
In fairness, losing Kaprizov for a good chunk of the season has changed everything and the boys have done yeoman's work to get this far but...
IF they make the playoffs - and that's questionable at this point - a first round exit is all but guaranteed.
Andy Dufresne
Footballguy
Was at an event with 1980 Team USA member John Harrington last night. He brought his actual gold medal - so awesome.
Funny story I hadn't heard before - Rob McClanahan was apparently pretty particular about his sticks - each had to be cut to the perfect length, tape had to be done just so...that sort of thing.
Mark Pavelich pranked him one day by cutting and then taping over small notches in the blade of three of McClanahan's sticks before practice. First shot with each of them snapped the blade right off. RMC lost it.
Funny story I hadn't heard before - Rob McClanahan was apparently pretty particular about his sticks - each had to be cut to the perfect length, tape had to be done just so...that sort of thing.
Mark Pavelich pranked him one day by cutting and then taping over small notches in the blade of three of McClanahan's sticks before practice. First shot with each of them snapped the blade right off. RMC lost it.
Fat Nick
Footballguy
As a Caps fan, hoping his brother Cole is just as good in the NHL...
He certainly looks like he could be. Looked great when I saw him in the World Junior tournament. Almost a clone of Lane.
When Gretzky set the record, I thought at that time it was one of the most unbreakable records in sports. I'm still in disbelief that Ovechkin is going to break it. He's still going strong and now I'm wondering if he could get to 1000.
Skipdog77
Footballguy
My gut tells me that he will play out the last season on his contract next year, and then be done, maybe finish around 935 pr so when all is said and done.
dgreen
Footballguy
Yeah. I saw a headline the other day about him finishing his contract then going back to Russia to play.
dgreen
Footballguy
If Hutson, Leonard, and Ilya Protas can all develop as hoped and join the group they have now, the future looks pretty good. I'm looking forward to seeing Leonard in the playoffs this year.
Andy Dufresne
Footballguy
This gets said a lot (and it shouldn't diminish what AO will accomplish, different eras and all) but the astonishing thing to me is that - as it sits right now - Ovechkin is 1250 total points behind Gretzky. 
Skipdog77
Footballguy
The only thing I can see throwing a wrinkle into that plan would be if the Caps shock everyone and actually win the Cup this season. If he has already broken the record by then, does he forego the last season, retire, and go out on top? I think he would still come back and play the last season, kind of a victory lap. Plus I think he really wants to be the only player in history to hit the 900 goal mark, which I don't see him getting to this year.
dgreen
Footballguy
Yep. In that lovely hypothetical, I think he'd still want to get to 900. My daughter asked me why Gretzky didn't keep playing until he reached 900. I told her he only had 9 goals in his last season, so it is possible he would have had to play into a second additional seasons to get there based on how much he had declined. That won't be a problem for OV to get to 900.
Ovechkin missed about 70 games due to league-wide scheduling problems with a lockout and COVID. He would probably already be around 925 without those two stoppages. Gretzky also had a strike, so he could have easily reached 900 without that.
Fat Nick
Footballguy
Yeah. Just a few years ago, our prospect pipeline was bottom 5 in the league, and now it's probably top 5 or at least in the top 10.
Skipdog77
Footballguy
Gretzky also didn't play in the era of the coaches' challenge. Wonder how many goals Ovi has lost there. Couldn't find a stat for it in a quick internet search. Likely only a handful, but still factors in.
Skipdog77
Footballguy
Gotta love the consistency.
Gretzky didn't play in an era with 3 v 3 OT goals. Pretty sure 99 on the ice 3 v 3 would have put in another few dozen goals.
Not going to downplay anything at all Ovie's done. He's an absolutely incredible goal scorer. And he's going to finish probably top 2 all time in hits. Records were made to be broken, well most of them anyway.
Skipdog77
Footballguy
Totally agree, and I wasn't trying to downplay Gretzky at all. There's a whole bunch of these 'what if' scenarios that make for great bar talk that fascinate me. 3 on 3 OT factor is a good one.
They are both among the (if not the) greatest goal-scorers to ever play the game, and the fact they have done it while playing such disparate styles is amazing to me and should absolutely be celebrated for both of them.
Zegras11
Footballguy
rockaction
Footballguy
Huh. Am I going to be the only jerk here and say that I don't like Ovechkin breaking Gretzky's record simply because of the yawning chasm in the likability of the two players? Regardless of how anybody feels about Gretz's venerated status in the NHL (whether deserved or not), the difference seems quite stark to me. One guy seems like a genuinely good, humble, funny, down-to-earth guy. The other . . . I guess I'll give him the benefit of the doubt for being foreign in an alien culture and land.
Or is that just the hockey press talking? Have I miscalculated greatly?
I don't really think that all records were made to be broken, especially by guys who are tough to root for. A begrudging, "Nice accomplishment, Ovechkin," is all you're going to get out of me.
Or is that just the hockey press talking? Have I miscalculated greatly?
I don't really think that all records were made to be broken, especially by guys who are tough to root for. A begrudging, "Nice accomplishment, Ovechkin," is all you're going to get out of me.
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Zegras11
Footballguy
northern exposure
Footballguy
Rock,everyone is entitled to their opinion. But, you allude to the hockey press having a dislike for Ovie and I've never heard that. I have never heard fans having a problem with him either.
I remember when people were upset that Gretzky broke Gordie Howe's record for most goals. They argued they played in different eras, different rules, etc.
I don't like Gretzky's record being broken, but I have no animosity towards Ovechkin.
rockaction
Footballguy
One of the first things that comes up on AI is
"Polarizing Figure:
Ovechkin's personality and sometimes controversial statements have led to him being a polarizing figure, with fans either loving or disliking him"
From The Guardian in 2015:
"Before this seeming dominance, Ovechkin was labeled ‘soft’ and ‘enigmatic’. The latter, a popular term ascribed to players whose cultural nuance is so foreign that they don’t even begin to deconstruct the player. Instead, it’s just a mystery. That connotation, especially in sports is negative."
A reddit thread asks
"please don’t downvote me. why does everyone hate Alex Ovechkin?"
Here's one from the CBC
From Bleacher Report
I could probably go on and on with this, but you get the point.
Skipdog77
Footballguy
Go research what Ovi has done for special needs hockey players and their organizations. I (and my kids) have worked with special needs kids, getting them on the ice, teaching them the game, seeing their confidence grow, and feeling like they finally have a team that they are now a part of. One of the most rewarding experiences of my life.
Little anecdote..our first year of helping out with our local special needs team, we get a new kid a few weeks into the season. Kid has never been on the ice before, and after helping him get geared up he makes his way out on to the ice. One of our junior mentor coaches guides him out on the ice, and skates him around a few minutes. I see them heading back over to the door where his mother is standing, and my first thought is that he doesn't like it or can't handle it and is getting off the ice. As I skate over that way, his mom kneels down to talk to him, and he looks at her with big, happy eyes and says..."Mom..I can DO this", and he turned back and skated back out on the ice. I had to go find a quiet corner of the rink for a few minutes after that.
That alone is enough to make me root for the man.
Atomic Punk
Footballguy
I would also say you may be overestimating Gretzky’s likeability as well. Putting aside the recent thoughts about him in Canada, he has been known to be quite the **** to many over the years, and a heavy drinker. People from his home town will go overboard praising his father Walter and when pressed to say something positive about Wayne … they say he had an awesome dad.
northern exposure
Footballguy
OK, you win. If AI says it and there's a reddit thread about it, it must be true.
It seems the dislike aimed towards Ovechkin stems from the fact he's Russian and he supports Putin.
All I can respond with is I live in the city where Gretzky had the height of his success. I'm not hearing fans complain about Ovechkin being the one to break The Great One's record.
When I Google "Alex Ovechin popularity" AI gives me "Alex Ovechkin is widely considered one of the most popular and recognizable faces in hockey, known for his powerful play, goal-scoring prowess, and the pursuit of Wayne Gretzky's all-time NHL goals record.".
Ovechkin was also placed 54th on ESPN's Top 100 Pro Athletes of the 21st Century.
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kupcho1
Footballguy
Atomic Punk
Footballguy
After a down game against the lowly Sabres the Jets are holding their own against the Caps. Not quite playoff atmosphere but pretty close.
rockaction
Footballguy
Man, you turn your head for a moment and the Blues have surged since March 1st. They're 10-3 since then, with one of those an OTL. Utah got left in the dust (my nephew cheers for the former Arizona franchise because he still likes the players from when they were in AZ). But that was awfully quick. I blinked and the Blues took off. The Blues have played at least two more games than the teams chasing them (CGY 3, VAN 2, UT 2), but they're in pole position.
I'd like to see them lose a bit (their schedule stiffens comparatively compared to what it had been recently) so we have some meaningful Utah hockey out here in the Inland Empire of California (dawg, it's hot out already in this godforsaken land) for the rest of March and April.
I'd like to see them lose a bit (their schedule stiffens comparatively compared to what it had been recently) so we have some meaningful Utah hockey out here in the Inland Empire of California (dawg, it's hot out already in this godforsaken land) for the rest of March and April.
Montreal has been playing quite well lately, snuck into the 2nd wildcard spot recently and St. Louis made them look like boys last night. Montreal had no push back like they found against other teams like the Avs on Saturday. Blues were 2 steps ahead all night. Maybe an off night for Montreal but I was impressed with the Blues game.
My son played with Thomas in Jr. Seemed like a good lad. Great to see him healthy and doing well.
Andy Dufresne
Footballguy
Flyers finally fired Tortorella?
Dude is the NHL version of Mike McCarthy.
Dude is the NHL version of Mike McCarthy.
Josh Hines-Ward-Alan-Carr
Footballguy
Binnington decided halfway through the 4 Nations tournament that he is in fact one of the elite goalies in the NHL and basically hasn't lost since.
Unfortunately for us Habs fans, it was right before the game tonight and teams always seem to win the first game for their new coach.
Skipdog77
Footballguy
I like Torts, Id love to see him in Boston. He was always set up to fail in that arrangement in Philly. That team has been bereft of talent since he got there.
kupcho1
Footballguy
I'd love to see him in Boston too.
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