General Music Chat

At the start of the NHL season last year who could possibly imagine a Stanley Cup finals with a six-seed (New Jersey Devils) versus an eight-seed (Los Angeles Kings)! For anybody following hockey this is an unbelievably surprising finals. The Kings have only lost two games in the playoffs this year and have won EVERY ROAD GAME. Going back to last year they have won ten consecutive road playoff games, an all-time record.
I used to live in New Jersey and was a season ticket holder for the Devils their second year in New Jersey when they were a terrible team, so bad that Wayne Gretzky called them a Mickey Mouse organization! That is now ancient history as the Devils try and win their fourth Stanley Cup. Their goalie, Martin Brodeur, has been with them when they won their first Cup in 1995, and arguably is the greatest goalie in NHL history.
I really don't know who to root for. The Kings have never won a Stanley Cup in their 45 year history. What's really unbelievable is that no Canadian-based NHL team has won a Stanley Cup since 1993. People in Toronto and Montreal have to be going crazy! Imagine a Stanley Cup parade through downtown Los Angeles? Unthinkable..

I personally don't understand the game at all.

And kind of lost touch and interest in sports in general.

Perhaps I should make a game in person and try to learn a little about ... where they sell the beers.

It's real simple Sans,,,,, I went to watch the fights, and a hockey game broke out.
Actually you have to see all the stuff that happens to appreciate it.,,, like,,,,
Billy Smith,,, Goal tender,,,, continuously NAILNG every forward in the personals when the refs couldn't see. You can't make this stuff up.

Billy Smith was the fightingest goalie of all time and a great goaltender to boot. Opposing players try to distract the goalies, get in their line of vision, stand in the crease (that area right in front of the goal where only the goalie is supposed to be). Billy Smith didn't let ANY opposing player get in his line of vision wthout a resounding and painful whack of his heavy goaltender's stick. The Islanders are the last major sports team to win four consecutive championships and like him or not Billy Smith was a major reason why.
Sans, I'll bet if you knew the rules of hockey you would LOVE the sport, yourself being a martial artist. Some of the greatest players of the past used martial-like moves to check opposing puck carriers. In fact Denis Potvin, who played defense for the great Islander teams alongside Billy Smith was an advanced martial artist. Denis Potvin's hockey "fights" were comical one-sided affairs that ended with the opposing player on his ass within seconds. Another player you would have loved was Scott Stevens who played defense for the great Devil Stanley Cup winning teams. Scott Stevens crunched people. He didn't hit them, he crunched them. No player in hockey gave up his body like Scott Stevens.
A player to look out for in the Stanley Cup finals is the Los Angeles Kings' Dustin Brown. He makes a habit of knocking down opponents and scoring big goals.
Hockey is my favorite spectator sport. I've been an addict since I was about ten years old.

WOW, Bob. I didn't realize you were such a big fan.
I guess you remember the days when nobody wore a helmet.
The television really doesn't do the game justice. You really have to be there.
On the fun side, one of my customers has had the opportunity to set up his cameras from the net. Amazing. You might have seen his work in sports illustrated.
I also have done boiler work for Clark Gilles. What a nice guy, and known for his charity work. How times change. When he played those guys really weren't getting payed that much.
Just a little foot note Bob.

I used to know just about every player on every team and their stats also. Now I don't hardly know any players on any teams. There's so many teams and so many players, free agency. Teams change, sometimes drastically, from year to year. Of course I have more varied interests today, like surviving. I still have fond memories of my childhood and being a rabid fan of hockey. From 1966 to 1971 I lived right outside Boston and what kid in New England wasn't the biggest Bobby Orr fan at that time?

People who are sports fans and don't follow hockey are missing out on the best sport on planet Earth IMO.