OT: Around Hockey and the NHL

[Major4Boarding]

No one even offered him a ride. Cold. Literally and figuratively.

 

[Felonious Python]

No one even offered him a ride. Cold. Literally and figuratively.

He did.

"As I got closer, I was starting to walk because my legs were exhausted from running up the hill. They asked if I was going into the game and I said I’m the emergency backup goalie and I’m trying to get to the rink because I have to get dressed for the team.

“They told me immediately to jump in. I got in with them and three minutes later they got me to the rink because traffic opened up. They were the saviours of it because it helped a lot because my girlfriend didn’t get there until just before the puck drop and I was there before the warmup even ended.”

 

[Felonious Python]

Turnover Rates and Offensive Efficiency:

Dump-and-Chase Outcomes:
Teams utilizing dump-ins lose possession in 70-80% of cases when engaging in board battles (so-called "50/50 battles").
Controlled entries lead to significantly more scoring opportunities, with shots on goal increasing by 45% compared to indirect entry methods.

I have noticed an uptick in prolonged board battles this season.

 

[TheDaysOf 04]

Rangers currently getting shutout by the last place Predators mid way through the third.

If you asked today can things get worse? Yes, they can.

 

[Felonious Python]

Ken Holland was able to preside over turning the core in Edmonton around, so I don't think that the Sabres need to totally start over.

I respect Lindy Ruff for his dedication to the Sabres, but I'd be thinking about a shock to the culture. Fire both the GM and all the Sabres coaches, hire an experienced GM (maybe even Holland), and let him cook. No sense of continuity or business as usual. Any old promises disappear, and now it's about cleaning up the mess. It's up to the players to decide what part they want in that.

Coach tenures are getting shorter, which makes the NHL more of a GMs league.

 

[Felonious Python]

re: discussion on opening up NHLers with Italian heritage to play for Italy.

Having a more competitive hockey tournament is good for entertainment, but I feel that it's all window dressing to the lack of actual international investment. It's putting on a costume, not representing the country. It's the sketch that got cut from last week's SNL.

Italy or Poland could win some games, and it doesn't move the needle in the slightest. I don't think that international audiences (any audiences) are that malleable.

The USA could suddenly start winning at cricket, and it wouldn't matter. There's no real presence in the US. I wouldn't even know where someone could play organized cricket.


edit: I remember back in like the 2006-2012 era, where every international game that even slightly resulted in an unexpected outcome was getting billed as that country's 'Miracle On Ice'. Austria-Slovakia is tied through two periods in a round-robin game. Are we seeing Austria's Miracle on Ice?

Switzerland only lost by two to Canada, Swiss Miracle on Ice?

It's got to be condescending.