Around The League 2018-19 Offseason edition

[Bleedred]

I was actually surprised that Willie O'Ree wasn't already in the hall of fame.

I expected Bettman to get in, probably even before he was out of the position, but I'm a little surprised that he's going in this early. I expected maybe in the next 2-5 years he'd be in, but not just yet.

 

[Devils Dominion]

Okay well sorry to say but was he necessarily wrong? We are continually bottom 7 in attendance, granted I think this will grow because of the next generations' kids being Devils fans more now in Jersey.

Either way he has supported us since so Im cool with it.

You really may be be a Rags fan

 

[Bleedred]

By the way, I just saw DSP was not given a qualifying offer by the Caps. Time to bring him back?! What do you think @Devils Dominion?

 

[Devils Dominion]

By the way, I just saw DSP was not given a qualifying offer by the Caps. Time to bring him back?! What do you think @Devils Dominion?

It would right a wrong

 

[Bleedred]

It would right a wrong

Are we allowed to? He's still on our buyout cap hit for the next year.

 

[JrFischer54]

I don’t care if the nhl is the fourth sport in America why would anyone? We aren’t getting money from the league and someone has to be 1st and someone has to be 4th so be it.

Also I don’t think the lockout in 94 held the sport back. If a sport couldn’t handle a half a year work stoppage and “slipped” back to 4th then it wasn’t strong enough to pass basketball longterm anyway.

What killed hockey back in the day is the trap and the dead puck era. It would’ve killed any momentum the sport would’ve had if there was no lockout. Honestly too I was a teenager at that time and If I was my age then I probably would’ve stopped being a fan. So many of those games are so brutal to watch it’s amazing this sport isn’t 10th in amtherica.

The thing that will always hold this sport back is the lack of diversity and the cost. I have 2 kids and have zero chance and I hope they don’t ever want to play the sport because I could never afford it not just money but time and travel. Lower the costs and get more minorities and you will see the popularity grow. the game is super fast exciting and young but it’s hard to get casual fans if it’s almost impossible to play the sport for fun.

That is what I put on Bettman. You can point to any stat you want about minorities playing in the x amount of time. I don’t buy it

 

[glenwo2]

I don’t care if the nhl is the fourth sport in America why would anyone? We aren’t getting money from the league and someone has to be 1st and someone has to be 4th so be it.

Also I don’t think the lockout in 94 held the sport back. If a sport couldn’t handle a half a year work stoppage and “slipped” back to 4th then it wasn’t strong enough to pass basketball longterm anyway.

What killed hockey back in the day is the trap and the dead puck era. It would’ve killed any momentum the sport would’ve had if there was no lockout. Honestly too I was a teenager at that time and If I was my age then I probably would’ve stopped being a fan. So many of those games are so brutal to watch it’s amazing this sport isn’t 10th in amtherica.

The thing that will always hold this sport back is the lack of diversity and the cost. I have 2 kids and have zero chance and I hope they don’t ever want to play the sport because I could never afford it not just money but time and travel. Lower the costs and get more minorities and you will see the popularity grow. the game is super fast exciting and young but it’s hard to get casual fans if it’s almost impossible to play the sport for fun.

That is what I put on Bettman. You can point to any stat you want about minorities playing in the x amount of time. I don’t buy it

Are you SURE you're a Devils fan?

 

[JrFischer54]

Are you SURE you're a Devils fan?

All that and that’s what you take away from it? Smh

I’m glad the devils won those cups but your delusional if you think that was good fun exciting hockey.

 

[glenwo2]

All that and that’s what you take away from it? Smh

I’m glad the devils won those cups but your delusional if you think that was good fun exciting hockey.

The fact that we had a Terrific Defense, Marty being Marty, Scott Stevens busting heads, and the Devils winning Games and CUPS?


I guess I"m one of the "delusional ones" then.

WINNING...IS.....FUN....AND..EXCITING.

Besides....the people whining and complaining about the Trap were fans of the teams that COULDN'T win with it while the Devils did.

It was nothing but pure jealousy because they wished their teams could've utilized the trap back then in '95 as well as NJ did.


Oh and the Trap was no longer used by the time the Devils won their 2nd Cup.

And they scored a lot of goals, too.

FUN....AND....EXCITING.

 

[Goptor]

All that and that’s what you take away from it? Smh

I’m glad the devils won those cups but your delusional if you think that was good fun exciting hockey.

Watching the Devils as a Devils fan back then was very exciting. They were constantly getting breakaways and odd man rushes. Elias would be getting several per game.

It was only painful for the opposing team because if they didn't pull off the perfect pass to break the trap they either gave up an odd man chance off a turnover or dumped it in to Marty and went back to playing defense.

 

[Blackjack]

I'll never forgive him for the Kovalchuk penalty. After other teams had been writing cap circumventing contracts for years, he penalized us. f*** him to his grave.

Scott Gomez was signed away from us to the Rangers on one of those contracts.

10
8
8
8
7.5
5.5
4.5

The contract was bought out in 2013 using a provision that didn't even exist when the contract was signed. So basically two cap circumventions on the same contract. Bettman then allowed high spending teams to circumvent the cap in all sorts of ways including bullshit trades, burying NHL contracts in the minor leagues, and abusing the LTIR. This shit goes on to this very day, Look no further than Marian Hossa and his ridiculous ailment.

Yet somehow we're the only team to ever have been penalized. Bettman could have fined the owners if he felt they were out of line. Instead, he decided to punish the fans by taking away a 1st round draft pick. f*** him, he treated Devils fans like toilet paper.

 

[Darkauron]

"Devils not exciting" man it is like you've never watched the Devils of that Era. Love that the trap being bad and not exciting propaganda worked on people.. Smh

 

[Nubmer6]

Watching the Devils as a Devils fan back then was very exciting. They were constantly getting breakaways and odd man rushes. Elias would be getting several per game.

It was only painful for the opposing team because if they didn't pull off the perfect pass to break the trap they either gave up an odd man chance off a turnover or dumped it in to Marty and went back to playing defense.

For the fans of other teams... it's always less exciting when you LOSE

 

[Emperoreddy]

I don’t like Bettman in while he is still in charge.

What happens if he went off the deep end one day and really disgraced the league? Do you remove him?

Wait until he retires at least.

 

[nugg]

I don't think he is. He shakes all the time

I forget the reason, but he's always been that way, at least ever since before he was hired.

 

[sabremike]

The difference with the Devils trap vs the one other teams of that era used was that the Devils version created offense. Lots of people forget that. And do you know who was really the originator of the trap? Fred Shero. Watch the video of the famous game vs the Red Army, his strategy was essentially the neutral zone trap.

 

[sabremike]

I think it was more of Bettman's master plan to spread hockey to non-traditional markets. The Devs were low hanging fruit to be relocated to one (as was Hartford).

I will NEVER forgive him for his role in murdering my Whalers. There is a special place in hell for him, Karmanos and John Rowland (at least the last one ended up in prison for being a crook).

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

 

[JrFischer54]

The fact that we had a Terrific Defense, Marty being Marty, Scott Stevens busting heads, and the Devils winning Games and CUPS?


I guess I"m one of the "delusional ones" then.

WINNING...IS.....FUN....AND..EXCITING.

Besides....the people whining and complaining about the Trap were fans of the teams that COULDN'T win with it while the Devils did.

It was nothing but pure jealousy because they wished their teams could've utilized the trap back then in '95 as well as NJ did.


Oh and the Trap was no longer used by the time the Devils won their 2nd Cup.

And they scored a lot of goals, too.

FUN....AND....EXCITING.

while i'm sure the minority on this board with that thinking i will take solace in knowing that i am definitely not the only one that thinks differently off here.

winning is absolutely fun but it doesnt mean its exciting. the two aren't intertwined. if i'm playing the game and winning them 2-1 sure i will think its fun and exciting. if i'm a fan paying? thats a different story. but hey its all good we are allowed to have different opinions

 

[devilsblood]

"Devils not exciting" man it is like you've never watched the Devils of that Era. Love that the trap being bad and not exciting propaganda worked on people.. Smh

When it was just us I don't think it was an issue. Especially when we were playing uptempo teams like the Rag's in 94, or the Red Wings in 95, that was some great hockey. But when more and more teams started to do it, and you had trap team vs trap team, it def became an issue.

And Niedermayer always bristled under the constraints of our style. The accepted line has been that he wanted to go play with his brother, but I think he wanted to go play a more attacking style of hockey.

 

[JrFischer54]

"Devils not exciting" man it is like you've never watched the Devils of that Era. Love that the trap being bad and not exciting propaganda worked on people.. Smh

i see the propaganda has worked quite well with most on here too. guess i'm just different and can take off my devils glasses every now and then. you should try it too.


psssssssssssssssssst everything the devils do isn't always great perfect

 

[JrFischer54]

When it was just us I don't think it was an issue. Especially when we were playing uptempo teams like the Rag's in 94, or the Red Wings in 95, that was some great hockey. But when more and more teams started to do it, and you had trap team vs trap team, it def became an issue.

And Niedermayer always bristled under the constraints of our style. The accepted line has been that he wanted to go play with his brother, but I think he wanted to go play a more attacking style of hockey.

STOP RIGHT NOW! the devils played super exciting hockey always! how dare you even remotely mention nieds leaving for anything other then his brother!

 

[MadDevil]

STOP RIGHT NOW! the devils played super exciting hockey always! how dare you even remotely mention nieds leaving for anything other then his brother!

Honest question, do you purposely not capitalize anything in your normal posts so when you go ALL CAPS it emphasizes your point more?

 

[devilsblood]

while i'm sure the minority on this board with that thinking i will take solace in knowing that i am definitely not the only one that thinks differently off here.

winning is absolutely fun but it doesnt mean its exciting. the two aren't intertwined. if i'm playing the game and winning them 2-1 sure i will think its fun and exciting. if i'm a fan paying? thats a different story. but hey its all good we are allowed to have different opinions

There is also the point that only 1 team can win. So yeah we may have loved it when we won in 2003, but 30 other fan bases were both disappointed and uninspired.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

I never understood the mantra that you need high scoring games to be exciting in hockey

in fact, I think the opposite is true