Around the League 46: Sharks Finally Yank A Win Out Of Their Cloaca

[chaz4hockey]

Gibson tonight in Philly so we probably see Dostal.....Anaheim GM probably didn't want to give us a good look at Gibson.

 

[HisIceness]

It would seem Cutter Gauthier isn't a popular man amongst the Philadelphia populace

 

[Blueline Bomber]

Working the MTL game tonight. Hudson actually looks like the real deal. I just assumed it was another overhyped prospect because Canadian team, but he's extremely slippery for a defenseman.

 

[hblueridgegal]

That’s what the commercials say anyway

Nicely done!

 

[hblueridgegal]

High scoring AND close games is the ideal for the NHL, and harder to accomplish than it sounds. Generally, higher scoring usually results from a bigger spread between the contenders and the cellar dwellers (who get beaten up on, which leads to higher scoring) and in turn means a lot of garbage time stats from meaningless goals. The 1940s and 1980s involved a lot of 8-4 type games.

I’m not sure there has been a period in the league where scoring went way up but the results stayed tight. This is golden-era stuff.

All true but their misfire appears to be choosing the best teams to showcase. Their reliance on Chicago has really tanked the broadcast numbers. Looks like they went in a bit too much on Bedard at this juncture.

 

[tarheelhockey]

All true but their misfire appears to be choosing the best teams to showcase. Their reliance on Chicago has really tanked the broadcast numbers. Looks like they went in a bit too much on Bedard at this juncture.

Chicago being bad is a disaster for the league from a national ratings standpoint. They’re the only central time zone team that really genuinely has clout in the mainstream, so they’re the backbone of national broadcast schedules. I’m sure the league is trying to platform Bedard to become a household name leading a Cup contender a few years from now — but they damned sure better hope that actually happens, otherwise they’ll have tanked a bunch of broadcasts like the WC for nothing.

It’s really a problem tracing back decades from the way they fed expansion teams to the wolves and waited until the 90s to even dip their toes into the Sunbelt. The Minnesota North Stars should be a 60 year old legacy-heavy franchise, like the Minnesota Vikings. Dallas’ hockey team should carry the same kind of clout as the Mavericks or Rangers. The Atlanta Flames should have a national brand from decades as part of the Turner broadcast empire, like the Braves. Instead the Wild are a crap brand and Dallas is a mid hockey market even when things are going well, and I won’t even comment on how badly Atlanta has been botched. What does the NHL get out of that exchange? Five 1970s Cups for Montreal and teams in Calgary and Buffalo.

For a long time it’s been a league run by men who weren’t quite rich enough, and not quite smart enough. Even today we see the same thought process repeating itself.

 

[Blueline Bomber]

In a season with questionable goaltending around the league, Connor Hellebuyck is just running away with the Vezina. His 6th shutout tonight, giving him as many shutouts as he has losses on the year.

And honestly, he might need to start being in Hart conversation.