Around the League Thread | Conference Final Edition | We Are All Kevin Bieksa

[Numba9]

I honestly don't feel too much about it. Being healthy is something every team battles through. The successful teams workaround it, and the ones that aren't don't.

Vancouver didn't let excuses (like Demko) stop them against Nashville, but they simply weren't good enough to beat Edmonton. Drai's back was busted up, but he still made a difference. If certain players are hurt, others need to step up. If they can't, then that's a problem with the team's depth.

Boeser going down was one of the worst things that could have happened, especially before a game 7. People think, it's just one player, but it destroyed the Canucks best line and Tocchet had to put the lines in a blender and hope players have chemistry right away.. The Canucks were cooked, the players knew it and it felt like they basically mailed it in.

 

[HockeyWooot]

Florida plays a similar style to Vancouver. They just have way better personnel and it’s a style Mcdavid struggles with. I think the panthers are about overwhelm them in the finals

Comparable though more physical, experienced than our current group.

 

[JT Milker]

All this canucks could've, should've, would've when we didn't, and I getcha but look at the positives:

Corey perry's 4th final defeat in 5 years is possible to witness in real time in Oilers jersey

Better lock up the Oilers’ female employees.

(If they have any, the prairies probably still view women as property.)

 

[Mr. Canucklehead]

Better lock up the Oilers’ female employees.

(If they have any, the prairies probably still view women as property.)

I wish I could say it amazes me that everyone and their dog has brushed past….whatever it was that happened with Perry at the start of the year. If it was the official story that he committed some sort of inappropriate sexual misconduct with an employee, the fact that he’s still playing and being celebrated for being in the Final again is abhorrent - but given the league’s history in ignoring sexual transgressions, again, not surprising.

 

[SeawaterOnIce]

Boeser going down was one of the worst things that could have happened, especially before a game 7. People think, it's just one player, but it destroyed the Canucks best line and Tocchet had to put the lines in a blender and hope players have chemistry right away.. The Canucks were cooked, the players knew it and it felt like they basically mailed it in.

Put it this way...what happens if Sharp goes down in 2013/2015. Or Dustin Brown in 2012/2014? Or Kessel in 2016/2017?

People who keep saying "injuries are apart of the playoffs" are out to lunch. You are sunk when you lose your top winger.

 

[Mr. Canucklehead]

Put it this way...what happens if Sharp goes down in 2013/2015. Or Dustin Brown in 2012/2014? Or Kessel in 2016/2017?

People who keep saying "injuries are apart of the playoffs" are out to lunch. You are sunk when you lose your top winger.

So much of playoffs is down to luck. Whether it’s injury luck (biggest thing, IMO) or having a player / multiple players play at their career best and going on hot streaks at the right time, and of course, the breaks of officiating and luck of the game itself.

 

[JT Milker]

I wish I could say it amazes me that everyone and their dog has brushed past….whatever it was that happened with Perry at the start of the year. If it was the official story that he committed some sort of inappropriate sexual misconduct with an employee, the fact that he’s still playing and being celebrated for being in the Final again is abhorrent - but given the league’s history in ignoring sexual transgressions, again, not surprising.

It’s maybe the least surprising NHL event ever. And Evander Kane plays on the same team lmao.

 

[Hollywood Burrows]

don't worry guys, the NHL is much less popular than it used to be. If the oilers win it'll be a story for a couple days and everyone will forget and resume watching euro and copa america (the sport people actually care about)

 

[Diamonddog01]

Well this year's finals will be even more overshadowed by the NBA finals and the Luka Doncic show. Regardless I'm hoping the Panthers end this in 5.

 

[Jerry the great]

So much of playoffs is down to luck. Whether it’s injury luck (biggest thing, IMO) or having a player / multiple players play at their career best and going on hot streaks at the right time, and of course, the breaks of officiating and luck of the game itself.

there sure is a lot of randomness when you get into small sample sizes. injury luck, puck luck, hot streaks, cold streaks, confidence. Like what does Pettersson's playoffs look like if he scores two in the first period of the series opener against Nashville instead if missing two open nets?

 

[SelltheTeamFrancesco]

don't worry guys, the NHL is much less popular than it used to be. If the oilers win it'll be a story for a couple days and everyone will forget and resume watching euro and copa america (the sport people actually care about)

This might one of the dumbest things I have read on a hockey forum. So, if the Canucks win everyone will forget it in a couple of days so what’s the point right. We should all just stop watching the Canucks because who cares. I am pretty sure everyone here cares because it’s a damn hockey forum.

 

[StreetHawk]

Well this year's finals will be even more overshadowed by the NBA finals and the Luka Doncic show. Regardless I'm hoping the Panthers end this in 5.

NBA got their ideal matchup with Markets in Boston and Dallas. To end up like the NHL finals, NBA would have to have gotten Indiana and Minnesota in the finals. NHL ended up with Edmonton and Florida instead of New York and Dallas.

Should see how much impact McDavid has on ratings. Florida returns, so we know what they did last year vs Vegas in the finals.

 

[Pure West]

NBA got their ideal matchup with Markets in Boston and Dallas. To end up like the NHL finals, NBA would have to have gotten Indiana and Minnesota in the finals. NHL ended up with Edmonton and Florida instead of New York and Dallas.

Should see how much impact McDavid has on ratings. Florida returns, so we know what they did last year vs Vegas in the finals.

Dallas is not a big market team in the NHL. They will have more eyeballs overall from having McDavid and the Oilers than with the Stars.

 

[Frankie Blueberries]

This might one of the dumbest things I have read on a hockey forum. So, if the Canucks everyone will forget in a couple of days so what’s the point right. We should all just stop watching the Canucks because who cares. I am pretty sure everyone here cares because it’s a damn hockey forum.

So much copium it hurts to read

 

[SeawaterOnIce]

This might one of the dumbest things I have read on a hockey forum. So, if the Canucks everyone will forget in a couple of days so what’s the point right. We should all just stop watching the Canucks because who cares. I am pretty sure everyone here cares because it’s a damn hockey forum.

I don't think he was being entirely serious. Hockey fans will be watching but it's fair to say the NHL is losing a large chunk of the casual fanbases this June to other sports events going on. I don't think ratings will be Anaheim-Ottawa bad, but I think the presence of the NBA finals along with Copa America will hurt ratings in the US.

Truth is an Edmonton's Cup win will make headlines in Canada for months (even years) to come. Other teams will be marketing the hell out of the Oilers matches next year.

If Florida wins...meh, let's be honest...not many people will really care.

 

[Bubbles]

don't worry guys, the NHL is much less popular than it used to be. If the oilers win it'll be a story for a couple days and everyone will forget and resume watching euro and copa america (the sport people actually care about)

I'm actually going to full Euros mode for the next few weeks. I've been mostly following Canucks and junior hockey closely, so it'll be a nice change.

I don't think he was being entirely serious. Hockey fans will be watching but it's fair to say the NHL is losing a large chunk of the casual fanbases this June to other sports events going on. I don't think ratings will be Anaheim-Ottawa bad, but I think the presence of the NBA finals along with Copa America will hurt ratings in the US.

Truth is an Edmonton's Cup win will make headlines in Canada for months (even years) to come. Other teams will be marketing the hell out of the Oilers matches next year.

If Florida wins...meh, let's be honest...not many people will really care.

A few years back I think they were doing an interview outside Tampa when the Lightning were on their runs and it was like a ghost town outside the stadium. It's gotten more popular now but I always laughed at that.

 

[racerjoe]

It's up to Florida to save me from an Oiler tattoo!

Have to ask what was the terms... and what do you get if you win the bet?

 

[racerjoe]

People often like to say injuries are just excuses... but they really aren't...

It was why we lost in 2011, and why a healthy Oilers beat a not healthy Vancouver team this season, and I also think why Dallas went out like they did.

The playoffs is so much a war of attrition, and the Oilers are winning that battle right now. Look at their team and its pretty much healthy. You need that to win and they are getting it.

Here is to hoping the Panthers sty healthy.

 

[crazychimp]

I honestly don't feel too much about it. Being healthy is something every team battles through. The successful teams workaround it, and the ones that aren't don't.

Vancouver didn't let excuses (like Demko) stop them against Nashville, but they simply weren't good enough to beat Edmonton. Drai's back was busted up, but he still made a difference. If certain players are hurt, others need to step up. If they can't, then that's a problem with the team's depth.

This is why scoring depth is needed, Petey/Hoglander aren’t getting it done with Boeser out if we had somehow made it to a Dallas series. Also the system Tocchet was playing who knows if that would have worked, it for sure needs tweaking Dallas would have murdered us on shots against.

 

[Nick Lang]

NBA got their ideal matchup with Markets in Boston and Dallas. To end up like the NHL finals, NBA would have to have gotten Indiana and Minnesota in the finals. NHL ended up with Edmonton and Florida instead of New York and Dallas.

Should see how much impact McDavid has on ratings. Florida returns, so we know what they did last year vs Vegas in the finals.

But isn't the NHL fixed? I thought it was supposed to be the Rangers and any non-Canadian team.

People often like to say injuries are just excuses... but they really aren't...

It was why we lost in 2011, and why a healthy Oilers beat a not healthy Vancouver team this season, and I also think why Dallas went out like they did.

The playoffs is so much a war of attrition, and the Oilers are winning that battle right now. Look at their team and its pretty much healthy. You need that to win and they are getting it.

Here is to hoping the Panthers sty healthy.

Yeah I think you can call them what you want. I call them reasons sometimes but it still all amounts to the same thing. The terminology doesn't really matter unless you're in denial. At the end of the day not many care about so called "reasons", although they are cited from time to time in remembering a certain Stanley Cup run.

It really only matters if you win or not. That's what everyone remembers ... unless there was a complete robbery or severe set of circumstances. None of that happened in these NHL playoffs though. The teams that advanced did so because their team persevered over the others.

 

[Grip it N RYP it]

Do we think the former Canuck prospect traded by Dim Benning, matches up with McDavid? Yeah.

I hated that trade when it happened (age gap bollocks) and I can only look back at it with hockey sadness.

Looking forward to the series though and rooting for Luongo here.

 

[Snatcher Demko]

I haven't cheered for the Oilers since 1990. Might cheer for them now. I recall being a big fan of Petr Klima and (sometimes) Esa Tikkanen.

Much as I love to hate those guys having a Canadian fanbase enjoying a finals run is always a beautiful thing to see. Sure I'm bitter over the Canucks loss and McDavid - but being a lifelong Canucks fan, there's plenty of bitterness there already and it's nice to focus on some positives.

 

[StreetHawk]

Do we think the former Canuck prospect traded by Dim Benning, matches up with McDavid? Yeah.

I hated that trade when it happened (age gap bollocks) and I can only look back at it with hockey sadness.

Looking forward to the series though and rooting for Luongo here.

Van, Buf, Cal....

Van - OEL, Forsling, and even Tkachuck
Buf - Reinhart and Montour. 6 years with Reinhart and accomplished nothing, thus not willing to sign for term a year out from UFA. Montour, soon to be UFA so moved him.
Cal - Bennett, never lived up to #3OA draft position. Tkachuck, not maxing him when they should have out of ELC and getting now players vs something that was more aligned with their roster.

 

[Baby Pettersson]

Have to ask what was the terms... and what do you get if you win the bet?

Me and my buddy have a bet that if Nucks or Oilers ever win a cup we gotta get the other teams logo on our ass!

 

[CanucksSayEh]

Me and my buddy have a bet that if Nucks or Oilers ever win a cup we gotta get the other teams logo on our ass!

Get it as close to the hole as possible.