Around the NHL - (2024-25)

I think they should have picked Demidov and think we’ll really regret it at some point (hope I’m wrong). I’m not low on Sennecke but it’s hard for me to imagine him being better than Demidov (who I think is the next Kaprizov)

On the other hand, I thought they should have picked Fantili, but DON’T think we’ll regret that one at all. I think Leo has a solid chance of being the better player
 
I think I may just be rooting for LA to beat Edmonton this time around tbh. The Nurse on Byfield stuff is where even a homer fanbase should cop to their player crossing the line and deserves at least a one game suspension, instead they're out in droves trying to defend an indefensible act.

I hate both teams but this has me wanting one fanbase to experience loss as quickly as possible.
 
I think I may just be rooting for LA to beat Edmonton this time around tbh. The Nurse on Byfield stuff is where even a homer fanbase should cop to their player crossing the line and deserves at least a one game suspension, instead they're out in droves trying to defend an indefensible act.

I hate both teams but this has me wanting one fanbase to experience loss as quickly as possible.
Not me, one fluke Cup win for them is enough. Last thing I want is for them to get momentum. anyway, Pears. Couldn't possibly care less about Byfield.
 
to each their own, but I’m just not sure how anyone could be a Ducks fan and root for the kings in a playoff series under any circumstance

It’s a literal impossibility for me
Well I've come to hate the Oilers a lot but seeing their fans act this way was quite annoying. I'm not rooting for either to win as much as I'm rooting for one side to lose first. Like they beat Edmonton and then get swept, that's fine with me. I'm also fine if Edmonton beats them. I just want them to lose quickly.

I mean Burrito's point is valid, I wouldn't want LA to gain momentum and go on a deep run and they already have a ton of momentum.

Either way, LA is trending in the right direction and the Oilers look rough. Probably going to be a Kings win regardless.
 
Not me, one fluke Cup win for them is enough. Last thing I want is for them to get momentum. anyway, Pears. Couldn't possibly care less about Byfield.
Less about caring about Byfield and more about a fanbase that bitches non stop about the refs every f***ing game (because they root for a powerplay merchant team and they believe they're entitled to a powerplay for every guy on their team that gets shoved) turning around and defending Nurse for an easily suspendable scumbag move is really distasteful.

I have no interest in seeing the Kings be successful, but I want both of these teams to be swept out of the first round. That can't happen so, my admittedly emotional reaction to Oilers fans defending Nurse is to want to see them lose more.

But its a fair point that the last thing we need is LA getting more momentum.
 
to each their own, but I’m just not sure how anyone could be a Ducks fan and root for the kings in a playoff series under any circumstance

It’s a literal impossibility for me

This exactly. If there were a way, short of a tragic accident, that the Kings could lose the series in LESS than four games, I'd be rooting for that. Some sort of scandal where they forfeit would be great. Even better if they have to fold the team entirely.
 
to each their own, but I’m just not sure how anyone could be a Ducks fan and root for the kings in a playoff series under any circumstance

Some old timers like me grew up following the Kings, and that was our first taste of hockey fandom. But it was always a lukewarm thing, because they were so weirdly and ineptly run. Even with the Gretz trade, sure it was good ... but also you were expected to now root for a bunch of hated ex-Oilers? And they kept bringing in more? Awkward as hell. And the ineptitude didn't really stop, they never really built the right kind of team back then, and kind of squandered the Gretz years.

The Ducks were the first time I had a chance to root for a team from day one. Literally from that first night with Wild Wing catching fire and the Red Wings obliterating the team on the ice. It's different than following a team who had decades of history from before I was even born, I suffered through EVERYTHING with this team. Made '03 and '07 truly wonderful experiences.

But it also does mean I don't really HATE the Kings either. I just don't root for them.

And the older I get, the less I care about rooting against anyone really. Once my teams are eliminated, I just want good games/series. In my ideal world, we get 15 game 7 OTs this year. At this point the only team I want to see utterly fail is the Hawks, and only until all those involved in the abuse scandal are dead and gone.
 
Some old timers like me grew up following the Kings, and that was our first taste of hockey fandom. But it was always a lukewarm thing, because they were so weirdly and ineptly run. Even with the Gretz trade, sure it was good ... but also you were expected to now root for a bunch of hated ex-Oilers? And they kept bringing in more? Awkward as hell. And the ineptitude didn't really stop, they never really built the right kind of team back then, and kind of squandered the Gretz years.

The Ducks were the first time I had a chance to root for a team from day one. Literally from that first night with Wild Wing catching fire and the Red Wings obliterating the team on the ice. It's different than following a team who had decades of history from before I was even born, I suffered through EVERYTHING with this team. Made '03 and '07 truly wonderful experiences.

But it also does mean I don't really HATE the Kings either. I just don't root for them.

And the older I get, the less I care about rooting against anyone really. Once my teams are eliminated, I just want good games/series. In my ideal world, we get 15 game 7 OTs this year. At this point the only team I want to see utterly fail is the Hawks, and only until all those involved in the abuse scandal are dead and gone.

I get where you're coming from. The difference for me is that my hockey fandom began that night Sean Hill scored the first goal in Ducks history in a 7-2 loss to the Red Wings. So the Ducks are all I've ever known and loved in the hockey world, and the Kings are our hated, condescending, entitled, cross-town rivals. I appreciate that they paved the way for the Ducks to exist while I wish they'd just go away now.

I have a similar story to you for baseball. My Dad was a Dodgers fan growing up, so that's who I watched as a kid before we moved to Anaheim and started going to Angel games. Our family quickly converted to Angels fans and that's whom I've loved ever since (until Arte drove me away from baseball entirely). But while most of my fellow Angel fans hate the Dodgers and their fans (and I understand why), I still have a nostalgic soft spot for them.
 
I get where you're coming from. The difference for me is that my hockey fandom began that night Sean Hill scored the first goal in Ducks history in a 7-2 loss to the Red Wings. So the Ducks are all I've ever known and loved in the hockey world, and the Kings are our hated, condescending, entitled, cross-town rivals.

Funny thing is, coming from that side I find it weird that they have any feelings of superiority. There's really nothing to feel superior about ...for a long time the *KINGS* were the league's novelty team. Probably the most un-cool team in the league to admit you followed in the 80s, frankly, outside of maybe the Rockies/Devils. They had to copy more successful local teams' colors, and they couldn't even get past the 2nd round like, ever.
 
Funny thing is, coming from that side I find it weird that they have any feelings of superiority. There's really nothing to feel superior about ...for a long time the *KINGS* were the league's novelty team. Probably the most un-cool team in the league to admit you followed in the 80s, frankly, outside of maybe the Rockies/Devils. They had to copy more successful local teams' colors, and they couldn't even get past the 2nd round like, ever.

I think a good chunk of it is the Los Angeles - Orange County cultural dynamic. LA is the gritty, real, historical, nationally/internationally relevant big brother vs. Orange County as the soft, pampered, boring, milquetoast little brother. As an Orange County guy, born and raised, I don't enjoy that characterization, but I get where it's coming from. It's pretty silly, however, that those generalizations are adopted by the fans of the respective cities' sports teams.
 
Is that really only the third division title for the Leafs since the league expanded past 6 teams? What a franchise.

EDIT: and one of them was the Canadian division during the COVID year.
 
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Ask yourself this question. Do you honestly think Fantilli would produce like he is now under Greg Cronin?

To put things in better perspective here, Fantilli is 5th in points on his team, with a full season played. Leo is now 3rd in points, tied for 3rd in goals with the Ducks, while missing a half a dozen games. and not finishing two others, and with less ice time.

Leo has had Killorn all season on his RW. Fantilli had Marchenko. It's not a fair comparison. Columbus scored 45 more goals than the Ducks this season. Their Top guy has 80 points and have two guys at PPG averages. Ducks top guy has 54 points and Leo has rarely played with him,

Don't make me do the mic drop again, lol.
 
Ask yourself this question. Do you honestly think Fantilli would produce like he is now under Greg Cronin?

To put things in better perspective here, Fantilli is 5th in points on his team, with a full season played. Leo is now 3rd in points, tied for 3rd in goals with the Ducks, while missing a half a dozen games. and not finishing two others, and with less ice time.

Leo has had Killorn all season on his RW. Fantilli had Marchenko. It's not a fair comparison. Columbus scored 45 more goals than the Ducks this season. Their Top guy has 80 points and have two guys at PPG averages. Ducks top guy has 54 points and Leo has rarely played with him,

Don't make me do the mic drop again, lol.
Not to mention the difference between their ppg percentage is a whopping, 0.05.
 

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