Around the NHL 2024 - Offseason Moves

[herzausstein]

I feel like a lot of teams saw what Vegas did with Hill and convinced themselves their questionable goaltending situation will work out too are going to be sorely disappointed this season. Granted getting good goaltending is easier said than done but still.

If Edmonton or Ottawa convinced themselves that their defense was anywhere near on par with Vegas that they could pull off a Hill then theyre in for a long year. LAK is closer but Talbot is 36 and been declining for a couple seasons so that was a silly bet.

 

[Predsanddead24]

If Edmonton or Ottawa convinced themselves that their defense was anywhere near on par with Vegas that they could pull off a Hill then theyre in for a long year. LAK is closer but Talbot is 36 and been declining for a couple seasons so that was a silly bet.

That and I'm also somewhat convinced that Hill is actually just a good goalie that got overlooked due to being on crappy teams.

 

[Armourboy]

At least two NHL players have retained their jobs after yelling gay slurs in recent history and they likely only got in trouble because it got picked up on a hot mic. Granted there haven't been issues with NHLers using gay slurs in the last several years (at least in a way accessible to the public) and from the sounds of it is fortunately becoming less common among the younger generations. You can listen to interviews with Prokop and it does still happen in junior hockey though. I think you're pretty unlikely to hear someone use a gay slur to someone they know is gay nowadays but using the language as a casual insult is still pretty common from my experience in adult rec leagues.


I don't think anyone would disagree that actions beyond Pride nights are more impactful and we do fortunately have two of the biggest advocates for LGBT players in hockey in our system right now (Prokop and Barrie). Symbolic gestures aren't going to fix the problem and I actually have no problem with the NHL not forcing players to wear something that goes against their beliefs. The problem I have with the tape thing is now it is the NHL going the other direction and saying you don't get to show your beliefs even if you want to. Given their policy last season saying players should be able to make a personal choice it definitely seems like backsliding at least in this one small area.

I hear gay slurs all the time, in fact they are slung around like it's nothing in our discord channel. That said it was started by two gay men who are family.

 

[Predsanddead24]

I hear gay slurs all the time, in fact they are slung around like it's nothing in our discord channel. That said it was started by two gay men who are family.

I mean yeah context is important. I similarly have gay friends who will make or laugh at gay jokes at their own expense but they also aren't keen on strangers using slurs against them or as a general insult. Reminds me of this scene from Louie:

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

I mean yeah context is important. I similarly have gay friends who will make or laugh at gay jokes at their own expense but they also aren't keen on strangers using slurs against them or as a general insult. Reminds me of this scene from Louie:

And it's a lot different when you are talking about adults who are confident and comfortable in their skin, compared to teenagers who are maybe coming from backgrounds where they haven't learned the same lessons yet and could be coming from a background where acceptance wasn't normalized.

 

[Kat Predator]

I don't know how these types of analogies really help, though? I think each situation warrants consideration on its own specific merits. So if I answer your analogous questions, then I'm just answering that specific case, without bearing on another specific case. And now we're talking about tape on hockey sticks, not jerseys. Some players do have sponsorship contracts with certain hockey equipment companies or athletic attire, and you can see those corporate logos on display both in games and in warmups. Goalies have all kinds of personal things on their masks. You can draw some lines that allow expression and choice without going to extreme analogies.

The point of the analogies was to remove the "pride" part from the equation. Give the same equation, but change the point of "conscientious objection". If you think A+B=C is justified but A+B=D is not justified, well, your arguments may not be very sound.

My next door neighbor at one point in my life was a drafted veteran. He was also a pacifist and a conscientious objector to the war in Viet Nam. His religious convictions meant he refused to shoot people, but he still had to serve and wear the uniform. They didn't stop the war because it made him uncomfortable after all. So there were limits to what religious viewpoints meant. Obviously, that's a different context as well, and no one is saying otherwise.

 

[101st_fan]

The specialty jerseys of all types went away as of last season. The only change is the announcement that pride tape is also out. The reality is only one or two players used that tape regularly throughout the season. So there was a handful that voluntarily opted out of wearing warmup jerseys on a designated night ... a smaller group that showed the rainbow throughout the season ... then the 99% that put on whatever hung in their locker for a specialty night and moved on once the game was over.

 

[ShagDaddy]

We don’t have an “around the AHL” sub so I’ll just drop this sweet little heavy weight tilt in here. These fellas are chuckin em.

 

[101st_fan]

OK ... who had the Yotes winning at NJ?

 

[Soundgarden]

OK ... who had the Yotes winning at NJ?

Cooley got two points in his debut, nice to see.

 

[Gnashville]

We don’t have an “around the AHL” sub so I’ll just drop this sweet little heavy weight tilt in here. These fellas are chuckin em.

I have never understood throwing bare knuckles into someone’s helmet.

 

[Bringer of Jollity]

Blackhawks already looking like strong early favorites for whoever the hell is the next greatest thing since sliced bread at the top of next year's draft.

 

[herzausstein]

Blackhawks already looking like strong early favorites for whoever the hell is the next greatest thing since sliced bread at the top of next year's draft.

Celebrini - another center giving them a 1/2 punch
Or there are a pair of wingers up there as well

 

[101st_fan]

Blackhawks already looking like strong early favorites for whoever the hell is the next greatest thing since sliced bread at the top of next year's draft.

Don't leave out the currently winless Kraken or one win Preds.

 

[BigFatCat999]

Celebrini - another center giving them a 1/2 punch
Or there are a pair of wingers up there as well

Let's look at their first suck job: Kane and Towes. They believe they have the Towes now they want a Kane. A center and a wing.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

Did I read that Berard's debut game vs. Crosby was the most-watched NHL regular season game ever? (including Winter Classics)... well, I guess the NHL did indeed do the lottery correctly...

 

[Armourboy]

As I've said in the past, no matter what evidence someone might have, no one will ever convince me that lottery draft wasn't rigged.

You have teams out there that have never had a #1 pick or very few in their history, but Chicago's first year tanking and the jump spots and just happen to land the best young player to come out in several years? Oh yeah thats total coincidence.

 

[Scoresberg]

Come on, everyone and their grandma know the lottery was rigged.

 

[Viqsi]

As I've said in the past, no matter what evidence someone might have, no one will ever convince me that lottery draft wasn't rigged.

You have teams out there that have never had a #1 pick or very few in their history, but Chicago's first year tanking and the jump spots and just happen to land the best young player to come out in several years? Oh yeah thats total coincidence.

By the same token that has me convinced it wasn't rigged - and I cheer for one of the teams that arguably got screwed over by it. It's too obvious.

That and I saw Portzline's article on the process unfolding which gives a very detailed play-by-play:

Inside the moment the Chicago Blackhawks won the NHL Draft Lottery — before a TV miscue

The Athletic was inside the room when the four ping-pong balls got drawn. Here's how the night went.

theathletic.com

The process is overseen by Ernst & Young, one of the Big Four - the NHL is present but doesn't run it. E&Y also has a strong interest in not stacking things per their clients' demands; the NHL is not large enough of a client for them to take the risks involved. (For those who don't pay attention to accounting firm drama, the last time a firm of ostensibly sufficient size did try to pull that with even larger clients, folks talked about a "Big Five" instead of Big Four, the firm was Arthur Andersen, and the clients were Enron and WorldCom. We all know how that story ended.)

EDIT: To sum up, as I kept saying that evening - it wasn't rigged, they did get it, and it f***ing sucks and they should never have had that pick to begin with.

 

[Armourboy]

By the same token that has me convinced it wasn't rigged - and I cheer for one of the teams that arguably got screwed over by it. It's too obvious.

That and I saw Portzline's article on the process unfolding which gives a very detailed play-by-play:

Inside the moment the Chicago Blackhawks won the NHL Draft Lottery — before a TV miscue

The Athletic was inside the room when the four ping-pong balls got drawn. Here's how the night went.

theathletic.com

The process is overseen by Ernst & Young, one of the Big Four - the NHL is present but doesn't run it. E&Y also has a strong interest in not stacking things per their clients' demands; the NHL is not large enough of a client for them to take the risks involved. (For those who don't pay attention to accounting firm drama, the last time a firm of ostensibly sufficient size did try to pull that with even larger clients, folks talked about a "Big Five" instead of Big Four, the firm was Arthur Andersen, and the clients were Enron and WorldCom. We all know how that story ended.)

EDIT: To sum up, as I kept saying that evening - it wasn't rigged, they did get it, and it f***ing sucks and they should never have had that pick to begin with.

Yeah like I said, create whatever you want to feel better about it but I said an entire year before Chicago would get that pick and they did. Everyone knew Chicago was getting that pick and absolutely no one was shocked by the outcome.

 

[Viqsi]

Yeah like I said, create whatever you want to feel better about it but I said an entire year before Chicago would get that pick and they did. Everyone knew Chicago was getting that pick and absolutely no one was shocked by the outcome.

Just because it was predictable and convenient doesn't mean it was dictated.

Seriously, read the article.

 

[Armourboy]

Just because it was predictable and convenient doesn't mean it was dictated.

Seriously, read the article.

I don't need to read propaganda to cover up something being rigged by the NHL.

 

[Viqsi]

I don't need to read propaganda to cover up something being rigged by the NHL.

Usually when someone's trying to be intellectually honest they at least try to gather information rather than dismissing it out of hand. That's a bullshit counterpoint and you should be ashamed.

 

[sparkle twin]

it f***ing sucks and they should never have had that pick to begin with.

This is the part right here that pisses me off the most. They basically got rewarded for covering up sexual abuse. The Coyotes lost a first round pick for fitness testing of prospects. They thought they were within the rules and didn't belive they did anything wrong. Chicago knowingly and actively covered up SA and their inaction led to more SA at a high school. That organization basically got a slap on the wrist with a pinky promise to not do that again.

They should have lost this year's first round pick (they had already traded their 2021 1st rd pick) and probably a few more. It was a disgusting cover-up, Beach and the other victim(s) were sacrificed for a chance at glory.

 

[Bringer of Jollity]

This is the part right here that pisses me off the most. They basically got rewarded for covering up sexual abuse. The Coyotes lost a first round pick for fitness testing of prospects. They thought they were within the rules and didn't belive they did anything wrong. Chicago knowingly and actively covered up SA and their inaction led to more SA at a high school. That organization basically got a slap on the wrist with a pinky promise to not do that again.

They should have lost this year's first round pick (they had already traded their 2021 1st rd pick) and probably a few more. It was a disgusting cover-up, Beach and the other victim(s) were sacrificed for a chance at glory.

BuT tHE PeOPle tHAt dID iT weRe aLL G0ne and THe owNErs wEre fINEd. PuNiSHing thE hoCKeY tEam foR ofF-iCE iSsUEs isN't fair.

The whole freaking organization ignored a heinous and serious off-ice issue so it would not disrupt their on-ice performance at the time. The roster should absolutely have been punished and had to forfeit a 1st (and likely more) at some point as a stern message that no team should be putting the on-ice product above human issues within the org.