League News: NHL Talk - (News n' Scores n' Stuff) | 2024-25 Summer Edition

[Midnight Judges]

You all are waaaaaay too obsessed with the Pens…

The best part of their demise is that they deserve ZERO attention as they decline….

Hey! Being a hater is fun! I'm going to enjoy every moment. haha

 

[Ovechkins Wodka]

Caps vs Penguins and Skins vs Steelers this weekend.

Lets hope we double shit on Pitt

 

[Calicaps]

You all are waaaaaay too obsessed with the Pens…

The best part of their demise is that they deserve ZERO attention as they decline….

I will never not enjoy seeing them lose. But the petty in me is getting a lot more satisfaction watching Nashville's super team crash and burn. I don't really have anything against the Preds. I just was so bothered by the lack of respect the Caps FO got this past offseason and how that juxtaposed with all the ass-kissing for Barry.

 

[Kalopsia]

I will never not enjoy seeing them lose. But the petty in me is getting a lot more satisfaction watching Nashville's super team crash and burn. I don't really have anything against the Preds. I just was so bothered by the lack of respect the Caps FO got this past offseason and how that juxtaposed with all the ass-kissing for Barry.

We kinda called it back in July, didn't we? Is it too soon for a victory lap?

 

[Ridley Simon]

Most (but not all) of my animosity towards them evaporated when we won the Cup. Or maybe I’m just getting older and I don’t have the energy to devote to disliking other teams and priorities in life have shifted.

Mostly I think it’s cool that we had Sid and Ovi for two decades and both teams were apart of the NHL’s resurgence after the lockout season. As a fan of sports in general, I appreciate how rare it is that Sid and Ovi went to rival teams, surpassed the impossible expectations heaped on them, have been the faces of the league since 2005, and are still going strong. They’re like Manning vs Brady.

The league will be worse off when Ovi and Sid are gone, and if the Pens and Caps stink. We need talented teams to keep rivalries intense otherwise you get the watering down of rivalries past like with the Redskins/WFT/Commanders when they sucked for two decades.

I was with you all along — and then I remembered getting skewered by the Pens all throughout the 90’s, and I also remembered how arrogant their fan base has been for 35 some years now …..

And I felt it again. Anger.

“Fak the Pens”.

 

[Midnight Judges]

Indeed, Pens fans and Crosby fans have been running around claiming the Capitals sacrificed everything to get Ovechkin the goals record - as if when Ovechkin scores the team is doing him a favor. Meanwhile their team traded away 8 of its most recent 12 first round draft picks.

So yeah, they can eat the crow with a giant spoon as far as I'm concerned.

 

[AlexModvechkin8]

I was with you all along — and then I remembered getting skewered by the Pens all throughout the 90’s, and I also remembered how arrogant their fan base has been for 35 some years now …..

And I felt it again. Anger.

“Fak the Pens”.

What if I told you that 19 of the 27 guys on the Caps roster on the team website were born in 1995 or later, including five after 2000? The 90’s feels like five years ago to me but most of these dudes weren’t even born yet.

 

[Devil Dancer]

I plan to say with my dying breath "F the Pens!"

 

[DWGie26]

I do think it is cool how much respect there is between OV and Sid. but tonight when they did the puck drop, they didn’t shake hands, fist bump or anything. They still want to punch each other in the face and I love it!

 

[Calicaps]

What if I told you that 19 of the 27 guys on the Caps roster on the team website were born in 1995 or later, including five after 2000? The 90’s feels like five years ago to me but most of these dudes weren’t even born yet.

You're just a jerk.

 

[Nogatco Rd]

5 years ago this week that Don Cherry was shown the door. Ngl i kinda miss that crazy bastard. not the political/xenophobic rants of course, but outside of that i thought he was entertaining

 

[RedRocking]

Avs did a us a solid, and took out the streaking Canes tonight.

If we’re going to claw into a top 3 spot, I have a feeling it will be NYR who we’ll have a chance to displace. NJD and CAR seem like the class of the division so far. Obviously early, so we’ll see.

 

[zappa4ever]

BOS/OTT return of Ullmark game
BOS 3rd pd = Zero SOG
3-2 OTL

lots of East teams still underperforming
.500 at this point gets you a 4-way tie for WC2 (and WC1 just 1 pt over .500 )

 

[Kalopsia]

Avs did a us a solid, and took out the streaking Canes tonight.

If we’re going to claw into a top 3 spot, I have a feeling it will be NYR who we’ll have a chance to displace. NJD and CAR seem like the class of the division so far. Obviously early, so we’ll see.

You put the Devils ahead of us and the Rangers? They're ahead right now on point but only because of games in hand. I think it's Caps vs Rangers for 2nd in the division. Caps have the better skaters, but the Rangers have Shesterkin.

 

[IafrateOvie34]

I plan to say with my dying breath "F the Pens!"

I feel that way against most of the old Patrick Division teams.

 

[DWGie26]

You put the Devils ahead of us and the Rangers? They're ahead right now on point but only because of games in hand. I think it's Caps vs Rangers for 2nd in the division. Caps have the better skaters, but the Rangers have Shesterkin.

It’s early in season. I think all 4 of those teams (Car, NYR, Caps, Devils) can win the division or be in a wildcard position. There will be hot streaks and cold streaks by all of those teams.

 

[DWGie26]

This popped up today. Funny how all the other “fighters” just stopped and hung on while potvin and Hextal went at it. Pretty epic! I remember when this happened which means i am old and have been watching hockey for a long time!

https://x.com/i/web/status/1855761159845982544

 

[usiel]

This popped up today. Funny how all the other “fighters” just stopped and hung on while potvin and Hextal went at it. Pretty epic! I remember when this happened which means i am old and have been watching hockey for a long time!

https://x.com/i/web/status/1855761159845982544

At the end it looked like two moose with locked horns.

 

[Langway]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1856049254277460004

Damn.

 

[usiel]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1856049254277460004

Damn.

Don't wish that on anyone.

 

[DWGie26]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1856049254277460004

Damn.

Damn. I hate that for Mantha. Professional sports are brutal.

 

[AlexModvechkin8]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1856049254277460004

Damn.

Brutal. Might be the end of the NHL road for him. That sucks.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Brutal. Might be the end of the NHL road for him. That sucks.

Yup…..PTO next year now probably…

 

[RedRocking]

You put the Devils ahead of us and the Rangers? They're ahead right now on point but only because of games in hand. I think it's Caps vs Rangers for 2nd in the division. Caps have the better skaters, but the Rangers have Shesterkin.

Yea, I think adding Markstrom, along with other guys like Pesce helped them a lot. With an improved D (incl. those young guys taking a step), and solid goaltending, they’re gonna be hard to deal with.

I think Keefe was a good hire too. He’s proven he can win in the regular season with a bunch of offensive talent.

A lot of the Rangers top guys are on the wrong side of 30, and they haven’t looked great (outside of Shesterkin). So, after ~ 15 games, they’re my guess as to who might slip.

It’s early, we have to see if our success is sustainable enough to even have a shot outside of the WC.

 

[ClevelandCapsfan]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1856049254277460004

Damn.

Flames forward Anthony Mantha’s season is over after 13 games. The team announced he requires surgery to repair an ACL injury, which he’ll undergo on Thursday.

Mantha sustained the injury nearly a week ago, but the team had been silent about a potential timeline for his return. He suffered the ACL tear, likely a complete tear given the return timeline, after falling on his right knee following a hit from Canadiens forward Emil Heineman last Tuesday. He landed on injured reserve Thursday, at which point Flames head coach Ryan Huska said Mantha was still being evaluated.

It’s devastating for Mantha, a veteran looking to prove that last season’s resurgence was no fluke. Various injuries have plagued Mantha for much of his career, but never costing him as much time as this ACL tear will. After breaking the 20-goal plateau twice in his career early on with the Red Wings, Mantha seemed to rediscover his form last year, potting 20 goals in only 56 games with the Capitals before they were able to get a pair of draft picks from the Golden Knights at the trade deadline for his services. He finished the campaign with three goals and seven assists in 18 games for Vegas before hitting unrestricted free agency, where he landed a one-year, $3.5MM prove-it deal from the Flames.

This year, Mantha had four goals and three assists, although he also recorded a career-low 1.15 shots per game. He averaged 13:54 per game, his lowest as a full-time NHLer, and recorded eight blocks and 16 hits.

Mantha, 30, will now have plenty of time to recover before testing the UFA market again next summer. He’ll be on injured reserve for at least 100 days this season, meaning he’ll be eligible to sign a contract with performance bonuses.