What are you thankful about in today's NHL?

[SnowblindNYR]

We're firmly in between Canadian and American Thanksgiving and I didn't want to wait 3 weeks to post this.

I've lately been annoyed at the Rangers and my other sports team are the New York Giants, no comment on them. So I want to focus on positivity.

1) I'm thankful that league scoring is back to where it was in the first half of the 90s, just about. We now get scoring but it's not so absurdly high with goalies that don't seem to know how to play the position as it was in the 80s.

2) I'm thankful that we're in a league where skill is no longer considered a dirty word. There was a line that the Rangers used to have that was pretty good in the early 2000s and would be probably one of the better second lines in the game in today's NHL. It was Hlvac-Nedved-Dvorak, the Czech mates. I remember how much anger and resentment Rangers fans had and the most dirty possible word that they used for that team was the "f word"...finesse. Legit it was used as a slur.

3) I'm thankful that you don't need to be 6'4 220 LBs anymore to succeed. I'm glad there's more variety in the sport and little skilled guys can still succeed. And while you don't have to be 6'4 220 LBs to succeed you can STILL succeed. You just have to be actually good. You can't ONLY be 6'4 220 LBs and expect that to allow you to succeed in the league.

4) I'm thankful that even though skill is not looked down upon teams CAN still win with toughness. There was a 2 year gap between the Colorado Avalenche winning and the Florida Panthers. To be fair the Red Wings and Avs of the 90s were uber skilled too.

5) I'm thankful that attitudes towards toughness are changing. This is related to #3. It's not longer enough to just be tough and people are looking intellectually at the game nowadays. A guy being stuck in his own zone blocking a lot of shots and hitting is probably not a good defenseman if that's all he does.

6) I'm thankful for analytics and hockey nerds like @Machinehead, sometimes it can be upsetting when you thought you played well but analytically you didn't. But all in all it gave us a much better understanding of the game than just using the eye test.

7) I'm thankful that staged fighting is almost non-existent and the only time you usually see fights with a few exceptions is when players have a legit reason to fight (defend their teammates). And I'm thankfully teams value depth enough that most teams won't waste a roster spot on a goon. For example, Matt Rempe got a few games but has been mostly out of the lineup for the Rangers, because we have better players that play hockey better in that spot.

What are some of your reasons to be thankful about the NHL?

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[Machinehead]

I'm thankful for HF. I don't think I would do this sport anymore without a place to laugh at it.

 

[SnowblindNYR]

I bet if this thread was about things you hate about the NHL it would have 20 replies by now.

 

[NVious]

Lane Hutson

 

[Machinehead]

I bet if this thread was about things you hate about the NHL it would have 20 replies by now.

I could do 74 by myself

 

[Gjman2019]

I enjoy the metrics, and i like the playoff format more than a lot of other people do......

 

[Profet]

I'm thankful that Lou Lamoriello still has a job.

- Rangers Fan

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

I’m thankful most teams have returned to their classic looks full time. We were in the wilderness for about 20 years there

 

[KeydGV21]

I bet if this thread was about things you hate about the NHL it would have 20 replies by now.

The only thing I’m thankful for is I don’t think the NHL can get much worse and has most likely bottomed out…so this checks out

 

[Hunter368]

I'm thankful for:

1) My team being 11-1, especially after people writing them off during the summer & a super quite FA season

2) The cap, certain teams already have big advantages regarding weather, taxes, big market curb appeal, etc at least we have a cap in place to try to keep equity, balance things at least a bit. It could be better but no cap would be brutal.

 

[Patrik26]

The only thing I’m thankful for is I don’t think the NHL can get much worse and has most likely bottomed out…so this checks out

Nope. More teams to be added. Stay tuned. Updates at 11.

 

[Rodgerwilco]

I'm thankful for:

1) Sidney Crosby. Having watched the consistency on and off the ice throughout his career has just been incredible as a Penguins fan. He's been the heart of this franchise ever since he was drafted and has never wavered.

2) The fact that goons are mostly extinct from the league. Still a few left in the league, which makes them stick out a bit more, but hopefully before long they'll be gone.

 

[Bjornar Moxnes]

I'm thankful that @EdJovanovski is still alive.

 

[SnowblindNYR]

I'm thankful for:

1) My team being 11-1, especially after people writing them off during the summer & a super quite FA season

2) The cap, certain teams already have big advantages regarding weather, taxes, big market curb appeal, etc at least we have a cap in place to try to keep equity, balance things at least a bit. It could be better but no cap would be brutal.

I think it's kind of funny to be thankful about being 11-1 AND equity.

 

[Hunter368]

I think it's kind of funny to be thankful about being 11-1 AND equity.

All teams have the ability to do it with a cap system, albeit some are still at a disadvantage due to big market curb appeal, taxes, weather, etc.

 

[Frosted Tips]

This season, too, shall pass.

 

[JoVel]

I'm thankful that most NHL players play in the NHL because they are good at playing hockey.

 

[BlueSeal]

The Blues hoisting the Cup. That's it.

 

[EdJovanovski]

I'm thankful for Matt Rempe

 

[kingsholygrail]

I'm thankful that the Kings may be bad enough this year to get rid of Rob Blake and Luc Robitaille.

 

[Prettyisland]

the accessibility of actual game content. Highlights and what have you. You have to actually try to miss a great highlight

 

[Coffee]

Rangers boards yearly “angriest poster” polls

The speed and skill of the NHL right now


The 4K streams

 

[Machinehead]

@SnowblindNYR should I do 74 things I hate about this league?

I think it would be funny

 

[SnowblindNYR]

@SnowblindNYR should I do 74 things I hate about this league?

I think it would be funny

You know people think I'm negative. But outside of a few less f***s and ers in your posts, you're every bit if not more negative than me.

Rangers boards yearly “angriest poster” polls

The speed and skill of the NHL right now


The 4K streams

I win it every year though, not much of a competition. I'm the late 70s Habs of that poll.

 

[Machinehead]

You know people think I'm negative. But outside of a few less f***s and ers in your posts, you're every bit if not more negative than me.

You're more of a naysayer while I'm more of a curmudgeon.