Hockey

[imported_The Vibesman]

I went back about 7 pages and didn't find the old hockey thread so I'm just starting a new one.

Just wondering what everyone thinks of their teams and of the game in general so far.

The Bruins have gotten off to a pretty bad start, putting my dreams of another division win in jeopardy. We only last night collected our first win against a division opponent with Hannu Toivenen's fantastic game against Belfour and the Leafs. It looked to be a solid all-around effort by the Bruins, which is a rare occurence for them. So far, they are a team that plays very well for spurts but also finds themselves outplayed for whole periods at a time, and they have been easily outskated by quick teams like Montreal and Ottawa. Many of these problems are magnified by the fact that its early in the season, and that our losses are coming against the division opponents, but the fact is this is a team that is finding ways to lose hockey games that they are often in a good position to win.

Health hasn't really been great for the B's but that's no excuse, naturally. Right now we are still without #2 center Alex Zhamnov, and our goaltender Raycroft has just gone down w/ a bad hammy. Luckily Hannu Toivenen is a more-than-capable goaltender; I had the chance to watch him last year in a few games for Providence, he's very impressive. I was also impressed last year with Brad Boyes in Providence, and his skill is translating nicely to the NHL. I watched a lot of Kevin Dallman last year, and I'm actually surprised by how well he's doing, not that he was bad in Prov, he just didn't stand out. I actually expected Jurcina to break through before Dallman or Alberts, but both of those players have been very good.

In general, the game has been enjoyable. There is definitely more of an emphasis on transition this year, which makes games more fast-paced and fun to watch. The constant calls for obstruction can slow the game down somewhat, but it appears to be a good thing so far in a lot of ways, allowing the fast players to skate unimpeded. Hopefully the players can get used to the style they have to play and the calls will slow down.

I think that if the defense isn't allowed to clear opposing forwards out of the crease, opposing forwards shouldn't be allowed in the crease without the puck. I see too much crowding of goaltenders and nothing the defense can do about it. The goalie's job is of course altogether harder this year.

I still hate the shootout. Dumbest idea I ever heard, dumbest thing I've ever seen.

How bout the other four hockey fans on here, what do you guys think?