With preseason all done I wanted to start this thread up. Games start Wednesday I believe and it looks to be a pretty interesting season.

The biggest thing to start with would be the 41 game suspension that Raffi Torres just got for his hit during the preseason. It's his 9th time (I believe) getting a fine or suspension for illegal checks. I'm surprised that it wasn't longer. He'll appeal and might get some time taken off but this is starting to get ridiculous. He hasn't changed his style of play at all.

At least with someone like Cooke he "tried" to play better and when he did he produced. He slipped back into old habits but at least he tried. It doesn't look like Torres is even trying. I'm shocked that he hasn't been kicked out of the league. Probably really difficult to do with a players union in place.



Anyway, we don't have to talk only about that. Talk about your favorite team. Post links to awesome plays/saves or trash talk your least favorite team. I'm really hoping to have lots of discussion this season!

This is the most excited that I have ever been for the NHL season and this time I'm rooting for the Islanders. I was actually supposed to go to the home pre season opener for the Islanders about a week and some change ago but by the time the game came around I never had a ticket even though they were like $10. This will be their first season in Barclays so I really do want to go to one of their games there. Only been to one hockey match ever, and I've never been in Barclay, so ill make an effort to go to one of the early matches.

zanderlex : yeah, I'm hoping the Islanders can do well this year. They've had pretty good teams the last few years and hopefully they've all matured enough that they are ready for a strong push this year.

I thought about going to a preseason game myself but never found the time. Not for the Islanders obviously but for Calgary Must be nice to have a new arena to play in. New arenas can be a real boost. Calgary's arena is 30 years old now and one of the oldest in the league.

geeogree : I don't think its exactly "nice" because long before the islanders had agrees to move there, the center was built as a basketball only place, so there may be many problems going forward for the hockey team since the place wasn't built for hockey and there might even be some problems for the basketball team because of switching back and forth.

Well, I'm hoping that the Columbus Blue Jackets can get back to the playoffs like they were the playoffs before last. Honestly I'm more of an NFL guy and would be happier if the Bengals can finally win a playoff game and make a deep run into the playoffs, but I'd also be very excited if the Blue Jackets were to win a playoff series.

gamerforlifeforever2 : they are probably a 7-10 range team. Their defense isn't great so that is probably what will hold them back. Still, like any team, if they can stay healthy then they have a shot at the playoffs.

zanderlex : true, but I imagine they spent the time to upgrade it so that the problems would be minimal. There are other places that have basketball and hockey going at the same time so it shouldn't really be a problem. Just need to make sure the schedules are balanced.

geeogree : Yeah, there are places that make basketball and hockey work, but it costs a lot more money and time. Madison Square Garden has been renovated or moved more times than one can coin because of that, and I read somewhere that just the most recent MSG renovation cost more than the entire construction cost AND first 5 predicted years of maintence for Barclay. Not to mention it takes on average 6 to 8 hours changing the court to a rink and vice versa. Plus a huge problem that has already been noted, is that since a court and rink will not only be different sizes, but in different setups, the scoreboard for hockey matches could have parts hanging all the way by the goal.

Excited for the Blackhawks season! The offseason always goes by so quickly when your team wins the cup! Seems like just the other day they were hoisting the cup! Was fun watching them raise the banner. I like the look of some of the new guys on the roster, so it should be interesting to see how things shape up this year!

As far as arenas go, many teams in the US have stadiums that host both Basketball and Hockey. The United Center being one of them. As well as Staples center and many others. Usually though, these stadiums are designed ahead of time by architects on how to best hold both. Seems strange to retrofit a stadium after the fact for that. The only issues really would be sight line issues during hockey games, but I doubt it will be that big of an issue in a fairly new stadium.

Jordanv78 : I'm glad they had Chicago play one of the first games of the season. It makes sense to me to have the winning team hoist their banner to kick off the new season before the other teams really get started.

Of course Toronto and Montreal started a bit before Chicago but they are the center of the hockey universe so there isn't much you can do about that

I think a rookie scored for Chicago which is neat. I always like seeing guys get their first goals and the reaction is so real. Compare that to guys who have scored 100 or 200 or more goals and it just isn't as passionate of a reaction.

Super happy with the way my Hawks are playing to start the season. Outside of the obvious goal in game 1 that they were robbed of that should have tied the game, they are 2-1 and the new additions, most notably, Panrin and Anisimov on offense and Daley on defense look great (to name a couple)

The line of Kane Panarin and Anisimov has looked pretty tough to stop so far.

Kane has been on fire himself with 3 goals and 6 points in 3 games. It's a long season, but I like the way the team is shaping up so far.

I also found it interesting that the Hawks played the inaugural game at the Barclays center after wehad been talking about it in this thread.

yeah, the Hawks have been really good (especially Kane). I don't know if Kane has a chip on his shoulder and something to prove to start the season or if he's doing as much as possible before he has to go to trial (if anything happens there) but either way he is motivated. I hope Chicago does well. I've been a fan ever since they beat Philadelphia in the finals in 2010 (I hate Philly) so I like to see them do well. They are also developing a Detroit reputation where you just expect them to be in the mix every year no matter who is actually playing at the time. They've got such a strong team that you can remove a piece here or there and the team is still rolling 4 lines and coming at you.

I was glad to see Calgary win against Vancouver last night. I am getting tired of people saying that Calgary will drop back into non-playoff contention which I find hard to believe. We've got Sam Bennett all year (assuming no injury) and we picked up Dougie Hamilton (who has already started scoring) and Frolik (who will provide good secondary scoring). Our goaltending is the only big question but I don't see it as a huge problem. Sure, no clear #1 guy but more like a 1a 1b and 1c which you need in the NHL now. I read on NHL.com a while back that every team but 2 dressed 3 goalies for 5+ games last year. Having 3 goalies who can play for real in the NHL is not a bad situation to have.


Anyway, I fully expect to see Calgary squeaking into the playoffs again this year. I don't see them beating Anaheim or Chicago if they get a matchup like that but I can see them winning a round again depending on the matchup and depending on how they develop as a team I could see them doing alright. No finals visit unless an absolute miracle happens but there was 2004

As far as Kane is concerned, he certainly is playing with a chip on his shoulder and with the crazy way things went down with the accusers family making up stories about evidence bags, her lawyer dropping the case and basically getting publicly berated by the District Attorney I really don't see anything happening in a criminal trial.

I honestly feel that the Hawks have the chance to be stronger than they were last year. Panrin is looking like he could develop into a star..and as much as I liked Sharpie, he was starting to lose a step or two over the past season or two. So in that regard I feel Panarin is a BIG upgrade from Sharpie. Especially long term. Although it's still early, I like what I see.

Winnipeg looks like they are playing with some fire under them as well. Although it's only been 2 games, they look like they could build on what they did last year. Should be an interesting team to watch.

Well I saw that the Blue Jackets finally got their first win a few days ago. Yay? Anyways, this season's been terrible for the Blue Jackets, I wouldn't be surprised to see them have the NHL's worst record at the end of the season.

gamerforlifeforever2 : I think Calgary is competing with them for that distinction along with Anaheim. I don't see Anaheim staying at the bottom though. Their team is too good to be this bad for long.

So, a couple of interesting updates -

Patrick Kane's accuser is no longer cooperating with prosecutors so that case is likely dead. Makes me think that whatever happened wasn't rape but a regretted night with Kane. Either way he seems to be free from this problem now.

Also, McDavid broke something in his shoulder or collarbone and is going to need surgery. There goes Edmonton for the year. Not saying they'll be worst in the league because they have improved their team but their chances of making the playoffs just dropped significantly.

[edit] yay double posting!

Look at Kaner tied for 3rd in the league in points and Crawford tied for GAA. Toews has been on a tear recently too with 3 goals in his last three games. Although the road hasn't been kind to the Hawks so far, (I think that had a lot to do with their weird opening 2 weeks of the season where they played all eastern conf teams) The United Center has been gold for the Hawks as they have been doing very well at the Madhouse.

Nice game the other night cooling down the Hottest team in the NHL, the Kings. Hawks pretty much shut them down. Was crazy that Crawford needed 19 saves in the 3rd ALONE. lol Great game by all.

Looking forward to a big divisional matchup tonight against the Blues. Hoping for the win! Wins in division are always important, but even more so this year with how good the Central division is. Go Hawks!

Well, Calgary redeemed themselves a bit tonight. Pittsburgh had won 6 straight I believe and Calgary managed to end that winning streak with a pretty convincing 5-2 win.

At the end of the game the announcers pointed out that the last time Pittsburgh lost to Calgary was when Crosby was a rookie. Shows how dominant Pittsburgh has been over Calgary. Only 1 game a year I think but still to lose every time for about 10 years is rough. Glad to see another win for Calgary. Not saying this means Calgary is playoff bound but being able to beat Pittsburgh is definitely a step in the right direction.

A bombing start, up in the North-East of the league, for the Canadiens. So many victories, the medias were turning crazy over it. Sad that Price got injured, though Condon does a pretty good job for the moment.

I never quite see the games in the west/center of the league, but that's a good thing for Kane and all that story going on. At least now, I suppose he'll be able to go back on the ice to help his comrades.

A pretty interesting season up till now. Curious to see if those numbers will stand up or if Columbus gets through its turmoil!

NorweAstafar : Kane has played the entire season and actually is leading the NHL in points right now, so I guess I'm confused on what you mean. He's not missed a game this season.

Ultimately no one will know what happened that night, but he's been absolved of any wrongdoing and won't be charged. Seems like he hasn't let it be a distraction either since he's now riding a 12 game point streak. Been Great.

I'm also glad the hawks got Keith and Roszival back last night. Made an instant impact and the Hawks won a big game on the road against the hated Blues.

Hawks have to play again tonight on the 2nd of a back to back against Calgary at home before a 6 game road trip. Hoping for the W! Go Hawks!