Hockey! NHL, KHL, AHL, and Every Other HL
- Octavia
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Hockey! NHL, KHL, AHL, and Every Other HL
New forums, so it's time for a new hockey thread!
I've been a huge Blackhawks fan for decades, but this year I've actually started learning to play hockey so I've gotten a whole new appreciation to just how difficult the sport is. We've been on the waiting list for Blackhawks season tickets for a few years, so hopefully we'll eventually get to the front of that line.
Anyway, post hockey stuff!
I've been a huge Blackhawks fan for decades, but this year I've actually started learning to play hockey so I've gotten a whole new appreciation to just how difficult the sport is. We've been on the waiting list for Blackhawks season tickets for a few years, so hopefully we'll eventually get to the front of that line.
Anyway, post hockey stuff!
- The Doctor
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Re: Hockey! NHL, KHL, AHL, and Every Other HL
Have casually watched hockey for a few years. Been watching a lot this year, so much so that I've barely watched any football.
Avalanche are my team. And so far this year is a lot better than last.
Avalanche are my team. And so far this year is a lot better than last.
- Fizzbuzz
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Re: Hockey! NHL, KHL, AHL, and Every Other HL
In keeping with the last thread I would've set this thread's title to "HOCKEY: lol Arizona" had I made it, because holy moly the Coyotes are 1-11-1 this season.
- Fizzbuzz
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These games out west are on too late especially now that I'm in EST
I guess the MLB postseason is too unpredictable for the NHL to be able to plan around it at all, huh? With the World Series going to game seven, I imagine there's at least a few fewer people watching hockey or basketball tonight. Meanwhile the NFL is a shitshow now, yet the NHL still avoids scheduling too many Sunday games in the first half of the season.
I guess the MLB postseason is too unpredictable for the NHL to be able to plan around it at all, huh? With the World Series going to game seven, I imagine there's at least a few fewer people watching hockey or basketball tonight. Meanwhile the NFL is a shitshow now, yet the NHL still avoids scheduling too many Sunday games in the first half of the season.
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Oh no we're on a major losing streak
- Octavia
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Ugh. My first real equipment failure. The blade on my left skate split completely down the middle. The crack goes all the way to the bottom on all sides. I have no idea when or how it happened, but I was on the ice for 2 hours and I didn't notice it until I was wiping my blades down in the locker room.
- Fizzbuzz
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Hopefully that won't be too costly to replace. I assume it ain't exactly cheap, considering various anecdotes I've heard in general about hockey gear, but still.
- Octavia
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I went super cheap when I first started, since I didn't know if it would be a hobby I'd keep up with. Those skates don't have removable holders or runners, so rather than pay roughly the same cost as those skates to repair them, I'm gonna bite the bullet and buy higher quality skates this weekend.
- Octavia
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UPGRADE COMPLETE
I tried on a dozen different styles and the Bauer Supreme line fit my feet the best by far.
Here's a video review of the skates I ended up with.
- Octavia
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Broke in my new skates today with a goal!
And by "broke in" I mean "spent the whole time on the ice marveling at how stiff and sharp they were". It's gonna take months for me to actually break them in. I have way more support on my crossovers and I can do sharp turns on rails, but stopping is like 20 times harder than it used to be because the steel is just so much sharper than my old skates have ever been.
And by "broke in" I mean "spent the whole time on the ice marveling at how stiff and sharp they were". It's gonna take months for me to actually break them in. I have way more support on my crossovers and I can do sharp turns on rails, but stopping is like 20 times harder than it used to be because the steel is just so much sharper than my old skates have ever been.
- Fizzbuzz
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Tonight I finally have some time to actually watch a game and the Preds are rewarding me by styling upon the Caps so far. I kinda wish we were in the East just so we could be the ones to bounce them out of the playoffs in the second round each year.
- Octavia
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I too wish the Preds were out of the Blackhawks' conference
- Fizzbuzz
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Earlier today I also learned that 1. one of my professors is a Red Wings fan and 2. after I talked about seeing so many of their fans come down to Nashville when they were in the West, he said that even he was "guilty" of doing that a couple of times.
I wonder if Golden Knights fans are having to put up with the same crap, and if so then for how long.
I wonder if Golden Knights fans are having to put up with the same crap, and if so then for how long.
- Octavia
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Starting in 2013 and continuing to this day, the Predators have been instituting ridiculous policies to specifically prevent Blackhawks fans from traveling down to their arena, including:Fizzbuzz wrote: βTue Nov 14, 2017 9:39 pmEarlier today I also learned that 1. one of my professors is a Red Wings fan and 2. after I talked about seeing so many of their fans come down to Nashville when they were in the West, he said that even he was "guilty" of doing that a couple of times.
I wonder if Golden Knights fans are having to put up with the same crap, and if so then for how long.
- Not selling single-game tickets to games against the Blackhawks. If someone buys a ticket to a Blackhawks game, they're REQUIRED to buy tickets to another Predators game not against the Blackhawks.
- Restricting sales to residents of the Predatorsβ television viewing area β Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. Residency is established based on the credit card billing address. Orders by residents outside the viewing area are canceled without notice and refunds given.
- If the tickets are bought on the secondary market, the Predators require the original purchaser to produce the credit card used for purchase and a photo ID with a matching name before being allowed into the arena. So even if you bought your ticket legally from a Season Ticket Holder on the secondary market via StubHub, you could be refused entrance.
- Offering season ticket holders 110% of season ticket value if they sell their tickets to the franchise instead of on the secondary market, so the franchise can then sell them using their "locals only" ticket policy. This is a pretty insulting amount, since tickets on the secondary market usually sell for 300% to 1,000% of season-ticket value.
- It's been tradition since the first Gulf War for Blackhawks fans to cheer during the National Anthem. In 2014, the Predators instead played "God Bless America" against the Blackhawks to prevent their fans from cheering.
- Fizzbuzz
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Yeah, but fuck the Red Wings, right?
- Octavia
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that was a thumping
- Octavia
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Anisimov had a hat trick tonight and the Hawks ended the Rangers' 6-game winning streak!
- Octavia
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I took a spill and fell directly onto my tailbone today while playing hockey. It hurts so much that I can feel it in my throat.
- Octavia
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Coyotes finally got their first regulation win of the season
- Octavia
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Chance the Rapper played a clueless hockey reporter on SNL.
SNL has better hockey coverage than ESPN.
SNL has better hockey coverage than ESPN.
- Fizzbuzz
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Somehow I'm reminded of that one dude on Twitter who discovered hockey one or two playoffs ago and was tweeting about it. You know, the one whose take on a team pulling their goalie was "the goalie said fuck it and left?"
- The Doctor
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Forgot to post yesterday, but the Avalanche had an incredible comeback against the Red Wings.
- Fizzbuzz
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Fuck the Blues
- Octavia
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19-year-old Alex DeBrincat just got his first NHL hat trick! Or should I say CAT TRICK?
- Fizzbuzz
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Jokes like that should be illegal unless the player in question plays either for us or the Panthers.
- Octavia
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It can't be that bad. I mean, Las Vegas has had MAF on injured reserve for most of the season and they've still done well.
- Fizzbuzz
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It occurs to me that the Golden Knights must have had to sit through an awful lot of "Welcome back [beloved player]!" displays on their road games this year.
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- Fizzbuzz
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Dear Predators, if you're going to blow someone out like you did last night, please at least do it at a time that's not super late for me
- West Filly
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Is there a site that can explain the rules of Hockey, the way the leagues work and most importantly: which teams to look out for as potential contenders to win?
- Fizzbuzz
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Wikipedia's article on the sport itself is a good place to start. Hockey is such a fast-paced sport that it really helps to watch the game in action, to get a feel for how plays happen and how the rules are enforced. If you want to see games played and don't mind dealing with sketchy streaming sites, some folks on Reddit will stream games fairly regularly.
The biggest leagues are the National Hockey League (United States and Canada) and the Kontinental Hockey League (mainly Russia but also a handful of other countries in Europe and Asia). Hockey is also an Olympic sport, so that might be your best chance to see it played on TV.
The biggest leagues are the National Hockey League (United States and Canada) and the Kontinental Hockey League (mainly Russia but also a handful of other countries in Europe and Asia). Hockey is also an Olympic sport, so that might be your best chance to see it played on TV.
- Octavia
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Here's a pretty good rundown video on the basics, but it goes through a LOT of information in a short amount of time, so it's probably tough for a beginner to absorb. The most common infractions are Offside and Icing, so I recommend learning how those work first and it will greatly aid in your understanding.West Filly wrote: βThu Dec 14, 2017 1:06 pmIs there a site that can explain the rules of Hockey, the way the leagues work and most importantly: which teams to look out for as potential contenders to win?
As Fizzbuzz said, the best way to get to know the game is to watch it a lot. It helps if you watch it with someone who knows the sport well, to answer any questions you may have. I'm sure any of us here would be glad to help out. I've been watching hockey for decades and I've been playing it for a year now. I'm usually at my local rink 4 days a week.
Of every sport I've ever watched, hockey has by far the biggest difference between watching on TV and seeing in person. Before HDTV, it was often difficult to see where the puck was, and since the ratio was 4:3 instead of the wider 16:9, you couldn't really see any of the line changes going on. Watching a game live allows you to really grasp what's going on, as you can see the entire ice at all times. I don't know how big ice hockey is in your area, but if you have a local rink, they probably have an ice schedule. You can find out when they play league games, and you can probably attend one for free. If you're lucky enough to have a professional hockey team in the area, check out a game. The higher the level, the more expensive it will be, but even some NHL towns (like Florida) have incredibly cheap tickets. The learning curve is very high in hockey, so the difference between the highest level and even one step below that is stark. Even someone who's never seen hockey before can tell. The NHL is the highest level in the world, followed by the KHL. A lot of KHL stars come over to play in the NHL.
As for teams to watch, it's up to you as to which type of team you want to root for. When the NHL first started, they had what was called "The Original Six", which included the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, and New York Rangers. All of those teams still exist today and if you're looking for a team with a rich history, one of those would be a good pick. If you're looking for a team that's won a lot recently, The Pittsburgh Penguins have won the last two Stanley Cups. The Chicago Blackhawks have won 3 times this decade and the Los Angeles Kings have won twice this decade. If you want a young and up-and-coming team, try the Vegas Golden Knights. This is their very first season and they're doing extremely well so far. The Nashville Predators lost the Stanley Cup Finals last year, but they're also a relatively new team with a lot of talent. If you're looking for a team to break your heart, try the Washington Capitals, St. Louis Blues, or San Jose Sharks. They do well in the regular season often, then pretty much always choke in the postseason.
- West Filly
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I think I have some idea. Can someone recommend a good game that happened this season where it's clean, where there's actually competition rather than one team getting wiped, and where nothing too unusual happens? I'll watch that game and see if I can follow it.
- Octavia
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Unless you pay for NHL.tv service, it's really hard to find full completed games online. Most teams will release condensed games on their website, which trims the game down to about 10 minutes and only shows the most exciting parts.West Filly wrote: βSat Dec 16, 2017 12:02 pmI think I have some idea. Can someone recommend a good game that happened this season where it's clean, where there's actually competition rather than one team getting wiped, and where nothing too unusual happens? I'll watch that game and see if I can follow it.
Here is a condensed game of Chicago Blackhawks vs Buffalo Sabres on December 8th.
I chose this one as a good example because it's close the entire way through (no team ever leads by more than one goal) the game goes into overtime so you can see how those rules work (in the NHL it goes to 3 skaters per side instead of 5), and it also contains two fairly rare events: a short-handed goal, which is when the team on the penalty kill (meaning they are short one player on the ice) scores a goal, and a penalty shot, which is when a referee deems a player was denied a clear scoring opportunity on a breakaway by the defensive player committing a penalty on him. The graphics on the top of the screen will show the current score, the period, the time left in the period, and whether or not a team is on the power play and how much time is left on that power play. Those will help you understand the situation of the game better.
Don't get discouraged if you can't follow the puck very well at first. It's an extremely fast game and you'll get better at it the more you watch. Hockey announcers tend to talk really fast, too, so they take some getting used to. This one mentions a couple terms that aren't mentioned in the intro video I posted earlier: A "screen" is when a player stands between the goalie and the puck in an attempt to prevent the goalie from seeing what's going on. This is perfectly legal as long as he doesn't physically prevent the goalie from making a save. If you try to shoot the puck between the goalie's legs, that's called going for the "five-hole", which is based on this diagram here:
Even though the other spots are numbered, the only number ever used in hockey conversation is "five-hole". You'd say "high glove side" for 1 or "low stick side" for 4, for example.
- Octavia
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Hawks have won 5 in a row!
- Fizzbuzz
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And the Preds have two shutouts in a row... but after last season's playoffs, that's kind of old hat.
- West Filly
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It's a bit like soccer in terms of following the object. Better to just take a mental note of who has it and then look closely at how everyone's positioned. I can then anticipate where the puck might go.