The Hockey Appreciation Thread!

[undisclosedtoyou]

The Hockey Appreciation Thread!

Alright, so I have to make a confession.  I'm not the most knowledgeable of Hockey fans, hell I'm pretty new to appreciating it myself.  But after reading so many stories that are centered around it, watching a few games leading up to the 2011 stanley Cup, and wanting to create a game that focuses on the sport pretty heavily, I thought I'd ask you guys what you love about it.  Did you grow up liking it?  Spent your fall and winter seasons playing it?  Do you have humorous/awe-inspiring/or plain old entertaining stories centered on the sport?  Share it here, I'd really love to hear what you all have to say about it.  If you hate the sport...well than please don't post just to say so without telling us why you don't like it.

[Craz]

I grew up and live in San Jose, and our only (real) professional sports team is the San Jose Sharks. Pretty much from childhood I was a Sharks fan. I,...didn't play it much, partially because I can't roller-blade or ice skate, but I slapped a puck around with friends more than once. I lost interest when I moved away in my teen years, though I got into it last season when my dad got really into it(The A's have not had the best of years, and he needed a team to feel good about). I got seriously hardcore about it during the play offs, and had a semi-decent beard for it.

[Wyrd]

I love Hockey!! in the NHL my top 3 teams I watch every year are the Ottawa Senators, Montreal Canadiens and Washington Capitals.What I love even more then the NHL is the world Juniors. It's become family tradition for us to go to my Dads place on Boxing day (Start if the Juniors) And watch team Canada CRUSH some eastern European team to submission.   

[undisclosedtoyou]

I grew up and live in San Jose, and our only (real) professional sports team is the San Jose Sharks. Pretty much from childhood I was a Sharks fan. I,...didn't play it much, partially because I can't roller-blade or ice skate, but I slapped a puck around with friends more than once. I lost interest when I moved away in my teen years, though I got into it last season when my dad got really into it(The A's have not had the best of years, and he needed a team to feel good about). I got seriously hardcore about it during the play offs, and had a semi-decent beard for it.

I'm sorta jealous, okay I'm really jealous, not just sorta jealous.  I grew up in So-Cal, and while I've been inside a skating rink before, I've only ever seen and been in one my whole life.  It's sorta sad, and my home city doesn't even have a team, although I've been told we used to have one back in the day.  I wish Hockey would have been a big sport, hell even a mentionable sport when I was a kid.  I would have soooo been obsessed with it. 

I love Hockey!! in the NHL my top 3 teams I watch every year are the Ottawa Senators, Montreal Canadiens and Washington Capitals.What I love even more then the NHL is the world Juniors. It's become family tradition for us to go to my Dads place on Boxing day (Start if the Juniors) And watch team Canada CRUSH some eastern European team to submission.   

Are Juniors like a triple A league, or  secondary school status?  I can't say I have a favorite team just yet, I've only really followed the Bruins, but that's because they're airing all the Stanley Cup games right now on Cable.  I don't want to make a choice on who I like just yet, maybe get a few more seasons under my belt and than make a decision lol.

[Wyrd]

I'm not 100%, but i think the World Juniors are for players of the sport under 21. I dunno. I just know if you're not Canada, USA, Russia, Sweden and in some cases the Chezch Republic, you're gonna die.

[undisclosedtoyou]

I'm not 100%, but i think the World Juniors are for players of the sport under 21. I dunno. I just know if you're not Canada, USA, Russia, Sweden and in some cases the Chezch Republic, you're gonna die.

Hahahaha, I'm so glad I wasn't drinking something when I read this, I would have snorted it everywhere.  But yeah, I'm not an expert on the game, but I've already gotten the impression that there aren't very many talented hockey teams outside of those countries. 

It would make sense that Juniors are anyone under 21, or at least it sounds right in my mind.

[Wyrd]

Call me a dick, but seeing a group of young men from the Canada (US too) Beating a team like uhh... Latvia 15/3(Not exaggerating)... is just great for families .

[undisclosedtoyou]

Call me a dick, but seeing a group of young men from the Canada (US too) Beating a team like uhh... Latvia 15/3(Not exaggerating)... is just great for families .

Hey hey hey, I wouldn't call you a dick for that.  I find great amusement in watching a team get it's stuffing knocked out of them by another team, doesn't matter where they come from, a good stomping is great fun for all families.

[Wyrd]

Stil, best game I'v seen, Men's Hockey, Gold medal game, Vancouver Olympics 2010. Canada vs USA. Crosby scoring the golden goal... One of the happiest days of my life. I was down town Toronto watching it... The city exploded with electricity. You could cut the joy in the air with a knife. 

[Nico]

Ah yes, Hockey. Nice to watch! ;D

[undisclosedtoyou]

Stil, best game I'v seen, Men's Hockey, Gold medal game, Vancouver Olympics 2010. Canada vs USA. Crosby scoring the golden goal... One of the happiest days of my life. I was down town Toronto watching it... The city exploded with electricity. You could cut the joy in the air with a knife.

That's so funny, I just read about Sidney Crosby in an article about Sean Avery a few hours ago.  I feel accomplished that I can reference something about Crosby, especially since I've never heard of him before today.

But damn, that is a good story!  I can only imagine how awesome seeing something like that must have been.

Ah yes, Hockey. Nice to watch! ;D

I hope you're aware that seeing your avi in here is completely distracting! 

^That's so not a complaint :)

[Wyrd]

Did you just say totes!? ... I'm leaving

[undisclosedtoyou]

Did you just say totes!? ... I'm leaving

Fixed!

[Nico]

I hope you're aware that seeing your avi in here is completely distracting! 

^That's so not a complaint :)

Uhm..I'm sorry. ;D Kinda...

... okay..not so much.  >:)

[Wyrd]

Yeah.. so.. hockey, eh?

[undisclosedtoyou]

Uhm..I'm sorry. ;D Kinda...

... okay..not so much.  >:)

It's okay, I forgive you ha! 

Yeah.. so.. hockey, eh?

Hahaa, so yeah, I realized that there's actually a team that goes by Maple Leafs, how cute is that?  I can't imagine a team with that name to be very intimidating.

[Wyrd]

Yup... my hometown team of Toronto... Their terrible... But the make more money then any other team. :p

[undisclosedtoyou]

Yup... my hometown team of Toronto... Their terrible... But the make more money then any other team. :p

Awwww, well the name still makes me picture a bunch of toddlers in giant maple leaf costumes running around, it's a cute picture really.  But damn, if they're making more money than any other team, than they must be doing something right.

[WyldRanger]

The Infamous Detroit Red Wings v. Colorado Avalanche Brawl of 1997

This was the beginning of my hockey fandom. After this, the Wings went on to win their first Stanley Cup since 1955 and went on a decade of dominance in the NHL. :)

[undisclosedtoyou]

This was the beginning of my hockey fandom. After this, the Wings went on to win their first Stanley Cup since 1955 and went on a decade of dominance in the NHL. :)

The vid wouldn't work for me :(

[HockeyGod]

Stil, best game I'v seen, Men's Hockey, Gold medal game, Vancouver Olympics 2010. Canada vs USA. Crosby scoring the golden goal... One of the happiest days of my life. I was down town Toronto watching it... The city exploded with electricity. You could cut the joy in the air with a knife.

The saddest day of my life  ::)

You should have been on E when it was happening. I had so many messengers open and posting and doing play by plays.

Hockey rocks!

[Wyrd]

The saddest day of my life  ::)

You should have been on E when it was happening. I had so many messengers open and posting and doing play by plays.

Hockey rocks!

Haha! Aww! *Hugs* Maybe you'll take comfort in knowing it was one of the best days of my life and one of the first times I truly saw the city of Toronto come together in joy. lol! It was like a story bool fantasy!

Hockey does rock

[WyldRanger]

The vid wouldn't work for me :(

Odd, it seems to be working fine for me. Anyways, here's a run down of what transpired (including the build up and aftermath).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Wings_-_Avalanche_brawl

Previous incident

In Game 6 of the 1996 Western Conference Finals, Avalanche right winger Claude Lemieux checked Red Wings center Kris Draper from behind, driving Draper's face into the boards.

The hit sent Draper out of the game and into the hospital with a broken jaw, shattered cheek and orbital bone, which required reconstructive surgery involving his jaw being wired shut and numerous stitches. The Avalanche would go on to defeat the Red Wings in six games, eventually winning the Stanley Cup. After the traditional handshakes that take place after a playoff series, former Red Wing winger Dino Ciccarelli said of Lemieux, "I can't believe I shook the guy's freaking hand. That just pisses me right off."[2]

The brawls

In the next regular season, although the two teams had played each other three times without incident, this fourth meeting on the night of March 26 was different, with nine fights in the game. In the first three match-ups, Lemieux had not dressed for the Avalanche, so he was making his first appearance against the Wings since the hit on Draper. As tensions mounted early in the first period, defencemen Brent Severyn (Avalanche) and Jamie Pushor (Red Wings) fought at 4:45 of the first period, followed by a fight between forwards Kirk Maltby (Red Wings) and René Corbet (Avalanche) at 10:14.

The major melee ensued at the 18:22 mark, leading to the third fight. Shortly after a collision between Red Wing center Igor Larionov and Avalanche forward Peter Forsberg, Wings enforcer Darren McCarty seized the chance to avenge his Grind Line teammate by escaping a linesman's grasp and hitting Lemieux with a right hook from the side. McCarty laid many blows on Lemieux, who fell to the ice and covered his head (labeled "turtling" in hockey terminology); McCarty managed to land a few more punches, drag Lemieux to the boards, and knee him in the head before the two were separated by officials.

Seeing what McCarty was doing to Lemieux, Avalanche goaltender Patrick Roy skated out of his net to defend his teammate, but was intercepted by Red Wing forward Brendan Shanahan, who was skating at full speed, with an open ice body check, sending him sprawling momentarily into Avalanche defenseman Adam Foote. While Shanahan and Foote tangled, Wings goalie Mike Vernon went out to center ice to try and grab Foote off of Shanahan. Roy saw this going on and got Vernon's attention by attacking him from behind, which ended up escalating to a fight when Vernon and Roy dropped their masks, gloves, and blockers. The scrum between Larionov and Forsberg ended with the oft-injured Forsberg aggravating an injury. As a result of the third brawl of the first period, Forsberg and Larionov each received matching minor penalites for roughing; Roy and Vernon were each assessed minor penalties for roughing Shanahan and Foote, respectively, and major penalties for fighting each other, and McCarty received a double-minor for roughing Lemieux, giving Colorado a power play. Forsberg aggravated an injury in scrum with Larionov and would not return, and the McCarty/Lemieux incident left patches of blood on the ice that were visible before the ice was resurfaced by the Zamboni; blood also ended up on the boards near the Red Wings bench. There was even more blood during this brawl, when blood started to gush out from Roy's forehead from the punches he received by Vernon.

Fifteen seconds after the Roy/Vernon fight, Avalanche winger Adam Deadmarsh and Red Wing defenceman Vladimir Konstantinov would drop the gloves in another fight for the final fight in the first period.

There would be five more fights (and four stoppages) in the second period: a fight between Shanahan and Foote four seconds into the second period, simultaneous fights between Avalanche winger Mike Keane and Red Wing winger Tomas Holmstrom, which occurred for the most part on the ice and between Severyn and Red Wing defenceman Aaron Ward 3:34 in (Severyn and Ward were ejected for a secondary fight), McCarty and Deadmarsh at 7:24 (McCarty also received a roughing), and between Pushor and Avalanche defenceman Uwe Krupp at 11:26.
When the third period ended, the score was tied 5–5. Incidentally, it was McCarty who scored the winner against Roy in overtime, assisted by Shanahan and Larionov.

Aftermath

Mike Vernon, who won his 300th career game, believed the brawl-filled game "brought the Red Wings together" in time for the playoffs.[3] Colorado head coach Marc Crawford, meanwhile, wondered why McCarty did not receive a game misconduct for his largely one-sided instigation and subsequent fight with Lemieux (McCarty received a double-minor for roughing for that incident, and also received a fighting major later in the game). Subsequently, Avalanche right winger Mike Keane criticized Draper for having McCarty fight on his behalf.[3]

A similar free-for-all took place on May 19, during Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals at Joe Louis Arena, when during a penalty-filled game, Crawford was seen screaming obscenities at Red Wings head coach Scotty Bowman across the glass separating the two benches. Bowman then told Crawford that he knew Crawford's father before he did and he wouldn't appreciate the way he was acting. The Wings would win that game 6-0. Crawford was fined $10,000 for the tirade.[4]

The next year during a game in November between the two teams, McCarty and Lemieux began to throw punches seconds after the opening faceoff, much to the delight of the Joe Louis Arena crowd. On April 1, 1998, Joe Louis Arena was the site of another Avs-Wings brawl. This time Patrick Roy challenged and then squared off with Chris Osgood at center ice. The referees called more severe penalties this time, as Roy and Osgood both received minor, major, misconduct, and game misconduct penalties. The two teams combined for 46 penalties totaling 228 minutes.[5] The Wings ultimately won the game 2–0, and would go on to win the second of their consecutive Stanley Cups.
The game and brawl is considered a defining moment in modern Red Wings history. However, as players began to leave each team through free agency, trades, or retirements, the rivalry began to die down.

A game between the Red Wings and Avalanche on March 23, 2002 broke into a brawl (much smaller than the previous two) when Kirk Maltby came into Patrick Roy's net and Roy took exception. The brawl continued when Red Wing goalie Dominik Hašek skated down the length of the ice to confront Roy but tripped on a discarded stick, causing him to crash into and knock over Roy. Infuriated, Roy threw off his gloves and mask to fight as Hasek did the same, but the two were restrained by the officials, thus preventing Roy from fighting a third Red Wing goalie since 1997.

[undisclosedtoyou]

Jeez Xana, that sounds like some major rivalry going on between Avalanche and the Red Wings.  But it was entertaining as hell to read!