There's a first time for everything...hockey!

[blhowes]

Who would have ever thought that one day I'd be starting a hockey thread. Today, there weren't any NBA playoff games on, so I decided to watch my first ever hockey game. Detroit vs ... I can't remember who. I was surprised, but I really enjoyed it.

What an intense game! All that going back and forth and back and forth, and falling down, and getting thrown into the wall. After all those shots and all that pushing and shoving, the final score was only 1-0!

Well, ya learn something new every day. I found out that there aren't 4 quarters in hockey. At the end of the 3rd "quarter", the score was 1-0 and I figured maybe Detroit can tie the game in the next quarter and then maybe win it ... next thing I know, they're telling me its all over.

If you're into hockey, who do you think will win? I've always heard that Canada eats, drinks, and breathes hockey and that they have the team(s) to beat. Is that true? What do you like best about hockey?

BTW, did anybody else catch the Detroit game? I was wondering if you've heard how that player is doing who got the puck to the face?

Bob

 

[Gregg]

Hockey is awesome.

Played quite a bit growing up (both street and ice). Used to like watching Gordie Howe when he was with the Whalers.

[Edited on 5-2-2004 by Gregg]

 

[daveb]

[quote:32579a7124][i:32579a7124]Originally posted by blhowes[/i:32579a7124]
Who would have ever thought that one day I'd be starting a hockey thread. Today, there weren't any NBA playoff games on, so I decided to watch my first ever hockey game. Detroit vs ... I can't remember who. I was surprised, but I really enjoyed it.
[/quote:32579a7124]

Welcome to the wonderful world of hockey, glad you enjoyed the game! I've been watching hockey for as long as I can remember, it's my favourite sport. Watching hockey up here is a national pastime. :thumbup:

[quote:32579a7124]
If you're into hockey, who do you think will win? I've always heard that Canada eats, drinks, and breathes hockey and that they have the team(s) to beat. Is that true? What do you like best about hockey?
[/quote:32579a7124]

I think the Toronto Maple Leafs will win....that's just because they're my team....who will actually win is anyone's guess.

Yes, Canada is a hockey country. Every kid I grew up with played hockey...and most of them still do. On the world stage (Olympics, World Cup) Canada is usually the team to beat, but when it comes to the NHL the Canadian aren't winning the Stanley Cup these days. Both the US and Canadian NHL teams have players from all over the place, so just because a team might be from the US doesn't mean there are many US players on it and vice versa, so the nationality thing doesn't really matter in the NHL.

 

[Mary]

Hi Bob,

Our captain, Steve Yzerman (pronounced EYEzerman), is the guy who got hit in the face with the puck. He has a fractured cheekbone, and a minor concussion. He'll be fine, soon. I remember when we first drafted him, we girls all thought he was soooo cute! Now look at him! He's missing a tooth or two, he's all scarred. Hockey's a rough sport.

I have faith in my boys. Sure, they're in a tight spot. But a couple of years ago we came back from a similar situation against the (Colorado) Avalanche.

You can see why hockey is such a popular sport, can't you? Fast paced, exciting...what's not to like?

Mary

 

[dkicklig]

Hockey in Georgia

At recent minor league game it was proven that hockey does not belong in the hot South.

A man wearing overalls and no shirt, chewing tobacco and chugging a Budweiser, stands up and shouts "Hit 'em with yur paddle!"

Thankfully there are enough Northern transplants here to teach these Southerners finer points of what is the toughest sport in North America.

 

[Mary]

from www.wdiv.com (our NBC Affiliate in Detroit)

Captain Suffers Face Injury Saturday
POSTED: 8:39 am EDT May 3, 2004
UPDATED: 9:12 am EDT May 3, 2004
DETROIT -- Detroit captain Steve Yzerman is out indefinitely after undergoing 41/2 hours of surgery for a scratched cornea and broken bone just below his left eye.
Yzerman is expected to make a full recovery, the Red Wings said in a statement Sunday, adding that he will be unavailable to comment for a week.
Yzerman was hurt when he was hit in the face with a puck during Detroit's 1-0 loss to Calgary on Saturday.
He experienced blurred vision in his eye, but that improved after the surgery on his orbital bone.
Yzerman, who will turn 39 on May 9, has a franchise-record 70 playoff goals and 181 points in his 20 seasons with the Red Wings. In regular-season games, he's the sixth-leading scorer in NHL history.
He was hit midway through the second period of Game 5 and needed help getting off the ice.
The Red Wings fell behind 1-0 shortly after Yzerman was injured, and that was the only goal of the game. Calgary leads the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series 3-2 and can eliminate the top-seeded Red Wings at home on Monday.
Center Kris Draper said after Sunday morning practice that the team now has to apply what he's taught them to bring home a win.
"He's been a tremendous leader and now it's up to us to step up. Let's go out and play a great game for him because he's done so much for us," Draper said.
The injury came after a shot by Red Wings defenseman Mathieu Schneider ricocheted off someone in front of the Calgary net and hit Yzerman squarely in the face as he stood to the left of the goal.
Yzerman, who doesn't wear a face shield, immediately dropped to the ice. He kicked his legs in pain as he was sprawled out.
After being down for a couple minutes, with the crowd watching in stunned silence, Yzerman was helped to the dressing room as a towel was held near his left eye. He didn't return to the game.
Yzerman has led the Red Wings to three Stanley Cup championships. In a statewide poll released last month, respondents picked him as the Motor City's most popular team sports personality of the past 20 years.
If Detroit does not win two straight against Calgary, Yzerman might have played his last game with the Red Wings because of the NHL's looming labor problems. A long lockout could lead to his retirement.
"I plan on playing next year, but the collective bargaining agreement will determine that," Yzerman said just before the playoffs started. "I'm just going to wait and see what happens. I'm prepared to wait a year."
Some thought the 10-time All-Star and 1998 Conn Smythe winner as playoff MVP would choose to end his storied career last year, but he said it wasn't an option he considered.
He missed the first 66 games of the 2002-03 season following a knee surgery -- usually reserved for retirees -- that involved sawing into the bone below his knee and using a wedge to realign the joint.
"The man shouldn't even be able to walk, and he's out there playing great hockey," teammate Manny Legace said last month.
Detroit forward Darren McCarty said Sunday that he hopes the game wasn't Yzerman's last.
"He's been the strength and pillar of this hockey club for longer than I've been here. It'll be in the back of our minds," McCarty said.

 

[Mary]

Red Wings eliminated in Game 6.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...<sigh>

And with the possibility of a lockout next season, who knows how long it may be until I get to watch my boys again...

Mary

 

[ChristianasJourney]

[quote:33f57f7964][i:33f57f7964]Originally posted by Mary[/i:33f57f7964]
Red Wings eliminated in Game 6.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...<sigh>

And with the possibility of a lockout next season, who knows how long it may be until I get to watch my boys again...

Mary [/quote:33f57f7964]

I FEEL YOUR PAIN!

But boy, it was a great game.

 

[Gregg]

[quote:aa454d9be1][i:aa454d9be1]Originally posted by Mary[/i:aa454d9be1]
Red Wings eliminated in Game 6.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...<sigh>

And with the possibility of a lockout next season, who knows how long it may be until I get to watch my boys again...

Mary [/quote:aa454d9be1]

Reply...

This may not seem like too much consolation to you Mary, but at least you still have a team to cheer for.

Gregg

 

[Mary]

Thanks for the sympathy, Gregg. I feel your pain. I can't imagine not having a hockey team to root for. Of course, it doesn't matter to me - I could live in Alaska and I would still root for the Red Wings. I'm nothing if not loyal. But to have your team sold away from you, that's a whole other pain. If there were no more Red Wings...it doesn't bear thinking about. Of course, they are one of the Original Six, so I don't see it happening. Hopefully.

Losing was bad enough, but to compound matters, the possible lockout means that Steve Yzerman may never play again. He was planning on 1 more season (he's 39 this Sunday), but if there's a lockout, who knows if they'll play next season. What a way for him to go out. He's such a champ. Just a great guy. He was recently voted the most popular sports figure in Detroit in a local newspaper vote. Everybody loves him. He deserved a better exit than that.

Plus there's the fact that (if the Wings are smart) they will dismantle this team and rebuild up from ground zero. They haven't accomplished much in the last several seasons, and they are pretty long in the tooth for a hockey club. A lot of these guys have been around a while, and I know their histories. I can't look at Kris Draper without seeing the damage wrought upon him by Claude Lemieux a few seasons ago. I remember the thrill of watching Lemieux get his comeuppance later on. A lot of these guys were on the team when that terrible accident happened after we won the Cup a few years ago. All that will be gone. But, of course, that's the nature of the game. I still miss Bob Probert, Vladimir Konstantinov, Petr Klima. Things change. You move on. I just had really hoped that Stevie Y. could go out on a high note.

I know, I know. Boo-hoo. That's OK. I'll get over it.

Mary :sniff: