Red Wings

[jaadam4]

lol

[gjdodger]

Yes, and that's why they have such a great national television contract. Face it, guys. In the United States, hockey is number four in a 3 1/2 sport market.

[Malto Marko]

Wow, the lack of traffic in this thread is amazing with the playoffs underway....

Did anyone read the article about the fan at JLA that was fined $500, ejected from the game and has a court date for throwing an octipi on the ice? What a bunch of bs.

Franzen offered to help pay for the next fine.

Yes, and that's why they have such a great national television contract. Face it, guys. In the United States, hockey is number four in a 3 1/2 sport market.

Yup. The game is too fast for most people. The most common complaint I hear from a casual fan is they can not keep up with the puck. Unlike other sports, it does require knowledge of the rules as well as playing philosophy to enjoy the sport to the maximum on TV.

........oh ya, and even though there are a healthy amount of female fans, those that are tuning in to check out the nice butts have nothing to see.

[DanO]

"Yup. The game is too fast for most people. The most common complaint I hear from a casual fan is they can not keep up with the puck."
----------------------Following the puck is a learned aspect. You don't watch a game or two and master it. It takes numerous games to learn the flow.This is why it's not, and never will hae a huge following. If you don't have an interest in it to begin with you're not going to spend 40 games learning the game and flow of the puck. You're going to blow it off after a coupe games.

GO LIONS "11" !

[jaadam4]

........oh ya, and even though there are a healthy amount of female fans, those that are tuning in to check out the nice butts have nothing to see.

Thats very true... Most of our women know the game better than most cities men.. I've met some women at games outside of JLA and you could hold a hockey conversation with them. Thats pretty unheard of in the US.

[gjdodger]

I don't think the speed is the problem. I don't think there's enough scoring--soccer is the world's game, and nobody here watches that, either--and I think there are too many players who aren't from North America.

Anyhow, getting back to TV, I think that's the real reason they're cracking down on octopuses. The only big US exposure they get outside of markets where there are teams is on NBC during the playoffs. I don't think Bettman wants a 15 minute break in the action while they clear all the crap off the ice after a Red Wing scores a goal.

[gjdodger]

Bruins captain Zdeno Chara was hospitalized Friday night due to dehydration, but coach Claude Julien expects the veteran defenseman to be in the lineup for Game 2 against the Montreal Canadiens Saturday night at TD Garden.
"Until our medical staff tells me he can't go, he's in tonight," Julien said. "Until somebody tells me he can't go tonight, he's playing. I'm certainly not going to be the guy making the final decision, our medical people are, but they have yet to tell me that he can't go."

The Bruins held an optional skate Saturday morning, and most of the players learned of Chara's health when they arrived at the Garden.
"I know him real well and he's a battler," Bruins forward Milan Lucic said. "I'm sure he'll do whatever he can to get himself ready to play tonight."
The Bruins know they need Chara in the lineup.
"He's a big man who plays big minutes and he does a great job playing the role he does," added Lucic. "I've had the pleasure of playing [with Chara] ever since I've been here and he's a big time player. He's a character guy and he's going to do whatever he can to get ready."
It's common during the Stanley Cup playoffs that players get dehydrated because of the level of play during games. In fact, players receive treatment between periods, including IVs in order to stay hydrated.
"I've seen it, yeah. It's a part of it. It's playoffs," said Bruins defenseman Shane Hnidy, who would play if Chara can't. "It's a tough grind and it has been for years. There's tons of stories guys play through injury, sickness, whatever. Guys gotta find ways to play through it and they always do."
Julien expects Chara to be in the lineup for the very reason players will do whatever they can to win.
"At this stage of the season you're definitely going to play through injury," Julien said. "During the regular season you always take the cautious route, but in the playoffs you do what you have to do. If it's up to [Chara] he'll definitely play. The only people who will hold him back are the doctors. Those are the types of players you want on your team and he's got that attitude."
If, for some reason, Chara is not given medical clearance, Hnidy is ready to go.
"That's why I'm here," he said. "You've gotta have that mindset that everyday, regardless of the situation you're coming in preparing to play."
The Bruins trail the Canadiens 1-0 in the first-round series.

If Chara isn't ready to go, they may have to go build another one.

[jaadam4]

WOW!! Bettmen isnt gonna be happy with that pregame! Endzo said on national TV that "The octipi has to fly, its tradition.. This is Detroit"

Very nice!!

[jaadam4]

OMG!! Franzen just went down really really hard.. He's hurt

[jaadam4]

oh shit.. this is not good.. he skated off but his face isnt looking so well.

[*JD*]

GOOOOAL!

[*JD*]

PP goal for Datsyuk.

[*JD*]

5 on 3 for about 14 seconds for us.

[*JD*]

GOOOOOAL on the 5 on 4 PP!

2-0 WINGS!

[*JD*]

3-0!!!!!