Around the NHL 2017/2018

[kelownabomberfan]

36 minutes ago, Floyd said:

I think it was just as hard if not harder back then...  there was still a red line - remember how many passes from Housley to Selanne were called back?

 

Imagine how many points Teemu would have gotten with no red line?  I am talking 1993 Teemu here.  I honestly don't know how teams would have been able to defend against him.  They would have had to have one defenseman sitting on his own blue line all game.

[kelownabomberfan]

19 minutes ago, Floyd said:

Kids are just lazy these days.

Goalies are just bigger and better these days too.  And D-men are better.  Game is a lot faster now too.  How many of these goals would Selanne score in today's NHL?

 

[Floyd]

18 minutes ago, kelownabomberfan said:

Goalies are just bigger and better these days too.  And D-men are better.  Game is a lot faster now too.  How many of these goals would Selanne score in today's NHL?

Ah the days when goalies looked like humans and not like Robocop...  some nice hacking and slashing in that vid too

I'd have to say he'd still be up around 55 maybe 60 ...  him and Housley just had natural chemistry - but yeah we won't see that record broken

[Brandon]

I miss the days with gaudy numbers where fringe players could rack up 140 points and then be sent down to the AHL  (Rob Brown) ....   

Watching those games now days on youtube is hilarious... the quality of players were so much inferior and the goalies seemed to be bouncing around everywhere with an inability to stay upright.   It was more entertaining that was for sure! 

[The Unknown Poster]

That year was my first hockey pool with some friends and I was a big Selanne fan.  I took him pretty early and everyone laughed at picking the "unheard" of rookie so high.  I also had Mario Lemieux, Pat Lafontaine...I think Turgeon.  I won it quite easily.

Selanne was unreal.  When he broke the record, if I recall he scored 4 goals that game (or 3 that game and 4 the previous).  It was unreal that he was like 7 goals away and beat it two games later. 

Of course, he was an over-age rookie because he had to do required military service in Finland.  Also remember that he entered the NHL as a Restricted Free Agent and Calgary signed him to an offer sheet which the Jets matched. 

They should have Teemu night every season.

[sweep the leg]

22 minutes ago, The Unknown Poster said:

Selanne was unreal.  When he broke the record, if I recall he scored 4 goals that game (or 3 that game and 4 the previous).  It was unreal that he was like 7 goals away and beat it two games later.

Gretzky was at 41 goals in game 37 the year he got 50 goals in 39 games. It's too bad we don't have that level of scoring  in today's game. I think most of the scoring records are out of reach, unless something drastic happens in the game.

[The Unknown Poster]

1 minute ago, sweep the leg said:

Gretzky was at 41 goals in game 37 the year he got 50 goals in 39 games. It's too bad we don't have that level of scoring  in today's game. I think most of the scoring records are out of reach, unless something drastic happens in the game.

I think players are super talented and if the goalie equipment was smaller and/or the nets larger, you could see it.  I used to be against changing the net size because it was "too much" of a change but players are so much bigger on average now that a change to the net wouldnt bother me so much.  There was also an idea suggested where just the posts would have an incline into the net or something and the stats were that so many pucks hit the posts that a change like that would result in a lot more goals (ie. post shots would deflect into the net more often).

[Noeller]

7 minutes ago, sweep the leg said:

Gretzky was at 41 goals in game 37 the year he got 50 goals in 39 games. It's too bad we don't have that level of scoring  in today's game. I think most of the scoring records are out of reach, unless something drastic happens in the game.

I don't think "it's too bad", necessarily.....there's more to hockey than scoring. I love a good defensive play and great goaltending. Scoring is fun, but now they really gotta earn it. I'm a HUGE fan of Wayne Gretzky, but let's be honest, some of those goals he scored back then......that was awful goaltending. 

[FrostyWinnipeg]

1 hour ago, Noeller said:

I don't think "it's too bad", necessarily.....there's more to hockey than scoring. I love a good defensive play and great goaltending. Scoring is fun, but now they really gotta earn it. I'm a HUGE fan of Wayne Gretzky, but let's be honest, some of those goals he scored back then......that was awful goaltending. 

Agreed, u look at reels of the 80s and its like i dont remember the goaltending being so bad.  Not just bad but most were smaller too. Pokey & The Bandit were small goalies.

Defense and G has improved since Selanne came in.  Offense probably has remained the same  but the players are bigger. Petan might have had a chance in the 80s.

You can teach defense you can't learn offense - some famous guy

Edited March 1, 2018 by FrostyWinnipeg

[Floyd]

1 hour ago, Noeller said:

I don't think "it's too bad", necessarily.....there's more to hockey than scoring. I love a good defensive play and great goaltending. Scoring is fun, but now they really gotta earn it. I'm a HUGE fan of Wayne Gretzky, but let's be honest, some of those goals he scored back then......that was awful goaltending. 

Goalie pads and equipment were like half the size they are today - you had to be a damn good goalie to be a 'butterfly' goaltender in that era, now basically everyone plays that style and just works the angles

Cut down the pad size to 1980s measurements and we're back to 60-70 goal seasons in a heartbeat.

[iHeart]

Wha?!

 

Edited March 1, 2018 by iHeart

[Rich]

 

[Floyd]

2 minutes ago, Rich said:

 

Still a bit baffling why Winnipeg didn't build a bigger arena...

[FrostyWinnipeg]

9 minutes ago, Floyd said:

Still a bit baffling why Winnipeg didn't build a bigger arena...

It's Winnipeg we build things to 1970's specs and leave it at that.

Bonus Rant : They shoehorned an arena into the old Eatons space. So tight they had to close off a part of Hargraves. You wanted a bigger arena? You had to build it somewhere else.

Edited March 1, 2018 by FrostyWinnipeg

[Floyd]

2 minutes ago, FrostyWinnipeg said:

It's Winnipeg we build things to 1970's specs and leave it at that.

Yeah for some reason i remember traffic flow being a big issue....  for the downtown that no one goes to...

[Rich]

2 minutes ago, Floyd said:

Still a bit baffling why Winnipeg didn't build a bigger arena...

There was still no salary cap in the NHL when they were building the arena, so NHL hockey coming back was more a pipe dream then anything.   Plus the funding model was predicated on the downtown location, which I believe limited the building size.  Also, building it at that location is what got Thompson involved as he (or his holdings) owned the Eaton's building.    Don't know if the Jets come back to Winnipeg without Thompson being part of True North.

[The Unknown Poster]

As I recall, True North's original pitch for the arena was a small one, designed to be a "big" AHL arena.  It was Mayor Glen Murray who insisted it had to be 15,000 seats for the city to be involved.  And I also recall a plan for the upper deck to flare out over...Hargrave, maybe it was, but the city nixed it.  Thats why the seating is so tight.

Murray was strongly opposed to the save the jets and the city spending money on an arena.  But as Mayor, he was all in for a legacy project.

But...we've got demand that outstrips supply which is a good thing.  Look at Ottawa where the opposite is true.  15,000 seats is perfect...though having a bit larger seats would be nice.

[Noeller]

I live that Winnipeg had the smaller sized arena. Create demand. That's the best model for now. Their cash flow isn't harmed that much by it, and players would rather play for a full, smaller crowd than a half full smaller crowd.... 

[Floyd]

24 minutes ago, Noeller said:

I live that Winnipeg had the smaller sized arena. Create demand. That's the best model for now. Their cash flow isn't harmed that much by it, and players would rather play for a full, smaller crowd than a half full smaller crowd.... 

On what planet does the Winnipeg arena not sellout if its 17,500 seats...  this is not a hockey market where you need to 'create demand'

[Jimmy Pop]

46 minutes ago, The Unknown Poster said:

As I recall, True North's original pitch for the arena was a small one, designed to be a "big" AHL arena.  It was Mayor Glen Murray who insisted it had to be 15,000 seats for the city to be involved.  And I also recall a plan for the upper deck to flare out over...Hargrave, maybe it was, but the city nixed it.  Thats why the seating is so tight.

Murray was strongly opposed to the save the jets and the city spending money on an arena.  But as Mayor, he was all in for a legacy project.

But...we've got demand that outstrips supply which is a good thing.  Look at Ottawa where the opposite is true.  15,000 seats is perfect...though having a bit larger seats would be nice.

Particularly David Thomson.  He's on record as saying he pitched to TNSE a smaller arena than what was built.  The supply & demand logic. 

1 hour ago, Floyd said:

Still a bit baffling why Winnipeg didn't build a bigger arena...

It's beyond baffling to me that Winnipeggers think we should have built a bigger arena.  Logic, where art thou? 

[The Unknown Poster]

11 minutes ago, Floyd said:

On what planet does the Winnipeg arena not sellout if its 17,500 seats...  this is not a hockey market where you need to 'create demand'

Jets did not sell out the old arena many, many times.

[Jimmy Pop]

One decision in which it appears Thomson had a very direct hand was the choice to scale the arena at 15,000 seats – to some minds, too small to house a contemporary NHL franchise – again, he says, drawing on his time with HBC.

Quote

"Do you build it at eighteen and a half thousand or fifteen? For those who hadn't been in retail, you build eighteen and a half. For those who hadn't spent time with Steve Stavro [who made his fortune in the big box grocery business], you build eighteen and a half. But the important thing is the customer experience. Yes, we have a smaller rink and I still tell people it's too big in my opinion. More seats would have cost more money and you have to fill them. It's not the Bell Centre. It's not the ACC. But for Winnipeg, I think it's the right size."

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/david-thomsons-calculated-romance-with-the-nhl/article625126/

[Jimmy Pop]

Just now, The Unknown Poster said:

Jets did not sell out the old arena many, many times.

Put aside hockey even.

I love IGF.... but how great would it be to see that place full once in awhile.  33,500 is just too big.  It's the CFL's version of 19,000 hockey arenas. 

 

[The Unknown Poster]

2 minutes ago, Jimmy Pop said:

Put aside hockey even.

I love IGF.... but how great would it be to see that place full once in awhile.  33,500 is just too big.  It's the CFL's version of 19,000 hockey arenas. 

 

Yeah, it might be IGF was looking at certain major concert events that required that scale.  But after going to a sold out GnR, I can tell you IGF is UNSAFE when its that full.  They must have a fire marshal on payroll or something.

[Jimmy Pop]

Just now, The Unknown Poster said:

Yeah, it might be IGF was looking at certain major concert events that required that scale.  But after going to a sold out GnR, I can tell you IGF is UNSAFE when its that full.  They must have a fire marshal on payroll or something.

And if that's true, it's a flaw in the plan.  How many big concerts have come to IGF since it was opened?  Half dozen maybe?   

We never should have even thought about anything > 30,000.  Of course, she has to expand to 35,000 or so to get our Grey Cups.   

It's a shame because strictly as a place to watch a game, IGF is fantastic.  But 6000 empty seats every game is an eye sore & the atmosphere suffers for it.

15 minutes ago, The Unknown Poster said:

Jets did not sell out the old arena many, many times.

I'd bet even now, there's a few every game that don't sell.  The holds they release on gameday, no biggie.  But I'd be shocked if those were 100% sold. 

@Floyd I'm keeping you in mind next time I can't make a Jets game!  It's not easy getting rid of them, trust me!