NHL 2017-18

[Parrothead]

The NHL season gets underway, next week. The Pens will raise their fifth Championship banner, when they host St. Louis. The Red Wings play their first game in their new arena on Oct 6th. Vegas plays it's first game in Dallas and hosts it's first home game Oct. 10th. On Dec. 16th, the Sens will host the Habs in an outdoor game, at Lansdowne Park, celebrating the league's centenary (first games played Dec. 19, 1917), the Stanley Cup's 125th and Canada's 150th. The NHL Winter Classic, will feature the Rangers hosting the Sabres, at Citi Field (home of the Mets).

Go Leafs!

Yesterday, marked the 45th Anniversary of Canada clinching the '72 Summit Series, Paul Henderson scored the biggest goal of his career, that goal's play-by-play call by Foster Hewitt, is engraved in the minds of a generation of fans. If kids weren't staying home from school that afternoon, they were watching the game on tv in school. It was a Thursday and the game was being played in Moscow. I was watching, in one of gymnasiums of the public school, I attended.

[Rommie]

I really need to get a Pens shirt I've been seeing in Pittsburgh- "back to back Stanley Cup champions." I'd be so popular in Toronto wearing that!

Go Marlies too!

[Thumper]

All this informative banter and not one word about the Blue Jackets...

[Parrothead]

Leafs vs. Habs tonight! Leafs are winless in their last 14 games against Montreal ( 0-10-4 ). Hope that will change tonight, Leafs' last win over the Habs was Jan. 18th, 2014.

Go Leafs! Off to a flying start, followed by a dose of reality against the Devils.

[Parrothead]

Leafs won in OT, last night.

Now if only the Leafs could do something about that Cup drought ...

[Parrothead]

2017 Hockey Hall of Fame induction ceremony is today. Hall of Fame game was on Friday evening (Leafs beat Bruins in OT).

This year's inductees: Dave Andeychuck, Paul Kariya, Mark Recchi, Teemu Selanne and Danielle Goyette in the Players category. Clare Drake and Jeremy Jacobs in the Builders category.

More info at the Hockey Hall of Fame website.

[Thumper]

I've got tickets to the Nov 22 Jackets game against the Flames. I picked it because I thought it would be a night that Dad could go and I don't think I've ever seen Calgary.

[Rommie]

I've realized my issue with the NHL this early is it still just feels like pre-season, what with it dragging out so long and half the teams making the playoffs anyway.

Fun thing though, I'm going to be in Pittsburgh at the end of the month for a talk (which will be at WVU, but whatever) so my brother is going to get us Pens-Flyers tickets. That should be a fun game, at a fraction of the price of what Leafs tickets go for!

Also, it's AHL, but I am going to see the Marlies this Saturday. That should be fun.

[Thumper]

Also, beer prices will be alot cheaper in Pittsburgh. Good lord beer was expensive in Toronto.
Nothing wrong with AHL. I'm hoping to catch a couple NCAA games this winter. In addition to catching OSU playing UM, MSU and Minnesota, they also play some good non conference teams.

[Thumper]

I can get you $30 tickets to about any CBJ game.
Cheaper if you wait until the puck drops to buy them from the nice gentlemen on the street.

[Parrothead]

Yeah, beer prices are nuts. Regular prices of 24 bottles range from $34.50 - 49.50.

Some 10 or so years ago the provincial gov't banned "buck a beer" pricing over concerns it'll lead to binge drinking. Last federal budget, the feds put in a clause where fed. excise taxes on beer/booze will rise annually with rate of inflation, but ended up being passed as an annual 2% increase to the federal excise tax on alcohol. In Ontario, the beer store, is tasked with accepting all empties (beer, wine and booze) for recycling purposes, I'm not sure if that also affects the prices.

[Thumper]

Yeah, and I was just talking about the price of one draft at the arena. A few years ago when we were there to see Rush, I grabbed one before the show. I handed him a 20 and waited for my change. He was waiting for me to dig back in and hand him a tip!

[Parrothead]

Saw a commercial on Buffalo's CBS affiliate, while watching the "Iron Bowl" yesterday. Some outlet selling Labatt Blue, 30 cans for something like $16, on sale. Up here, 30 cans goes for $41. Mind you it's Blue, ick (imo).

Entertaining OT between Leafs and Panthers mid-week, Leafs lost in a shoot-out. Leafs came close to evening up the game against the Caps, last night. Ovie completed a hat-trick, with an empty net goal with less than 10s. remaining to give Washington a 4-2 win.

[Thumper]

40 bucks will get you a full case of good stuff around here.
Dad and I did get to go to the Jackets-Flames' game Wednesday. They played to a double shutout at the end of regulation. Jackets won it about 2 1/2 minutes into 3 on 3 OT. Both goalies were fantastic. The Flames' netminder turned away something like 40 shots until a mistake behind his goal turned the puck over and the game was over.

[Rommie]

Pens-Flyers tonight! Go Pens!

[Thumper]

Yeah, everybody hates the Flyers.

[Rommie]

Yeah, everybody hates the Flyers.

I sat next to a Flyers fan last weekend (boyfriend of a colleague). He was talking shit about the Pens and I was like "but why would you bother, when everyone knows the Penguins are back to back champions."

[Thumper]

Zing!

[Parrothead]

Crosby and some of the Pens team and management were in town yesterday. Not for a game, but to present a Cup ring for display at the Hockey Hall of Fame. They have a display of a number of previous Cup rings, including one of the first Cup rings, dating from 1893. Info at the HHoF website.

[Parrothead]

The "Next Century" game just got underway. Leafs are hosting the Carolina Hurricanes. Dec. 19, 1917, the Toronto Arenas played against the Montreal Wanderers, in the first game of the Toronto franchise, the game had a 2 pm start. The Arenas would later become the Toronto St. Pats and when Conn Smythe bought the franchise, he would rename the team to Toronto Maple Leafs.

It may have been nice to see an "original six" match up for this game. I'm okay with the Leafs facing the Hurricanes. The Hurricanes started off as the New England then Hartford Whalers. At one point Dave Keon played for the Whalers, before that time, he was a Maple Leaf, winning four Cups with the team in the 60's. To this date he is the only Leaf to be awarded the Conn Smythe Award (1967 Stanley Cup). When Hartford joined the NHL, the Leafs did not reclaim Keon, he stayed on in Hartford, sometimes playing on a line with Howe and Hull.

For the game this afternoon the Leafs are wearing Arenas jerseys and are currently leading the game 2 - 1 halfway through the first period.

[SciFiFisher]

The "Next Century" game just got underway. Leafs are hosting the Carolina Hurricanes. Dec. 19, 1917, the Toronto Arenas played against the Montreal Wanderers, in the first game of the Toronto franchise, the game had a 2 pm start. The Arenas would later become the Toronto St. Pats and when Conn Smythe bought the franchise, he would rename the team to Toronto Maple Leafs.

It may have been nice to see an "original six" match up for this game. I'm okay with the Leafs facing the Hurricanes. The Hurricanes started off as the New England then Hartford Whalers. At one point Dave Keon played for the Whalers, before that time, he was a Maple Leaf, winning four Cups with the team in the 60's. To this date he is the only Leaf to be awarded the Conn Smythe Award (1967 Stanley Cup). When Hartford joined the NHL, the Leafs did not reclaim Keon, he stayed on in Hartford, sometimes playing on a line with Howe and Hull.

For the game this afternoon the Leafs are wearing Arenas jerseys and are currently leading the game 2 - 1 halfway through the first period.

What a neat bit of history trivia. Today is also the anniversary of the publication of "A Christmas Carol" by C. Dickens. It was first published in 1843.

[Parrothead]

JVR scored the Leafs' third goal of the game, it happened to be the 20,000th goal for Toronto, since that game 100 years ago. Leafs won this afternoon's game, 8 - 1.

[Thumper]

Yeah, thanks for the history. I actually, embarrassingly did not remember that the Whalers turned into the Hurricanes. I had just moved from New Haven to Cbus when Howe was playing for the Whalers.

[Parrothead]

LOL! Just saw highlights from tonight's Leafs game, Sharks in town. Early on Joe Thorton got into it with Nazam Kadri. During the altercation, Kadri had got a hold of Thorton's beard, a big clump of it, got left behind on the ice.

[Thumper]

Ouch. I guess why I keep mine shaved close.