OFFICIAL HOCKEY THREAD: NHL, KHL, NCAA, IIHL

[DeadsetAce]

That's one bar I'll never go to.

DSA: Brooklyn Summer is on point for the weather. Porch Rocker too.

Tried a Magners yesterday. Man card revoked. Tastes like apple juice.

Not to sidetrack...I tried Cherry Wheat for the first time last weekend. I'm not a Sam Adams guy but I had to go back to the deli and buy the other two sixers that were left so good.

magners can be refreshing as hell on a hot day. when i lived in NYC, would be at the bar early for Arsenal games. i'd have a magners if it was before noon.

a half guinness, half cherry wheat is

 

[Bad Religion]

Should have a beer playoff. One beer from every 16 team's city. See who wins.

 

[jjs07]

Hradek from NHLN also asked why the finger is pointed at Torts and not the GM.

1 ECF in 13 yrs under his watch... all his moves that never panned out... but , Fire the coach. :x

That is a good question...not sure why Sather still has a job...

Sean Avery's take:

The last time we heard from former Rangers forward and super-pest Sean Avery regarding the NHL, he was making some noise on Twitter back in March asking New York to fire its "clown" of a coach after a 3-0 loss to Montreal because the players would no longer play for him

Rest of Article in Link

SA Cherry Wheat is ridiculously delicious. Had it for the first time last year at some beer garden in Astoria.

Also, what's the difference between Magners and Woodchuck?

 

[champcruthik]

Shots fired, Fraij?

DSA: Call that a Black Cherry. Also like the Black and Blue (with Blue Moon).

Empire: First good idea I've heard from a Canucks fan.

J's: I've only tried each one time, and my initial reaction is Magners taste like straight up apple juice (apple cider). Woodchuck had a slightly more beer taste. Again, I have to drink both more than once to better judge.

 

[jjs07]

Shots fired, Fraij?

DSA: Call that a Black Cherry. Also like the Black and Blue (with Blue Moon).

Empire: First good idea I've heard from a Canucks fan.

J's: I've only tried each one time, and my initial reaction is Magners taste like straight up apple juice (apple cider). Woodchuck had a slightly more beer taste. Again, I have to drink both more than once to better judge.

Might give Magners a try this weekend.

Got some Guinness in my fridge...going 1/2 & 1/2 w/ cherry wheat sounds really good.

 

[dmxfury]

I'm in for a beer tourney. Let's set one up after the Cup

 

[champcruthik]

All I've got is Yuengling at the moment, unfortunately.

Making a beer run soon for Sammy Porch Rocker, Sam Summer, and Sam Cherry.

 

[proshares]

I definitely will try the Black Cherry this weekend, that sounds insanely delicious.

Had it for the first time last year at some beer garden in Astoria.

That beer garden is the ****.

The two deli's around my way always have a nice rotation of beer. I might stop by today and pick up a couple sixers. I've been having Dogfish IPA lately which has been hitting the spot.

 

[DownByLaw]

Should have a beer playoff. One beer from every 16 team's city. See who wins.

Would you burn down your city if you make it to the finals and lost?

 

[Bad Religion]

You can do better than that.

And I dont live in Vancouver. Cost of living + horrific hipster scene + high sales tax + homeless people? No thanks. But fun place to visit.

However, I'd put Granville Island up against any beer.

www.gib.ca/beer

 

[champcruthik]

Pro: For Dogfish, 60, 90, or 120?

 

[stillin729]

Pro: For Dogfish, 60, 90, or 120?

120 IPA is like RIP

 

[stillin729]

Y'all need some Dogfish Head Festina Peche

 

[champcruthik]

I'm about that 120 life.

Ever try Double Bag or Triple Bag?

 

[DeadsetAce]

I'm about that 120 life.

Ever try Double Bag or Triple Bag?

never had the 120. a few 90s has me wobbling a bit

 

[True Blues]

Cherry Wheat is the truth. I smuggle cases of that stuff across the border like Capone.

And I don't know if you Americans can get it down there, but try Cameron's Cream or Dark if you get a chance.

 

[stillin729]

I'm about that 120 life.

Ever try Double Bag or Triple Bag?

I haven't but I've def had 120 and I stumbled my *** home lol

 

[champcruthik]

NT Hockey/Beer Summit. All in.

 

[solemate96]

Western Conference Finals match-up: Kings vs. Blackhawks

Offense (LA Kings): I see the Kings as the west coast version of The Bruins. Some stars on the team with a good majority of role players who know what they're doing. LA needs to do what they did last year: Skate, hit, wreak havoc near the goaltender, put pressure on the defenseman when they retrieve the puck and just play hard-nosed hockey.

They can definitely light it up but only if Kopitar starts to really light it up and be their David Krejci.

Offense (Chicago Blackhawks): Star-studded talent on their top two lines. Patrick Kane has been getting some flack because he's not scoring but he's been playing good and only good. We all know that he can step it up to very good or really good. He needs to initiate more and use his stick handling skills to get into the zone. The Kings have enough good players that will irritate Jonathan Toews. If this happens again, expect another 6 PIM a game for #19.

The role players need to step it up. The games I watched in the regular season, guys like Saad, Oduya, Bolland, Stalberg were contributing respectively. I don't hear those names as much. If Kane starts to slack off and Toews is either in the sin bin or making faces, expect the Kings to take advantage.

Advantage: Blackhawks

Defense: (LA Kings): The Kings backbone is their defense led by the offensively minded former fat boy Drew Doughty. I think when Doughty is really serious, he is one of the best defenseman in the NHL. Right-handed, fast, good puck skills, defends well. He is a top 2 defenseman in any league. Doughty must lead by example and be the captain on the point so the other rearguards will defend their zone but jump into the rush when needed to. I expect a pretty good series for the defenseman on both sides. I also can see Slava Voynov chipping in and being Doughty's Robin to his Batman.

Defense: (Chicago): After putting Seabrook back with Keith, it gave Seabrook his security blanket that needed. I'm not saying that Seabrook is bad but he is more a complementary D guy than being the main component. Keith is their top defenseman and we all know that. Giving Seabrook that reliability knowing that Keith can surely handle his own on 2 on 1's is good for him.

Once again, I feel this can be a good series for the defensemen. Johnny Oduya and Nicklas Hjalmarsson are very solid defensemen that anybody would like to have as a top 4/top 6. I was watching something on NHL.Com where it was the "Small Plays" of the game of something and #4 was honored for it. He didn't get credited with an assist but he was the one that started the play to Handzus in the neutral zone for that tic-tac-toe goal by Sharp. He has that ability to move the puck up the ice and expect #4 to do good things.

Advantage: Blackhawks

Goaltending (LA Kings): Hands down. The best goalie in the Final Four. Quick has been playing amazing and he is the reason why the Kings are in the WCF. If it wasn't for him, there would be no possible repeat.

Goaltending: (Chicago): The two-headed monster of Crawford/Emery is now just one. Crawford is a goalie that I feel is those one-hit wonder goalies but just a little bit better. A James Reimer kind of goalie (sorry Leafs fans). He had a very good season a few years ago, got a good contract and then did not so well. I feel he has having a good year is because of how well Chicago has played all season in front of him. He also had Emery who didn't miss a beat when he was starting so the rest was there for Crawford as well. He has that ability to steal games but he does not have the ability to steal 4 games because of the person manning the pipes on the other side of the ice.

Advantage: Kings

Winner: Blackhawks in 6

 

[solemate96]

Eastern Conference Finals: Bruins vs. Penguins

Offense (Penguins): Probably the most anticipated match-up of the Final Four. Pittsburgh can light the lamp at anytime. If you were like me and played hockey video games, you would go into the roster management section and trade Crosby for Chris Kelly. This whole lineup consists of All-Stars everywhere or legitimate players.

Sidney Crosby. Hands down the best player in the NHL right now. Quick, smart, lethal. He is the player that you build around. He is the Steve Nash of the NHL. He gives people contracts that they do not deserve because he makes them better. Most likely, Chara is going to be defending Crosby but Crosby is too deceptive and good. And if Chara is not on the ice at any given time, expect Crosby and his linemates to make noise.

Playing second fiddle is Malkin. Who anybody would take with their first selection. Malkin is fast and has some sweet hands. Playing with two big bodies like Iginla and Neal benefits Malkin like Krejci does with Horton and Lucic. He can take chances because he knows that they will stick up for him or they will just plant their butts right in front of the blue paint. Neal had a career year when he came to Pittsburgh and was on a line with Malkin.

Offense (Boston): My hometown team. We can play up to our offensive standards or we can crap the bed and not score anything. Somebody poked Milan Lucic because he is playing like how he is supposed to play. Skating, hitting and punishing defensemen when he is around the net. Lucic has not been producing as much but we need Lucic to be feared when he is on the ice. Krejci needs to act like Crosby 2.0 and keep leading the league in points and Horton needs to be that third important piece to that line by chipping in timely goals or dirty goals.

Patrice Bergeron. Selke nominee and what a ******g class act. This guy bails out everybody when they're in a bind. He is the most underrated player in the league because he doesn't the play the game flashy, he just plays it right. This lines first goal is stop Crosby/Dupuis/Kunitz and then score second. Defense wins championship and Bergeron must be the anchor to stopping their top line. The Bergeron line is my X-Factor. If Seguin starts to pick things up, expect him back up there with them. Marchand needs to keep being The Rat that he is.

The Merlot Line is going to be an important factor. They do not deserve to be called fourth liners as I consider them the third line now because our third line is something that does not need to be talked about. Paille needs to use his speed, Campbell needs to use his heart and get into the dirty areas and Thornton needs to provide his toughness when it is needed. If secondary scoring is to be had, I am looking at the Merlot Line to contribute.

Defense (Pittsburgh): One of my favorite defensemen in the league is Kris Letang. He looks like Doughty with his long hair and right handed shot and is offensively gifted. The East Coast Doughty. He can produce all by himself. It's no wonder he's a Norris candidate. The quarterback to the PP, Letang is a main component to what Pitt does to win this series. The forwards can easily pick the scoring slack but if Letang can use his heavy shot and skating to keep the Bruins on their heels, watch out. Letang will exploit you. I always liked it when Letang was paired with Orpik. If the coach can pair them back up, Letang will jump it in the rush each and every time. Orpik will be there waiting to hit somebody. That is when Kris is at his best.

Defense (Bruins): "Z" as we call him here. Tall, strong, a mountain. I have always felt Z has another gear to him. I know that he is afraid of hurting people because he is so strong but we need Chara to press that NOS button and blast off. I've seen him countless times basically give somebody a nudge but a person goes flying. I want Chara to hit somebody and they go flying across the ice. Zdeno can do this but sometimes he is too scared for his own good. He plays with a passion but he needs to play with intensity now. In Game 7 against the Leafs when they were down, you saw Chara jumping into the play, letting off his shot and also using his body by going down low and staying there! That led to a goal and I felt that was really important. Chara gives up his offensive stats because he has too much responsibility on defense but if he can be Incredible Hulk Chara rather than Winnie the Pooh Chara, expect the Penguin forwards to think twice of cutting into the slot.

Seidenberg, Boychuk and Krug are going to be very important as they will be tested against a very good Pittsburgh third line. I expect Seidenberg to be that defensively sound rearguard that I know him as and to play well since he is fully healed.

I expect Boychuk to play his defensive game and just block shots.

I do not expect Krug to be scoring goals in 4 out of 5 games but I can see him being the defensive scoring leader of the Bruins 6-pack. He is going to cool off a little bit but I expect some timely contributions on the PP from him if the Bruins play to their abilities.

Goaltending (Pittsburgh): Vokoun has stepped up nicely. The best thing to do is ride a hot goalie and that is what the Bruins did in 2011. Vokoun has been around the block and knows that he has an amazing team in front of him. If the 5 man unit breaks down defensively and he is getting overwhelmed, a quick switch to MAF can be called upon. Vokoun is an above-average goalie playing for an excellent team.

Goaltending (Boston): Two U's. Two K's and a whole lot of TUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK at the Gahden. After seeing Tim "The Flop Man" Thomas play, he is very comforting to watch. He is never out-of-position and he is so damn flexible. Rask is on to greener pastures and green Benjamin's come next year. If anything, Rask can outplay Vokoun and MAF combined and he needs to be the MVP of the ECF for the Bruins to advance.

Winner: Bruins in 7

 

[DeadsetAce]

NT Hockey/Beer Summit. All in.

Chicago is smack dab in the middle...we should all go there for it

 

[Bad Religion]

Is it safe? Kanye said 509 people died there.

 

[dmxfury]

I can easily do Chicago for a weekend...actually will be up there in early August


I'll post hockey stuff starting tomorrow

 

[jpzx]

Before the playoffs I put up $400 on the Blackhawks to win the Stanley Cup title to win 2 grand...

Would y'all hedge your bets and bet to win $400 on the Kings or the Penguins in the Finals?

Therefore, I can either just ride it out with the Blackhawks the entire way, or I could bet $400 on the Kings and then I'd either come out even or win like $1500 overall.

 

[DeadsetAce]

not that it means anything, but always fun to look at: