Hip Hop Hockey Hooray
Posted in Hockey by CujoJuly 14th, 2005 - 1:14 AM
Well now I’ve been watching TV, mostly TSN as well as Sportsnet and any other sports recap that I see talking about the end of the NHL lockout. I’ve been more focussing now on where players “might” end up. It’s like I’m already thinking strategy for the pool.
Then I saw the numbers for the draft lottery (summar) and became quite interested in where the “next superstar” might end up. The fact it’s a lottery and anyone has a chance is interesting and makes it wide open but a couple of situations appear to me which would make for some sweet combinations.
For a quick rundown the max number of balls you can have in the lottery is 3 and only 4 teams (out of 30) have this. These teams are PIT, CBJ, BUF, and NYR. A hefty 10 teams come in with 2 balls (two of them Canadian) and the remainder have 1. There will be a total of 48 balls in the lotto so best case odds are 6% and worst case odds are 2% — not really a big swing.
Now for the possible offensive explosion scenarios.
Situation 1: Columbus gets the first pick and takes Sidney Crosby. Now line him up with probably the best young goal scorer currently in the NHL in Rick Nash and it’ll be insane. That’d be some fun hockey to watch.
Situation 2 (the one I’d like ;)): Atlanta sneaks past the 4 teams with 3 balls and gets to pick first. Mr. Sidney Crosby meet Dany Heatley and Ilya Kovalchuk — the other two young top scorers in the NHL. Add to that lineup Marc Savard who had a breakout year the last time the NHL played and the boys in ATL might actually have something to play for. I think I’m the only one who likes them though but just picture that. They did break off the Heatley/Kovalchuk line to even things out etc but having Crosby in there with one or the other would be crazy.
Situation 3: One of the Canadian teams get to pick first. This would be nice if it happened in one of the smaller market locations such as Edmonton or Calgary just to breathe life back into those franchises. It’d be nice to see an Edmonton team dominate like the early to mid-eighties.
Another interesting tidbit about the draft this year is that they are snaking through the draft order. Basically this means that in round one they’ll pick 1-30 then in round two it’ll switch around to 30-1 then rinse, wash, repeat. It’s a new dynamic added to the draft which will make things interested.
If you can’t tell I’m geeking out over the season already. Anyone else with me?
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July 14th, 2005 at 9:53 am
I know you like hockey Curt, but my new found love these days is soccer. Go Celtic, they’ll take 1st in the Scotish Premier league.
July 14th, 2005 at 10:58 am
Thank God, now I have something to watch besides lawn darts. Speaking of lawn darts, did anyone catch who won the world championship this weekend?
July 14th, 2005 at 11:00 am
It could have been Lenny but it also might have been Carl, I forget who is who sometimes
July 14th, 2005 at 11:01 am
And Darcy, I understand the soccer, I played for 8 years until our beautiful fields did something nasty to my knees. However, I could never really watch a game on TV, although if nothing else was on I’d watch or maybe the World Cup.
July 14th, 2005 at 12:29 pm
Hockey = boo
July 14th, 2005 at 1:46 pm
Curt I was the typical Canadian kid and played ten years hockey, I watched it then, but Im a purist at heart and thats why i would’nt loose any sleep if the hockey lock out went on for another ten years. They are now changing the rules of the game to increase scoring by getting rid of the red line and having shoot outs after OT. The game has changed for the worse. I think the Rocket Richard is rolling over in his grave. If they want to increase scoring they should eliminate teams to increase the quality of the game. Less teams means only the best of the best will play which means more scoring.
Like all pro sports, its being promoted and marketed to attract people with low attention spans.
Keep it pure!!!!
July 14th, 2005 at 2:28 pm
Curt, I am behind you 100%! over the last year or two I have become a bit of a sports maniac, and right now the most exciting thing on some weekends is the LPGA. I read RSS feeds from Fox NFL…in July! nothing worth reading, but there I am, reading about TO and his latest demand for money because he is the best receiver in the game. My point is it is nice to have some new sports gossip to read and talk about. Although I am a little bitter at the NHLPA for being greedy (that is my simplified view of the entire lockout), I believe that it is mostly a symptom of the Union mindset - which worked when people were digging coal for 16hrs a day for 63 cents, but not when we are talking millions - that the lockout lasted as long as it did. This mindset tends to subjugate those whose opinions are more moderate in favour of the few who are more vocal and more extremist. I am pretty stoked about the salary cap, because if what it did for football is any indication, the teams just got a lot more evenly matched!
Please keep me in mind for this year’s hockey pool!
July 14th, 2005 at 3:10 pm
Both those comments are too lengthy for me to comment on because I forgot what they were talking about when I got to the botton. Now it makes me think my posts are too long.
August 5th, 2005 at 9:35 pm
Hockey = Boo comment.
X Drill Sergeant says, ” Put on a pair of Skates there Buddy and we’ll see who eats the Boards.”
I remember the Olympic comments of, ” The Americans are not playing fair. They are so violent.” Ohh, I’m starting to weep. Go pick Pussy - Willows Frank - cine.
We play to win and the handshakes are for the losers.
Why shouldn’t the Players get paid ungodly amounts of money? Perhaps because it would undermine Basketball? Where is the modern suit of Gladiator Armor needed to protect the player in BB? The NBA Players get paid big bucks. So should the NHL. Dribble the Puck. Get out of here.
I’m outta here. See ya.
mike