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The Official 2012 NHL Stanely Cup Finals Thread: Part II

#623
MJ5150 said:
Don't be frontin'. Come correct. Grab yourself some Kings gear, find a favorite player (mine is Rob Scuderi), and represent.

-Mike
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I will...soon as I watch the game tonight, I'll pick out a player. From the highlights, I like the goalie. His name is Quick, like DJ Quik, and he seems to stop everything in his path.

I'm gonna get me a Kings jersey pretty soon...maybe I'll get a gheri curl and some gold jewelry, too. Complete the NWA look :p
 
#625
Whining about the Kings and Devils being low-seeded teams is pretty weak. Both teams have beaten much higher seeded teams to get where they are, so who is really the better team? The Kings have beaten ALL of the highest-seeded teams in the West, and not one of them even went to 6 games. The Devils convincingly beat the Rangers (top seed in the East) as their last step into the Finals.

As far as I can tell, every team in the NHL has the ability to beat any other team on a given day. The difference between teams isn't all that far apart. For example, late in the season, the Kings beat the Blues (best in the West, at the time), and then lost to Colombus (worst team in the NHL) in the next game.

The Playoffs are about who can play a small percentage better than their opponents most consistantly.

Does anyone really think the quality of play between the Kings and the Devils is somehow sub-standard because of their original seeded positions? It seems to me, I've been watching a lot of really great hockey.
 
#632
EricF said:
Whining about the Kings and Devils being low-seeded teams is pretty weak. Both teams have beaten much higher seeded teams to get where they are, so who is really the better team? The Kings have beaten ALL of the highest-seeded teams in the West, and not one of them even went to 6 games. The Devils convincingly beat the Rangers (top seed in the East) as their last step into the Finals.

As far as I can tell, every team in the NHL has the ability to beat any other team on a given day. The difference between teams isn't all that far apart. For example, late in the season, the Kings beat the Blues (best in the West, at the time), and then lost to Colombus (worst team in the NHL) in the next game.

The Playoffs are about who can play a small percentage better than their opponents most consistantly.

Does anyone really think the quality of play between the Kings and the Devils is somehow sub-standard because of their original seeded positions? It seems to me, I've been watching a lot of really great hockey.
Click to expand...

My beef is this, with the Salary cap being as hard and low as it is, the differences between the 8 and 1 aren't that great any more. And if any of the top seeds has a significant injury they're screwed. And my frustration is that many of the top seeds have done a great job developing talent with lower draft picks but because of the cap are unable to keep that talent when it matures. Now to answer your last question:

Yes, the Devils especially and in some ways the Kings play substandard Hockey. Neither team has great offensive playmakers (the Kings have some good ones) or great puck moving defenseman. In fact its almost painful to watch the Kings defenseman handle the puck. But in todays current NHL where interference and hooking is rarely called in the playoffs its hard for good offensive players to operate.

The winner of the playoffs for the most part is not the best team anymore, it is the team with the fewest injuries who play the most mistake free defensive hockey and have a lot of shot-blocking defenseman. Does anyone seriously believe either one of these teams will be in the finals next year?

But the thing I really don't like about it is it makes building a team a crap shoot. You can say get a great goalie, but besides Brodeur whose the last goalie that's put together 3-4 Vezina type seasons in a row?

The fact of the matter is parity makes for inconsistent mediocre hockey with teams full of rent a players and a few stars who don't play together enough to develop the chemistry of a great team.
 
#636
burk48237 said:
My beef is this, with the Salary cap being as hard and low as it is, the differences between the 8 and 1 aren't that great any more. And if any of the top seeds has a significant injury they're screwed. And my frustration is that many of the top seeds have done a great job developing talent with lower draft picks but because of the cap are unable to keep that talent when it matures. Now to answer your last question:

Yes, the Devils especially and in some ways the Kings play substandard Hockey. Neither team has great offensive playmakers (the Kings have some good ones) or great puck moving defenseman. In fact its almost painful to watch the Kings defenseman handle the puck. But in todays current NHL where interference and hooking is rarely called in the playoffs its hard for good offensive players to operate.

The winner of the playoffs for the most part is not the best team anymore, it is the team with the fewest injuries who play the most mistake free defensive hockey and have a lot of shot-blocking defenseman. Does anyone seriously believe either one of these teams will be in the finals next year?

But the thing I really don't like about it is it makes building a team a crap shoot. You can say get a great goalie, but besides Brodeur whose the last goalie that's put together 3-4 Vezina type seasons in a row?

The fact of the matter is parity makes for inconsistent mediocre hockey with teams full of rent a players and a few stars who don't play together enough to develop the chemistry of a great team.
Click to expand...

I respect your point of view, burk. I just don't agree with it.

From a fan's point of view, I think the fairly even levels of the teams is good for the sport. Every team has a chance to win it all in any given year. Three years ago, the Kings were one of the worst teams in the league. Their rise to their current position in the Finals is surprising, but they have been on an upward trajectory in the past two seasons. Somehow, between a new coach and a couple of new players, they've managed to find some magic when they needed it most. Whether this is the start of the Kings being a consistant top performer in the years to come is yet to be seen, but it's certainly possible.


As for last night's game, I thought it was an amazing goaltender duel. Brodeur and Quick were both tremendous. Henrique's game-winner off the inside of the post in the top corner was as good a shot as anyone could possibly make. It was a well-deserved win for the Devils.
 
#637
OK game last night. Wouldve been better the other way. I caught it at Upper West--an older crowd yuppie or would that be ocuppie restaurant/bar. Many cougars. It used to be the Alligator Lounge; this is where my former band played w Beck as mentioned in another thread. Boring story. The end.
 

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