2016 March Towards Lord Stanley's Cup

[bkm]

It's that time A gain Eh! As the season winds down we'll soon know which organ i zations will be in the playoffs and we can begin to make our predictions.

Go Blues!

[onformula1]

Go- Arizona Coyotes!... :lol:

[hublake]

Go somebody, I don't think it will be the Red Wings.

[El Camexican]

Go Blues!

Must be nice to have your favorite team as a contender...:( Guess I'm going to have to go with my default team again. Ladd on the ice makes it easier than ever this year.

Feel like doing last years thing with the points? Would be nice if we could get a few more guys to join in.

[bkm]

I would rather my team finish dead last than have to default to Chicago.
I'm down for our points bracket like last year. I know 86T3 will be down, maybe some of these other Jabroni's will join in the fun and games.

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[onformula1]

I would rather my team finish dead last than have to default to Chicago.
I'm down for our points bracket like last year. I know 86T3 will be down, maybe some of these other Jabroni's will join in the fun and games.

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Who you calling a Jabroni? :lol: Best I don't play, I know Scott Ferrall one call and I will have all the "Locks". :lol:

[86T3]

I haven't watched any hockey this year but I'll be in for sure. Captain Mexico, did you catch the Jets - Sabres game yesterday? Hudson Fasching, a rookie just out of college scored a goal on his first shot. Pretty cool stuff. Here's the call from the best announcer in the business. https://youtu.be/LEU0fLHNbgw

[Mr. Clean]

Count in this "jabroni"

[El Camexican]

I haven't watched any hockey this year but I'll be in for sure. Captain Mexico, did you catch the Jets - Sabres game yesterday? Hudson Fasching, a rookie just out of college scored a goal on his first shot. Pretty cool stuff. Here's the call from the best announcer in the business. https://youtu.be/LEU0fLHNbgw

No hockey, youtube or Google where I am at these days, but I saw the score. Who was in net for the Jets when he scored?

[bkm]

Hutchinson

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[El Camexican]

Hutchinson

Thanks. He may be moving this summer. Maybe we can trade him to the Sabers for another hand full of super stars?;)

[bkm]

I'm a huge Buff fan, but I wonder if he really has what it takes to be a true leader? He was young when he won with the Hawks and didn't need to be that guy. Now he needs to be that guy. I'd seriously kick the tires on him this off season and stockpile draft picks.

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[El Camexican]

I'm a huge Buff fan, but I wonder if he really has what it takes to be a true leader? He was young when he won with the Hawks and didn't need to be that guy. Now he needs to be that guy. I'd seriously kick the tires on him this off season and stockpile draft picks.

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We paid a lot of money to keep him for 2017. Him and Pavi got us into the playoffs last year almost on their own. He deserves at least one more year with us. The new kids that came up when Ladd left and the rest of the vets decided to nurse wounds are exciting to watch. I just hope Wheeler and Buff still have enough rubber left on their tires by the time the kids are ready to be contenders. I'll be renewing my NHL TV subscription next year for sure.

If they can outlast the Hawks I promise to cheer for your boys the rest of the way, but not till then.

[bkm]

I just question his work ethic at times. Seems like he takes a few nights off here and there.

I do like the young guns on the Jets. Next year is going to be exciting for you guys.

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[El Camexican]

Start thinkin' about your picks boys! :Bounce:Bounce:Bounce I'll have the pairings up ASAP.

Here's a little Zoolander style hockey jam to get ya goin! Kind of makes me glad I don't need to grow a beard this year... not:cry:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzhSpdPqexY

Lots of slow motion shots, I guess they wanted the Americans to be able to keep up with the action ;)

[keister]

I had all but given up on the Pens this season..... til Malkin got hurt and they won 5 straight.
Then the goalie got hurt, now they have won 13 of 14, I think.

Pens also wait until they are 2-3 goals down before they start playing.
My team is either a house of cards or the hottest team in the NHL on a cakewalk to the finals.

But, the Pirates are 3-0, and my attention often turns elsewhere in April.

[Mr. Clean]

So my bolts are in the playoffs again. Last year I definitely felt they were ready for the post season and were carrying good momentum from the regular season. This year it feels more like they backed in and are not on their A game.

Looking forward to ElCamexianhockeygurupostingpairingspost.

[bkm]

Blues and Hawks most likely this year. You east coast guys should tune in to see what real hockey looks like for a change eh!

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[El Camexican]

I had all but given up on the Pens this season..... til Malkin got hurt and they won 5 straight.
Then the goalie got hurt, now they have won 13 of 14, I think.

Pens also wait until they are 2-3 goals down before they start playing.
My team is either a house of cards or the hottest team in the NHL on a cakewalk to the finals.

But, the Pirates are 3-0, and my attention often turns elsewhere in April.

Baseball can wait, call a time out. You can watch the Jays win later. Git yer Man on and play armchair hockey with us this year!

[bkm]

Yeah, you can watch paint dry after hockey is over.

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[bkm]

Start thinkin' about your picks boys! :Bounce:Bounce:Bounce I'll have the pairings up ASAP.

Here's a little Zoolander style hockey jam to get ya goin! Kind of makes me glad I don't need to grow a beard this year... not:cry:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzhSpdPqexY

Lots of slow motion shots, I guess they wanted the Americans to be able to keep up with the action ;)

I had tears after watching this. Great vid. lol

[El Camexican]

I'll be you had some wet eyes after tonight's game too. Those OT winning passes were wild! You're boys are looking good!:beer

[bkm]

I'll be you had some wet eyes after tonight's game too. Those OT winning passes were wild! You're boys are looking good!:beer
50 minutes of watching them skate in quicksand and almost falling asleep, to needing an oxygen tank during the last 15 minutes. Elliott is playing the greatest hockey of his career and Statsny is finally the guy they thought they were getting three years ago, then you have the #91 kid who just might turn out to be a player in this league. lol

During that O.T. goal, Seabrook fell down in front of the net facing right at Tarasenko. I was hoping he would say, screw the empty net goal and wind up with a 100mph slap shot right to Seabrook's face. I would have even been fine with Chicago marching down the ice and scoring after that.

[El Camexican]

Unfortunately I didn't watch the game, was working and listening to the Jets/Sharks goalfest, I just pulled it up for the OT after I saw the final score. How did Ladd play? (please try to be objective):)

[keister]

Baseball can wait, call a time out. You can watch the Jays win later. Git yer Man on and play armchair hockey with us this year!

OK, I'm in, but you'll have to explain. Maybe I didn't follow these threads in past years. Clue me in.

[El Camexican]

HOW THIS WORKS:

Basically you try to gather points by picking winners in an epic internal struggle between your head and your heart. It helps to not have a team in the mix, so you can remove your heart from the equation and make educated wild guesses. Don’t worry if you haven’t kept up with hockey this season, or even if you don’t know anything about hockey, because the only thing that’s certain in these games is that anything can and will happen before the Cup is awarded. Those who are totally clueless as to the history of ice hockey are invited to Google Lord Stanley’s Cup. It is the oldest professional sports prize in modern times. There are even books written about its history. Some believe that the real Cup isn’t even allowed into public and speculate that there are multiple copies in existence.

The points are awarded as follows:

I will post a list of pairings for each round. Participants will copy paste and post the list as well as type in a winner and how many of the scheduled 7 games they feel it will take for their pick to get to 4 wins.

The first round awards 1 point for picking a winner and 1 point for picking how many games it took the selected team to win the series. Max points for the first round is 16
The second round awards 2 points for picking a winner and 2 points for picking how many games it took the selected team to win the series. Max points for the second round is 16
The third round awards 4 points for picking a winner and 4 points for picking how many games it took the selected team to win the series. Max points for the third round is 16
The final awards 8 points for picking the winner and 8 points for picking how many games it took the selected team to win the series. Max points for the second round is 16

Whoever has the most points at the end wins. The prize this year is pride and satisfaction in knowing that your wild guesses were better than everyone else’s.

During the series you may feel to tease, mock and torment the other participants as their picks flounder and fail. This in no way makes you a bad person, or generates residual bad blood outside of this thread. We are big boys and ice hockey, outside of spleen rupturing, kidney bruising, rib cracking, tooth loosening hits is a gentleman’s sport not unlike chess or Scrabble.

[bkm]

Unfortunately I didn't watch the game, was working and listening to the Jets/Sharks goalfest, I just pulled it up for the OT after I saw the final score. How did Ladd play? (please try to be objective):)
Solid, missed a penalty shot towards the end of the 3rd period.

[bkm]

I still wish Seabrook would have taken vulcanized rubber to the face.

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[El Camexican]

There's a rumour going around that Ladd may be looking to play in WPG next year. I guess his agent may have realized that he's not Steve Austin. Regardless, I'm hoping that's not where we spend our money. We need to ink Scheifele and the new kids are one game away from our first West coast sweep and our longest win streak of the season:w00t:

I'm not sure some of them own razors.

[bkm]

If Dallas loses tomorrow and the Blues win, they'll be in first overall and will end up playing the Wild. I actually prefer to come out of the Gate and Kick Chicago right in the teeth to get that monkey off their back. The Blues have to be willing to take liberties with Chicago before their goons do it to them, which they most certainly will.

I miss hockey plays that play on the Edge, some call it dirty, but I don't give a damn. This game is just as much mental as it is physical. If you get into the other teams kitchen, you've all but won the battle and the war is yours for the taking.

As a young goaltender growing up, I studied guys like Ron Hextall and even further back Billy The Slasher Smith. The crease was mine, and I'd work the back of those legs like a lumberjack. If you were subtle enough you would get a guy so pissed he'd turn around and two hand you and end up in the box. Mission accomplished.

[El Camexican]

I'll be pulling for the Blues if they end up against the Wild. They fall into the same category as the Ducks and Montreal for me.

I was never a goalie per say, but when ours is a no show I'm the guy that puts on the rental gear and risks bacterial infection. I figure any ice within the radius of my fully extended stick is mine; "Trespassers will be maimed".

You're right to want the Hawks first. They'll go on auto pilot towards that Cup if they get through the first round. You want them before they get to cruising altitude.

[bkm]

They almost lost to Nashville last year in the first round and just like you said, made it to the second round and hoisted the cup.

I miss playing so bad, none of my stuff fits anymore. I played at least one game week for about 15 years and then just stopped one day and still can't tell you why I did. I started as a defenseman because I loved the physical play so much, but I was so slow I'd have to maul guys to keep them from getting around me. So after spending more time in the box or bench than on the ice, I decided that I wanted to try goaltending and fell in love. Not to mention it's the safest place on the ice. In an age of "Standup" style goal tenders, I played very unorthodox/helter skelter/ whatever the hell it took to stop the puck, kinda style. I drove the coaches crazy and actually quit playing organized hockey because they wanted me to play their style, and I wanted to play mine. So pick-up hockey it was for the rest of my playing days. House teams and rec leagues were always looking for tenders, so there was never a shortage in playing time. Hell sometimes I'd play a double header of 4 hours straight hockey. Now I can barely walk up the steps with the laundry without being winded.

I wonder how those coaches adapted to todays "Butterfly" style that's all the rage?

[El Camexican]

I miss it too, haven't played for a year. I have photos of me skating before I was 2 in our back yard. Played organized hockey from 8 to 12. Always defense. I was small, but no one skated backwards like me and I LOVED to hit (till they implemented poke checking and no hitting) Our hick country team went undefeated when I was 11 and won a few inner city tournaments that year. We got noticed and hockey politics did it's thing. Our best guys parents were sold promises of stardom and in some BS way they ended up being eligible to play on the other side of town. Our rink was ineligible for a tier III 12 year old team because of our previous years success, so my folks had to drive me 10 miles north to try our for a tier II team made up mainly of last years rivals.

I was the shortest kid by 10 inches and both coaches hated my dad (he coached us the year before). I was the last cut and knew it was coming long before they called my name patted my ass. So I ended up on a tier IIII (house league) team playing on frozen fields in many of the towns the current stars of the NHL were born in. It SUCKED! I was the fastest kid on the ice and hated it. As a position minded D I refused to score goals and would carry to the blue line, dump the puck and watch the other kids falling over themselves trying to reach it. My coach must have been doing community service rather than pay a fine, there was no other explanation for his presence, but he may have had a nephew on the team. I stopped playing a few games into the season. Played a little floor hockey (goal) and some Spongee (look it up) after that, but nothing a smoker couldn't do with beer in the Gator Aid bottle.

Fast forward 28 years. Fat smoker seeks life change. They opened a rink here and I dropped the smokes and picked up a stick. Played for 9 years against 18 year old and ups in various league structures. The worse being the university league. At 49 I can't keep up with these kids! One of them got a tryout with the Stars a few years back! I was taking half a dozen Advils a day for breakfast. It was out of hand, at one point a week would included refing 3 games, coaching 3 sessions of 12 and unders, practicing with my team twice and paying a game against a university aged team and all to have my paint scratched and have parents bitching about ice time and asking me to tie skates for their 3rd generation entitled offspring "because my chauffer isn't as good at it as you are"

My knees are shot, my body is trashed, it's a young mans game. The way my body feels I don't know if I can even tell a parent that they should put their son into it anymore. My daughter seems to have lost interest, so I'm happy about that, particularly knowing that the girls teams here are almost 100% carpet cleaners.

Couch hockey baby! That's where it's at for me these days!!!

[bkm]

Yep, my back is shot, knees kill me, and hard telling how many undiagnosed concussions I actually had since those are all the rage these days, but I wouldn't change a second of it looking back. I was just an average goalie, just a guy who loved playing a position that 99 percent of sane people wouldn't and didn't, think twice about doing. But man, if it's not the best damn game on this earth, I don't know what is.

[bkm]

Man this thread is bringing back some memories. Lol

My buddy Joey and I were by far the youngest of our pick-up crew that played roller hockey. We started playing with his older brother who was 19-20 at the time and we were maybe 15 at the most.

Every Saturday for 5 years or more we rented Ron's Roller World in South St. Louis City. It was rough on a good day, a real dirt leg heaven.

We were truly boys playing among men in what we called "Thunder Dome" hockey. The guy running the place only had one rule, "you fawkers clean the blood". Before every game we'd meet at center and agree to play hard, but clean. Fights were a go, as long as both were willing combatants, or the other was quickly persuaded in becoming a dance partner. Heavy hits were legal and deliberate stick work above the waist would result in a two or three person beat down. It was stuff dreams were made of to be honest.

So I tell my old man, Joey and I have been called up to the big leagues and are getting a chance to play with the big boys. So my old man tells me, "remember, if you want to fight with a man, you better be willing to get your asse beat like one, and if you drop the mits and get pounded, don't come crying to me." Sure dad.lol

Sure enough the first game they have two goalies so I'm Scott Stevens roaming the blue line. Or so I thought.

I was maybe 5-10 140lbs, but played heavier. There was a guy maybe 25-30 years old about the same size as me and skated with his head down the whole time. He came dangling across the blue line and I lined his asse up and delivered the sweetest shoulder to chest hit a guy could imagine. The poor trailprotrailprotrailprotrailprotrailprotrailprotr ailpro exploded right there and his buddies were dogging him for getting hammered by a kid.

Two shifts later we're lined up on a face off and he looks at me asks if I want to go. Well hell yes. I just knocked this dude into next week with a text book body check, if I beat his asse I'm instantly promoted to Rock Star status and an instant Ron's Roller World legend.

So we drop them and square off right there. He commences to tie up my right arm and drive me into the ground like a railroad spike. Game, Set, Match, lights out kid.

Bloodied my nose and cut me over the left eye. I folded up like a cheap suit. I got home and dad asked how'd it go? I said, man dad I took a mean spill into the end boards and bashed my head. Lol

Ten years later I finally had the courage to tell him the real story, he stopped me before I even started and said, "I knew you got your ass beat the second you walked through the door" hahaha.

Hockey is a very humbling sport and to quote Doc Emrick "Hockey can be very hard on those whose hearts are in it but whose hands are not"

Alright, enough strolling down memory lane, I could sit here and talk stupid for days about hockey, let's get to the playoffs.

El, are you going to make a new thread so it's not all jacked up with my has been hockey tales?

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[El Camexican]

El, are you going to make a new thread so it's not all jacked up with my has been hockey tales?

Can if you want. Could call it the 2016 Stanley Cup 3 Mason Challenge or something else that might draw in the window shoppers. I'd like to see at least 10 guys in it this year. I may send out PM's to the Canadian guys that haven't been on in a while like, Jason, LordLetto and DougSPC, maybe the boys out West will join in too if pestered?

Hey Billy, how about a free trike for the winner complete with Canadian side reflectors?:naughty: That'll draw em in!