2018-19 NHL thread

Best NHL fight I ever saw live was Craig Berube against Basil McRae at Maple Leaf Gardens

 

August 2025
St. Louis area
Kindergarten roll call

Gloria Adams
Ryan Brown
Gloria Burns
Gloria Cook
Jordan Edwards
Gloria Engel
Jaden Jones
Gloria Larsen
Gloria Matthews
Gloria Patrick
Ryan Patrick
Vladimir Richards
Gloria Stevens
Gloria Thompson
....

 

Somebody tweeted on FB last night -- facetiously -- about how the big, physical teams have become obsolete. It was also pointed out that Washington won last year as a rugged, not overly speedy, team. That's what I've been wondering for a few weeks. All the fast teams left early. Does it take one style (fast) to succeed in the regular season, and a different style (physical) to succeed in the postseason?

 

Ish. Washington has tons of skill, much more than STL. I think it takes high quality D, Blues have that in spades. I think theres something to the battle tested road, Blues beat some real loaded heavy teams out West and Boston kind of had a walk. Columbus was heavy but that was basically two months ago by now

 

All born in March 2020.

 

Conn Smythe voting. O'Reilly received 13 of a possible 18 first place votes. Binnington got the rest.

PHWA Conn Smythe Trophy ballots: O'Reilly's win

 

Washington won because of skill and speed and happened to be big as well. Boston was not an overly big aggressive team.

But the fact that the people in the nhl and their broadcast partners think it is somehow acceptable to have completely different standards between regular season and the playoffs says all you need to know about this league.

 

With two first time champions, it’s obvious that the league is going downhill to the noobs.

 

To some extent, that happens in the NBA playoffs as well (obviously the amounts of physical contact vary wildly in the two sports. I believe it's due not just for the higher stakes, but because you play the same opponents over and over. This breeds resentments.

 

If the officiating was held to a proper standard than skill and speed would still flourish. There’s no doubt that players play harder and are willing to do more in the playoffs than the regular season, it’s when the rules change that a guy like Patrick Maroon is all of sudden lauded as key player that you have problems. It’s bush.

 

And to think the Dallas Stars took the Blues to overtime in Game 7 of the West semifinals. Don't know if that makes Stars fans proud or sick.