2024-25 NHL regular season thread

Shoot, about what time period was that, List?

My earliest Norros recollection was the North Stars, Blues, Blackhawks and Red Wings, feels like there should be another?

And Detroit won maybe 10 games that season, like 84-85 or so? Maybe 85-86, before they hired Demers away from the Blues.

 

17 non-empty net goals allowed in 3 games … Avalanche have a serious goaltending problem again.

 

When they went from two to four divisions in 1974-75 they started using the names (Norris, Adams, etc.), presumably because conventional geographic names would have made no sense, seeing as how California was in one division with Boston, Buffalo, and Toronto, and Montreal, Los Angeles, and Washington were in another. Those divisions existed but were meaningless from 79-81 when they had a completely balanced schedule and seeded teams 1-16 for the playoffs. The Norris we knew and loved originated in 81-82; Winnipeg was originally a member, but moved to the Smythe when the Rockies became the Devils.

 

Old Time Hawkey is one of my favorite Instagram accounts

 

Toronto is that fifth team you're thinking of.
Highly recommend Jimmy Devallano's book (with Roger Lajoie) for an accounting of that time period.
He actually broke into the pro hockey biz as a birddog scout for the expansion Blues. Moved on to the Island and helped create the dynasty.
My understanding is his book is hard to find now. Terrific read, though. Best option might be an intra-library system loan program.

 

To me this was hockey when I got into the sport:

Adams
Bruins
Canadiens
Nordiques
Sabres
Whalers

Patrick
Capitals
Devils
Flyers
Islanders
Penguins
Rangers

Norris
Blackhawks
Blues
Maple Leafs
North Stars
Red Wings

Smythe
Canucks
Flames
Jets
Kings
Oilers

First two rounds of the playoffs were always in your division, which meant you hated those other teams on a level that ordinarily draws in UN peacekeepers.

 

I remember the scorn from that period, playing an entire regular season to keep 5 of the 21 teams out of the playoffs.

And I LOVED the hatred that the first 2 rounds of the playoffs brought. Play these teams all season long, then get a Canadiens-Nordiques, Islanders-Rangers, Blues-Blackhawks or Flyers-Anybody right away in the playoffs. I could sit and watch games in any of those series, no matter my allegiances.

 

One crazy thing about the playoffs back then is that for a few years in the 1980s the schedule in the first two rounds called for four games in five nights - back-to-back at the higher seed, a travel day, and then back-to-back again. In 1984 Minnesota, which lost in the conference final to Edmonton after their first two series went the full length (first round was best of 5 in those days), played 16 playoff games in a 28-day span. I can't imagine how drained the players must have been by then.

 

Quite an emotional pregame in Columbus tonight.
Tears here.

 

Lost it when Sean Monahan held Johnny's son.