2024-25 NHL regular season thread

[micropolitan guy]

They each played/have played in 1,487 games.

 

[JC]

@Cosmo when I allowed to post other stuff?

Can I start with Gretzky and his boy Trump and Kash Patel?

 

[Cosmo]

If you start with a kill your idols of any of your favorite athletes you're going to be pretty disappointed. I believe in separation of church and state. Ted Nugent is forking ass, but Stranglehold slays.

 

[MTM]

Gretzky changed when he was traded to the Kings and went Hollywood.
When he was still on the Oilers, I played in the Dodgers' celebrity baseball game: Stars vs. Media. We shared the same clubhouse. Since I was covering the Dodgers and also had covered the Kings, I introduced myself. He pulled up a chair for me and had a nice chat. When it was over, he said, "Next time the Oilers are in town come into our locker room and we can talk some hockey."
Then, after he was traded to the Kings, he continually blew off print and always went for the TV camera. The Kings had to add a second locker room, one for the gear, the other for their clothes. The second one was off-limits to the media. So, after games during the 10-minute cooling off period, the players had time to shed their gear and escape to the off-limits room. We'd come in and there were no players available -- except Tony Granato and Pat Conacher, who were always there. After he showered and dressed, Gretzky made a quick walk through the gear room, stopped for 5 minutes for a gang interview, then took off to greet his Hollywood friends who were waiting in the hallway.
One time, our other Kings writer (we shared the beat) arranged through the PR dept. to interview Gretzky after practice in Culver City. At the agreed-upon time, our writer was there, but a TV crew also was there for something else. Gretzky came out, saw the TV crew and took off with them, totally ignoring our writer.

This is from the celebrity game @ChrisLong referenced from 1983. I was an usher at Dodger Stadium and a couple coworkers wanted me to take them to the auxiliary clubhouse to meet Gretzky because "I knew him." (I had interviewed him after a Kings-Oilers game. To them that made us besties).
The Dodgers photographer was there and took this shot. When the Oilers were in town next, I reminded Wayne about that night and told him my colleagues were waiting by the bus and asked if he could sign the pictures for them. He couldn't have been more gracious.
This is my favorite piece of memorabilia.

 

[BYH 2: Electric Boogaloo]

If you start with a kill your idols of any of your favorite athletes you're going to be pretty disappointed. I believe in separation of church and state. Ted Nugent is forking ass, but Stranglehold slays.

The Damn Yankees records are forking great and they need to do one more tour

 

[I Should Coco]

The Damn Yankees records are forking great and they need to do one more tour

I remember their early 1990s tour — it happened amid the first Iraq war. Jack, Tommy and Ted each got the chance to do a couple of "their" songs in the middle of the set.

And of course Ted used a good chunk of his time to cuss out Saddam Hussein and rant about kicking some Arab ass.

 

[SoloFlyer]

It's obviously a huge milestone, but am I the only one who finds it completely bizarre to stop a game for a ceremony? And not just a quick video acknowledgement or something, but one complete with speeches that lasted nearly a half hour.

Just seems odd. Do it at the next home game or after the game.

 

[Cosmo]

I had heard it was going to be seven minutes. Clearly not the case. Don't disagree with your take here.

 

[Batman]

I suppose, 30 years from now when someone breaks Ovechkin's record, they'll take it under advisement.

 

[JC]

If you start with a kill your idols of any of your favorite athletes you're going to be pretty disappointed. I believe in separation of church and state. Ted Nugent is forking ass, but Stranglehold slays.

Well said.

 

[JC]

Ye

It's obviously a huge milestone, but am I the only one who finds it completely bizarre to stop a game for a ceremony? And not just a quick video acknowledgement or something, but one complete with speeches that lasted nearly a half hour.

Just seems odd. Do it at the next home game or after the game.

What should they have done?

 

[SoloFlyer]

What should they have done?

What I wrote at the end of my post. Have a ceremony after the game. Wait until the next home game.

The players coming off the bench or a natural standing ovation/video board display is one thing. But save the speeches and presentations for when there isn't an actual game going on.