NHL 2014 Playoff talk, your predictions
 

The obvious choice this year is probably the Bruins, but there are a bunch of strong contenders that have just as much chance as anyone to win it all. The Kings for one. Blues have been sucking in their final run of games but they're a tough team nonetheless, and we all know that things change when it's the playoffs.

Ducks
Sharks
Habs?
Lightning?


Me, since the Jets didn't quite make the cut I think I'll go with my old standby the Blackhawks.


Thoughts?

I hate the fact we don't really have any channels which show NHL now. We used to have great coverage of it with live games on a couple of channels...

Living in the Tampa area itwould be great to see the Bolts do something. That being said? I'm from Boston so I will always be a Bruins fan so fuck the Habs..... ok the Habs. (closet Candiens fan, so shhh)

I predict the only people who care about fucking hockey are Canadians and cultists.

Yes, Hockey is a CULT.

Moving on...

translation: anyone who likes anything that I don't like is a CULT! WAAAAHHHH I'M A GIGANTIC BABY!!!



Sharks look strong this year, blues have the best team but they are banged up a lot, which is part of the reason they didn't finish strong.

i am thinking the top 4 will be Boston/ pitts and Chi/ana With a Boston Chicago Final

Western Finals
Ducks vs BlackHawks / BlackHawks win

Eastern Finals
Bruins vs Penguins / Penguins win

Finals
Blackhawks vs Penguins / Penguins win

I forget sometimes just how great we Canadians have it when it comes to sports channels. TSN and CBC do a smashing job of covering the playoffs. During the regular season there's a game on their regular channels just about every night of the week. Sportnet also shows some games. And if you are a complete psycho hockey junkie you can order the NHL Center Ice package which nets you ALL the regular season games + playoffs, although I have no clue how anyone can watch 6 to 8, sometimes TEN games per night every night of the damn week.

Last year I recorded (PVR'd, DVR'd, whatever) every single playoff game and fast-watched them all. I don't think I'll do that this year. The Jets didn't make it and I'm a bit bumbed, but very much stoked for next year. I'm hoping they retain the services of Paul Maurice, because with him at the wheel they could very well be a contender. They certainly played like it in the latter part of this season.


Re: Habs --- for those that don't know, Montreal is the ONLY Canadian-based team to make the playoffs this year. Once they're out it's just those Canadian-player-loaded American teams that has the shot. Does that mean I as a good Canadian should root for the Habs? :D

Boston-Chicago finale would be awesome. If it went to a game 7, that would be the most awesome of all possible awesomeness.

This just in from my dad: "Nup, Chicago won't win, they've got too many guys out (injured)"

My response to him was: That's what everyone said the year they did win the cup. And every team is banged up to some degree, but the Blackhawk organization has a huge amount of depth to it, more than most I'd wager. They have as much of a shot as any of the top teams, believe me.


No, I think I'll stick with them as my prediction of choice. Several of their top guys are from Winnipeg, sorry Habs but must go with my heart in spite of the fact my Dad is from Montreal originally.

I'm a bad son. :(

First round

http://i.imgur.com/ZjZwp5ml.png

Sharks!!!!!

Close. LOL I would quantify professional wresting and golf as cults, too. But of all the major sports Hockey has the least number of fans, ratings, revenue, etc. In fact, in the New York City area, where I live, there's only an estimated 400k hockey fans around, in an area of 20+ million. So yeah, cult status sorry. LOL

Go Rangers! :D

of course I am always going to route for my sharks but the blue jackets I think are going to be the surprise team.

Go Wild!
:thumbsup

http://6.media.tumblr.com/mwiGYeYjik...h18Qo1_400.png

Sharks!!! +1

:stoned

ADG

blackhawks for the win :thumbsup:thumbsup:thumbsup

Not in NYC. Maybe in east bumfuck or Toronto. LOL

All I know is hockey players get the HOTTEST chicks so fuck them man. Haha!! :)

Black and Teal! lets do this!

The Blues are my pick to take it this year

Rarely watch Hockey but gotta go BlackHawks :thumbsup

You must not have read the link.

Of the 15 NHL teams that average at least 100% capacity, among them are teams in:

New York
Detroit
Chicago
Philly
Pittsburgh
Boston
Washington DC
San Jose
Lost Angeles

Not really bumfuck nowhere.

The NHL doesn't get the TV ratings the other sports get, but they sell more tickets than the NBA.

As a Pens fan I would love to see this scenario play out. The Pens are getting healthy at just the right time. I hope they can make another run.

I see Blues-Bruins final if Blues can get healthy. Blackhawks-Bruins if they can't.

damn my team NJD didn't passed on play offs? shit...

if i can predict good i would be millionare!

I have the Pens taking the east, and the Avs taking the west.

Ducks - Pens final, with Cup for Teemu & Koivu.

Anyone ready to change their prediction yet? :D


Tons of incredible plays already in these playoffs, but I have to that move that Datsyuk made through the neutral zone in game 2 against the Bruins was unbelievable. Magic on ice right there. The announcer that is positioned between the two benches said he overheard guys on both benches saying stuff like "Are you KIDDING ME?" as the play unfolded. Datsyuk's goal at the end of it was a sniper's dream.

Ha ha, yup. *sharks fans* oye!



Btw, I heard the guy that pulled that stick to the crotch maneuver the other day got a $25,000 dollar fine.

You live in Winnipeg and you're a sharks fan? Killer!

:banana

You have American handegg (sports which is played basically in one country) broadcasting in Scotland, but not serious international sport such as hockey? :)

Strange journalism, they compare capacity percentages instead of actual numbers of how many people attended :helpme

By the way - what is the ticket pricing for NHL vs NBA? Maybe NHL tickets are cheaper?

I have the Same issue where I live. Comcast has not fully updated the area to digital, there fore we only get a few Center Ice channels and no NHL network :(

Makes for a sad day when we cant watch the Memorial cup, or anything else besides local teams, and national broadcast.

Tampa Bay!

Bahahahhaaahaa Penguins - short memories, Boston swept you in the most thorough and humiliating way possible just a year ago. Nothing's changed, move along and fire the overrated coach and get a goaltender. There's nobody in the East in the Bruin's league tho Cary Price could steal a series for the Habs against the Bruins.

The West is stacked as always, it's too soon for the Avs but they are going to be the next great hockey team, their young talent is ridiculous, at least 2-3 Cups in the next decade unless the salary cap destroys them. Hawks, Blues, Sharks and Ducks are pretty much equal, so what's likely to happen again is a team will come out of the West exhausted and battered to meet the Bruins.

Nothing in sports better than the 1st round of the Stanley Cup playoffs!

another sharks fan here

Slightly better explanation here:

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/puck-d...0461--nhl.html

NHL is higher than NBA in both capacity and attendance numbers.

NHL tickets are on average more expensive than NBA.

People need to get over comparing the NHL to the NBA, NFL and soccer. ESPN barely mentions the league anymore since they no longer own any broadcasting rights and NHL fans get pissed off about it, needlessly. Hockey has millions of fans in Canada, the US, Russia, Finland, Sweden and Czech, good enough! The United States has 330 million people, most of them will never be hockey fans because they're not exposed to playing it, kids grow up with basketball and football as part of their lives. Unless somebody is going to build a ton of expensive ice rinks in every corner of the US hockey will remain a niche regional sport - which is great, I like that about it, it IS 'the coolest sport on earth'.

That said the NHL really has to do something to increase scoring, of all the leagues the NHL is the least progressive, run by dinosaurs. If I were a multi billionaire I'd start up a new league playing 4 on 4 hockey. It's exciting as hell, pond hockey with hitting.

There are idiots in the US sports media who marginalize hockey, saying it doesn't really deserve to be included in this imaginary '4 major pro sports' class.

I think in this day and age websites are about the best indicator and Alexa shows the NHL absolutely belongs. For all the people who hate Gary Bettman, and that seems like every NHL fan - the man has done a fantastic job, the owners winning the lockout season did the sport a world of good.

NBA.com Global Rank 360

http://traffic.alexa.com/graph?w=340...9999&u=nba.com

MLB.com Global Rank 594

http://traffic.alexa.com/graph?w=340...9999&u=mlb.com

NFL.com Global Rank 741

http://traffic.alexa.com/graph?w=340...9999&u=nfl.com

NHL.com Global Rank 830

http://traffic.alexa.com/graph?w=340...9999&u=nhl.com

Cool, thanks for the normal article :thumbsup

One more thing - what about TV, could it be that NHL is shown less on TV and that is why fans must go to arenas?
I am taking this idea from Mutts post about espn not broadcasting it etc.

The NHL is widely available on television through cable, satellite and now Internet. It's always been said that of all sports hockey needs to be seen live, to appreciate the speed and the hitting, it's also always been said that it doesn't translate well to television and there was/is some truth to that. People always mention that they can't see the puck, it's small. I don't agree with that so much, you often in football don't see the path of the ball through the air or see it in the hands of the running back carrying it, same for baseball and golf.

In a city like Chicago it's always been said there's 20,000 hockey fans and you can find them all in the seats attending the games. There's a little bit of truth to that, hockey fans are passionate and go to games - hockey doesn't have the 'casual fans' that the other sports have. You either love hockey or it doesn't exist to you - in the US anyway.

:thumbsup:thumbsup:thumbsup

http://img4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb2...event-2014.png

Your Stanley Cup Champs :thumbsup

Yawn. Howard hasn't looked the same since his return.

Never been a big Howard supporter, but I love my Red Wings. Just wish Zetterberg could play, but If we can get pass Boston, he can be back for round 2.

The fact that the red wings barely snuck into the playoffs this year says a lot. Yes they have a good number of trophies in the case, but they are rebuilding.

Especially for a team that has been in the play offs 23 years in a row.

True but 23 years in a row playoff is something hard to do :thumbsup

That's what I'm talking about!