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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on May 22, 2020 15:40:40 GMT -5
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Post by PTH on May 22, 2020 16:20:57 GMT -5
The fun thing for us is that if we make it past Pittsburgh, we get whoever is worst off of the 4 top seeds, ie, whichever team is having issues of some kind.
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Post by Habs_fan_in_LA on May 22, 2020 16:21:02 GMT -5
To minimize the threat of corona virus, play only three game series, play 3 on 3, make sure players stay 6 feet away from each other, no checking, 2 months penalty for fighting, no fans, but still call it hockey and award the Stanley Cup. Figure skates instead of hockey skates, everyone except for goaltenders wear full face masks. This is a farce that makes Bergevin trade for the All Star game defenseman look intelligent.
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Post by PTH on May 22, 2020 16:21:58 GMT -5
To minimize the threat of corona virus, play only three game series, play 3 on 3, make sure players stay 6 feet away from each other, no checking, 2 months penalty for fighting, no fans, but still call it hockey and award the Stanley Cup. Figure skates instead of hockey skates, everyone except for goaltenders wear full face masks. This is a farce that makes Bergevin trade for the All Star game defenseman look intelligent. The MBA side of me agrees. The hockeyfan side of me will take whatever they give us, even if I think it's a bad business decision.
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Post by franko on May 22, 2020 16:48:29 GMT -5
The hockeyfan side of me will take whatever they give us, even if I think it's a bad business decision. not sure how much I'd watch; certainly won't go out of my way, maybe peek in for the Habs . . . maybe.
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Post by franko on May 22, 2020 16:49:54 GMT -5
The fun thing for us is that if we make it past Pittsburgh, we get whoever is worst off of the 4 top seeds, ie, whichever team is having issues of some kind. more for (Leaf) fans to whine about . . . but it really should be properly seeded rather than bracketed. the Habs win a series or two and it proves MB right: get into the playoffs and anything can happen.
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Post by UberCranky on May 22, 2020 17:13:17 GMT -5
What's the worse that can happen? Heck, there is even money to be made from "bet on the player that will die first on a ventilator". I don't care that much about hockey right now, but I will watch as long as the Habs play.
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Post by folatre on May 22, 2020 17:17:37 GMT -5
For me to win this Cup should not carry an asterisk. To grind through five rounds would be herculean.
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Post by PTH on May 22, 2020 17:26:49 GMT -5
For me to win this Cup should not carry an asterisk. To grind through five rounds would be herculean. Would rounds 2 through 5 all be 7 games though ? Maybe the only way to do this IMO would be to have every round be 2 out of 3. A week per round, done after 5 weeks.
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Post by jkr on May 22, 2020 17:39:18 GMT -5
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Post by folatre on May 22, 2020 18:04:17 GMT -5
PTH, my understanding is that the proposal the NHLPA is voting on today respects the four seven-game series principle. So it would only be the play-in phase that would be best of five.
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Post by GNick99 on May 22, 2020 18:06:35 GMT -5
PTH, my understanding is that the proposal the NHLPA is voting on today respects the four seven-game series principle. So it would only be the play-in phase that would be best of five. I favour the 7 game series also. I short series involving teams who should not be there. Could be many upsets.
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Post by PTH on May 22, 2020 18:44:35 GMT -5
PTH, my understanding is that the proposal the NHLPA is voting on today respects the four seven-game series principle. So it would only be the play-in phase that would be best of five. I got that from the WaPo article as well. While I prefer sticking to tradition, I just think if we go 7 games, the playoffs as a whole will just be too long and that will cause logistical complications along the way. Locking people in for 5 weeks is doable. Locking them in for 3 months is almost impossible, IMO.
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on May 22, 2020 21:09:01 GMT -5
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Post by Willie Dog on May 23, 2020 7:16:11 GMT -5
Haha... leafs get Columbus and then the top seed... lots of whining going to come from the gta... burgerbrain lucked out... get Pittsburgh and then the 4 seed... best thing for this team is to get swept by the Pens...
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Post by jkr on May 23, 2020 9:26:59 GMT -5
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Post by CentreHice on May 23, 2020 9:34:07 GMT -5
Can we bring Halak back for Round 1?
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on May 23, 2020 10:05:44 GMT -5
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on May 23, 2020 10:50:43 GMT -5
Can we bring Halak back for Round 1? I was kind of hoping for either a 'normal' year of hockey where training camps open in September or a condensed season starting in January ... I'll watch the Habs but right now it's very difficult for me to give a hoot about hockey ... that might change once our team is on the ice, we'll see ... the positives; well, 24 teams will be able to show some sort of ca$h flow on their books ... also, if the tournament is a success then they'll have another format, like the 2012–13 48-game format, they can rely on should there be a need in the future ... Cheers.
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on May 23, 2020 11:45:59 GMT -5
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Post by seventeen on May 23, 2020 13:52:09 GMT -5
"The longer we can keep up the illusion that this is a playoff team, the less helpless I'll feel."
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Post by seventeen on May 23, 2020 13:54:25 GMT -5
Haha... leafs get Columbus and then the top seed... lots of whining going to come from the gta... burgerbrain lucked out... get Pittsburgh and then the 4 seed... best thing for this team is to get swept by the Pens... I have heard the statement about the Pens possibly fearing facing a rested Carey Price. I'd be more worried about facing a healthy Sid Crosby, Gene Malkin and Kris Letang. It's also quite possible Guentzel will be back by then, too. The Pens aren't a pushover.
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Post by franko on May 23, 2020 14:31:24 GMT -5
Hockey . . . There's no better summer sport.
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Post by Skilly on May 23, 2020 14:58:58 GMT -5
The number 4 seed could be Washington ... 2010 all over again in reverse
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Post by Habs_fan_in_LA on May 23, 2020 15:50:26 GMT -5
Haha... leafs get Columbus and then the top seed... lots of whining going to come from the gta... burgerbrain lucked out... get Pittsburgh and then the 4 seed... best thing for this team is to get swept by the Pens... I have heard the statement about the Pens possibly fearing facing a rested Carey Price. I'd be more worried about facing a healthy Sid Crosby, Gene Malkin and Kris Letang. It's also quite possible Guentzel will be back by then, too. The Pens aren't a pushover. Zero chance for Lafreniere, Byfield, Stutzle, or catching up to Ottawa. No improvement.
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Post by folatre on May 23, 2020 21:54:52 GMT -5
If this series actually transpires, it is incredibly hard to say how it plays out.
In some ways, Pittsburgh was very vulnerable back when the season was halted. They were on a terrible 4-5 week skid after having overachieved all season in the face of a massive wave of injuries far worse than what Montreal dealt with. Unfortunately, in July there is not necessarily any reason to believe the Penguins will be playing poorly the way they were from mid-February until the postponement.
Both teams are going to be healthy. In a short series it is easier for a goalie to make a big difference or a couple of bad bounces to loom larger or an unexpected hero to redirect the destiny of the series. The Habs definitely have a decent chance after 3-4 months without action, notwithstanding the clear advantage the Penguins have in terms of high end offensive difference-makers.
If this ever happens it will be strange. Pittsburgh will be favored, though given how much everyone talks about Price's stature among his NHL peers there is no question that Montreal will be fashionable upset choice. Being the vastly superior team in the standings brings with it pressure to win but I am not really sure how much more in comparison to the Habs. Crosby, Malkin, and Letang, etc. have Cup conquests and rings that allow them to live in the present without negative pressure looking backward into the past or apprehensively into the future. In actuality I sense that Montreal's veterans, Price and Weber in particular, will face more pressure because their playoff past is what it is and their future window is not exactly limitless.
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Post by jkr on May 24, 2020 6:38:30 GMT -5
Not sure why people would think that Montreal has a big edge in goal. Matt Murray has won 2 Cups & when called upon Jarry played quite well.
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Post by madhabber on May 25, 2020 11:07:04 GMT -5
So then what's going on with free agency. Is July 1st not July 1st anymore cause some players won't have a contract anymore. I don't know how I would feel as a player to play for a team that I was no longer under contract for, and they didn't really want to bring me back. Contracts end June 30th.
Oh and I don't like this playoff thing. We were out now we're in. We lose our lottery pick. Teams still in the lottery pick have just seen their chances of landing a top 3 go up even more. What was the point of the regular season if 24 out of 31 teams make it in. This is a joke. When Seattle comes in, why not let all 32 teams in and have 5 rounds of playoffs. Make the regular season just as meaningless as the preseason.
They didn't award the Stanley Cup in 1918 due to the Spanish Flu. They didn't award the Cup in 2005 due to greed on both sides. I would have been okay with no Cup in 2020 due to Covid 19. Just try to get as much of next season in as possible. Now we'll probably get another 48 game season next year. Yuck.
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Post by frozone on May 25, 2020 11:50:52 GMT -5
So then what's going on with free agency. Is July 1st not July 1st anymore cause some players won't have a contract anymore. I don't know how I would feel as a player to play for a team that I was no longer under contract for, and they didn't really want to bring me back. Contracts end June 30th. Oh and I don't like this playoff thing. We were out now we're in. We lose our lottery pick. Teams still in the lottery pick have just seen their chances of landing a top 3 go up even more. What was the point of the regular season if 24 out of 31 teams make it in. This is a joke. When Seattle comes in, why not let all 32 teams in and have 5 rounds of playoffs. Make the regular season just as meaningless as the preseason. They didn't award the Stanley Cup in 1918 due to the Spanish Flu. They didn't award the Cup in 2005 due to greed on both sides. I would have been okay with no Cup in 2020 due to Covid 19. Just try to get as much of next season in as possible. Now we'll probably get another 48 game season next year. Yuck. I'm with you madhabber. I hate this so much. I don't see any logic in forcing deadline sellers into the playoffs AND taking away their chance at the top pick. For the Habs, this is a huge favour to the league for increased viewership. This is NOT the league doing the Habs a favour. And worse... once we're playing again, of course I'm going to watch. I'll be hooked. And if we win a round, and then another, my hopes will go up. I'll get playoff fever, even though I really don't want to... because entering these playoffs, we have the lowest chances at winning the cup than we ever have before.
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Post by Habs_fan_in_LA on May 25, 2020 14:28:48 GMT -5
So then what's going on with free agency. Is July 1st not July 1st anymore cause some players won't have a contract anymore. I don't know how I would feel as a player to play for a team that I was no longer under contract for, and they didn't really want to bring me back. Contracts end June 30th. Oh and I don't like this playoff thing. We were out now we're in. We lose our lottery pick. Teams still in the lottery pick have just seen their chances of landing a top 3 go up even more. What was the point of the regular season if 24 out of 31 teams make it in. This is a joke. When Seattle comes in, why not let all 32 teams in and have 5 rounds of playoffs. Make the regular season just as meaningless as the preseason. They didn't award the Stanley Cup in 1918 due to the Spanish Flu. They didn't award the Cup in 2005 due to greed on both sides. I would have been okay with no Cup in 2020 due to Covid 19. Just try to get as much of next season in as possible. Now we'll probably get another 48 game season next year. Yuck. I'm with you madhabber. I hate this so much. I don't see any logic in forcing deadline sellers into the playoffs AND taking away their chance at the top pick. For the Habs, this is a huge favour to the league for increased viewership. This is NOT the league doing the Habs a favour. And worse... once we're playing again, of course I'm going to watch. I'll be hooked. And if we win a round, and then another, my hopes will go up. I'll get playoff fever, even though I really don't want to... because entering these playoffs, we have the lowest chances at winning the cup than we ever have before. I agree with both of you. Changing the rules in the middle of a game or season is unfair. That doesn’t mean that adjustments cant be made in unusual times such as this but it is important to be fair to all. I don’t see the need to play more games this year other than greed. Montreal doesn’t belong in the playoffs. They didn’t earn it. Open an 82 game season next year on time and move on.
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