2016-17 NHL season running thread

No different than most teams that get eliminated. Some announce them all some don't make excuses.

 

A bigger list than most. Glad they announced it. No excuses.
Certainly wasn't posted to draw you out of your hole, but I knew it would.

 

Penguins with some serious defensive lapses, including mistakes by Matta and Daley to set up Ottawa's game-tying goal in the second period. On to period three tied, 1-1, in Game 7.

 

Overtime in a Game 7, and I'm stuck here working. Damn it! Will have to sneak peeks.

 

the five best words in all of sports: Game Seven Sudden Death Overtime

 

Way late to the party, but this is a good question that I want to offer an opinion on, so here goes:

Before the lockout (1994-2004), the primary reason was money. During that time period, the Canadian dollar averaged being worth somewhere between 63 and 77 cents U.S., and as has been repeatedly mentioned, Canadian NHL teams get their revenue in Canadian dollars and pay out their salaries in US dollars. Winnipeg lost its team, Ottawa was briefly bankrupt and I believe Edmonton was close. Throw in the fact that, without a cap, it was much easier to stockpile talent, and it's easy to see why eight of those first 11 Cups were won by the Red Wings (three), Devils (three) and Avalanche (two).

Post-lockout, I'd chalk it up to management and bad luck. Toronto and Montreal are obviously your tentpole franchises financially, but the Leafs have been a rolling disaster for 10 years until this one (they haven't won a playoff series since the lockout) and the Habs, though not as bad by any means, have not been able to get over the hump. They've lost in the Eastern final twice, neither time having an elimination game. One man's uneducated opinion is that most of their recent teams have been too dependent on Carey Price and have lacked the offensive firepower to break through. Furthermore, the media scrutiny in both markets is so ridiculous (Hi, Elliotte!) that I suspect it has prompted management in both locations to make short-sighted decisions (see Subban, P.K.) Through much of that time, the other Canadian teams have just been either mediocre-bad or punch-line bad for much of the time between the lockout and now. Edmonton's draft picks from 2007-16 were Nos. 6, 22, 10, 1, 1, 1, 7, 3, 1 and 4 up until they finally made the playoffs this year. Calgary has six misses and five first-round exits in the last 12 years (the one playoff series they've won post-lockout was against Vancouver). The Jets have done almost nothing since moving, getting swept in the first round the only time they were within a sniff of respectability. Vancouver and Ottawa were at least respectable for the majority of this span, but the Canucks hung on way too long and are paying for it.

But a lot of it is bad luck. Since 1993, Canadian teams have lost Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final four times (Vancouver at NYR in '94, Calgary at Tampa in 2004, Edmonton at Carolina in 2006 and Vancouver vs. Boston in 2011), Ottawa lost in the final once and lost an OT Game 7 on the road in the East final tonight. So, maybe next year.

 

I love Injury Reveal Day. Just waiting for some coach to say, "And Jones, he played Games 5, 6 and 7 while clinically dead."

 

Penguins have the opportunity to join the Canadiens, Leafs, Red Wings and Oilers as franchises to win back-to-back titles twice.

 

Of course, double overtime when I had to get up early today, but some things are worth being this tired.

 

I thought the Maple Leafs have been a rolling disaster since they fired Punch Imlach.

 

I hate the Penguins with every fiber of my being but that was a great freaking hockey game last night.

 

I'm just glad it ended when it did. I was about to give up on waiting for the end and go to sleep.