Hot Ice: NHL Thread

[ursus arctos]

Hot Ice: NHL 15/16

Is anyone in the UK taking these rumours of a KHL team in London seriously, or is that just a Russian and Canadian thing?

[Reed John]

Hot Ice: NHL 15/16

Calling the second tier the "premier" league always confused me a bit.

[Snake Plissken]

Hot Ice: NHL 15/16

Ray de Galles wrote: The capital really does need a city-wide team at some level, I get to see Guildford Flames regularly, Streatham occasionally and still want to get to Ally Pally to see the Haringey Racers some time but would consider a season ticket for a London side. I also know people at one major arena would love to put one in place.

The London Knights did OK before the Docklands Arena was knocked down, didn't they?

I think they did OK on the ice - they went for a team that was almost Slapshot-esque under Chris McSorley culminating in being one half of what I consider to be the greatest game of hockey ever seen on British ice - the 1999 B&H Cup Final against Storm. Also the exact moment hockey in this country peaked.

Attendances were decent, but I believe the issue was playing out at Docklands Arena. I don't know the ins and outs of how Londoners will travel to watch stuff, but I keep hearing that it was too far out of the way to be sustainable. The practicalities of travel to and from the rink (including practice - Knights used Lee Valley, Haringey and Ally Pally I think) means it can be pretty tough.

Obviously the O2 is the best arena for a new team but it is an absolute cavern and a fair bit out of the way. There isn't really a 10,000 seat, centrally located arena that anyone could get to. Build one on top of one of the main train stations and it might work.

Like I say, the theory of a London based team is very attractive, but the actual practice of it seems to have failed every time.

[Snake Plissken]

Hot Ice: NHL 15/16

Reed John wrote: Calling the second tier the "premier" league always confused me a bit.

The top level after the Superleague crashed and burned was named the Elite League. This is owned and run by all of the clubs for the benefit of three clubs. I'm sorry, being snarky, the clubs. Aha aha aha ha.

The level below that used to be the British National League (BNL) run by the British Ice Hockey Association (BIHA). When the Elite league started they wanted to represent British hockey, so absorbed the BIHA into a thing called Ice Hockey UK, which is supposed to represent all of UK hockey but actually is just there for a couple of clubs to get into the Continental Cup. IHUK run Team GB as well. Ineptly, but they run it.

Below the BIHA is the English Ice Hockey Association (EIHA) and its Scottish equivalent. As separate organisations for lower tier clubs, they have their own rules and competitions and the top level in the EIHA is therefore the English Premier League (EPL).

Because of the demise of the BIHA and the Elite League taking the top Scottish clubs (who, with the BNL ending were effectively playing at an incredibly low level) the de facto second tier is now the EPL.

[Ray de Galles]

Hot Ice: NHL 15/16

Snake Plissken wrote: Yeah. Sort of. Bit more complicated but no more interesting than the usual petty politics involved in British hockey. Lets just say that as someone who was with the Storm from the moment they were announced to the day they died, and worked for the Phoenix in getting ice hockey back in Manchester - I do not actively wish any sporting team to fold, but I will read the obituary of Manchester NotStorm with great pleasure.

Phoenix are the club that will not die - despite maybe people trying to actively kill it off or stupidity on the part of the management. They are moving into a rink in Eastlands in September. Probably. The rink has been announced, but the Altrincham Ice Dome was announced at a similar time of the year with a similar opening time and eventually opened to a paying public at the end of February.

Storm play out of the Altrincham Ice Dome

Phoenix will play out of the newly named Manchester Ice Dome.

Yes, that is deliberate. Told you it was petty.

Commiserations, Snake.

Manchester Phoenix: Premier League side fold over financial issues

[Snake Plissken]

Hot Ice: NHL 15/16

Ah, no worries. The writing was on the wall when they had trouble securing the site for a new rink at Eastlands. Ended up playing in Blackpool and Widnes. The money was never plentiful - and that just dried it all up.

There is a Phoenix facebook group that is full of photos and posts over the years. What brought it home was how much of a fan-run organisation it was. Sure, Neil Morris put in and lost a lot of money, but in between him and the players was an entire volunteer support group that kept a professional team going for the best part of 14 years, as well as building an ice rink. People met and made friendships for life around what I think is the best sport in the world.

On the shelf next to my work PC I have the puck from the very first goal scored at Altrincham Ice Dome. I was a tiny, miniscule, unimportant part of what was built and has just ended, but I'm immensely proud of what - and more importantly, who - that puck reminds me of.

[Flynnie]

Hot Ice: NHL 15/16

Merci pour Claude, Boston!

[Snake Plissken]

Hot Ice: NHL 15/16

Weird one, that.

I'm a Bruins fan and I'm not exactly mourning his passing. Yes, he is an excellent coach, yes, he won a Cup and went to a Final. I don't know. He never seemed to be... loved. Or even supported. He had a happy knack of losing Game 7s. In 2011, Game 7 at home to Montreal and he was rumoured to be in the firing line then. The historic collapse to Philly. Digging a 4-1 hole in Game 7 at home to the Leafs. Not actually managing to beat Montreal on a consistent basis during the regular season. (And tending to lose quite big.)

Did he manage to win that Cup or did Tim Thomas?

I fully agree that the current problems in Boston aren't his fault and he has done well with the tools given to him. I think things had got stale and in the absence of any other person to take the fall, he was it. After all, the main outcry over his firing seemed to be the timing of it not that it had actually happened.

[ursus arctos]

Hot Ice: NHL 15/16

It's a bit of a weird situation.

Neely has been trying to get rid of Julien for years, and Claude once had to win a cup in order to save his job.

That said, the front office seems to have finally realised that the current squad (largely the result of Chiarelli contracts and trades) doesn't make any sense, and that what they need is a rebuild focused on the promising kids in the pipeline (my sense is that Charlie McAvoy is going to be greeted with palm fronds and hosannahs as soon as BU are eliminated from the NCAA tournament) and a more up tempo style.

We don't know if they ever asked Julien if he wanted to stick around for that process, but the Jacobs also seem not to have been terribly interested in paying him USD 3 million a year to do so.

And yet, all of that was just as apparent over the close season as it was now. The fact that they announced the change on the eve of the Patriots' parade is strong evidence that they didn't want to own up to their own errors (as is Neely's absence from the media).

Nevertheless, the Habs got themselves a major coaching upgrade.

[Snake Plissken]

Hot Ice: NHL 15/16

On the timing, I did read something which basically said they were stuffed no matter what they did.

The Bruins played Toronto on Saturday and lost and didn't have a game until Thursday. If they fire him on Sunday, Monday or Tuesday they get accused of hiding it with the Superbowl. If they wait until Wednesday they mess up the prep for the game on Thursday. Ditto Friday for Saturdays and Sundays games. If they wait past the following Sunday (MTL at home) they are into a bye week which could be better spent by a new coach working with the players.

[Flynnie]

Hot Ice: NHL 15/16

The Bruins have steadily gotten worse as Neely has had more and more influence, seeing as Neely seems to truly buy into the Big Bad Bruins mythology that is a large reason why they kept getting beat by a faster Montreal team (both then and now).

It has also become really obvious that by firing Julien right now, they just delivered the best francophone coach in the league and a Top 5 coach in the NHL right into the laps of their biggest rivals. This has not gone down well in Boston if the straw poll of my friends is any guide. I'll admit I was shocked at the time but on retrospect I should have been paying attention.

[Ray de Galles]

Hot Ice: NHL 15/16

This is still the most current Ice Hockey thread, yes?

Anyway, surprising news as my local side are moving up to the UK's top tier ;

Flames Move to Elite League

[ursus arctos]

Hot Ice: NHL 15/16

Hey Reed



did no one tell your boys that margin of victory doesn't mean anything in hockey?

[Amor de Cosmos]

Hot Ice: NHL 15/16

Annnnnnd Canucks Great White Hope Brock Beoser scores in his debut for the Big Club. Stanley Cup here we come in 2018... or 2019.... or....

[jason voorhees]

Hot Ice: NHL 15/16

I was 6 years old when my parents took me to Baker Rink to see Princeton play RPI.

RPI won 10-4.

At one point around the 7th or 8th goal, I clearly remember asking myself, "are they allowed to score that many ?" After the 9th and 10th, I had my answer.

And congrats to Frölunda Gothenburg, who defeated Sparta Prague in OT to win the Champions Hockey League...uh....a month ago.

edit - scroll down if you want longer highlights.

[jason voorhees]

Hot Ice: NHL 15/16

And in the semi-finals of the KHL, SKA (Datsyuk and Kovalchuk's team) is up 2-0 on Lokomotiv Yaroslavl - If you hover over the score then click "resume" you'll find videos of goals in SKA's campaign.

AK Bars of Kazakhstan is about to win game 2 to tie the series against Metallurg MG (short for Magnitogorsk.) MG has Alexander Semin and is the defending Garagin Cup champions.

[ursus arctos]

Hot Ice: NHL 15/16

And a "small school in Boston" is in the Frozen Four for the first time since 1994

[jason voorhees]

Hot Ice: NHL 15/16

Congrats!

I knew they wouldn't be able to let the Yalies get away with that.

[Hot Pepsi]

Hot Ice: NHL 15/16

It was a remarkable season, but Denver is just better. That's ok. They've had 62 more years to build their program.

That Union game was memorable. I couldn't go to Cincinnati for it unfortunately. Hopefully, this is the first of many tournaments and I can go in the future.

I always find the end of hockey season to be even sadder than the end of baseball season for some reason.

[ursus arctos]

Hot Ice: NHL 15/16

PSU should be incredibly proud of that performance.

A Big Ten championship and a place in the last eight in only their fifth year is nothing short of remarkable.

Yes, the Pegula money helped, but the Pegulas have spent much, much more on the Bills and Sabres with very little return. The Nittany Lions look to be a major force in college hockey for the foreseeable future.

And yeah, it does look like Denver is going to steamroller everyone in Chicago. I'm glad we don't have them in the semis.

[Hot Pepsi]

Hot Ice: NHL 15/16

It's very exciting. The community has really embraced the team and vice-versa. PSU could be a pre-season top-five team next year. I think they'll be able to keep most of this team together - nobody is so good that they could step right into the NHL. The younger guys just need to be more consistent and hopefully the freshman coming in next year can also contribute. They led the country in goals for most of the year because of a relentless forecheck and some big scores against a few pretty easy non-conference opponents. But the PK and PP were meh and the defense needs to be a bit better to support the aggressive style. Smirnov and Sturtz are good scorers, but we need just a bit more in that department to win more of the games when the other goalie is playing really well. Liam Folkes really came on late so maybe he can contribute there. I don't know if it's necessary to have first-round NHL talent. After all, those guys tend to be one or two years and gone and BU and Minnesota, who both have four first-round picks IIRC, didn't make the Frozen Four.

The facilities help a lot - certainly it's way better than if they tried to get by in the old Pavilion or tried to share the Jordan Center - but I don't know if they're really that much better than what the other major programs have. ND, BC, BU, Harvard, Minnesota, etc, all have nice weight rooms and locker rooms, etc.

I was disappointed that Notre Dame got in over Lowell or Minnesota. Hoping for a B1G representative - though ND will be in the BigTen next year. Notre Dame is obviously a lot better than they were early in the season. They barely made the tournament. That's just how it is.

Lowell winning would be cool because they're a underrated success story in college sports. A few years ago, the program was in peril due to issues with the rink, but then they got that sorted and the city has really embraced the team, much more than it ever did with any of the AHL teams that have come and gone. Not many "hyphenated" schools are way better than their flagship campus counterparts, in any sport.

[jason voorhees]

Hot Ice: NHL 15/16

SKA St. Petersburg and Metallurg Magnitogorsk both sweep the semis, meet in the KHL Final.

The Devs have been a bit in the news:
1) My man Patrik Elias finally retires from the Devs.
2) Michael Neuvirth of the Flyers collapses during the Devs-Flyers game tonight, but thankfully is alive.
3) The Devs play the Islanders in a game the Isles have to win to make the playoffs.
4) The Devs will be the last team to ever play the Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena next week. Tickets only $267 on Sat Apr.1 on Seatgeek.

[ursus arctos]

Hot Ice: NHL 15/16

The Neuvirth thing was terrifying. Hope he is ok.

The hockey analytics community is going to try a Blyleven/Raines style Hall of Fame campaign for Elias

It will likely fail, as the HHOF Committee is the ultimate old boys club, but it is intriguing nonetheless

[Ray de Galles]

Hot Ice: NHL 15/16

N.H.L. Says Its Players Will Not Participate in 2018 Winter Olympic

[ursus arctos]

Hot Ice: NHL 15/16

As unsurprising as it is deptessing.

The NHL owners don't give a shit about the game other than as something they can monetise.

It will be interesting to see the extent to which European stars seek to to negotiate individual deals, as the tournament is vitally important to many of them.