OT- Any hockey fans?

[superjohn]

The Kings Blackhawks series that just finished is probably the best hockey I've ever seen. I watch a lot of the playoffs but I'm not a huge hockey fan, this series just made me more of a fan. I live in Chicago so was rooting for the Hawks but I have so much respect for the Kings and Jonathan Quick.

 

[Adios]

UConn joining the Hockey East at a perfect time. Quick (Milford, CT/UMass) as goalie, too. Huge league finals series for US hockey.

 

[champs99and04]

Hockey is one of those sports where the more you watch the more addictive it becomes. I really started to get into the sport during some of those Penguins/Wings series' in '08/'09 and now it's my third favorite sport behind only basketball and football. The Stanley Cup Playoffs is behind only March Madness and the NFL playoffs for me, I'll even watch it over the NBA. There isn't a more fast-paced sport on the planet.

 

[jleves]

I have no interest in the regular season, but I've followed the playoffs for at least 15 years, maybe more. OT playoff hockey is one of the most intense sports experiences ever. Even if you don't have a rooting interest, when it's sudden death in OT, it's just amazing. When it's game 7 - even better.

I've become a pretty big Kings fan over the last 10 or 12 years so tonight was great for me.

 

[UCHuskies08]

The NHL died me to when the Whalers left town.

 

[intlzncster]

Let's go Whalers!

 

[Gurleyman]

We won the field hockey national championship.

Also, in basketball. Both.

 

[Scoe]

Let's go Whalers!

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

I haven't followed the NHL since the Whalers left, but began following the Kings when I lived in LA for a short while....this series was absolutely off the charts. That might've been the best professional sports series I've ever seen. The great thing for the NHL is that LA and Chicago are both built to win for a long time since most of their guys are young. Also great to see that CT/Hockey East guy Jonathan Quick is doing so well, and albeit from BC, but Boyle and Kreider are Hockey East guys as well. Great to see so many college guys on both sides having great playoffs. But man, these Kings are fun to watch.

 

[huskiesNhoos]

I'm a devils fan, but I do enjoy going to canes games down here and wearing my whalers shirt.

too bad nobody cares about hockey in LA because they have had a really good team the last few years. Hopefully Chicago can keep this team together for a while, too. They're like the anti - penguins with their young American stars instead of canada/russia

 

[mauconnfan]

As a Ranger fan I only watch "full" series hockey when they are participants and their series with the Flyers, Penguins and Canadiens were all great hockey…………

Hopefully this will also bring entertainment to the big cities and all of their fans and I believe it will!!

 

[Marat]

Yeah bring back the Whale. After the Whalers left I adopted the Red Wings, but its a bit disappointing not to have a true team to support.

 

[Husky25]

Hockey is one of those sports where the more you watch the more addictive it becomes. I really started to get into the sport during some of those Penguins/Wings series' in '08/'09 and now it's my third favorite sport behind only basketball and football. The Stanley Cup Playoffs is behind only March Madness and the NFL playoffs for me, I'll even watch it over the NBA. There isn't a more fast-paced sport on the planet.

I watched Goodfellas for the 392nd time yesterday instead of the NBA Playoffs. Unless the Celtics are playing, I cannot get into the NBA, even the playoffs. NHL playoff hockey is probably the best sports entertainment on TV at this time of year. USMNT win over Turkey was good too. I wasn't impressed with the defense though. Turkey had a number of good scoring chances in the first half. I was Surprised their only goal came on a late penalty kick with only injury time remaining.

A couple years ago I came across Rugby 7s on NBCSportsNet. This past weekend was the collegiate national championship. Cal beat Kutstown. Fast paced game and very entertaining. Unfortunately, it looks like 7s is done until January.

 

[ATLDYKA]

I posted this on the Hockey board also but since I see the conversation here I will try here as well.
I am driving up from Atlanta next week and will be in CT during the Stanley Cup finals. Does anyone know of any good Rangers bars in CT? Will be in the Farmington area?

 

[Husky25]

As a Bruins fan, I became a Western Conference fan the minute they lost to Montreal.

Two more hated teams could not have made the Eastern Conference Finals.

 

[Adios]

As a Bruins fan, I became a Western Conference fan the minute they lost to Montreal.

Two more hated teams could not have made the Eastern Conference Finals.

How do you think us Whalers fans feel about all three teams? Those days were glorious.

 

[Husky25]

I posted this on the Hockey board also but since I see the conversation here I will try here as well.
I am driving up from Atlanta next week and will be in CT during the Stanley Cup finals. Does anyone know of any good Rangers bars in CT? Will be in the Farmington area?

Many people in this state turned away from hockey when the Whalers left for Carolina. New York stepped in and put their AHL affiliate in Hartford, which only enraged the Whalers' fans even more. Now they think the Rangers are blocking an attempt to bring the NHL back to Hartford (In reality, the Rangers are far down the list of obstacles preventing the NHL's return).

So I say that to say this: As a "hated" rival, I don't believe there's a Rangers' bar in Central CT, per se. You can probably go to any sports bar and there's bound to be a couple, two, tree Rangers' fans.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

Used to be a Whalers fan and my family has season tickets which is why Peter Karmanos is my most disliked person in all of hockey, right after everyone’s #1, Mr. Gary Bettman. I switched my allegiance to the Rangers primarily due to the fact this guy named Brian Leetch attended my church in flannels and jeans each Christmas and during the off-season.

Thus, I don’t care that everyone is saying the Kings out-class the Blue shirts, go Rangers!

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

Hockey is the one sport that just does not translate to TV well at all.

 

[Husky25]

Hockey is the one sport that just does not translate to TV well at all.

I disagree. Baseball and Golf are worse. Every sport is definitely better live, but there is more to baseball, than just the pitcher, catcher and batter on every pitch. How big is the runners leads at first? Where is the shortstop playing? how is the outfield positioned?

Likewise, you really can't appreciate how good these golfers are today unless you see the contours of the course for yourself. I used to hate watching golf on TV, until I was there live and walked a professional course.

Secondly, and sense of urgency in the voice of a hockey announcer as well as their knowledge of the game closes the gap in translation between live and TV. Doc Emerich's presentation (NBC's #1 hockey announcer) is second to none in this age. Jack Edwards (Bruins) is also very good, but no one will every beat Fred Cusack who used to do the Bruins games on TV38 in the 80's-early 90's (He was there in the 70's but that was before my time as a sports fan). Kenny Albert is terrible in my opinion.

 

[mauconnfan]

Jack Edwards is excellent……..from ESPN to very good hockey guy!

Knowing golf courses and the length the pro's play them at, to hit a driver then a 7 iron uphill from 189 to a back pin to 6 feet when you HAVE to make that shot (hideki m.) is tremendous TV………...

 

[John]

The NHL died me to when the Whalers left town.

I loved hockey when going to Whale games, was really into it. I tried to maintain my interest after they left, but struggled a lot and basically lost touch with the professional game to the degree that I watch virtually no NHL hockey even during the playoffs.

 

[Husky25]

Knowing golf courses and the length the pro's play them at, to hit a driver then a 7 iron uphill from 189 to a back pin to 6 feet when you HAVE to make that shot (hideki m.) is tremendous TV………...

Far more impressive when you're behind the ropes. Golf on TV with no context is like watching a Tiger Woods video game, IMO. That's why non-golf fans, who presumably have never been to a Tournament, think it is soooo boring.

I remember watching archery in passing during the 2012 Olympics. The competitors shoot an arrow, which seemingly immediately hits it's target as if it is 20 feet away. In reality the target is just under 230 feet away (70M or 76 2/3 yds.). Another reality is that the arrow is aimed with a parabolic trajectory to obviously combat gravity. On TV the camera focus is so close it looks as if the arrow is being shot straight at the target. That is what I mean by context.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

Far more impressive when you're behind the ropes. Golf on TV with no context is like watching a Tiger Woods video game, IMO. That's why non-golf fans, who presumably have never been to a Tournament, think it is soooo boring.

I remember watching archery in passing during the 2012 Olympics. The competitors shoot an arrow, which seemingly immediately hits it's target as if it is 20 feet away. In reality the target is just under 230 feet away (70M or 76 2/3 yds.). Another reality is that the arrow is aimed with a parabolic trajectory to obviously combat gravity. On TV the camera focus is so close it looks as if the arrow is being shot straight at the target. That is what I mean by context.

Rowing is a good one. Looks boring on TV as each boat ‘inches’ along the TV. What’s hard to see is the fact that the boats are travelling at 15 or so MPH powered by the blood and guts of some of the fittest athletes in the world. The same athletes then puke their guts up as soon as the race is over due to pure exhaustion. Head of the Charles is really entertaining, especially when 2 boats try to fit under the Weeks footbridge at the same time. The bridge is so narrow that if two boats do that, they have to coordinate their strokes as each boat’s oars are about 6 inches from the other boat and overlapping. Oh, then each boat has to execute a 90 degree turn coming out of Weeks to align with the next bridge. I played soccer in HS and rowed for 2 years at UConn. I rowed for 2 hours once on Coventry Lake well into the season and was bored after and ran the 4+ miles back to the Fieldhouse in just over 30 minutes for the heck of it.

 

[John]

Rowing is a good one. Looks boring on TV as each boat ‘inches’ along the TV. What’s hard to see is the fact that the boats are travelling at 15 or so MPH powered by the blood and guts of some of the fittest athletes in the world. The same athletes then puke their guts up as soon as the race is over due to pure exhaustion. Head of the Charles is really entertaining, especially when 2 boats try to fit under the Weeks footbridge at the same time. The bridge is so narrow that if two boats do that, they have to coordinate their strokes as each boat’s oars are about 6 inches from the other boat and overlapping. Oh, then each boat has to execute a 90 degree turn coming out of Weeks to align with the next bridge. I played soccer in HS and rowed for 2 years at UConn. I rowed for 2 hours once on Coventry Lake well into the season and was bored after and ran the 4+ miles back to the Fieldhouse in just over 30 minutes for the heck of it.

sometimes in college I'd take the stairs rather than the elevator.