Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION The Anywhere Machine 05/06 NHL Hockey Season

Hurrah for Hockey!!!

Finally Hockey is set to return. 15 more days and they drop the puck to start the season. Exhibition games are under way and rosters are being finalized. I'm really looking forward to the season; with all the new rule changes and roster changes the league should have a whole new feel (provided the refs actually stick with calling the penalties this time). Plus this year should feature one of the best Rookie points race in years.

I'm going to let the roster solidify a bit more before giving a team by analysis, but expect it within the next few days.

In the meanwhile I've been supporting our new local team (expansion Q league team) , the Fog Devils. Been to 3 exhibition games and their home opener as well.

I'm happy to see hockey back of course, but not too enthused about my Sabres chances this year. Biggest free-agent free-for-all in the history of the League and what do they do? Pick up one 750 year old defenseman with a heart condition. Oh, yeah, and in the mean time they cut their leading scorer for the last 8 seasons and let their best d-man go via free agency. Ought to be another exciting year in Buffalo.

So, how's your team shaping up?!?

Well the leafs managed to score first in their exhibition game against the sens. Unfortuantely that's all they did. I cringe everytime lindros gets hit in practice.

I'm so glad I moved back to Toronto, I have a feeling that the last 6 years of rubbing it in the face of the Sens fans would have caught up with me this year.

Years of playing hockey left me with a few favorite teams, so I'm rooting for the Rangers, the Bruins and the Red Wings (growing up, I couldn't just help but be in awe of them). Can't wait for the season. I'm hoping that ticket prices will be lower this season, so I can make it out to Madison Square Garden for some Rangers games, and up to Boston for some Bruins ones.

Just saw Ron Francis retired--one of my childhood hockey heroes! Maybe with so many of my old favorites moving on, I'll have to actually bother myself and check out these young bucks coming in...

should be an interesting season.

Last Night's Exhibition Scoring

Edmonton Oilers 4
Dallas Stars 6

Los Angeles Kings 8
Phoenix Coyotes 4

Buffalo Sabres 3
Minnesota Wild 6

Boston Bruins 0
Toronto Maple Leafs 5

Tampa Bay Lightning 1
Montreal Canadians 6

New York Rangers 1
New York Islanders 5

I am happy hockey is back. I have no idea what they were doing, and it sure looked a mess from the outside. Players, owners ,and the league. That being said I like to watch hockey on TV, and even better in person. I am in awe of what these people can do on skates, unbelieveable skill! I love playoff hockey. I think it has to be the most exciting of all the sports playoff, and I'm a NFL guy through and through.

I'm from the Chicago area, so I'm a Blackhawks fan. What a mess the team has been for the last decade or so. ARRGGHH! Yet, we did pick up the Bulin wall at goalie and a couple of very good defense men. So hopefully it's a start. It would help if maybe we could see home games on TV...

Down with the dreaded rival Red Wings!!!

A classic third period collapse by the Sabres. They were up 3-0 after the first, then Mika Noronen (otherwise known as the guy who WON'T be Buffalo's starter come October) proceeded to give up 6 straight goals, including 4 in the third. *sigh*

So, has anyone been to any exhibition games yet? I went to the Sabres' Pre-Season opener Saturday night against the Caps. Totally sloppy game on both sides, but that's to be expected after a year off.

One cool thing they're doing is having a shoot-out after every exhibition game, regardless of the outcome of the game. I guess they want to give the teams a bit of shoot-out practice against on opposing team's goalie, and give the fans a chance to see the shoot-out as it will play out in the regular season. For some reason they cut the shoot-out short after the game I went to. It's supposed to be 5 shooters a side, visitors shoot first, but they only let the Caps shoot 3 times (they missed all 3) and the Sabres twice (Buffalo scored on their first, missed on the second). It's only exhibition, so it didn't count for anything (the Sabres actually won the game in overtime) but it would have been nice to see the whole shoot-out.

No you did see the whole shootout LL.

The shootouts are three to a side. Sudden death after the six shots.

Really? Okay. I thought they said 5 each then the sudden death. I guess that's good, since the Sabres really only have three guys that I can see scoring on a breakaway if given the opportunity.

Hmmm, so the Sabres look suspect, I don't think the rules changes will help the small teams like the Canadiens as much as people think over a whole season. Ottawa is the team to beat in the North East.

Hmm with the new super unbalanced schedule, the leafs might just have a chance to make the playoffs with their old-slow lineup. Just need to stay with Boston and we're in.

I agree about Ottawa Tamper Lad. While not one of my Favorite teams they will be a force to be reckoned with this year in the east.


Last Nights Exhibition Scoring

Atlanta 4
Carolina 5

Buffalo 4
Washington 0

Boston 5
Pittsburgh 4 (ot)

NY Islanders 1
Philadelphia 2

Colorado 2
Detroit 3 (ot)

Nashville 4
St. Louis 3

Chicago 2
Calgary 4

Vancouver 4
Edmonton 5 (ot)

San Jose 2
Anaheim 1 (ot)

Exhibition Scores for 09/22/05

Detroit 2
Columbus 3 (OT)

Tampa Bay 2
Carolina 5

Montreal 3
Toronto 4

Florida 4
Atlanta 3

Chicago 3
Minnesota 2 (OT)

oops i missed a couple of days.....

exhibition scoring for 09/25/05

NY Islanders 2
New Jersey 3

Boston 2
NY Rangers 4

Buffalo 3
Tampa Bay 2

Dallas 2
Detroit 4

Pittsburgh 2
Washington 3

Carolina 2
Nashville 4

Toronto 4
Ottawa 7

Columbus 2
Chicago 3

Anaheim 5
San Jose 6

Phoenix 4
Los Angeles 7


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i've also discovered that doing a team-by-team is very difficult....lots of research to do. As of now i've only gotten 4 teams teams done.....it is taking FAR to long, so i think i will drop that project. Sorry guys However I will continue to post the daily scores (i might miss the occassional day )

Well, the Sabres finished the pre-season 6-2-0. Not too bad. Now let's see if they can keep it up when the regular season starts on Wednesday.

I'd put my money on "no".

T-Minus 2 hours and 30 minutes until the regular season kicks off! All 30 teams in action tonight! I'm psyched, what about you guys?!?

Really not going to get into it until football is over. It looked like scores were up though, which is good. Because of the new rules? The new goalie pads? Or the NHL layoff? I did not like the look of OLN though. The graphics and how they showed the scores. Maybe I just have to get used to it. I do fear change...

Welcome back Hockey Night in Canada...

"The winters of my childhood were long, long seasons. We lived in three places -- the school, the church and the skating-rink -- but our real life was on the skating-rink."

"Les hivers de mon enfance étaient des saisons longues, longues. Nous vivions en trois lieux: l'école, l'église et la patinoire; mais la vraie vie était sur la patinoire."

-Roch Carrier, Le chandail de hockey/The hockey sweater