Ramar Posted November 16, 2010 Posted November 16, 2010 Recently I've become absolutely addicted to the sport, for the second time. Obviously like many kids, I was a massive fan of the Mighty Ducks movies. So much so I actually started up a street hockey team with friends and we'd have matches in local car parks. Good times. Back then I wasn't into the sport as much, didn't have any access to the games and what not. I did however make my parents buy me a Ducks t-shirt that was far too big and I often played the NHL games on playstation. Recently I've become hooked again, mainly because my best friend has started to take an interest, so we'd end up talking about it. This season I've been glued to the results, watching highlights and generally trying to take in as much of the sport as I can. I'm hoping to watch the Ducks @ Dallas tonight after I finish work. Which embarassingly, will [hopefully] be the first time I've watched a full game live. I've seen JonSt is a Pens fan, anyone else into Hockey?
Murr Posted November 16, 2010 Posted November 16, 2010 Like you I loved the Mighty Ducks films, and I also used to play Street Hockey (I've got my old puck on my dvd shelf in the living room.... but my neighbour stole my ball years ago ) Now that i have access to ESPN America I do indeed watch Ice Hockey when ever i can. Unfortunetly that's not alot due to my girlfriend hating all things sports related But yeah i've been following the New York Rangers.... The reason for following the Rangers, pretty much due to the fact that I used to also love Basketball at school (was in the school team) and followed the Knicks... so just keeping the references to all things New York. Same for NFL... follow the giants.
Jon Posted November 16, 2010 Posted November 16, 2010 (edited) I absolutely fucking love this sport, to the point of obsession. I've always liked it growing up but being the smallest of the major North American sports, it receives very little attention over here. I started getting into it again just before last christmas and have been obsessed since. One thing I love about it is it's such an egoless sport, in comparison to NFL and the NBA which are full of pre madonnas, thinking they can get away with anything and are above everyone else. You only have to listen to a Hockey player talk and it's always about the team and the fans, never about individual pursuits. You also have to look into how gruelling the game is. I mean, footballers complain at playing 38 games. In Ice Hockey every single game is a physical battle and every team plays at least 82 games a season, some will play as much as 110 to go all the way to win the Stanley Cup. By comparison in the NFL, even if a team wins the Superbowl, they'll only have played 20 games. I'm also a big fan of the salary cap scheme which the NHL uses, it's amazing how well it works and also it's levelling of the playing field. I'll quite happily watch any game but I'm a massive Pens fan and try to watch as many games a week as I can but with the late starts it's not always practical. I visited Madison Square Gardens when I was in New York earlier this year and saw all the Rangers facilities, really impressive. I think I spent half my holiday in the official NHL shop this puck now lives on my desk. There is an Elite league over here but it's not really up too much. I really think it's a sport people would enjoy if they gave it a chance. Quite a few people I know who had never watched Ice Hockey before watched the Canada vs USA gold medal match at the Winter Olympics and absolutely loved it. I'm planning a holiday for late next year to go to either the States or Canada, and I really want to catch as many games as possible when i'm there. You also can't forget about the greatest Disney films ever, The Mighty Ducks Trilogy. I've got the trilogy on DVD and never get bored of watching them. Edited November 16, 2010 by Jon
Ramar Posted November 16, 2010 Author Posted November 16, 2010 One thing I'm really enjoying is the fact the NHL website has video highlights on for every game free of charge. It makes it really accessible, especially when the games are on early in the morning. I'm planning on checking out a Milton Keynes Lightning game at some point, I think they're the closest team to where I am. Don't expect too much but it should be fun.
Jon Posted November 16, 2010 Posted November 16, 2010 One thing I'm really enjoying is the fact the NHL website has video highlights on for every game free of charge. It makes it really accessible, especially when the games are on early in the morning. I'm planning on checking out a Milton Keynes Lightning game at some point, I think they're the closest team to where I am. Don't expect too much but it should be fun. Yeah, if you've got an iPhone or an iPad, the NHL do an really good app that lets you track all the stats, keep up with news and latest scores, as well as game highlights.
Murr Posted November 16, 2010 Posted November 16, 2010 One of my friends use to play in defence for Bristol Pitbulls...Joe Lock New Site - http://www.bristolpitbulls.com/team.php Old Site - http://www.bristolpitbulls.com/old/roster.htm He's on the old site roster but not the new. Just had a kid so packed hockey in for a while, but been to see a few of the Pitbulls games. is quite a fun day!
Ganepark32 Posted November 16, 2010 Posted November 16, 2010 I don't watch it much now but I was a really big fan of the sport a couple of years back and I'm still very much interested in it. I just don't have much time to keep up with it. I had pretty much put it to the back of my mind until the winter olympics was on which is when I got back into it. Really enjoyed watching all of the hockey that the BBC provided, although I was annoyed they wouldn't stream some of the matches as they wanted to put on the likes of the figure skating and instead ran a live update page which just isn't the same. Both the men's and women's hockey was exciting to watch, and that goal by Lamoureux for the US women's team against China is still one of the best goals I've ever seen in a match of hockey ever (if someone can find a video of that, I'd be grateful as I can't find one on youtube). Was happy to see Canada win both golds, although that men's final was rather nervy. Thank god Crosby finally got into his stride and won the game for them. Used to play the sport as well. I played at Fife and Edinburgh, in the under 12's and 14's, and while I trained with the teams at Dundee, by this time I was having to commute day and night to school so it just wasn't feasible to keep playing as I couldn't make training. Scored once in my years playing, against my brother which went down so well , but I was a defensive player and never got much of a chance to score. Not even in training matches as some of the coaches hated the defensive players going in on net. Even if you got the puck and got on a break away, you were encouraged to give the puck up because it'd leave a gap in defense, although real teams have players switch into roles in that situation. Really annoyed me and happened more and more when I was at Dundee and all the kids used to be roller hockey players whereas I'd always been an ice hockey player and knew all the goalies in the league so I knew how to score but the coaches weren't having any of it. One of the reasons I stopped playing. Did get picked to play for Scotland once in a tournament which was cool. Came third, behind the Russians and the Danish, which was really to be expected as they're on a completely different level compared to the skill level in the UK leagues. It is a shame that the sport isn't bigger here in the UK. It used to be bigger, and there were some fantastic players back in the day, or so I'm told, in the UK league. Even the NHL used to be bigger here in the UK, presumably because of Gretzky as I know he was an influence on me wanting to play the sport. Really, British Hockey is a bit of a mess really as the league needs sorting out and there are too many foreign players. It's no wonder we're never at the winter olympics with the sport.
The fish Posted November 16, 2010 Posted November 16, 2010 I'm planning on checking out a Milton Keynes Lightning game at some point, I think they're the closest team to where I am. Don't expect too much but it should be fun. Fuck off! Guildford Flames is where it's at!
Ramar Posted November 16, 2010 Author Posted November 16, 2010 Fuck off! Guildford Flames is where it's at! For the record I didn't say I was an MK fan, just going along to catch a game.
Jon Posted November 16, 2010 Posted November 16, 2010 I saw New Jersey Devils vs Chicago Blackhawks live when I was in the USA and it was fucking amazing, The atmosphere was absolutely electric and the tickets start really cheap.
Ganepark32 Posted November 16, 2010 Posted November 16, 2010 Fuck off! Guildford Flames is where it's at! Maybe things have changed in recent years but as I remember it, the only Guildford ice hockey teams worth mentioning were the juniors, who were very good unlike the senior team which was a bit of a mess. But as I say, it could have changed in recent years but I know this used to be how the Guildford teams were thought of in the British leagues.
The fish Posted November 16, 2010 Posted November 16, 2010 Maybe things have changed in recent years but as I remember it, the only Guildford ice hockey teams worth mentioning were the juniors, who were very good unlike the senior team which was a bit of a mess. But as I say, it could have changed in recent years but I know this used to be how the Guildford teams were thought of in the British leagues. Won the cup last season, and are currently second in the league with a game in hand, I'll have you know!
Platty Posted November 17, 2010 Posted November 17, 2010 I love Ice Hockey. When I'm in Belfast I always make sure I go and watch the Belfast Giants. Got a shirt and met some of the players and everything The UK Elite league is not as good as the NHL obviously but it's still pretty good and competitive and has more money pumped into it due to the teams being franchises rather than the other leagues with the likes of guildford etc. Lots of american and canadian rejects from the NHL and lower leagues play in it. It's actually really quite good. Well I enjoy it when I go to a match anyway. They now also do a weekly highlights show of the Elite league on sky sports 4 on a friday night. Tis a good a game and any fights are a bonus!
Ramar Posted November 17, 2010 Author Posted November 17, 2010 Ah balls, Ducks just lost 2-1 to Dallas.
Noodleman Posted November 17, 2010 Posted November 17, 2010 Got into NHL quite a bit when I was in Canada, mainly because I happened to be in Montreal when the Canadiens destroyed the Maple Leafs 6-1. The atmosphere was fantastic in the city centre after the match. I haven't really seen any games for a while though, when I go to California over New Year I'm going to see if I can get to a Ducks /Kings /Sharks game.
MadDog Posted November 17, 2010 Posted November 17, 2010 I loved watching Ice Hockey in the Winter Olympics at Vancouver. I should see if i actually have ESPN America.
Ramar Posted November 18, 2010 Author Posted November 18, 2010 Ducks lost again in over time yesterday. Gone from a six game winning streak to losing 1 in regulation and two over time defeats. It's very interesting to see how different and difficult road games can be. Especially when you play 3 games in 4 days. Can't imagine that in many sports.
Jon Posted November 18, 2010 Posted November 18, 2010 It's always good when East face West as it only happens normally once in the regular season and obviously the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Pens faced the no2 ranked western conference Vancouver Canucks last night and came out 3-1 winners!
Ramar Posted November 22, 2010 Author Posted November 22, 2010 Can't believe the Ducks lost to the Oilers yesterday, the Oilers have been terrible so far this season. And to make matters worse we've got the Blackhawks next on Friday.
Jon Posted November 22, 2010 Posted November 22, 2010 Can't believe the Ducks lost to the Oilers yesterday, the Oilers have been terrible so far this season. And to make matters worse we've got the Blackhawks next on Friday. To be fair Chicago have been dire this season as well, even they got beat by Edmonton too. Pens have got the Panthers tonight and are riding a nice little streak. Did anyone see the Tampa/Philiadelphia game? 8-7 it finished, absolute madness.
Ramar Posted November 23, 2010 Author Posted November 23, 2010 To be fair Chicago have been dire this season as well, even they got beat by Edmonton too. Pens have got the Panthers tonight and are riding a nice little streak. Did anyone see the Tampa/Philiadelphia game? 8-7 it finished, absolute madness. That game was quality, think it was 5-4 after the first period. Mental.
Jon Posted November 28, 2010 Posted November 28, 2010 Did anyone catch any games over Thanksgiving? With it being Thanksgiving, There were a lot of early games on. The Pens had two early 6pm (our time) back to back games, Friday and Saturday. They won both against Ottawa and Calgary and are now unbeaten over last 9 games.
The fish Posted November 29, 2010 Posted November 29, 2010 I'm going to see HC Olomouc tonight, should be a laugh!
Ramar Posted November 30, 2010 Author Posted November 30, 2010 Did anyone catch any games over Thanksgiving? With it being Thanksgiving, There were a lot of early games on. The Pens had two early 6pm (our time) back to back games, Friday and Saturday. They won both against Ottawa and Calgary and are now unbeaten over last 9 games. I've not caught any live games in a while, even our early games I missed due to work. Though we've just won two crucial games against Phoenix and the LA Kings, which puts an end to a 4 or 5 game streak without a win. Also had to go in the loft today so I dug out an old jersey I bought in Florida a few years back. I think it got a lot of wearing time, its a bit dirty.
Ramar Posted December 13, 2010 Author Posted December 13, 2010 Ducks got their first convincing win of the season. 6-2 against the Wild. Ordered my Christmas present last week, which is the Ducks home jersey with Getzlaf 15 on it. Hope it arrives in time.
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