NHL

[SerenityNigh]

sensational game 7 between the Blues and Jets, equalizer with 1.6 seconds on the clock and the Canada Life Centre arena almost explodes


Stanley Cup Playoff, simply the greatest show on earth...

Fabulous result for the Jets. Did they look good in the series? Was Hellyebuck really shaky or was it just the nature of a prime goalie face off that it got a little wild?

I did not believe in the Stars given how terrible they were to finish the year, but that was a very gutsy series and they'll be a tough out for anyone. If they can keep playing long enough to add Miro and Robo back to the lineup, they could be really nasty.

 

[marsh]

Safe to say after watching round 1 games and now the first game of round 2, Toronto Maple Leafs don't do things the easy way do they

 

[notrevE5]

Safe to say after watching round 1 games and now the first game of round 2, Toronto Maple Leafs don't do things the easy way do they

This is the Maple Leafs we are talking about, it's in their Dna since their existence

 

[Efcjake]

Awful exit for Tampa. Hot take, if they want to trade Nikita Kucherov I’m on board. 15 playoff games in a row without a goal and he had a terrible turnover/low effort play that ended up being the GWG for the Panthers.

Have you tried going 20 mil over the cap and trying to buy the cup again? Worked last time.

 

[mmmmsnouts]

Have you tried going 20 mil over the cap and trying to buy the cup again? Worked last time.

Did you know Chicago did the same thing to beat them for the Cup in 2015, and when Tampa wanted to close the loophole that summer, none of the other teams would vote for it?

I do think it will get closed sooner or later because *everyone* is doing it now.

 

[Efcjake]

Did you know Chicago did the same thing to beat them for the Cup in 2015, and when Tampa wanted to close the loophole that summer, none of the other teams would vote for it?

I do think it will get closed sooner or later because *everyone* is doing it now.

Ahh just throwing a light jab at you. Everyone is at it, except the Canadian teams because Bettman hates us.

The one I really want them to figure out is the taxes. It's a joke how every top free agent goes to a FL team or Vegas as first choice. They need to sort that out if they're going to persist with salary caps. Personally, I'd prefer it if they did away with the cap and then our Canadian teams would blow you out of the league.

 

[mmmmsnouts]

Ahh just throwing a light jab at you. Everyone is at it, except the Canadian teams because Bettman hates us.

The one I really want them to figure out is the taxes. It's a joke how every top free agent goes to a FL team or Vegas as first choice. They need to sort that out if they're going to persist with salary caps. Personally, I'd prefer it if they did away with the cap and then our Canadian teams would blow you out of the league.

Dallas and Seattle have the same advantage with no state income taxes. The Stars don’t really lean into it like they could be. The Kraken are run terribly and can’t attract top players at any price.

I think leveling the playing field between state/no state taxes and the US$/CAD$ exchange rate would be really good for the game. At least the NHL doesn’t have the NBA’s problems, where a Greek chorus of pundits and social media glory hunters tries to move every good player in the league to the Lakers or Knicks.

 

[SerenityNigh]

Dallas and Seattle have the same advantage with no state income taxes. The Stars don’t really lean into it like they could be. The Kraken are run terribly and can’t attract top players at any price.

I think leveling the playing field between state/no state taxes and the US$/CAD$ exchange rate would be really good for the game. At least the NHL doesn’t have the NBA’s problems, where a Greek chorus of pundits and social media glory hunters tries to move every good player in the league to the Lakers or Knicks.

For the most part it balances out. Florida, Nevada, Tennessee also have no state income tax but most states tax you one way or another. California and New York may be the worst, but there are ways they make up for this like living in LA or NYC. (Sorry Buffalo.) May agree on the exchange rate, but same idea still. I do think Dallas is leaning into it, however, most of their guys sign in the $8-9MM range but could grab $11MM+ from some teams.

 

[Efcjake]

For the most part it balances out. Florida, Nevada, Tennessee also have no state income tax but most states tax you one way or another. California and New York may be the worst, but there are ways they make up for this like living in LA or NYC. (Sorry Buffalo.) May agree on the exchange rate, but same idea still. I do think Dallas is leaning into it, however, most of their guys sign in the $8-9MM range but could grab $11MM+ from some teams.

Meanwhile Canadians are sat here trying to convince players to come deal with 4-5 months of winter and higher taxes.

We can't do anything about the weather or the city life in Winnipeg but the league needs to do its job and ensure fairness with the salary cap imo. It's impossible for Canadian teams to sign the best free agents.

 

[Efcjake]

One thing I will say though is that the reffing has been atrocious in nearly all of the games I have seen. The only series I think it was alright in was the Sens Vs Leafs battle of Ontario.

The amount of blatantly incorrect calls, many of which are benefitting Bettman's favourites of Vegas and Florida, is not going unnoticed above the border.

We had a few dodgy ones with Washington but what I saw from Florida vs Toronto was a joke.

 

[cjuk87]

Safe to say after watching round 1 games and now the first game of round 2, Toronto Maple Leafs don't do things the easy way do they

I used to love hockey, both the NHL and british. Stopped watching because of the late games. I decided to get back into it this season and asked AI which team is most like Everton. It said the Maple Leafs, passionate fanbase who are loyal, but haven't seen success in too long. A team that always get your hopes up and then let you down or make it stressful.

I've thoroughly enjoyed/hated supporting the Leafs ever since. When we went 3-0 up and then lost the next one, I ranted for 5 minutes straight about how "i know what's coming next! I've seen it so many times with Everton" Proper cried it in haha.

I genuinely enjoy hockey more than football now. Every morning I take my son to nursery, log on for work and then watch the highlights of each game (and full games replayed when I can) and there's never a dull game. Incredible sport.

 

[SerenityNigh]

Meanwhile Canadians are sat here trying to convince players to come deal with 4-5 months of winter and higher taxes.

We can't do anything about the weather or the city life in Winnipeg but the league needs to do its job and ensure fairness with the salary cap imo. It's impossible for Canadian teams to sign the best free agents.

It's really bad for Calgary, Winnipeg, and Ontario, but Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal should be able to sell the club to free agents or trade partners unless they're grossly mismanaged. Nobody growing up in Hamilton or Kingston or Kamloops dreams of playing for the Stars, but they're very well managed and people who show up there enjoy playing there and don't mind sticking around. The NHL has a huge problem selling its small market teams but it always has; this isn't primarily a tax/cap issue. Worst case, you offer some piecemeal solution that inflates salaries for small market Canadian teams then you can't trade players out because AAV is prohibitive. In the end, if you're a well run organization then people want to play for your team.

 

[mmmmsnouts]

In the end, if you're a well run organization then people want to play for your team.

This is the real important part. No one wanted to play for the Panthers or Lightning until they got real top-notch ownership and management in place.

 

[Efcjake]

It's really bad for Calgary, Winnipeg, and Ontario, but Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal should be able to sell the club to free agents or trade partners unless they're grossly mismanaged. Nobody growing up in Hamilton or Kingston or Kamloops dreams of playing for the Stars, but they're very well managed and people who show up there enjoy playing there and don't mind sticking around. The NHL has a huge problem selling its small market teams but it always has; this isn't primarily a tax/cap issue. Worst case, you offer some piecemeal solution that inflates salaries for small market Canadian teams then you can't trade players out because AAV is prohibitive. In the end, if you're a well run organization then people want to play for your team.

It's a hard sell for Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal. The players are taxed where the game is played so they don't want half their games at a higher Canadian tax rate.

The lads from Hamilton or Kamloops are practical and understand it's a limited career so pursuing the dollars is the way they all go.

You can be as well run as you like but if at the end of the day your earning potential increases by 20-30% playing for Vegas, Dallas or a Florida team it's not even going to be a choice is it?

They need to close that loophole.

 

[SerenityNigh]

It's a hard sell for Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal. The players are taxed where the game is played so they don't want half their games at a higher Canadian tax rate.

The lads from Hamilton or Kamloops are practical and understand it's a limited career so pursuing the dollars is the way they all go.

You can be as well run as you like but if at the end of the day your earning potential increases by 20-30% playing for Vegas, Dallas or a Florida team it's not even going to be a choice is it?

They need to close that loophole.

Chris Tanev decided to go to Toronto instead of staying in Dallas and they would have preferred him stay over signing Matt Dumba. it's complicated and sure the effects are strong, but the side money in a place like Toronto is far greater than Dallas where hockey is probably the #5 sport (NFL, college football, NBA, then either NHL or MLB at #4 and #5). Vancouver is rather small for a big town and it's really expensive, but Montreal is a beautiful city, unlike places like Columbus and Raleigh. I'm with you on places like the 3 small Canadian markets, it's a really hard sell, but in the end it's usually bad ownership that kills a franchise (like Atlanta, Phoenix... ).