NHL

[widnesblue]

Mentioned it in a previous post but been going to watch Manchester Storm a bit in the last season. They’ve just announced they are moving back to the MEN arena for next season. Looking forward to the season starting in September now.

 

[notrevE5]

I’m sold. From this day I’m now a maple leafs fan.

and you thought being an Everton fan was a torrid existence

Larry Hillman (#22) of the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1961. (Photo by Robert Riger/Getty Images)

Could black magic be the cause of all the failures in Toronto Maple Leafs history? It turns out they have been a cursed franchise for decades.​

The Toronto Maple Leafs have been waiting far too long to update their trophy case.

After 53 years without winning hockey’s biggest prize, they own the NHL’s longest championship drought. There are many reasons for the lack of success but many like to point to the possibility that the franchise is cursed.

There are multiple variations of a potential curse. We explore all the permutations of these dark clouds.

The Curse of Larry Hillman​

Larry Hillman is a former defenseman from Kirkland Lake, Ontario who won the Stanley Cup six times including four of them with Toronto. He played for 15 different teams in his 22 seasons as a professional hockey player.

Hillman holds the record as the youngest player to have their name etched into Lord Stanley’s Mug at 18 years, 2 months, and 9 days old. He has also been long suspected of putting a hex on the Maple Leafs.

As a player who struggled to maintain his spot fulltime in the NHL, Hillman was furious with the Maple Leafs following their Stanley Cup victory in 1967. After an excellent showing against the Montreal Canadiens in the Cup Finals, Hillman asked the coach and general manager, Punch Imlach, for a $5000 raise in order to bring his salary to $20,000.

Imlach refused, which prompted Hillman to holdout from joining the team the following season until he was given the raise he believed he earned.

In retribution, Imlach fined Hillman $100 for each day of his 24-day holdout. Hillman was forced to pay the team $2,400 but after doing so, he hexed the franchise until the day they repaid him with interest.

Interestingly, Hillman chose to lift the curse in 2017. Leafs president Brendan Shanahan then repaid Hillman the $2,400 plus interest.

 

[SerenityNigh]

I’m sold. From this day I’m now a maple leafs fan.

 

[SerenityNigh]

I think Wild-Stars will be good to the end (and hopefully enjoyable for me as well), but this is a funny moment

 

[widnesblue]

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I’m used to disappointment with Everton and Widnes. Might as well add a third to the mix.

 

[Gwladys St. Glory]

Grew to love ice hockey over the last few years. I go watch Manchester storm a bit and really enjoy it and became a fan. Such an amazing sport to watch live.

 

[SerenityNigh]

I’m used to disappointment with Everton and Widnes. Might as well add a third to the mix.

 

[Gwladys St. Glory]

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Proper colours though, putting on the jersey will feel like a warm hug from mama.

 

[Gwladys St. Glory]

Mentioned it in a previous post but been going to watch Manchester Storm a bit in the last season. They’ve just announced they are moving back to the MEN arena for next season. Looking forward to the season starting in September now.

If you can't play/skate, the next best thing is a live game...I imagine tickets are highly affordable; I suggest just above the glass anywhere between the blue lines, unless you like to watch the 'tenders in action then level with the goal line, about 50 foot above the glass. Enjoy! I've pimped it to blues for decades now. Similar terms used, bit of legal pugilism...all you really have to get used to is the speed of the puck but that comes with learning the mechanics of the game.

GAME ON!

 

[Nicodemus49]

Crazy game in Utah tonight. Can’t beat playoff hockey

 

[notrevE5]

Crazy game in Utah tonight. Can’t beat playoff hockey

no sport produces a better atmosphere and more thrills and spills in the concluding part of its tournament, Stanley Cup playoffs, simply the greatest show on earth

 

[SerenityNigh]

Wild were very good but also the Stars looked very soft most of the series. I saw that Mikko Rantanen has been renamed Meeko Rantanen and now I can't unsee it.

Forza Canes for the rest of the playoffs.

 

[mmmmsnouts]

Wild were very good but also the Stars looked very soft most of the series. I saw that Mikko Rantanen has been renamed Meeko Rantanen and now I can't unsee it.

Forza Canes for the rest of the playoffs.

Rantanen has this thing like early career Ovechkin, where he thinks he has to do everything himself when the pressure is on. Hogs the puck, easy to defend.

Also the NHL’s playoff format is shocking. 2nd and 3rd best teams in the conference should not be playing each other in the first round, while the 5th and 7th best teams are also playing each other. And in the east the lowest two teams in the playoffs got to meet!

 

[SerenityNigh]

Rantanen has this thing like early career Ovechkin, where he thinks he has to do everything himself when the pressure is on. Hogs the puck, easy to defend.

Also the NHL’s playoff format is shocking. 2nd and 3rd best teams in the conference should not be playing each other in the first round, while the 5th and 7th best teams are also playing each other. And in the east the lowest two teams in the playoffs got to meet!

I'm not a fan of the playoff seeding, but I'm only pinning this on the Stars--they way they played, how they were set up, and defensemen 4, 5, & 6.

Actually Nils Lundkvist was quite good before he took a skate to the face. I hope he plays well and continues to develop next year (if he returns). I think both he and Bischel can be good NHL defensemen.

Probably they'll be ok, but they were too relaxed, if that's a thing. Plus Hintz injured and both Harley and Rantanen look like the Olympics has dragged them (Miro and Lindell less so).

I'll be watching the next round, but my main interest now is seeing that Robertson is re-signed.

 

[SerenityNigh]

I was not expecting that kind of game 1 from the Avs & Wild