2020-2021 NHL Season

Don Wassall

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No question that Jarry's huge, unforgivable gaffe in Game 5 was the difference maker in the series, along with playing like crap just about every game. Win that game and it's very tough to see the Islanders come back and win the last two. Lose after thoroughly dominating the Islanders all through regulation and overtime in Game 5 and it was very tough to see the Penguins come back and of course they didn't. But that's hockey, the Penguins need to learn to play with less mistakes in the regular season and the playoffs, otherwise opportunistic teams like the Islanders this year (and Montreal last year, the #24 seed) will continue to beat them when it counts. Whether the likes of Malkin and Letang and others will ever absorb that now yearly lesson is unlikely. And sadly, Sidney Crosby has been a non-contributor the last three playoff years. His linemates of Guentzel and Rust are very good wings but are small and all it takes in the playoffs is to relentlessly pound them and they wilt, leaving Sid ineffective.
 

Don Wassall

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The Islanders knock off the Bruins in six games after knocking off the Penguins in six games. The near-unanimous consensus in Pittsburgh going into the playoffs was that the Islanders were the team the Penguins wanted to face rather than Boston or Washington. The same likely held true in Boston. But both series saw the Islanders win three straight after being down 1-2 in games. The upcoming conference final against the defending champs should be a fun one to watch.

Gotta give the Islanders' fans their due. I don't know that I've ever heard fans be so loud and boisterous non-stop through every playoff game like them and I've been watching the Stanley Cup playoffs for a long time, it's very impressive. The closest I can think of is Nashville's fans during the Predators' run to the Stanley Cup final in 2017. Then again NHL fans are loud in every city during the playoffs, it's just a matter of the degree of fanaticism. I'm not watching the NBA playoffs but I'll bet the fans at those games can't hold a candle to NHL fans. As much as the communists at ESPN want hockey to be a "niche" sport it's anything but, it's hugely popular in almost all Western countries.
 
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Hockey is popular in most Eastern European countries as well as NE Asia and Central Asia. In Russia it is bigger than Soccer which is a rarity.

The two surprising events so far this playoff are Pittsburgh losing and Vegas being up on Colorado. Game 6 in Vegas should be great and unpredictable.
 

Don Wassall

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Hockey is popular in most Eastern European countries as well as NE Asia and Central Asia. In Russia it is bigger than Soccer which is a rarity.

The two surprising events so far this playoff are Pittsburgh losing and Vegas being up on Colorado. Game 6 in Vegas should be great and unpredictable.

Yes, I was using "Western" in the broadest sense, including central and eastern Europe and of course the great hockey country of Russia. And it's good to see hockey growing in popularity in parts of Asia.

Can't wait to watch Vegas-Colorado tonight. Vegas is another hockey-mad city and their full arena should be a real madhouse for Game 6.
 
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Wow. Vegas crushes Colorado to win the series.
For the first time all season teams will be playing outside their respective divisions.

Tampa vs. NYI and Vegas vs. Montreal in the best of 7 semifinals.

For all the Jackals in Brighton Beach, Tampa should crush the NYI.
Vegas should crush Montreal. However the NHL is unpredictable.
 

Don Wassall

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If Montreal beats Vegas it will rank as a major upset, though just about every year the Stanley Cup playoffs have upsets. In most cases in sports I don't like it when teams that are mediocre during the regular season knock off a top team, but the Stanley Cup playoffs are so grueling and such a test of will and determination that whoever wins any seven game series has earned it.

The fact that the four teams left didn't play each other during the regular season adds a bit of mystery to the conference finals.
 

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Colorado looked so dominant against Las Vegas in game 1. Surprised to see they fell so flat.

Montreal is traveling to the US for the first time this year. I didn't realize the NHL pulled off a schedule/conference overhaul to accommodate Canada's closed borders. So rather than traditional conference finals, this is the four winners of Canada/West/North/South quadrants, ranked by points. The Canadiens have the lowest point total of the remaining teams but haven't played any of them yet. I wonder how much the corona restrictions will play a role in player performance.
 
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NYISLANDERS up 2-0 in the third period.
Matthew Barzal scored the first goal. He, along with Cole Makar from Colorado are a couple of the very best with puck control and moves to get by the defense. Only Connor McDavid from Edmonton is better.

As an aside I bought Tampa/Carolina/Colorado: any one to win the Stanley Cup in an NHL futures market. So I am down to Tampa Bay.
 
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NYISLANDERS win 2-1. It was psychologically important for Tampa to get the last goal. Now they have a must win on Tuesday and then need to take 1 of 2 in NY to make it a three game series.
 

Rebajlo

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This most curious of seasons is approaching its climax and most of my initial predictions have flown straight out the proverbial window, with the exception of that of the Lightning still being in contention at the semi-finals stage.

The Habs made very hard work of securing their playoff berth and - despite dramatically lifting their performance against Toronto in the first round - only managed to crawl out of the coffin in game 5 overtime (with, worst luck, a goal by part-Jap Ryan Suzuki) before winning the last two games to squeak through 4-3.

Since my beloved Nords relocated to Colorado in 1995 and the Whalers’ subsequent move to Raleigh in 1997, Toronto has been my “default” favourite team so I was bitterly disappointed by the result, particularly given Joe Thornton’s very limited remaining chances of finally lifting the Cup for the first time.

Montreal were handed a huge advantage in the second round when the Jets’ most dangerous offensive threat Mark Scheifele incurred a four-match suspension for charging stemming from his hit on Jake Evans during the opening game. Let’s expand upon the subject of suspensions…

Scheifele was ruled out for four games and thereby missed the rest of the series, in which Winnipeg were swept. Colorado’s Lebanese Muslim Nazem Kadri was suspended for eight games for striking the Blues’ Justin Faulk in the head with his elbow in game two of the first round. Yet the Golden Knights’ abysmally talentless, habitually dirty Negro goon Ryan Reaves received a mere two-match suspension after he punched the Avalanche’s Ryan Graves in the back of the head, slammed him to the ice, knelt forcefully on his head until his helmet came off and pulled out a chunk of the Colorado player’s hair. Unlike Scheifele and Kadri, Reaves voiced absolutely no remorse for his actions.

This occurred only one game after Reaves had deliberately cross-checked the Wild’s Ryan Suter into the goal post causing the Minnesota defenseman’s face to strike the pipes. Yet the Negro received nothing more than a two-minute minor penalty for interference.

Black Privilege manifests itself yet again. Just imagine if a White player had done to a Negro player the same as Reaves did to Graves. The media, the NHL “authorities”, the politicians, the “community leaders”, and every fat, ugly, sweat-drenched, loudmouthed Negro BLM “activist” and flea-ridden, tattoo-festooned, “gender fluid” white leftist “ally” in North America would be “calling it out” as a patently racist assault and hysterically demanding that the notional white player should not only be banned from hockey for life but also be charged and subsequently jailed for attempted murder, “hate crimes”, “domestic terrorism”, “White supremacy”, and a cavalcade of miscellaneous historical “micro-aggressions”.

As far as I am aware, Scheifele’s hit on Evans was replayed over and over on Canadian television, while Reaves’ deliberate attempt to seriously hurt Graves was quickly “forgotten”. Well, that sounds familiar enough…

Sadly, my previously ultra-hard-core interest in hockey has abated in the wake of the NHL’s collective adherence to the BLM dogma in the immediate wake of lifelong criminal Floyd’s demise. As a quick aside, I chuckle every time I see one of those “default” depictions of Floyd on a banner, poster, t-shirt, mural, or anywhere else. Why? Because his balloon-like lips set within that unmistakably simian countenance ironically fulfil every so-called stereotype Negroes have constantly railed against for the best part of a century. If a White artist drew such a repulsive face in a comic, cartoon, or newspaper caricature he would be decried as a racist throwback to the “bad old days” of the forties and fifties, lose his job, and be professionally and socially ostracised for the rest of his life. Negroes - who are beset by inferiority complexes stemming from their ape-like appearance - frenziedly insist that “black people don’t look like that”. Ah, but they do, don’t they… :)

The obsequiously pro-Negro (and, therefore, anti-White) statements made by hockey players at the end of last May sickened me thoroughly and had an instant and lasting negative impact upon my perception and enjoyment of the sport. Hockey may be completely dominated by White stars, but - like the tiny handful of token black fringe players - they are still mouthpieces for the anti-White socio-political agenda.

Here are tweets posted by various hockey players after Floyd’s death…

A grovelling CLAUDE GIROUX tweeted:

“Over the past few days I’ve remained relatively quiet regarding the murder of George Floyd. Although silent, I was listening and I was truly learning. And although I will never be able to really understand what so many of you go through every day, I want you all to know that I am here, I see you and I stand with you. My family stands with you. I will try to understand better. I will hold others accountable and I will speak up. I will work hard to further educate myself and encourage others to do the same.

Growing up in a small town I was never truly educated on diversity. It was only when I came to Philadelphia that I realized life is so much bigger than I thought it was. I deeply love Philadelphia. But I see white privilege firsthand every day. I see that clearly now. I didn’t understand before but I do now. But I can be better. And I want to be better.

To become a true ally and to properly teach my son. To stand up for what is right.”

https://twitter.com/28cgiroux/status/1268359719741272064?lang=en

Golden boy CONNOR MCDAVID maundered:

“Like everyone else, I watched the horror of George Floyd’s murder and felt helpless and sick to my stomach. And as I have watched the many protests against racism and social injustice that have been taking place around the world, I realize that I need to do more to educate myself…that I need to learn more about the history of racism in our countries and to listen to the voices and the perspectives of the Black community and other racial minorities to try and understand how I can help to affect positive change going forward. As a young white male and pro athlete, I recognize that we live a very privileged life. I believe that the time is now for all of us to get out of our comfort zones, to not sit idly on the sidelines and to be part of the solution to ensure that we end racism in our society.”

https://twitter.com/cmcdavid97/status/1268265563513634817?lang=en

SIDNEY CROSBY spouted:

“What happened to George Floyd cannot be ignored. Racism that exists today in all forms is not acceptable. While I am not able to relate to the discrimination that black and minority communities face daily, I will listen and educate myself on how I can help make a difference.

Together, we will find solutions through necessary dialogue and a collective effort.”

https://twitter.com/penguins/status/1268166102426796035?lang=en

BLAKE WHEELER blathered:

“Growing up outside of Minneapolis I always felt sheltered from racism. That’s because I was. Most people I grew up with looked like me. I never had to be scared when I stopped at a traffic light or saw the police in public. My kids will never know that fear either. I’m heartbroken that we still treat people this way. We need to stand with the black community and fundamentally change how the leadership in this country has dealt with racism. I’m sorry is has taken this long, but I’m hopeful we can change this NOW. George Floyd’s life mattered. Ahmaud Arbery’s life mattered. So did every other life that has been lost by this senseless violence and racism.”

https://twitter.com/biggiefunke/status/1266891506624770048?lang=en

NICK FOLIGNO incorporated a quote from renowned Indian bodybuilder Mahatma Ghandi into his steaming bucket of ********:

“I’ve thought a lot about what’s gone on the past week and prayed about it. How we, as humans, have gotten to this point. The silence that has gone on for so long is now deafening! The oppression that so many face is heartbreaking. I will never pretend to understand your pain however I will promise to better myself and continue to listen and educate myself and my children so that this moment in time will be looked back on and remembered as when the world started to heal and come together. It starts with me because I believe what the great Mahatma Gandhi said and that is….. “Be the change you wish to see in the world!””

https://twitter.com/NickFoligno/status/1267255060251246592/photo/1

TYLER SEGUIN sermonised:

“I haven’t felt good all week. I’ve felt fear and an uneasiness to speak up. This is the first time in my life where I’ve really had this feeling. Im a white hockey player and it’s not my place to say I can ever truly understand. But as I witness and digest the gravity of the pain that others are going through, at the very least I want to show my support.

If anything, I can say my sense of empathy is growing. I’m listening harder than ever, but I don’t like what I’m hearing. I see peoples pain much more clearly, specifically in the black community. Seeing George Floyd’s life drained from him was horrific and startling. It still doesn’t compute and it isn’t right.

I have to ask myself how I missed this for so long. Being successful playing in a predominantly white sport, I am guilty of not being aware and Im not proud of that. I feel like I’ve always treated people equally, but I have this feeling now that I have a responsibility to do more.

My heart breaks for the lives that have been unjustly and unnecessarily lost. We need to stomp out fear, hate, bigotry, and racism. My hope is that society will come out enlightened, fight for change, and will finally hear the historically stifled voices of all underrepresented groups of people.

https://twitter.com/tseguinofficial/status/1267647546148761600

GABRIEL LANDESKOG crapped out the following intellectual turd:

“These words aren’t perfect, but I felt the need to try.

I don’t want my silence to be misunderstood for ignorance. As a privileged white man I do not know what black men and women go through everyday, and I will not pretend like I do.

I watched along with all of you how George Floyd was murdered, and I am just like you, furious and frustrated. I do not have all the answers, but the one answer I do have is to open up our hearts and listen. We need to educate ourselves so we can be better. We need to learn how we got to this point, so we can do better. Racism needs to stop.

I want to raise my daughter in a world where love is stronger than hate. Where color does not matter.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CA-qh-xgAG2/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

In this final example, current "superstar" UFA ZACK SMITH managed to string together almost as many words as the points he has scored during his “ultra-productive” NHL career:

As a privileged white man playing in the NHL (a predominantly white league) I feel it’s as important now as ever to show support for the black community and encourage change. If you think the current way black people and other minorities are treated here is ok…. you are a racist. If you don’t have an opinion or are “neutral” on this subject then you are ignorant and very misinformed. I strongly disagree with rioting and looting of homes and small businesses but if you resent this movement because of the actions of a few vandals then you are missing the point entirely. As hockey players we sometimes come off as robots in our interviews and stay clear of opinions on most social issues and controversy. Personally I don’t like posting my opinions on social media these days for several reason [sic]. However with the amount of racist people (especially those in positions of power) being exposed during this movement I felt the need to show my support for the black community and the need for change.

https://twitter.com/Smit_Treat15/status/1267501198174633985

I don’t wish to sow hyper-negativity, but let’s be honest: if the existence of Castefootball was brought to the attention of these White NHL players, they would call for the site to be taken down in a heartbeat.

It’s exceedingly difficult to retain an interest in even a virtually all-White sport one has loved for one’s entire life when the players make unequivocally pro-Negro (and, therefore, anti-White) statements and gestures.
 

Don Wassall

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In Game One the Canadiens looked good for the first half of the first period then were overwhelmed by the Golden Knights. Tonight they played a very strong first period, took a 2-0 lead and hung on to win 3-2. Getting a split in Vegas was big. I still think Vegas will win in five or six, but Montreal has been a cinderella playoff team the past two years, both times being the last team to qualify.

Will be interesting to see what the ultra-nanny state Canadian government will allow as far as fans for Montreal's home games. They were up to about 2,000 fans last series after the Canadian teams played in front of no one in the first round. California, Michigan and New York are libertarian bastions compared to Canada, what a shame what's happened to the Great White North in so many ways.

Vegas just seems too big and talented, reminiscent of the Kings when they won two Cups in three seasons but faster and more skilled. But it would also be great to see a Canadian team finally win the Stanley Cup after a sad 28 year drought, as unlikely as it seems this year. Vegas was gifted a lot as an expansion team, just doesn't seem right for them to win it all so soon, but Tampa or NYI will also have something to say about that if Montreal falls.
 
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I am surprised to see MTL win. With Tampa winning on Tuesday we have two 5 game series. Vegas has been gifted in expansion and they are a very good team and with home advantage if they make the final I will have to hedge them if Tampa gets by the NYI.

That’s a correct assessment Rebajlo, about the current state of affairs. Again it is players under the influence of 85+ years of Frankfurt School propaganda that has metastasized into the current sad USA and countries under their sphere of influence.

I would like to see Quebec City( by far the most European City in North America ) get an NHL team again.
 

Don Wassall

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I am surprised to see MTL win. With Tampa winning on Tuesday we have two 5 game series. Vegas has been gifted in expansion and they are a very good team and with home advantage if they make the final I will have to hedge them if Tampa gets by the NYI.

That’s a correct assessment Rebajlo, about the current state of affairs. Again it is players under the influence of 85+ years of Frankfurt School propaganda that has metastasized into the current sad USA and countries under their sphere of influence.

I would like to see Quebec City( by far the most European City in North America ) get an NHL team again.

It's a tragedy, at least in hockey terms, that Quebec doesn't have a team. Big corporations don't have the resources, pull and influence in Canada that they do in the U.S., that's the main reason Canada has been enduring a Stanley Cup drought going on 30 years and why a natural NHL city like Quebec lost their team and doesn't have one now.
 
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Tampa wins a tough game 2-1 in NY. Slovak Eric Cernak gifted NYI a goal by not clearing the puck and trying to shovel it back to the goalie.
Game four is the time for Tampa to open up play and stun the Islanders.
 

Don Wassall

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The Islanders have now trailed 2 games to 1 in all three series. In the first two they came back to win three in a row to move on but I don't see it happening against Tampa. Watching the game tonight you just had the feeling that New York wasn't gonna score in the third period to tie it up, so thoroughly were they shut down by the Lightning. But never count NYI out until the fat lady sings.
 

white is right

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It's a tragedy, at least in hockey terms, that Quebec doesn't have a team. Big corporations don't have the resources, pull and influence in Canada that they do in the U.S., that's the main reason Canada has been enduring a Stanley Cup drought going on 30 years and why a natural NHL city like Quebec lost their team and doesn't have one now.
Yes, the NHL moved on from Quebec City economically. Quebec City is one of poorest major cities in Canada as of last year had among the lowest rental rates in Canada. The city would probably be even in worse shape if the city wasn't the capital of Quebec.

I suppose if Winnipeg could revive a team Quebec could but the team would be always on the verge of bankruptcy or moving with the modern salary structure and the lack of corporate support in Quebec city. When the Nordiques left town the NHL was almost a AAA league compared to the salary structure and modern buildings needed to compete with Toronto, New York, Montreal etc. Also the Quebec provincial government wasn't willing to help in the 90's to save the team, they won't lift a finger now with the future hangover of Covid debt.
 
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Don Wassall

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The Islanders just won't go away. D-man Ryan Pulock made a save for the ages with about one second left in the game with goalie Semyon Varlamov well out of the cage to cap a 3-2 home win, tying the series at two games each. Great contest, can't wait for Game 5 in Tampa on Monday.

Meantime, the Canadiens somehow won Game 3 of their series in overtime at home in front of 3,000 masked fans despite being heavily outshot and now lead Vegas 2 games to 1 with game four tomorrow.
 
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Marc-Andre Fleury gave away game three to the Canadiens. It will be interesting to see what happens next.
Tampa/NYI is now a three game series. We will see if Tampa is as great as I think they are. The Islanders are a huge surprise and I totally missed the mark by discounting the NHL East division as well as the North.
 

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That freakish gaffe by Fleury in Game 3 brought back unpleasant memories of Fleury in the playoffs from 2010-2014, when he was bad, like 2021 Tristan Jarry bad except over and over. But overall he's had a great career and his longevity ensures he'll make the Hall of Fame.
 
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Marc-Andre Fleury gave away game three to the Canadiens. It will be interesting to see what happens next.
Tampa/NYI is now a three game series. We will see if Tampa is as great as I think they are. The Islanders are a huge surprise and I totally missed the mark by discounting the NHL East division as well as the North.

The NHL Eastern Division was 6 deep for most of the year in quality NYI, Bost, Pitt, Wash, NYR, Phi were all playoff caliber teams, certainly made the NYI battle tested going into the playoffs.
 
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Yes. I was scared off by the bad goaltending in the East and put to much of a metric on that. Tampa/Carolina/Florida and Nashville had better net minding all season than the East. Like I said in an earlier post that I have no databases to work off because of the shortened and reshuffled season.

Tonight’s game saw the best in the league in Carey Price even though the Golden Knights won to tie up the series 2-2.
We have two 3 game series now.
 

Don Wassall

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Montreal keeps getting stronger the longer the playoffs go on. Vegas looked bewildered and defeated on their own home ice. Their fans even booed them at the end of the second period, what ingrates.

Tonight the Islanders face elimination for the first time. . .
 

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The Islanders overcome a 2-0 deficit to come back and win 3-2 in OT and force a Game 7 against the defending champs on Friday. Very exciting game and it was pure bedlam afterwards with the happy Islanders fans throwing plastic bottles and beer cans all over the ice for some reason as the Lightning had already headed off to their locker room, leaving the Islanders to dodge the projectiles.
 
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