2024-'25 NHL Season

Alexander Ovechkin had a hat trick this afternoon and now has 882 goals, just 12 behind Wayne Gretzky's all time best of 894.
 
Don Wassall said:
Alexander Ovechkin had a hat trick this afternoon and now has 882 goals, just 12 behind Wayne Gretzky's all time best of 894.
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Ok here's my annual NHL post because I know almost nothing about it, but obviously have heard of Ovechkin and Gretzky. I also love stats.
I haven't looked at NHL's all-time goals, assists or points leaders in a long time, because I did know that Gretzky held all three records. I thought for a long time these records would never be broken. However, it looks like Ovechkin will break Gretzky's goal record.
If you'll excuse my ignorance, could someone tell me how Ovechkin has managed to reach this record? He's obviously a great player, but what I mean is; did he have an advantage in position, left wing vs. Gretzky's Center position? Was Ovechkin, 714 assists, able to concentrate more on scoring or did he do it on purpose wanting to break the record while not having nearly as many assists as Gretzky, 1963 had. Gretzky has 1200 more points than Ovechkin because of the amount of assists Gretzky has! Could Gretzky have scored more goals had he wanted to? Would Ovechkin not have this many goals if he wanted to give out more assists? Was Gretzky just that good that he did both better than anyone ever?
I liken it to MLB. I read alot about Ty Cobb. He once said to a reporter he could hit more homeruns if he wanted to, but didn't, because he loved running the bases and trying to steal. He said this just before a game later in his career in 1925 at 38 years old. He said,"I'll show you something. I'm going to try and hit homeruns for the first time in my career." He hit 5 homeruns in 2 consecutive games, something Babe Ruth hadn't done to that point. That's just one the reasons I believe Cobb was as good if not better than Ruth.
Any way just wondering. I hope what I'm asking makes sense.
 
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Gretzky was the unsurpassed genius at seeing the ice, anticipating and setting up plays in a very frenetic, fast-moving sport. He was 6'0" 180 but seemed even slighter. Mario Lemieux had similar traits to Gretzky but was also physically imposing at 6'4". If not for chronic back problems and a bout with cancer, Mario may well have passed Gretzky's career marks or at least come close to them.

Ovechkin is an ox on skates, 6'3" and 240 pounds and who could skate very fast for his size when he was young and loved to hit opponents as hard as he could. He had an all-around game when he was younger but was always predominantly a goal scorer rather than a playmaker. He's always scored a lot of goals on the power play, and even more so as he's gotten older. He parks himself in the circle during man advantages, waiting for an opportunity to be set up for his blistering shot to beat the goalie before he can move over in time. That's the main reason he's kept on scoring goals at the rate he does.

Ovechkin is the best combination of brute strength and scoring ability ever to play in the NHL but he isn't an elite playmaker and has never had much interest in playing defense other than smashing into opponents.

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Would be great if he broke it with a hat trick or a nice double.

It's also great to see he's playing well. And not just limping to the record for it's own sake.
 
Sean89 said:
Would be great if he broke it with a hat trick or a nice double.

It's also great to see he's playing well. And not just limping to the record for it's own sake.
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Ovechkin tied Gretzky last night at 894 with two goals with The Great One in attendance.

www.outkick.com

Alex Ovechkin Ties Wayne Gretzky For NHL's All-Time Goal-Scoring Lead After Two-Goal Night

A two-goal performance against the Blackhawks drew Alex Ovechkin even with Wayne Gretzky at the top of the NHL's all-time goals list.
www.outkick.com www.outkick.com
 
Alexander Ovechkin passes Wayne Gretzky, breaking a record many thought would never be broken, and now stands alone atop the NHL goal scoring list with 895. What a fantastic accomplishment!



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Great accomplishment hope ESPN doesn’t let the fact that he’s Russian ruin it!
 
One of the greatest sports acomplishments I have ever seen Above Lebrons in my opinion! Gretzky seemed untouchable. Congrats
to the Best Goal Scorer to ever grace the ice, Alexander Ovechkin!
 
The Stanley Cup playoffs begin Saturday. Winnipeg scored the most points of any team in the regular season, but that often doesn't translate to lifting the Cup at the end. Washington had the most points in the Eastern Conference. First round matchups:

Eastern Conference
Washington vs. Montreal
Toronto vs. Ottawa
Tampa vs. Florida
Carolina vs. New Jersey

The Bruins, Rangers and Penguins missed the Big Dance.

Western Conference
Winnipeg vs. St. Louis
Dallas vs. Colorado
Vegas vs. Minnesota
Los Angeles vs. Edmonton

Defending champion Florida will try to repeat. Five Canadian teams made it, will this be the year the 32 year drought without winning the Cup ends for the Great White North?
 
The Washington-Montreal game went to OT after the Canadiens overcame a two goal deficit in the third period to tie it. In OT the announcers were saying how strange it was that it was Ovechkin's 45th playoff overtime game yet he had never scored a game winner. Right on cue, the Great Eight netted one, game over! Washington had kind of staggered down the stretch after being nearly unbeatable for much of the season. Some are attributing it to the distraction of Ovechkin surpassing Gretzky in career goals. I don't follow the Caps closely enough to have an opinion, the bottom line is that Washington is now up one game to none over a game Montreal team.

Winnipeg beats St. Louis at home again to go up 2-0 in games.
 
Wow Oilers with the comeback. Went to bed and looked like they were done.

Not sure if they can go all the way. They are will probably rely on their big two too much.
 
Sean89 said:
Wow Oilers with the comeback. Went to bed and looked like they were done.

Not sure if they can go all the way. They are will probably rely on their big two too much.
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I only watched the overtime period, but it was great hockey. Edmonton played with all-out desperation and dominated but that doesn't always mean a win as all it takes is one shot by either team to end it.

All the teams have thousands of fans in special areas just outside the arenas, mostly young fans who go bonkers when the home team scores, not that it's less exciting inside the buildings. The Stanley Cup playoffs always make for entertaining viewing.
 
Some tremendous playoff hockey the past two days. Dallas was down at home to Colorado in Game 7 by two goals then scored four third period goals to win. Last night was even more amazing as Winnipeg was down two goals to St. Louis at home in Game 7 with two minutes left to play before scoring two goals to tie, the second one coming with less than two seconds left in regulation! The Jets then won in the second overtime, the third longest Game 7 in NHL history.

Second round matchups:

Toronto vs. defending champs Florida
Washington vs. Carolina
Vegas vs. Edmonton
Winnipeg vs. Dallas

All should be great battles. Three Canadian teams are still alive, probably the first time that's happened in quite a while.
 
The second round kicked off tonight with defending champions the Florida Panthers at Toronto, with the Maple Leafs, one of the two great NHL teams historically along with the Montreal Canadiens, searching for their first Stanley Cup championship since 1967. The Leafs got off to a great start and entered the third period with a 4-1 lead only to hang on for a 5-4 win. The Panthers look strong and will not go down without a fight, this has the makings of a great series. As I post every year, there's nothing better in sports than the Stanley Cup playoffs, White warriors giving their all to win 16 games over four series to be able to lift that sacred Cup over their heads.





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Don Wassall said:
The second round kicked off tonight with defending champions the Florida Panthers at Toronto, with the Maple Leafs, one of the two great NHL teams historically along with the Montreal Canadiens, searching for their first Stanley Cup championship since 1967. The Leafs got off to a great start and entered the third period with a 4-1 lead only to hang on for a 5-4 win. The Panthers look strong and will not go down without a fight, this has the makings of a great series. As I post every year, there's nothing better in sports than the Stanley Cup playoffs, White warriors giving their all to win 16 games over four series to be able to lift that sacred Cup over their heads.





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From down 0-2 the defending champs are about to go up 3 games to 2 over the the Maple Leafs, crushing Toronto 6-0 in Toronto with nine minutes left as I write this. The Panthers were the best team last year, no one thinks their title was flukish, and appear headed to the Eastern Conference finals against Washington or Carolina, most likely the Hurricanes who are up 3-1 in that series.

Edmonton looks very strong in the West, could well end up as a rematch of last year's Stanley Cup finals, but Dallas is also a very strong team and as things look will play the Oilers in the Western Conference finals.
 
The defending champions embarrass the Maple Leafs in Game 7 in Toronto, winning 6-1. The Maple Leafs were serenaded off the ice with boos from the home crowd. It's the seventh straight Game 7 they've lost. Florida is in the Eastern Conference finals for the third straight year and will face Carolina, who took care of Washington in five games.

The Western Conference finals is a rematch of last year, Edmonton vs. Dallas. It's actually the third straight year for the Stars, who lost to the Oilers last year and Vegas the year before. Edmonton is the last Canadian team standing and both series should make for great hockey.
 
Don Wassall said:
Florida is in the Eastern Conference finals for the third straight year and will face Carolina, who took care of Washington in five games.
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I really should pay more attention to Hockey. Just so busy, I don't really think about as it wasn't prominent in NC growing up. However, my brother and my two sons do follow it and have asked me to a playoff game. I'm not sure they're serious as tickets are somewhere around $400 and UP? I could do it, but I don't think my brother will come off the hip for that much. I would love to go. We'll see if my sons will take care of the tab?
 
Carolina Speed said:
I really should pay more attention to Hockey. Just so busy, I don't really think about as it wasn't prominent in NC growing up. However, my brother and my two sons do follow it and have asked me to a playoff game. I'm not sure they're serious as tickets are somewhere around $400 and UP? I could do it, but I don't think my brother will come off the hip for that much. I would love to go. We'll see if my sons will take care of the tab?
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I've attended MLB playoff games and a World Series game, an NFL playoff game, and several NHL playoff games, and hockey ranks right up there at the top as far as excitement and atmosphere. The enclosed arenas get super-loud and Hurricanes fans are no exception. I'd recommend attending if you can as the Hurricanes matchup against the defending champions should be a great one. Of course, prices have skyrocketed since my heyday attending such events. . .
 
Carolina Speed said:
I really should pay more attention to Hockey. Just so busy, I don't really think about as it wasn't prominent in NC growing up. However, my brother and my two sons do follow it and have asked me to a playoff game. I'm not sure they're serious as tickets are somewhere around $400 and UP? I could do it, but I don't think my brother will come off the hip for that much. I would love to go. We'll see if my sons will take care of the tab?
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Back 20 years ago when Toronto played the Hurricanes in the conference final people in Toronto were able to get tickets without any vigorish from street scalpers through the Hurricanes box office. Aside from transportation halfway across North America the cost of seeing the game was literally a quarter the cost of Toronto.

I think these prices reflect the upside down nature of sports in our society and the sport being more popular in this market now. I remember going to playoff games in the late 80's for 25 dollars paying vigorish to street scalpers this would be the equivalent of about 70 dollars in todays money for nose bleed seats.

As for the playoffs hockey's playoffs delivered once again as paper upsets happened throughout the second round of the playoffs with both conference number 1 seeds being bounced and the Leafs will continue their futility in a non winning streak that is now approaching 60 years.

PS All of the younger fans leaping up and down in public squares probably could have bought tickets to these early round games back in the day for the prices I paid in the late 80's. To me this symbolizes the shutting out of younger fans and the working class from in demand live events as concerts have had similar ticket price explosions that have been multiples of the consumer price index inflation.

PS2 I remember when the NHL had a 21 team league and 16 of the 21 teams made the playoffs and the saying was the playoffs don't begin until the 2nd round. In my mind I still stick to this logic even though the league has expanded to 34 teams and held the line on playoff berths.
 
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Florida with two very lopsided road wins over Carolina. It'll be a huge upset now if the Hurricanes rally to win the series as the Panthers are getting stronger as the playoffs go on and look headed to the Stanley Cup finals for the third year in a row.

Edmonton dominated Dallas for two periods in their first game, then Dallas scored on three straight power plays in the third period and pulled off a huge comeback win. Game Two is in Dallas tomorrow night.
 
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