Hello hockey fans! PUCK YOU! is back with the final part of this installment!
Note: This installment has been divided into three parts. Click here for part one, and here for part 2. Hit the jump below for part three.
Our panelists include Bruce McGee, Al Creed, BaptisBlacktick, ThinkSoJoE, G, ThatDamnDoubleC, and Armchair MVP.
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While G is a massive Oilers fan, even he thinks this animated gif is bloody hilarious.
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Question 3: We’ve seen some impressive records and accomplishments since our last installment of PUCK YOU! Consider the following, and what are your thoughts on these events: A). Sam Gagner tied former Oiler legends Wayne Gretzky and Paul Coffey’s team record’s for 8 points in a single game (Gagner did it in two periods). Doing so, he tied the team record, but not the NHL record still held by Darryl Sittler who on Feb. 7, 1976, managed 6 goals and 4 assists against the Boston Bruins. The last time any player accomplished the 8 point mark was April 25th, 1989. The man to do it? Super Mario Lemieux.
ThinkSoJoE: A). It’s times like this I wish Time Warner was still fighting with MSG, because I got the NHL network at work during that time frame, and that’s where I heard about this awesome feat. An 8 point game is unheard of nowadays, so congrats to Sam Gagner!
ThatDamnDoubleC A). Fluke. Fluke-y Fluke Fluke Fluke. Sam Gagner needed two periods to score eight points. Now, if I know my periods, and I don’t because I’m not a woman, but I’m pretty sure a period comes once a month. Which means that it took two months for Sam Gagner to score eight points. Which is actually quite slow come to think of it. i don’t see what the fuss is about. Oh wait, I understand now, and it was against the Blackhawks of all teams. No wonder they went on that slump. However, the standings state that Edmonton still sit second last in the NHL, and thus in line for the #2 pick. So congratulations Sam Gagner, you’re eight point contribution has helped your club to 29th in the National Hockey League. Jolly good old chap, jolly good.
Bruce McGee: A). They say records are made to be broken and both of these are awesome records to be sure. So congratulations to Sam Gagner and The Detroit Red Wings (homer love). That said I am so sick and tired of jerks coming up with insane and stupid reasons why these records aren’t pure. To those of you in that camp I got an extra large asterisk and a place you can bloody stick it.
G: Clearly I am a wee bit biased about Gagner’s demolition of the Hawks. As an Oilers fan, it certainly put a smile on my face during another abysmal season. A lot of people are critical of Sam Gagner’s production, but they tend to forget he is only 22 years old and has many seasons ahead of him. Anyways, I am always excited to see milestones and records being set, regardless if the player(s) is on my favorite team. On the same token, I don’t expect Gagner to repeat this feat in his career. It’s just simply a time and place situation, and to be honest, Chicago has some of the worst goaltending in the NHL currently. Furthermore, two of those goals were lucky bounces that generally would not make it past a tender who belongs in the NHL. Fortunately for Edmonton, Chicago doesn’t have any goalies that belong in the NHL!
Armchair MVP: Gagner’s an Oiler, so I resent him a bit just in the spirit of the rivalry with the Flames. But I was really happy for him, in interviews he seems like a good guy, and it’s always fun to see a genuinely nice guy play out of his mind and pull off a feat like that.
BaptisBlacktick:Gagner’s achievment is very impressive, to be able to match one’s season total in a game is really a feat, maybe moreso than Lemieux’s 5 goals 5 different ways in a game.
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One might point out that the whole team just “Kronwalled” an NHL record. Speaking of which, Al Creed (very busy a lad, and will return in a future episode), ThatDamnDoubleC, and myself had a little conversation about his cheapshot artistry on Tuesday’s match with the Flyers in which he targeted the head in an open ice hit. Click here to check out the video.
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Question 3: B). The Detroit Red Wings set the NHL home win record at 21 by defeating the Dallas Stars on February 14th, 2012. They surpassed the single-season mark of 20 straight home wins set by 1929-30 season Bruins, later tied by Philadelphia in 1976. With a win on Sunday, Feb. 19, they extended their streak to 23 games, which will stand as the current NHL record after a shoot-out loss to Vancouver on Feb. 23rd.
BaptisBlacktick:God damned Detroit just keeps on impressing with what they can do any night, or any season. Man I hate them.
ThatDamnDoubleCB). 23 home games without a loss. That’s some effort. That’s better than the Wings of Federov and Yzerman. What would’ve been better, is if it was a 23-game Away streak. I think away winning streaks are much better than home winning streaks, because you’re expected to win home games. Whereas away games are more difficult to win, unless you play the Crap Jackets or the Oilers at home, then in that case you should win as well. Maybe they’d have won more games if they used a squid as a puck instead. Then they wouldn’t have to throw one onto the ice if a trick is scored, and they’d throw pucks instead. Get on it Bettman, use squid instead of pucks. What would be more terrifying than having a squid fly at you at 100mph? Maybe Scott Gomez would still be on the sidelines if a squid was fired into the back of his head, rather than a puck.
Bruce McGee: B). Ed: See Bruce’s answer to 3A).
G: Kudos the Red Wings. It’s always nice to see a new record set in a sport, regardless if I root for the club or not. I have massive respect for Detroit in their ability to remain constantly good as a result of great scouting, drafting, and “over-seasoning” their future players (as they put it) so that when they come out of the minor system, they are NHL ready and know how to play in their system. I look at this amazing home game streak as a product of that process. Sure, a few lucky bounces likely helped them out here and there (just like any NHL team), but the streak is more a testiment to their club’s tenacity and skill. You have to give them credit where it’s due.
ThinkSoJoE: B). They just recently lost at home, didn’t they? I’ll concede defeat to Red Wings fans, and say that they are more than welcome to call themselves Hockeytown with that kind of work at home.
Armchair MVP: In the era of heightened parity league-wide, this is simply mind-blowing. I get the feeling we’re not going to see anyone break the record for a long time. The one caveat though is whether or not the Wings won in any shootouts. If so, those games would have ended in a tie pre-lockout, and the streak would have ended before 23.
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We might need to make a new rule that each installment of PUCK YOU! requires at least one mascot gif.
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Question 3: C). The St. Louis Blues’ has been on fire in the latter half of the regular season. The team is dominating, and after years of rebuilding have come into their own as a true powerhouse they’ve been expected to be. Currently, the Blues are contending for the top of the league in points, and much to some surprise, have resurfaced as one of the most dominant teams in the NHL.
Bruce McGee: C). One might assume being a Wings fan, I am not happy with the rise of the Blues this year. Nothing could be further from the truth, I love competition and seeing the Blues regain they’re form is simply awesome. More parity and competition within the NHL can never be a bad thing.
ThinkSoJoE: C). They did something similar to the Wings, just not as many games, obviously. Likely playoff bound, it’s good to see the Blues back on their feet. Thank solid goaltending out of both of their main roster guys for that.
ThatDamnDoubleCC). St. Louis. Coming out party. Insert your own coming out of the closet/gay jokes here. Perhaps it’s former Dallas Stars players Jason Arnott and Jamie Langenbrunner that is the difference? Maybe it’s having Wayne Gretzky play 18 games for your franchise in 1996. However, and this will annoy a certain ThinkSoJoe, the main reason the Blues are coming out, is because the St. Louis Blues didnt re-sign a certain player at the end of the 1997-98 season, and he signed with the Dallas Stars for the 1998-99 season. This player went on to score the winning goal on the Stanley Cup finals, allowing my Dallas Stars to become Champions. Who was that player? You should know him by now. ThinkSoJoe’s favourite hockey player of all time, Brett Hull.
Armchair MVP: Wasn’t it supposed to be the Wings, Preds and Blackhawks in a three way dogfight to win the Central division? It’s ridiculous how completely this team has turned around under Ken Hitchcock. As long as the goaltending keeps playing the way it is, I don’t see why it can’t continue.
G: I’m pretty happy for the Blues. I have no real slant for or against them as a club. There was a time when I hated them since they had pilfered some of the better players from Edmonton in the 90’s. But for a club that has gone through a grueling rebuild over the last decade, it’s about time they saw success. Sure, I’d love my team to be a dominant club in the league… however, for hockey to thrive, all clubs need to have periods of strength to maintain a loyal fanbase. It might not be that time for all of our favorite teams this season, but as long as you don’t have a GM making retarded decisions at the top, it will happen. The era of the dynasty is dead (yes, Red Wings fans, your team is solid but not a dynasty). And to be fair, let’s just hope that the players and owners adjust their agreement in the off season and not have another lockout. Then we’ll see if the St. Louis Blues can maintain their fantastic play for more than one year. I think they will.
BaptisBlacktick:I hope the Blues win the west and if the Bruins don’t (and won’t) make it to the final, then I’m hoping for a Blues-Jets final, with the Blues taking it to piss off Creed.
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“Last Chance To Rant”
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G: I am a patient boy… I wait… I wait… I wait. Look, as an Edmonton Oilers fan, the last thing I want to hear next season is the word “rebuild.” We have a stable of young deadly forwards. While I hate the fact Edmonton traded away Gilbert, the team did need a stay-at-home defenceman. Hopefully the draft lottery is rigged, because let’s be honest here folks. NO ONE CARES ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS. That team should be in Canada. Even some small town in ButtfuckNowhere would draw more fans in the Great White North. If Edmonton get’s the first pick, they need to convert this pick into a bonafide goaltender and at least a 3-4 pairing blueliner. Let’s show the other Alberta team how to recognize a team is failure and how to rebuild.
ThinkSoJoE: The NHL recently locked in to their NBC contract for several more years. I don’t know, nor do I feel like looking up, the details. However, I think this is one of the dumbest things they could possibly do. What exposure is the NHL getting on a national level in the US aside from a few games every Sunday? Sorry, but I don’t think it’s good for the game or the league if you’re not on more networks and showing off the game in front of more than just the home team markets. For what it’s worth I’m well aware of the games on the NBC Sports Network, but who watches that channel?
BaptisBlacktick: Fuck you Thomas; I’m all for sticking to your convictions, but be a team guy. You’ve isolated yourself from your team and you guys suck now.
ThatDamnDoubleC Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble Rabble MAAAAAAATTTTTTTTT DAAAAAAAAMMMMMMOOOOOONNNNNN!!!!!
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Hockey fans! We want to hear from you. The point of this panel is to allow fans to chime in, not the professionals. You pay their salaries, so tell them what YOU think below in the comments section.
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Shameless Plugs!
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Some of our panelists write elsewhere on the internet, and we’d like you to check out some of their websites!
Bored Wrestling Fan
A break down of various professional wrestling programs and events from the eyes of the smarky fan
The Cultural Revolution (TCR Comix)
Al Creed’s comics dominate tongue and cheek humour here
Wonderpod
A weekly podcast about the world of video games, from player experiences to current events in the industry, Bruce McGee, Pat Man, and Gun Sage provide insight into the medium for any gamer (whether casual or “pro”).
G;
Why do you never return my callings?
-C'thuluhu
The Kraken already won this war, as featured on Wonderpod episode 100.