Best Ever Albums

Re: NHL Back of the Net thread

cestuneblague — Fri, 2 Oct 2026 15:00:38 GMT

Author: cestuneblague

Posted: 10/02/2026 19:00

Late and definitely don't have the know-how to put together a predictions/season preview, but go Habs. They look dangerous this year, but still need that enforcer (or two) to really make a deep playoff run. Islanders (team of the future Tim Blake Nelson says) are finally exciting again, and that was a dominant first game for the Kraken... at least! Should be exciting, have Islanders and Flyers and hopefully Habs tickets so will be great to get back to the ice. For Love of Jased Gawd no Vegas-Florida Stanley cup. Where are you Juno

Re: NHL Back of the Net thread

cestuneblague — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 17:03:17 GMT

Author: cestuneblague

Posted: 08/13/2026 21:03

Yeah it does in the end make sense why FA's would want to go to Florida, but I've lived right in Broward County, and I can tell you... it's the epitome of Fair-Weather fans. Even people there can attest that before they started contending for Stanleys, it was mostly Canadians who were attending the games. Now not a team I'm going to actively root against, which I don't find too productive these days. Other than the Blackhawks, unforgiveable what happened and the NHL "disciplinary team" for not even finding a wrist to slap.

Otherwise been an interesting off-season, I Donno about the Habs, they really need those extra enforcers to compliment their terrific scoring front-line. Bullish on the Islanders future 'cuz Schaffer's an absolute beast at 19. The Kraken are a loooooonnnngggg way from being relevant, they really need some basic oomph to their lineup.

Re: NHL Back of the Net thread

junodog4 — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 20:09:25 GMT

Author: junodog4

Posted: 06/30/2026 00:09

...and the offseason has begun!

Florida seems determined to be the most hated team in the NHL.

In one way, they the epicentre of NHL players (especially American) trying to dictate where they play. I get it - athletes are people too - they often want to play where they and their family are most comfortable. Florida is a market where it's easier to anonymous for a hockey player, unlike Canadian or traditional US hockey markets. Florida has warm weather, beaches, boats, etc... kinda tough to compare to Buffalo or Ottawa. Florida also has low taxes. American players often want to play in the US, and players like the Hughes and Tkachuks want to play with family. However, these guys are paid millions to play a sport. It's kinda hard to feel bad for them if they have to play in a market they don't prefer, or they end up moving around. This is part of the reason they are compensated so much. I get why fans resent players who hold out to play in only a handful of places. You wanna move? Wait for free agency.

In another way, a team that already had Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand, etc... just added Brady Tkachuk and potentially Radko Gudas. Yikes. Maybe they can sign Corey Perry and trade for Tom Wilson?

I will have the teams I cheer for, and I now have at least one team I will for sure cheer against.

Re: NHL Back of the Net thread

CA Dreamin — Tue, 16 Jun 2026 20:05:18 GMT

Author: CA Dreamin

Posted: 06/17/2026 00:05

The Stanley Cup Finals lost their intrigue for me when the two warm-climate teams advanced over the cold-climate teams. Still, Carolina winning was preferable because Vegas lost more games than they won in the regular season, and the idea of a losing team winning a championship bothers me.

Re: NHL Back of the Net thread

junodog4 — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 00:29:23 GMT

Author: junodog4

Posted: 06/15/2026 04:29

Well done Carolina... Glad Brindamour gets a cup coaching, and the team has been on the cusp for a while.

Sorry - I'm not sorry to see Carter Hart miss out. Dude may not have been guilty of criminal charges, but he's certainly part of the dubious culture of hockey players and women.

Re: NHL Back of the Net thread

cestuneblague — Tue, 2 Jun 2026 13:16:47 GMT

Author: cestuneblague

Posted: 06/02/2026 17:16

Uh.. I don't think it's going to seem "right" if Chicago wins anytime soon. If there's any franchise I'm taking Schadenfradue in a lack of success it's them, considering the NHL sure as fuck didn't think they were worth punishing in any meaningful way. And this is someone who's spent time in Chicago and am a genuine fan of the Bulls, and nothing against the fanbase.

Anyways, though, yeah it does just feel weird that the most rabid Hockey markets have had a lack of playoff success for so long, it being what 33 years since Canada's won a Stanley Cup? Also a long time since Detroit and new Minnesotta and the finally good-again Sabres have won too. Maybe that's saying something about Teams with less-rabid fanbases managing to have Rational-over-Rash-Decision management. Though in many ways success for Sunbelt teams don't always translate into higher attendance/interest, considering when I was down in Florida it was clear much of the attendees were actually the Canadian Snow Bunnies. And now all that interest has dissipated since more are avoiding Winters in Florida in the current political climate.

And for this Stanely Cup, I guess... go Hurricanes? even though they beat out the Habs. I am shocked the Avalanche didn't make it in, they looked like the most complete and imposing team, but the NHL playoffs are always full of surprises.

Re: NHL Back of the Net thread

junodog4 — Mon, 1 Jun 2026 18:26:56 GMT

Author: junodog4

Posted: 06/01/2026 22:26

Ugh. Vegas again?

I'd like to see Carolina win.

I know it's not rational, but I'm tired of the sun belt markets winning. If we could go awhile without Florida, Tampa, Carolina, Vegas or Anaheim winning, I would be happy. It feels more 'right' when markets like New York, Philly, Chicago, Buffalo, Minnesota, etc... have success (not to mention Canada). I know that the sun-belt has some great markets and well run teams, but...

Re: NHL Back of the Net thread

cestuneblague — Sat, 23 May 2026 21:31:16 GMT

Author: cestuneblague

Posted: 05/24/2026 01:31

Hey Juno, great to see you around these parts again

Yeah with the Flyers I think it's just elation after so many years of terrible management decisions, now they finally have a team that's set up for the long run. Donno about the Sixers, are they still "trusting the process"? Amazingly the Phillies have played better since their incredibly rash decision to fire their manager a month into decision. I'm likely moving to the Philly area long-term ( well between Philly and New York), so I probably should be more in the know.

And I have to say this playoffs have been all a Habs fan can ask for, especially if they can keep up this Scoring streak. The Avalanche look pretty unbeatable though if Montreal does make it to Stanley.

Flyers-Sixers

junodog4 — Sat, 23 May 2026 21:11:44 GMT

Author: junodog4

Posted: 05/24/2026 01:11

It also boils down to likability.

As a Flyers fan, I'm really getting behind this team of annoying pricks. Martone, Konecny, Zegras, etc... all have the right attitude for Flyers fans. Brings me back to when they had RIchards, Hartnell, Pronger...

Embiid has always been tough to like. George and Kawhai Leonard's hook up in Clipperland turned me off him. It's a shame - Maxey and Edgecome look great - they need to move on from the frontcourt.

Re: NHL Back of the Net thread

CA Dreamin — Fri, 22 May 2026 00:21:20 GMT

Author: CA Dreamin

Posted: 05/22/2026 04:21

It looked like the natural disaster teams would inevitably face each other for the Stanley Cup. Both teams bulldozed their way through the first two rounds, but now find themselves down 1-0 in the conference finals against teams statistically much worse than them. Maybe Carolina and Colorado got overconfident, and/or out of rhythm due to a long wait in between rounds. I'm interested to see how it plays out but I don't have a rooting interest any more with Philly out of the picture. Maybe Colorado vs. Montreal cause hockey is a winter sport and I like the idea of cold weather teams playing for the cup. (Why does a Vegas have a team? There's never ice there. It's not even summer yet and it's already in the 90s there most days, I wonder how much money it costs to keep their rink from melting)

One final rant about the Flyers and Sixers this season. Both teams were eliminated on back-to-back days but the crowd reactions could not have been any different. Repo wrote on the basketball thread 'build around Maxey and Edgecomb and the Sixers will be contenders for years to come.' Maybe that's true but right now the Philly fanbase doesn't strongly believe in them, and they've clearly chosen they feel better about the Flyers. The Flyers received cheers and a long standing ovation after they lost Game 4. It was feel-good even in defeat, for they came so far against expectations and their future looks bright. The next day, however, in the very same building, Knicks fans were louder than Sixers fans. Sixers ticket-holders were selling them off a high rate, and it appears Knicks fans were the ones buying them. It was the opposite tone of the previous night, demonstrating that while it was very nice to see the Sixers knock off the Celtics, the overall fans' mood towards the Sixers is pessimism. They were contenders with realistic chances at winning it all in 2019, 2021, and 2023. But that simply feels like bygone history and their current team is living in the twilight of that window. Perhaps Repo is right and they can get better. That doesn't change the fact Philly fans (and most fans really) are fickle, fair-weather, and will flock to the teams on the upward swing. That team is the Flyers, hope to see them stronger next year!

Re: NHL Back of the Net thread

cestuneblague — Wed, 20 May 2026 18:49:36 GMT

Author: cestuneblague

Posted: 05/20/2026 22:49

Habs all the way to the Stanley Cup, ALLONS-Y. Maybe we can even be competitive enough to survive the eventual Avalanche (I'll see myself out).

Re: NHL Back of the Net thread

cestuneblague — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 21:42:57 GMT

Author: cestuneblague

Posted: 04/23/2026 01:42

Montreal missing a major oppurtunity to go up 2-0 on Tampa Bay, but I'm still hopeful. Only real horse in the race with the Islanders and Kraken out, though I think they have a better shot then they're given credit for.

Re: NHL Back of the Net thread

CA Dreamin — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 20:03:26 GMT

Author: CA Dreamin

Posted: 04/23/2026 00:03

So I'm listening to the Flyers-Penguins Game 3 on the radio right now. I've been out of the sport for a while, so I'm catching up on things. Sidney Crosby just got a 2-minute penalty for flopping to the ice when he was barely touched. I don't recall that being a penalty. But holy crap, I was just talking in the basketball thread about how I'm sick of seeing such weak, pathetic actions by NBA players, and that it should be punished. Thank you NHL for calling out this BS! The NBA should take note.

Go Flyers!

Re: NHL Back of the Net thread

CA Dreamin — Sun, 19 Apr 2026 20:14:50 GMT

Author: CA Dreamin

Posted: 04/20/2026 00:14

It's funny how enthusiastic fair-weather fandom can be. My team is in the playoffs for the first time in six years! The Flyers came out of nowhere this year, less than a 5% chance of making the playoffs at the break, and were 8 points behind the playoff mark. But hey, a hot finish to the season, and they made it! Several of my friends and relatives back east are excited for the Flyers like it's 2010. Nobody was talking about them a month ago. The hot streak continued yesterday, taking a 1-0 lead against our biggest rivals in the first round. Ok, I'm officially on the bandwagon too. Let's go Flyers!

Re: NHL Back of the Net thread

cestuneblague — Fri, 28 Nov 2025 11:43:11 GMT

Author: cestuneblague

Posted: 11/28/2025 16:43

This year has actually turned out well so far. While the Habs have slipped a bit from their top seed, they're still promising for a playoff run. The Islanders are getting younger and are already seeing vast improvement, and the Kraken don't totally suck this year either (though they really need to find that franchise player soon). The Predators are bad, but that's intentional at this point. And my gawd are the Ducks in first place?!! Strange times. I bet Juno isn't having too much fun in Calgary this year, though.

Re: NHL Back of the Net thread

cestuneblague — Tue, 20 May 2025 20:21:00 GMT

Author: cestuneblague

Posted: 05/21/2025 00:21

Well, some things never change, and Maple Leafs get dominated in another game 7 do-or-die. I guess we're not seeing the all-Canada Stanley Cup that once looked possible. I'm getting a major vibe we're going to see an Oilers-Panthers rematch, so given the current tensions could be an interesting setup in it's own right.

Re: NHL Back of the Net thread

cestuneblague — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 23:06:20 GMT

Author: cestuneblague

Posted: 04/18/2025 03:06

Well color me pleasantly surpris that the Habs managed to pull out a playoff run. I'm not expecting another 2021-style cinderella run with the young team (especially with no Weber-Price behind the blue line), but hopefully they can continue to build on this momentum for next year and beef up their lines in Free Agency.

Otherwise have no idea who is going to win the cup this year, so should be an interesting playoffs.

Re: NHL Back of the Net thread

cestuneblague — Sun, 12 Jan 2025 17:57:38 GMT

Author: cestuneblague

Posted: 01/12/2025 22:57

Well, this season has (not fucking at all) been fun. The Islanders suck, the Kraken can barely skate, and now I gotta commend the Habs for being pleasantly mediocre. Admittedly it's amusing when most of the fans at a Panthers game are from Canada.

Re: NHL Back of the Net thread

craola — Wed, 19 Jun 2024 11:56:38 GMT

Author: craola

Posted: 06/19/2024 15:56

cestuneblague wrote:

The Oilers are showing some gumption, that's a good thing. Thought they may have worn themselves out after that 8-goal explosion, but still got plenty of fight left in them even if history's not on their side. Should be a really fun game 6 regardless.

if mcdavid can keep putting up four points per night, the oilers could still win this. either way, i hope they can draw this out to seven because last night's game was fun.

Re: NHL Back of the Net thread

cestuneblague — Wed, 19 Jun 2024 08:03:04 GMT

Author: cestuneblague

Posted: 06/19/2024 12:03

The Oilers are showing some gumption, that's a good thing. Thought they may have worn themselves out after that 8-goal explosion, but still got plenty of fight left in them even if history's not on their side. Should be a really fun game 6 regardless.