h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

It indeed would.

Okay, let's jump-start this conversation by pissing someone off. Didn't Luc Robataille look good in red?

No one looks good in Detriot Red. But then again I am a bit of an antifan.

I have no comment on this, except to say that red can be a good colour on some people.

G7

Especially those who used to wear a very sissy purple.



Awwwwww, this is no fun without what's-his-butt making angry comments.

I see you recall the genisis of this conversation.

I'm a Detroit anti-fan, too. Luc used to be my favorite player, but I can't root for anyone in Detroit red. Let him earn his red wings.

The Kings opened up with a tie against the lowly Coyotes. In their defense, though, Burke was his sharp self, and a great goaltender can keep a lousy team in a game. Still, my heart feels a dagger in it every time I hear Schneider's shot in overtime clang off the crossbar. It haunts my dreams.

Frau: Just remember, nobody can be a man in orange. That must be why the Flyers are a perennial playoff flop.

That was a rough shot, CS. I felt the dagger too, for your sake.

G7

Good call CS. I tried to watch the game for the Kings, Yotes but the TV station was on the blink. How was Deader?

Deader was dead. He's on the inactive list for an injury. I can't remember what the injury was.

Nelson Emerson was also injured, so they put Steve Heinze (#57, very clever) on the wing with Smolinski and Murray. That line scored both goals.

Then again, I've considered Emerson a third-liner ever since he arrived in LA. And since he isn't much of a role-player, I wonder why they have him on the roster at all.

Damn, I hope that Deadmarsh gets well. He alone will make me cheer for the Kings as he was one of my favorite players. I have officially delcared LA my second favorite team in teh NHL btw.

Good for you. I'm proud to see you've got such good judgement and taste.

And if it makes you feel any better, my girlfriend has decided that she's quite fond of the Avalanche, since she was very impressed with them during the playoffs last year.

Tell your GF that she is allright in my book as well ... I was impressed with Roy in the opener and I think that he wants to prove that he still is the class of the feild in net. The defense in the first period was a little nonexsistant but they shaped up in the second and third. One goal against a very potent line I think is a good sign. Now we need to see if the heir apparent to Roy, Abeischer, is up to the task of taking on more games. His journeyman year should be a teller. The rookie Nederost (I think) that scored a goal and an assist in the first game looks good too. I can't wait for the meat of teh season to start. We just have to get all this football and baseball out of the way ,.

I'll forget that statement about football in honor of your recent commitment to the Kings.

We've got a rookie forward, Jaroslav Bednar (pronounced BED-nosh, apparently). He looked pretty awful in the debut, and I'm looking forward to a return by Deadmarsh or Emerson so they can ship him out to Manchester. Bad offensive decisions, bad defensive decisions, and bad penalties in only a few minutes of play.

It figures, the Avs pick up another quality scorer in the draft who was passed up by everyone else. Who scouts for them, Satan?

Who do the Avs have at defense besides Blake right now?

Foote for starters. A proven asset on the ice. They called Footy, Ray and Blake the bigt three last year. Martin Skoula, now a third year D, is coming along nicely. Todd Gill from Det is a new addition. Greg De Vries is always a good blueliner for the Av's too. The others are new players.

Foote is only an asset on the ice when he's in skates. I read something on ESPN today that suggests he won't be there for some time yet. A month, to be precise, as he recovers from rotator cuff surgery.

I have to agree with you there. Defensemen always get the big injuries it seems. And yes I know that Forsberg is out indefinately. As much as I like Forsberg I fear that if he sits out the first half of the season and then plays in the olympics, he will be traded along with his NHL topping salary. Not that salary seems to be an issue with Colorado management. For the most part it seems that they are willing to spend what it takes to keep the team together. On a side note, Boston impressed me with their opener. I hope that they can turn the team around. In the east it still seems like NJ OT and Tor will be the ones to watch, I kinda hope that Lindross does well but on the same token he screwed around with Philly management far too long. I read something along the lines of "Best case scenario is that he comes back with 40 goals and stays uninjured, worst case scenarion he collides with a lineman in practise and gets his career ending concussion. In the PacWest the Ducks look like whipping boys. SJ looked just OK. I did not watch enough of the Yotes to tell how they did. Any early predictions on the general outcome of the season? Mine is that Colorado wins their division again and goes to the finals again against Detriot. In teh east if they can get the star studded rangers together they will go to the second round of the playoffs and no further, NJ will play Philly again in teh finals. Can Dallas do much with their Grumpy Old Men lines? Dunno. I would really like to see Colorado vs. L.A. in the finals but I think that they gave up too much this year. By the way, why did they give up Luc and Blake? Are they having money issues?

I wouldn't worry too much about Forsberg being traded. It's not a salary issue. Why? Because he told the organization that they didn't have to pay him while he was on hiatus. It wasn't about the money to him. Anyway, with that kind of attitude, I'm sure the organization will be patient.

As for LA's money woes, I mentioned in this thread last season that they were set to lose some money for the year, and going deep in the playoffs helped them offset that. So they're trying to figure out how to do more with less. There's a method to Dave Taylor's madness, and I'm finding it harder and harder to question his personnel moves. Every time you think he's screwed it all up, his new acquisitions turn into gems.

And on a side note, Deadmarsh is expected to play tonight. He was sitting out for a groin injury. I guess he shouldn't be pulling it so hard...

Now, for revised predictions:

In the West, there is a new member of the Big Four. St. Louis' star falls, to be replaced by the blue-collar Kings. They join, in ascending order, Dallas, Colorado, and Detroit, who I figure to be the divisional champs. LA is going to scare people in the playoffs, because of their intangibles. However, Detroit is just to talented. Only off-ice bickering can derail them.

In the East, the stars have smiled on Philly. Besides, every team that dumps Lindross(sic) becomes immediately and dramatically improved. The stars fall for Pittsburgh and New York, who stays awful despite (or because) of the addition of Lindross. New Jersey goes deep in the playoffs, as usual, and the dangerous team here is the Islanders, who are dramatically improved and suddenly a competitor. The division champs are Philly, Washington, and Toronto.

Philadelphia beats Detroit for the cup in 6 games, and Fraulein Grafenberg becomes intolerable company for the next several months.

As opposed to the last several?

Consider yourselves lucky to live in big TV markets. We haven't had a hockey game on since Thursday night, and the next one (tomorrow's Avs match-up) isn't until Tuesday. Oops. That was repetitious. Anyway, until the season gets well underway, football (college, blech) and baseball (go Barry!) rule the airwaves. I am looking forward, however, to the game between Edmonton and Colorado later this week. I can't believe Dougie Weight went to St. Louis. Why, that's like the Pens without Jagr!

That should be a spectacular game, FG. I'm looking forward to it very much.

G7