NHL
 

That's all I have to say, thank goodness the NHL is back. I do enjoy some NFL as well, but let's face it, hockey is the superior sport by far. Unless you factor in football and rugby, then hockey comes in a distant but still enjoyable third. Go Capitols, stomp a mudhole in those dirty Penguins!

College sports are superior to all of those imo. College football and basketball are my favorites, but I follow college hockey and baseball as well.

I used to be a huge NHL fan, but my Red Wings have been pretty quiet the last few years. I need them to start making noise again.

I played college ball so I know how little most of the players regard it. Once I was done college I never watched it again. NHL keeps me amused when football isn't on, rugby is a decent distraction also, as is gaelic football. NBC putting football behind a pay wall today was amusing.

You should try BBL cricket it's fun to watch!! :)

That reminds me of the old joke about the Australian dad introducing his kids: "…and these are my sons, Spin Bowler and Opening Batsman."

Anyone else currently watching the series? I was surprised to see Tampa take it on the chin like that, the NY team certainly came out swinging, and this one might go the full seven. Also have my peepers on Vegas to see how they come along.

I'm actively rooting for the Islanders now after they disposed of my two most hated NHL teams (Penguins and Bruins) back to back. :)

I'm really no fan of Tampa but I do love Maroon, so I'm hoping he does well. As for cheering on the Islander because they clobbered both the Bruins and Penguins, I'm right there with you, two teams that I've never liked. All I know is the rest of the NY/Tampa games should be light out affairs!!

Now that was a serious beat-down delivered by the Vegas Knights unto the Canadiens last night. This series better liven up quickly or it shan't go the distance.

Yes it was a painful and dominating performance to watch, having been born and raised in Montreal for my first 22 years..it was a difficult evening..

Yeah I know the Knights are a disturbing force at times, yet I wasn't expecting anything like the shellacking I witnessed last night. I'm just hopeful that Montreal shows up eager for some payback in the next game.

The Knights have been amazing for a franchise that's only been in existence for 4 years. They've made the playoffs every year so far and have advanced to at least the conference finals 3 times now. I'm hoping to see an Islanders-Knights matchup in the Finals.

You can look at the coaching staff for the Knights and see where a lot of their talent truly is. Couple that with some seriously good athletes on the ice, a company that will make good decisions come draft time, and the loyalty they already enjoy from the city/state. Those people follow them all over, even to Canada when they play. That all adds up to a dangerous opponent for any team in the NHL.

What I have loved is how competitive most of the games/series have been … real parity, but with room for excellence to shine. Of course I would be happier if the Bruins were still around (but at least they put up a better fight than the Celtics!), but overall not bad. I will never like the whole '75% of teams make the playoffs' thing though …

Yeah Txa1265, I've never been a huge fan of how many teams can actually qualify for the playoff rounds. I don't care for it, just learned to accept that and maybe hope that things will change in the future.

It is not likely to change for the following reason:

$$$$$$$

Ticket prices per game are higher, and attendance levels peak during playoffs. Profits are through the roof as a result - and that is also why EVERYTHING for NHL / NBA is now a 7 game series (MLB still has 5 game series).

But as I say, so long as there is good hockey (or basketball/baseball/football) being played I am fine with the expansions.

I used to love going to the games live myself, it's far too much trouble for me to do so now, let alone the expense involved. My last live game was in Edmonton about a year and a half ago, when I was in the area for a brief business visit. I'd never seen them play live when I lived there so I fixed that! Got to meet a few of the lads, it was a real treat, one I'll treasure forever.

And yes, I think you're right about it never changing. I can live with that.

Man, some of these series have turned into true nail biters! Islanders and Tampa, Vegas and Montreal, weeeee!! Lots of good stuff to watch, with plenty of mayhem to enjoy on the journey.

Nice comeback by the Islanders last night to force a game 7. I hope Vegas can hold off Montreal tonight.

And the Knights are out. That's not the way I thought it would end, yet congrats to Montreal on a series very well played.

Looks like I'll be rooting for the Lightning - Islanders winner in the Finals.

Lot of happy fans over here. Hockey is basically Quebec's religion. We even had the traditional victory riots for yesterdays game. It was pretty nasty the last time they won the cup, in '93. I hope we won't have a repeat.

My wife's uncle is a huge Habs fan and he is on his deathbed at the moment. Pancreatic cancer. I hope, just for him, that they are going to win the cup before he passes away.

Hey, simply getting there for the Habs is a huge win! I mean, at least they aren't the Leaves, right? =)

:lol::lol:

And the Lightning advance! That last game was a pure defensive affair, the type of match-up I quite enjoy. Gotta love it when a series goes the full seven.

I'm glad I don't bet on sports because I wouldn't have done well in the conference finals. I really wanted to see Vegas vs NY in the SCF. Oh well…should be a good series.

I totally thought Vegas could go all the way, yeah, don't follow my lead when you lay bets!!~

Game one of the final matchings is on tonight, break out the uber-hype!!~

I'm not overly enthused, but I'll still pay attention just because it's the SCF.

Nod, as usual for me, the best games tend to be long before the actual final. This run was no different.

Strong 3rd period from Tampa Bay to take Game 1.

They struck like……lightening! Ka-boom on Montreal!

Tampa Bay up 2-0 in the series now depsite getting outshot by 20 in that game. Stick a fork in Montreal if they don't take Game 3.

Indeed. With talents such as Vasilevskiy and Coleman being so dominant, this series could easily be a sweep if Montreal doesn't toughen up, and soon.

At least Montreal made it a game last night, yet it wasn't nearly enough to surpass what the Lightening brought. It very well might turn out to be a four game sweep, guess we'll see what happens Monday.

Reading where people are thinking the Finals are such a blowout. They can't see scouting when they see it, and that's the difference between a series and a game. The Lightning are doing their homework.

There's a big book out on Price, and there always has been, starting with his glove hand.

The only reason Montreal "made a game of it" is because they forget they need to score more goals than the other team - so they were forced to play offense because they behind so bad. With the Bolts, dropping 4-5 guys back to cover Price isn't going to work, especially since their opponents know what they are going to do. Vegas took advantage of that system in their game 1 but they couldn't sustain it.

Plus, the Lightning have talent. Vaselevsky is proving how underrated he is to how much Price is overrated. Still not sure how he found that puck through the huge screen in front of him.

As much as I am cheering for anybody but the Habs, this year's finals has the biggest taint since it was discovered Montreal broke into LA's locker room to measure their sticks.

The Bolts illegally circumvented the cap this season, and something needs to be done about it. No one is mentioning it, naturally - the NHL is still bush league.

Yeah, the game was never that close, and this series is essentially over. There's zero chance Montreal wins four straight.

Not a very satisfying SCF for me. I live in Florida, but I've never been a fan of the Lightning.

It wasn't resolved in four games after all, Montreal finally pulled out a victory. They needed OT to do it, at least the series got a bit interesting! Honestly, after blowing two leads and some ridiculous penalties, I didn't think they'd go the distance.