2018-19 Hockey Megathread: Lightning-Proof Jackets

[Taxi King]

What the shit Vegas

It’s not all that surprising. Their inexperience is starting to cost them. Yeah

I think the Caps want and need it a little bit more. VGK has already met and gone far beyond any reasonable expectations.

The Caps must go all the way. Anything else is a fail at this point of their existence.

[United City States of Oceania]

Lundqvist's days of being a top NHL goaltender are over...

The Rangers were in the Winter Classic this year? It feels like it's been such a long time...
Wait, no they weren't.
I'm confused

1. He’s still easily top 10. The whole team was in a skid this year. I’ll withhold judgment until next season before I say he’s over the hill.

2. Yes they were, Sabeea and Rangers, New Year’s Day.

3. Who cares, the post was about how awesome a gift it was, not about Hank himself, no need to try and shit all over it.

Didn't mean to s**t all over it, I was just confused. Sorry for any offence.

[United City States of Oceania]

It’s not all that surprising. Their inexperience is starting to cost them. Yeah

I think the Caps want and need it a little bit more. VGK has already met and gone far beyond any reasonable expectations.

The Caps must go all the way. Anything else is a fail at this point of their existence.

They won't choke. They can't choke. Not this year.

Right?

[Ameriganastan]

They won't choke. They can't choke. Not this year.

Right?

I once said the same thing when the Golden State Warriors went up 3-0 in the NBA Finals. Guess what happened? They lost the next four.

[Tarsonis]

They won't choke. They can't choke. Not this year.

Right?

I once said the same thing when the Golden State Warriors went up 3-0 in the NBA Finals. Guess what happened? They lost the next four.

The Cavs and GSW are teams that are more or less evenly matched however. Vegas is cleary the weaker, less disciplined team. Washington is running roughshod overthem. Vegas might win game 5. But there is no way Washington loses game six, not now, not at home.

[Shazbotdom]

Well, this has gone a direction that I didn't figure.

[United City States of Oceania]

Well, this has gone a direction that I didn't figure.

I'm still thinkin' Knights in 5

[United City States of Oceania]

I once said the same thing when the Golden State Warriors went up 3-0 in the NBA Finals. Guess what happened? They lost the next four.

The Cavs and GSW are teams that are more or less evenly matched however. Vegas is cleary the weaker, less disciplined team. Washington is running roughshod overthem. Vegas might win game 5. But there is no way Washington loses game six, not now, not at home.

They used to be balanced. Now it's just King James carrying his realm every year, only to be defeated by the stronger, more balanced Warriors at the end of it all.

[United City States of Oceania]

They won't choke. They can't choke. Not this year.

Right?

I once said the same thing when the Golden State Warriors went up 3-0 in the NBA Finals. Guess what happened? They lost the next four.

They went up 3-1, not 3-0.

Sorry to be nit-picky.

[Elejamie]

Apologies for the long post. Feel free to snip or spoiler.

The Cavs and GSW are teams that are more or less evenly matched however. Vegas is cleary the weaker, less disciplined team. Washington is running roughshod overthem. Vegas might win game 5. But there is no way Washington loses game six, not now, not at home.

They used to be balanced. Now it's just King James carrying his realm every year, only to be defeated by the stronger, more balanced Warriors at the end of it all.

To be fair, there have been super teams in the NBA for a long time; during the 80s, only four teams were NBA champs and, indeed, there were only two years in that decade where the Lakers didn't make it to the Finals, 1981 and 1986. Not to mention that, at two points during the 90s (1991-93 and 1996-98), the Chicago Bulls won three times in a row. It's only now with the same two teams making it to the Finals for four years in a row that it's starting to take the proverbial and it's just stopped being fun. But that's better left for the NBA discussion thread.

Well, this has gone a direction that I didn't figure.

Agreed. So unless Washington goes full Capitals and lose the next three on the bounce it seems like they'll finally put an end to their Legacy of Failure, something I'll happily applaud. Though you have to admit that Vegas hasn't done too badly for an expansion team; they're certainly doing better than the last time one made it to the SC finals in their first season (if only because everything's a lot different to how it was back in 1968).

This has been a disappointing first Stanley Cup to see...

In all honesty, it could be worse, though. After all, did anyone expect to see Washington make it this far and doing this well, considering they got swept the last time they made it here? And did anyone expect the Vegas Golden Knights, who were pretty much made up of aging and leftover players in a city that had no history of any successful major league sports team*, make it this far in their first season? Besides, in my honest opinion, the 2005 Stanley Cup finals were the worst, since it was so bad they went back in time and cancelled the season just so it wouldn't be played (and to cover it up, they claimed it was a labour dispute). I'm not sure about a worst real SC final, though, although last year's one wasn't that great. Yes, I'm still salty the Preds lost.

* I say "successful" because there was a CFL team back in the early-mid 90s, the Las Vegas Posse, who were an absolute failure. Seriously, it's one of those things that has to be seen/read to be believed.

If the Caps win, I win the poll. If the Knights win, you win the poll. But I don't care about our poll as much as I care about Ovechkin winning the Stanley Cup, and being one step closer to the Triple Gold Club. We need more Russians there

Canadians: 10
Swedes: 9
Russians: 7 (I'm guessing Voynov will be there in the next few years, and it'll get my Kings on the board)
Czechs: 2

And I don't care about the poll either; after all, it's only a bit of fun and, again, I'm more competitive with my nation's team at the World Cup of Hockey over in NS Sports than I am with the real life ice hockey.

Either way, other than possibly Ovi, will there be any Russians who'll be joining the Triple Gold Club if the Caps win? Or would it just be him? (edited because I found out Ovi hasn't won gold at the Olympics)

In all honesty, this series can best be described as "win-win". If Vegas wins the Stanley Cup, then we'd pretty much have the NHL version of Leicester City's Premier League win back in 2015/2016 (something that, as a fan of a rival team even though we don't play each other as much these days, I still congratulate them for). If Washington wins the Stanley Cup then their legacy of failure will come to a very well-deserved close.

Yeah, it will continue the trend. The Astros did it last fall in MLB, then the Eagles finally broke through in February's Super Bowl. Now June seems like a Capital time for it to become a trio of towns relieved of the burden of being called "long suffering fans." And how can anyone feel sorry for Vegas? They have massively bettered expectations. Winning it all too soon could raise expectations ridiculously high in the upcoming few years. In the long run the Vegas franchise may actually benefit. Also, Las Vegas gets to cheer for the Raiders in 2019. No need for feeling sorry for that town.

Not to mention that it's just a question of whether or not Vegas will continue to be successful in later years. After all, the St. Louis Blues made it to three Stanley Cup finals in a row when they began but haven't made it back since the 70s and were even planning to move to Saskatoon in 1983. The Florida Panthers made it to the final in their third year but haven't made it past the first round since. And the Islanders famously won those four in a row in the early 80s but haven't made it to the Conference Finals since the early 90s. I would've brought up Dallas and Colorado but since they're relocations and not expansion teams I'm not sure if they would count.

[Taxi King]

I think the Caps want and need it a little bit more. VGK has already met and gone far beyond any reasonable expectations.

The Caps must go all the way. Anything else is a fail at this point of their existence.

They won't choke. They can't choke. Not this year.

Right?

Only one NHL team has ever blown a 3-0 or 3-1 leads in SCF.

That was the 1942 Detroit Red Wings who blew them both and lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3.
It seems its harder to blow a 3-1 lead in the SCF than any of the other professional championship series. Any theories as to why?

EDIT: At the end of game 4 which Toronto won 4-3, Detroit's coach Jack Adams attacked one of the referees, Mel Harwood, by punching him in the face following a profane outburst. Coach Adams was suspended for the rest of the series. Okay, maybe that explains something about this series' drastic turnabout. I don't think Caps coach Barry Trotz has punched out any refs, so, lol yeah, I don't see us blowing this.

[Shazbotdom]

Geaux Knights Geaux

[Shazbotdom]

3 to 2 Vegas at the end of 2.

[Shazbotdom]

3 to 2 Vegas at the end of 2.

[Ameriganastan]

Good for Ovechkin. Finally got the monkey off his back.

[Taxi King]

HELL YES!!!!!

Washington Capitals Stanley Cup Champs!!!

[Elejamie]

Congratulations on your first Stanley Cup, Washington. While I'm disappointed that Vegas didn't win (and, therefore, I didn't win the pool), I'm still happy that after 40-odd years the Legacy of Failure has finally come to an end. Sorry for ever doubting you.

[Ransium]

I never thought I’d live to see the day!

[Taxi King]

I never thought I’d live to see the day!

Bring out the CUP!!!

[Ameriganastan]

So they make them shake hands? Kind of rubbing salt in the wound.

[Idzequitch]

Hmm. I am disappoint.

[Tarsonis]

Ovie so happy.

[Ameriganastan]

You hockey guys got a goofy looking trophy...

[Taxi King]

Ovie so happy.

We all HAPPY now!!!

[Tarsonis]

I no longer regret not betting on Vegas