Where Ya Headed? Week Something

[Killah_punk]

Friday: Chicoutimi vs Halifax

Sunday: Victoriaville vs Halifax

Both games QMJHL. Halifax is coming off a rare loss and only it's 3rd loss in regulation and 4th loss overall in 25 games so far. Halifax was also shutout in the loss 3-0 on Sunday which is rare since they are the highest scoring team in the Canadian Hockey League.
I gotta say with the success of my local team this season with a couple of highly rated prospects (MacKinnon, Droiun, Fucale) and the large crowds at the Metro Centre. I am not missing the NHL much. In each of the pass 3 seasons including the current season my team has seen it's home attendance increase each year from 5331, to 6608, and now 8385. We've had one sellout this season of 10,595 which is the max capacity for hockey in the Metro Centre. Needless to say there is an enthusiasm around this team i haven't seen in a long time which helps take away my lust for NHL hockey. A lust which has faded with all of it's pussification over the last few years and now another lockout.

[fansince65]

Originally Posted by Killah_punk

Friday: Chicoutimi vs Halifax

Sunday: Victoriaville vs Halifax

Both games QMJHL. Halifax is coming off a rare loss and only it's 3rd loss in regulation and 4th loss overall in 25 games so far. Halifax was also shutout in the loss 3-0 on Sunday which is rare since they are the highest scoring team in the Canadian Hockey League.
I gotta say with the success of my local team this season with a couple of highly rated prospects (MacKinnon, Droiun, Fucale) and the large crowds at the Metro Centre. I am not missing the NHL much. In each of the pass 3 seasons including the current season my team has seen it's home attendance increase each year from 5331, to 6608, and now 8385. We've had one sellout this season of 10,595 which is the max capacity for hockey in the Metro Centre. Needless to say there is an enthusiasm around this team i haven't seen in a long time which helps take away my lust for NHL hockey. A lust which has faded with all of it's pussification over the last few years and now another lockout.

Killah , I know where you are coming from , this lockout has a lot too do with the added attendance in junior hockey .
The London Knights are the hardest team in Ontario to get tickets for a game , they draw sellout crowds of 9,050 every home game and have for years now , they have sold every season ticket they are allowed to (7,600) , if the league would let them they could fill the building with season ticket holders , they have a waiting list for season tickets that PPL have been on for 8 years and are no closer to getting tickets .
Even the attendance for the Junior "B" teams are paying the bills this season , every team has attendance that is 3-4 hundred above what they normally draw if the NHL was playing , so some good is coming out of this lockout after all .
On the up side we also get to see the odd scrap , some real heated rivalries in junior hockey ..

[fansince65]

I may take in the game in Kitchener tonight between the London Knights and the Kitchener Rangers , they have a real respect for each other as an organization , but on the ice they just dont like each other , this is one of the heated rivalries I was talking about in my last post .

Will be taking my brother to a game tomorrow night , his first game since having triple bypass heart surgery , he is a rabid Leaf fan , the one thing we have a lot of fun with as I an a rabid Bruin fan , I keep teasing him about the Leafs being in first place this season , tell him they haven't lost a game yet this year , I get told where I can go with real gusto ..

[fansince65]

Well the London Knights made it 12 wins in a row with a 3-1 victory over the Kitchener Rangers last night , as the old saying goes "WHEN YOUR HOT YOUR HOT" !!!

Off To the London Nationals game tonight ..

[fansince65]

After watching the Knights run their win streak to 13 games against the Barrie Colts 5-3 final score , it's off to the arena again tonight to watch them play the Guelph Storm , the Storm always bring their "A" game when they play the Knights .

On Sunday it's off to Mississauga for a 2 in the afternoon game , three games in two and a half days is going to be a real hard to keep the streak going , but the Knights Will have played 16 games in 32 days and look like they are none the worse for it .
On the down side the Flu bug has hit the team , but they are still dominating other teams ..

Just got home from the game , the wining streak is now at 14 wins in a row , the knights won tonight 3-1 , hope they can do it again tomorrow and make it 15 wins in a row ..

[fansince65]

How many times have any of you guys attended a hockey game and watched a record be set that has never been done in hockey anywhere in the world where hockey is played ??

Well I had that pleasure at the Mississauga Steelheads vs the London Knights yesterday afternoon when the teams went to the shootout to determine the winner , the shootout went a record setting "19 ROUNDS" !!!!

They said after that set a new world record , never before had both teams gone through the entire 18 players on both teams benches and started with the first player to take the first shot all over again .

OH YA !! The score , London wins it's 15 game in a row 4-3 ..

PS :: I forgot their was two records set in that shootout , Seth Griffith (the first shooter for London) scored on his first shot , and also scored the winner as the nineteenth shooter for London , two goals by the same player on the same shootout , also a record ..

[Humpzilla]

Heading to Orlando to see some ECHL action. Probably will take in a game or two, depending on how expensive the tix cost. Its ridiculous -- ECHL hockey being played in a building which supports NBA basketball. But oh well...its better than seeing hockey played in a rodeo barn in the middle of nowhere.

Go FTW Komets

[mikebflorida]

Originally Posted by Humpzilla

Heading to Orlando to see some ECHL action. Probably will take in a game or two, depending on how expensive the tix cost. Its ridiculous -- ECHL hockey being played in a building which supports NBA basketball. But oh well...its better than seeing hockey played in a rodeo barn in the middle of nowhere.

Go FTW Komets

That's what the Lightning used to do Hump. For a year anyway.

Did you ever go to a game at the fairgrounds?

[Humpzilla]

Originally Posted by mikebflorida

That's what the Lightning used to do Hump. For a year anyway.

Did you ever go to a game at the fairgrounds?

Nope. Was living elsewhere during those dark days. But i heard it was pretty amazing. Amazingly dumb

[bustoff]

Originally Posted by Humpzilla

Heading to Orlando to see some ECHL action. Probably will take in a game or two, depending on how expensive the tix cost. Its ridiculous -- ECHL hockey being played in a building which supports NBA basketball. But oh well...its better than seeing hockey played in a rodeo barn in the middle of nowhere.

Go FTW Komets

I'd take and old barn over a politically correct cookie cutter arena any day.

[blackngold]

Originally Posted by Humpzilla

Heading to Orlando to see some ECHL action. Probably will take in a game or two, depending on how expensive the tix cost. Its ridiculous -- ECHL hockey being played in a building which supports NBA basketball. But oh well...its better than seeing hockey played in a rodeo barn in the middle of nowhere.

Go FTW Komets

Can you pick me up some Solar Bear swag while you're there? A hat preferably... I ****ing love that logo.

[mikebflorida]

Originally Posted by Humpzilla

Nope. Was living elsewhere during those dark days. But i heard it was pretty amazing. Amazingly dumb

It was really dumb, like galactically dumb. But it worked for a year.

It was 20 years ago. Wow. Rob Ramage clearing the crease, Pat Jablonski going 8-24-4, and here is the rest......


While the actual birth of the Tampa Bay Lightning occurred almost two years earlier, the team took its first baby steps when 72 players gathered on the choppy ice at the Lakeland Civic Center on September 12, 1992. Among the Lightning hopefuls gathered to try to catch the eye of General Manager Phil Esposito and Head Coach Terry Crisp were NHL regulars (Rob Ramage, Marc Bergevin, Doug Crossman, Adam Creighton), retreads hoping for another chance (Ron Duguay, Larry Melnyk) and unknowns such as Kevin MacKay, Rich Braccia and Daniel Shank.
Before long, previously unheralded players such as Brian Bradley, John Tucker, Chris Kontos, Danton Cole, Wendell Young and Rob Zamuner would become household names for some of the NHL's most loyal fans. With the roster trimmed of the Manon Rheaumes and Jeff Bloembergs of the world and with top draft choice Roman Hamrlik having signed hours before the opening faceoff, the team made an unexpected and unforgettable debut with a 7-3 vixtory against the Campbell Conference Champion Chicago Blackhawks before a sellout crowd of 10,425 at Expo Hall.

Kontos - an NHL journeyman with previous stops in New York, Pittsburgh and Los Angeles on his resume - would be the man of the night, scoring the franchise's first goal only 4:43 into the game and adding three more to establish a single-game mark that still stood entering the 2001-02 season. The seven-goal offensive outburst by the Lightning also stood as a team best until the 2000-01 season.

The unexpected beginning would prove to be a signal of more surprises to come for the "Hardest Working Team in the NHL," which apparently didn't know it was supposed to roll over. One of the high points of the season came on November 13 at Expo Hall. That evening goaltender Pat Jablonski backstopped the first shutout in franchise history (1-0 vs. Ottawa) and the 9-8-2 Bolts found themselves atop the Norris Division with Detroit, Chicago, Toronto, St. Louis and Minnesota in their rear-view mirror.

However, the next 12 games would bring the team back to earth, as a 1-11-0 stretch put the Lightning at the bottom of the division. Excitement was never an issue for the inaugural season Lightning team, which could dominate a traditional NHL power (as evidenced by a 6-1 trouncing of Edmonton on October 20) or score five and yet lose by five (in a 10-5 loss at Detroit on November 23).

Memorable highlights from the season include: The franchise's first road victory, 2-1 at St. Louis on October 13; Defenseman Doug Crossman's six-point night (another record that still stands) in the team's first overtime victory, 6-5 at the NY Islanders on November 7; A 6-4 home victory against Detroit on November 11; The final home game on April 10, 1993 as the entire team was named the first star of the game and returned to the ice to salute the fans.

In the end, the team would post a better-than-expected 23-54-7 record, and Bradley would set an NHL Expansion record for goals on a non-WHA team with 42. Before season's end the team would part with originals Ramage, Crossman, Basil McRae, Anatoli Semenov, Peter Taglianetti and Mike Hartman as Esposito stockpiled young talent and draft picks with an eye toward the future.

Those fortunate enough to enjoy the 1992-93 Tampa Bay Lightning in action remember a team that came up short on the scoreboard frequently, but was never outworked. They also remember a special season that laid the groundwork for a decade of Tampa Bay Lightning hockey.

[Killah_punk]

No games for me this week as my team will be on the road. I did go to a game (QMJHL) this past Friday and Sunday. Halifax won both games winning 7-1 and 3-2. With the win on Friday Zach Fucale the Halifax Mooseheads goalie became the fastest goalie in QMJHL history to reach 50 career wins.

[Kid Roberts]

I should be heading to two NA3HL games this weekend. It's low level Junior A, but more like Junior F. All of the games are basically gong shows.

[CubsJunkie]

Saturday: Making the journey up to Rockford with the girlfriend and some of the hockey team for the Wolves @ IceHogs.