Happy Holidays!
I’m taking my annual Christmas break from Tuesday, Dec. 24 to Friday, Dec. 27. Updates will resume on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024.
I’m taking my annual Christmas break from Tuesday, Dec. 24 to Friday, Dec. 27. Updates will resume on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024.
Merry Christmas Lyle! Thank you for all you do!
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all you guys and gals!
Best of the Season to you Lyle and to all the contributors to this site.
Thirteen games last night marked the start of the roughly week-long Holidays break with 3 SOs – NJ 5-0 over the tumbling NYR, St. Louis 4-0 over Detroit, and Tampa 4-0 over Florida, while 3 other teams, badly struggling to date, got early Christmas gifts with wins – Columbus 5-4 over Montreal – Nashville 5-2 over Carolina and, with some resounding emphasis, Buffalo 7 – 1 over the Islanders.
Something that stands out when scanning the standings as we near the 41-game half-way mark, is the wildly varying number of games played by each team to this point, contributing to significant games-in-hand held by some teams.
The most played by any one team is 37 (New Jersey and San Jose) while the fewest is 32 (Tampa). Everyone else comes somewhere in between. At the 36-game mark are Colorado, Seattle, Winnipeg, Boston, St. Louis, Florida and Pittsburgh, while 35 have been played by each of Buffalo, NYI, Nashville, Chicago, Toronto, Philadelphia, Columbus and Minnesota. Sitting at 34gp are Vegas, Vancouver, Montreal, Carolina, Calgary, NYR, L.A., Ottawa, Edmonton, Washington, Detroit and Utah. Two have played just 33 games: Dallas and Anaheim.
One consequence is that those at the 35/36/37 game marks will have somewhat less onerous schedules from this stage onward while those at the 32/33/34 game marks are probably going to see more back-to-backs and/or 3 in 4 night routines than they have so far. And it will likely be two to two-and-a-half weeks before each team reaches the 41-game half-way point.
Buffalo Sabres are the youngest team in the NHL.
I can only assume that is the reason for there 13 game losing streak. Nice to see them win one.
The Rangers get it handed to them by one of their key rivals, and the spiral continues.
Record before the league wide “memo”: 12-6-1.
Record after that brilliant move: 4 -11.
Well played Mr. Drury.
If what you write, Ray, re “the memo” from Drury, is to emphasize the indifferent attitude of the players since that memo came out, it would seem that that is a classic example of the players cutting off their noses to spite their faces!
Surely, as pros, and basically the same team that finished 1st in the Metro Division with a 55 23 4 114 pts 282gf 229ga +53 record, they have more pride than that.
I guarantee the players have pride George and faith in one another, it’s why they have been so successful over the years. Their GM obviously doesn’t, and the message was clear.
This would include their recently traded captain, and 39 goal scorer from last year, Kreider. Both well respected leaders in that room that helped drive that team to their record last year, and the years previous.
Now it is a media circus in the media capital of the world and chaos.
I have no issue with Drury making trades to try and improve the team, but sending a league wide memo that you know will go public, and specifically naming 2 of the most respected players in that room, has to been seen as intentional. He can’t possibly be that naive could he?
Why would he do that vs, you know, doing what other GM’s do, discuss in private.
A few veteran teams struggled to start the year, my Bruins and my current city Edmonton, to name 2. They stuck with their guys and are playing better. I don’t doubt they worked the phones, but we didn’t hear a beep about it. They didn’t panic and do something stupid, Drury did. Now he has lost even more leverage. Confident, successful teams don’t do that.
He wanted to shake up the team, it worked.
12-6-1
4-11
Good assessment and comparisons, Ray.
Once the trade freeze is over I see Kreider headed to the Wild, Just in time for him to be in the line-up when Ottawa resumes their marathon road trip with a game in Minnesota following one the night before in Winnipeg.
But Ray, while your view has merit, it also has a catch: if players had pride wouldn’t – or shouldn’t – that pride result in a doubling down and better effort?
If a business said to its employees “we’re going to start laying off people unless sales increase,” would civvy street employees put in less effort or get poorer results?
Pro sports has fabulous benefits for players — if they perform. It’s a simple if brutal message. If the Ranger players want to throw a pity party then they have to accept the consequences.
Merry Christmas to you and your family Lyle. Thanks for a great year on this site.
Wishing those here of the Christian faith, an early Merry Christmas
Wishing those here of the Jewish faith, an early Happy Hanukkah.
Since the first day of Hanukkah this year coincides with Christmas Day (only the third time in the last 100 years: ‘59, ‘05, and tomorrow ):
Per my colleague; his mixed religion family celebration greeting is “Merry/Happy Christmukkah/Weihnukka”
Regardless of faith, to everybody here,
Wishing that you and your families have the most wonderful festive season.
Enjoy the break, Lyle, all the best to you and yours.
Happy holidays to everyone on this terrific blog.
Merry Christmas to all and hopefully we all survive the from our hockey addiction!
Merry Christmas and Happy Chanukah to all who celebrate and best wishes to all for a healthy and prosperous new year with lots of great hockey.
Lyle, once again thank you very much for all you do. This site is a must for all hockey fans and we all appreciate all the hard work you do. Enjoy your well deserved holiday break.
Merry Christmas to all including Habs fans I may have offended.
Your peewee coach is short too.
Bring in Luke Richardson as an assistant.
An excellent suggestion, of Richardson, Dark G.
But you are wrong about the peewee coach. The players are too tall!
Lyle, as much as we all like this forum, why don’t you give yourself more time off. We all enjoy this site, but self exploitation, man. Santa can surely can find a few more days off for you in his bag.
Happy Holidays everyone. Special thanks to Lyle for the best hockey site in the game! Be safe and have fun everyone.
Merry Christmas to all and a special thanks to Lyle for making my mornings very enjoyable, as an old timer that went straight to the sports page in the newspaper every morning you have taken it to the next level, well done.
And a special thanks to the Oilers for the early Christmas gifts of Broberg and Holloway more than we Blues fans could have hoped for.
I got a lot of problems with you people! And now you’re gonna hear about it!
“A Festivus for the rest of us!”
Well done Chrisms, one of the greatest episodes in TV history.
Merry Christmas everyone, even Hab and Leaf fans.
Panther fans, sure, I guess.
At least that aluminum pole has a very high strength-to-weight ratio.
Merry Christmas Lyle to you and your family! Also a prosperous and healthy New Year!
Thanks Lyle! Merry Christmas and Happy Chanukah to all on this site! Every day I look forward to coming here and see Lyle’s work and the thoughts of all contributors.
Be well!
A Merry Christmas and a Happy Hanukkah to everyone. Enjoy your time with your family Lyle you more than earned it
Joyeux Noël Lyle et famille…continue à nous réserver des rumeurs qui fait parler
Bonne et heureuse année
Merry Xmas everybody I hope you have a great one and Santa is good to you guys. See you after Christmas.🤙
Merry Christmas Lyle and everyone who posts . I read everyday and appreciate all the knowledge you guys bring even 8787/peggy . Lol . I am late to post but next year to past our time and give Lyle a break . I think we all post our trades that may or may mot happen . Gives Lyle exposure and fun for us . Not sure how many this team holds half and the pens or leafs get a star for nothing we can take . But i will read them .
Cheers and thank you everyone and happy New Year
All the best to Lyle for his great work here and everyone here.
Happy holidays to all. And a prosperous new year up coming. I read daily. But don’t often have the time to post or keep up with the conversation in the posts that go back and forth. But I do share the love of hockey with you all. The usual suspects that are here I thank you for your banter and your opinions. George not to single you out. But the stats and info you provide. Thank you so much for that insight. I hope to see you all in the new year. I am enjoying world jr hockey as I have every year for the majority of my life.
My team the Calgary Flames have been a bit of a surprise this year. But closer to reality lately. I grew up watching Lanny hoist the cup. And quietly listening to games on the transistor radio under my bed when I was supposed to be asleep. Hockey has brought me many memories and many friends. Best wishes to you all in 2025.
Ash75
You are most welcome Cody … and please, don’t be hesitant to join in with opinions … we need fresh views.
As an aside, I don’t know if you follow the Hitmen closely, but I refuse to believe that there are 10 Major Junior D (the number invited to the Junior tryout camp in Ottawa) who are better than Carter Yakemchuk. That was a snub of major proportions.
I’ll go this far with a prediction … while Yakemchuk WILL be an everyday Senator blueliner – perhaps as early as next season – I’ll bet that no more than 4 of those 10 will become everyday NHLers.