Page 2 of 3

Re: Hockey Fans?

Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:30 am
by NH Hunter
Hiker wrote: The guys that I see come straight into D-1 from HS really struggle for a year or two...... The oldtime NHL'rs don't like the college kids aka "schoolboys" and still favor the major junior route but they too are finally figuring out this is the future, like it or not. ........... If a guy is really good, he can usually get a free ride through college and then if he doesn't make it to the NHL or AHL, he can fall back onto his degree........ In the major juniors, if they don't make it to the NHL or AHL, they usually don't have a whole lot to fall back on.

John LeClaire did OK going from HS to D1..... lol .....his problem was going from D1 to the Habs....he didn't fight enough for their liking so they sent him down to the minors, toughened him up a little, then he did OK. They finally figured out he could shoot and skate, then he was much better. They wanted him as an enforcer...what a waste.

A lot of the players going into the D1 schools around here end up coming out of prep schools, Northwood Prep among others with strong hockey programs.

Colin Patterson was in my Calc III classs, supposedly, as I never saw him in class. He left Clarkson before graduating to play for Calgary, then came back and finished his degree during the summer. Here's a link to his stats. They have the chronology wrong as he didn't graduate before he started playing for the Flames but he did eventually graduate, unlike so many that leave school early.

http://www.legendsofhockey.net:8080/Leg ... ayer=11259

Second link describing his return to complete his degree.

http://www.clarksonathletics.com//Sport ... terson.asp

Wow, I have a lot more hair than him and I'm at least five years older. :))

Re: Hockey Fans?

Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2008 5:16 pm
by jjc1974us
BIG Redwings fan here. Live in Michigan, so we get to see most of the games. We also go to watch the local high schools, city league guys, and the minor league teams in Toledo.

Re: Hockey Fans?

Posted: Fri Mar 28, 2008 11:47 pm
by Hiker
Well we just got back from watching Michigan State and Colorado College. CC dominated almost every area of the game but came up short..3-1. Notre Dame upset UNH earlier. So both underdogs won the first round of the west regionals. Colorado still has University of Denver and Air Force in the tourney, so we will be pulling for them to make it to the Pepsi Center in Denver for the Frozen Four. NH Congrats to Clarkson. Just in case you missed it, they beat Saint Cloud State 2-1.

Re: Hockey Fans?

Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 4:22 pm
by NH Hunter
.....but lost to Michigan U.....

Maybe next year. Clarkson was the #1 seed in the ECAC tournament and lost to #8 Colgate. Yet another upset. Time to get out their golf clubs.

I watched the Sabres beat the Bruins last night. They need to win out and have Philly, Boston or the Rangers collapse to make the playoffs. It will be the second time in history that the President's Trophy winner won't make the playoffs the following year if they can't find their way to the playoffs.

Re: Hockey Fans?

Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 6:49 am
by wbird
Hiker,
Sorry, I somehow have been skipping this thread?
I live in western Massachusetts.
Sorry about the car wreck, I would have to give it up as well if it meant the chance of
not being able to enjoy the rest of my life "playing" with my family.:thumb
wbird

Re: Hockey Fans?

Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 7:14 am
by Hiker
Looks like it's going to be Michigan vs. Notre Dame and North Dakota vs. Boston College for the Frozen Four in Denver. We went to the West regionals as a family, my kids turned down a few days on the ski slopes with Nana and Papa so they could go... :thumb, they were blessed with some great games. Notre Dame looked really good and deserved to win it. ND's coach really impressed us, he knows hockey and had them playing the perfect system for their opponents. My wife and I plan on going to the Frozen Four in Denver.
I'd like to see the Sabres get in. Chris Drury and Briere would have been huge for them this year and I am sure they're sorely missed. The Avs only have 2 games left and also needs to win out, so they don't have to face Detroit or San Jose in the first round but then again who knows....it's a new season come playoffs. I love this time of year..... 10sign:

Re: Hockey Fans?

Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 11:44 am
by southwind
I am nothing more than a casual fan but this does strike a cord with me. I just came back from a week in Brantford, Ontario Canada and I was blown away by the level of hockey culture. You big fans would be in hockey heaven with 24/7 hockey talk television, ESPN that has mere blurbs on NCAA tourney, football etc as the undertag to all hocky all the time (except for the world womens Curling championships) Nationally primetime broadcast of little league hockey championships and on and on and on.

Anyway, I am going to award the unofficial Muley Madness hocky fan crown to the first to answer "What is Brantford, Ontario famous for?"

I have an uncle from Buffalo, NY and as kids he brought my brother and I full hockey outfits, gollie stuff, sticks, pads, skates, old leather helmets, gloves and so on.... I know we were the only kids around that had any hockey stuff. Good memories, I will have to see if I can find that stuff at mom and dads.

Re: Hockey Fans?

Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 1:25 pm
by Hiker
Birthplace of Wayne Gretsky. :thumb

Re: Hockey Fans?

Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 2:31 pm
by southwind
Hiker gets the crown!
You can't help but find Gretsky tributes everywhere you go in Brantford and if you look real hard you might also notice a footnote that it was also the home to Alexander Graham Bell. Poor Alex probably would have never believed he would live in the shadow of a hockey player.

Re: Hockey Fans?

Posted: Wed Apr 02, 2008 11:12 am
by NH Hunter
Hiker is all over it. :not-worthy I was gonna say Tim Horton's Doughnuts. lol

I lived along the border for a good chunk of my life so I know what you're talking about. We were always able to pick up CBC and other Canadian broadcasts. Hockey Night in Canada, eh?