Pretty shocking that after 13 seasons Ovechkin STILL hasn't made the Conference finals! No other player of his caliber has such an embarrassing distinction do they?

It's not all his fault & 3 seasons he was knocked out by Sidney Crosby. Of course he could change things this year but so far it looks like the same old Capitals. However things can change dramatically in a series.

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/ov ... nce-final/

This guy deserves a SC Final. Would love to see him get there.

Heck the Blues never made the 3rd round with Hull all those years and that was just plain inexcusable IMO. The Hawks, North Stars, Canucks all make Finals in early 90's and we don't? Just horrible how the Blues messed that up.

BillP wrote:This guy deserves a SC Final. Would love to see him get there.

Heck the Blues never made the 3rd round with Hull all those years and that was just plain inexcusable IMO. The Hawks, North Stars, Canucks all make Finals in early 90's and we don't? Just horrible how the Blues messed that up.

The difference in Ovie and Hull, is that Ovie figured out that it took more than him scoring highlight reel goals to win. He deserves credit for becoming more focused on winning, than simply scoring goals.

Not so much with Hullie. At least not while he was here.
Incredible goal scorer, but he could have been so much more effective with an attitude adjustment.

BillP wrote:This guy deserves a SC Final. Would love to see him get there.

Heck the Blues never made the 3rd round with Hull all those years and that was just plain inexcusable IMO. The Hawks, North Stars, Canucks all make Finals in early 90's and we don't? Just horrible how the Blues messed that up.

TOTALLY unacceptable! Heads should have rolled.

That '96 team will FOREVER be the most talented team in Blues history. The Blues had seven current Hockey Hall of Fame members during the season (Gretzky, Hull, MacInnis, Anderson, Fuhr, Hawerchuk and Pronger).

That should've been the year no doubt. Even Gretzky said they should've won that series. Of course he's the one who gave the puck away on the game 7 winning goal!

How much of it was Hull getting "lazy" in the playoffs? Did his production go down noticeably in the playoffs?

Keep in mind that Anderson, Hawerchuck, and to some extent, Gretzky, were just shadows of their former selves by that time.

FederkoSutterHunter wrote:

BillP wrote:This guy deserves a SC Final. Would love to see him get there.

Heck the Blues never made the 3rd round with Hull all those years and that was just plain inexcusable IMO. The Hawks, North Stars, Canucks all make Finals in early 90's and we don't? Just horrible how the Blues messed that up.

TOTALLY unacceptable! Heads should have rolled.

That '96 team will FOREVER be the most talented team in Blues history. The Blues had seven current Hockey Hall of Fame members during the season (Gretzky, Hull, MacInnis, Anderson, Fuhr, Hawerchuk and Pronger).

That should've been the year no doubt. Even Gretzky said they should've won that series. Of course he's the one who gave the puck away on the game 7 winning goal!

How much of it was Hull getting "lazy" in the playoffs? Did his production go down noticeably in the playoffs?

That team wasn't actually that great. Plus Hawerchuk got jettisoned off for MacTavish at the deadline. That team was barely above .500 during the season. Anderson and Gretz were definitely not in their prime and Fuhr was getting old and injured. Pronger was also just a man child in 96. Only Chopper and Hull were prime time players for us that year.

The team that bugs me is the 2001 version. Lost maybe the closest 5 game series in history to the Avs with Bourque. THAT was our year.

He's going to make it this year.

Penguins going down....

ratonmono wrote:

FederkoSutterHunter wrote:

BillP wrote:This guy deserves a SC Final. Would love to see him get there.

Heck the Blues never made the 3rd round with Hull all those years and that was just plain inexcusable IMO. The Hawks, North Stars, Canucks all make Finals in early 90's and we don't? Just horrible how the Blues messed that up.

TOTALLY unacceptable! Heads should have rolled.

That '96 team will FOREVER be the most talented team in Blues history. The Blues had seven current Hockey Hall of Fame members during the season (Gretzky, Hull, MacInnis, Anderson, Fuhr, Hawerchuk and Pronger).

That should've been the year no doubt. Even Gretzky said they should've won that series. Of course he's the one who gave the puck away on the game 7 winning goal!

How much of it was Hull getting "lazy" in the playoffs? Did his production go down noticeably in the playoffs?

That team wasn't actually that great. Plus Hawerchuk got jettisoned off for MacTavish at the deadline. That team was barely above .500 during the season. Anderson and Gretz were definitely not in their prime and Fuhr was getting old and injured. Pronger was also just a man child in 96. Only Chopper and Hull were prime time players for us that year.

The team that bugs me is the 2001 version. Lost maybe the closest 5 game series in history to the Avs with Bourque. THAT was our year.

It should also be noted regarding the '96 team that heads did roll, or more accurately "head". Keenan got canned less than halfway through the next season.

barnburner wrote:Keep in mind that Anderson, Hawerchuck, and to some extent, Gretzky, were just shadows of their former selves by that time.

But an even OLDER Gretzky with a older Messier went to the Conference finals just a year or 2 later with the Rangers.

The Blues could've won that game 7 if just a bounce or 2 went their way. Plus the Red Wings were such a historical nemesis back then. I wonder how many longer tenured players still had that inferiority complex against the Wings?

SpacemanSpiff wrote:He's going to make it this year.

Penguins going down....

I think they have a good chance too this year. They just can't let Crosby & the Penguins get into their heads!

They've not been to a Conference finals in 20 years when the stars were Peter Bondra, Joe Juneau, Chris Simon, Phil Housely, Steve Konowalchuk, Brendan Witt, & Olaf Kolzig aka "Olie the goalie"!

FederkoSutterHunter wrote:

barnburner wrote:Keep in mind that Anderson, Hawerchuck, and to some extent, Gretzky, were just shadows of their former selves by that time.

But an even OLDER Gretzky with a older Messier went to the Conference finals just a year or 2 later with the Rangers.

The Blues could've won that game 7 if just a bounce or 2 went their way. Plus the Red Wings were such a historical nemesis back then. I wonder how many longer tenured players still had that inferiority complex against the Wings?

Actually, I wasn't referring to age, as much as skills. Hawerchuck and Anderson were, other than their past, just bodies here. Gretzky's play after taking a hit along the boards against Toronto in the playoffs, was so bad that it resulted in his contract offer being pulled. The Rangers, unlike the Blues could afford to make the financial gamble that Gretzky would bounce back. And it's jmo, but I'd say the Rangers in their Cup year had a stronger supporting cast than the Blues during Gretzky's partial year here.
Still, the key factor in the Blues not at least getting to the finals, had to be the loss of Fuhr. If he doesn't get injured, I think they would have at least made it to the finals.

barnburner wrote:

FederkoSutterHunter wrote:

barnburner wrote:Keep in mind that Anderson, Hawerchuck, and to some extent, Gretzky, were just shadows of their former selves by that time.

But an even OLDER Gretzky with a older Messier went to the Conference finals just a year or 2 later with the Rangers.

The Blues could've won that game 7 if just a bounce or 2 went their way. Plus the Red Wings were such a historical nemesis back then. I wonder how many longer tenured players still had that inferiority complex against the Wings?

Actually, I wasn't referring to age, as much as skills. Hawerchuck and Anderson were, other than their past, just bodies here. Gretzky's play after taking a hit along the boards against Toronto in the playoffs, was so bad that it resulted in his contract offer being pulled. The Rangers, unlike the Blues could afford to make the financial gamble that Gretzky would bounce back. And it's jmo, but I'd say the Rangers in their Cup year had a stronger supporting cast than the Blues during Gretzky's partial year here.
Still, the key factor in the Blues not at least getting to the finals, had to be the loss of Fuhr. If he doesn't get injured, I think they would have at least made it to the finals.

Oh yeah, Keenan was closer to pulling it off than given credit for.

If Gretzky didn't have the bad back, and why Tikannen was traded away I'll never know because the whole Blues theme that year was to collect veteran winners. So there's a reason why he was dealt but it's never been know.

Point is, both Gretzky and Tikannen played for the Rangers the following year and both those guys had 10 goals each in the playoffs as the Rangers made the Final 4 that year.

A healthy Gretzky, you keep Tikannen, and a healthy Fuhr, and that Blues team might of won the whole thing.

Bump

This thread will no longer be relevant after tonight

Ozzies09tc wrote:Bump

This thread will no longer be relevant after tonight

Let's see if Ovie can bury one in OT tonight. That would be fitting if he does.

Well Ovie made it happen with an assist that sprung Kuznetsov. I'm happy for the Caps!

Lars Eller is looking good for the caps. On to round 3

So, now who has the title of this?

Dread_Pirate_Westley wrote:So, now who has the title of this?

Marcel Dionne?

Good for the Caps and OV!

Ovechkin with 3 goals, 7 points and 27 HITS in the 6 game series. After all these years, Ovechkin still brings the heat and racks up those hits. Impressive.

BillP wrote:Ovechkin with 3 goals, 7 points and 27 HITS in the 6 game series. After all these years, Ovechkin still brings the heat and racks up those hits. Impressive.

If you play in a fantasy league that counts hits and shots Ovi should be your first pick every year.

Congrats! I knew the Caps would eventually do it!

The last time the Caps made it this far was in 1998 when they played Buffalo in the Conference finals & they won in overtime in game 6 or game 7! I know it was Joe Juneau who brought the house down with the OT goal. That 1998 run by the Caps was some of the best hockey I've ever seen which also included a series win over the Bruins.

Compare that to today's snoozefest with the Caps game 1 win over Tampa Bay. Chris Simon played for those 1998 Capitals & he was a fighter AND a scorer! Nowadays you don't have fights to look forward to break the monotony of the game!

Just the overall excitement of the action was better 20 years ago. And if the Capitals make it to the finals both Winnipeg & Vegas would be HORRIBLE opponents compared to the Red Wings in 1998!

Dave's a mess wrote:

Dread_Pirate_Westley wrote:So, now who has the title of this?

Marcel Dionne?

John tavares or rob thomas

BillP wrote:
Oh yeah, Keenan was closer to pulling it off than given credit for.

If Gretzky didn't have the bad back, and why Tikannen was traded away I'll never know because the whole Blues theme that year was to collect veteran winners. So there's a reason why he was dealt but it's never been know.

Point is, both Gretzky and Tikannen played for the Rangers the following year and both those guys had 10 goals each in the playoffs as the Rangers made the Final 4 that year.

A healthy Gretzky, you keep Tikannen, and a healthy Fuhr, and that Blues team might of won the whole thing.

Yeah, incredibly bonehead move. Gretzky said he always liked Tikkanen & they had good chemistry together so it could've been a much better ending If he wasn't traded. Who was he traded for?? Makes NO sense!