2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Showdown!

[enterthemadness]

I was responding to Jacks post. I would love to see a Canadian team win it all, and I'm fine with a American team winning it all. I, and many other Canadians, just get pissed off when a southern team wins it all. Will thousands pour into the streets in Phoenix if the Coyotes win it all? Hell no

Could you imagine if the Florida Panthers made the postseason. Would anybody even go to the games?

 

[Alex The Great]

Bandwagoners would.

 

[LegendaryCaleb]

You would cheer for the dread wings. Ah well, it's a good chance for you to get into the sport, so I hope you enjoy the playoffs

I went to a game when I was 6...my family loved um...it was a ton of fun...I'll try to keep up with it!

 

[enterthemadness]

Bandwagoners would.

Nah, probably be mass confusion down in Florida about why a minor league team is in the NHL playoffs.

 

[Hush]

They're cursed

Nah I gotta root for em because my Grandfather is the athletic trainer they put on staff for the Playoffs. They call him out of retirement basically every year so that he can get a cup ring. He has been training for 37 years and is in the Hall Of Fame.

Could you imagine if the Florida Panthers made the postseason. Would anybody even go to the games?

They did when they won the cup in the 90's I think it was '93 with the brick wall John Verbinski in net.

 

[Immortalfire]

Panthers have never won the Cup. However they were in the finals in '96, and were beaten by Colorado.


Round 1...

Canucks over Blackhawks...Chicago aren't what they were a year ago, but I think they're decent enough to make this series a fight to the finish.

Sharks over Kings...LA is good team, but San Jose's experience carries them onward.

Coyotes over Red Wings...I picked the same thing last year, so I will again.

Ducks over Predators...Nashville could win this series, but I flipped a coin and the Ducks won.

Capitals over Rangers...I hate the Rangers.

Sabres over Flyers...I hate the Flyers.

Canadiens over Bruins...both are balanced teams, but I like Montreal's goaltending better.

Lightning over Penguins...Pittsburgh won't last long without Crosby and Malkin leading the way.

 

[The Incredible Hulk]

My sleeper pick to win it all. Just to piss off Canada...

 

[Paroxysm]

They did when they won the cup in the 90's I think it was '93 with the brick wall John Verbinski in net.

You mean John Vanbiesbrouck and yeah like Immortal said, they lost to the Avalanche.

 

[Hush]

Wow yeah I look like a total fool. I seriously thought they won. Damn. They did fill the arena though if I'm not mistaken. Might have been mostly Avs fans but hey they still had a strong showing.

 

[Pink Ranger]

You mean John Vanbiesbrouck and yeah like Immortal said, they lost to the Avalanche.

Nah, I like Verbinski better. Easier to spell, slightly.

 

[The Incredible Hulk]

Wow yeah I look like a total fool. I seriously thought they won. Damn. They did fill the arena though if I'm not mistaken. Might have been mostly Avs fans but hey they still had a strong showing.

From 1993 - 2000 (their last playoff appearance), the Panthers had excellent attendance. Considering the Avalanche didnt even exist until 1996, I can assure you their arena was not filled with Avs fans in the 1996 SC Finals.

Problem with that market, is a decade of being terrible has chased most of the fans away. That's sort of the problem in areas like South Florida where there are always a ton of things to do all year round and a lot of competition for entertainment dollars. If you're not winning, no one cares, even when most of their local area is made up of transplants form the Northeast. It's not Toronto, people arent going to pay top dollar to watch a losing team.

 

[Paroxysm]

 

[The Incredible Hulk]

either that's a horrendous typo or Crosby is out until early January lol

 

[Immortalfire]

He's a football player too? Wow

 

[Immortalfire]

From 1993 - 2000 (their last playoff appearance), the Panthers had excellent attendance. Considering the Avalanche didnt even exist until 1996, I can assure you their arena was not filled with Avs fans in the 1996 SC Finals.

Problem with that market, is a decade of being terrible has chased most of the fans away. That's sort of the problem in areas like South Florida where there are always a ton of things to do all year round and a lot of competition for entertainment dollars. If you're not winning, no one cares, even when most of their local area is made up of transplants form the Northeast. It's not Toronto, people arent going to pay top dollar to watch a losing team.

Very true for hockey, if you win..the people will come. Just a few seasons back the Capitals had horrid attendance. Now they sell out practically every night.

 

[enterthemadness]

I love that ESPN knows how to spell and edit correctly.

 

[Alex The Great]

God I hope he doesn't show up

 

[Microchip]

No it's not that, it's just the ridiculous notion of Candaian teams having to teach American teams how to play....when like 90% of the make-up of EVERY team are Canadian players.

Lol, what?? 90%? Nooo not even close. It's like 50-60%. Here, just picked a team at random. Go to the roster and sort by nationality.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_Panthers

 

[Alex The Great]

It's 40%

That's still more than any other countries combined though

 

[Paroxysm]

Very true for hockey, if you win..the people will come. Just a few seasons back the Capitals had horrid attendance. Now they sell out practically every night.

That rule only applies to American teams, in Canada you can suck badly and still pack the joint.

 

[Microchip]

http://espn.go.com/nhl/attendance/_/sort/homePct

That rule only applies to American teams, in Canada you can suck badly and still pack the joint.

Or be the Blues, the only American team with 100% attendance all season long to miss the playoffs, or the Wild, who came close with 99%. Truly though, winning helps a lot. Unless you're the Yotes.

PS, which thread are we going with? This one or the other one? I think one should get locked, so as to not fragment the convo

 

[Assassin]

Wings all the way. Also, the Red Wing fans in Arizona are not all travelers, there are a lot of people that move to Arizona from the Detroit area for some reason.

 

[Hush]

Thats because us Blues Fans are devoted. Plus Davidson promised Playoffs or he would give back the season Ticket holders like half of what they paid for there tickets or some such nonsense. We would have made the Playoffs too but injuries just ruined this team, I mean look at how we played in the latter part of the season. Next year we will be a force in the west.

 

[The Incredible Hulk]

That rule only applies to American teams, in Canada you can suck badly and still pack the joint.

That probably explains why you haven't won a Cup up there in 18 years. No ownership incentive to win.

 

[Alex The Great]

I think we're a little worried. When the Leafs win it all, the CN Tower won't be standing the next morning