Congrats to the Tampa Bay Lightning: 2004 Stanley Cup champions!

yes, very good series!

Definitely a good series.

Now, the long part: the off-season! lol

I'll give em props. They beat a very good team in the Flames in a hard fought series. That is true competition at its best!

Hey Hey Hockeytown back in 05

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by mrandjr:


Hey Hey Hockeytown back in 05<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

maybe if there isn't a lockout :(

oh man i am sad.

05 if your lucky, from what I've been hearing if the league comes back next year it could be with a much shorter season and with less teams...it may get ugly.

This was the worst most one sided series Bettman put together yet. Let's call a penalty with 1 minute to go against a team that's down in game 7 of the cup final. Way to be refs...Bettman is dancing up an irish jig for sure. They should put an asterix in the record books about the calgary goal that wasn't too. I'm pretty sure it made everybody who follows hockey sick

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Druss:
05 if your lucky, from what I've been hearing if the league comes back next year it could be with a much shorter season and with less teams...it may get ugly.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


It would be wicked if there's less teams, go back to 21, that was wicked. Now you have all these teams, people that shouldn't even be in the league playing. Teams that went to the cup final a year or two prior struggling to get 7000 people there. Fold them, it'll make hockey 20 times better. Pheonix, Florida, Carolina, Pittsburgh to name a few. Even Tampa can't sell out games, all year they've had promotions where you'd buy a ticket and get ones free...3 tickets and St. Louis autographed stick for something like 70 bucks it was said on HNIC one night..unreal, good job Bettman.

here's a reality check article on the future of the NHL from the great sportsguy:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/040602

[ June 08, 2004: Message edited by: bigklop ]

They could try to have some teams combined (not merged) and have split home schedules (enough to have at most 24 teams):
Pittsburgh & Buffalo
Atlanta & Florida
Washington & Carolina
Chicago/Nashville/Columbus (Honestly, the Blue Jackets?)
Los Angeles/Anaheim/Phoenix
and have Minnesota split with Winnipeg

I picked expansion teams, those in bad financial shape or those that didn't do well

I have a suggestion. Get rid of teams that are in the south or the southwest. One rule should apply if it doesn't snow NO hockey teams.
I want to say good-bye to the kings,phoenix,dallas,florida,tampa,atlanta,carolin a,nashville give minnasota back the stars and get rid of the wild.

rename the divisons bring back norris adams ect.

original six- have them be in one divison and that's it

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by mrandjr:
Hey Hey Hockeytown back in 05<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

heh not anymore, we are losing a BUNCH of players from what the det papers are saying. :( its not looking good for us in 05

WOO-HOO! ALRIGHT LIGHTNING, YEAH!
I Called my father right after the game (my family lives in Tampa)and he was telling me about all the Pyro and fire works going on downtown. The series was awesome and even though they did not win, the Flames were awesome. Sniff! It would really suck if there was a lockout. :(