European Leagues Thread

[Tasku]

But.. Go Kärpät!!

You scum...

Archi... can we ban this guy?

[Saapas]

I hate to watch SM-Liiga games since the referees are always in the middle of events... When someone yells at them after situations they give weird penalties...

[Tasku]

I disagree. Like any other league (yes, the NHL!) sometimes referees make mistakes. But most of the time they do their job well.

[Tasku]

To clarify: yes, sometimes referees make bad calls, but I watch more than 30 games (of each league) per season, and I don't see a problem with the Finnish Liiga referees. At least not so much that they would be less competent than those of the NHL. Not significantly.

[ForNever]

I disagree. Like any other league (yes, the NHL!) sometimes referees make mistakes. But most of the time they do their job well.

You forget Tom Laaksonen. He was blind as a piece of wood for the first 50 mins in Friday's SaiPa - JYP match. JYP's forward Max Wärn got SaiPa's goalie Jussi Markkanen a penalty for tripping when he clearly dived after he even hit Markkanen's stick (which he himself skated into). Then on Saturday Wärn lowered his head to the level of his knees to get SaiPa's forward Jesper Piitulainen a minor call. I've never seen that kind of rubbish from Wärn and I don't understand why he does that.

Nevertheless we lead the series 2-0 which is better than good, this spring is crazy. For instance SaiPa had full attendance in Lappeenranta on Friday (the seating was sold in 25 mins and the rest after a couple of hours) and then JYP's attendance on Saturday was under 4 000 which is ridiculous for last five years' most succesful team of Liiga. We deserve to win this series!

[Tasku]

I didn't see neither of those penalties. Nonetheless my point wasn't that there wouldn't be any bad calls in the league. What I said is that I don't think it's a major problem. Most of the time the referees do a good job.

[ForNever]

SaiPa's playoffs series has gone from 3-0 wins to 3-3. Getting a bit diabolical now...

[Lazion]

But.. Go Kärpät!!

You scum...

Archi... can we ban this guy?

Are you still alive.. or sober?

SaiPa's playoffs series has gone from 3-0 wins to 3-3. Getting a bit diabolical now...

Congratulations!!
Four more games to lose for SaiPa.

Er.. I'll go back to my cave.

[Tasku]

Still alive. And sober.

This might sound strange, because they just knocked us out, but I'm now rooting for Lukko to go all the way. It was a great series, all seven games were exciting and very even. I want more of that!

[ForNever]

Same for SaiPa vs JYP which was truly a classic series even though I truly haven't seen that many. Particularly the last game was crazy and we really wouldn't have made it without some luck. But we musn't think about that as another opponent is coming our way tomorrow.

Nice to see one of the biggest budgets in the league against the smallest Lazion!

[Manimal]

Yes!
Djurgårdens IF just got promoted to the SHL here in Sweden. Been in the 2nd division (Allsvenskan) for two seasons.
They also secured a spot in the new Champions Hockey League that is starting in Europe.

[ForNever]

SaiPa's out from the semi-finals with 4-1 wins. Still, if we'd win the bronze it would be our second medal during the history of our team in SM-liiga. The first (bronze) medals are from 1966, so it's been a while. And I am darn proud of this team already.

The bronze medal game is (probably) going to be played on Monday. Fingers crossed for the smallest budgeted team in the league...

[DJP19]

My beloved Sparta Prague fell in game 7 today in the Extraliga playoffs. Final is 6.HC Kometa vs. 4.PSG Zlin(who were last years finalists)

[Manimal]

The KHL has decided to increase the number of imports per team to seven (it was five). Non-Russian teams also have other rules(no limits on most of them IIRC)

This will further bleed the other European leagues. Not good for the quality of our leagues here in Sweden and I guess FIN, CZE and SVK feel the same

[Alessandro]

The KHL has decided to increase the number of imports per team to seven (it was five).

No official info so far

[ForNever]

So SaiPa didn't win the bronze, sigh... Still the only thing left for us is the bronze we won 30 years before I was born... (1966). And 2014-2015 is going to be harder than the past season because we have so many expiring contracts on our key players except the captains and goalkeepers.

We got most points during regular season per euro out of all the teams by far and our every home post-season game was sold out, two of which in the minimum time of 20 mins.

No one said it's fair I guess...

[Tasku]

SaiPa did good. You don't always need euros to succeed. Although it sure helps.

[batdad]

LOL. Since when Tasku> ASk Don Cherry how that works...lol. and oh how is Alex doing? wonder how his golf game is now and if can even come close to achieving his plus/minus which in golf would never lose a tournament.

[philou21]

and oh how is Alex doing? wonder how his golf game is now and if can even come close to achieving his plus/minus which in golf would never lose a tournament.

LOL BRilliant

[batdad]

Actually sorry. he would lose one tournament...to another Alex. Who is also European.

I can see the leaderboard

A. Edler -39
A. Ovenchicken -38

LOL

[Tasku]

LOL. Since when Tasku> ASk Don Cherry how that works...lol. and oh how is Alex doing? wonder how his golf game is now and if can even come close to achieving his plus/minus which in golf would never lose a tournament.

I think I've heard of this Cherry guy once, but I don't know who he is, so sorry, I have no idea what you're talking about.

Edit: Euros... okay I get it now.

[batdad]

Who is the best player in Europe who has never played in the NHL, and no NHL team has rights to or has ever had rights to? Ie best totally NHL free Euro hockey player?

Let the debate begin....

Alessandro: Russian guy
Manimal: Swedish guy
Archi: SOme Brit ...arhi this is about hockey not grass hockey
Tasku: some silly Finn.
We need someone to step up and rep the Czechs, Slovaks, Germans and Belorussians Latvian and Khazaki monsters.


Not to mention the Danes, Poles, Greeks, Turks, Swiss and French

[Tasku]

No, you got it wrong.

Tasku: Too drunk to think.

[batdad]

Of course Tasku. Duh. Should have known.

[DJP19]

For the Czechs that's a very easy answer: Jiří Holeček. He was drafted in 1972 by Ottawa(go figure) in the WHA, not the NHL though . Long list of accolades and arguably one of the best European goalies of his time. Best quote was his thoughts on Tretiak, "No, Tretiak wasn't anything special. We had at least ten goalies back home who were better than him and the same goes for Sweden. The Russians had such a good team that it wasn't very hard to be in goal for them."

5x Best Goalie at World Championships(all time record among goalies, tied for most among all players with Fetisov)
5x World Championships All Star Team(most among all goaltenders)
3x World Championships Gold Medalist
1x Golden Hockey Stick Award Winner for best player in Czechoslovakia
6x Ceske Budejovice Champion
1x Olympic Silver Medalist
1x Olympic Bronze Medalist
IIHF Hockey Hall of Fame Member