ice hockey final

[Tails]

Great game, great result. Seen a few nhl games at leafs, san jose and dallas. Definitely passionate people, but they show it at the game in their own way. Nearly no away fans doesn't help i suppose. Best jipping of the opposition was at san jose. Their ex netminder returned after slaging them off in the press. Imagine 20,000  yanks doing the slow "taylor" chant.

I went to watch the Maple Leafs against Pittsburgh Penguins, there was a good few hundred Pittsburgh fans there (nearly every single one donning a Crosby jersey). They were bloody loud to be fair but totally drowned out by the Maple Leafs fans despite the fact that they were starting to get battered. The support is ridiculously loyal, and really fucking loud too. It really made me realise how crap Swindons support truly is.

Also the total pride with which the Canadians sang the national anthem, and the respect they gave the American one was pretty awesome in itself. Walking up to the Air Canada Centre there's the Maple Leaf symbol on the pavements and everything!

[Batch]

Walking up to the Air Canada Centre there's the Maple Leaf symbol on the pavements and everything!

Re: away fan  numbers - I guess we got unlucky with the hockey games we've been to. That said last time we were in Toronto was basketball palyoffs (Leafs had stuffed the Hockey by then). There were one or two Orlando magic fans about and they got some serious goading

The Air Canada is nice, but I preferred the Maple Leaf Gardens for some reason. I guess its like preferring the County Ground to a Madjetski clone.

Onto crowds, the 'deeefence,  deeefence" type stuff is boring but we've had a few odd ones
- "Pizza"-San Jose Sharks - Apparently 4 in the net Pizza we get.
- Shouting the "STAR"  spangled banner in Dallas made me jump about 4 foot.
-  "Who wants a green card (who who, who who)" (to unsuprisingly who let the dogs out) - Canada v Mexico in proper football.
- "Belfour..Belfour" - as already mentioned the eerie slow chant. He ended up at the Leafs

[4D]

Quality game, glad the Canadians won as I love the country and love the sport. Their passion for it is insane over there, it means more to them than football does to us!

I travelled from Vancouver to Calgary in 2004 when the Calgary Flames were in the Stanley Cup v Tampa Bay Lightning; met loads of Flames fans occupying many bars  "Go Flames Go"

[oxford_fan]

gonna go against the grain here, and put it out there...

the usa vs canada ice hockey final was by far the least exciting event i have watched in the whole winter olympics.

so there.

[4D]

gonna go against the grain here, and put it out there...

the usa vs canada ice hockey final was by far the least exciting event i have watched in the whole winter olympics.

so there.

What grabbed you then OF, Curling?

[Leggett]

Silly scummer! Did the halfpipe feel more like home when you watched it? (Two big tall side structures, only enough fans that they fill the very end and at the opposite end, a gate, open fields and blue sky?)

[Tails]

gonna go against the grain here, and put it out there...

the usa vs canada ice hockey final was by far the least exciting event i have watched in the whole winter olympics.

so there.

You voluntarily watch Oxford so your opinion is null and void!

Only joking, I know it isn't for everyone but I fucking love it!

[oxford_fan]

curling seems to be in a bit of a trough as far as sports go, it needs something to liven it up i think, get it back to being popular like it was however many years ago. they should do it in the dark with neon stones, neon markings, neon lycra suits, strobes, lasers, and a bit of drum and bass when the stone is released. or maybe introduce a bonus stone, which has a small explosive charge.

come on though, that ice hockey was shit. it went on for fucking hours (2 maybe?), i don't get how americans can be such stupid inattentive imbeciles yet are able to watch baseball, american football, and ice hockey which take a whole evening to play. they probably go more for the opportunity to eat for the whole time, with the small bonus of some live sport on the side.

its a gay sport. you can barely see the fucking puck. they've got people going on and off the ice all the time, i'm not sure why they do it, and i don't like it. are they tired? it can't be tactics. their fights are pussy, they've got all that padding and a helmet on so its not as though they do any real damage, plus as soon as it happens all the refs skate over and pull them off each other. but the actual game itself seems to involve lots of end to end stuff, people messing up all the time or just wacking it round the bit at the end which curves, little passing or tackling or.... i dunno.

basically its shite.

[Iffy's Onion Bhaji]

The olympic refs broke the fights up but in the NHL they let them get on with it. Games are usually no more than 3 hours in total time and that's including breaks. So it's only an extra hour and a 15 more than a game of football. Well actually these days football is 1 hour and 55. It's a fast paced sport which makes it's entertaining. I think you have to understand the rules a bit more to get into it.

[oxford_fan]

hey man, i was a don at NHL 95 for the Megadrive so think about that before you give me your 'you have to understand the rule a bit more to get into it' claptrap

[Iffy's Onion Bhaji]

hey man, i was a don at NHL 95 for the Megadrive so think about that before you give me your 'you have to understand the rule a bit more to get into it' claptrap

I wasn't aiming it directly at you just making a general point.

[oxford_fan]

apology accepted

[Tails]

its a gay sport. you can barely see the fucking puck. they've got people going on and off the ice all the time, i'm not sure why they do it, and i don't like it. are they tired? it can't be tactics. their fights are pussy, they've got all that padding and a helmet on so its not as though they do any real damage, plus as soon as it happens all the refs skate over and pull them off each other. but the actual game itself seems to involve lots of end to end stuff, people messing up all the time or just wacking it round the bit at the end which curves, little passing or tackling or.... i dunno.

basically its shite.

I shouldn't bite really but honestly I've nothing better to do!
The puck is difficult to see I give you that, but it's easier the more you watch it.
The people going on and off the ice are part of a tactical change.
Is punching someone repeatedly in the head pussy? The helmets usually come off during a fight, and the refs will break only break it off once the players are on the floor or if blood is drawn.
It does go end to end when both teams are full strength but there is normally one side with momentum, maybe you can't tell, but it is an extremely fast moving sport so the fact that both teams have chances is inevitable, the same happens in football.
Messing up all the time? Um...OK. "whacking it round the bit at the end which curves", does happen a fair amount and again is usually a tactic.

Shite? Your opinion, but it's massive in North America, Scandanavia and Eastern Europe. You can easily point out similar flaws in football's play to be honest, and as I've said it's not for everyone but (even though it's probably to wind us hockey fans up!) you're being really fucking ignorant, and that irritates me.

[Leggett]

+1 mr tails.

watch the players when they've just finished a shift and skated to the bench, they're huffing and puffing and red faced. playing the game at that pace, even for 30secs to 2 or 3mins, takes alot of effort. its not like football where you cant stand around doing jack shit while the football is at the other end of the pitch, you're on the go for pretty much the whole shift.

OF, go here... http://www.hockeyfights.com/ and then call them gay or pussy. 

I can see your problem with following the puck, it gets easier once you've watched a few more games, you get a rough idea of where the puck *should* be. its also alot easier to follow in person, if you lose the puck you can follow the players faces as they watch the puck. there is talk of the broadcasters adopting a similar system to the NFL broadcasts, overlaying a brightly-coloured circle over the puck so it's easier to follow. however, its bloody difficult to do when the puck is fired at 90+ miles an hour from a slapshot.

[Batch]

there is talk of the broadcasters adopting a similar system to the NFL broadcasts, overlaying a brightly-coloured circle over the puck so it's easier to follow.

Yeah I often fond there isn't enough contrast between back and white