NHL favorite team straw poll (End of Week 1: Devils gaining, but Rangers in control)

[Hillel Hoffmann]

[quote RichH][quote Hillel Hoffmann][quote RichH][quote Hillel Hoffmann]
Team that's closest to Ithaca not represented yet: Maple Leafs[/quote]

I guess I got counted in the billhoward 0 point category.  :-/[/quote]
Sorry, Rich, the judges grudgingly accept a split, but having three or more favorite teams with (exactly) equal emotional investment meets the universal standard for power-waffling.[/quote]

Fair enough.  But when two of your teams have awful, ancient, tightwad owners who say things like "I won't listen to any plan to win a Stanley Cup...they cost too much money," and keep their team off of TV because it might adversely affect attendance, there's little you can do BUT find a 3rd team to get through the bad times.[/quote]

The judges feel your pain and ask you to try this mental exercise: Imagine the Hawks, Leafs and Sabres are playing a three-team, round-robin tournament, with nothing at stake except some dumbass trophy (no management will be strategically removed because of a loss). Who do you want to win? 'Fess up and I'll give that team half a point. If you really can't decide because your emotional investment in the teams is equal to the last decimal, then that's power-waffling and no points.

[ftyuv]

[quote Hillel Hoffmann][quote RichH][quote Hillel Hoffmann][quote RichH][quote Hillel Hoffmann]
Team that's closest to Ithaca not represented yet: Maple Leafs[/quote]

I guess I got counted in the billhoward 0 point category.  :-/[/quote]
Sorry, Rich, the judges grudgingly accept a split, but having three or more favorite teams with (exactly) equal emotional investment meets the universal standard for power-waffling.[/quote]

Fair enough.  But when two of your teams have awful, ancient, tightwad owners who say things like "I won't listen to any plan to win a Stanley Cup...they cost too much money," and keep their team off of TV because it might adversely affect attendance, there's little you can do BUT find a 3rd team to get through the bad times.[/quote]

The judges feel your pain and ask you to try this mental exercise: Imagine the Hawks, Leafs and Sabres are playing a three-team, round-robin tournament, with nothing at stake except some dumbass trophy (no management will be strategically removed because of a loss). Who do you want to win? 'Fess up and I'll give that team half a point. If you really can't decide because your emotional investment in the teams is equal to the last decimal, then that's power-waffling and no points.[/quote]

What is this, even "which team do you like best" contests have shootouts now?

I've always liked the play-till-someone-scores model better. So, RichH, what are your two favorite teams?  And if you can't answer that, let me ask you: what are your two favorite teams?  And if you can't answer that, let me ask you: what are your two favorite teams?  And if you can't answer that, let me ask you: what are your two favorite teams?  And if you can't answer that, let me ask you: what are your two favorite teams?  And if you can't answer that, let me ask you: what are your two favorite teams? ...

[RichH]

[quote Hillel Hoffmann][quote RichH][quote Hillel Hoffmann][quote RichH][quote Hillel Hoffmann]
Team that's closest to Ithaca not represented yet: Maple Leafs[/quote]

I guess I got counted in the billhoward 0 point category.  :-/[/quote]
Sorry, Rich, the judges grudgingly accept a split, but having three or more favorite teams with (exactly) equal emotional investment meets the universal standard for power-waffling.[/quote]

Fair enough.  But when two of your teams have awful, ancient, tightwad owners who say things like "I won't listen to any plan to win a Stanley Cup...they cost too much money," and keep their team off of TV because it might adversely affect attendance, there's little you can do BUT find a 3rd team to get through the bad times.[/quote]

The judges feel your pain and ask you to try this mental exercise: Imagine the Hawks, Leafs and Sabres are playing a three-team, round-robin tournament, with nothing at stake except some dumbass trophy (no management will be strategically removed because of a loss). Who do you want to win? 'Fess up and I'll give that team half a point. If you really can't decide because your emotional investment in the teams is equal to the last decimal, then that's power-waffling and no points.[/quote]

No, no.  I accept the zero point distinction of loserdom mainly because of my first sentence I wrote on this thread: "I pretty much stopped giving a crap around the work stoppage."  I think the last time I watched a complete NHL game start-to-finish was over 2 years ago?  Now, that's not to say I won't jump in to defend the sport and league when I'm around a "pfft...hockey?  Is that still a sport?  Who cares about the NHL? har har har" comment.  Just that the product that the Bettman era is selling, I'm not buying a whole lot compared to what we had when I was growing up.  And the college game gives me enough of the fix I need.  Maybe I'll try to make an effort to catch more of the playoffs this year.  Heck, I found myself watching the Flames-Blackhawks game at the SFO airport last night.

Now to actually answer your question.  This is easy for me, since the Sabres & Leafs have matched up in prior playoff serieseses.  Each time, I found myself embracing my Western New Yorkness and fully rooting for the Sabres, despite the fact that the Leafs are the only team that satisfies all 5 of my "rooting rules" I've spelled out.  So if you're giving out pennants on sticks and I only have 2 hands, I choose the Blackhawks and Sabres.  One East, one West, and that's a good setup for me.

Edit: Read your question again.  To finish the round-robin, in a Chicago-Buffalo series...I'd probably pull for the Sabres.  First, that 15-year stretch of futility by Chicago broke my original bond of allegiance.  I also found that once I left the Upstate NY nest, the home-cooking fondness for "the local team" defined me more.  Getting a "Let's Go Buf-fa-lo!" comment  would mean more to me than an "Awright Blackhawks!" shout-out if I wore each respective jersey out in say, Santa Monica.

[ftyuv]

[quote RichH]I choose the Blackhawks and Sabres.[/quote]There should be a variant of "that's what she said" where instead of "she" it's "the typical 19th century American."

[profudge]

OK complete and die hard  Red Wings fan as I grew up and played hockey in suburban Detroit.  

Secondarily if  any the Boston Bruins  -

[jhib]

Devils.

We're the Devils!  The Devils!!

(gotta support the team)

[madAgaskar07]

[quote jhib]Devils.

We're the Devils!  The Devils!!

(gotta support the team)[/quote]

Devils + 1.0.

Do we get a combo bonus?

Also, I believe each voter should be able to distribute -1.0 points among their most hated teams.  If that rule were in effect, I would say:

-0.6 to the Flyers
-0.3 to the Rangers (although -.15 of that will follow Sean Avery wherever he goes.)
-0.1 to Ottawa

[IDidntRegisterThisToGameTheSurvey]

I vote Bruins!

[Rita]

For a series that most people do not seem to care about (me, and others at least by the lack of games on NBC and VS) the Whoricane-Devil series seems to have the most excitement, barely missing another OT game by 0.2 seconds and the series is tied at 2 games a piece.

The only reason why I caught the last few minutes is that the STL game was in the 2nd intermission and the other games had ended.

Brodeur was miffed due to a bump by Olliken (sp) on the last shot prevented (delayed) him from getting into proper position for the shot from the point (NJ announcers take on it). Switch to the Carolina PBP guys Brodeur has nothing to whine about since the bump occurred outside the crease and it seemed Marty put himself in position to potentially be bumped since he came so far out.

I thought Pitt-Philly would be the blood bath, it now might be NJ-Car.

[judy]

[quote Rita]
I thought Pitt-Philly would be the blood bath, it now might be NJ-Car.[/quote]

While Pittsburgh is probably the better team, I was really hoping for Philly to beat the crap out of them in 7. It's like deja vu of last year. For whatever reason, I seem to get more excited about this series than the Caps/Rangers. I think it's cuz I can sit back and wait for the two teams to bloody each other up without caring who comes out the winner. Although, neither team is really cooperating on that right now.

Ya, may have to start trying to watch the NJ/Car series. Brodeur looked pretty pissed off there at the end.

[Jeff Hopkins '82]

Just be glad you didn't watch the Flyers-Pens game last night.  That had to be the worst officiating I have ever seen, and that includes some of the most horribly officiated ECAC games.

A Flyers player hits a Penguin in the face with an out-of-control stick?  No call.  A Penguin goes full tilt into the Flyers goalie feet first.  No call.  But let a player get his stick horizontal and simply touch an opposing player?  That they call.  ::wank::

I'll watch the rest of that series and then I'm done with the NHL for the year.

[DeltaOne81]

[quote Rita]
Brodeur was miffed due to a bump by Olliken (sp) on the last shot prevented (delayed) him from getting into proper position for the shot from the point (NJ announcers take on it). Switch to the Carolina PBP guys Brodeur has nothing to whine about since the bump occurred outside the crease and it seemed Marty put himself in position to potentially be bumped since he came so far out. [/quote]

The GWG was a gray area.

The Whoricanes 3rd goal was blatant goaltender interference not called. I think it just boiled over for Marty.

[Rita]

[quote DeltaOne81][quote Rita]
Brodeur was miffed due to a bump by Olliken (sp) on the last shot prevented (delayed) him from getting into proper position for the shot from the point (NJ announcers take on it). Switch to the Carolina PBP guys Brodeur has nothing to whine about since the bump occurred outside the crease and it seemed Marty put himself in position to potentially be bumped since he came so far out. [/quote]

The GWG was a gray area.

The Whoricanes 3rd goal was blatant goaltender interference not called. I think it just boiled over for Marty.[/quote]

I didn't see the 3rd goal, but just by the very different commentaries of the PBP guys, grey and muddy seem like good words.

I guess I wouldn't mind seeing that series go to 7 games, and hopefully putting whoever advances at a disadvantage for the next round.

[ftyuv]

[quote Rita][quote DeltaOne81][quote Rita]
Brodeur was miffed due to a bump by Olliken (sp) on the last shot prevented (delayed) him from getting into proper position for the shot from the point (NJ announcers take on it). Switch to the Carolina PBP guys Brodeur has nothing to whine about since the bump occurred outside the crease and it seemed Marty put himself in position to potentially be bumped since he came so far out. [/quote]

The GWG was a gray area.

The Whoricanes 3rd goal was blatant goaltender interference not called. I think it just boiled over for Marty.[/quote]

I didn't see the 3rd goal, but just by the very different commentaries of the PBP guys, grey and muddy seem like good words.

I guess I wouldn't mind seeing that series go to 7 games, and hopefully putting whoever advances at a disadvantage for the next round.[/quote]

Clip on NHL.com: http://www.nhl.tv/team/console.jsp?catid=382&id=40456

You can see the bump fairly clearly about 27 seconds in. Brodeur is out far enough that you can see the bottom of his skates but not one pixel of the crease.  I don't really have any vested interest in either team, but it doesn't look like interference to me.

Edit: Just realized that was the fourth goal.  The third goal was indeed suspect.

[DeltaOne81]

[quote ftyuv][quote Rita]
I didn't see the 3rd goal, but just by the very different commentaries of the PBP guys, grey and muddy seem like good words.

I guess I wouldn't mind seeing that series go to 7 games, and hopefully putting whoever advances at a disadvantage for the next round.[/quote]

Clip on NHL.com: http://www.nhl.tv/team/console.jsp?catid=382&id=40456

You can see the bump fairly clearly about 27 seconds in. Brodeur is out far enough that you can see the bottom of his skates but not one pixel of the crease.  I don't really have any vested interest in either team, but it doesn't look like interference to me.

Edit: Just realized that was the fourth goal.  The third goal was indeed suspect.[/quote]

Finally found highlights of the 3rd goal, thanks to TSN.
http://work.tsn.ca/window/oneclip_nhl_playoffs.html#
(click on the video titled "Highlights: NJ 3, CAR 4" under News & Highlights, and then the third Car goal is 0:20 into the video).