IT'S BACK! The NHL shall return!

[Lord Reynoldson]

After a loooooooooooooooong wait, the NHL and NHLPA have finally come to an agreement! Ice Hockey will return at the highest level, and once again, the Tampa Bay Lightning shall reign supreme!

PS I'm so happy!

[Thunderstruck]

Mate, the last NHL season didn't exist, Tampa Bay never won the Stanley Cup. You can't have a team based on a tropical state where nobody gives a rats ass about snow or even know what the word winter means win an ice hockey competition

[Insomniac]

Yeah, and you can't have a league team in a state where no one gives a rats ass about league win the Grand Final in the first two years of existence either!

[Thunderstruck]

No! What are you talking about, we can't have that kind of aberration in our sport!!

[Thunderstruck]

Rule changes in the NHL. Damn, that's plenty. I like the change of the offside ruling to the tag-up rule and the removal of the 2-line pass. Those should make ice hockey a faster game.

[Lord Reynoldson]

As a goalie of both forms of hockey I'm not very impressed with the shoot-out rule. I agree with scrapping the red-line though.

The icing rule will be an interesting one. Many teams intentionally ice the puck when under heavy attack to get a line change. Now whenever they ice it, no more line changes. I like it. Will also give opposition coaches the chance to get the match-ups he wants on the key draws.

The best thing about this coming off-season, is that it is once again only a 4 day off-season between the NRL Grand Final and Opening night of the NHL. Now THAT'S the type of off season I'm al for!

[Thunderstruck]

Speaking of goalies, what do you think of the restriction zone behind the crease? I'm all for the extra speed in the game but I think this sort of takes away the goalie's role as a defender.

By the way, what made you a TB supporter LR?

[Lord Reynoldson]

I love supporting the underdogs and the Lightning logo is the best in the comp. And besides, I always liked the idea of a hockey team playing out of sunny Florida. Also found myself always going to the lightning games and listening into them on NHL.com .

I also used to sorta support the Red Wings whenever the playoffs came around and they were like my 2nd fav team...except for the fact that I didn't really give a **** about them. When someone tries to get you behind a team, but you just don't give a stuff about them, it's hard. Would be like oh good, the Wings won the other day, but couldn't be bothered making a concerted effort to actively support them. Still, I've had my Lightning jersey's for a handful of years, and it's good to actually listen to the games and know that there's a realistic chance of a victory! After they beat Pittsburgh 9-0 last season, I was like.....I swear this sounds familiar, but wasn't the result the opposite way around 2 years ago.

No longer shall Tampa Bay be a 2 day vacation in the sun in the middle of winter! It shall be hell on ice.

[Lord Reynoldson]

And as for that rule regarding restricted mobement, I don't really know about that one. Will have to wait and see exactly how it works out and effects the game. I don't particularly like seeing goalie's travel too far out of their crease....... Did I just say what I think I said? How hypocritical of me - I've been known to take runs on the field hockey field (not up to the skating ability to do so yet) up to the halfway line. I used to cross it in attack, before they introduced a rule saying the Goalie can't cross half way.

[thinga87]

You two will probably jump all over me, but I'd rank the 4 US Major Sports in this order:

1. NFL
2. MLB
3. NBA
4. NHL

I just can't get into either the NBA or NHL. I love the NFL season from August/September to January/February and love watching the MLB playoffs every October, but the NBA playoffs and Stanley Cup just don't attact me as a TV spectacle... just a personal preference though, they'll both still fun games.

[Thunderstruck]

In terms of popularity over there you'd be right but in terms of actual spectacle on the field/rink/court, NBA and NHL would be my top two. I keep falling asleep trying to watch full games of baseball and football (separately, not together of course )

[Op2musPrime]

About time too!! And the Stanley Cup will be coming back to the Motor City

[Lord Reynoldson]

That's a good one. I don't know how they'll manage to fit in under the salary cap, overage, over-paid and out of the running all ready.

[thinga87]

Because I'm just too busy/lazy (take your pick) are there any teams from the last NHL season leaving the league/changing locations etc?

[Lord Reynoldson]

Hmm.....not that I've heard of. I do believe that I heard something about Anaheim being bought out at one stage though.

To be honest, I've been more concerned about the Bolts re-signing Habby, Vinny and Marty thatn focusing on other teams. Noticed nothing sus to suggest anything with the schedule though!