The Ditch part deux

Renewed Panthers half-season tickets (can't make it down every night, being almost 2 hours away). Can't freakin' wait.

Can we get this season started, already?

 

The McPope in ireland fails to mention what will be done about all the abuse.

 

Hey Donnie, come out, we'd love to have you, we promise to take it easy lol.

 

A ranking of the 31 NHL teams’ No. 1 defenseman in 2018-19

1. Erik Karlsson, Ottawa Senators
The No. 1 defenseman in Ottawa is the No. 1 defenseman in the league. Problem is, he might have been traded while you were reading this.

2. Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
Big like Chara, smooth like Karlsson. OK, not quite as big as the former and not quite as smooth as the latter. But he’s the best combination of big-and-good on any NHL blueline today.

3. Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings
When he’s on, he can take over a game like nobody else. And he’s usually on.

4. P.K. Subban, Nashville Predators
If you’re in the Josi camp, that’s a good camp, too.

5. Seth Jones, Columbus Blue Jackets
Trending up, way up, just like his blueline partner Zach Werenski.

6. Brent Burns, San Jose Sharks
Bring back the rover and free The Beard.

7. John Carlson, Washington Capitals
Was there anybody more important in the Caps’ playoff run to their first Stanley Cup?

8. Dustin Byfuglien, Winnipeg Jets
A brick wall that can skate. And hit. And score and defend and intimidate and run a power play and…well, he’s the best brick wall the NHL has seen in some time, let’s just leave it at that.

9. Alex Pietrangelo, St. Louis Blues
He does it all so efficiently that he sometimes gets overlooked.

10. Aaron Ekblad, Florida Panthers
Anyone else feeling a breakout for Ekblad this season? The 22-year-old is coming off a healthy year as he skates into his fifth NHL campaign.

11. Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Arizona Coyotes
He’s the New Doan in Arizona, the franchise veteran who’s waiting for the rest of the team to catch up with him.

12. Ivan Provorov, Philadelphia Flyers
Keep your eye on this guy, he’s a contender for the Norris Trophy in the not-too-distant future.

13. Dougie Hamilton, Carolina Hurricanes
Big defender with a big shot, but you have to wonder why he keeps getting traded.

14. John Klingberg, Dallas Stars
He’s making a name for himself offensively, but don’t sleep on his defensive acumen.

15. Mark Giordano, Calgary Flames
The Flames captain turns 35 when the season begins, but he hasn’t shown much sign of slowing down yet.

16. Cam Fowler, Anaheim Ducks
The leading man on a young and talented blueline in Anaheim.

17. Ryan Suter, Minnesota Wild
He went down with a broken ankle at the end of last season, which was devastating for Minnesota’s playoff hopes. The good news is, he expects to be ready to go for training camp. If he isn’t, Mathew Dumba is the Wild’s No. 1-in-waiting.

18. Morgan Rielly, Toronto Maple Leafs
Smart, mobile and competitive, he’s more adept in the offensive end.

19. Kris Letang, Pittsburgh Penguins
Forget about that (awfully) rough first half last season. When all was said and done, Letang ranked in the top 10 in average ice time among NHL defensemen (25:20). At 31, he’s still got something left in the tank.

20. Erik Johnson, Colorado Avalanche
Tyson Barrie gets the points, but Johnson is the defenseman the Avs lean on, especially when they’re trying to shut down opponents. He ranked second among NHL defensemen in shorthanded ice time per game last season (3:40).

21. Nate Schmidt, Vegas Golden Knights
You’d be smiling, too, if you went from depth defender to key cog in one season.

22. Duncan Keith, Chicago Blackhawks
He’s logged a lot of miles and he’s finally slowing down at 35, but the Blackhawks’ blueline is frightfully thin so he’s going to get overworked some more.

23. Rasmus Ristolainen, Buffalo Sabres
It’ll be another Rasmus representing Buffalo’s blueline this time next year, but the minute-munching Ristolainen will do until the rookie Dahlin is ready.

24. Chris Tanev, Vancouver Canucks
Solid and dependable in his own end, he’s a second-pair defender forced into first-pair duty on the rebuilding Canucks.

25. Zdeno Chara, Boston Bruins
Boston’s hoping that Charlie McAvoy will soon be ready to take over as the team’s blueline linchpin, but Chara keeps chugging as he approaches 42. It must be the old-man strength.

26. Sami Vatanen, New Jersey Devils
The headline is his offense, but he proved his all-around worth on the Devils’ top pairing last season.

27. Darnell Nurse, Edmonton Oilers
A tough customer who was one of the brighter lights in a dark season for Edmonton last year.

28. Shea Weber, Montreal Canadiens
He missed most of last year with injury and he’s not expected back until November or December after undergoing off-season knee surgery. So he probably won’t be up to speed until the playoffs, which the Canadiens aren’t expected to make.

29. Mike Green, Detroit Red Wings
In reality, you want him on the second pairing and running the power play.

30. Nick Leddy, New York Islanders
Knows what to do when the Isles have the puck, but his minus-42 rating last year was by far the worst in the league.

31. Kevin Shattenkirk, New York Rangers
The Rangers’ No. 1 by default, he’s a boon on the PP but doesn’t kill penalties.

 

Did he mention the (700+) bodies found in the septic tank?

 

Never heard about this, sounds like a conspiracy theory

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...mothers/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.8f86ad73eafe

 

This was a home for destitute and pregnant girls/women?

They profited from adoptions? Held the ladies as prisoners? Dumped the babies that weren't adopted?
This is a little confusing.

 

2 hrs is a heck of a ride each way. a half-season is still awesome to have. good for u.

 

This is just another hypocrisy from organized religion. Another set of atrocities committed by "gawds people". This was basically an underground death cult and the leaders are guilty of complicity, if not anything else. I understand if an individual wants to have a relationship with nature or "their maker", but when it becomes an organization that is when it also becomes crooked as fuck. The entire basis of religion was to control people and scare tactics were/are the norm. There is profit in religion as well as "prophets". I'm sure there are many other places like Tuam, not just in Ireland, but anywhere in or around the Roman Empire, the realm or reach of the church. It's good to see Pope Frank apologize, but it doesn't change anything or make it better. More "We're sorry".

 

It's about an hour and fifteen minutes on the way home, after the game, presuming you don't get caught in highway construction (tack on at least an hour, if so). It's about two hours on the way there because of daytime traffic. That's what I always try to explain to people, when they talk about Florida sports attendance - it's a drive for everyone. We're actually not that far away, relative to other Floridians. Only one county over, and right off the turnpike. It's what you sign up for, in Florida - long drives to anything you're not immediately next to.

I appreciate the shared enthusiasm, Catfish, more than you know. It's one of those things you wanna fucking celebrate, so I appreciate the digital high-five. It's definitely reciprocated. Between the hit to the wallet and the inevitable hours spent driving for each game, it is still, indeed, awesome to have the half-season tickets. Same spot as last year - 20 rows up, directly behind the attacking goal (home team shoots twice). I'm tired of paying for crappy drinks, so the plan is to empty out those little hand-sanitizer containers, slap a cover on them, and fill them with scotch. I've seen people get in with those without issue, before, so time to fill 'em with something good.

Gonna try not to focus on the fact that hockey's gonna cost me a month's paycheck, this year. Gonna try reeaaaaal hard...

 

I can't say I've ever heard anything like this around my area when I was growing up. I went to school run by ukrainian priests for a couple of years. The worst I ever saw was that we had to write out a page of the dictionary as punishment for being late or misbehaving. Then there was a double d or triple d, the next one was a suspension. It's sad that this is a part of the past and many suffered because of this.

 

yeah the Flyers offer now smaller game ticket packages bc the regular season are thousands of dollars. add in the parking and food and it's a small mint. i think they offer 3 and 6 packs now. still a lot, but fun if you can afford it. funds are tight right now, so no flyers games for me this year. the traffic alone is bad enough. living room and recliner are fine.

the phillies were smart to offer 6 packs and sunday only packages. very affordable. a regular seat there at CBP is best tix in town and very affordable.

enjoy the season dline.

 

https://www.cbssports.com/nhl/news/...heritage-jersey-that-theyll-wear-this-season/

 

I don't blame anyone for watching the games at home. Hell, I almost chose to do the same thing for the entirety of the season this year - still took a lot of coaxing for me to come down from that fence, and I'll be looking at it all year long. Save the money, watch in the comfort of your own home... Honestly sounds like a good deal.

I appreciate it, catfish. I'll make sure I give those Flyers a good shouting when they're in town.

 

https://www.rds.ca/videos/hockey/lnh/joe-murphy-finding-murph-en-anglais-3.1285700

 

Coolness.

That patch on his arm is going to be the logo on the front of their sweaters this season. I believe its called the 'flying skate'.

 

This version is still one of my all-time favorite jerseys -

 

This is in english.