Random Hockey Observations

[MapleLeafpoker 1,462]

Until they become free agents and bolt like everyone else does. What the hell is wrong with Edmonton? Is it that bad? I thought the wives would love the West Edmonton Mall.

Im guessing your speaking like someone who has never been? People are VERY nice there in my experience, but honestly, not much of a city. And West Ed, last I saw, was pretty much just a mall that was too big. Looked rundown in many spots. (nice firing range though!)The city is kinda depressing frankly. Add the terribly cold weather, and I can see how your kinda wondering if you wouldnt be willing to make a little less to be elsewhere. I have no idea how that compares to a Columbus though.

[Piddle Duck 0]

I have no idea how that compares to a Columbus though.

I visited Columbus for the first time this past summer. Not bad. Nice little city. Trouble I have with it is that there is no easy way to get there. Most big cities in a state have the big freeways connecting to them but Columbus is a big city off of the main freeway/turnpike which makes it kind of annoying to get in and out. But city wise, I could probably be content there.

[Fenxis 99]

Until they become free agents and bolt like everyone else does. What the hell is wrong with Edmonton? Is it that bad? I thought the wives would love the West Edmonton Mall.

It's basically a bunch of crappy old malls stuck together with an indoor hotel / wave pool / rink attached.And since Edmonton is a pretty blue collar town the shopping experience isn't exactly the strip on Vegas / LA / NY if you know what I mean.

[gruven 530]

Im guessing your speaking like someone who has never been? People are VERY nice there in my experience, but honestly, not much of a city. And West Ed, last I saw, was pretty much just a mall that was too big. Looked rundown in many spots. (nice firing range though!)The city is kinda depressing frankly. Add the terribly cold weather, and I can see how your kinda wondering if you wouldnt be willing to make a little less to be elsewhere. I have no idea how that compares to a Columbus though.

I agree, Arp... Edmonton is an awful city. The only redeeming qualities are the Oilers and the Eskimos. And the west ed mall is REALLY rundown now. Walking through it is like running on the flintstones: you keep seeing the same five stores over and over. I think the mall has five Gaps...

[ajs510 122]

Im guessing your speaking like someone who has never been? People are VERY nice there in my experience, but honestly, not much of a city. And West Ed, last I saw, was pretty much just a mall that was too big. Looked rundown in many spots. (nice firing range though!)The city is kinda depressing frankly. Add the terribly cold weather, and I can see how your kinda wondering if you wouldnt be willing to make a little less to be elsewhere. I have no idea how that compares to a Columbus though.

Dude, your malls have firing ranges? That's badass. Wait a sec...I thought guns were bad in the Great White North?

[MapleLeafpoker 1,462]

Dude, your malls have firing ranges? That's badass. Wait a sec...I thought guns were bad in the Great White North?

They are. And most places would never allow such a thing.Alberta (province where Edmonton is), is kinda the "blue state" of Canada if you will. So Im guessing they were pretty cool with allowing an indoor range right by the food court.I went with like 6 other guys when we were all there for a trade show. (it was an annual thing, Ive been to Edm like 30times probably for work)Anyway, went out for Japanese, had lots of sake.....hmmm, 10pm, what now? How about we each grab a gun!One of us was an ex-cop, so he walked in, negotiated with the place to give us 7 different guns and let us 7 try each gun. So 7 drunk guys sitting there passing guns to each other, the only person who was guarding us against oursleves being some scared kid. And we had to do was pass over an out of province license.There was another couple at the end too. I remember thinking, hmmmm, whats stops Mr.Joe Edmonton down there from just getting pissed at me and shooting me? answer: not freaking much!First gun I ever tried was a Magnum 357. Im 6ft 2, about 200....I still stumbled backwards after shooting!long story, but Ill never forget it. And I still wonder how they allow it!

[digitalmonkey 929]

They are. And most places would never allow such a thing.Alberta (province where Edmonton is), is kinda the "blue state" of Canada if you will. So Im guessing they were pretty cool with allowing an indoor range right by the food court.I went with like 6 other guys when we were all there for a trade show. (it was an annual thing, Ive been to Edm like 30times probably for work)Anyway, went out for Japanese, had lots of sake.....hmmm, 10pm, what now? How about we each grab a gun!One of us was an ex-cop, so he walked in, negotiated with the place to give us 7 different guns and let us 7 try each gun. So 7 drunk guys sitting there passing guns to each other, the only person who was guarding us against oursleves being some scared kid. And we had to do was pass over an out of province license.There was another couple at the end too. I remember thinking, hmmmm, whats stops Mr.Joe Edmonton down there from just getting pissed at me and shooting me? answer: not freaking much!First gun I ever tried was a Magnum 357. Im 6ft 2, about 200....I still stumbled backwards after shooting!long story, but Ill never forget it. And I still wonder how they allow it!

The USA has firing ranges...they just call them ghettos.

[Fenxis 99]

Alberta (province where Edmonton is), is kinda the "blue state" of Canada if you will. So Im guessing they were pretty cool with allowing an indoor range right by the food court.

Not kind of... def blue "state" 10x(!)

[ajs510 122]

They are. And most places would never allow such a thing.Alberta (province where Edmonton is), is kinda the "blue state" of Canada if you will. So Im guessing they were pretty cool with allowing an indoor range right by the food court.I went with like 6 other guys when we were all there for a trade show. (it was an annual thing, Ive been to Edm like 30times probably for work)Anyway, went out for Japanese, had lots of sake.....hmmm, 10pm, what now? How about we each grab a gun!One of us was an ex-cop, so he walked in, negotiated with the place to give us 7 different guns and let us 7 try each gun. So 7 drunk guys sitting there passing guns to each other, the only person who was guarding us against oursleves being some scared kid. And we had to do was pass over an out of province license.There was another couple at the end too. I remember thinking, hmmmm, whats stops Mr.Joe Edmonton down there from just getting pissed at me and shooting me? answer: not freaking much!First gun I ever tried was a Magnum 357. Im 6ft 2, about 200....I still stumbled backwards after shooting!long story, but Ill never forget it. And I still wonder how they allow it!

That is truly awesome, I can't even find a pistol range around here that will allow casual visits, everything is members only and EXPENSIVE around here, or long guns only (no pistol). I shoot out at my parents property sometimes, but I'd love to be able to hit the range now and then without spending mad money doing it. Especially if it was at the mall and offered walk-up rentals. I'm in the process of selecting my next pistol, I have my search narrowed down to either a Kahr PM40 (semi auto 5 shot .40 caliber) or a S&W 340PD Airlite (5 shot .357 revolver). The revolver weighs the least but also kicks the hardest, both would run roughly the same money. It basically comes down to whether I want to bring a new caliber into my life or just stick with the .40 that I already have (I own a SIG P229 .40 that I LOVE, but it's way too heavy for daily carry, about 3x as heavy as either of the pistols I'm considering). I haven't been able to find either pistol in ROC city lately, so I'll probably have to order one...just trying to make a decision.

[Piddle Duck 0]

That is truly awesome, I can't even find a pistol range around here that will allow casual visits, everything is members only and EXPENSIVE around here, or long guns only (no pistol). I shoot out at my parents property sometimes, but I'd love to be able to hit the range now and then without spending mad money doing it. Especially if it was at the mall and offered walk-up rentals. I'm in the process of selecting my next pistol, I have my search narrowed down to either a Kahr PM40 (semi auto 5 shot .40 caliber) or a S&W 340PD Airlite (5 shot .357 revolver). The revolver weighs the least but also kicks the hardest, both would run roughly the same money. It basically comes down to whether I want to bring a new caliber into my life or just stick with the .40 that I already have (I own a SIG P229 .40 that I LOVE, but it's way too heavy for daily carry, about 3x as heavy as either of the pistols I'm considering). I haven't been able to find either pistol in ROC city lately, so I'll probably have to order one...just trying to make a decision.

So then it is safe to say the missus is shopping for her next Coach?

[ajs510 122]

So then it is safe to say the missus is shopping for her next Coach?

We went last night...LMFAO.

[dEv~ 19]

Maybe it's because I'm 8 but this is hilarious.http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_dadd...?urn=nhl,216022

[GWCGWC 83]

It basically comes down to whether I want to bring a new caliber into my life or just stick with the .40 that I already have (I own a SIG P229 .40 that I LOVE, but it's way too heavy for daily carry, about 3x as heavy as either of the pistols I'm considering). I haven't been able to find either pistol in ROC city lately, so I'll probably have to order one...just trying to make a decision.

I'm 99.9% sure you can change the barrel to fit the .357. Being so sure means I'm probably wrong and thinking of the P226 or something. I had the 229 (or 226) many years ago and I remember being able to change the barrel. I also remember not being able to buy and fire reloads without getting jams. Apparently the Sig was machined too well to allow for the larger tolerance between the brass jacket and bullet. I had to practice with new ammo which wasn't TOO bad at the time. But to use new ammo and pay the $15 per visit indoor range fee would have been too expensive. So yea hockey........It's awesome. I've only missed two Avs games this season excluding pre-season. Both were due to being out of town longer than expected. Hockey is way more enjoyable when I kind of know what's going on and know a little bit about the players. It doesn't hurt he Avalanche are winning games. Scheduling really messes with me though. Earlier in the season, it seemed the Avs would play every other night, back to back, or at least one game in three days. I got used to watching several games per week. After the first of the year the team has had 4 days off between games more than once. Now that I'm into watching the games, I find myself missing the action when they have multiple days off. Now I understand why there's 82 games in the regular season. I always thought this was too many games but it's not! I'm kind of excited for the winter olympics. I'll watch the USA games that get air time but the rule differences, the unlikelihood of USA getting a metal and my unfamiliarity with the players will make me want the NHL back pretty quickly.

[mrdannyg 274]

I'm 99.9% sure you can change the barrel to fit the .357. Being so sure means I'm probably wrong and thinking of the P226 or something. I had the 229 (or 226) many years ago and I remember being able to change the barrel. I also remember not being able to buy and fire reloads without getting jams. Apparently the Sig was machined too well to allow for the larger tolerance between the brass jacket and bullet. I had to practice with new ammo which wasn't TOO bad at the time. But to use new ammo and pay the $15 per visit indoor range fee would have been too expensive. So yea hockey........It's awesome. I've only missed two Avs games this season excluding pre-season. Both were due to being out of town longer than expected. Hockey is way more enjoyable when I kind of know what's going on and know a little bit about the players. It doesn't hurt he Avalanche are winning games. Scheduling really messes with me though. Earlier in the season, it seemed the Avs would play every other night, back to back, or at least one game in three days. I got used to watching several games per week. After the first of the year the team has had 4 days off between games more than once. Now that I'm into watching the games, I find myself missing the action when they have multiple days off. Now I understand why there's 82 games in the regular season. I always thought this was too many games but it's not! I'm kind of excited for the winter olympics. I'll watch the USA games that get air time but the rule differences, the unlikelihood of USA getting a metal and my unfamiliarity with the players will make me want the NHL back pretty quickly.

Nice to see a winning season has turned a fan into a hardcore fan.Rule differences are pretty negligible for olympic hockey. US is not in the same category as Canada and Russia, but some of the other usual competitors will be weaker this year too. US should definitely be competitive for a medal.

[GWCGWC 83]

Nice to see a winning season has turned a fan into a hardcore fan.Rule differences are pretty negligible for olympic hockey. US is not in the same category as Canada and Russia, but some of the other usual competitors will be weaker this year too. US should definitely be competitive for a medal.

Shit, I'd even buy a sweater if I could pick between my favorite 4 players and had a reason to wear it. I'll be watching the gold/silver game no matter what and I may catch a Canadian game or two depending on who they're playing. I read this a few days ago. It doesn't mention head shots which I THINK is an automatic major in Olympic games. I don't know what these rules changes will mean in game. Will there be a lot more game stoppage due to the icing difference? Oh and this is wiki so you know, grain of salt and all. The tournaments follow the rules used by the IIHF. At the 1969 IIHF Congress, officials voted to allow body-checking in all three zones in a rink similar to the NHL. Before that, body-checking was only allowed in the defending zone in international hockey.[139] Several other rule changes were implemented in the early 1970s: players were required to wear helmets starting in 1970, and goaltender masks became mandatory in 1972.[6] In 1992, the IIHF switched to using a playoff system to determine medalists and decided that tie games in the medal round would be decided in a shootout.[140] In 1998, the IIHF passed a rule that allowed two-line passes. Before then, the neutral zone trap had slowed the game down and reduced scoring.[141]The current IIHF rules differ slightly from the rules used in the NHL.[142] One difference between NHL and IIHF rules is standard rink dimensions: the NHL rink is narrower, measuring 61 m × 26 m (200 ft × 85 ft), instead of the international size of 61 m × 30 m (200 ft × 98.5 ft)[143] The larger international size allows for a faster and less physical style of play.[144][145] Another rule difference between the NHL and the IIHF rules concerns how icing is called. In the NHL, a linesman stops play due to icing if a defending player (other than the goaltender) touches the puck before an attacking player is able to,[146] in contrast to the IIHF rules in which play is stopped the moment the puck crosses the goal line.[146] The NHL and IIHF also differ in penalty rules. The NHL calls five-minute major penalties for more dangerous infractions of the rules, such as fighting, in addition to the minor and double minor penalties called in IIHF games.[147] This is in contrast to the IIHF rule, by which players who fight are ejected from the game.[148] Beginning with the 2005–06 season, the NHL instituted several new rules. Some were already used by the IIHF, such as the shootout and the two-line pass.[149] Others were not picked up by the IIHF, such as those requiring smaller goaltender equipment and the addition of the goaltender trapezoid to the rink.[150] However, the IIHF did agree to follow the NHL's league's zero-tolerance policy on obstruction and required referees to call more hooking, holding and interference penalties.[151][152]

[ajs510 122]

I'm 99.9% sure you can change the barrel to fit the .357. Being so sure means I'm probably wrong and thinking of the P226 or something. I had the 229 (or 226) many years ago and I remember being able to change the barrel. I also remember not being able to buy and fire reloads without getting jams. Apparently the Sig was machined too well to allow for the larger tolerance between the brass jacket and bullet. I had to practice with new ammo which wasn't TOO bad at the time. But to use new ammo and pay the $15 per visit indoor range fee would have been too expensive.

Yes, you can change the barrel on the SIG from .40 to .357 SIG, but that isn't the same thing as a .357 Magnum unfortunately, the only thing that's the same is the size of the projectile. The .357 magnum round is considerably longer (1.59 inches as opposed to 1.14 inches for the SIG cartridge, and yes I looked it up <grin>) and most of the other dimensions are off by a lot as well. You might be able to get away with firing 1 magnum round at a time (I personally wouldn't try it for fear of blowing my baby up) but as a mag-fed weapon it would never work. It was a good thought though, thanks.

[pezeveng 207]

I think the gun thing is what seperates Americans from Canadians the most. I only know 2 people that own guns in Canada while every American relative I have owns at least 3. Including the girls.In Canada the only 2 times Ive seen a gun is when a crack head tried selling one to me at the store, and a kid I hung with in high school thought I would be interested in buying one brought it to school.Not to sound stupid but whats the law in NYstate are you allowed to have a gun in your car at all times? Where can and where can't you carry one?

[gruven 530]

And now we return to our regularly scheduled programming from 'gun toting hockey psychos'... Did you know.... That the NHL rule on bodychecking since the advent of the game says.... A player may bodycheck an opponent with the puck, between the knees and shoulders, for the purposes of separating that player from the puck Imagine if THAT was enforced to the letter of the law....

[gruven 530]

on another note entirely, Zach Kassian is being allowed to spend his suspension practicing with his team. Which is total bullshit, IMO...

[ajs510 122]

I think the gun thing is what seperates Americans from Canadians the most. I only know 2 people that own guns in Canada while every American relative I have owns at least 3. Including the girls.In Canada the only 2 times Ive seen a gun is when a crack head tried selling one to me at the store, and a kid I hung with in high school thought I would be interested in buying one brought it to school.Not to sound stupid but whats the law in NYstate are you allowed to have a gun in your car at all times? Where can and where can't you carry one?

I have a NYS Concealed Carry Permit, so I'm permitted to carry a (legally registered to me) concealed, loaded handgun on my person or in my vehicle anywhere permitted by law (no government buildings, no schools, no bars, that sort of thing). My permit is also honored in 13 other states so I can carry there as well. My permit isn't good in NYC, you have to have a special permit to carry there and I'm told it's nearly impossible to obtain one unless you're law enforcement, ex law enforcement, or a celebrity. I grew up on guns so I'm very much in the camp that they're part of our heritage, our culture, our Dog-given right and all that mess. I know people don't agree, and that's ok, but they're not going anywhere.

[digitalmonkey 929]

I have a NYS Concealed Carry Permit, so I'm permitted to carry a (legally registered to me) concealed, loaded handgun on my person or in my vehicle anywhere permitted by law (no government buildings, no schools, no bars, that sort of thing). My permit is also honored in 13 other states so I can carry there as well. My permit isn't good in NYC, you have to have a special permit to carry there and I'm told it's nearly impossible to obtain one unless you're law enforcement, ex law enforcement, or a celebrity. I grew up on guns so I'm very much in the camp that they're part of our heritage, our culture, our Dog-given right and all that mess. I know people don't agree, and that's ok, but they're not going anywhere.

Just curious but what is the reason you carry a gun?

[ajs510 122]

Just curious but what is the reason you carry a gun?

I don't.

[coesillian 0]

well it's easy to own a gun in Canada, well rifle that is, for hunting. Hand guns are harder to get or not available to the general public I believe, not too sure.

[PhilBluff 0]

on another note entirely, Zach Kassian is being allowed to spend his suspension practicing with his team. Which is total bullshit, IMO...

I kinda agree with this, kinda don't.It doesn't hurt the kid as far as being off the ice for a long period of time, but it also goes against the suspension.

[Zach6668 513]

I always just assumed players could do anything they wanted with the team, aside from playing. What's the NHL's protocol for suspended players?