• 
• Washington Capitals @Capitals

Ovechkin vibes in the area

• 8:08 PM · Sep 11, 2026

What better start than the NHL’s all time leading goal scorer’s first day back to work?

Drop the puck, already …

2 hours ago, VirginiaLonghorn said:

What better start than the NHL’s all time leading goal scorer’s first day back to work?

Drop the puck, already …

Uploading Attachment...

On 9/12/2026 at 10:55 AM, VirginiaLonghorn said:

What better start than the NHL’s all time leading goal scorer’s first day back to work?

Drop the puck, already …

Have some prospect showcase games today and pre-season action starting up next Saturday, we're finally getting close.

7 hours ago, NCMountaineer said:

Have some prospect showcase games today and pre-season action starting up next Saturday, we're finally getting close.

I'm glad they've resumed the prospect tournaments. I don't know why they're not more universal, but it's fun that the stars participate. Gives me a way to thaw my hockey fandom

Ducks resign Gauthier 6 x $13.5MM. 69 points last season, including a point per game in the playoffs. He’s a stud.

1 hour ago, Vertuzzi said:

Ducks resign Gauthier 6 x $13.5MM. 69 points last season, including a point per game in the playoffs. He’s a stud.

they're gonna have a similar problem to Colorado recently wherein a couple years from now they will have too many top guys signed. in the meantime they'll be fun to watch and annoying against your team (they embarrassed the stars a couple times last season)

6 hours ago, Longhorn_Fan68 said:

they're gonna have a similar problem to Colorado recently wherein a couple years from now they will have too many top guys signed. in the meantime they'll be fun to watch and annoying against your team (they embarrassed the stars a couple times last season)

Too many top guys signed? Is that an issue?

17 minutes ago, Vertuzzi said:

Too many top guys signed? Is that an issue?

Not for the Kraken. 🦑😞

Or the Stars. They can finish 4th-6th with the best of ‘em.

Ovi really thought it was a good idea to be in a Russian propaganda video? Makes me respect guys like Zadorov and Panarin even more after they’ve spoken out against Putin and their invasion of Ukraine.

2 hours ago, Vertuzzi said:

Ovi really thought it was a good idea to be in a Russian propaganda video? Makes me respect guys like Zadorov and Panarin even more after they’ve spoken out against Putin and their invasion of Ukraine.

yeah, I was a little stunned by that too. i could see if maybe he had retired by now, but that is just not a good look in this political climate. I was lukewarm on russian players as a whole. this doesn't help

First night of pre-season games and plenty of the college foosball going on today.

Edited September 19Sep 19 by NCMountaineer

22 hours ago, NCMountaineer said:

First night of pre-season games and plenty of the college foosball going on today.

yeah, I was surprised to see some preseason games on broadcast tv. sports-full weekends are back, baby!

• 
• B/R Open Ice @BR_OpenIce

The Islanders are introducing a new Nerds Gummy Clusters Grilled Cheese this season per @darrenrovell 🤯🍬🧀

Would you try this? 🤔

• 2:39 PM · Sep 23, 2026

Need a distraction from how shit that team will be this season. But my god that’s fucking disgusting. Which stoner chef thought of that brilliant idea?

Maybe its a thing for Long Islanders? I mean, it has to be to sell it at the arena. All I got.

TIL mostly children go to Islanders games

may be true now. if you had take the same poll in the late 90's/early 2000's I think the answers would have been quite different

• 
• JFresh @JFreshHockey

Who are every fanbases' most-hated teams?

I asked voters to name their favourite team and their three most-hated.

Here are the results, by fanbase:

• 5:00 PM · Sep 24, 2026

3 hours ago, Longhorn_Fan68 said:

may be true now. if you had take the same poll in the late 90's/early 2000's I think the answers would have been quite different

• 
• JFresh @JFreshHockey

Who are every fanbases' most-hated teams?

I asked voters to name their favourite team and their three most-hated.

Here are the results, by fanbase:

• 5:00 PM · Sep 24, 2026

Avs would have been Detroit, Detroit and Detroit.

24 minutes ago, Chewbacca said:

Avs would have been Detroit, Detroit and Detroit.

yeah, they would have probably been there for the Stars too instead of VGK (maybe EDM, though)

Jesus shit.

Pittsburgh Penguins' forward Andrei Kuzmenko is taking a leave of absence from the team following the death of his father, Alexander, the club announced Thursday.

Kuzmenko, 30, was with the Penguins for their practice earlier in the day before departing for Russia.

Reports from the Russian news outlet Ren.tv. revealed that Alexander, 62, was killed by a bear during a fishing trip Tuesday. He was in the Tuva Republic, in southern Siberia, and suffered extensive tissue damage after being bitten in the head by the animal that emerged from a nearby wooded area.

The media report went on to say that Alexander -- a highly regarded hockey coach in Russia -- was accompanied by six others on the trip, and that they were able to scare the bear off before attempting to get Alexander assistance. The dense forest didn't allow ambulances to easily reach the group, however, and it was hours before one was able to find it. Alexander was airlifted to a hospital in Tuva Republic's capital, Kyzyl, but medical interventions were unsuccessful and he was later pronounced dead.

"The Pittsburgh Penguins organization was deeply saddened this morning to learn of the passing of Andrei Kuzmenko's father, Alexander," Pittsburgh general manager Kyle Dubas said in a statement. "Our deepest thoughts and sympathies are with the Kuzmenko family and their loved ones as they grieve the loss of Alexander. We ask that the privacy of Andrei and the Kuzmenko family be respected at this time.

11 hours ago, Longhorn_Fan68 said:

may be true now. if you had take the same poll in the late 90's/early 2000's I think the answers would have been quite different

• 
• JFresh @JFreshHockey

Who are every fanbases' most-hated teams?

I asked voters to name their favourite team and their three most-hated.

Here are the results, by fanbase:

• 5:00 PM · Sep 24, 2026

Dang. VGK makes no friends

10 hours ago, Frieda’s Boss said:

Dang. VGK makes no friends

well, when your first decade of existence is spent trying to break and bend every rule in order to win, yeah, you're not gonna make a ton of friends

• 
• Owen Newkirk @OwenNewkirk

This year’s NHL salary cap ceiling: $104 million

Next year: $113.5 million

First projection for 2028-29: $127.5 million

The times they are a-changing!

• 2:07 PM · Sep 25, 2026

• 
• Elliotte Friedman @FriedgeHNIC · Sep 25, 2026

on a lighter note, Zegras was the first to be tagged for this new rule. apparently you have to have your jersey untucked to start your shift. first offense is a warning, second penalty, third misconduct. part of me likes it, part me is meh about it

• 
• Stat Boy Steven 🇳🇱🇮🇪 @StatBoy_Steven

Backup goalies have added responsibilities this season

• 2:24 AM · Sep 25, 2026

2 hours ago, Longhorn_Fan68 said:

well, when your first decade of existence is spent trying to break and bend every rule in order to win, yeah, you're not gonna make a ton of friends

Am I misremembering .. or .. didn’t the NHL bend over backwards to set up the expansion draft more favorably for VGL than any previous expansion team?

2 minutes ago, VirginiaLonghorn said:

Am I misremembering .. or .. didn’t the NHL bend over backwards to set up the expansion draft more favorably for VGL than any previous expansion team?

actual history is probably fuzzy now but my recollection from the time was VGK found some hidden gems within the system but the way it was set up made their initial success way less of surprise than if it had been structured like past expansions. I don't recall if they changed a ton when adding SEA, but clearly the league adjusted between those drafts even if the system didn't

Edited September 25Sep 25 by Longhorn_Fan68

4 minutes ago, VirginiaLonghorn said:

Am I misremembering .. or .. didn’t the NHL bend over backwards to set up the expansion draft more favorably for VGL than any previous expansion team?

Teams weren’t allowed to protect as many players as previous expansion drafts so the pool of players to choose from was really good. VGK drafted well and their front office has proven they will do what it takes to compete for Cups. They are as cut throat as there is but man it’s entertaining. I don’t share the same resentment for that organization as most do. It’s business at the end of the day.

31 minutes ago, Longhorn_Fan68 said:

on a lighter note, Zegras was the first to be tagged for this new rule. apparently you have to have your jersey untucked to start your shift. first offense is a warning, second penalty, third misconduct. part of me likes it, part me is meh about it

• 
• Stat Boy Steven 🇳🇱🇮🇪 @StatBoy_Steven

Backup goalies have added responsibilities this season

• 2:24 AM · Sep 25, 2026

This rule is fucking dumb and another example of over-regulating something that doesn’t need regulating. Like forcing the players to wear visors or those dumb turtlenecks. Like I get the player safety aspect but they are grown men for fuck sakes. We don’t need more PP minutes, they call enough penalties on the ice without this stupid shit.

7 minutes ago, Vertuzzi said:

Teams weren’t allowed to protect as many players as previous expansion drafts so the pool of players to choose from was really good. VGK drafted well and their front office has proven they will do what it takes to compete for Cups. They are as cut throat as there is but man it’s entertaining. I don’t share the same resentment for that organization as most do. It’s business at the end of the day.

Carter Hart

They deserve all the hate, along with Edmonton

5 minutes ago, Vertuzzi said:

This rule is fucking dumb and another example of over-regulating something that doesn’t need regulating. Like forcing the players to wear visors or those dumb turtlenecks. Like I get the player safety aspect but they are grown men for fuck sakes. We don’t need more PP minutes, they call enough penalties on the ice without this stupid shit.

I think it has more to do with being able to see the player's number and such. I agree it's fairly ticky-tack but the old man in me appreciates it somewhat

6 minutes ago, Vertuzzi said:

Teams weren’t allowed to protect as many players as previous expansion drafts so the pool of players to choose from was really good. VGK drafted well and their front office has proven they will do what it takes to compete for Cups. They are as cut throat as there is but man it’s entertaining. I don’t share the same resentment for that organization as most do. It’s business at the end of the day.

That was my recollection and the point of my comment.

alright, besides the normal homer picks, who you got this season? I don't see any reason CAR couldn't repeat. I also wouldn't be surprised to the see TBL or WSH or FLA represent the east. I think the west is a bigger wild card. the pacific looks relatively weaker than the central, which will be its usual buzzsaw at the top. Sharks are going to be annoying but they're still a few years away. Ducks will regress. The Babcock experiment will probably go down in flames. Watch out for Utah. should be fun!

I like the Habs to win the east this year. They are loaded with talent, a great coach, and they’ve been playoff tested. Selke at 1C, Rocket Richard candidate on the wing, and a Norris contender that might be as exciting as Makar and Hughes on the backend. Not even to mention Demidov, Anderson, Sflaf and I think they will trade for a 2C before the deadline and that team will be a tough out.

1 minute ago, Vertuzzi said:

I like the Habs to win the east this year. They are loaded with talent, a great coach, and they’ve been playoff tested. Selke at 1C, Rocket Richard candidate on the wing, and a Norris contender that might be as exciting as Makar and Hughes on the backend. Not even to mention Demidov, Anderson, Sflaf and I think they will trade for a 2C before the deadline and that team will be a tough out.

good call. I still think they might be a season or two away from being a real contender, but they could take another step this season like they did last season.

what's the outlook for your B's? I nabbed McAvoy for my fantasy team even though he has to sit for two weeks. Pasta as C makes sense. my gut says no playoffs but no idea

Edited September 28Sep 28 by Longhorn_Fan68

2 hours ago, Longhorn_Fan68 said:

good call. I still think they might be a season or two away from being a real contender, but they could take another step this season like they did last season.

what's the outlook for your B's? I nabbed McAvoy for my fantasy team even though he has to sit for two weeks. Pasta as C makes sense. my gut says no playoffs but no idea

Will be solid once again but I think our season depends on how the young players grow and progress. James Hagens could be an absolute stud up the middle, same goes with Fraser Minten. I like our top six scoring with Pasta and the addition of Peterka from Utah. Bruins’ defense will also be solid but I do think we try to make a move for a puck moving D at some point. Goaltending will be really good with Swayman and DiPietro. I’d say biggest areas with questions will remain the bottom six and maybe 3rd pair. Our division is probably the toughest in the NHL but I think Boston will be fighting for 3rd place or the first wildcard spot.

9 minutes ago, Vertuzzi said:

Will be solid once again but I think our season depends on how the young players grow and progress. James Hagens could be an absolute stud up the middle, same goes with Fraser Minten. I like our top six scoring with Pasta and the addition of Peterka from Utah. Bruins’ defense will also be solid but I do think we try to make a move for a puck moving D at some point. Goaltending will be really good with Swayman and DiPietro. I’d say biggest areas with questions will remain the bottom six and maybe 3rd pair. Our division is probably the toughest in the NHL but I think Boston will be fighting for 3rd place or the first wildcard spot.

yeah, I think the east is going to be silly deep this season and some good teams are going to be left packing early. the west is definitely more top heavy with a large drop off after about the top 10 or so.

Leafs trade Knies for Marchenko. Let the fucking games begin.

The day has arrived. Football is great and all but we in this thread know that it’s just an appetizer for hockey season. Let’s go B’s! Get our season started off with two points against the Rangers at TD.

yikes, holy shit

• 
• Michael Russo @RussoHockey

Big news: Wild top-pair defenseman Brock Faber sustained a fractured skull and underwent surgery. No timetable yet, Bill Guerin says

• 4:10 PM · Sep 29, 2026

On 9/25/2026 at 12:35 PM, Longhorn_Fan68 said:

I think it has more to do with being able to see the player's number and such. I agree it's fairly ticky-tack but the old man in me appreciates it somewhat

My youngest thinks it's because the NHL wants to start advertising on jerseys. He's probably right because otherwise why would anyone give a shit?

29 minutes ago, Longhorn_Fan68 said:

yikes, holy shit

https://x.com/RussoHockey/status/2104967139090219324

Holy shit, how did that happen? in practice?

1 minute ago, Chewbacca said:

My youngest thinks it's because the NHL wants to start advertising on jerseys. He's probably right because otherwise why would anyone give a shit?

Holy shit, how did that happen? in practice?

happed in the Friday's preseason game with DAL. seemingly harmless point shot from Miro that caught him right above the ear in the one vulnerable place on the helmet. he left and came back but was pulled later in the game

Edited September 29Sep 29 by Longhorn_Fan68

On 9/28/2026 at 10:29 AM, Vertuzzi said:

I like the Habs to win the east this year. They are loaded with talent, a great coach, and they’ve been playoff tested. Selke at 1C, Rocket Richard candidate on the wing, and a Norris contender that might be as exciting as Makar and Hughes on the backend. Not even to mention Demidov, Anderson, Sflaf and I think they will trade for a 2C before the deadline and that team will be a tough out.

They have so much young talent locked down for the next several years. Habs are my pick in the East, too, provided Dobes takes another step forward.

• 
• BucciOT.Com @Buccigross

My eyes were wet from start to finish. I thought of being little in a big world & watching my son's first tries at this mad game. ESPN's Open to the NHL season is beautiful. I didn't expect to cry today-this is stunning. There's nothing like this sport. We at ESPN love the sport

• 7:29 PM · Sep 29, 2026

On 9/24/2026 at 1:50 PM, Longhorn_Fan68 said:

may be true now. if you had take the same poll in the late 90's/early 2000's I think the answers would have been quite different

• 
• JFresh @JFreshHockey

Who are every fanbases' most-hated teams?

I asked voters to name their favourite team and their three most-hated.

Here are the results, by fanbase:

• 5:00 PM · Sep 24, 2026

Yeah not even sure that's true for Canes fans. Florida yes, Rangers fuck yes, but Vegas? Not even remotely. That wasn't a bad blood Cup Final at all, and literally everyone in the East would register before them. New Jersey, Boston, Montreal, to a lesser extent Tampa. Hell us old timers have had things be pretty spicy between us and both Toronto and Buffalo.

8 minutes ago, NCMountaineer said:

Yeah not even sure that's true for Canes fans. Florida yes, Rangers fuck yes, but Vegas? Not even remotely. That wasn't a bad blood Cup Final at all, and literally everyone in the East would register before them. New Jersey, Boston, Montreal, to a lesser extent Tampa. Hell us old timers have had things be pretty spicy between us and both Toronto and Buffalo.

Yeah it’s a weird list. For starters, Boston fans hate Montreal the most. We don’t hate Toronto, we just laugh at them because they are a ridiculous organization that shits itself at every opportunity. And we own the fuck out of them since the late 1960s.

Probably gonna need to fix the angle on this bad boy before the next game.

Also not gonna lie, the new natty banner on the other side for the Pack is pretty sick in its own right.

Edited September 29Sep 29 by NCMountaineer
Addendum

On 9/24/2026 at 4:57 PM, Longhorn_Fan68 said:

yeah, they would have probably been there for the Stars too instead of VGK (maybe EDM, though)

Fuck the Ducks and Sharks

We are going 0-82 this year, and our stupid fucking management will squander the #2 pick in next year's draft, like usual. Oh, and FUCK MARK STONE!!!