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Old Posted Jun 20, 2011, 1:40 AM
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artvandelay artvandelay is offline
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Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: The City of Cows
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I know that a lot of focus has been on the negative in these past few days, but there is a lot to be optimistic about with regards to hockey:

- The quality of playoff hockey this year was outstanding, I watched a ton of this year's playoffs and my team wasn't even in it. In the first few years since the lockout I thought that officiating was too heavy handed. This year they seemed to strike the right balance between offense and physicality, resulting in great hits and gritty play that is still fast paced with plenty of scoring.
- The Stanley Cup Final had the highest ratings ever - in Canada and the US. Around 18 million North Americans watched game seven, very close to NBA numbers.
- Vancouver had a great season, and I look forward to seeing if they can pull off a repeat performance next season. The team will remain largely in tact.
- Winnipeg is getting their team back! I can't wait to have another rival in the NW division, and I'm looking forward to the team name and jersey unveiling.

I know that it often gets heated in the NHL thread, but the trash-talk is usually good natured and it's really part of the fun. Here's looking forward to the draft, and let's hope for more Canadian teams in the playoffs next year!