BJBlue

I'l download that and give it a listen, i get the weekly Puck Podcast which is really good, run by a ducks fan and a kings fan. I also get a Dallas Stars podcast whenever they do it, tends to be once a month. The off season is ridiculously long in hockey, it drives me mad, especially after i had centre ice last season and could watch a game whenever i wanted to.

I think we have to give Dickov a lot of credit for this victory, it was brave of him to name the starting eleven that he did and i think a lot of us were a bit skeptic when we saw it. Any faith i lost has been fully restored and i can't wait to get into the ground on saturday for the dale game. The season starts now.

I'm happy with our draft, we went big drafting no players under 6'0 and two d men at 6'7 and 6'6. I wanted Oleksiak most out of the players i thought might still be there at 14 so colour me pleased. Next years draft we will have to focus on forward talent though and i think we'l have a better pick than 14.

Any on know if the draft is being televised in the UK? and if so where? I'd like to watch the first round on Friday or saturday can't remember which it is

As far as individual teams go but as a conference the West is stills stronger. As for our teams doing better there's no chance of the stars progressing next time round. Should think that the pens will though if Crosby is ever cleared to play, see how he fits in with Neal

Well i wasn't wrong, another tight game in Vancouver, i think this is going to game 7, i just can't see the Canucks getting a win in Boston

He's already been given the nod for game 5 i think, brave move if so. Bruins have picked him to pieces. He's bound to become invincible in the next two games now that everyone is doubting him

So game 2 of the finals tonight, Canucks have the lead but i'm rooting for Boston, i predicted in January that the Canucks would win it all but i don't want them to! Who's everyone behind in this one?

Think most people wanted the hawks in the playoffs over the stars, i'v been at the EPL playoffs this weekend following Phoenix so as hockey weekends go this one has been painful. Apart from the few hours of joy i had after the wings/hawks game when i thought we were going to stroll past the wild like we have done all season. Oh well, always next season.

Revenge! Barely. Why we insist on camping in our own zone when winning against the Ducks is beyond me. Clearly is doesn't work. The two goals that were ruled out were good calls. Although i think the goalie interference should have been a penalty because i think he left his leg out on purpose to trip him. There was some bad officiating that helped the stars, including when we had 7 players active on the ice and there was no call. Only 3 points behind now, gonna need the hawks to lose a few

I was watching it live and i couldn't repeat on here the words i shouted at the tv when that goal went in. We'v allowed goals like that too often recently and it's going to be hard to claw back dropped points. I think if the preds beat us next game then thats our season done. Too may un-forced turn overs last night. Incredibly frustrating, but we'l see what happens on the road

The NHL definitely needs to address these 'soft heads'

He's also going to miss the first round of the playoffs. I'm glad the NHL has taken a hard line at long last but i still think it would have been better just to say to him thats he's done for this season and he should report back in september if he's still wanted

anyone else hear that collective sigh of relief from Pittsburgh earlier? Crosby has been symptom free for a few days and has started to skate, if theres no set back he could be back in 2-3 weeks.Not a pens fan but nice to see him getting better, can't believe how long he's been out for

We are, (2-10-1 in last 13) but we are still in the market for a good shut down D man,if we get new owners cap space may allow a signing next season (doubt we'l get one this season). Also i wasn't saying Pens lost the trade, we both got what we needed by giving up what we didn't. I was just stressing that we havnt been bent over by the Pens like the hockey media say we have

Thats a good point, coming in with the points he has this season makes him our best defender straight from the off, he's only 25 so there is more to come from him and we really needed someone on the D who can actually get the puck out of our zone. I watched him play last night (as i foolishly stayed up to watch the game)and even though he looked abit soft at times he was as good as the rest on D, he looked good going forward, had a couple of shots and looked good breaking forward. I am actually pretty excited about him and although he isn't the answer to our defensive woes he is a step in the right direction. Happy?

Hmm lucky goal at the end, neither team was any good going forward which is understandable with our injuries, but both played well defensivly

Yesterdays trade between the Stars and Pens http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=553658&navid=DL|NHL|home Wide consensus is that the pens easily won this trade but i'm not overly upset about it. Neal is a good young player and will score goals on the crosby line butof our young forwards he was the least talented, he's very streaky and doesn't come up with the goals when you really need them. As for Niskanen, well this is the part of the trade that Dallas fans get to laugh at, he's useless and i can see him being put on waivers before his contract ends in 2012, he was basically a salary dump. The stars save $2.5m next season because of this trade, money that will no doubt go to re-signing Brad Richards and if that happens. We will have won this trade, not the pens.

In at 32 Good idea

Done

I'v already said that, but if your saying thats its us the fans that matter not the town, should the club be moved else where (don't ask where i m speaking hypothetically)

Eh? I was just trying to look at it from a neutral stand point, wasn't trying to argue with anyone.

This is going to sound harsh and maybe pointless but i just want to be objective for a moment. Do we as a town deserve a club? There are over 200,000 (according to '01 census http://www.statistics.gov.uk/census2001/profiles/00bp.asp) in Oldham and we manage to pull in around 4000. So it's safe to say the majority of the town aren't too bothered if there is a football club or not. Our facilities are poor and dated and there doesn't seem to be any improvement in sight despite efforts by the owner(s) over the past decade. You could argue that things won't really get better because TV has made football a free commodity and even if we go up the majority of people would rather go the pub and watch the premier league than watch Championship football. I know that we as a fan base deserve a club because we turn up to support the team week in week out but our numbers are more deserving of low end league two not high end league one. Arguments to the contrary would be very welcome.

With the players we have brought in will he not be thinking, 'where the hell is my permanent contract'? Really hope he gets one soon