Hockey fans put on your thinking caps...?

1) No, not for me. As a goaltender, I can appreciate a 1-0 defensive gem of a game (as long as it doesn't take the shootout to decide it). Trust me, when the nets get bigger, I'm "outta here" and NHL hockey will unseat basketball as my least favorite sport.

2) Yes, as it does with all people that I know or know of. Politics is for me what religion is for others when it comes to deciding whether how I should proceed with someone I know that much about. It's not applied callously, clinically, or hap-hazardly. But it is a very important factor in my mind. For instance, I think Pink Floyd's music is the best, and I think David Gilmour is the best guitarist I've ever listened to. But if I was in a room with Gilmour and Roger Waters, it is quite possible that all three of us would exit that room with higher blood pressure than we had going in. Waters for his anti-American comments from years ago, and Gilmour for some of the causes he supports. Although it's possible for me to get to the point of being intolerant of someone for their politics, I find that to be a very, very rare instance. So players and celebrities alike will be liked until they open their mouths. That alone gets them to the door. What gets them kicked out is whether or not I agree with them. That's why you'll never see me change my avatar to Jessica Alba again.

(Dag, that was long...)

3) Newy gets my vote. I'm not convinced Belfour and Bure should be in, and Lindros is a definite scratch.

4) I could go with getting in quickly, or letting them duke it out. Whatever it is, I wish they'd decide to be consistent about it. But the NHL is way behind the eight-ball in that regard.

5) Slam-dunk over 8,000.

BA - He could use a better supporting cast. But the league is too big and thin, plus parity is in.

1) Scoring is the lowest it has been since the lockout. There is already grumblings on how to increase scoring. Does anything need to be done to increase scoring? If so, what would you change?

Simply air 1990's hockey for a month then contiune with the regular season it will seams like all they do is score at that point!

2) Former Winnipeg Jet Thomas Steen (father of Alex) has been elected as a city councilor in Winnipeg. Does a (former) player's political beliefs make you think any differently of them?

not at all peoples politcal beliefs dont bother me unless they are in power over me...

3) TSN ran a quiz yesterday and asked a similar question. Which of these Hall of Fame eligible players deserves to be first in line in 2011 - Ed Belfour, Pavel Bure, Eric Lindros, or Joe Nieuwendyk (make sure to say why) ?

First of 3 of the 4 were dallas stars at one point.. id say bure for speed and stats... nieuwendyk is still a part of NHL and has the option to add more to his his story before being sent to the hall... i hate lindros and belfour probably gave you a billion dollars to put him on this list..

4) Last night Iginla got in a fight with a Red Wing (name slips my mind), however as soon as they both dropped the gloves the linesmen broke them up before any punches were thrown. What is your opinion of linesmen getting involved before things really start?

The linesmen had to get invloved in one of benn fights last night too but it was b/c the pen put in a wussy head lock as soon as the started out... it was lame and i say if your gunna be boring then linesmen should stop you... i wasnt watching the flames wings game so i dunno what the sercomstances were

5) Phoenix had an announced crowd of 6,761 fans last night. Their next home game is on Saturday against Pittsburgh. Over/Under 8,000 fans for that game?

Over

BQ* Is Iginla on the decline or would his production pick up if he was on a different team?

a little of both im sure he is declineing some after having many really good years but it wouldnt be so noticiable if he was on a better team

1)Leave it alone geez. Can we have a little defense here? Hockey is never going to attract enough casual fans to surpass baseball or football, because some people just don't get it. That being said, let the real fans have their game as is. Besides, you can make the pads as small as you want but the bottom line is goalies are just much better than they used to be and the netminding techniques these days are superior to the old ones.

2)No I keep politics and sports separate. Even if I totally disagree with a member of my favorite team on politics he's still part of the family. Unless he sucks. That's worse than anything political.

3)I'm gonna say Belfour bcause he was the most consistent of the four.

4)Get the f*ck outta the way zebra I'm trying to watch the game.

5)Way over, around 11K. The Pens still have a pretty healthy bandwagon, so they should fill the place up. It'll basically be a Pens home game though.

BQ: A little of both. Iginla is older now and certainly isn't the best in the World anymore which he was for a good 3 or 4 years around, and particularly just before, the lockout. But he certainly suffers from being his team's only offense. I used to get triple-teamed when we played hockey in gym class; not fun. That's what Iginla is going through. He's not gonna score 40 goals, 110 points anymore, but if someone could take some attention off of him I could see a solid 30/90.

1) Hockey isn't meant to be basketball. It is a combination of defence and offence. A good 2-1 game is better than a 9-6 game any day.

2) Didn't think less of Red Kelly when he was elected in my parents' riding. Always respected Syl Apps as a player and politician.

3) My choice Eric Lindros. His record, as a player, speaks for itself. Injuries cut short his career. As did Bobby Orr's but no one ever held that against him.

4) {Brad Stuart} The fight would serve no purpose. Linesmen were able to stop this before someone got hurt. Both sides win. (2 seconds left in the period - no momentum shift would take place)

5) Over 8,000. Just my count is 9,300. After all Sidney is coming to town.

BA* Iginla needs a centreman who can get him the puck. He'd look great with Thornton beside him.

1) I think it should be left alone. I mean, what are they gonna do, have a height limit for goalies? They are so TALL now. Make them just be short guys again. I'm kidding. I don't know.

2) Absolutely not. I don't care what they believe. I'd be ticked if they all bought Toyotas, though. It's a personal thing.

3) Pavel Bure for me. I just like him best out of that group. He was amazing to watch.

4) I watched that game and do you think I can remember who it was? Brad Stuart I think. The (Detroit) announcers didn't like it and neither did the Calgary crowd. I don't understand getting THAT involved as a linesman.

5) I am sure there are a ton of Pittsburgh transplants in Phoenix. It's the weather thing. I bet it's well over 8,000.

BQ* My opinion is Iginla needs to adjust his game. If Steve Yzerman can do it, so can he. However, I think he'd do WAY better somewhere else.

1) Make the nets 1 inch bigger.

2) No

3) They're all good but Pavel Bure. He was by far the most entertaining player to step on the ice.

4) They should've let them fight,

5) Under. Having a hockey team in the middle of the desert is ridiculous. There are so many southern NHL teams that need relocation right now that it's not even funny.

1.) I wouldn't change a thing. But I like the tension of a hard fought low scoring game.

2.) As a player, no. As a person, if they are one of those rare politicians that actually works hard on behalf of their constituents, then my opinion of them would improve. If they are just another pork barrel politician then it would go down.

3.) Nieuwendyk. The others have the numbers, but Joe's longevity (1257 GP) and his playoff performances make him top of that list for me.

4.) If they are going to dance around and not get started, let the linesmen break it up and get them back to playing hockey.

5.) Under, that franchise is in trouble.

BQ: I don't think he is in decline. Whether his numbers would improve depends on what team he went to and who his line mates were. I'd still take him on my favorite team.

1) Leave it as is. No lack of scoring in these parts ;)

2) No

3) Nieuwendyk would be my choicr - 3 Cups with 3 teams.

But Bure will probably get in first.

4) They will just fight later, let 'em go.

5) Over. The Penguins should draw anywhere.

BA* Hard to tell. Flames seem to be in constant turmoil.

1. Wouldn't change a thing. Hockey was never intended to be "high scoring."

2. No

3. Eddie "the Eagle" Belfour. The only way I personally would let Lindros in was if he bought a ticket.

4. Linesmen should act according to their own beliefs in their safety. If one of them breaks up a fight, and gets clobbered for his actions he'll know better the next time.

5. Under.

BQ. His production numbers would definitely benefit from a trade.

1) Decrease the size of goalie pads

2) no

3) Bure

4) I like that they're keeping the players safe and keeping the game moving. Other than that, I guess I'm indifferent.

5) over

BQ: I think Iginla would pick up with another team. He's not getting as much opportunities that teammates help create for each other.