It is important to keep in mind that this " successfull franchise " winning two back to back Presidents trophies happens to benifit from playing in the weakest division in the whole league .. this present season is no exception.
If Vancouver played in either the Central or the Pacific there is no way they win the Presidents Trophy these past two years ... no way.
So San Jose is a successful franchise? Washington?
I said it was part of the equation, not the whole thing. So yes they have been relatively successful, but not to the extent of teams like the Hawks, Penguins, Red Wings, etc.
The conceit that a superstar would take a period off vs. a bitter rival to ensure a suspension for a nobody like Jannik Hansen is priceless.
No kidding. Only an idiot would think that Hossa would head off in a close game just so a player on a team in a different division, that they won't be facing again for a month and a half, would get a suspension
I think the reason the Canucks fans think this is what happened is because their players dive and embellish so much they think that it's normal and everyone behaves the same way.
While I absolutely disagree with what you're saying, I wasn't trying to convince anyone that the Canucks aren't dirty (they aren't).
It's just when it gets to the point where people are actually speaking like the Canucks are a division of the mafia or something. I'm sure after they're done tucking their kids into bed, Alex Burrows and Ryan Kesler are kept awake by that dive they took in that one game.
The opinions on these boards (not just yours) become so radical I just can't believe it sometimes.
According to the graphic on the Hawks Morning Skate Live broadcast, Hossa is playing tonight. The announcers qualified that a bit, though, saying it will be a game time decision, but if his morning skate goes well, he will want to play.
Team has generally seemed to let guys come back pretty quickly from things like this. Couple that come to mind are Toews, Kruger, and Hjalmarsson. Latter two couldn't last for more than a game or two and ended up leaving the lineup again for a longer time (and Toews, meanwhile, wasn't even symptom-free when he returned for the playoffs).
Still, Hossa knows the world of the dark room, sitting around, unable to do anything at all. Doubtless he won't want to go through that again, so I have to imagine he will only play if he truly feels healthy.
