Urban Warfare 0 Report post Posted March 6, 2003 http://tsn.ca/nhl/news_story.asp?id=31848 considering the leafs got alot for not so much, from a leaf prepective it was a good trade. nolan was injured in calgary, after being hit from behind. he has a series of back problems, making this the only negative for the leafs. the only question being: how bad was nolan hurt? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Olympic Slam Report post Posted March 6, 2003 I don't care how good Boyes is or who the 1st round draft pick is: this trade shows what is wrong with sports today. There are no teams anymore, just uniforms. There are no teams, just crests and logos. I've spent the last 7+ years pouring tons of $$$ into Sharks tickets, sweaters, hats, and for awhile, sports channel subscriptions to watch Owen Nolan and the Sharks build themselves into something. I remember when he came to the team in 1995 and joined Arturs Irbe and Wade Flaherty in a disasterous 20 win season. I watched him chase pucks with little enthusiasim in the corners with Ed Belfour. I sat in the stands watching Owen go from an invisible "one trick pony" under Al Sims to the defensively responsible, all-around player he is today under Darryl Sutter. I watched Owen struggle mightily to find his scoring touch while playing in front of Mike Vernon and Kelly Hrudey. I watched him finally break through and get 44 red lights in his MVP worthy 2000 season while playing in front of Steve Shields. I watched him congratulate Nabokov after every win in last year's division championship season. I watched as Darryl Sutter turned Murray Craven, Stephane Matteau, Shawn Burr, Ron Stern, Bill Houlder, Joe Murphy and a bunch of other fringe players into a defensively responsible team competitive enough to make the playoffs. I watched the team slowly acquire key role players (while giving up little in return) like Mike Ricci, Bryan Marchment, Vincent Damphousse, Scott Thornton and Todd Harvey and watched them become even more competitive. All this time watching every game either on television or live in-person. When the big day came and the Sharks got Teemu Sellanne, I was thrilled! The final piece of the puzzle, the only thing left to do was to replace coach Sutter with someone who fit the team's improved talent base. That took too long and the team crashed and burned (predictably). Was it time to panic and reach for the remedy? That remedy? Trade the heart of the team of course! While you're at it, change the name of the team too! Without Nolan they might as well be the Oakland Seals because they're not the same team! Don't be fooled by that stale logo on their sweaters and the gimmicky teal, they're no longer the Sharks. That team died today. Sure they could come back better than ever next year, but they won't be the Sharks I know. It's like replacing the label on a can of Sprite with a Budweiser label and calling it beer. You can't fool me. I'll be back in 6 years once the Boyes era is finally finished rebuilding. Until then, go Seals! Somwhere in a European bush leauge Pat Fallon weeps. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest treble charged Report post Posted March 6, 2003 I personally don't understand why everyone was pegging the Sharks as Stanley Cup contenders before the season started. Sure, I didn't think they'd suck as bad as they have this year, but they've never done much of anything that impressed me. They've never been past the 2nd round of the playoffs, despite winning many first round series along the way. Also, I don't think Darryl Sutter was the problem. He's the best coach that the team has ever had and firing him was a mistake, in my eyes. McCauley and Boyes aren't as good as Nolan is, but as a Leafs fan, I hate seeing McCauley go. He had an awesome playoff last year and I've watched him mature as a player, from him playing on the awesome Canadian junior teams from the mid-90s, through his troubles with concussions, and finally, helping an injury depleted team through an awesome playoff run last year. I wish him luck in San Jose. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Olympic Slam Report post Posted March 6, 2003 Also, I don't think Darryl Sutter was the problem. He's the best coach that the team has ever had and firing him was a mistake, in my eyes. Sutter wasn't the god people make him out to be. He improved the team in 97/98 and 98/99 After that however he was detrimental to the progress of the team. Patrick Marleau and Teemu Selanne are not the same players as Shawn Burr and Murray Craven. Sutter's style wore out its usefullness in late 2000. If anyone should get credit for the team's 6 year improvement, it should be GM Dean Lombardi. He added someone new and better each season. Not surprisingly, the year the team took a step backwards in talent (this year) they flopped. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest gthureson Report post Posted March 6, 2003 Leafs need a defenceman, not a forward. While it was not a bad deal in terms of exchange of assets, it was not the asset the Leafs needed for a serious run. However, using my 'who got the best player' terms of grading the trade: Best Player in deal: Owen Nolan Winner: Leafs. Its just not the trade they needed to win. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest starvenger Report post Posted March 6, 2003 The original scuttle was Antropov, not McCauley, right? If so, then I change my stance and say that the Leafs win in the short term, unless Nolan's out for the season. If that's the case then I hope that they can annul the trade... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
