The Hockey Thread - October

[bob_barron 0]

You can't look at an isolated mistake and say that it proves your point. While the Rangers were dicking around doing nothing, the Red Wings, Stars, Devils and Avalanche were at the top of the league in both spending and -- surprise! -- Stanley Cups.

 

I'm not saying that the Rangers proves my point, but I don't think just because you can spend money doesn't mean you'll be good. And while they didn't win, lots of teams that weren't big spenders made it into the Cup finals- look at the Southeast for example.

 

You can't have a league where a third of the teams are out of contention before the season even starts. Sports isn't free-market capitalism, and a "survival of the richest" mentality only degrades the league.

 

I don't agree with teams already being behind the 8-ball. If you spend wisely and have good player development and evaluation, you can do well even if you don't have gobs of money to spend.

[Guest C*Z*E*C*H]

The point isn't that the haves will always be successful. The point is that they'll be successful much more often than the have-nots. For every Tampa Bay, there are a dozen Pittsburghs. Look at this season in baseball -- the playoff teams included two from Los Angeles, two from Chicago, Boston, and Philadelphia (with both New York teams coming close). Milwaukee was in the top half of the majors in salaries. And yet people still point to Tampa as proof that the system works.

No, Chris, wrong again; for every Tampa Bay, there's only one Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh! Their organizational ineptitude is unparalleled. The Rays do show that the system works: if you draft well and develop well, you will succeed in baseball. Keiper has said it a thousand times: 6+ years of team control means that free agents are almost always on the downturn relative to controlled players. You can spend, but you have to draft and develop. The Brewers augmented a core of cheap homegrown talent with some choice free agents, trades, and Suppan/Gagne contracts. The Phillies have a core of drafted and developed talent, though not as jaw-dropping as what the Brewers and Rays have done, but Rollins, Utley, Howard, and Burrell are a formidable homegrown core. The Dodgers' long-term renaissance will be built around Loney, Kemp, Ethier, DeWitt, Billingsley, and Broxton; Manny helped. The Red Sox are able to spend unlimited funds and develop prospects at will because they're the team of Satan. The Cubs carelessly spent, spent, spent, with only a vague semblance of a farm system that produced Marmol and Soto almost by accident, and what are they? FUCKING FAILURES.

 

I don't know what it takes to win in The New NHL. Probably drafting and developing. Circumventing bullshit restrictions helps too.

[Zetterberg is God 0]

Another close one for the Wings last night. I guess it's good they're able to win these games but they are still a little too sloppy out there. Hossa's really coming on now which is great to see.

[CanadianChris 0]

I'm completely perplexed by the Sens now. Riding a four-game losing streak, they go to Buffalo, who had yet to lose in regulation this season...and jump out to a 5-0 lead en route to a 5-2 win. Maybe they just needed to get away from home, the fans had been riding them pretty hard.

[Prophet of Mike Zagurski 0]

I'm completely perplexed by the Sens now. Riding a four-game losing streak, they go to Buffalo, who had yet to lose in regulation this season...and jump out to a 5-0 lead en route to a 5-2 win. Maybe they just needed to get away from home, the fans had been riding them pretty hard.

 

It worked for Ducks.

Also, the only reason New York won the Stanley Cup is because they decided to build their with everyone from the Edmonton dynasty that wasn't signed by another team.

[Red Baron 0]

So what does everyone think about Doug Weights hit on Brendan Sutter?

 

IMO clean hit, and really nothing to argue about here.

[The Ghost of bps21 0]

I'm completely perplexed by the Sens now. Riding a four-game losing streak, they go to Buffalo, who had yet to lose in regulation this season...and jump out to a 5-0 lead en route to a 5-2 win. Maybe they just needed to get away from home, the fans had been riding them pretty hard.

 

That's just what happens when a team is due for a win and the other is due for a loss. Buffalo was down 5 starters and started their backup goalie. I think they knew that game was coming too.

[Guest]

I thought it was a good example of how to destroy a player who makes a mistake in open ice. It was 100% clean.

[Red Baron 0]

I'm completely perplexed by the Sens now. Riding a four-game losing streak, they go to Buffalo, who had yet to lose in regulation this season...and jump out to a 5-0 lead en route to a 5-2 win. Maybe they just needed to get away from home, the fans had been riding them pretty hard.

 

That's just what happens when a team is due for a win and the other is due for a loss. Buffalo was down 5 starters and started their backup goalie. I think they knew that game was coming too.

 

I think it finally bit Buffalo on how bad this team can be if Miller is not in net.

[The Ghost of bps21 0]

I'm completely perplexed by the Sens now. Riding a four-game losing streak, they go to Buffalo, who had yet to lose in regulation this season...and jump out to a 5-0 lead en route to a 5-2 win. Maybe they just needed to get away from home, the fans had been riding them pretty hard.

 

That's just what happens when a team is due for a win and the other is due for a loss. Buffalo was down 5 starters and started their backup goalie. I think they knew that game was coming too.

 

I think it finally bit Buffalo on how bad this team can be if Miller is not in net.

 

I agree. I don't blame them for trying though. Last year they won THREE games when Miller wasn't in net. This year Lalime was 1-0-1 going into this route...so I understand why they'd try and play him a lot early to see what he can bring as far as help goes. Miller playing 30 something straight games isn't good for the team either.

[Smartly Pretty 0]

It worked for Ducks.

Also, the only reason New York won the Stanley Cup is because they decided to build their with everyone from the Edmonton dynasty that wasn't signed by another team.

 

Oh come on. Messier and Tikanen, sure, but most of that team was home grown. Leetch, Richter, Zubov, Kovalev, Amonte, etc.. That team was built around the Rangers farm system. Adam Graves wasn't even really good until 1994, anyway, he's basically a Rangers product.

[Nightwing 0]

A week or so late, but around 5:30 on Hotstove (Oct 18th) there is a little information on the Ovechkin/Malkin rivalry.

[Guest C*Z*E*C*H]

The '94 Rangers stole all the '80s Oilers, except for the ones that they didn't.

 

The weird thing about that team is that they traded away Mike Gartner and Tony Amonte mid-season.

[Matt Young 0]

I watched last night's Kings game earlier today. It sucks that they lost the lead with just a couple minutes to play and ended up losing in the shootout, but such a good performance against the Red Wings is encouraging nonetheless.

[treble 0]

Boo. Leafs shootout, but Wilson is keeping Toskala in net.

 

Nevermind. Ron Wilson is a genius.

[bob_barron 0]

Pissed that my DVR cut out the last 6 minutes of the game, the portion I watched was awesome. Can't believe they came back from 2-0 on Brodeur on the road.

 

Luckily I can DVR the replay.

 

Ron Wilson is God

[garfieldsnose 0]

Shouldn't people DVR something 30 mins to an hour after the eventual end time of a sports event? That's what I always do.

[Zetterberg is God 0]

The Wings sure are trying their hardest to make games unecessarily exciting. Their play so far has been shaky at best and I can't think of one solid 60 minute effort so far yet they still have earned 16 out of a possible 20 points.

[bob_barron 0]

Shouldn't people DVR something 30 mins to an hour after the eventual end time of a sports event? That's what I always do.

 

They should, but I was rushing out and totally didn't think to do that.

[Red Baron 0]

So a pretty bastard move by Montreal Prospect Pavel Valentenko. Says he has personal issues back in Russia, then signs a three year deal in the KHL.

 

He had talent, but Montreal does not need a player like that.

[Zetterberg is God 0]

I still haven't figured out why Samuelsson and Lilja are still with the Wings. They both take cheap penalties and turn it over with regularity. Sammy supposedly has a good shot but maybe he should try hitting the net first. Lilja is apparently good on the PK yet the Wings are in the bottom half of that category. Holland needs to find a way to get rid of these guys and bring up Leino and Ericsson to take their spots.

[jimmy no nose 0]

I think it's officially "on" next time the Penguins and Capitals play. There was last game's strange Ovechkin-Malkin showdowns, Crosby going after Ovechkin after the game, and now Alexander Semin has officially joined the party:

Many people believe the Crosby/Malkin/Ovechkin rivalry is now the Crosby/Malkin/Ovechkin/Semin rivalry. Do you believe you're on that level of hockey stardom at this point in your career?

 

What's so special about [Crosby]? I don't see anything special there. Yes, he does skate well, has a good head, good pass. But there's nothing else. Even if you compare him to Patrick Kane from Chicago ... [Kane] is a much more interesting player. The way he moves, his deking abilities, his thinking on the ice and his anticipation of the play is so superb.

 

I think that if you take any player, even if he is "dead wood," and start promoting him, you'll get a star. Especially if he scores 100 points. No one is going to care about anyone else. No one is going to care whether he possesses great skill.

 

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

I was literally just starting to read this when it came up on Sportscentre. I'm dumbfounded. Also: "I don't see anything special there....he scores 100 points."

 

 

 

[Mike wanna be 0]

A lot of people in the NHL could score 100 points if they could pass to the players Crosby gets to/got to pass to.

[Urban Warfare 0]

I think the entire interview gives much more insight into Semin's reasoning for making the comments:

 

And in Russia people like beautiful hockey, and not dump and chase. I just don't get it, why when a player is skating up the ice and no one is attacking him, he dumps the puck into the offensive zone and then chases it? Why would you do this if there is no one forechecking you? I understand that if there is someone coming at you and you don't know whether you can get past that player, then you can dump the puck, pass it or shoot. But if not, then hold on to the puck, skate forward, create a chance.

[Smartly Pretty 0]

It sounds an awful lot like Semin is just sticking up for Ovechkin by downplaying Crosby's talent.

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

A lot of people in the NHL could score 100 points if they could pass to the players Crosby gets to/got to pass to.

 

How many is a lot? I'm certainly not denying how much help Crosby has, but how many realistically? Twenty? Thirty? Fifty? I think the last two are a stretch, and calling 20 people "special" out of 650 or so isn't unfair.

 

Also, why hasn't made any retard jokes with someone many posts involving the words "Crosby" and "special".

 

Finally, re: the entire interview, that does put it in a whole different context, and I don't necessarily disagree with the Kane assessment. But to deny the talent or ability of Crosby is absolutely asinine. I also think, in light of his "heroes and villains" comment, Sean Avery is probably reading the article while jerking off and laughing like Ted Dibiase on cocaine.

[HarleyQuinn 0]

Boston is up early 1-0 on a Sturm goal. This kind of up tempo/push the puck into opposition territory is what I want to see the Bruins do more of against opponents (mentioned in the fix team thread). Already Boston has had a few good shot opportunities including a brief 3-2 match up.

[the max 0]

Steve Ott is going to die tonight.

[bob_barron 0]

The Leafs scored five goals in 5:21 to beat the Rangers 5-2.

 

I love this team