The Great Canadian 2011-2012 NHL season discussion thread - Page 161

vegeta_skyline · #**3201** Posted **Apr 5, 2012, 1:38 AM**

How about Cole there, you've gotta be happy about what you've gotten out of him this year. Arguably the best free agent forward signing of the year. Perhaps only Michael Ryder has been better.

Nicko999 · #**3202** Posted **Apr 5, 2012, 2:56 AM**

The one line team strikes again... 5-2 Habs with all our goals scored by the big line.

Erik Cole has now scored 34 goals... with the way he's played he's actually a bargain.

Pacioretty with his 32 goals is 19th in the league in goals.
Cole with his 34 goals is 13th...

In between, you have probably one of the most underrated player in Desharnais. He's the 12th best playmaking center in the NHL right now.

Nicko999 · #**3203** Posted **Apr 5, 2012, 5:10 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by vegeta_skyline

How about Cole there, you've gotta be happy about what you've gotten out of him this year. Arguably the best free agent forward signing of the year. Perhaps only Michael Ryder has been better.

Erik Cole is just a better hockey player.

Don't get me wrong, Ryder is a hell of a sniper but that's about it (oh, he can also play goalie as well

)... He had 2 30 goals season with the Habs so I know what I am talking about.

Cole is 10000x more physical and crashes the net like very few NHL players.

Only Hartnell, Ovechkin and Cole have 180+ hits and 30+ goals this season.

vegeta_skyline · #**3204** Posted **Apr 6, 2012, 2:09 AM**

Fair enough, I'll take your word for it as I haven't been watching either player very closely.

freeweed · #**3205** Posted **Apr 6, 2012, 2:33 AM**

Wow, the Canucks still dive like pros. 2 "cross checks" in a row where they were hardly touched. In the case of Bieksa, I don't even know if contact was really made. But they sure can sell it. It's pretty hilarious to watch in what is otherwise a meaningless game against a defeated and useless opponent. They're coached so well in the art that I bet they do it in pre-season games. It's just habit at this point regardless of whether or not it even serves any purpose.

Ah well, on the bright side the Leaves officially have the longest playoff drought in the NHL as well as the longest cup finals drought. If St. Louis or (long shot) LA can win the cup this year, they'll be one step closer to solely owning the longest cup drought.

Nicko999 · #**3206** Posted **Apr 6, 2012, 2:38 AM**

Top 3 pick clinched (top 4 if we someone behind us win the lottery)...

We want Grigorenko!!!

http://www.cyberpresse.ca/images/biz...grigorenko.jpg

freeweed · #**3207** Posted **Apr 6, 2012, 2:49 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nicko999

Top 3 pick clinched (top 4 if we someone behind us win the lottery)...

Ouch. I hadn't realized how badly the Habs tanked the last half of their season. At least you guys will get some return on it.

Yume-sama · #**3208** Posted **Apr 6, 2012, 3:27 AM**

Nice meaningless third period by the Flames.

I forgot how often "(Canucks player) goes down... looks for a call" is announced during Canuck games

Ayreonaut · #**3209** Posted **Apr 6, 2012, 3:31 AM**

It's been like that for a decade. The Canucks love to skirt the lines of legality. I remember in the 2004 series it was the basketball-style picks. Drove me insane.

ZeDgE · #**3210** Posted **Apr 6, 2012, 3:37 AM**

Great third period. That made my night. No meaningless trophy for the Nucks.

Nicko999 · #**3211** Posted **Apr 6, 2012, 3:55 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by freeweed

Ouch. I hadn't realized how badly the Habs tanked the last half of their season. At least you guys will get some return on it.

When you rely on one line and only 1 solid pair (Subban-Gorges), you can't expect much better than 76 pts.

If your 4th best forward has 28 pts, you're in trouble.

EDIT: Even with only one line, it's actually a bit surprising we're so low...our -10 goal differential is the best among all lottery teams post-lockout. Second best is Edmonton at -22 this year.

21th best offense
12th best defense
28th best PP
19th best 5 on 5
2nd best PK

Those are middle of the pack team stats... but we'll take the high pick.

I hope we can do a quick retool like the Flyers and Sens. We certainly have the pieces for that with Price, Pacioretty, Subban, Desharnais, Cole, Gorges, Markov, Emelin and Eller.

The_Architect · #**3212** Posted **Apr 7, 2012, 4:18 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by freeweed

Ah well, on the bright side the Leaves officially have the longest playoff drought in the NHL as well as the longest cup finals drought. If St. Louis or (long shot) LA can win the cup this year, they'll be one step closer to solely owning the longest cup drought.

Yes, quite the bright side.

If you need to gain happiness from another team's failure to make yourself feel better about your team that's circling the drain then I feel very sorry for you.

But it does yet again prove my point from a couple pages ago... Torontonians not welcome here.

freeweed · #**3213** Posted **Apr 7, 2012, 4:59 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by The_Architect

If you need to gain happiness from another team's failure to make yourself feel better about your team that's circling the drain then I feel very sorry for you.

No, I gain happiness in once again having proof of an overhyped, overrated team followed by a mostly clueless fanbase that really just doesn't get hockey. And an ownership that's fully aware of this, and has no pressure to actually ice a winning team - which does sound an awful lot like the team you mentioned that's circling the drain, but at least here in Calgary we're realistic about it. I think I may have been the only one in the entire city who expected anything higher than a 10th place finish for the Flames, and I sure didn't forsee 350+ man-games lost to injury.

Quote:

But it does yet again prove my point from a couple pages ago... Torontonians not welcome here.

Here? You may not be aware, living in the media echo chamber that Torontonians tend to, but the rest of the country by and large has negative opinions like this. Especially the west. It's been an annual tradition to bet on when the Leaves will choke since at least the late 70s. The jokes about the fanbase declaring "this is the year!" - because of some insignificant player being declared the latest saviour - have been going on strong for at least 2 decades that I can recall. Toronto's been the butt of jokes in the hockey world for nearly as long as I've been alive (and it's made oh so much funnier by watching CBC/TSN and the rest of the eastern media hyping them up every year in face of ever-present futility).

SSP is but a tiny reflection of that. However, you're more than welcome here - we need the entertainment. I'd liken the Leaves to the Royals in MLB, but at least the folks down in Kansas City KNOW their team stinks year in, year out. Them I can just feel a bit sorry for (plus they have a really nice ballpark to drown their sorrows in; last I checked the average Leaf fan can't even get tickets to watch their team lose).

feepa · #**3214** Posted **Apr 7, 2012, 4:35 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by The_Architect

But it does yet again prove my point from a couple pages ago... Torontonians not welcome here.

Oh fucking please. Pull up your big girl panties and engage in the discussion. Don't have the galls to pull for your team here? Don't post. Every fan takes shots, and makes shots... It's part of being a sports fan.

what? You expected everyone here to be a leafs fan? Good god.

roccerfeller · #**3215** Posted **Apr 7, 2012, 4:47 PM**

Final Jets 2.0 game of their inaugural season tonight!

Its on CBC at 7ET/4PT in case anyone wants to watch. Vs Lightning.

freeweed · #**3216** Posted **Apr 7, 2012, 5:02 PM**

Also very likely Selanne's last NHL game, this afternoon in Calgary. Although I'd sure like to see him play another season or 2.

suburbanite · #**3217** Posted **Apr 7, 2012, 5:32 PM**

How are the leafs' fans anymore clueless than others? What would you have us do? give up on our team when they lose? Drive to Ottawa or Buffalo to watch another city's team play? I support my team because I love the sport and have grown up cheering for a team that I can drive 20 minutes to see play.

Can you name one city in North America that boycotts their team when they lose in order to force management to improve the team? Real fans watch the game because they enjoy it, not because their team is winning.

freeweed · #**3218** Posted **Apr 7, 2012, 5:50 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by suburbanite

Can you name one city in North America that boycotts their team when they lose in order to force management to improve the team? Real fans watch the game because they enjoy it, not because their team is winning.

Virtually every city in North America sees declines in attendance when teams perform poorly on a consistent basis. Especially when it happens for decades. I'm not sure I'd use the word "boycott", but sure, in effect that's what we see. When the teams start winning again, the fans return. This is especially pronounced in the US, and pre-NHL-lockout Canada. Surely you folks in Toronto are aware that not every single team sells out every single game every single season regardless of performance?

However, no, the issue really is not attendance. I still go to see losing teams, because it's fun. The difference is that I KNOW when my team stinks, has stunk, and will continue to stink. I was a Jets 1.0 fan, trust me - we didn't have our media hyping up the team every season and the city planning parade routes after 4 wins. We knew full well how lousy our team was, and took a perverse pride in it.

suburbanite · #**3219** Posted **Apr 7, 2012, 6:36 PM**

Everyone in Toronto knows the team is terrible. The vast majority of people who yell "This is the year" at the beginning of the season are either joking or don't follow hockey. The only branches of the media that overhype the team are those that benefit from the sale of tickets. Any hockey focused broadcast in Ontario will talk more about the leafs problems and terrible performance than anything else.

Travis007 · #**3220** Posted **Apr 7, 2012, 6:47 PM**

Great to see my Sens back in the playoffs. However, they're not good enough for Bruins. They'll get destroyed but the team is showing promise for next season.