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Post by bookboy007 on Mar 5, 2024 16:07:31 GMT
A few more reflections from last night's game (sober second thoughts): 1. In a game where they were handing out hit counts like candy how the hell can Carlo and Lohrie not be credited with a single one? Even "charmin" Brazeau apparently had 5 when sliding his ass into Leaf players. 2. Is there anyone more of a passenger on this team than Heinen? Sure he got an incidental secondary assist but he is the guy his teammates generally ignore on the ice when they are looking for options with the puck. Case in point, just watch Pasta almost go out of his way to not pass to him. Disagree? Just watch next game. 3. Speaking of Pasta, he was awesome. 4. Yes, Auston Matthews is a star. But he is a selfish prick that goes to his "usual" spots waiting to be set up and is a non-factor in every other aspect of the game. Interesting fact, only 19 of his 53 goals this season has come against playoff teams. If he gets more votes for the Hart than Pasta then I am going to scream. 5. Yes, Lohrei has a bright future and he plays hard, but he still makes more than a few rookie mistakes out there consistently. Of course, it is to be expected. 6. The team misses and needs Lindholm on the back end. The D looks like it did before he came over when it was just Mac and a bunch of scrubs. At the moment it is just Mac, a bunch of scrubs, and a raw rookie. 7. Why is Lauko on this team? He needs to be "Steened." How both of these guys stayed up in the bigs as long as they have/did is beyond me. They are not full time NHLers. And if anyone wants to use the old argument of "but Marchand took a while to find his legs in the NHL" then remember Marchand was dominating the AHL when he got called up. Down there, Lauko/Steen/Richard/Bozo the clown etc are just regular shift plyers. That's the difference. Anyway, on EDM. Sounds like hungover second thoughts. I see no reason to be disappointed in Carlo and Lohrei not being credited with hits. One of the things that I noticed last night is that the Bruins were a lot smarter than the Leafs, including being a lot more aware of when they were at risk of penalties. There was one play when the game was 2-0 where...DeBrusk...went in on the forecheck and he could have been more aggressive, but he chose not to be, and as I was getting pissed off at him for not taking the body, I watched the Loaf player turn his numbers to him at the last second to either box him out or draw a boarding call. No penalty. Given how bad the Bruins have been in taking minors this year (4th most at 237), I would be this was something that Montgomery stressed after the Isles game. And it was good to minimize the Laffs' opportunities to chase PP chances. So I'm kind of OK with them focussing on positioning and suppressing shots, and I don't see it as a flaw in their game. I don't get your point on Heinen. I mean, here's a guy costing them nothing who has produced 23 points, isn't a defensive liability, and was basically an upgrade on the other bottom roster guys you're roasting who probably would be playing the TOI he gets if they hadn't signed him. And if your big money teammates are going out of their way not to pass you the puck in the offensive zone and you're still getting close to half a point a game? That's not a passenger. That's a guy who is finding a way to have an impact despite his teammates acting like high school players. That was Pastrnak's best game in a while. He loves to beat up the Laffs. Yeah, I really dislike how one-dimensional Matthews is. Makes me happy, though! No reason not to expect Lohrei to make rookie mistakes. He's not going to be Cale Makar. But he's been great since he got back from his trip to Providence. Yeah on Lindholm. But Carlo is not a scrub. I hate how much defensive D get dismissed. Carlo has been a rock this year. And on Lauko...I really don't know why we waste so much time complaining that fourth liners are fourth liners. When Sweeney gets responsible vets, everyone bitches "play the kids in Providence!" than they build a fourth out of Providence and people bitch that they don't have much impact. Meh. Whatever. Lauko hasn't been a minus since Jan 27th.
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Post by sandogbrewin on Mar 5, 2024 16:46:05 GMT
One last observation: Solid PK tonight shows Forbort not needed in any capacity. Waste of 3m cap space. Until PK% is checked, since the all-star break, with Forbort out of the lineup. Still my choice is Forbort stays, Grzelcyk goes. But I think Forbort has more worth for a playoff team.
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Post by jmwalters on Mar 5, 2024 16:46:32 GMT
A few more reflections from last night's game (sober second thoughts): 1. In a game where they were handing out hit counts like candy how the hell can Carlo and Lohrie not be credited with a single one? Even "charmin" Brazeau apparently had 5 when sliding his ass into Leaf players. 2. Is there anyone more of a passenger on this team than Heinen? Sure he got an incidental secondary assist but he is the guy his teammates generally ignore on the ice when they are looking for options with the puck. Case in point, just watch Pasta almost go out of his way to not pass to him. Disagree? Just watch next game. 3. Speaking of Pasta, he was awesome. 4. Yes, Auston Matthews is a star. But he is a selfish prick that goes to his "usual" spots waiting to be set up and is a non-factor in every other aspect of the game. Interesting fact, only 19 of his 53 goals this season has come against playoff teams. If he gets more votes for the Hart than Pasta then I am going to scream. 5. Yes, Lohrei has a bright future and he plays hard, but he still makes more than a few rookie mistakes out there consistently. Of course, it is to be expected. 6. The team misses and needs Lindholm on the back end. The D looks like it did before he came over when it was just Mac and a bunch of scrubs. At the moment it is just Mac, a bunch of scrubs, and a raw rookie. 7. Why is Lauko on this team? He needs to be "Steened." How both of these guys stayed up in the bigs as long as they have/did is beyond me. They are not full time NHLers. And if anyone wants to use the old argument of "but Marchand took a while to find his legs in the NHL" then remember Marchand was dominating the AHL when he got called up. Down there, Lauko/Steen/Richard/Bozo the clown etc are just regular shift plyers. That's the difference. Anyway, on EDM. Sounds like hungover second thoughts. I see no reason to be disappointed in Carlo and Lohrei not being credited with hits. One of the things that I noticed last night is that the Bruins were a lot smarter than the Leafs, including being a lot more aware of when they were at risk of penalties. There was one play when the game was 2-0 where...DeBrusk...went in on the forecheck and he could have been more aggressive, but he chose not to be, and as I was getting pissed off at him for not taking the body, I watched the Loaf player turn his numbers to him at the last second to either box him out or draw a boarding call. No penalty. Given how bad the Bruins have been in taking minors this year (4th most at 237), I would be this was something that Montgomery stressed after the Isles game. And it was good to minimize the Laffs' opportunities to chase PP chances. So I'm kind of OK with them focussing on positioning and suppressing shots, and I don't see it as a flaw in their game. I don't get your point on Heinen. I mean, here's a guy costing them nothing who has produced 23 points, isn't a defensive liability, and was basically an upgrade on the other bottom roster guys you're roasting who probably would be playing the TOI he gets if they hadn't signed him. And if your big money teammates are going out of their way not to pass you the puck in the offensive zone and you're still getting close to half a point a game? That's not a passenger. That's a guy who is finding a way to have an impact despite his teammates acting like high school players. That was Pastrnak's best game in a while. He loves to beat up the Laffs. Yeah, I really dislike how one-dimensional Matthews is. Makes me happy, though! No reason not to expect Lohrei to make rookie mistakes. He's not going to be Cale Makar. But he's been great since he got back from his trip to Providence. Yeah on Lindholm. But Carlo is not a scrub. I hate how much defensive D get dismissed. Carlo has been a rock this year. And on Lauko...I really don't know why we waste so much time complaining that fourth liners are fourth liners. When Sweeney gets responsible vets, everyone bitches "play the kids in Providence!" than they build a fourth out of Providence and people bitch that they don't have much impact. Meh. Whatever. Lauko hasn't been a minus since Jan 27th. First, none of my post was being negative, just observations. The "no getting credit for a hit" was a shot at how they are tabulated by the scorekeepers more than anything else. As if Carlo or Lohrie didnt bump into someone all night. Brazzeau got credit for number of these. It has nothing to do with how good/bad they played. Hence....an observation. Hooray for Heinen for making the best of his opportunities. Wonderful. He is still a passenger at and usually an on-ice pylon for the likes of Pasta at best. Doesn't matter how much or little $$ he makes. Its only tolerable because he is making so little. Again...just an observation. As for the 4th line. Remember merlot? the 2019 squad that actually were NHL regulars? Last year? A real 4th line can make or break a team. You think TB won their SC's with a 4th line comprising an AHL squad? Vegas? The Pens when they were winning back to back cups? They don't need to be stars, just competent and productive enough. Just an observation. And sorry if I hurt Carlo's feelings but pre-Lindholm D was not cutting it. How quickly we forget. Mac was one man show
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Post by nitelite on Mar 5, 2024 17:00:15 GMT
Sigh! Short side Sway FFS! Stop that was a snipe. Sorry San! It's one of the worst goals to allow from that distance. Center Ice & beyond os the worse, followed by 5 hole along the ice, then short side from outside the circle, or just inside of it! He made more difficult saves than that one earlier & after. It wasn't awful, but it was stoppable. It wasn't a Yzerman on Casey in 96'type of shot.
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Post by sandogbrewin on Mar 5, 2024 17:04:55 GMT
Sorry San! It's one of the worst goals to allow from that distance. Center Ice & beyond os the worse, followed by 5 hole along the ice, then short side from outside or just inside of it! He made more difficult saves than that one earlier & after. It wasn't awful, but it was stoppable. It wasn't a Yzerman on Casey in 96'type of shot. Only thing I'll agree with is maybe Swayman went down too early. That was an absolute snipe though.
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Post by nitelite on Mar 5, 2024 17:08:24 GMT
Sorry San! It's one of the worst goals to allow from that distance. Center Ice & beyond os the worse, followed by 5 hole along the ice, then short side from outside or just inside of it! He made more difficult saves than that one earlier & after. It wasn't awful, but it was stoppable. It wasn't a Yzerman on Casey in 96'type of shot. Only thing I'll agree with is maybe Swayman went down too early. That was an absolute snipe though. Which is what JT was hoping for. Part of doing the job correctly is to not go down too early.
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Post by RichHillOntario on Mar 5, 2024 17:21:00 GMT
He is. Book's even arranged Grit-less' stand-in. Ever seen how fast one of those things stops someone in their tracks? There's no messing around when it's dealing with that lower middle area of the body.
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Post by RichHillOntario on Mar 5, 2024 17:25:26 GMT
That's a shame but through your descriptions, I get the feeling he's not too bothered by it all. In interviews, he didn't seem like a "look at me" type. He came across as polite and good humoured. Being a Stanley Cup champion, I was thinking his profile might be on the same level as say, Oliver Kahn, Matthias Sammer or Michael Ballack. Like Seidenberg, all champions. Olaf Kolzig is a name I had not thought of in ages. I think "Kahn the Titan" is still quite popular because he was Bayern Munich's CEO (until last year, I think). Definitely not a dummy, and nowhere near as "crazy" as he sometimes was on the pitch. Sammer, also a well-spoken man, is still involved with Borussia Dortmund, apparently as a part-time advisor. Reportedly he had a major health scare in 2016. I don't know what Ballack is currently doing, he used to be a pundit for ESPN, but seems to have ended this almost ten years ago. Again, people were a bit critical of him because he chose to play abroad, and on the dreaded "foggy island" (UK) to boot. But there is a huge difference between retired hockey stars or, for instance, former tennis greats, or, to go straight to the top, football/soccer heroes in Germany. Nobody could ever come close to Franz Beckenbauer's popularity and standing. Boris Becker and Steffi Graf (in that order) were also worshiped, but they're not that popular anymore - Boris because of his well-documented problems (his preference for London/Wimbledon over his home country apparently never hurt his "ratings", though), and Steffi smartly "left the building", got married to Andre Agassi and moved to Las Vegas.
Erich Kuehnhackl (ex-Penguin Tom Kuehnhackl's father) used to be the biggest hockey star in (West-) Germany, but his star has faded; unfortunately, because he's a down-to-earth nice guy (I met him a couple of times), not the least bit arrogant or sore that he never played in the NHL (he had the size, built and hands to succeed - maybe not quite the speed - could have been a not so poor man's Phil Esposito). Hockey will always only play fifth or sixth fiddle behind soccer, team handball, tennis, Formula 1, maybe hoops, etc., in Germany.Did Schumacher ever share the level of adoration in Germany occupied by Der Kaiser?
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Post by bookboy007 on Mar 5, 2024 18:06:30 GMT
First, none of my post was being negative, just observations. The "no getting credit for a hit" was a shot at how they are tabulated by the scorekeepers more than anything else. As if Carlo or Lohrie didnt bump into someone all night. Brazzeau got credit for number of these. It has nothing to do with how good/bad they played. Hence....an observation. Hooray for Heinen for making the best of his opportunities. Wonderful. He is still a passenger at and usually an on-ice pylon for the likes of Pasta at best. Doesn't matter how much or little $$ he makes. Its only tolerable because he is making so little. Again...just an observation. As for the 4th line. Remember merlot? the 2019 squad that actually were NHL regulars? Last year? A real 4th line can make or break a team. You think TB won their SC's with a 4th line comprising an AHL squad? Vegas? The Pens when they were winning back to back cups? They don't need to be stars, just competent and productive enough. Just an observation. And sorry if I hurt Carlo's feelings but pre-Lindholm D was not cutting it. How quickly we forget. Mac was one man show Well, then my bad for having my tone meter set to "danny". That said.... Maybe it's the term "passenger" as applied to the situation you described. To me, a passenger is a guy who does nothing and only shows up when his teammates carry him. I don't think that applies to Heinen at all. The main observation is that his teammates won't pass to him. That's curious and it makes me wonder why. Either he's where he should be and he's open, and his line mate is choosing not to pass to him because (despite the Bruins having a culture where they say everyone is important and everyone is valued) he's decided to behave like a bitchy high school sports prima donna BMOC who only passes to his friends OR someone else is also open and in a higher danger area OR he's not actually open and a pass would be high risk and low reward OR he's open but he's in a less dangerous spot than the player with the puck already is. To my mind, only one of those things is dependent on the jersey number of the guy getting the pass (or not), and that's the one involving prima donnas. If that's true, it makes me wonder why they wouldn't pass to him because I haven't seen much in the way Heinen doing things other players wouldn't like. He doesn't tend to over-handle it and turn it over (Marchand) or try to beat two guys one on one when there's a pass to be made - especially a return pass. Makes me wonder if there's some strife in the locker room with Heinen being the coach's pet and possibly ears in the room? Of course I remember Merlot and past 4th lines on this team. And people bitched about them. In each of those cases, you're talking about veterans on more than league minimum ELCs. Oh, no, they've blocked Khokhlachev's development because they have no-hands Paille on the 4th line! Oh no, they can't make a trade deadline acquisition because they're paying Campbell more than NHL minimum like they would if they had Bobby Robins up! Danny is still butt-hurt that Foligno made more than $3M, on top of complaining that signing Nosek was going to "block" players like Lauko. I mean...that's just an observation about the fact Bruins fans will bitch about the 4th line and ignore the pretty boys who aren't delivering. I'd be all in on a conversation of what "competent and productive enough" means for a fourth liner and what level of priority you would give it in roster planning and cap allocation. But the regular drumbeat of hating on a former 4th rounder who has made it to the NHL mostly on hustle and not being fun to play against because he doesn't generate offense - but he's only been a minus player once in 2024 - to me is just protecting the pretty boys and putting all the blame on the least influential players - the guys who get the fewest minutes and no PPTOI. My Carlo comment was mostly about this year. Pre-Lindholm, Carlo was in the Bruce ringer he fell into - asked to contribute more on offense but not coached on how to do that, if you believe the player. He's been pretty much a rock since Montgomery took over and fixed his confidence by allowing him to be good at what he's good at.
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Post by bookboy007 on Mar 5, 2024 18:09:48 GMT
Only thing I'll agree with is maybe Swayman went down too early. That was an absolute snipe though. Which is what JT was hoping for. Part of doing the job correctly is to not go down too early. I watched it on frame by frame when they showed the highlight on SN after the game, and I still can't figure out how it ends up short-side. Coming of the stick, the frame shows the puck as a line and that line is pointing far side top shelf. I would love to hear what Swayman has to say about how it looked to him, but I wonder if the defenseman's stick doesn't change the flight path right at the moment of release so that Tavares's shooting motion is aimed far side and somehow the puck takes the short side route.
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Post by bookboy007 on Mar 5, 2024 18:10:43 GMT
Ever seen how fast one of those things stops someone in their tracks? bookthey's dream, one for every hole! Projecting again. That might fit your post-steve loose chute, but no one else is interested.
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Post by The OC on Mar 5, 2024 18:20:04 GMT
bookthey's dream, one for every hole! Projecting again. That might fit your post-steve loose chute, but no one else is interested. You love a good projection!
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Post by dannycater on Mar 5, 2024 18:35:15 GMT
Sigh! Short side Sway FFS! Stop that was a snipe. Clearly, you can see the selfishness in Sway's play on that goal...it was like he was lazy...kind of playing like a guy is more about himself than the team...he needs to be more of a team player as the goalie...We need more team guys as goalies. These selfish All-Stars are just not gonna cut it anymore. You ever notice how disinterested he is when he fields the puck behind the net? Kind of full of himself. 1-goal game, but you know he has to throw a shutout there. We should get a few middle contract goalies to take over the crease. You ever catch how he also has to do that hug thing? Like it's orchestrated to say "Me-Me!"
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Post by sandogbrewin on Mar 5, 2024 18:38:24 GMT
Clearly, you can see the selfishness in Sway's play on that goal...it was like he was lazy...kind of playing like a guy is more about himself than the team...he needs to be more of a team player as the goalie...We need more team guys as goalies. These selfish All-Stars are just not gonna cut it anymore. You ever notice how disinterested he is when he fields the puck behind the net? Kind of full of himself. Maybe weed from Alaska is better than the stanky danker from Humboldt County.
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Post by jmwalters on Mar 5, 2024 18:42:32 GMT
First, none of my post was being negative, just observations. The "no getting credit for a hit" was a shot at how they are tabulated by the scorekeepers more than anything else. As if Carlo or Lohrie didnt bump into someone all night. Brazzeau got credit for number of these. It has nothing to do with how good/bad they played. Hence....an observation. Hooray for Heinen for making the best of his opportunities. Wonderful. He is still a passenger at and usually an on-ice pylon for the likes of Pasta at best. Doesn't matter how much or little $$ he makes. Its only tolerable because he is making so little. Again...just an observation. As for the 4th line. Remember merlot? the 2019 squad that actually were NHL regulars? Last year? A real 4th line can make or break a team. You think TB won their SC's with a 4th line comprising an AHL squad? Vegas? The Pens when they were winning back to back cups? They don't need to be stars, just competent and productive enough. Just an observation. And sorry if I hurt Carlo's feelings but pre-Lindholm D was not cutting it. How quickly we forget. Mac was one man show Well, then my bad for having my tone meter set to "danny". That said.... Maybe it's the term "passenger" as applied to the situation you described. To me, a passenger is a guy who does nothing and only shows up when his teammates carry him. I don't think that applies to Heinen at all. The main observation is that his teammates won't pass to him. That's curious and it makes me wonder why. Either he's where he should be and he's open, and his line mate is choosing not to pass to him because (despite the Bruins having a culture where they say everyone is important and everyone is valued) he's decided to behave like a bitchy high school sports prima donna BMOC who only passes to his friends OR someone else is also open and in a higher danger area OR he's not actually open and a pass would be high risk and low reward OR he's open but he's in a less dangerous spot than the player with the puck already is. To my mind, only one of those things is dependent on the jersey number of the guy getting the pass (or not), and that's the one involving prima donnas. If that's true, it makes me wonder why they wouldn't pass to him because I haven't seen much in the way Heinen doing things other players wouldn't like. He doesn't tend to over-handle it and turn it over (Marchand) or try to beat two guys one on one when there's a pass to be made - especially a return pass. Makes me wonder if there's some strife in the locker room with Heinen being the coach's pet and possibly ears in the room? Of course I remember Merlot and past 4th lines on this team. And people bitched about them. In each of those cases, you're talking about veterans on more than league minimum ELCs. Oh, no, they've blocked Khokhlachev's development because they have no-hands Paille on the 4th line! Oh no, they can't make a trade deadline acquisition because they're paying Campbell more than NHL minimum like they would if they had Bobby Robins up! Danny is still butt-hurt that Foligno made more than $3M, on top of complaining that signing Nosek was going to "block" players like Lauko. I mean...that's just an observation about the fact Bruins fans will bitch about the 4th line and ignore the pretty boys who aren't delivering. I'd be all in on a conversation of what "competent and productive enough" means for a fourth liner and what level of priority you would give it in roster planning and cap allocation. But the regular drumbeat of hating on a former 4th rounder who has made it to the NHL mostly on hustle and not being fun to play against because he doesn't generate offense - but he's only been a minus player once in 2024 - to me is just protecting the pretty boys and putting all the blame on the least influential players - the guys who get the fewest minutes and no PPTOI. My Carlo comment was mostly about this year. Pre-Lindholm, Carlo was in the Bruce ringer he fell into - asked to contribute more on offense but not coached on how to do that, if you believe the player. He's been pretty much a rock since Montgomery took over and fixed his confidence by allowing him to be good at what he's good at. Yeah the Heinen thing is weird and noticeable the past few games. Let's see if it continues in EDM. Brass tax about the current 4th line: they are one of the least productive in terms of goals scored in the NHL. At a certain point, they need to do something productive because it will literally help determine how far they will go in the playoffs. A revolving gong show of AHL wannabees aint gonna cut it. I tihnk Carlo was having his concussion problems the last few Butch years which may account for some things in his game. Point being though, Lindholm is 1B and no one has replaced him there yet. Such is life. EDM should be fun.
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Post by dannycater on Mar 5, 2024 18:43:45 GMT
I'm glad I'm a B's fan because if I were a Devils fan I would be complaining about how "disastrous" our season is at 30-27 and be cheering for firing the head coach. I'm also glad I'm not a Loafs fan because they must suck to lose to the B's.
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Post by dannycater on Mar 5, 2024 18:45:14 GMT
Heinen has been maybe the team's best forechecker...all season...he is incredible for his value.
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Post by sandogbrewin on Mar 5, 2024 18:45:31 GMT
Which is what JT was hoping for. Part of doing the job correctly is to not go down too early. I watched it on frame by frame when they showed the highlight on SN after the game, and I still can't figure out how it ends up short-side. Coming of the stick, the frame shows the puck as a line and that line is pointing far side top shelf. I would love to hear what Swayman has to say about how it looked to him, but I wonder if the defenseman's stick doesn't change the flight path right at the moment of release so that Tavares's shooting motion is aimed far side and somehow the puck takes the short side route. If JT tries that shot 9 more times. How many times does the puck go over Swayman amd under the bar ?
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Post by nitelite on Mar 5, 2024 18:51:46 GMT
Which is what JT was hoping for. Part of doing the job correctly is to not go down too early. I watched it on frame by frame when they showed the highlight on SN after the game, and I still can't figure out how it ends up short-side. Coming of the stick, the frame shows the puck as a line and that line is pointing far side top shelf. I would love to hear what Swayman has to say about how it looked to him, but I wonder if the defenseman's stick doesn't change the flight path right at the moment of release so that Tavares's shooting motion is aimed far side and somehow the puck takes the short side route. I promise to take a better look when I get home from work book. I didn't go over it that detailed, but I won't say anymore until I look more closely. I've been a goalie since I was 7. I'm 56 now. I've seen the puck do some crazy shit over the years. One of the craziest was about 20 yrs ago. I had this guy come down the wing. I knew he loved his clappers, so I came out as soon as he put his head down to shoot. He didn't get all of it & the puck fluttered a bit, but I remember I came out of my crotch to cradle it in my chest. Book I swear to GOD it was like a scene from Angels In the Outfield! That fucking puck dropped about 18" about 3 ft from me & hit the top of my pads! Not a soul around me, no sticks, NOTHING! Then I dropped down & covered it! My dman skated up to me & even asked. "What kind of fucked up mess of a shot was that Nitemare!" "I have no FUCKING clue, but I'm glad someone else saw how fucked up that was!" Then, the guy who shot it said. "Don't fucking ask me! I was going far side that's all I know. I have no idea what the fuck that was!" It was like someone literally grabbed the puck & brought it down. So, maybe something weird happened to Sway. I'll let ya know.
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Post by chappy28 on Mar 5, 2024 19:54:53 GMT
I agree with almost everything you say here except: Heinen isn't a passenger. He's a cheap asset that is delivering above his pay grade. Prove me wrong. Lauko does suck and produces little to no offense. However Richard is one of Providence's leading scorers, a previous 2nd round pick, and has some offensive ability. He's undersized, and needed to develop a better two-way game and that's why he's been stuck in the AHL this long. He shouldn't be blindly lumped into this conversation just to make a point about Lauko being disappointing. Just because someone/something is cheap doesn't somehow change its composition. A cheeseburger from McDonalds is not the quality of a porterhouse steak just because it was cheap and filled you up. Again, watch how much he is ignored in the O zone by his more accomplished teammates (like Pasta). Richard is not a prospect (he is one of their oldest minor league forwards)) that will somehow further develop. He is what he is....a career AHLer....and certainly not a "Marchand in the waiting." And that is the point of including him. Sure, but no team is made up of all "porterhouse" quality steaks. The salary cap requires that you have some lower paid guys on the roster. If we ignore rookies, Heinen is something like the 350th highest paid forward in the league at <$1M and he's got 23 points in 56 games and a plus 7. Better than MANY 4th liners in the league and likely some 3rd liners. He doesn't hurt you defensively, and he's actually scored some pretty nice goals for us this year. As for Richard.....you lumped him in with Steen and a bunch of late round picks with zero offensive talent. I made the case that he does have some offensive talent as evidenced by him being a leading scorer in Providence and a guy they decided to call up --- a call up in which he played pretty well and generated some points ---- he matched 40 game output in 3 games. Just trying to give the kid some credit. He looked ok to my eyes, but what do I know??
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Post by islamorada on Mar 5, 2024 20:11:57 GMT
A few more reflections from last night's game (sober second thoughts): 1. In a game where they were handing out hit counts like candy how the hell can Carlo and Lohrie not be credited with a single one? Even "charmin" Brazeau apparently had 5 when sliding his ass into Leaf players. 2. Is there anyone more of a passenger on this team than Heinen? Sure he got an incidental secondary assist but he is the guy his teammates generally ignore on the ice when they are looking for options with the puck. Case in point, just watch Pasta almost go out of his way to not pass to him. Disagree? Just watch next game. 3. Speaking of Pasta, he was awesome. 4. Yes, Auston Matthews is a star. But he is a selfish prick that goes to his "usual" spots waiting to be set up and is a non-factor in every other aspect of the game. Interesting fact, only 19 of his 53 goals this season has come against playoff teams. If he gets more votes for the Hart than Pasta then I am going to scream. 5. Yes, Lohrei has a bright future and he plays hard, but he still makes more than a few rookie mistakes out there consistently. Of course, it is to be expected. 6. The team misses and needs Lindholm on the back end. The D looks like it did before he came over when it was just Mac and a bunch of scrubs. At the moment it is just Mac, a bunch of scrubs, and a raw rookie. 7. Why is Lauko on this team? He needs to be "Steened." How both of these guys stayed up in the bigs as long as they have/did is beyond me. They are not full time NHLers. And if anyone wants to use the old argument of "but Marchand took a while to find his legs in the NHL" then remember Marchand was dominating the AHL when he got called up. Down there, Lauko/Steen/Richard/Bozo the clown etc are just regular shift plyers. That's the difference. Anyway, on EDM. Agreed on the post. Heinen is a 4th liner. He plays the third line primarily due to the lack of quality players on the bottom lines. Lauko is a strong skater and hits, although like a mosquito. He does not add much even though I hoped he would evolve into a productive player. He hasn't.
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Post by 49thparalel on Mar 5, 2024 20:31:03 GMT
Lots of Bruins fans went home happy last night. That's 3 straight wins for me at Scotiabank. Great all around effort that I wasn't expecting after that stinker Sat. Better luck tonight Ullmark.
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Post by MrHulot on Mar 5, 2024 22:22:09 GMT
Only thing I'll agree with is maybe Swayman went down too early. That was an absolute snipe though. Which is what JT was hoping for. Part of doing the job correctly is to not go down too early. Interesting that John Tavares & JT Beardfraud share the same initials... Coincidence? Who's with me predicting that Tavares won't win a cup either?
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Post by MrHulot on Mar 6, 2024 0:31:36 GMT
I think "Kahn the Titan" is still quite popular because he was Bayern Munich's CEO (until last year, I think). Definitely not a dummy, and nowhere near as "crazy" as he sometimes was on the pitch. Sammer, also a well-spoken man, is still involved with Borussia Dortmund, apparently as a part-time advisor. Reportedly he had a major health scare in 2016. I don't know what Ballack is currently doing, he used to be a pundit for ESPN, but seems to have ended this almost ten years ago. Again, people were a bit critical of him because he chose to play abroad, and on the dreaded "foggy island" (UK) to boot. But there is a huge difference between retired hockey stars or, for instance, former tennis greats, or, to go straight to the top, football/soccer heroes in Germany. Nobody could ever come close to Franz Beckenbauer's popularity and standing. Boris Becker and Steffi Graf (in that order) were also worshiped, but they're not that popular anymore - Boris because of his well-documented problems (his preference for London/Wimbledon over his home country apparently never hurt his "ratings", though), and Steffi smartly "left the building", got married to Andre Agassi and moved to Las Vegas.
Erich Kuehnhackl (ex-Penguin Tom Kuehnhackl's father) used to be the biggest hockey star in (West-) Germany, but his star has faded; unfortunately, because he's a down-to-earth nice guy (I met him a couple of times), not the least bit arrogant or sore that he never played in the NHL (he had the size, built and hands to succeed - maybe not quite the speed - could have been a not so poor man's Phil Esposito). Hockey will always only play fifth or sixth fiddle behind soccer, team handball, tennis, Formula 1, maybe hoops, etc., in Germany. Did Schumacher ever share the level of adoration in Germany occupied by Der Kaiser? Interesting question. The success of the "Wunderkinn" (the miracle chin) from Kerpen (about 12 miles southwest of Cologne) in the 1990s almost seemed to blindside the unified German public. Before Schumacher, West German Formula 1 fans had tried to make people aware for decades that former world champion (the only posthumous one) Jochen Rindt was German (he was actually born in Mainz, a city about 30 miles west of Frankfurt, in then-third Reich Germany, to an Austrian mother and German father, but drove with an Austrian license and usually declared himself a "European"). The Formula 1 boom during Schumacher's career was eventually similar to the tennis boom caused by Boris Becker and Steffi Graf in the 1980s, and it has definitely made auto racing way more popular in Germany.
I'd say in his prime Michael Schumacher came very close to Beckenbauer's level of adoration, but he also had to "compete" with his less successful brother Ralf, and he never seemed to be as charismatic as "der Kaiser". Then again, auto racing is not on the same level as soccer in Germany and never will be.
Schumacher's FIAT commercials during his time with Ferrari were openly ridiculed because of his obvious stiffness as actor, while his Finnish rival Mika Haekkinen scored much more "points" with some clever-made Mercedes TV spots. Another thing that worked against him was his open ruthlessness as a driver. His family has understandably shut out the public since his skiing accident 11 years ago, and "news" about Schumacher will appear now and then only in the German yellow press. You could say that he has completely disappeared from the public consciousness.
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Post by dannycater on Mar 6, 2024 14:28:39 GMT
Did Schumacher ever share the level of adoration in Germany occupied by Der Kaiser? Interesting question. The success of the "Wunderkinn" (the miracle chin) from Kerpen (about 12 miles southwest of Cologne) in the 1990s almost seemed to blindside the unified German public. Before Schumacher, West German Formula 1 fans had tried to make people aware for decades that former world champion (the only posthumous one) Jochen Rindt was German (he was actually born in Mainz, a city about 30 miles west of Frankfurt, in then-third Reich Germany, to an Austrian mother and German father, but drove with an Austrian license and usually declared himself a "European"). The Formula 1 boom during Schumacher's career was eventually similar to the tennis boom caused by Boris Becker and Steffi Graf in the 1980s, and it has definitely made auto racing way more popular in Germany.
I'd say in his prime Michael Schumacher came very close to Beckenbauer's level of adoration, but he also had to "compete" with his less successful brother Ralf, and he never seemed to be as charismatic as "der Kaiser". Then again, auto racing is not on the same level as soccer in Germany and never will be.
Schumacher's FIAT commercials during his time with Ferrari were openly ridiculed because of his obvious stiffness as actor, while his Finnish rival Mika Haekkinen scored much more "points" with some clever-made Mercedes TV spots. Another thing that worked against him was his open ruthlessness as a driver. His family has understandably shut out the public since his skiing accident 11 years ago, and "news" about Schumacher will appear now and then only in the German yellow press. You could say that he has completely disappeared from the public consciousness.Saw one Formula 1 race and it was Mario Andretti and Schumacher at of all things the Long Beach Grand Prix...it's weird to be a fan of auto racing in the respect that do you really know who is who when there flying by like in Long Beach...but I did see them race and it was a thrill to get to saw them race.
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