NHL is back

[Kor Qel Droma]

So you know who that leaves to fill a roster spot in TO, Mkreku, the one , the only, ANSON CARTER!! No seriously, I wouldn't wish him on your team. At least Lemieux will have a bedside buddy in Leclair in the hospital.

 

I am glad Saku Koivu resigned with the Habs. For a small, injury prone center he's a lot of fun to watch. And the Oil have Hemsky for at least another year. Let's hope he has a breakout season this year.

[Hurlshort]

What's the knock on Anson Carter? I don't know much about him, to be honest.

 

Leclair is old, but I wouldn't put him in the same class as Lindros. He reminds me of Brett Hull, because he literally frickin' disappears the whole game and then just appears out of mid-air for a goal. Does Leclair know there's a defensive zone?

[Kor Qel Droma]

Anson Carter is player who, although possesing talent, is kind of a douche. He sat out and demanded to be traded. But he never really put up that great of numbers to be in such a position. He did put up career numbers during his time in Edmonton, but was logging incredible amounts of ice time. Subsequent trades, which have been numerous (he switched teams 4 times in the 03-04 season), have shown a fair number of teams that his effectiveness is waning.

[Kor Qel Droma]

I thought I'd share this link about Brad May signing with Colorado.

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/spor...4002938,00.html

And sportsnet.ca is reporting that the Leafs are looking at Steve Thomas. I'm not a huge fan of old players ( with Adam Oates being the exception), but Stumpy still has that little bit of the razzle dazzle sometimes. Although its just razzle some games with dazzle taking the day off.

 

BTW how do you rename the links? I've noticed a fair bit of it but I'm not sure how to do it myself...

[mkreku]

Toronto needs wingers. But I'd rather see someone else than Anson or Leclair.. Just that every big name winger out there seems to have been taken already. Except for Sel

[mkreku]

Slightly off topic: http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/08/15/news_6131085.html

 

Marty Turco for the US audience and Mats Sundin for the Canadian and European version

[Kor Qel Droma]

You know, I haven't even heard a whisper of the name Petr Bondra since Ottawa said that weren't renewing his contract. Bonsai took quite a dip in 03-04, and I could see him demanding less dollars than before. But that being said he'll probably end up in Pittsburgh or Columbus.

[Kor Qel Droma]

Slightly off topic: http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/08/15/news_6131085.html

 

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Thanks for the link. I had a helluva hard time with the open ice controls on 2K5. And they took away my slapshot goal off the faceoff for my d-men! Hopefully the return of create a player can sway those 3-2 losses ...

[mkreku]

I don't mind Belfour.  In my opinion he's the sole reason why the Leafs even made it past Ottawa.  Standing on his head stopping 40 shots per game is pretty impressive.

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He was average against Ottawa (in my opinion) and below average against Philadelphia. I remember Belfour having a couple of shut-outs in the Ottawa series, but he was also below .900 several times. Yes, he stopped 40+ shots one time, but he still lost the goalie match-up against Lalime in that game. Also, a great goalie is consistent and Belfour isn't.

 

I still remember game four of the last Flyers-Leafs series. Belfour looked like he was drunk, let in 6 (!) goals on 18 shots, before he left the game. Toronto only managed to fire off 11 shots the entire game, but a team that can't trust its goaltender has a tendency to lose its offence first. The Flyers managed 29 shots that game and it wasn't like the Leafs defence was especially bad that night, Belfour was. His total percentage for the Flyers-Leafs series was 87%.

[Laozi]

Well thats not really true, the Flyers really just spanked the Leafs all season. When a team dominates another like that it affects everyone.

 

 

Pretty offtopic, sports TV keeps getting worse, the newest detriment to intelligent thought being Steven A. Smiths show Quite Frankly. This guy gets by on toting the line of popular opinion, just with alot of volume. I really hope his show is extremely short lived

[mkreku]

Well thats not really true, the Flyers really just spanked the Leafs all season. When a team dominates another like that it affects everyone.

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I don't agree with this either. Every NHL player always says that the regular season and the playoffs are like two different sports. I think it was in XXXX that the Leafs met Ottawa five times in the regular season, and the Senators won every one of those meetings. Then came playoff time and Ottawa and Toronto met in the first round. Toronto won that series 4-0. That was awesome, by the way

 

Edit: XXXX means I have no clue. My first guess was way off.

[Laozi]

Ya, but in the regular seaon the Flyer didn't just beat them in the sense that they scored more goals, they physically "took them behind the woodshed" and that stay with teams for along time. Its true that some teams have been able to turn similiar happenings into a rallying cry, but it seems to more often go the other way as it did in this series.

 

This new Flyers team seems even more capable of doing such as well, not too good for Leafs fans

[Kor Qel Droma]

2002-2003 featured a 4-1 series victory for the Sens.

 

I'm not sure about the spanking, because I think most of the games this year will be 7-5 or something like that, but it looks like the Flyers<Toronto this year. But I still have doubts about Robert Esche in net.

 

And I'd say the difference between the regular season and the playoffs is aside from a flurry of white towels, most players finish their checks better. Plus its more dramatic when they pull it out at the end of an 82 game season.

[Laozi]

I was curious what you guys think about the whole Bertuzzi thing?

[mkreku]

It irks me that he only got a 20 game suspension, but I guess you have to take into account the amount of time that has passed since the incident and his reinstatement. I must say I was pissed when they first announced that he was being reinstated, but I don't feel as annoyed now that I've thought about it for a bit.

[Kor Qel Droma]

I still can't figure out where I stand on this. I agree with Mkreku about the length of the suspension. At first I was glad he was reinstated, but now I worry whats going to happen the next time he forgets his brain in his other helmet.

 

I can't see this thing dying down until some other player does something equally or more stupid than what Bertuzzi did. And the next time he messes up, I don't think the league can bring him back and have any (sic)credibility.

 

Aside from that he's still one of the top three power forwards in the NHL in my book.

[Hurlshort]

Honestly, McSorley was run out of the NHL after he took a swing at Brashear, and I'd say that was pretty much equal in terms of offenses. It's odd how the Canucks called for blood then, but now they are sheepishly saying their star power forward is remorseful enough to play. Bertuzzi is being given a bit of a pass because he's an extremely talented player.

 

It may have been an accident, but playing in the NHL is a pretty special privilege. He shouldn't be allowed to play. But I also don't think guys who attack fans should be allowed to play either. The NHL shouldn't even have to say he can't play, it should be a situation where no team will let him.

 

I am surprised Bertuzzi is even comfortable playing. Is he going to be a bruising power forward? If I were him, I'd make my apologies, and skulk off to obscurity. I'd use the money I made to open up a nice little rink and try to avoid media attention. If he really loves the game, then he should be ashamed at what he's done to it with his hit, and he shouldn't expect to ever get back on NHL ice.

[Cantousent]

Wow, that was pretty strong, Hurlshot. I have to say that I find you convincing. I'm not really a hockey fan. Nevertheless, as someone who has read this thread from beginning to end, I find that your statement conveys a true love of the sport.

 

As I get older, I see violence as more and more regrettable.

[alanschu]

I don't mind Belfour.  In my opinion he's the sole reason why the Leafs even made it past Ottawa.  Standing on his head stopping 40 shots per game is pretty impressive.

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He was average against Ottawa (in my opinion) and below average against Philadelphia. I remember Belfour having a couple of shut-outs in the Ottawa series, but he was also below .900 several times. Yes, he stopped 40+ shots one time, but he still lost the goalie match-up against Lalime in that game. Also, a great goalie is consistent and Belfour isn't.

 

I disagree. In that game it was 44 saves to 27 in favour of Belfour. I also don't know how you can knock a guy for having "several" games below .900, when his save percentage for the series was .954. There was also the game where he notched 37 saves in a shutout.

 

Toronto was hideously outshot that whole series. The team forgot how to play defense and Belfour totally bailed them out. There's a reason why Don Cherry made the comment that all the Toronto players should just give Belfour their playoff cheques in the middle of the series. Even then, he faced an average of 34 shots that series.

 

Belfour pretty much single handedly stopped one of the most potent offenses (and powerplays) in the league.

 

 

I still remember game four of the last Flyers-Leafs series. Belfour looked like he was drunk, let in 6 (!) goals on 18 shots, before he left the game. Toronto only managed to fire off 11 shots the entire game, but a team that can't trust its goaltender has a tendency to lose its offence first. The Flyers managed 29 shots that game and it wasn't like the Leafs defence was especially bad that night, Belfour was. His total percentage for the Flyers-Leafs series was 87%.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

It was actually game 5, but whatever. Getting 11 shots would have more to do with being horribly outplayed. Giving up 13 shots in the first period to the Leafs 2 would likely set a tone. And don't forget McCabe's turnover to give Recchi the first goal of the game. Primeau also had a short-handed breakaway goal, in addition to another breakaway at the beginning of the second. I won't fault Belfour for giving up breakaway goals, two of which should never happen (McCabe's give away and the shorthanded breakaway). Toronto didn't get only 11 shots because of lack of faith in their goalie....they only got 11 shots because they stunk up the joint that game. They were just horribly outplayed the entire game.

 

And they certainly shouldn't have had a lack of faith in their goalie prior to the game, given that he had the highest save percentage in the playoffs. Even with the 6 goals in 18 shots, he still had the highest save percentage in the league.

[mkreku]

And I still say Belfour was average against Ottawa and below average against Philadelphia. I don't know if you saw the games (you sure did find the game statistics alright), but if you imagine someone lying unconscious in goal wearing goalie equipment, and then imagine Hossa firing 44 pucks in his head, then the unconscious person would be awarded with 44 saves in the post game statistics. That's almost how it was (slight exaggeration ). But he was slightly better against Ottawa.

 

Against Philadelphia he made some great saves, a lot of ordinary saves (when people just shoot the puck at you) and had a bunch of fumbled shots, even from the mid zone. A team that trusts its goalie know they can make a mistake every once in a while and expect the goalie to bail them out. When they have that trust, they can play their own game and concentrate on creating offence (or whatever their game plan is). If, on the other hand, the goalie is unreliable, the team will not be able to play their ordinary game because everyone's afraid to make that mistake that will cost them a goal. The first thing they lose is their offence and even then their defence isn't getting any better (as offence for an offensive player is his best defence) and most often they end up losing the game.

 

By the way, save percentage is also misleading (especially in the Ottawa series) since getting a shutout skews the numbers (Belfour got two).

[Kor Qel Droma]

Today the Oilers resigned scoring winger Raffi Torres to a two year deal. Now get Smyth signed and lets play some hockey!

[alanschu]

I watched every Toronto game in the playoffs last year.

 

And I actually have Game 5 vs Philly on tape, although I remembered the McCabe giveaway anyways. A quick scan through the tape showed me the other horrible breakdowns by Toronto's players. I don't blame Belfour when Philly was getting clean looks at every shot. Ottawa was getting the same looks but Eddie was on fire.

 

 

I also don't think shutouts skew the result, at least not as much as 6 goals in 18. The guy stopped 37 shots in one game...that's phenomenal. And I don't consider them to be simple shots he stopped either. Belfour was absolutely standing on his head in the Ottawa series, and you're the first person I've seen that has said otherwise. A shutout can only skew a result if there's a ton of shots....but in that case the results aren't skewed at all. The 6 goals in 18 shots would do far more for his save percentage than the shutouts.

 

 

I'm surrounded by Edmonton fans, who by default hate Toronto, and we were all impressed with Belfour's play, and wholeheartedly agreed with Cherry's statements. At many points Belfour was stopping 2nd and 3rd rebounds because his defense forgot how to secure a rebound and seal off opposing players, and still came up with the big stops.

 

Toronto did not get eliminated from the playoffs by bad goaltending. They got eliminated because they just played bad period.

 

I guess at this point we'll just agree to disagree.

[mkreku]

Oh well, I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree then. For the record, I don't agree with Don Cherry 99% of the time either.

 

By the way, Toronto (as a team) seems to have this thing for making average goaltenders look like they're holding the team together single-handedly. I remember the same was said of Felix Potvin and Curtis Joseph too, and both pretty much bombed once they were traded from Toronto.

 

Edit: Haha, sorry for sounding like a parrot! I didn't see your "agree to disagree" until I had already written my post

[alanschu]

I personally felt as though Joseph had already proven himself as a stellar goaltender in Edmonton.

 

I wouldn't consider Joseph to be an average goaltender personally.

 

I certainly wouldn't consider Belfour to be an average goaltender either.

[Volourn]

Belfour is awesome! one of the best goalies ever! And, without him; the Leafs would have never gotten out of the first round the last few years.