Ongoing NHL thread - Part deux

[BGDave]

Fify

LOL and very true. Lived in ATL for 3 years, went to 2 Thrashers games. Absolutely HATED getting to and from the games, which is why i only went to 2 of them.

 

[jstewismybastardson]

Bumping for the weber part

BEST FORTUNE

The Canucks power play wasn’t exactly on a feeding tube. It wasn’t last year. But it was sagging, badly, after an encouraging Vrby-fuelled start.


It was an injury to the Canucks top defensive pair which turned things on their ear. Both Tanev and Edler went down in a Valentines Day game against the Calgary Flames.


Enter Yannick Weber.


After watching Weber pound in two more power play goals Thursday, moving the Canucks to 8th in the NHL — eighth! — you weren’t alone in screaming on your flatscreen.


What the hell took so long?


“We’d been asking for him for a long time,” Henrik revealed, talking of PP1.


“Once teams started taking away Vrby. Nothing against Eddie up top, but if you give the puck to him, he’s got no one timer.


“He’s got to walk the line and try to find lanes. In today’s era, you have three, four guys blocking shots from up there.


“It’s so tough to get the puck to the net, if you don’t have the one timer.


“When Eddie was up there, they didn’t respect him. He’d get the pass, he’d walk the line, and they’d stay in his shooting lanes.


“There’s no dman in this league who can get his shot through from up there if they don’t have the one timer.”


With Weber, the Canucks have the one timer up top. They have the one timer back door with Vrbata, and they have all the down low plays from the Sedins.

In the past 25 games, the Canucks have 16 power play goals

BEST CASE


That’s some arbitration case Weber is putting together. He’s been in the top four since mid-February. He’s been quietly legit there too, playing alongside Hamhuis.


He’s been averaging more than 20 minutes a game for seven weeks, leads the D with 11 goals and on several nights, like Thursday and Saturday in Winnipeg, he’s been the team’s best defenceman.


That case does not seem like it will be a fun one this summer for Team Gilman.


BEST EXPLANATION


So what did happen when Weber asked about getting on the power play earlier in the year?


“They said if I wasn’t in the top six it was tough to get me in and out of the units,” Weber said. “That was the thing, at the beginning.


“They wanted to get chemistry. I wasn’t a top six guy. It kept me from playing on those units.
“Once, I started playing well and guys got injured, I proved myself. That is what opened things up for me to be on the PP.


“The second unit looked good early on, we just didn’t get the breaks.


“When we started struggling, we started rolling things around and eventually it was my turn to play on the point on (PP1).


“Lucky for me, things have going well.”


What about when they traded for Clendening, were you sweating it?


“I’ve been in this position before,” Weber said. “If guys saw something else, it’s their decision.


“I knew I was having a good year. Some people thought they took him because I wasn’t playing well.


“It was just more motivation for me to take care of business.”





/when Weber cashes in ... if not this summer as an rfa (canucks might just only be able to do a one year deal if they cant unload Bieksa - Weber has arb. rights now though) then the next one as a ufa ... Sedins deserve some sort of commission

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

I always love the "the arena/ballpark/field/shopping mall (Hello Hartford!) is too hard to get to" excuse. I dare you to try to get to the ACC without wanting to kill 20 people, yet us morons still filled the damn place for ten terrible years.

 

[BGDave]

I always love the "the arena/ballpark/field/shopping mall (Hello Hartford!) is too hard to get to" excuse. I dare you to try to get to the ACC without wanting to kill 20 people, yet us morons still filled the damn place for ten terrible years.

ATL was not so much a "difficult to get to" issue. MARTA is quite handy to the old Omni/CNN/Phillips arena location. Basic problem was no hockey fans rode MARTA. Especially after dark.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

ATL was not so much a "difficult to get to" issue. MARTA is quite handy to the old Omni/CNN/Phillips arena location. Basic problem was no hockey fans rode MARTA. Especially after dark.

I always take the TTC to the ACC and it's still a huge PITFA. No excuses play like a champion.

 

[jstewismybastardson]

I always take the TTC to the ACC and it's still a huge PITFA. No excuses play like a champion.

YAH BGDave ... TAKE YOUR DAMN SHIVVING ON ATL TRANSIT LIKE A PRO GAWD DAMMIT!!!!

 

[dash]

I rode MARTA for a year and a half in HOTLANTA - The transit cops are huge and loaded for bear.

 

[BGDave]

YAH BGDave ... TAKE YOUR DAMN SHIVVING ON ATL TRANSIT LIKE A PRO GAWD DAMMIT!!!!

dont get me wrong, I like a good shivving as much as the next guy.

Its the stale piss smell in every freaking car on every freaking train that was a little offputting.

 

[BGDave]

I rode MARTA for a year and a half in HOTLANTA - The transit cops are huge and loaded for bear.

And so were the male cops....

 

[dash]

And so were the male cops....

/He's here all week folks, try the veal and don't forget to tip your server...

 

[BGDave]

YAH BGDave ... TAKE YOUR DAMN SHIVVING ON ATL TRANSIT LIKE A PRO GAWD DAMMIT!!!!

5 minutes later and I am still LMAO at this.

 

[jstewismybastardson]

dont get me wrong, I like a good shivving as much as the next guy.

Its the stale piss smell in every freaking car on every freaking train that was a little offputting.

well ... to be fair though (*deported) ... isnt that the case with every mass transit system in the world?

in vancouver ... its stale piss, wet moldy umbrella with a hint of reefer

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

well ... to be fair though (*deported) ... isnt that the case with every mass transit system in the world?

in vancouver ... its stale piss, wet moldy umbrella with a hint of reefer

TTC actually smells decent enough. The stations are a little musty, especially the ones in the inner burbs, but the trains are usually well kept.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

I was in NYC in February and rode the C train a few times. For a city like that to be using 50 year old trains that haven't been remotely refurbished is fucked up. The homeless guy smoking butts in the corner was a nice touch, too.

 

[BGDave]

well ... to be fair though (*deported) ... isnt that the case with every mass transit system in the world?

in vancouver ... its stale piss, wet moldy umbrella with a hint of reefer

I thought reefer=air freshner

But to be serious for a brief second, I was born and raised in Toronto during the 60s and 70s. Taking the TTC to a Leaf game at MLG was awesome. Walking up to street level at the College station, hearing the constant "who needs tickets, who's got tickets" was part of the fun.

I took the TTC a lot back in the day. But I havent been on it this century. Mebbe it hasnt aged well

 

[jstewismybastardson]

TTC actually smells decent enough. The stations are a little musty, especially the ones in the inner burbs, but the trains are usually well kept.

ahhhh I could be wrong about the origins of the vancouver aromas on skytrain ... might not be the actual trains but just the transit riders

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

ahhhh I could be wrong about the origins of the vancouver aromas on skytrain ... might not be the actual trains but just the transit riders

If the riders smoke just enough weed, they'll think the train is also smoking weed.

 

[dash]

ahhhh I could be wrong about the origins of the vancouver aromas on skytrain ... might not be the actual trains but just the transit riders

I think you might be right on the nose.

 

[tabascojet]

another problem in atlanta is the bandwagon nature of a town filled with transients....perhaps if the flames or thrashers had been even a little bit successful on the ice they would have garnered some support (ie the knights of the ihl). Plus if you liked hockey and moved to atlanta you probably already have a loyalty to a team and no way you want to go downtown to watch a bad product you could care less about. i think the gladiators draw alright in the suburbs and it is also a reason the braves cant get out of downtown soon enough too.

 

[jstewismybastardson]

another problem in atlanta is the bandwagon nature of a town filled with transients....perhaps if the flames or thrashers had been even a little bit successful on the ice they would have garnered some support (ie the knights of the ihl). Plus if you liked hockey and moved to atlanta you probably already have a loyalty to a team and no way you want to go downtown to watch a bad product you could care less about. i think the gladiators draw alright in the suburbs and it is also a reason the braves cant get out of downtown soon enough too.

hence the smell of stale piss