Ongoing NHL thread - Part III

[sabresfaninthesouth]

Yep. The problem isn't the NHL suspending them, the problem is the fact the ASG exists at all.

At least they don't make it count for anything like MLB.

 

[pixburgher66]

At least they don't make it count for anything like MLB.

Soooo many of my friends love that it counts "Look at the other games, they're pointless!" EXACTLY. LIKE THEY SHOULD BE. It's a fun little exhibition really intended more for the people in attendance. It'll be fun even without a few older stars. The young kids will love playing in it. Poor Jags is probably pouting somewhere right now. According to twitter he hasn't shown up to media day yet. He's "somewhere in Nashville".

 

[dash]

According to twitter he hasn't shown up to media day yet. He's "somewhere in Nashville".

I heard he was walking in Memphis pix, his plane touched down in the land of the Delta Blues in the middle of the pouring rain.

 

[pixburgher66]

I heard he was walking in Memphis pix, his plane touched down in the land of the Delta Blues in the middle of the pouring rain.

Were his feet 10 feet of the ground? Did he see Elvis?!

 

[dash]

Were his feet 10 feet of the ground? Did he see Elvis?!

Yes and yes (lol)

 

[Johnnydollaz89]

Absolutely worth the read. Maybe because I know the St Catharines GM factory he mentions but I have changed my view 100% on this guy.

One quote really stood out to me:

"But while I don’t deserve to be an All-Star, I also don’t think I deserve to be treated like I’ve been by the league throughout this saga. I’m an NHL player — and, whatever my set of skills may be, that I’m an NHL player is no accident. I genuinely believe that when I’m on the ice, or even just the bench, I make my teammates feel safe to do what they do best."

Amen to that.

What's even worse was the line they said to him about if this is something his kids would be proud of. Absolutely disgusting how the NHL handled this.

 

[tducey]

Yeah, this suspension rule for skipping out on the All Star Game is petty if you ask me. Got to think that along with fan voting will be tweaked in the off-season.

 

[Comeds]

They should let the fans vote on whether there should be an all star game.

 

[jstewismybastardson]

HEY GUYSESESS! YOU THOUGHT THE JOHN SCOTT ARTICLE WAS HEARTWARMING >>> CHECK OUT THIS FROM RAFFI TORRES !!!

 

[forty_three]

Soooo many of my friends love that it counts "Look at the other games, they're pointless!" EXACTLY. LIKE THEY SHOULD BE. It's a fun little exhibition really intended more for the people in attendance. It'll be fun even without a few older stars. The young kids will love playing in it. Poor Jags is probably pouting somewhere right now. According to twitter he hasn't shown up to media day yet. He's "somewhere in Nashville".

Well, there *are* Casinos.

Yeah, this suspension rule for skipping out on the All Star Game is petty if you ask me. Got to think that along with fan voting will be tweaked in the off-season.

Ovechkin is especially ungrateful after the league and Honda conspired to give him a car last year. :P



Last year changed my view of the All Star game. Too many people focus on that two hours on the ice. Obviously, it is so much more than that to the place hosting it. I used to laugh at the game and how "that ain't hockey" but honestly I wouldn't care if they played 5 on 5 flag football, the All Star weekend still needs to happen.

The NHL involvement in youth hockey leading up to it, the week-long celebration of the game, the fans from all over coming to town to look around. I spent 20 minutes talking to a guy from California about the Miracle on Ice game (because I was wearing my Jim Craig jersey). The players are being paid to play a game, and they get to keep making that money to play a game because of those people at the Fan Fest. Or in the seats. People who paid their own money to buy a ticket and go watch them. Weird how "Captain Awesome" Toews and "League hero" Ovechkin (like Golden Boy Crosby last year) just don't want to do it. They're not hurting the NHL. They are hurting the fans.

I had kids on my team last year that got to go on the red carpet. Saw so many kids stand and marvel at the Stanley Cup, or the Hart trophy. Saw so many people who just loved the shit out of learning about the history of the game. And all of them will remember that weekend. What do you think Crosby remembers form last year? Playing call of duty? Fuck Sidney Crosby. And fuck Ovi and Toews.

Seems the "stars" have a shit-ton to learn from John Scott. He knows he's not supposed to be there. But I doubt he shuns even one autograph seeker. Look at Brian Elliott last year. Bob got hurt and they asked him. He came from vacation in Barbados, went to St Louis and got his gear and high-tailed it to Columbus. And had a fucking blast.

Who's the real "star" here? Who is staying more "true to the game"?

 

[dash]

Yeah, this suspension rule for skipping out on the All Star Game is petty if you ask me. Got to think that along with fan voting will be tweaked in the off-season.

The league is great at sending mixed messages, aren't they? The All-Star game is very important and if you are voted in, you need to attend. If you skip and you are not injured, you're suspended one game. However, if you are the leading vote getter and makes plans to attend the All-Star game, the league does everything in its power to prevent you from going to the game. for Gary.

 

[pixburgher66]

Well, there *are* Casinos.



Ovechkin is especially ungrateful after the league and Honda conspired to give him a car last year. :P



Last year changed my view of the All Star game. Too many people focus on that two hours on the ice. Obviously, it is so much more than that to the place hosting it. I used to laugh at the game and how "that ain't hockey" but honestly I wouldn't care if they played 5 on 5 flag football, the All Star weekend still needs to happen.

The NHL involvement in youth hockey leading up to it, the week-long celebration of the game, the fans from all over coming to town to look around. I spent 20 minutes talking to a guy from California about the Miracle on Ice game (because I was wearing my Jim Craig jersey). The players are being paid to play a game, and they get to keep making that money to play a game because of those people at the Fan Fest. Or in the seats. People who paid their own money to buy a ticket and go watch them. Weird how "Captain Awesome" Toews and "League hero" Ovechkin (like Golden Boy Crosby last year) just don't want to do it. They're not hurting the NHL. They are hurting the fans.

I had kids on my team last year that got to go on the red carpet. Saw so many kids stand and marvel at the Stanley Cup, or the Hart trophy. Saw so many people who just loved the shit out of learning about the history of the game. And all of them will remember that weekend. What do you think Crosby remembers form last year? Playing call of duty? Fuck Sidney Crosby. And fuck Ovi and Toews.

Seems the "stars" have a shit-ton to learn from John Scott. He knows he's not supposed to be there. But I doubt he shuns even one autograph seeker. Look at Brian Elliott last year. Bob got hurt and they asked him. He came from vacation in Barbados, went to St Louis and got his gear and high-tailed it to Columbus. And had a fucking blast.

Who's the real "star" here? Who is staying more "true to the game"?

I'm not a parent, so I can't fully relate...but I can't even feign anger at guys that are all three faces of the league, do promos, do events, have camps, raise money, et al. for hockey. Sorry. They're not some schlubs that play, go home and hide, then play again. So, they weren't at one event to pump up the league. Okay, they've been to a lot more than they've missed. Again, I get your opinion, different when it affects you personally...but I just can't be mad at guys that have carried the media burden for a decade now.

 

[forty_three]

I'm not a parent, so I can't fully relate...but I can't even feign anger at guys that are all three faces of the league, do promos, do events, have camps, raise money, et al. for hockey. Sorry. They're not some schlubs that play, go home and hide, then play again. So, they weren't at one event to pump up the league. Okay, they've been to a lot more than they've missed. Again, I get your opinion, different when it affects you personally...but I just can't be mad at guys that have carried the media burden for a decade now.

You're making it sound like they are choosing not to go to a ribbon cutting for a gas station opening.

They are choosing not to go to THE annual self promotion event that the NHL spends a shit load of money on. It's different.

In the real world, you don't go very far embarrassing or pissing off your bosses when they are trying to make everyone love them.

 

[pixburgher66]

You're making it sound like they are choosing not to go to a ribbon cutting for a gas station opening.

They are choosing not to go to THE annual self promotion event that the NHL spends a shit load of money on. It's different.

In the real world, you don't go very far embarrassing or pissing off your bosses when they are trying to make everyone love them.

I think you're being a bit hyperbolic in the other direction. They promote the hell out of the league. I get why the league suspends guys, they have to protect themselves. But in the same vein, a player has to protect themselves. Just like in real world, you have to watch out for yourself instead of the company sometimes. The league doesn't protect Sidney Crosby, he's been injured and just showed up before. All three of them have dealt with BS that the league has them deal with. The "ideal" league is the NFL, when guys don't show up, whatever. And that's in the offseason. Yeah, promotion isn't as big for them, but they also realize you have to protect valuable players. The ASG is a risk, even if not huge. These guys are competitive. They want to win a Stanley Cup, that's the goal.

 

[Comeds]

I also think that while the league is a players boss in a way, their primary bosses are the team owners and I bet most of them are just fine with their players resting, especially if nursing ailments that could affect their play in the playoffs.

Didn't a few years ago the NHL say no to players going to see the fans and doing events but sitting out the all star game? If so screw the whole weekend then.

 

[forty_three]

I think you're being a bit hyperbolic in the other direction. They promote the hell out of the league. I get why the league suspends guys, they have to protect themselves. But in the same vein, a player has to protect themselves. Just like in real world, you have to watch out for yourself instead of the company sometimes. The league doesn't protect Sidney Crosby, he's been injured and just showed up before. All three of them have dealt with BS that the league has them deal with. The "ideal" league is the NFL, when guys don't show up, whatever. And that's in the offseason. Yeah, promotion isn't as big for them, but they also realize you have to protect valuable players. The ASG is a risk, even if not huge. These guys are competitive. They want to win a Stanley Cup, that's the goal.

I wonder how you'd feel if this wasn't a precedent set by your team's star?

Or what if you'd decided to lay out a ton of cash to go see the "show" and one of the people you were most interested in seeing just didn't find it important enough?

I get that it's a pain to see crucial player get injured in an event that doesn't affect the playoffs. Olympics, for example. But you are just as likely to get injured in a bar after a game, or driving to the mall for a signing event as you are to injure yourself in a game of shinny, which is what the ASG is.

 

[Comeds]

Soooo many of my friends love that it counts "Look at the other games, they're pointless!" EXACTLY. LIKE THEY SHOULD BE. It's a fun little exhibition really intended more for the people in attendance. It'll be fun even without a few older stars. The young kids will love playing in it. Poor Jags is probably pouting somewhere right now. According to twitter he hasn't shown up to media day yet. He's "somewhere in Nashville".

I don't know why he even went. At his age he could probably actually use the rest. That chronic groin injury is bound to come back at some point.

 

[forty_three]

I also think that while the league is a players boss in a way, their primary bosses are the team owners and I bet most of them are just fine with their players resting, especially if nursing ailments that could affect their play in the playoffs.

The owners will be in favor, until the league decides to grant them the windfall. How would Teddy Leo react if the game was in DC this year and Ovi wanted to skip it?

Also, yes the team owners are direct bosses, but the NHL itself makes it possible for both the players and owners to make a silly amount of money. So maybe "boss" wasn't the correct term. But they are biting the hand that feeds. Long term that is never a good idea.

If they're really hurt, then it won't hurt them to miss a few extra games. In the interest of their health.

Didn't a few years ago the NHL say no to players going to see the fans and doing events but sitting out the all star game? If so screw the whole weekend then.

?

 

[forty_three]

And the NHLPA is the one who holds the key to this. Don't want to participate? Doesn't matter if the NHL suspends them.

Get the NHLPA to withhold the royalties from all that ASG merchandise with the players sitting out names' on it.

Really test the players' resolve to "heal up".

Any player that forfeits the money will get no complaint from me.

 

[pixburgher66]

I wonder how you'd feel if this wasn't a precedent set by your team's star?

Or what if you'd decided to lay out a ton of cash to go see the "show" and one of the people you were most interested in seeing just didn't find it important enough?

I get that it's a pain to see crucial player get injured in an event that doesn't affect the playoffs. Olympics, for example. But you are just as likely to get injured in a bar after a game, or driving to the mall for a signing event as you are to injure yourself in a game of shinny, which is what the ASG is.

You see, those are risks you can't avoid. Driving? Gotta do it. Exposition game? Easily avoided. I honestly didn't care much when Lidstrom and Datsyuk missed. I probably only said that they can't be mad about a suspension if they could avoid it by showing up and schmoosing. I honestly do not care. I'll watch the skills competition, maybe some of the 3 on 3, because it's 3 on 3. But I'd watch regardless of who was there. And I 100% prefer that my teams players take minimal risk when able if that means they're healthy for my team. And if I paid money to go see it? Okay, it's for more than one star. Now, I'm a legitimate hockey fan, not someone who knows Sid, OV, and that's about it...so that's a bit different, but I think those fans in attendance will find someone to enjoy. There's enough talent to go around. If the league wants their stars to show up there needs to be more incentive. Toews and OV this year? Their teams (especially the Caps) are so far ahead in their divisions that missing a game means very little. If there was incentive to go instead of a punishment, maybe they don't approach it like this. I know there's some money in it now, too...but a few thousand dollars and a Gibson car aren't going to be enough. I don't have the answer, but at this point the risks for these banged up guys outweighs the benefit.