Ongoing NHL Thread Part IV - A New Hope

[elocomotive]

Well, there's no outrage on Beagle's hit because he isn't Ovechkin.

As someone who has coached for a really long time who has taught kids as young as 7 that a prime rule is if you see numbers, you don't hit... Hits like this one irritate the shit out of me. And the fact that certain status players never get punished for it is maddening. Herb Brooks called it the assholes and eyeballs rule. If you see his eyes, make the hit. If you see his ass, get between him and the puck. Neutralize him without the hit.

There is no reason to make that hit, or the borderline one on Werenski last week. The puck is gone, the player is mostly neutralized. Get between him and the puck and move on. But if the refs have proven they aren;t going to punish it, why not go for it?

And I am probably picking on Ovechkin a bit because of his taking out Werenski. But he's not the only star who gets away with this. Perry and Getzlaf are fucking masters of it. And at least it's sort of a hockey play and not sticking someone in the nuts behind the play ala Marchand and Crosby.

True Dat.

OV has been suspended a few times already, so I'm not sure how relevant that is to him. I personally think the star power factor in suspensions is overstated, though Crosby's actions the other week certainly show the league is inconsistent at times. It's a high speed games and mistakes happen and while Ovechkin has been reckless at times, we've seen very little of that in the past 5-6 seasons. He had a few suspensions and his behavior has changed since then. The hit on Werenski was 100% legal (in timing, point of contact, etc.) and unfortunately just resulted in an injury. If you watch the replay, he is straight on facing Ovechkin as OV hits the end line and he turns to make it shoulder to shoulder. Look at OV facing him, that's not homerism, these are objective facts.

Part of the problem with the NHL's suspension policy is that it bases things on results (whether a player is injured) or whether a penalty was called at the time, rather than the intent and the violation of game rules. Intent should be the #1 factor because changing intent is really the only way to change the culture.

I get tired of players going after guys for legal hits. Beagle did that after a legal hit on Wilson against Boston, just like Hartnell did it to OV after a legal hit on Werenski.

At the end of the day, the NHL has to continue to be more consistent and the punishments need to be more significant if you want to change behavior. They made clear head shots were a problem a few seasons back and enforced as such. I think we've seen a change in that. They've made improvements, but there is a long way to go still.

 

[puckhead]

Ruff day for Lindy

Lindy Ruff out as Dallas Stars head coach

 

[forty_three]

Crazy stat(s) of the day: With one game left in the season, the Leafs are already 26 points better than they were last season. The Oilers are 31 points better than last season.

Jackets are 30 points better than last year. And they've lost 6 straight since hitting that mark!

So are Babcock and McLellan Adams favourites? Is it those two and Torts? Boucher?

Bias aside, I feel like if you're ever going to give Babcock the award it should be this year. If the Leafs continue developing as expected their success is going to be less a reflection on the coach moving forward and more on their awesome rookies developing into the NHL's best players, but Boucher did a lot particularly down the stretch, Torts flipped the Jackets from moribund disasters into contenders (and unlike most Adams winners it wouldn't be strictly a PDO/Vezina goalie bump, although he got those as well), McLellan ended a decade of disaster for Edmonton, how about Trotz? Sullivan?

Tough call.

The current wheels coming off the wagon run has dented Torts' chances for sure.

During the streak, Bob was stellar, but he wasn't the reason the Jackets won usually. He stole a few, yeah, but the entire team was clicking and it was like going through a barbed wire fence in a big sweater getting through the Jackets system. And once the opponents did, BOB.

And to Torts' credit, he hasn't had success this season by being "Torts". He came into the season humiliated after the WC, and he seemed to really put his faith in his guys. He didn't embarrass a star (and not just because he didn't really have one) to lay down his rule. He also let some finesse guys, who also happen to be rookies and young guys, lead the way. That is not the "Torts way". I know that doesn't play into the Adams voting, but he has really adjusted as a coach this season.

esls is one of my favo(u)rite posters on this site (and at the swamp) and I think we know each other well enough that if a Anaheim - Calgary occurs, we will do our best to keep things cordial.

/Of course, if I made some crude remark about Corey Perry's genealogy, well just blame alcoholic consumption.

This is the same with me and eloco.

See below.

Look at OV facing him,

Of course he's looking at him. It's hard to charge someone without looking at them.

Again, like I said, I am picking on OV a bit because of that, but Kuznetsov's 2 second late hit a period earlier was worse. You and I are never going to agree on Ovechkin. He's your franchise player, and I think he's exploiting his standing (and the relative lack of discipline that comes with it) to be unnecessarily reckless. I would love him if he stopped the Messier-like thing. Being the best isn't enough. He has to send stupid, and borderline dangerous, messages.

I don't think he's trash. I just think he goes too far. And the league lets him. I will concede he isn't as bad as he used to be, but he still does it. And he doesn't have to.

 

[forty_three]

Ruff day for Lindy

Lindy Ruff out as Dallas Stars head coach

Oh. What a shame.

 

[elocomotive]

Of course he's looking at him. It's hard to charge someone without looking at them.

I'm talking about Werenski. Nothing wrong with that hit at all - player had just released puck, contact was shoulder to shoulder. Werenski's back was not to OV at any point, he just turned late to avoid the hit. I'm not asking you and I to agree on Ovechkin. I'm seeing if you can be objective about the physics of that one play.

I understand you being upset about Werenski about injured, it's unfortunate. But how can you say OV needs to change his ways when he did nothing wrong in the example you are referencing?

 

[dash]

Get out the mustard for McHotdog - Nice save Bachman.

 

[dash]

Does that count as an assist for Boeser?

 

[dash]

Iggy just got goal #626 and career point 1300!! woot!

Edit: I think I just heard an announcement that the goal was changed to Dustin Brown - On the replay, it sure looked like Iggy to me, maybe Brown got a touch before it entered the net.

 

[esls79]

Iggy's goal changed to Dustin Brown.

 

[dash]

Iggy's goal changed to Dustin Brown.

Yup - Still gets an apple for 1300 points though.

 

[dash]

Ducks just tied it up.

 

[dash]

Ducks will be hunting for Flames blood in round 1.

 

[dash]

McJesus gets 100 points and likely the Hart trophy as well.

 

[puckhead]

Iggy's goal changed to Dustin Brown.

Dustin Brown just can't stop being an asshole

 

[forty_three]

Dustin Brown just can't stop being an asshole

Fuck Dustin Brown.

And Jeff Carter.

 

[elocomotive]

McJesus gets 100 points and likely the Hart trophy as well.

Meanwhile, ONE-time all-star Nick Backstrom finishes 4th in points while NHL all-time top 100 player Jonathan Toews ties for #46. Sigh... But anyhow...

Seems to me this season signals the changing of the guard.

Ovechkin and Crosby have been on top and dominated the Hart and Richard trophies for just over a decade now. They were the faces of the game and a perfect polar opposite pairing to pull the game out of the strike in 2004. Those guys will both obviously continue to be strong players who can dominate games at times, but it's not their league anymore.

McDavid, Matthews, Laine, Pastrnak, Draisaitl, Nylander, etc... there are a bevy of guys in the 18-21 crowd already sitting high up on the leaderboards and set to become the dominant players of the game in the next 2-3 years.

RIP Crosby-Ovechkin Era
2005-2017

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

Meanwhile, ONE-time all-star Nick Backstrom finishes 4th in points while NHL all-time top 100 player Jonathan Toews ties for #46. Sigh... But anyhow...

Seems to me this season signals the changing of the guard.

Ovechkin and Crosby have been on top and dominated the Hart and Richard trophies for just over a decade now. They were the faces of the game and a perfect polar opposite pairing to pull the game out of the strike in 2004. Those guys will both obviously continue to be strong players who can dominate games at times, but it's not their league anymore.

McDavid, Matthews, Laine, Pastrnak, Draisaitl, Nylander, etc... there are a bevy of guys in the 18-21 crowd already sitting high up on the leaderboards and set to become the dominant players of the game in the next 2-3 years.

RIP Crosby-Ovechkin Era
2005-2017

Best passing of the torch would be Matthews and Nylander eliminating Ovechkin in the first round.

 

[forty_three]

Best passing of the torch would be Matthews and Nylander eliminating Ovechkin in the first round.

It has everything; drama... intrigue... a favoritism excuse for Caps fans!

 

[Nasty_Magician]

Sorry if posted. To put this in perspective, they would need 11 wins to match the Devils point total. The Devils were terrible. The Avalanche are historically terrible.

 

[mooger_35]

Patrick Roy knew what he was doing when he jumped ship right before the season.