NHL 2014-2015

[Strazos]

Flyers apparently are trying to make a run for McDavid. 

No one can best the Oilers at tanking.

No one.

They've had too many top picks. The one year the Flyers were legitimately terrible, they somehow still don't get top pick...that pick has now effectively turned out to be Luke Schenn, vs Chicago's Patrick Kane.

Think about that bit of injustice for a moment. 

[Ginaz]

Flyers apparently are trying to make a run for McDavid. 

No one can best the Oilers at tanking.

No one.

If the Oilers end up getting McDavid, I will choke a bitch.   MacTavish will have no excuses if they keep failing after that.

[Ceryse]

The irony is that most advanced stats have the Oilers in the 19-23 rank. Low shooting percentage and poor save percentage (some of that on the goalies.. some of that on the defense for horrible play) bring the Oilers to.. 30th!

The goalies seem to be getting better now that Chabot is gone (something most knowledgeable Oiler fans wanted done at least three years ago), and now that Eakins isn't playing Schultz 23+ minutes a night the Oilers may get better defensive zone play. Especially if Nikitin gets IRed and doesn't come back until healthy (and the Oilers bring up Marincin...) and they sort out the powerplay (won't happen) the Oilers could feasibly make a second half surge into merely being a laughably bad team instead of being the joke of the sports world territory.

Of course, if Gordon's injury from last night is serious the Oilers might be bad enough to force the NHL to consider relegation.

[Bunk]

Dear Ottawa Senator fans. Chris Neal is a giant douche.
 http://youtu.be/ThOs96tnllU

Happens around 34 seconds.

[Speedy Cerviche]

The owner is a giant douche too, looks like he was behind McLean getting canned. He'll won't have a problem finding a new job.

[Special J]

Ok so who had MacLean fired before Randy Carlyle or Dallas Eakins. Anyone?

Paddock, Hartsburg, Clouston, MacLean and now Cameron.  

30th payroll in the NHL still finds a way to stay .500.  So let's shitcan the guy who won the Jack Adams two years ago.  And hey, let's not look at who's out there (*cough* Dan Bylsma) let's just promote the assistant because that'll be cheap.  They did this bullshit before when they cheaped out on DeBoer and went with Hartsburg.

What a gongshow my team is. Fuck you Melnyk.

[Ceryse]

From what I've heard and read, the main reason MacLean got canned was the star players (Ryan, Karlsson, etc.) tired of him singling them out in the room. Sounds pathetic, but it is an unfortunate truth in the modern NHL; elite players refuse to deal with coaches of the old school who tell them what to do, instead of working with them. There are some exceptions, as some coaches have enough reputation and 'who the fuck do you think you are?' to get past it. By all reports, MacLean used to be a new age coach, but after the Adams trophy win and when things got dicey, he reverted to more old timey methods and the (star)players apparently had enough.

How much of that is actually true? Who knows, but there's enough smoke there to give indications that a decent amount of it is.

[WayAbvPar]

The Sens have stars? 

[Special J]

The Sens have stars?  

YEAH! We've got Erik Karlsson and, and...shut up.  You don't get have a lower payroll than Florida, the Islanders and Phoenix by having "stars".  It's all about cost per point! Watch as the only reliable shutdown defenseman (whom MacLean has had for a total of 2 games this season) gets shipped out thanks to "cost per point".

Yes maybe his relationship with players ended up dysfunctional, but we are on coach #5 now in Murray's GM tenure.  And they didn't even look around.  There is no 'interim' tag for Cameron.

I suspect when Daniel Alfredsson was still there with the 'C' he had MacLean's back.  That changed obviously.

[Ceryse]

So, Eakins fired. Rumour has it MacT could coach, with Nelson coming up as assistant (and might be made official later on).

Hilarious.

Eakins needed to be fired; shouldn't have been hired to begin with. If MacT coaches, however.. only possible upside is it gets him fired as well. I like Nelson as a coach, but giving the team to yet another rookie coach? Ugh. At least wait for the off-season and see if Babcock is interested f you back up enough Brinks trucks (he won't be).

[Ginaz]

So, Eakins fired. Rumour has it MacT could coach, with Nelson coming up as assistant (and might be made official later on).

Hilarious.

Eakins needed to be fired; shouldn't have been hired to begin with. If MacT coaches, however.. only possible upside is it gets him fired as well. I like Nelson as a coach, but giving the team to yet another rookie coach? Ugh. At least wait for the off-season and see if Babcock is interested f you back up enough Brinks trucks (he won't be).

Babcock will be resigning with the Red Wings.  I hate to say it but a rookie coach might be the only one willing to take the job, or perhaps a veteran coach who's been out of the NHL for a while, like, say, Mike Keenan.  It's a bad situation in Edmonton and it's not going to get any better for quite some time.

[Ceryse]

The only reason I could see Babcock even potentially coming to the Oilers is the money; he is looking for a big raise in his pay, both for himself and to move the pay for coaches in general forward. He's admitted as such that the amount of money he signs for is a big part of where he ends up, and that he feels an obligation to his fellow coaches to get as much money as possible.

I actually don't think he will re-sign with Detroit -- they don't seem willing to pay him north of 4-4.5 million a year. The Oilers would likely offer north of 8 million a year.

[Strazos]

I kind of wish they'd go after Mike Milbury - get him out of the studio so I don't have to see or hear from him anymore.

[Bunk]

World Junior Hockey Championship: I'm going to do something I wouldn't normally do here and give Toronto hockey fans some kudos for chanting for the Slovak goalie during the player of the game announcements after yesterday's semi-final game. That was the best five goal against losing performance I think I've seen a goalie ever have. Stood on his freaking head to keep Slovakia within one for half of the game.

[Speedy Cerviche]

He's no Kristers Gudļevskis.

[murdoc]

World Junior Hockey Championship: I'm going to do something I wouldn't normally do here and give Toronto hockey fans some kudos for chanting for the Slovak goalie during the player of the game announcements after yesterday's semi-final game. That was the best five goal against losing performance I think I've seen a goalie ever have. Stood on his freaking head to keep Slovakia within one for half of the game.

Toronto hockey fans are great - they just can't ever get tickets to Leafs games because they're too damn expensive.

[Ceryse]

Tickets for the World Jrs aren't exactly cheap, either. But yes, for a change the fans in both Toronto and Montreal were good. I think, however, you see a number of fans who normally don't attend the games of the respective teams hosting the tournament; I know it was that way here.

Been a fantastic tournament, as well. Godla was, well, godly, and the Slovaks get their second medal ever in a much deserved win for the underdog. Sweden has to be in shell-shock.. go undefeated to get into the semis before losing to a Russian team that decided to learn how to play smart hockey right before they played the U.S. (Russia was.. not good during the round robin) and then lose to Slovakia?

Best game of the tournament thus far, however, was the Canada/U.S. game, which isn't uncommon. The Canada/Russia game could be interesting, but I just don't see Russia having an answer for the sheer depth of a Canadian team that, for once, built their team the right way with minimal politics interfering.

[Special J]

Well they almost did.  The Russians made me nervous going in because of the shaky start and getting progressively better with each game they played.

But after a five year drought, all is right in the world again...


Yes, I could handle Canada/USA playing each other over and over again.  That matchup is always a treat.  But for me the Cold War hasn't worn off, it's always about beating the Russians.

I love this tournament so much. The NHL is dead to me when it's on.


Ok NHL I'll pay attention to you now.

Breaking news as I make this post: Randy Carlyle fired.  You're about 18 months late Leafs.  Now replace your GM and maybe you can finally get somewhere next year.

[murdoc]

It's ALL about beating the Russians. I didn't realize that outside of internet gaming I could generate as much hatred for teenagers as I do for the Russian Junior team. I still remember Buffalo...


CARLYLE IS GONE YESSSS.

[WayAbvPar]

Everyone who watches hockey knew Carlyle would get fired. It should have happened over the summer, but Nonis or his bosses wanted to sink another season first. Idiots.

[Ceryse]

The firing of Carlyle makes me very sad. He was a key element to the Leafs sucking.

Watch the Oilers hire Keenan to coach the Oilers next season with Blysma and Carlyle as assistants.

[Speedy Cerviche]

Don't worry Leaf haters. It's going to take a while to turn around a club that has Kessel & Phaneuf as its stars, and is paying Clarkson over $5 million a year until 2020.

[Special J]

The belief is they'll appoint an interim coach and offer Mike Babcock a huge bag of money at season's end.  Hope (not) they have a plan B if he extends in Detroit.

Also, it'll take more than a coach to turn that outfit around.  This is a team with a weak core that are going to have all sorts of cap problems.  They have $41 million in cap space already committed for the next 3 years and not many of those deals are going to be easy contracts to unload.

Brian Burke may have acquired most of those players, but it was Nonis that signed them long term. And then there's the Clarkson deal.   

This is a team that looked at their lineup and said "Yeah, Tyler Bozak is a #1 center".

Of course this scenario played out before when they fired Ron Wilson and hired Carlyle, so they could very well fuck it up again.  And the comedy will continue! 

[Fordel]

Damn, I said he would be gone before the new year. 


The Leafs are broken at a level beyond players and coaching. Scouting, Management, Ownership, Culture... it's utterly fucked in just about every imaginable way. The only reason this organization hasn't been mothballed is because it still makes an almost unimaginable amount of money.

[Ginaz]

11 loses in a row for the Leafs now.  New franchise record.   If they really want it, they can set a record that will never be broken.

[Arinon]

Might as well try to win the Connor MacDavid sweepstakes.

[Ceryse]

11 loses in a row for the Leafs now.  New franchise record.   If they really want it, they can set a record that will never be broken.

To be fair, the play the Oilers next. The Oilers are very good at helping teams turn things around.

Although, the Oilers are actually playing decently post Eakins (once MacT went got the fuck off the bench...) as Nelson has fixed a number of the glaring Eakins-fuckups. Combine that with playing to win and not getting shit upon from the Hockey Gods with goaltending (still not good.. but hardly the shit-show it's been prior) and the team is .500 pts % since Nelson took over and has cut down the goal differential bleeding drastically. Once they trade Petry (our best d-man.. UFA and they haven't even made him a god damn offer, apparently) and Gordon (because, well, Oilers) the team should collapse into a complete free-fall, especially if they do the smart thing and force Hall and Pouliot to sit out most of the rest of the season instead of rushing them back from injury yet again (for the record, the Oilers have now rushed Hall back from injury seven times in his career already).

But, at least the Oilers aren't the circus act that is Toronto.

I just hope Calgary, Toronto, or Vancouver get McDavid. Any team but those three. Of those three.. Toronto would be the least offensive if only because they would fuck him up within two years and make him into just a star, rather than a generational talent.

[Speedy Cerviche]

Oilers vs Leafs should be fun tonight...

Incase anyone missed it...
Winnipeg making a surprise entry into the running for biggest Canadian gong show.

[Fordel]

I have no idea what the history of all that is with Kane, but that would probably be my reaction too from the vacuum of that one incident.

[Ceryse]

The Kane thing is interesting; in particular how much he is being vilified in the press and by the fans. The guy is a massive douche and/or asshole, but if you take the context of the situation into account, along with the history.. I actually don't blame him in the slightest for the recent spat. Consider the following;

- The 'leaders' on the Jets (Wheeler, Byfuglien) have a history, with previous teams (Boston, Chicago respectively), of not getting along with team-mates and Byfuglien has had similar issues in Winnipeg, including tussles with management and coaches.
- Kane has been, reportedly (TSN, Sportsnet, ESPN and others have all commented on it recently and in the past), targeted multiple times by the above two for not 'falling into line', or 'being a good team mate'.
- Kane has been battling the injury for awhile, and even on Jet blogs it was speculated he was going to need surgery several weeks ago, and the injury has been reported as having gotten notably worse over the last week or so, even before this incident. Additionally, there's rumours that in an earlier season he was heavily pressured to play while injured, and then slammed by fans/media/management for sub-par play during that period, which may affect his attitude towards playing with this injury.
- Kane has been repeatedly "thrown under the bus" by his coach in interviews with the media, especially in post-games, even when he was clearly not even close to the biggest problem on those nights (and, of course, a number of times when he was).
- There's has been reported incidents when Wheeler, Byfuglien and Ladd have not been punished by the team for violating team rules (Wheeler and Ladd have both missed several mandatory team functions over the years and have never been punished according to team rules, and Byfuglien has actually violated the dress code rule three times; punished only once, the first time it happened).

There's more details than above, but these are the ones I know have been reported in various media outlets over the years. The guy is clearly a spoiled prat, but you combine that with the Jets locker room and the team's management of him? Disaster.

Kane is perfectly in his right to opt for surgery, and quite honestly, would be stupid not to. It's an injury that has been bothering him for awhile, is getting worse and it was the team doctors, not Kane, who made the determination that surgery was needed, and the sooner the better. Could he play with it? Sure. Should he? No. Especially not for a team/fan base that has treated him like shit (whether or not some/most of that has been deserved).

Lastly, I find it hilarious the double standard on bullying in our society. We condemn bullying, cry out that we should address it and prevent it, yet if someone (especially an adult) has been a victim of bullying, who call for them to suck it up, get used to it, to not ask for it, act mature and so forth. Kane has been the victim of bullying (and bullying is incredibly common in pro sports.. and the lower levels). While the latest incident is pretty minor as bullying goes.. it is still bullying, and I know from conversations with ex-Oilers, scouts and guys I knew who were AHLers that it not uncommon for severe bullying (and hazing) to occur in hockey -- and all of it is considered as tradition and something players should engage in when the rookies and younger players come in or act in ways they don't like. Almost no one in the media has really stopped for a moment to consider the bullying aspect, yet they have talked about being anti-bullying in the past and how there should be zero tolerance for any kind of bullying, especially in light of the death of Burke's kid.

However, Kane is the one who has acted immature in this scenario, going by the media/fans, not Byfuglien and Wheeler. Hint: the mature thing to do would have been to sit Kane down and have a conversation with him and explain clearly that he needed to clean up his act, regardless of his reasons (claimed he had not been aware/notified the team function was one of the ones where a dress code was applied, and that when he found out it was too late to go back home to change) being valid or bullshit as, blah, blah, blah. Now, granted.. maybe that was tried years ago and failed.. but then you trade him longer before things come to this.

Now, personally, I'm not anti-bullying, though I believe if you bully someone, you become fair game for bigger fish to bully you. I consider it simply part of human nature that will not ever change and is not all negative. But, then again, I'm an asshole and worse. The hypocrisy just amuses me, though, considering everything.

[Speedy Cerviche]

There's more details than above, but these are the ones I know have been reported in various media outlets over the years. The guy is clearly a spoiled prat, but you combine that with the Jets locker room and the team's management of him? Disaster.

Lots of NHL players (and most big league pro athleres) are big ego, arrogant young male millionaires who've been told their shit don't stink since the age of about 8. I'm sure some of these young men are worse than normal dipshit   (even Bob Gainey, who knew his way around a NHL player's head, couldn't control a young Grabovski), but some teams definitely seem to have a better handle then others when it comes to bringing them down a notch and into a team first spirit than others.

[Special J]

Master stroke from Tim Murray in acquiring Kane.  They tank further in the short term for the draft lottery, and acquire a good young forward for next season.  They give up the latest of their 3 1st rounders and a couple guys that weren't in their long term plans.

Kane may be immature, well duh, he's 23.  As the Bruins have learned, trading young, highly talented players because they lack maturity is a REALLY big mistake. 

I think I mentioned before how print guys are just the worst. If you don't kiss their ass, they will skewer you. When it comes to egos they are right up there with any young player.  Just watch them on Twitter losing their mind if anyone dares question the gospel they have laid out.  If you don't suck up to them, you will be attacked for your "questionable character" and "lack of leadership".  If you suck, but are nice to them, then you're "trying too hard".

If Myers can get back to his previous form with a new team, then Winnipeg does pretty good too.  Stafford helps them push for the playoffs, which they desperately want to reach.

[Ceryse]

Nelson remains the coach you cannot stop, merely contain. Get's back to 0.500 during his solo stint as head coach. May have cost him Lander (who's been, basically, Superman) and Petry (it will be very Oilers if he's hurt and can't be traded at the deadline, so they lose him for nothing during the off-season), but still.

Also brings the Oilers to 13-11-1 against the East. The Oilers would be a playoff-hunt team in the Eastern conference. This, of course, is nothing new. During their last eight years they've had a winning record against the East. Think about that; the Edmonton Oilers, regarded by many as one of the biggest Mickey Mouse teams in the NHL the past eight years.. would almost be a playoff team in the East.

God damn the East sucks.

Also hilarious; without Price and Subban? Advanced stats show Montreal would be a negative corsi and fenwick team.. to the rough degree of Ottawa. Basically two players are able to make a non-playoff team into one of the best teams in the East.

[Bunk]

Hell of a Canucks / Rangers game last night. That was the game I feared most on this road trip and we squeaked it out. The Sedins seem to have refound their youth.

[WayAbvPar]

Horvat is a gem. Almost worth losing Ginger Bricks.