NHL Thread

[bleaf27]

2 hours ago, Muloghonto said:

1. Tanking is cheating. The lottery is done by the NHL, so if i were to accuse the Pens for having won the rigged lottery, the blame would fall on Bettman. No, the Pens did all they could've done- which is cheat- two years in a row (they were trying to snag Ovie too but failed).

 

2. Both the two videos show slash to the ankle and to the knee. The fact that you are calling players who are regular Lady Byng finalists as 'sisters', shows why TML fans are hated across Canada. Your fanbase doesn't know how to respect other team's stars or better players and have had the crappiest team for almost 50 years. Toronto in hockey is like having India's cricket market but West Indies team of the last 10 years. Utter tosh. 

 

3. Now i know you are not a hockey follower, since no team EVER confirms a bid on their player that doesn't go through. Who approached whom, is the domain of tweets of hockey newscasters and sports journalists.

 

4. Burrows, Kesler and Bieksa are not goons. They hardly fought, you are losing the plot in terms of what it means to 'protect' a star player. Try someone like Lucic or such. We had no goons in our team, which is why Boston would get away with crap like sticking a stick between the Sedins' visor and helmet with no retaliation. Bieksa was a clean, tough as nails defenceman, our Willie Mitchell light. Kesler, Burrows, Lapierre, etc were dirty, sleazy players but not goons or fighters. 

 

5. Domi, Tucker, Clarke- they are all fragile players, who hardly finished an entire season in their entire career. IIRC, Clarke never did and Tucker only had 2 seasons where he played the whole season- much easier to do mind you, when you are not a top player and seeing 12-15 minutes a night instead of 18-20+ and that too against the best and roughest defenders of the opposition. 
Its much easier to throw a punch than take a punch. As i said, i don't expect TML fans to know what toughness is- they mistake goons and thuggery as toughness. Toughness is having an iron-man streak. Something no Toronto player can boast of.

 

6. So you are obfuscating between being clearly the most hated team in Canada (which McLeans show) versus 'not being loved' ? We are a western team. We get it. Eastern teams are more favoured due to demographics. But not being popular is not the same as the most hated team in Canada. That domain firmly lies with the TML.

 

7. Like i said, every team has its goons and parasites. Nothing exemplifies it more than the Maple Laughs of the 2000s- with goons and thugs like Domi or Tucker who were slashing monkeys. I'd rather have a diver in my team than an ankle slasher, but then again, i don't expect Leafs fans to know what real hockey looks like. There aren't many Leafs fans alive who've seen their team play good hockey of any sort and you certainly are not one of them.

 

8. 'Decent run' ? Our run in the 2000s for the 8 year period is greater than ANYTHING the Leafs have accomplished in their past 50 years combined ! 

 

9. What bigger market ? There is no bigger hockey market than Toronto. Sundin ditched you guys- you tried to trade him out to get picks, he refused, then he refused to sign with you and came to finish his career with the Canucks. Coz he knows what Toronto animal house is like. Crap fans, crap media and crap management.

You also clearly didn't see the staley cup finals where we lost, because Luongo took full responsibility for the loss. You are not supposed to win the cup if your goalie lets in 5 goals on 15 shots in the finals. Everyone blamed Luongo, not the Sedins. No superstar has dominated the scoring in the Stanley cup finals. Crosby got 2 points in the final series, Patrick Kane got 1 point, etc. Finals of Stanley cup comes down to goalies, defence and support cast, as the major skaters are mostly neutralized.

 

10. Toronto doesn't play Canadian style of hockey, that used to be Montreal. Canadian style of hockey isn't low skill, goons and thuggery, its high skilled physical game. Currently, the 'Canadian style' is best represented by Anaheim. 
And yes, i'd expect overall #1 draft pick who is not even 20 years old to skate circles around 37 year olds. So not sure what you are boasting of here, except that Matthews and the rest are nothing more than 1 season wonders right now, awaiting the dreaded sophomore slump.

As per long term contract - which 36 year old gets offered a long term contract anyways ? 

Toronto, simply speaking, has never had players as elite and as clean as the Sedins. The closest is Sundin. who all he had over the Sedins was size. But was slower, lesser passer or shooter than either Sedin.

 

 

1.   Tanking is not cheating and secondly,  no NHL team is gonna give up games to end up dead last.  So you reckon Canucks are tanking right now on purpose eh ?   Tanking as good as it may sound as a strategy just isn't possible and with Vancouver right there in the basement - a Canuck fan should be the last one to call our any other team "tanking" on purpose.
2.  There is no slash in the two videos - your Canuck goggles cannot possibly be this dead dark that you are unable to see Ferrence slightly pushing  Henrik in his arm in the second video and he goes down like he got shot.  That's an embarrassment to the sport.  In the last video Horcoff slashes at the stick cleanly not even the glove and he goes down again - the Sisters have spent more time on the floor than on their skates.  and I did not call them Sisters -  how many testimonials do you need from NHL players themselves calling them a disgrace to the sport ?
3. It's funny you keep callling me out for not being a hockey fan but most of what you are putting in your posts is utter rubbish which I have refuted with evidence - from draft lottery to Don Cherry to St. Louis to you either ignoring players like Sundin/ Domi/ Tucker or the serious lack of memory of Sedins embellishing through playoffs.   and I am surprised to hear more from you - you keep claiming "12" teams approaching for the Sedins - I'd love to know where you got the magic number from ?  HF boards dont count and when Kessel was being brought to Toronto and Iginla , Oshie were being traded , teams were quite publicly in the mix.  Suprisingly these 2 UFAs have 12 teams approaching them which you are so confident of , just no source to back your claims.
4.  You had no "enforcers" or heavyweights like Orr, McLaren , Chara,  Lucic -  Bieksa , Kesler , Burrows were quite enough to defend the fairies which they always did.  So don't try to hide their sheltered playing skills .  We did not have Orr out on the 1st line protecting Kessel,   your dirty players were enough to shield the fragile twins
5. Again your hockey accumen is very limited if you consider toughness of players based on number of games they were on the ice - Darcy Tucker playing 74 games with 80-100 PIM's shows a lot more toughness than a 1st line centre with 82 games and barely on his feet flopping on the ice.  Tucker / Domi players went toe to toe with the 3rd and 4th lines where you are grinding and playing ugly hockey and that sir is where you see toughness - 1st line hockey jostling with St. Louis / Crosby / Malkin doesn't demonstrate toughness to say the least.
6. So now it is Eastern vs Western thing now ?   Save it bud  -  It's the horrible soccer style of hockey that Canucks play that would make any hockey fan despise them. On top of that their conceited fanbase makes it even worse.  Canucks may have had a good stretch 4-5 years ago but they never gained any respect from their opponent.  Pushing the caps to game 5 even this year got TML enough recognition around the league.
7. Again as a Canuck fan , when you don't have a real hockey team to cheer for - you do not have much option left , do you.  That team is an embarassment to the sport .   I think you only saw one of the articles I put for you - missed this one ?http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/canucks-have-become-nhls-most-hated-team/article582541/ When fellow coaches / players call out your team for biting / putting hair / diving / embellishing and not being a "man"  - I don't think it can go any lower than that.   I'd take a team that hasn't done well but plays with pride rather than Lady Byng finalists biting and flopping their way to it.
8. From 1992-2004   -  Leafs made it to the playoff 10 times out of 12 with four round 3 appearences !.  What are you smoking bud ? haha.  The canucks on the other hand from 1992-2004   made it only 8 times out of 12 seasons with one appearence to the finals !   Irony is lost on you eh.   Atleast do some research before you put stuff out.
9.   Ofcourse Toronto is the biggest market but as a leaf fans we wanted the best for Sundin and that was for him to go to a team where he could possibly try and win so it was best for him to go.   Leafs have been rebuilding and it was better for him to be traded but again Canucks even failed to utilize Sundin with the sisters and couldn't even with such a star studded team go all the way
10. Luongo played on his head to take you guys to the Finals !!  Without him, you wouldn't have even made it past round 2 - stop embarrassing yourself lad.
11.  As for the Canadian style of hockey -   It certainly isn't embellishment, diving , Oscar worthy performance from the fairies so atleast the Canucks are out.   Canadian style hockey is decorated by Grit,  hard fore checking style of play , hits and blocked shots and leafs used to lead in that.   -  The blue collard style of hockey.  The more you talk, the more I am realizing how less you know of the sport.
12.  It's funny that you are mentioning Habs playing Canadian style of hockey where the Montreal coach himself,  Jacques Demers put it best -   " I work in Ottawa, and there are more people here talking about the Maple Leafs than talking about the Senators. But what I am saying is, what is happening in Toronto is good for hockey and it is something the whole country could get behind.” "Toronto was tough. And toughness, no matter what the hockey peaceniks say, is seared into the Canadian hockey soul."

As for Toronto's history  -  I would not even name Clark , Sittler , Gilmour and Clark even in the same sentence as the Sedins - Heck , Sedins would not even go into the HOF , let alone be remembered for long , Theres enough of Datsyuk , St. Louis , Thornton , Iginla , Crosby , Ovechkin way way above them even in this era.

 

For the Leafs - they do not have any ugly contracts -  young kids who may or may not have a slump , pretty good cap space and draft picks which are doing quite well.    Canucks are stuck with two 36 year olds who are way past their prime and no one would take them on their team and are rebuilding with over 14 mill stuck between them .   Go figure that out 

 

[Muloghonto]

1 hour ago, bleaf27 said:

1.   Tanking is not cheating and secondly,  no NHL team is gonna give up games to end up dead last.  So you reckon Canucks are tanking right now on purpose eh ?   Tanking as good as it may sound as a strategy just isn't possible and with Vancouver right there in the basement - a Canuck fan should be the last one to call our any other team "tanking" on purpose.
2.  There is no slash in the two videos - your Canuck goggles cannot possibly be this dead dark that you are unable to see Ferrence slightly pushing  Henrik in his arm in the second video and he goes down like he got shot.  That's an embarrassment to the sport.  In the last video Horcoff slashes at the stick cleanly not even the glove and he goes down again - the Sisters have spent more time on the floor than on their skates.  and I did not call them Sisters -  how many testimonials do you need from NHL players themselves calling them a disgrace to the sport ?
3. It's funny you keep callling me out for not being a hockey fan but most of what you are putting in your posts is utter rubbish which I have refuted with evidence - from draft lottery to Don Cherry to St. Louis to you either ignoring players like Sundin/ Domi/ Tucker or the serious lack of memory of Sedins embellishing through playoffs.   and I am surprised to hear more from you - you keep claiming "12" teams approaching for the Sedins - I'd love to know where you got the magic number from ?  HF boards dont count and when Kessel was being brought to Toronto and Iginla , Oshie were being traded , teams were quite publicly in the mix.  Suprisingly these 2 UFAs have 12 teams approaching them which you are so confident of , just no source to back your claims.
4.  You had no "enforcers" or heavyweights like Orr, McLaren , Chara,  Lucic -  Bieksa , Kesler , Burrows were quite enough to defend the fairies which they always did.  So don't try to hide their sheltered playing skills .  We did not have Orr out on the 1st line protecting Kessel,   your dirty players were enough to shield the fragile twins
5. Again your hockey accumen is very limited if you consider toughness of players based on number of games they were on the ice - Darcy Tucker playing 74 games with 80-100 PIM's shows a lot more toughness than a 1st line centre with 82 games and barely on his feet flopping on the ice.  Tucker / Domi players went toe to toe with the 3rd and 4th lines where you are grinding and playing ugly hockey and that sir is where you see toughness - 1st line hockey jostling with St. Louis / Crosby / Malkin doesn't demonstrate toughness to say the least.
6. So now it is Eastern vs Western thing now ?   Save it bud  -  It's the horrible soccer style of hockey that Canucks play that would make any hockey fan despise them. On top of that their conceited fanbase makes it even worse.  Canucks may have had a good stretch 4-5 years ago but they never gained any respect from their opponent.  Pushing the caps to game 5 even this year got TML enough recognition around the league.
7. Again as a Canuck fan , when you don't have a real hockey team to cheer for - you do not have much option left , do you.  That team is an embarassment to the sport .   I think you only saw one of the articles I put for you - missed this one ?http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/canucks-have-become-nhls-most-hated-team/article582541/ When fellow coaches / players call out your team for biting / putting hair / diving / embellishing and not being a "man"  - I don't think it can go any lower than that.   I'd take a team that hasn't done well but plays with pride rather than Lady Byng finalists biting and flopping their way to it.
8. From 1992-2004   -  Leafs made it to the playoff 10 times out of 12 with four round 3 appearences !.  What are you smoking bud ? haha.  The canucks on the other hand from 1992-2004   made it only 8 times out of 12 seasons with one appearence to the finals !   Irony is lost on you eh.   Atleast do some research before you put stuff out.
9.   Ofcourse Toronto is the biggest market but as a leaf fans we wanted the best for Sundin and that was for him to go to a team where he could possibly try and win so it was best for him to go.   Leafs have been rebuilding and it was better for him to be traded but again Canucks even failed to utilize Sundin with the sisters and couldn't even with such a star studded team go all the way
10. Luongo played on his head to take you guys to the Finals !!  Without him, you wouldn't have even made it past round 2 - stop embarrassing yourself lad.
11.  As for the Canadian style of hockey -   It certainly isn't embellishment, diving , Oscar worthy performance from the fairies so atleast the Canucks are out.   Canadian style hockey is decorated by Grit,  hard fore checking style of play , hits and blocked shots and leafs used to lead in that.   -  The blue collard style of hockey.  The more you talk, the more I am realizing how less you know of the sport.
12.  It's funny that you are mentioning Habs playing Canadian style of hockey where the Montreal coach himself,  Jacques Demers put it best -   " I work in Ottawa, and there are more people here talking about the Maple Leafs than talking about the Senators. But what I am saying is, what is happening in Toronto is good for hockey and it is something the whole country could get behind.” "Toronto was tough. And toughness, no matter what the hockey peaceniks say, is seared into the Canadian hockey soul."

As for Toronto's history  -  I would not even name Clark , Sittler , Gilmour and Clark even in the same sentence as the Sedins - Heck , Sedins would not even go into the HOF , let alone be remembered for long , Theres enough of Datsyuk , St. Louis , Thornton , Iginla , Crosby , Ovechkin way way above them even in this era.

 

For the Leafs - they do not have any ugly contracts -  young kids who may or may not have a slump , pretty good cap space and draft picks which are doing quite well.    Canucks are stuck with two 36 year olds who are way past their prime and no one would take them on their team and are rebuilding with over 14 mill stuck between them .   Go figure that out 

 

1. Tanking *IS* cheating. Because it is deliberately losing. Now it doesnt make sense to tank due to draft lottery (which is demonstrated by this years draft) but back when the stakes were heavily favoured for the worst team, tanking was a viable alternative- especially for generational talents like Sid. 

 

2. Both of them were slashes- one to the knee, the other to the ankle. As for calling them sisters- yes you are the one doing it, considering ONLY Bolland called them 'sisters' and he promptly regretted it:
https://www.thescore.com/nhl/news/337649

All you are doing, is exposing your typical TML mentality, where you guys appreciate goons and thugs over clean players. As i said, the Sedins rarely fall down because they are such strong on their edges. This is why they have the greatest zone entry stats this millenium

 

3. Sedins are not UFAs. They have 1 more season left. Show me last time when teams have divulged trade offers for players under contract. 

 

4. LOL. Burrows is 180 pounds guy and himself a lightweight. Kessler only played with the Sedins on the PP, so how the heck is he enforcing, when he is not even on the ice again ? Check up how often Kesler or Bieksa fought- which is on the very low end of the spectrum. 

As for fragile twins- if playing every single game for years on end is fragile, then i am afraid, all the Leafs are made of glass. Such one-eyed tomfoolery is classic TML fanhood.

 

5. You again expose the fact that you are not a hockey watcher if you think top lines go H2H with each other. That hardly ever happens, top lines are usually matched up to 3rd/4th lines of the opposition. hence those lines are called CHECKING LINES. 

When we play the Ducks for e.g., Sedins see the Kesler line or the Vermette line, not the Getzlaf line.

And yes, its a lot harder to keep playing through injuries and play every single game of the season, for most of their careers than being a thuggish goon who breaks down every 5 games and struggles to finish a season and that too playing lesser minutes.

 

6. One playoff and you think you got respect, but 8 division titles in 10 years, 1 presidents trophy and 1 Stanley cup finals doesn't win respect ?

Its no wonder, that the leafs fanbase are the most hated fanbase in hockey- they are ignorant and conceited. 
Your team proved nothing more than being a flash in the pan.

 

7. Your hatred and jealousy for the Sedins sees you embellish everything against them. The Sedins are not the hair pullers or biters or any such- its Burrows and Lapierre who had that reputation. I'd much rather have dignified people who play hockey in the true spirit of hockey, while being elite talents, than being a bunch of thugs and no-hopers who's only skill is crashing into people coz they have mass.

 

And considering the Canucks have been FAR better than the Leafs over the last 20 years, the most successful Canadian team in that period, its not a wonder why the Canucks are beloved in this city. What is a joke, is the TML fanbase, who have a worthless team and still resist having other hockey teams in the region !

 

8. Yes, in 92-2004 period, we were a far better team than the Leafs. We won division titles (Leafs didnt). We won conference title (Leafs didnt). 

And its a no-contest in the Sedin era, where we won everything there is to win except the Stanley cup.

 

9. Sundin wasn't traded to the Canucks. He refused to be traded, then he refused to sign with you and signed with us. We picked him up through UFA. Ie, he gave the TML a big middle finger as they deserve.

 

10. Round 2 was won by Kesler. Round 1 was won by the Sedins. Loungo was average that whole series and the one time we needed him, he dropped the ball. 

 

11. Leafs are a bottom-feeder team for decades and just having a few mediocre goons don't make you exponents of Canadian style hockey.Canadian style hockey is first and foremost elite talent. Something the Leafs never had. 

 

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As for Toronto's history  -  I would not even name Clark , Sittler , Gilmour and Clark even in the same sentence as the Sedins - Heck , Sedins would not even go into the HOF , let alone be remembered for long , Theres enough of Datsyuk , St. Louis , Thornton , Iginla , Crosby , Ovechkin way way above them even in this era.

 

None of those hacks from Toronto are fit to tie the shoelaces of Hart and Art Ross trophy winners. The latter group is where the Sedins belong, not with the also-rans from Toronto. 

Your Sittler, Gilmour, Clark, etc are one tier below- they belong in the same category as Linden or Morrison.

 

As for not getting into the HOF, LOL !! Nothing more than one-eyed TML fanhood. No Art Ross or Hart trophy winner has EVER been overlooked for the HOF, especially not true gentlemen and charity Gods like the Sedins. 'Ugly Canadian hockey fans' like you have a hard time appreciating no-nonsense skill and titanium durability because the Sedins are not into cheap shots that the Laughs are known masters of.

 

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For the Leafs - they do not have any ugly contracts -  young kids who may or may not have a slump , pretty good cap space and draft picks which are doing quite well.    Canucks are stuck with two 36 year olds who are way past their prime and no one would take them on their team and are rebuilding with over 14 mill stuck between them .   Go figure that out

 

Plenty of teams would happily take the Sedins because they are old but still elite. Their contract is over in 1 year, so its almost perfect timing for us. The only ugly contract we have right now, is that of Erikson but we are willing to wait and see if it was just a 1 season blip. 

 

As for not having a bad contract- yes you do. his name is Morgan Reiley. A 3 mil defenceman being paid 5 mil. Not horrible though, but the duration is whats killer for the Leafs.

Andersen and Zaitsev are also dangerous contracts, given how long they are and how unproven they are.

 

Edited May 12, 2017 by Muloghonto

[zep1706]

Back to back cups for the penguins. IMO they can win more if they stay healthy and motivated. The team has insane depth and a great coach. 

[bleaf27]

Leafs signed Marleau ! A good signing I'd say , 3 year deal for a gun player -  still can put in around 30