I want to take a few days off to rest and be with my wife in Florida, but first, the mandatory All-Star Break awards-lists-thingy!Four Forwards Who Will Probably Be A Good Deal in July If They're Not Re-Signed First:
- Martin Gelinas - age 37, still productive at EV and can play against anyone
- Dan Cleary - his counting stats have exploded, and yet still don't really tell the whole story
- Michael Ryder - look I don't want to trade Tanguay for him, but he's 27, and his production seems likely to rebound.
- Jason Williams - assuming he's recovered, consider the injuries a blessing for depressing his price
Four Superstitions I Retain About Hockey That Have No Proven Basis That I Know Of:
- A blowout victory can have a negative effect on a team that can persist through several losses
- I'd rather play a team that won the night before than lost
- The biggest difference between above-average and below-average NHL goalies is the number of lousy goals they allow, not the number of fantastic saves
- The Saddledome crew needs to change the Flames' entrance music back to Jump by Van Halen
Guy Who Will Take His Place In The Discussion: Jason Spezza
Best Player In The League That Has No Chance Of Being In That Discussion: Pavel Datsyuk (close second: Chris Pronger)
Two Things I'll Continue To Rant About With Varying Enthusiasm To No Effect Whatsoever:
- Over 90% of the things that happen in hockey games this season will be at a "key" or "big" time, so the whole cliche is especially useless
- All the other things I like to rant about
- Sheldon Souray
- Kurtis Foster
- Michael Rozsival
- New YoungStars format: lipstick on a pig
- Save percentage: anything that would get you on the honour roll in high school is more than adequate
- Hot dog shootout contest: skeptical but I'll watch (this time)
- Winner: West -3.5
- Truck: Gaborik
- Go Flames? Of course, both of them.
I can understand disliking the cliche as overused, but I can't understand you throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
ReplyDeleteSome events in games are key and do happen at critical times. I get confused about whether or not you still remember this; I have no doubt that Grabia has forgotten it if he ever knew it.
A goal is not a goal is not a goal, just the same way a blowout victory is not just a victory.
Thank you for not mentioning Conklin in your awards. Cleary is enough of a kick in the junk for one day.
Cleary is enough of a kick in the junk for one day.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of, did everyone see Pronger fight him the other night? Video is here. I thought Danny boy handled himself quite well.
God bless Hockeyfights.com for adding the video feature, btw.
Yes to Kurtis Foster. One of those guys who has a cannon that you rarely hear about.
ReplyDeleteSubjectively, I'm pretty sure Souray has the hardest shot I've seen from an Edmonton Oiler. I am surprised it wasn't a bigger part of his rep beforehand.
ReplyDeleteI think these two probably have some basis in reality that you can demonstrate empirically.
ReplyDelete# A blowout victory can have a negative effect on a team that can persist through several losses
# I'd rather play a team that won the night before than lost