kipwinger

But isn't that a little like saying that a soldier understands the long term risks associated with PTSD just because guys in WWI reported being "shell shocked"? There's a difference between a vague notion, and specific knowledge IMO. Sure people knew that some boxers ended up like Ali, but most boxers seemingly lived "normal' lives. But only because nobody knew about the drinking, depression, suicide, etc., and these things hadn't been linked to the sport yet. It was easy to see that Ali was messed up. A little harder to see what affect it had on others because nobody knew what to look for. Again, I'm not trying to absolve these guys of their responsibility for their own well being. But I don't think that it's fair to imply they knew the specific risks they were facing just because there was a vague understanding that some guys (like Ali) weren't right after their career.

Mike Keenan? Doesn't he currently coach in Russia? It would be fun if Keenan got the gig. Him, Babcock, and Tortarella could compete for the "Most Overrated Blowhard" award.

Everybody knows that getting punched hurts, and that it's less healthy than not getting punched. But I'm not sure everybody knew that getting punched a lot in the 1980s and 1990s would cause depression, substance abuse, anger issues, and ultimately suicide in 2015. Those types of causal linkages just hadn't been made yet. I think that's where your argument is a bit too simplistic.

Good question. Apparently hockey USA has no interest in actually winning the World Cup. Can we get someone to photoshop Tortarella's head on Vinny Mac?

Did they? I thought much of the research on CTE is fairly recent?

Dang, that AA, Bert, and Mantha line is on fire.

This is an affront. How dare he mock a legend? Don Cherry is an institution. A deluded, old, xenophobic, blowhard, institution.

Same here. I figure Abby for around 15-18 goals. Tatar, Nyquist, Datsyuk, will all have 20. Zetterberg and Franzen may each make it to 20 if they're healthy. Beyond that, probably a bunch of guys around 15-20, including Abby, Helm, Richards, Pulkkinen, and Jurco. Our team offensive may improve overall with Blash behind the bench. But I don't think individual goal totals will fluctuate that much.

Wasn't he a healthy scratch for the first two games of the Tampa series?

Hear that everybody? His parents let him do it so it's all good. Just a big misunderstanding. Good luck with that kid. Jack Capuano totally seems like the kind of guy who's willing to tolerate back talk from an 18 year old. Totally.

I honestly don't know anything about the kid. I've never heard of him before I read the article.

"Tavares can wait, I need my ZZZs" - Josh Ho Sang. Reminds me of that time Evander Kane showed up on game day in a track suit. Too bad Dustin Byfulgien wasn't there to throw all of Ho Sang's gear in the shower or something. Side note: Imagine having to deal with Dustin Byfuglien every time you did something s***ty. Yikes indeed.

This is a bummer. I was kind of pulling for Verrier to get a contract. I liked his story. Better luck at McGill kid.

I didn't realize I'd said anything which wasn't specifically addressing Kane, or the woman, involved in this particular case. I also didn't realize I'd said anything political. I was trying my hardest NOT to politicize rape. My bad.

I actually agree. Wings fans would do the same thing. That doesn't change the fact that he shouldn't be at training camp right now.

A little from column A, a little from column B?

It's also not like Babs only did this with the defense. Remember when he moved Filppula to the wing and wanted him to shoot more? He lost one of his teams' better playmaking centers, and gained a below average winger (who still didn't shoot more). He'd have been better off putting Zetterberg on the wing (since he had no problem shooting) and letting Filppula center him (since he had no problem passing). Filppula still would have had all the extra assists that he ended up getting that year anyway, but you'd have gained a guy with proven 40 goal potential on the wing. Babs was infatuated with trying to jam square pegs in round holes.

I think the argument is not that Babs doesn't like offensive defensemen (he seemed to like Lidstrom, Rafalski, Schneider, and Kronwall just fine). But rather, that given the limitations of our blue line, it might have been better to play to the strengths of our defensemen (many of them are better offensively than defensively) rather than try to turn them into something they've never been. The opportunity cost of such a strategy is high. When you play away from someone, or something's strengths, you limit its effectiveness exponentially. Take Smith for example, he needs work. Clearly. But it would be easier to turn him into an effective point producer than to turn him into an effective shutdown guy. So why ask him to do the latter? In the best case scenario you only end up with an ok defender, rather than a pretty good puck mover. It would be like making Pulkkinen pass more if our offense wasn't very good. Best case scenario you lose a good shooter to create and ok passer. It's dumb. If you've got a bunch of under achieving guys with a particular skill set, you try to maximize the potential of that skill set. Not move completely away from it. If Babs is such a brilliant strategist, he should have developed a strategy based on active, good skating, defensemen. Since that's what he had a team full of. Instead, he clipped their wings and tried to make them be good at something they'd never done (or been good at) in their entire careers. Not surprisingly, they didn't respond well to it, and worse yet, it completely limited the offensive potential of the team overall.

RA-PIST, clap, clap, clap RA-PIST, clap, clap, clap

Ironically, you'd be a perfectly decent garbage man. Otherwise, you're worthless.

Wow. f*** this guy.

Of course he is. He's not from Ontario.

Bingo.

And now Nylander is "cocky" too. Despite the fact that he has not played a single shift of professional hockey, we've already seen him enough to judge his character. Right. Apparently if you're European, and a hockey player, you should hang your head in shame when playing for an NHL team. How dare you think you're any good.

The league isn't a court of law and doesn't have to play by the same rules. Pretty much every Commissioner in every sport has discretionary authority to suspend players if they're accused of something which tarnishes the league's image, or has the potential to do so. Which is why Roger Goodell could suspend Tom Brady and Ray Rice, even though neither of them were convicted of a crime. It's the job of a judge and jury to determine whether Kane committed a crime. It's the job of Gary Bettman to determine whether or not Kane is a problem for the league, which he might be, regardless of his guilt.