drsingle

For those that believe that Tootoo takes a lot of stupid penalties, you really don't have a clue what you're talking about (unless you believe fighting majors are stupid penalties). Tootoo has 98 PIM for the season. He has had 12 fights totaling 60 minutes. That leaves 38 PIM from minor penalties from a guy that has played in all but about 10 games, four minutes with those two roughing penalties last night. That's not bad at all. I can guarantee you that he has drawn more than 19 minor penaties for the season- a lot more. The comparison between Maltby and Tootoo is a natural one in terms of their ability to agitate. Today, Tootoo is probably slightly better as an agitator. That said, Maltby is one of the best penalty killers in the game. Both have hands of stone in the offensive end, although Maltby is slightly better (and both do score from time to time). That said, I don't think Tootoo will ever reach 24 goals in a single season. Tootoo is a very good fighter, while Maltby is much more the Avery style of agitator by not fighting. Tootoo has speed to burn, but is easy to knock off of his skates (due to both is small size and his willingness to embellish). Dirty player? It seems that the definition of being an agitator, or pest, is to be accused of being a dirty player by fans of every other team. Indeed, there's a certain level of truth to that statement. Maltby and Chelios have been known as dirty players as well (both of whom like to throw those elbows around). The biggest complaint lodged against Tootoo is that he charges on most checks and then leaves his feet when checking a player. I tacle the second issue first. A player is not allowed to leave his feet prior to checking a player, however it is completely legal to leave one's feet at the point of impact. Tootoo hits "up" into opponent and leaves his feet at the point of impact practically every time. He rarely leaves his feet prior to the point of contact, although it has happened. As for the charging, he is definitly more guilty of that. Charging is one of those penalties, however, that the league as a whole just doesn't call often- especially in open ice situations like the hit to Schneider last night. As for those that would want Maltby over Tootoo, or vice versa, I would think it would depend on what your team needs. Do you want a top level agitator who can also drop the gloves? If so, you want Tootoo. Do you want a top level agitator that can kill penalties and/or work well on a checking line? If so, you want Maltby. If age is a consideration, you might lean toward Tootoo. Fans that get upset over the antics of an agitator, particularly those of team that employees an agitator (or two), should know better. All agitators have a little nasty streak in them. A really good agitator that can draw a penalty or two every other game or so, without taking too many penalties themselves, is an asset. For those that can bring something else to the game, even better. David EDIT: Of course, you could just skip my post as BlueMonk said basically the same thing in a much more concise manner.

:rotflmao:

I didn't say that Lebda did a "Chris Simon" on Nichol's hands. I never mentioned that Lebda should be suspended since I did not see the slash myself in addition to the fact that he doesn't have a reputation of intentionally injuring someone. In other words, I think it was accidental. My only contention is that the slash was "hard enough" to break Nichol's thumb. Uh... What? Not being sarcastic here, I really don't know what you're talking about. Odds are the slash occurred away from the action and that's why nobody noticed it. Unless one has a bone problem, no bone is "easy" to break (granted that some are easier than others). With your example, your weight and speed to the ice was enough, combined with the impact of the hard ice, to break your finger. In the case of this slash, Lebda's momentum (both his and his stick), combined with any momentum that Nichol had as well as the impact of the hard stick was "bad enough" to break his thumb. That's all I've said on the subject and pretty damn hard to argue against given the evidence. None of that however supports suspending Lebda. It was an accident- which I've said from post one. David

As I didn't see the slash, I can't comment on whether a suspension should happen. How can one ask if the slash "was that bad" when a player's thumb was broken? That's a little amazing. Obviously, it was a hard slash. According to the league, it did not appear to be a premeditated slash and a suspension will not be doled out due to those findings. That is completely acceptable, but the slash, in and of itself, was "that bad". David

Every team's announcers display a certain level of homerism. Pete Weber and Terry Crisp are certainly no exception, nor are Eli Gold and Willy Daunic (radio announcers). Now, anyone that says that Terry Crisp doesn't know his hockey just laid their ignorance before everyone else to see. As a play-by-play man, Pete does a good job of calling the game. He's accurate and keeps up with the speed of the game. I will also admit that they tell too many stories, particularly when those spill over during the game. It's irritating, especially if the game isn't on TV and we are relying on their announcing. While their stories can be very funny, I don't want to hear them at the expense of the game. Terry is also generally known for calling it like he sees it. Keep in mind that he sees from the perspective of a traditionalist and of a former Broadstreet Bully. If Nashville is awarded a power play from a bad call, he'll typically say that "he doesn't see it, but we'll take it I guess". Sometimes, he'll just say "OK" with an obvious tone of disagreement. He absolutely hates the "Delay of Game" call made when a puck is shot over the glass, regardless on which team the call is made. When it comes to hitting, he will usually side with the hitter (again, his roots). When they are calling/analyzing the game, they are very good. They can definitely tell too many stories, and be homers on occasion. I won't deny either. David

"Nashville- An Out-of-the-Way Spot Between Carolina and Atlanta"- Eric Belanger

"Across the NHL in 14 Years"- Mike Sillinger

Zidlicky appears to have the ever mysterious "upper body injury" while Nichol received a two-handed slash from Lebda (his account) that broke a finger. David

Another great game in the series. I wish my Preds hadn't played so sloppily, particularly early on, but with the last game of a five game road trip, I guess that is to be expected. Injuries... damn. We lost Scotty Nichol and Marek Zidlicky last night. I think we could take the injured players from these two teams on go win the East. The battles that these two teams have against each other, and being forced to play through injuries to key personnel, should go a long way to helping these teams be ready for the playoffs. See you guys next Tuesday. Anyone coming to Nashville? David

"Taking A Risk- When To Stick Your Neck Out"- Barry Trotz "Foundations of Success: Standing on Your Own Two Feet"- Peter Forsberg "My Secret Life as a Crash Test Dummy"- Jordin Tootoo "The Night the Lights Went Out in Nashville"- Shea Weber with forward by Travis Moen A little gentle teasing of my beloved Preds. David

<sigh>

What, a shutout doesn't give Ozzie one day's reprieve? Having been a member of this forum for years now, I know the answer to that.

Faith? or Reverse Psychology? Great GDT as always aflac. Two things: first, the team points are differnt in the Central Division standings and Western Conference standings. Secondly, with Legwand and Arnott returning (and assuming Sully and Forsberg do not) our lines should look something like this: Kariya- Legwand- Erat Radulov- Arnott- Dumont (some combination of our grinders and AHL players on our third and fourth lines) Timonen- Zidlicky Hamhuis- Weber Suter- Zanon Vitaly Should be another tough and exciting game. EDIT: Vokoun's record is 21-8-3. David

If the games are officated consistently- regular season through the playoffs, I'm not too worried (again if reasonably healthy). We were manhandled last season by San Jose down the middle. With Arnott and Forsberg, that hasn't been an issue this year. Really, the only guys that are weak on the puck are Kariya, Sulilvan, Radulov, and to a lesser degree Legwand. Erat is extremely strong on the puck as is Dumont and Hartnell. Hopefully the Preds did enough to address that issue, but only time will tell. I'm more concerned with the talented, but inexperienced blueline. David

I don't disagree regarding Parent at all. However, this team has Hamhuis, Weber, and Suter already playing along with Zidlicky locked up for three more seasons- not to mention Klein and Cody Franson in the pipeline. They would also like to re-sign Kimmo (of course, they would also like to re-sign Kariya, Forsberg, and Hartnell too). With the defensive prospects we have, and the overall youth of our blueline in general, some defensive prospect was eventually going to be traded. It happened to be Parent. Since it was a position of strength, it wasn't a big deal to the Predators. I don't think Upshall would ever be a power forward, but he could most definitely become the next Scotty Walker. The only problem was that we had a top nine he couldn't crack. I wish Upshall well, and in fact believe he will do well with more ice time. It was obvious, though, that he wasn't going to get that ice time in Nashville. Again, another position of strength for Nashville. All teams aren't equal in terms of draft picks or strengths (current roster or the farm). In this trade, Nashville had plenty of strength on the wings and with their defensive prospects. The draft picks would be extremely late in an overall weak crop. This made for a trade that, even if Forsberg can't stay fairly healthy, shouldn't have much, if any, effect on the future. Without time to develop, Upshall or Parent will never be able to reach their potential. Upshall definitely would not have been given that time in Nashville, and Parent may not have either. David

"Upper body injury" David

As I mentioned in the Farber thread, the acquisitions made by these two teams were the biggest gambles of all the trades made that day by our brethren. Both teams acquired players that filled their needs with Forsberg, Vitaly, Bert, and Calder. However, there's a big question surrounding the health of both Forsberg and Bert. As I have also previously mentioned, Nashville did, by no means, sell the farm. Obviously, Detroit didn't give up squat for Bert either. So, what happens if neither pan out? Not much. Both teams were impressive prior to the moves made, and should continue to be impressive. While one can question the character of Bert if one chooses, it's hard to throw stones at the Preds for obtaining Forsberg or to throw stones at the Wings for obtaining Bert based upon what those moves bring to the ice. Both moves are equal in their potential to bring nothing to the ice. David

Well, I'm not entirely unbiased , but I appreciate the compliment. I always enjoy good hockey conversations, regardless of where on the internet they occur. David No doubt.

BM, you're right in that a team as physical as Anaheim, and to some degree San Jose, can be a problem to a team like Nashville in a seven game series. However I don't believe the Preds are in the same position as the Wings because the two teams just play two different styles. Nashville's style is to push the puck and turn the game into a transition game. They are not a puck possession team in any way, shape, form, or fashion. Detroit, on the other hand, is one of the best puck possession teams in the league- which is really amazing when one considers that Detroit doesn't have the size of a San Jose to pull that off. Nashville's style has a couple of affects. First, since they are not a puck possession team, they don't possess the puck for great lengths of time and generally spend more time in their own zone which means they are typically outshot. Secondly, the more time your in your own zone the more "on the back of your heels" you play making you prone to the big hit by aggressive teams like Anaheim. Against Anaheim, Nashville was without Forsberg, Legwand, Sullivan, Arnott, and Hartnell. Any team missing five of their six best forwards is going to struggle. Obviously, that's a lot of firepower. More importantly, however, is that Forsberg, Legwand, and Sullivan (along with Kariya) are our four best playmakers and the key to our transition game. We inserted guys that haven't played an NHL game at all and one that hasn't played with the Predators. That took away our transition game and made us a puck possession team- something this team isn't very successful at. In other words, it wasn't the injuries per se, but who was injured and that it crossed all three scoring lines that was the problem. When we can play our transition game, we do not generally get manhandled. With the exception of Hartnell's broken foot, the team hasn't given the impression the other injuries are serious (Arnott is the flu). If we are reasonably healthy, I'm not too worried about being manhandled by any team. Of course, being at where we are in the season, the team is obviously keeping injuries close to the vest, so who knows? I'm pretty happy that we got a point actually. I thought that was pretty impressive- particularly on Vokoun's part (shootout notwithstanding). On the road, the second night of a back-to-back, and missing five of your six best forwards? Not too bad. David

No, it wasn't lost- just some gentle teasing. Both Nashville and Detroit have made moves to improve already impressive clubs. The moves made by both teams were more of a gamble than those made by other teams due to the "concerns" regarding the players that were acquired. That said, both teams were impressive prior to their moves and should still be impressive if the acquired players do not contribute. David

Which would have been a pretty neat trick.

One definitely can't argue with this.

Exactly as you should take it. As Crymson has mentioned, we did play the Sharks last year. Hopefully, others will forget that just like we Predators fans are attempting to do. Always love a good Ric Flair quote. First tie-breaker is wins and Nashville has more. It probably won't be a factor with us playing each other four more times, so I wouldn't worry too much about it. Farber is good. It's a lot better article than I wrote on the subject. Baby steps for me. I really enjoyed the slide show as well. David

It really was a great game. Lots of physical play and uptemp, end-to-end action. Vokoun and Nabby both played extremely well. David