Hossa's cup quest garners little sympathy

[BewareThePenguin 1]

I'm a Pen's fan, and have no problem with the decision Hossa made. The only thing that angered Pen's fans was that he took FOREVER to make his decision. While we waited, (assuming we would resign him) we let other players walk to other teams because we could not afford them with Hossa's contract too.

I like Detroit. Always have, but this year I'd like to see them fall short.

Hossa didn't just leave, he:

a) took his sweet time, and left the team hanging, as you mentioned

b) made a big point of announcing WHY he was leaving, as a final slap to the team

Those of you who don't get the Hossa hatred puzzle me.

He couldn't have acted like a bigger jerk on the way out.

[servo 15]

ATL is torn.....

http://forums.atlantathrashers.com/index.p...=26207&st=0

What the hell is an ATL

Bahhh ha ha aha ha

[flip 5]

I defy any Penguins fan to go back and watch the highlights from the Pens' run last year and tell me afteward that they still hate Hossa. He gave everything he had and then some for that team. I watched every single Penguins playoff game last year, and I'd argue that he was their best all-around player. He was second on the team in scoring behind Crosby, but he also worked twice as hard backchecking than anyone else. Without Hossa, the Wings would've swept the Pens last year.

[Ms_Hockey 0]

The coaching wasn't terrible. They had just made it to the Stanley Cup. One of the reasons the team went south was because the lack of a scoring winger.

Coaches don't get fired because they're doing a great job. Something was up with the coaching, whether the Pens had been in the Cup final or not.

In either case, though, Hossa saw the team going through their inevitable downslide and he left. I don't see anything fishy about that.

[BewareThePenguin 1]

I defy any Penguins fan to go back and watch the highlights from the Pens' run last year and tell me afteward that they still hate Hossa. He gave everything he had and then some for that team. I watched every single Penguins playoff game last year, and I'd argue that he was their best all-around player. He was second on the team in scoring behind Crosby, but he also worked twice as hard backchecking than anyone else. Without Hossa, the Wings would've swept the Pens last year.

And I defy you to claim you'd still feel all warm and cozy for Hossa if he:

a) was given a nice offer by your team, but took as long as possible to decide before leaving, and

b) announced on the way out he was leaving for the Ducks because the Wings are ancient, and they're the wave of the future

[Ms_Hockey 0]

Your right, he left Pittsburgh to win the Cup. If Pitt wins, that means his decision was wrong. Detroit is an icon in this sport. They are certainly a team that all players would LOVE to play for. Just like in baseball, players like to play for the storied franchises, such as the Yankees or Boston. They give the best chance at winning year in and out. Pittsburgh has the chance to become a team that is back in the SCF for the next 3-4 years...that is why people did not understand his logic.

I read on this forum that everyone thinks the West is hard, and the East is far behind. If that is the case, is it not easier for the Pens to get to the SCF then Detroit?

Pittsburgh didn't have that chance until a few major changes this year. At the time he made his decision, he had no idea those changes were going to be made. He made his choice based on the facts at the time - and it wasn't looking very good for the Penguins.

As for the West being more difficult than the East, it doesn't necessarily mean it's easier for the Pens to get to the finals. It's difficult for the Eastern teams to play their own conference. If you took a West coast team and put them through the teams in the East to get to the Cup finals - the West would dominate. But the Pens are at the Eastern level so it'd be more difficult for them.

[Ms_Hockey 0]

And I defy you to claim you'd still feel all warm and cozy for Hossa if he:

a) was given a nice offer by your team, but took as long as possible to decide before leaving, and

b) announced on the way out he was leaving for the Ducks because the Wings are ancient, and they're the wave of the future

That's hardly the same thing as saying he wanted to win the Cup. Even Crosby stated in an interview that if that was Hossa's reason for leaving, he doesn't blame him for choosing to go to Detroit. It was the obvious best choice to go to for that.

[Greetings from Blueland 0]

What the hell is an ATL

Bahhh ha ha aha ha

I resent that.

[Manoir 70]

I'm so sick of Pens fans complaining about Hossa. Just be glad that your team was in the right place at the right time and got a chance to draft Crosby and Malkin or else the Penguins would be extinct.

[flip 5]

And I defy you to claim you'd still feel all warm and cozy for Hossa if he:

a) was given a nice offer by your team, but took as long as possible to decide before leaving, and

b) announced on the way out he was leaving for the Ducks because the Wings are ancient, and they're the wave of the future

Funny how you claim to know so much about the negotiations when the closest anyone actually involved (Hossa, Winter, or Shero) has come to commenting on them was Winter's statement that the Penguins never made a firm offer and Shero's conflicting statement. No terms were ever discussed publicly and Shero has certainly never said that he was misled. All you've got are inferences based on hearsay - those two combine for pretty weak grounds to dislike someone. The fact is, Pens fans are angry because Shero dropped the ball in the off-season and lost all his free agents but one, Brooks Orpik, whom he massively overpaid for.

Here are a couple of facts that you need to come to grips with: hockey is a business, Hossa was slated for free agency, and Hossa was traded to the Penguins.

On top of that, if the Pens had re-signed Hossa for what he signed for in Detroit, they'd be facing monumental cap problems in the coming seasons. Heading into next season, they'd be right up against the cap as it is now, with 10 active forwards signed, four active defensemen signed, and one active goalie signed. They wouldn't even have the money to fill the holes without letting a few people go.

Edited May 29, 2009 by flip

[Electrophile 3,554]

Screw the haters. Seriously. We're going to play our game and we'll either win with it or we'll lose with it. Hossa came here to try and win a Stanley Cup. No shame in that. Get over it.

[flip 5]

This would be the Pens lineup in 09-10 if they'd kept Hossa for $7m exactly. This is assuming the Kunitz deal never happens, which puts Whitney back on the team. Guerin, Satan, and Fedotenko don't matter because their contracts are up after this year regardless:

X - Crosby (8.7) - Hossa (7.0)

X - Malkin (8.7) - X

Dupuis (1.4) - Staal (4.0) - Talbot (1.05)

Cooke (1.2) - Kennedy (.725) - Godard (.75)

Gonchar (5.0) - Orpik (3.75)

Whitney (4.0) - X

Eaton (2.0) - Letang (.835)

Fleury (5.0)

X

That's $54,110,000 - leaving $2.590m to sign a first line left wing, two second line wings, a second pairing defenseman, a backup goalie, and bring up one or two extra forwards. That's a cap hell I wouldn't wish on any team.

The Penguins have decimated their AHL team in the process. The only guys who finished the season with WBS in the AHL that could viably make the team are Taffe (.550), Caputi (.833), and Goligoski (RFA looking to make more than then .984 he did last year).

Edit: Didn't realize Talbot was going to make more next year. I redid the numbers accordingly.

Edited May 29, 2009 by flip

[Tman77 40]

Skimmed through this and didn`t see this mentioned but he only played 12 reg. season games and 20 playoff games for a grand total of 32 games for Pitt. I can understand someone leaving your team for another and not liking them but he wasn`t there that long at all to garner a huge hatred. I think the underlying tone not being admitted is that he went to Detroit, the hated team that knocked out Pitt. for the Stanley Cup.

[softshoes 83]

I defy any Penguins fan to go back and watch the highlights from the Pens' run last year and tell me afteward that they still hate Hossa. He gave everything he had and then some for that team. I watched every single Penguins playoff game last year, and I'd argue that he was their best all-around player. He was second on the team in scoring behind Crosby, but he also worked twice as hard backchecking than anyone else. Without Hossa, the Wings would've swept the Pens last year.

Amen

If the Pens had 2 Hossa's instead of a Hossa and a Malkin they might have made it over the hump last year. I also think had Hossa stayed Pitt would have won enough for Theirren to keep his job thus depriving Pen fans the love fest they have for the new coach, his leaving also is depriving Wings fans the joy of watching his pressers in the finals this year. I already miss the obstruction quotes.

The Pens made it last year with some shrewd trade deadline work. The stunk it up till the trade deadline this year, made some moves(to go with a new coach) and made it back again. The arguement Pitt fans use to justify their hatred of him, 'it's not that he left but the way he left', just doesn't cut it with me. I would venture he spent a sleepless night or two making the biggest career choice of his life.

[pockets 9]

i like how penguins fan blame Hossa for the whole lack of signing FA and losing malone but i think Shero should get some blame as well cuz he was putting all his eggs into one basket

[Dabura 12,232]

Hossa didn't just leave, he:

a) took his sweet time, and left the team hanging, as you mentioned

b) made a big point of announcing WHY he was leaving, as a final slap to the team

Those of you who don't get the Hossa hatred puzzle me.

He couldn't have acted like a bigger jerk on the way out.

:violin: :violin: :violin: :violin: :violin: :violin: :violin:

[titanium2 867]

Hossa didn't just leave, he:

a) took his sweet time, and left the team hanging, as you mentioned

b) made a big point of announcing WHY he was leaving, as a final slap to the team

Those of you who don't get the Hossa hatred puzzle me.

He couldn't have acted like a bigger jerk on the way out.

Pens fans have every right to feel the way they did after Hossa left. If Hossa left DET in the same manner, which is very possible, then we would have felt the same way too, if not maybe even more upset. It's not good when you feel as if someone has led you on and then does otherwise with their actions.

It's also understandable that this series match up has re-opened the wound. It sucks.

[Zion 93]

Bertuzzi, anyone?

[55fan 5,133]

Bertuzzi, anyone?

Good ask. I was thinking of when Schneider left us for the Ducks (still like him, BTW), but Bert is a much better example. Trade deadline acquisition, and left for a "winner". There were a couple of people crying over Bertuzzi leaving if memory serves me right.

[MrB0629 0]

Bertuzzi, anyone?

I was thinking more of Fedorov...

[MidMichSteve 1,115]

I was thinking more of Fedorov...

Fedorov was a whole different thing. He was here for his entire career, to that point obviously, when he bolted. And there was the whole sneaking him out of the evil mother country thing.

As 55 stated, Bert was a late season acquisition like Hossa and, as it turned out, his leaving was the best thing that could have happened to us.

Edited May 30, 2009 by MidMichSteve

[MrB0629 0]

Fedorov was a whole different thing. He was here for his entire career, to that point obviously, when he bolted. And there was the whole sneaking him out of the evil mother country thing.

As 55 stated, Bert was a late season acquisition like Hossa and, as it turned out, his leaving was the best thing that could have happened to us.

True...

Their fans are trying to say he pulled a Uwe Krupp on them and it's not even close. He worked his butt off for them and without him it would have been the Wings in 4 last year. (assuming they made it all the way with out him.)

[YoungGuns1340 1]

I could be wrong, but I was under the impression that most ( if not all) hockey players want to win the Stanley Cup? It sounds like a smart man to sign on where there is a good chance of doing so. My God, Hossa didn't break a life long contract with s***tsburgh to come here to play. Nor did he sign a deal with the devil to win a cup....or did he?...

If I were a hockey player, my main goal would definitely be to win a cup before I retired. Could you imagine the feeling of retiring without winning the cup? I'd be eternally depressed.

Hossa had an opening. Detroit had just won the cup, and they had 90% of their team locked up for next year. He got money, and he essentially got an out clause: If Detroit went into the s***ter, he didn't have to stick around. He used his smarts on this one.

[YoungGuns1340 1]

And I defy you to claim you'd still feel all warm and cozy for Hossa if he:

a) was given a nice offer by your team, but took as long as possible to decide before leaving, and

b) announced on the way out he was leaving for the Ducks because the Wings are ancient, and they're the wave of the future

Detroit had just won the cup, and they had just 2 UFAs to come to terms with - Stuart and Lilja.

Pittsburgh, on the other hand, had Orpik, Malone, Dupuis, Conklin, Ruutu, Eaton, Laraque, and Hall to re-sign. Hossa had no idea what Pittsburgh was going to look like. He had every idea not only what Detroit was going to look like, but what Detroit could do with the lineup they had. There weren't ANY question marks with Detroits roster (or reputation, for that matter) while question marks littered the Penguins roster.

All you have to do is understand that fact, and it makes PLENTY of sense as to why Hossa waited AND the reasons he gave for leaving. I could just as easily say

a) he waited because he wanted to have a better idea of what kind of team Shero was going to put together

b) he announced on the way out that the Wings had kept their entire cup-winning core, whereas the Pens didn't

But of course, that would shift the blame to Shero, and would blow up the Benedict Hossa argument.

[Detroit # 1 Fan 2,204]

f*** em. When Hossa is parading that Cup around the ice whether it be in s***sberg or Motown, they'll turn off the tv and STFU, and we can all appreciate the great move he made.