91 replies to this topic

[Broken 16]

Alot of us here believe that Luongo is a sieve and has a s***ty attitude. That's why we don't fear your team. And considering that he has never really done anything to prove otherwise, I guess you're just gonna have to deal with it.

[Chairman Maouth]

Not one sub-par season, but two sub-par POST-seasons. Big difference. The whole "5 instead of 7 so that's an improvement" statement from your captain has got to have you a bit worried. I know I'd sure as hell be worried if Nick Lidstrom said something to that effect.

Also, not only did the Wings not "squeak into the playoffs" last season, but they had the best record in the NHL after the Olympic break due to the fact that they were completely healthy, unlike starting at the third game of the year.

One bad game two years ago; otherwise a solid playoffs. A fairly solid effort this playoffs considering the state of the Canucks defence. You know how ridiculous the injuries on defence were -- right? It was brutal -- and now the defense has been addressed by Gillis.

I guess I just imagined all the panic and the Flames watching going on around here towards the end of the season.

Look, I know it's human nature to devalue opposing players and overvalue your own, but I try to be as objective as possible. Luongo is still fairly young. Devaluing him now based on his performance over essentially one calendar year may be foolish. Kipper is older than Luongo and had 3 or 4 years in a row where his play deteriorated, last year he was back with a vengeance. I'm not laughing at him anymore -- except for maybe when he abandoned ship in the Olympics.

[redwingfan19]

until vancouver does something in the playoffs no one will take them seriously. they came close in 94 but has been not making the playoffs or second round flops ever since. The canadian media is always nut hugging a canadian team. this year it is vancouver, before its been calgary or the sens. same old thing every year, same goes for the sharks as well. nucks have a shot just like anyone else but tsn guys calling them the team to beat with the very good but most overrated goalie of all time is puzzling.

[Chairman Maouth]

Alot of us here believe that Luongo is a sieve and has a s***ty attitude. That's why we don't fear your team. And considering that he has never really done anything to prove otherwise, I guess you're just gonna have to deal with it.

I'm not sure I can do that chief. Your post may haunt me the rest of my life. As a matter of fact, I'm on the verge of tears at this very moment. Hell, I may need an ambulance to take me to the hospital for a dose of IV Valium. Is Valium strong enough? I don't know. I may need a horse tranquilizer instead. Yeah, that's it. I won't call an ambulance -- I'll call a vet. He'll fix me up with a couple ounces of that stuff and I may be able to cope with those harsh words o9f yours that you're forcing me to deal with.

Is the Guiness Book of World Records still around? Cause I think I just set a new high water mark for sarcasm. And I did it through all those tears.

Edited by Chairman Maouth, 03 July 2010 - 09:04 PM.

[Hockeytown0001]

until vancouver does something in the playoffs no one will take them seriously. they came close in 94 but has been not making the playoffs or second round flops ever since. The canadian media is always nut hugging a canadian team. this year it is vancouver, before its been calgary or the sens. same old thing every year, same goes for the sharks as well. nucks have a shot just like anyone else but tsn guys calling them the team to beat with the very good but most overrated goalie of all time is puzzling.

The last few years it was Calgary and the "unstoppable" Iginla and Kipprusoff, but they have yet to advance past round 1 since 2004.

[Broken 16]

I'm not sure I can do that chief. Your post may haunt me the rest of my life. As a matter of fact, I'm on the verge of tears at this very moment. Hell, I may need an ambulance to take me to the hospital for a dose of IV Valium. Is Valium strong enough? I don't know. I may need a horse tranquilizer instead. Yeah, that's it. I won't call an ambulance -- I'll call a vet. He'll fix me up with a couple ounces of that stuff and I may be able to cope with those harsh words o9f yours that you're forcing me to deal with.

Is the Guiness Book of World Records still around? Cause I think I just set a new high water mark for sarcasm. And I did through all those tears.

You sure are exerting a lot of effort to prove that you don't care about my opinion. I almost believe you. Either that or you just enjoy reading your own responses. I'm leanin' that way.

[Chairman Maouth]

until vancouver does something in the playoffs no one will take them seriously. they came close in 94 but has been not making the playoffs or second round flops ever since. The canadian media is always nut hugging a canadian team. this year it is vancouver, before its been calgary or the sens. same old thing every year, same goes for the sharks as well. nucks have a shot just like anyone else but tsn guys calling them the team to beat with the very good but most overrated goalie of all time is puzzling.

You're right. Results are the only way to calm the critics.

But of course the Canadian media favours Canadian teams. Doesn't every country do that? I remember the 1992 and 1993 World Series with Toronto. The American media nearly had a collective stroke.

Either that or you just enjoy reading your own responses. I'm leanin' that way.

Well I do enjoying reading good material. Yours isn't bad either, but only as a catalyst.

[Broken 16]

You're right. Results are the only way to calm the critics.

But of course the Canadian media favours Canadian teams. Doesn't every country do that? I remember the 1992 and 1993 World Series with Toronto. The American media nearly had a collective stroke.


Well I do enjoying reading good material. Yours isn't bad either, but only as a catalyst.

I'm happy to be a catalyst to your homerism... you guys are like cute little wind up dolls.

[The_Colonel]

I'm happy to be a catalyst to your homerism... you guys are like cute little wind up dolls.

Dude-- talk about a schoolyard bully.

And for the record, no, I don't think that the Canucks are the team to beat. In the west, with Chi Town's cap moves it's back to being Detroit. In he East, Pittsburgh with their moves make them the team to beat again. Boring, but that's how I see it.

[Chairman Maouth]

I'm happy to be a catalyst to your homerism... you guys are like cute little wind up dolls.

I'm actually more of a wind-up puppy. As a matter of fact, if you don't say something a little more clever or interesting soon I'm going to go push a ball around the kitchen floor with my nose.

[Broken 16]

Dude-- talk about a schoolyard bully.

And for the record, no, I don't think that the Canucks are the team to beat. In the west, with Chi Town's cap moves it's back to being Detroit. In he East, Pittsburgh with their moves make them the team to beat again. Boring, but that's how I see it.

I don't even consider Detroit to be the team to beat at this point. It's way too early for that kind of prediction... which is exactly why Vancouver being proclaimed by anybody to be the team to beat is just stupid (which by default kinda makes anyone defending the notion a little questionable). And I think Luongo sucks. Whats the problem?

Edited by Broken 16, 03 July 2010 - 09:27 PM.

[Chairman Maouth]

Dude-- talk about a schoolyard bully.

And for the record, no, I don't think that the Canucks are the team to beat. In the west, with Chi Town's cap moves it's back to being Detroit. In he East, Pittsburgh with their moves make them the team to beat again. Boring, but that's how I see it.

I don't see anyone in the West being favourites at this point. Depending on what happens the next few weeks any of the teams who won their quarter final series could contend, and maybe even a couple more like LA and PHX. Strange things happen when the season begins. Last year was proof of that.

[NazMo]

What was the reaction around Canuck land after his comments following the loss to Chicago?

Take the "C" away from Luongo!!

I can't believe Ryan Kesler makes $5 million.

And Kesler is a STEAL at $5 Mil. If you don't agree with that, you don't know Kesler.

[Chairman Maouth]

Take the "C" away from Luongo!!



And Kesler is a STEAL at $5 Mil. If you don't agree with that, you don't know Kesler.

The comment Luongo made about the 5 goals had nothing to do with people questioning whether he should be captain or not. Those questions arose out of his sub-par season in general.

As for Kesler's contract, you're on your own there bud. I don't think it's bad considering he's a good rival of Datsyuk and 6 years younger, but you won't find anyone here who will agree with you.

[Hockeytown0001]

The comment Luongo made about the 5 goals had nothing to do with people questioning whether he should be captain or not. Those questions arose out of his sub-par season in general.

As for Kesler's contract, you're on your own there bud. I don't think it's bad considering he's a good rival of Datsyuk and 6 years younger, but you won't find anyone here who will agree with you.

It should have only confirmed the notion that Luongo never should have been made captain, which was nothing more than a ploy to entice him into staying in Vancouver.

[Yzerman191]

I think most of the questions surrounding Luongo stems from the fact that, on the whole, he's never accomplished anything. He's won a few rather meaningless playoff series, but he's only had one real impressive playoff run. Also, statistically, he didn't really have an off year last year; his save percentage seems to stay pretty much static in the .910-.920 region. Don't get me wrong, that's impressive, but it doesn't strike fear into my heart. When I think of goalies I don't want to run into in the playoffs, Luongo is not who comes to mind.

As for western conference teams that have improved themselves, everyone seems to be forgetting Phoenix. They had a strong season last year and made some decent acquisitions without losing much thus far. The Sharks, Blackhawks, and Predators seemed to have downgraded.

[eva unit zero]

The defending champs will always have that aura of winning the Cup, but the Hawks have lost a ton of depth that they wouldn't have won without. IMO, they're a playoff team, but have taken a few steps back from a bonafide Cup contender.

The only player in their top-six forwards the Hawks lost was Versteeg. They lost none of their top four defensemen (Hjalmarsson pending) nor their goalie (Niemi pending) and have either replaced every player lost with a younger player who is just as effective, or have a replacement lined up. The only exception is Byfuglien, whose net presence may or may not be recreated effectively enough by guys like Kopecky and Brouwer. But my main point is that Chicago's main players are still in place, so to write them off as a team that isn't a contender because they lost easily replaceable depth players who were overpaid anyway.
Eager is no better than Maltby and made $1m last year. Fraser is in the same boat and made $700k. Both were RFAs and would have cost a combined $2m+ to sign...for the team's #12 and #13 forwards.
Sopel was outplayed by rookie Jordan Hendry, and was dumped because he was making $2m, which is #4/#5 money when he was the team's #6 defenseman. Bring in a rookie or another vet to replace him for $1m or less with no discernible difference in play.
The Hawks lost 54 goals between Versteeg, Byfuglien, and Ladd. Kopecky is likely to serve as the primary replacement in Buffy's role, so we'll see an offensive increase from him, maybe an increase of 10 goals between Kopecky and Brouwer's total of 32 up to 42, given the increase in playing time and linemate skill during the regular season. So we have to replace 44 goals. Viktor Stalberg, the primary piece returning in the Versteeg trade, scored at a better GPG than Ladd or Byfuglien and only slightly behind Versteeg. Given better linemates (any of Chicago's top three lines) and a real chance, which is likely what Stalberg will get as a Hawk, he should be able to score at 20 goals over a full season. So let's see where another 14 goals come in. Bolland playing a full season and Bickell playing a full season works out to about 30 goals, which replaces the 14 contributed by Eager and Fraser.

So realistically, the Hawks have pretty much covered their losses so long as the intended replacements work out as they 'should' shall we say. Can't speak for the playoffs given the increased number of inexperienced players, but definitely a contending team with the core having had Cup experience last season and the team being perhaps only marginally worse.

[Heroes of Hockeytown]

I actually think there are more question marks in the West than ever before. I think people are forgetting about Nashville, who I believe will have a fantastic season.

It sure isn't like the old days where Detroit/Colorado/Dallas were guaranteed to be in the Finals every single year.

As for Nashville, they might have a decent season, but a Cup contender they are not. Hornqvist is the only forward on their team with first line talent, and that's in a net-front role like Holmstrom. The rest of their forwards are 2nd-3rd line talent trying to make it as 1st-2nd liners. It's a credit to Barry Trotz that he manages to coach such a weak team into the playoffs most years, but it's no surprise that he's never won a playoff series with them.

[Chairman Maouth]

I think most of the questions surrounding Luongo stems from the fact that, on the whole, he's never accomplished anything.

I was in Vancouver in February. Are you sure about that?

[Yzerman191]

I was in Vancouver in February. Are you sure about that?

As soon as Vancouver is allowed to bypass the salary cap and assemble a roster exceeding $125M in payroll, I'll worry about his Olympic achievements. Until then, I'll remember that he doesn't have multiple Norris contenders in front of him, as well as forwards capable of keeping the puck from ever reaching the defensive zone to begin with. I honestly think any of the three goaltenders for team Canada could've won them gold. Thus, I don't really consider it that much of an achievement for him.