ECSF: Tampa Bay Crying Coopers vs. Montreal Complaining Canadiens

[kipwinger 8,522]

It's original because it's true, don't blame me. Please do tell what you would do differently to get us out of the first round. This should be good. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hire a coach who's teams score at even strength regularly, and not just on the powerplay?

Edited May 7, 2015 by kipwinger

[Datsyukian-Deke 722]

All this is making the road to the cup that much easier for chicago. Ughhhh

[Guest Playmaker]

This is what happens as the result of the salary cap/parity. What the Wings lack is depth. Guys like Glendenning, Helm and Abdelkader should be 3rd and 4th liners. In the past the Wings won playoff games on big goals from guys like Cleary, Draper, McCarty, etc.

There has been a great deal of complaining that the problem was the goaltending. So now the two top goalies in the league are on the brink of being eliminated. So having a star goalie doesn't guarantee anything. A great majority of the games in the playoffs are decided by one goal and are very low scoring. The line between winning and losing is miniscule.

[GoWings! 179]

Nothing I love more than seeing a team we had on the ropes and ready for a knockout, coming back, beating us in Game 7 and 1 win away from the Eastern Conference Finals.

[GMRwings1983 8,794]

This is what happens as the result of the salary cap/parity. What the Wings lack is depth. Guys like Glendenning, Helm and Abdelkader should be 3rd and 4th liners. In the past the Wings won playoff games on big goals from guys like Cleary, Draper, McCarty, etc.

There has been a great deal of complaining that the problem was the goaltending. So now the two top goalies in the league are on the brink of being eliminated. So having a star goalie doesn't guarantee anything. A great majority of the games in the playoffs are decided by one goal and are very low scoring. The line between winning and losing is miniscule.

Good point. 15 years ago, you needed a great goalie to win the Cup. A Brodeur, Hasek, Roy or Belfour. Nowadays, every team seems to have at least one goalie who is good enough to win the Cup. That's why Lundqvist, Luongo and Price haven't won a Cup. They're easily the best goalies of this generation, but they play in an era where good goaltending isn't hard to find.

Hire a coach who's teams score at even strength regularly, and not just on the powerplay?

That's one way to answer the question. A coach with a different approach to this roster would be nice. A fresh start a fresh mind. Babcock doesn't have anything new to add. He's already peaked here. He doesn't have any new ideas on how to improve the team. I don't think the players respond to him they way they once did. How many coaches in sports history peak, then don't win anything with that same team for a long time, and then peak again with the same team? I can't think of many. We've hit our zenith with Babcock.

Another way to answer the question would be getting a legit top winger who can score. Not an Abdelkader or Helm. We tried that with Cole but it turned out poorly. Need to try again and hope Holland can have better intuition with the move that he makes. It will likely involve trading a prospect again.

[amato 3,210]

Good point. 15 years ago, you needed a great goalie to win the Cup. A Brodeur, Hasek, Roy or Belfour. Nowadays, every team seems to have at least one goalie who is good enough to win the Cup. That's why Lundqvist, Luongo and Price haven't won a Cup. They're easily the best goalies of this generation, but they play in an era where good goaltending isn't hard to find.

That's one way to answer the question. A coach with a different approach to this roster would be nice. A fresh start a fresh mind. Babcock doesn't have anything new to add. He's already peaked here. He doesn't have any new ideas on how to improve the team. I don't think the players respond to him they way they once did. How many coaches in sports history peak, then don't win anything with that same team for a long time, and then peak again with the same team? I can't think of many. We've hit our zenith with Babcock.

Another way to answer the question would be getting a legit top winger who can score. Not an Abdelkader or Helm. We tried that with Cole but it turned out poorly. Need to try again and hope Holland can have better intuition with the move that he makes. It will likely involve trading a prospect again.

I would love to see the wings get/develop someone into a wayne simmonds type of player. That would work wonders for this team.

If only there were some way we could just trade for him but that's highly doubtful of course.

[GMRwings1983 8,794]

I would love to see the wings get/develop someone into a wayne simmonds type of player. That would work wonders for this team.

If only there were some way we could just trade for him but that's highly doubtful of course.

Does Philly still want Dan Cleary or has that ship sailed?

[kipwinger 8,522]

Does Philly still want Dan Cleary or has that ship sailed?

Word on the street says that Ed Snider is "all in" on hiring Babcock. So maybe.

[DatsyukianDekes 2,428]

Hire a coach who's teams score at even strength regularly, and not just on the powerplay?

That's a start. What's next?

[kipwinger 8,522]

That's a start. What's next?

Let him work with what he has, evaluate the teams' success, and then make changes/acquisitions as needed.

[puckloo39 5,686]

I was mad at TB when they won the round over us, I just didn't like the crying and whining from their coach. And yes, I was mad because Wings HAD the series in the bag, and then let it go. A great team finds a way to win. The Wings didn't quite have it together (again) in the playoffs. Makes me sad, but there it is, can't change anything about it.

TB should have a massive chip on their collective shoulders, since Montreal swept them last season, round one. Bolts were missing Bishop, who got injured... it was tough to watch. Now that they are healthy, I expect them to win vs. the Habs, assuming Stamkos gets back on track and stays there.

While I was not happy with TB moving on and not us, now I want them to win this round. That way it's more evident that the better team did advance, and we can feel better about losing to them. Weird logic, I know.

[rick zombo 3,739]

I want Tampa to advance too.

So I can watch that Caps team hit them into the ice and terrorize Tyler Johnson.

[Bully76 34]

I want Tampa to advance too.

So I can watch that Caps team hit them into the ice and terrorize Tyler Johnson.

Agreed. I f****ing hate Johnson. I mean, it's not Patrick Kane-type hate. Not by a long shot. But I'd love to see him get lined up and dropped by some of the Caps.

[GMRwings1983 8,794]

Agreed. I f****ing hate Johnson. I mean, it's not Patrick Kane-type hate. Not by a long shot. But I'd love to see him get lined up and dropped by some of the Caps.

I'd love to see Brian McGrattan do unpleasant things to that punk in a closet.

[ami 273]

Agreed. I f****ing hate Johnson. I mean, it's not Patrick Kane-type hate. Not by a long shot. But I'd love to see him get lined up and dropped by some of the Caps.

I too hate this small piece of s***.

Remember him going after Miller and giving him pretty nasty facewash with his gloves. He did it knwoing Miller face was cut open a couple weeks ago.

[Mckinley25 677]

I'd love to see Brian McGrattan do unpleasant things to that punk in a closet.

What is it with McGrattan and taking men into closets? Does his girlfriend know?

[kipwinger 8,522]

Here's the thing I think about as a fan. Instead of being pissed off that Tyler Johnson is good, or "hating him" because he looks like a maidmer (like a mermaid, but with a fish top-half), I want to know why he's playing so well. I mean, he's not bigger, faster, or more skilled than Gustav Nyquist or Tomas Tatar. He wasn't noticeably better than them during the regular season. He's not fundamentally more clutch. He doesn't have a better draft pedigree, or winning tradition. In fact, our own Griffins outshone him in the Calder Cup.

So why is Tyler Johnson carrying his team in the the Conference finals, while our young guys fell flat? Figuring out the answer to that should be the organization's biggest priority, and it's certainly what interests me as a fan of the team.

[Rhah 195]

Subban threw Johnson down to the ice after a check on the boards in last night's game. Nobody really saw it or commented on it, and the crowd got sort of mad. I enjoyed seeing it.

[rick zombo 3,739]

Here's the thing I think about as a fan. Instead of being pissed off that Tyler Johnson is good, or "hating him" because he looks like a maidmer (like a mermaid, but with a fish top-half), I want to know why he's playing so well. I mean, he's not bigger, faster, or more skilled than Gustav Nyquist or Tomas Tatar. He wasn't noticeably better than them during the regular season. He's not fundamentally more clutch. He doesn't have a better draft pedigree, or winning tradition. In fact, our own Griffins outshone him in the Calder Cup.

So why is Tyler Johnson carrying his team in the the Conference finals, while our young guys fell flat? Figuring out the answer to that should be the organization's biggest priority, and it's certainly what interests me as a fan of the team.

My only answer to this is coaching and better D.

Johnson's skating ability makes him an excellent two-way player, so he's no Patrick Kane or anything, but he's had more freedom to play an offensive role. Babcock had Tatar and Nyquist by the balls because, like all Wings forwards, they were expected to focus more on "trying" to play defence/back-check because the group of six blueliners could not look after s*** on their own.

I have no stats to back this up. And I'm too lazy right now to bother. Just a theory.

Or it's because he's Canadian

[kipwinger 8,522]

My only answer to this is coaching and better D.

Johnson's skating ability makes him an excellent two-way player, so he's no Patrick Kane or anything, but he's had more freedom to play an offensive role. Babcock had Tatar and Nyquist by the balls because, like all Wings forwards, they were expected to focus more on "trying" to play defence/back-check because the group of six blueliners could not look after s*** on their own.

I have no stats to back this up. And I'm too lazy right now to bother. Just a theory.

Or it's because he's Canadian

The Canadian this is probably the single most important variable. Just ask Don Cherry...or Frankgrimes.

[RedWingsRox 614]

Kind of surprised that it could be 4-0 ... a real possibility. Oh well, more butt hurt that we didn't take care of business when we were up 3-2 cuz Montreal could have been an easy out.

[rick zombo 3,739]

The Canadian this is probably the single most important variable. Just ask Don Cherry...or Frankgrimes.

or Brian McGrattan's girlfriend.

[GMRwings1983 8,794]

Kind of surprised that it could be 4-0 ... a real possibility. Oh well, more butt hurt that we didn't take care of business when we were up 3-2 cuz Montreal could have been an easy out.

As I said in previous pages, how do you know Montreal would have been an easy way out? We don't score goals like Tampa Bay can. And we didn't own Montreal and Price the way Tampa Bay did in the regular season. Other way around, in fact.

I just wanted to watch two more weeks of playoff hockey and witness an original 6 matchup. That's what I'm most butt hurt about.

[RedWingsRox 614]

As I said in previous pages, how do you know Montreal would have been an easy way out? We don't score goals like Tampa Bay can. And we didn't own Montreal and Price the way Tampa Bay did in the regular season. Other way around, in fact.

I just wanted to watch two more weeks of playoff hockey and witness an original 6 matchup. That's what I'm most butt hurt about.

OK, to say 'easy out' might have been a bit pompous of me.

[jimmyemeryhunter 2,747]

Tampa bay sweep tonight.

And probably a Chicago sweep of Minny.

A few years back, I had this real nice broom.

Real nice.

A Thick bristled bi**h.

And we won the Stanley cup.

I needs me a new broom.