Comments for April 02, 2012 at http://hockey.dobbersports.com , comment 1 to 23 out of 20 comments http://hockey.dobbersports.com Sun, 26 May 2013 03:21:13 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.3 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4535-april-02-2012#comment-20257 @ Isle B. Maybe you didn't intend to bash Angus personally, but the tone of your post, more specifically the first couple sentences made it seem like you did. If you didn't mean for it to come off that way, my apologies and no big deal...but as an outside observer your negative tone made it seem like you were bashing Angus personally (the sentence that starts with "This is just a bad conservative notion..." is not the most constructive way to disagree with someone. Either way, in the grand scheme of things, I'm sure Angus, Dobber, and co get plenty of negative/overly critical comments because that's part of the deal, and if you didn't mean for it to come off like that, then it's a moot point. As for the ESPN article, the one that I was referring to and hyperlinked was the 5-year lottery system, which would help reduce tanking and promote the true "bottom of the barrel" teams. I totally agree with your comments about the different sports franchises over the years and the cyclical nature of many, as well as the Avs/Nordiques fortunes. However, my argument wasn't operating under the assumption that the 17th place team gets the 1st overall pick, etc, etc. Thus, though the Avs may not have gotten Landeskog last year in the 5-year lottery system, they still would have gotten a fairly decent first round pick. It's not a perfect system, but in the short term it awards teams that still fight and claw for every point while simultaneously helping out teams that commit to rebuilding and often stinking for 3-4 years. Also, this system would place more emphasis on scouting, development, player movement, and the value of draft picks, which could be a good or bad thing depending on the organization (a last place finish wouldn't guarantee a top blue chip prospect the following year). - pbhockey4 Mon, 02 Apr 2012 18:49:30 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4535-april-02-2012#comment-20256 @Pbhockey4 How did I bash Jeff Angus personally? My comments were completely specific to his idea that there is a tanking problem in the NHL that needs to be resolved and that giving the best team out of the playoffs the first overall pick is a viable solution. The ESPN article was both specific to systemic realities of the NBA (namely, the way the league's salary cap functions and the incredible impact one single player can make) and was nonsensical in its own right with a faulty premise that seemed to boil down to 'the Sacramento Kings haven't drafted particularly well lately, so why waste a high draft pick on such a lousy franchise?'. Sports franchises' successes are largely cyclical. Sure, there are a handful like the Red Wings, Yankees, Spurs and Patriots that manage to stay in the upper echelon for over a decade and then there are a handful like the Islanders, Pirates, Wizards and Redskins who have had almost no success for well over a decade. However the other 90% wax and wane cyclically and this is largely because the worst teams get the high draft picks. If the Nordiques didn't get top picks after dreadful seasons 20-25 years ago, they never would have been able to draft Sakic, Sundin and Lindros and they would not have had a sustained run of excellence from their last season in Quebec until the end of Joe Sakic's career. Since then the Avs' fortunes have waned but if they don't get the chance to draft Duchene and Landeskog then it would take them forever to get better, interest in the team would eventually wane and there would eventually be no more Avalanche. - Isle B. Mon, 02 Apr 2012 16:40:25 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4535-april-02-2012#comment-20255 Not sure why so many people are so adamantly bashing Angus's lottery idea...while I wouldn't vote for his proposed system, I think that he brings up a good point. And while there are teams out there that might not be tanking, I'm sure every Columbus fan is finding solace in the likelihood of getting Nail Yakupov, much like I was happy that the Avs were able to grab Landeskog after their horrid 5-25-2 post all-star break tank job last season. I'm not saying that the players themselves are purposely tanking, but rather that the coaches/management set up the tanking. When the upper levels set up a culture of losing, it's hard for any player or players to right the ship and try to get things going. Didn't Vinny Prospal make some comment to that effect earlier this season? I think the important part of Angus's idea is that there needs to be a system that provides penalties for tanking and incentives to win even when the playoffs are not a possibility. As happy as I was to get Landeskog last year, what the Avs did was absolutely pathetic and embarrassing to watch...definitely not good for the sport of hockey or the city of Denver. If a system can be created to provide incentives for teams to put their best foot forward regardless of their playoff hopes (management included), I think it would be great for the game of hockey. I think Screaming Jawa was on to something, and would suggest something like this article (taken off the tanking article that he posted): http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/39676/fix-tanking-the-five-year-lottery Sure, the players might not want to tank, and it may be entirely the front office's fault for any team that "purposely" does it--but that doesn't make it excusable nor does that make the idea of tanking any more philosophically "good." I don't know if there's an easy to fix to the problem, but that doesn't mean we should deny that a problem exists and bash Angus personally (talking about you Isle B.). At least he had the balls to throw out an idea...all you did was try to make him look like a fool. - pbhockey4 Mon, 02 Apr 2012 15:50:27 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4535-april-02-2012#comment-20254 better idea: relegation playoffs. let's go! - Big Ev Mon, 02 Apr 2012 12:40:29 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4535-april-02-2012#comment-20253 I'd agree that the players do give it their all. They're professionals and don't like to lose. However, it's not the players on a team who tank, really, it's the front office. Management either doesn't help put the team in a position to win, or they prevent winning in order to get better picks. I believe this article was posted somewhere on this site, recently. Its focus is on the NBA, but it's a good read: http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/39318/tanking-is-the-tip-of-the-iceberg - Screaming Jawa Mon, 02 Apr 2012 10:54:36 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4535-april-02-2012#comment-20252 What professional sports organization is "openly accepting losing and tanking"? The players still play for pride and try to win and mgmt and coaching can only do so much to try and influence the outcome. Not a well-thought idea ... - Darcy S Mon, 02 Apr 2012 10:48:14 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4535-april-02-2012#comment-20250 pretty impressive plus/minus for a guy who plays the PK but not the PP (for the most Part) - mick Mon, 02 Apr 2012 10:19:25 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4535-april-02-2012#comment-20249 I also disagree with the lottery comment, if a team is bad then they are bad and changing this wouldn't help. I'm also curious where Radulov plays next year, sounds like he might spend one more year in Russia? Although if he just left, how could they force him to buy out the last year of his salary like they say? - Bender Mon, 02 Apr 2012 09:43:11 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4535-april-02-2012#comment-20248 It's Grossmann with two N's. Normally I wouldn't make a fuss but he played like ten years with his team and the NHL misspelling it with one N. After the trade to the Flyers he felt it was important to correct the mistake and I think he deserves to have it spelt properly. - steve laidlaw Mon, 02 Apr 2012 09:23:20 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4535-april-02-2012#comment-20246 It's called an opinion. Mine and yours differ. Thanks for presenting your case, Isle B. Pengwin - do you have a quota of one negative critique per day? If so, you are right on course. Louis-Alexandre - fair point. I think Gallagher is more NHL ready than Leblanc, but he won't see a big role. He is able to play more of an energy role which is why I like his chances at making the team. - Jeff Angus Mon, 02 Apr 2012 09:09:43 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4535-april-02-2012#comment-20245 That is not an interesting idea. This just seems like a bad conservative notion filtering down throughout the culture to infect and affect even conjecture as to how sports leagues operate (and I thought you were spared FOX News north of the border!). Where are all these tanking teams anyway? Didn't the Leafs just beat the Sabres in a game the Sabres absolutely had to have? Didn't the Wild just beat the Kings in a come-from-behind shootout win, costing the Kings a critical point in the standings? Didn't the Islanders just sweep the Pens in a home-and-home, ending any hope the Pens might have had at 1st in the East and the President's Trophy? Aren't the Blue Jackets on a 3-game winning streak? Aren't the Oilers 6-2-2 in their last 10? In general aren't the rosters of the 10 or so teams eliminated from the playoffs filled with players who are soon-to-be UFAs and RFAs, players gunning for bigger roles next year, late-season callups looking to prove they ought to stick in the NHL, recently traded players eager to turn the page and start fresh, players trying hard to get their legs back after stints on the IR and long-time veterans who may be playing the last games of their careers and players? Do you think Teemu Selanne would waste his time playing at half speed? Do you think Jordan Eberle or Phil Kessel or John Tavares don't want to score anymore goals this season? Do you think any of these players are jaking it just so their franchise has a few more lottery balls in a drawing a couple of weeks from now? - Isle B. Mon, 02 Apr 2012 08:48:33 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4535-april-02-2012#comment-20244 [i]Interesting idea – why doesn’t the NHL award the draft lottery’s highest odds to the 17th best team (the team closest to making the playoffs without getting in), and the second best odds to the 18th best team… and so on. Reward teams for trying to win and trying to get in the playoffs.[/i] Come on, Angus... do you actually think that NHL players on bad teams aren't trying their hardest? Let's just keep shoveling dirt on the bad teams. Did you watch any of the Columbus guys giving it their all over the last week? These guys still want to win... they are still trying. {shaking head... awful, awful, awful idea.} - Pengwin7 Mon, 02 Apr 2012 06:55:20 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4535-april-02-2012#comment-20243 here's a recent example of Getzlaf's luck video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=169409 - Lukasz Mon, 02 Apr 2012 06:07:38 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4535-april-02-2012#comment-20242 Add a clause to the lottery draft that says you can only win it once in any 5 year period, following 5 seasons you get no chance. - Jeremy Wark Mon, 02 Apr 2012 05:17:35 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4535-april-02-2012#comment-20241 Before this season, Getzlaf has scored 126 goals on 997 shots, which is a [b]12.6 shooting %[/b]. This year, he scored 9 goals on 182 shots, which is a [b]4.9 shooting %[/b]. I think he'll bounce back next season. He's had incredibly bad luck this year with hitting posts, missing empty nets, being robbed about dozen of times by many different goalies. Also, he's averaged 2.30 shots per game this season, but in last 22 games it's been 3.18, so it looks like he's finally inclined to shoot the puck more often. - Lukasz Mon, 02 Apr 2012 04:35:40 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4535-april-02-2012#comment-20240 I love that you highlighted the names with links LOVE IT!!!!!Can I suggest though that you make it so that when you click on the name it opens in a new tab / window instead of changing the page??? Like I said just a suggestion and again LOVE the links!!!!! - JD Mon, 02 Apr 2012 04:04:25 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4535-april-02-2012#comment-20239 I don't see him with the Habs next year. The team is notoriously slow with its prospects (only PK Subban forced the hand of the management) and the two top lines are already set for next year (Cole-Desharnais-Pacioretty and Bourque-Plekanec-Gionta). I'm not even talking about this year first round draft pick who could be fast-tracked. Even if he makes the team, he wouldn't see much ice time, like Lars Eller and Louis Leblanc this year. Maybe he would be better playing first line minutes with the Bulldogs for a year. - Louis-Alexandre Jalbert Mon, 02 Apr 2012 03:52:16 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4535-april-02-2012#comment-20238 As an Oilers fan who has had a hard time cheering for my team to win as I wanted that number one pick the last couple of seasons, I much prefer this idea, Dobber: http://www2.canada.com/story.html?id=6247584 - flex22 Mon, 02 Apr 2012 03:52:08 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4535-april-02-2012#comment-20236 I have two small question for you Jeff, I know you see almost all Canuks game. What about the Sedin/Sedin/Burrows. My impression is that they won't be togeter for a long time. Do you have the same impression. Then, for Getzlaf, what is your call for the next season. Do you think he will keep this mediocrity ? This guy is a quite good multi-cat player (PIM). But it seem that his points are constantly going down. Is it just a bad year ? By the way, thanks for your good job ! - hazetech Mon, 02 Apr 2012 01:52:33 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4535-april-02-2012#comment-20235 And Karlsson and Gonchar are on pace for .....? Oh about 118 points. - Shoeless Sun, 01 Apr 2012 23:05:59 +0100