NHL 2010-2011 Thread

[ranhammerR34]

I raged at the all star voting ballots. They put Mike Cammalleri and Brian Gionta on the ballot, but not Tomas Plekanec? Garbage. Tomas Plekanec is without a doubt the best player with the Habs right now, and to say Gionta and Cammalleri are better is just absurd.

That's very absurd... I thought all players were eligible!! Anyway, some really, REALLY sad news today. Pat Burns, a famous coach, has passed on at the age 58. RIP. --- Randy

 

[Icarus25]

The Hall of Fame really screwed up by not voting Pat Burns in this year. He's going to get in, and they knew he didn't have much time left. Huge oversight.

And you can write in any player you want for the ASG, he's just saying Plekanec isn't one of the pre-selected players you can pick to vote for.

 

[Joel]

Brutal...

RIP Pat Burns. You were a class act.

 

[Joker-GTBR]

That all-star game selection method is confuse and screwed

 

[Joel]

Well, it was fun being on top of the conference, but the Habs are falling back to earth now.

 

[ranhammerR34]

Red Wings have been hot and cold here.... meanwhile... The Winter Classic at Night.... awesome. That is all.

 

[Joel]

I agree, I think the Winter Classic should be at night from now on, it's great.

 

[Max Powers]

Welp, the leafs suck again.

Looks like my intuition about the Armstrong signing at the beginning of this thread was spot on too, he's on pace for about 10 points this year...TOTALLY WORTH THE $3M per season.

Unfortunately, it's like a train wreck and I still can't stop watching them.

Two positives:

At least they're not the Devils

I can be optimistic and predict the playoffs again next summer!

 

[Joel]

Lol Canada lost the World Juniors.

As for the habs, they made a great trade picking up Wisniewski for a 2nd and a 5th round pick, solid deal. The only problem, is that he's made the weekly games of charades kindof awkward...

 

[Crashbroke23]

Lol Canada lost the World Juniors.

All my friends were very mad when they saw the Russians score 5 unanswered goals in the third period to win it, bit too patriotic perhaps? None of them even gave respect to the Russians after they played the best period of a Russian national team. The Canadians played one of the more sloppy periods they've played this year at the World Juniors. Still, good game throughout.

The Devils' downward turn continue, as they trade their captain Jamie Langenbrunner to the Stars for a Conditional third round pic which could turn into a second round pic if conditions are met. It is amazing to me to see one of the more consistent teams of the last decade just crumble into a pile of ashes.

Go Avs Go!

 

[Joel]

All my friends were very mad when they saw the Russians score 5 unanswered goals in the third period to win it, bit too patriotic perhaps? None of them even gave respect to the Russians after they played the best period of a Russian national team. The Canadians played one of the more sloppy periods they've played this year at the World Juniors. Still, good game throughout.

The Devils' downward turn continue, as they trade their captain Jamie Langenbrunner to the Stars for a Conditional third round pic which could turn into a second round pic if conditions are met. It is amazing to me to see one of the more consistent teams of the last decade just crumble into a pile of ashes.

Go Avs Go!

On the world jr's, I don't see why it's such a big event in Canada while the U18 and U17 championships are ignored. Sure, when the top teams play it's great hockey, but the number of legit teams is really small (Canada, Sweden, USA, Russia sometimes). It's basically become the annual "everyone get together and watch Canadian teenagers destroy team Norway" championship. The other thing I find in Canada, is that the world jr's are a magnet for trendy hockey fans. People who don't give two :censored:s about hockey all year long pretend to care for a week, and give their "analysis". Seriously, I can't tell you how many idiots who've never touched a puck in their life think it's Visentin's fault Canada lost. Honestly, I started chuckling when Canada blew the lead, I thought it was kinda humorous, and Russia played their hearts out. To come back from 3-0 to win 5-3 is amazing.


On to the NHL, wow the Devils are just spiralling deeper and deeper. I can't believe that they're as bad as they are... Like you said, it's pretty amazing that the Devils who were a top 5 team for the last 10 years have been ground to dust because of a prima donna contract and the gong show surrounding it. Seriously how are they going to sign Parise? They're going to have to do a huge salary dump to make room for him, that's gonna be tough.


Oh, and the Leafs won 9-3 last night (8-1 after 2 periods)... How in the hell did that happen?

 

[JohnBM01]

I saw highlights of Toronto roughing up Atlanta in the 2nd period last night in Atlanta. I think Toronto won 9-3 with most of their damage (6 goals worth!) in the second period. Had to be quite demoralizing to get thrashed by Toronto at your house...

 

[Max Powers]

Atlanta has been routinely taking those thrashings (i see what you did there). Tampa stomped them pretty hard last night.

My playoff dreams for the Leafs are definitely over now. All I can hope for is not giving Boston another lottery pick.

Oh yeah, I hope they cut Komisarek's ass if he's found guilty of beating that women. He is overpaid and looks like a Hal Gill/Aki Berg hybrid out there anyway. I for one would not miss him.

My Leafs midseason MVPs are:

Grabovski - Seriously, so much fun to watch. This guy is fast, has some nice hands, and has been playing like a man possessed this season. He's been by far the best offensive player on the team.

MacArthur- Came out of nowhere, I expected him to be a third line contributor at best this season, but he's leading the team in scoring.

Kulemin - Hm, my three offensive MVPs are on the same line, coincidence? All three of these guys have outplayed Kessel. Kulemin is the sole "big man" on the leafs top 6, and even if he's not huge he plays big, and has a great two way game.

Schenn- Finally coming into his own and looking like the top 10 pick that he was. Him and Kaberle have been the top two defensemen all year IMO with Beauchemin close behind.

and my midseason **** list:
Brett Lebda - Seriously dude, you suck. I get so pissed whenever I see him on the ice. All he does is turn over the puck and take penalties at the most inopportune times.

JFM - John ****ing Mitchell - just disappear forever. I am so tired of this clown taking up space that AHLers with some promise could be filling. A career AHL player.

Pheneuf and Komisarek - It's beginning to look like they will never fulfill their contracts. Sure, we picked up Pheneuf for almost nothing last year, but maaaaan has he disappointed. Schenn looks like the superior defensemen already.

Oh yeah and Hal Gill - even if he's no longer a leaf he will forever be on my **** list because he can't skate and i hate him.

 

[Joel]

I guess I'll do the same for my Habbies.

MVP list

Carey Price- Take a wild guess as to why.

Mathieu Darche- Not the flashiest guy, but a lot of nights the team would probably have lost without him. Goes to the net hard, plays physical, and he's strong defensively. A good 3rd line player that every team wants.

Roman Hamrlik- Dude's 36 years old and he's been a rock defensively. He's had to carry the burden for two years in a row with Markov injured.

Tomas Plekanec- Besides Price, I'd say he's been the team's MVP. Gifted offensively, and a strong defensive forward as well. I don't see why everyone's raving about Ryan Kesler when this guy's just as good.

Jacques Martin. - Look at Montreal's D core. 3 guys who are ancient (Hamrlik, Spacek, Gill), one player in his prime who is mistake prone defensively (Wisniewski), and two players who are young and inexperienced (Weber and Subban), but Montreal is still in the top 5 in goals against in the league.


My **** list


Scott Gomez - Until very recently, he has just been putrid. 7 million dollars for 26 points in 48 games.

Hal Gill (sometimes)- Some nights he's just awful. Beyond awful. But other nights he's not so bad.

Gionta- Well he isn't completely unproductive, he needs to be producing more. He's been OK this year, but not worth 5M. It's gonna suck 3 years from now when he's in his mid 30's still making 5M

Cammalleri- Really underachieved so far this year. He has less goals than Montreal's 2 way playmaking centre (Plekanec) and he's supposed to be the super sniper.

Moen- Ugh.




All in all I think the Habs are playing way above their heads, and it's mostly because of Jacques Martin's defensive system.

 

[Pyle_PMG]

Yes, without Carey Price's outstanding play, Mathieu Darche's consistent play and Jacques Martin's clever and smart defensive strategy, we would be in the same boat as Ottawa and Toronto. I agree with most of your picks noob616, but you forgot someone. P.K. Subban, has been a monster. Very reliable and has stepped up after Markov's injury, he has only looked like a rookie a few times.

 

[Joel]

Yes, without Carey Price's outstanding play, Mathieu Darche's consistent play and Jacques Martin's clever and smart defensive strategy, we would be in the same boat as Ottawa and Toronto. I agree with most of your picks noob616, but you forgot someone. P.K. Subban, has been a monster. Very reliable and has stepped up after Markov's injury, he has only looked like a rookie a few times.

I dunno about PK yet. He's going to be a good defenseman in time (although IMO he's vastly over rated). His ceiling as far as development goes is probably a top 4 defenseman with great PP skill and a physical edge. He's certainly played well since his benching, but he's only played like a number 5 guy (besides on the PP) this year so far. I have no doubt in my mind he'll develop into a dependable top 4 guy, but he's not there yet. His penalty the other night against Ovechkin was stupid and could have cost the game.


All that being said, he's had a good rookie year, and the team is better off with him in the lineup, but I don't think he qualifies as a team MVP yet. I'm worried that people think he'll become the next Drew Doughty (well, the 09-10 version), but will be dissappointed when he doesn't.

 

[Pyle_PMG]

A lot of stuff happened in the hockey world today, so I'll start off with some of the big topics: -Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin will have season ending surgery to repair a torn acl and mcl in his knee. This is without a doubt a huge loss for the Pens. This comes at a time when their best player Crosby is still out. With only Staal being their only notable top six forward in the lineup, I am suprised they are still winning. -Montreal defeats the New York Rangers 2-0. With the great play of Carey Price and the team over-achieving this year with coach Jacques Martin's Defense-first style of play, many may not think of this as a big deal. However, with this win, a Bruins, Maple Leafs and Senators loss, the hot habs gained some ground on the Eastern Conference leading Flyers, and showed off the dominate penalty killing. -And finally, in the Kontinental Hockey League, former NHL player Chris Simon won the shooting accuracy drill in their annual All-Star Game. If only there was a dirtiest cross-check competition.

 

[Joel]

Les Canadiens on a 3 game win streak, good start back from the all star break

I really hope that gauthier doesn't give up picks and prospects at the deadline though, the Habs defense has too many injuries to go far in the playoffs, there's a lot of cap coming off the books this summer so hopefully he gets rid of any pending free agents that aren't in the plans for the future.

 

[Joel]

Montreal and Bsoton are in the midst of one of the most exciting games this year.

 

[Pyle_PMG]

I was holding my breath during the Price and Thomas fight, if something was to happen to him. I did like Benoit Pouliot knocking Krejci on his 🤬. . Wanted the habs to win but you can't win every game.

 

[Max Powers]

Leafs trade Beauchemin to Anaheim for Lupol, Jake Gardiner, and a conditional 4th rounder.

Gardiner is considered one of the top NCAA prospects, and is an 08 first round draft pick, so hopefully he can turn into a top offensive defenseman.

As for Lupol, if he can stay healthy, he's a former 25 goal scorer and is still relatively young. His salary is a bit high, but cap room isn't a problem for the Leafs right now.

I like Beauchemin, and he was among the most consistent d-men for TO all year, so it's sad to see him go. But they had too much money locked up on defense already so it's better to invest in a forward for now with a great defensive prospect on the side.

Chances are there are more moves coming from Burke in the next few days here. Versteeg could be next apparently, but somebody will need to pay big for him.

 

[Joel]

The Beauchemin trade seems pretty good, Burke obviously knew what Lupol's all about, he seems like a good fit in Toronto, a good Brian Burke type player. To get a relatively high profile prospect is a bonus.


As for Les Habitants, that was one entertaining game, old time hockey. 8-6 final score, each team with 4 in the 2nd period, a (rather laughable) goalie fight, fights galore. Although to me all of the goonery just shows what's the single biggest problem with the NHL and that's the inconsistency from the refs. The reason the whole scrum which lead to Thomas v. Price was because the refs weren't calling a thing on Brad Marchand. He was pissed off cause PK rocked him clean last time the two teams played, so he gets him back with greasy hits from behind, which were just as bad as what Cooke got suspended for IMO.


If Marchand were penalized early, and the refs kept control, there wouldn't have been such a pathetic display of asshattery. It was fun to watch as a hockey fan, but as a habs fan i wasn't happy. The bruins we re just dirty, player like Campbell picking on Tom Pyatt (5'10, 170). All kinds of times where the bruins player threw his glove off and started punching as the habs player was trying to take off their helmet (visors).


I hope some sort of disciplinary action comes from this, and even moreso I hope Montreal can add some serious grit and toughness next summer.


Yeah, +1 to Pouliot with the KO on Krejci.

 

[JohnBM01]

FIGHT NIGHT! Did you all see that Penguins at Islanders game the other night? I saw the highlights of that game. I think I heard there were a LOT of penalty minutes as welll as... plenty of fights. That was crazy! The Islanders won 9-3, but that was a crazy game on Friday night!

 

[Joel]

Habs 3-0 over the Leafs!

 

[Pyle_PMG]

Our penalty killing gave Toronto no chance! Way to go habs! Rouge, blanch et bleu baby! Jacques Martin coach of the year? I think so.

 

[bigllama93]

Our penalty killing gave Toronto no chance! Way to go habs! Rouge, blanch et bleu baby! Jacques Martin coach of the year? I think so.

Yeah because beating the Leafs is such a great accomplishment, right? Kinda ironic how you say Jacques Martin should win the Jack Adams when he was the one who led the Senaturds to all their failures against the Leafs.

 

[Joel]

The thing is.. The Leafs roster is nearly as good on paper as Montreal's. The only really good, consistent forward we have is Plekanec and he's only good for 70 pts. The defense is either really old and slow (Hamrlik, Spacek, Gill), or inexperienced and mistake prone (Subban, Weber, Picard). The only D-man in his prime is Wisniewski, and he's relatively mistake prone in the defensive zone. The leaf's D on paper is much better, and Montreal obly has a slight edge as far as forward depth goes. It's all been coaching for the Habs, Martin has squeezed every last bit out of an overworked D core, and smurf, streaky forwards.


Oh, and Lupul's officially a knob now. But moving on, good job by Burke to deal Versteeg, getting a first rounder is a sweet deal (although it'll be a relatively late pick a it's Philly's.)

 

[Max Powers]

Ugh Brian Burke what are you thinking!?

I liked the Lupol deal, I really did. But WHY trade a 24 year old stanley cup winner who already has 20-30 goal potential for a LATE first and third round pick? Who the heck knows if these picks will ever pan out, Versteeg already has.

I figured Versteeg would go, but they needed to get a king's ransom for him, not a late 1st round pick.

 

[Joel]

I think a first rounder would be good if it weren't coming from Philly, that's probably going to be a 25+ pick.

 

[bigllama93]

He couldn't crack our top 6, and he wanted out. We got a 1st round pick + a 3rd round pick for a third liner. That's a pretty good return if you ask me.