The Hockey Thread

[Guest Mr. Potato Head]

I'm still in shock that Abbotsford got an OHL team before the Maritimes got an entire division back to themselves.

[SeanDMan]

AHL, you dumbass.

[Guest Mr. Potato Head]

...that's what I meant. The Maritimes never had a division in the OHL, whereas the AHL had teams in Saint John, St. John's, Moncton, Fredricton, PEI, Cape Breton, Cornwall, and probably a few that I'm forgetting at various times.

[The Sultan of Swank]

Awesome game to watch. Very exciting. Price played fan-dabi-dozi, when it went to OT... never in doubt. 7-0 past 60 min. Sucks we gave up a point to a divisional rival though.

I have an issue with the loser point in Overtime and shootout. I don't understand why the losing team deserves a point. When there were still ties, yes, split the two points, but now they've just added an extra point for the winner... I understand that the losing team managed to get as far as overtime but I hate the idea of rewarding losing. So far this season Washington would have 16 points instead of 20, Toronto 2 instead of 7 and Dallas would not be anywhere near 8th in the West to name a few examples. Teams that get the wins deserve to be in the playoffs. It happens every year that teams with less wins, but more "good losses" are ranked higher in the top 8, or make the playoffs ahead of teams with more wins. Yes, it's nice when we can console ourselves with the at least we got a point mantra after an OT loss, but I just plain dislike it. It doesn't make sense to reward the loss. Maybe it could be re-worked so an OT loss is a loss, no points, but shootout would be the 3 point system since it's not really a hockey game at that point anyways.... Thoughts?

Edited November 6, 2009 by The Sultan of Swank

[Gabriel]

I'm a firm believer in winners and losers.

When I played Baseball, I would get pissed off that if my team didn't place in the top 3 in a tournament, that we were still given "Participation Trophies". We didn't win, we shouldn't have received anything.

I love the baseball system. You win, or you lose. I think that's the system that the NHL should have. No more points. A win is a win, a loss is a loss... and the top 8 teams in wins from each conference move on to the playoffs. Tie-breakers could include who won the season series, and then most goals scored.

Obviously, this would upset a lot of teams who wouldn't normally deserve to be in the playoffs anyways, and other teams who play a trap style game that has them playing a lot of overtime games... but the way I see it, if you don't win, you don't deserve that point. It's called a Bitch Point for a reason.

[Pizza]

It either needs to be 2 points for a win, 0 for a loss period, or 3 for a regulation win, 2 for an overtime/shootout win, 1 for a overtime/shootout loss, and 0 for a regulation loss. I don't mind the bitch point, but the idea of some games being worth 2 points and some being worth 3 is ridiculous. Either every game needs to be worth 2 points, or every game needs to be worth 3 points.

[Ruki]

Leafs win! Kessle gets a point!

[Toe]

The effort by Toronto in this game is the same as the past 2 or 3. The only difference is that the Leafs were able to bury some chances where in the previous games, they missed the net or hit the post. Gustavsson continues to be a rock for this team. If he continues playing at this level, the Leafs will battle out of the hole they have dug.

[Clawson]

The Leafs play like shit and get the two points. Funny how that works out.

[Toe]

The Leafs play like shit and get the two points. Funny how that works out.

I didn't think they played bad at all. They did go behind, but they rallied and played well with just a few mistakes.

[Clawson]

They were really sloppy and played with no emotion at the beginning. They dominated for 10 minutes in the second, went back into a shell and pulled it out in the 3rd. They were lucky Carolina was just as sloppy as they were tonight and Gustvasson stood on his head.

[SeanDMan]

...that's what I meant. The Maritimes never had a division in the OHL, whereas the AHL had teams in Saint John, St. John's, Moncton, Fredricton, PEI, Cape Breton, Cornwall, and probably a few that I'm forgetting at various times.

QMJHL draws better anyway.

[The Sultan of Swank]

Lightning tonight. The prodigal son returns, so it should be a good game. Tampa/Montreal match ups are usually surprisingly close.

I was reading today, Carey Price got his 50th win the other night, he did it in 102 games. Brodeur did it in 92, Roy in 111, Luongo and Fleury in 140 and 150. I thought wow, that's an encouraging stat, until I looked a little deeper, Jim Carey also can be in that group, getting his first 50 in less than 120 games... Man.... Stats are so useless sometimes.

[Toe]

Toronto just put in a good performance against the Red Wings. Osgood looked shakey and the Wings offence is obviously banged up, but "The Monster" was playing very well. It was good to see the Leafs offence click and score 5 times. Kessel's first wasn't an impressive one, but maybe he will loosen up after getting the first one out of the way.

Edited November 8, 2009 by Toe

[Ruki]

Random note about Crosby I learned via my hockey pool.....this is the first time in his career that he has gone 4 games without a point.

[Toe]

One month in to the 2009/10 campaign, and the Toronto Maple Leafs do not have a captain. Francois Beauchemin, Mike Komisarek and Tomas Kaberle all wear the "A" on their chest and that makes them front runners to inherit the captaincy. That does not mean they will become the next captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs, however.

Mike Komisarek has definitley improved his level of play from the first weeks of the season. He has become a steady, reliable defensive partner for Tomas Kaberle and has thrown several huge hits. His hit on Montreal's Glen Metropolit is an example of how Komisarek has improved as the season has gone on.

Francois Beauchemin seems to still be adjusting to playing with his new team. He does not have Scott Niedermayer next to him and is just now rounding into form. I think he is a good addition to the team, but I do not believe he is a leader who can make others step up when the game gets difficult.

Kaberle has exploded offensively in the last few games and now has 2 goals and 18 points to lead the Maple Leafs. His impact on the powerplay is huge, and with Kessel and Stempniak each sitting on the wings waiting to unleash one-timers, Kaberle has more time and more open ice to work with. However, I would not make him the captain of the hockey club. He is the longest serving Leaf, but I do not think he enjoys being in the spotlight. This could be seen last year when, surrounded by trade rumours and being constantly hounded by the media, his play fell off. Even with his impact on the team, I do not believe Kaberle is the captain the Leafs need.

So, it sounds like Mike Komisarek should be the next captain, right?

It might sound like that is what I am saying, but I am not. The captain of your hockey team needs to be a fighter. He cannot be afraid to fight for his position and battle every game. He also needs to lead by example, whether he can help his team offensively or defensively. I think Mike Komisarek fits this criteria, but I think someone else fits and has done more and battled more.

If it was my choice, I would make Ian White the captain and leader of the Toronto Maple Leafs - and not just because of his wicked facial hair.

Last season, Ian White started the season as a healthy scratch. He managed to fight his way onto the team and since then has been a stalwart on the Leafs blueline. His tenacity and ability shows in his stats. White scored 10 goals and led the team with a +6 rating despite missing 11 games. What he lacks in physical size he makes up in his willingness to battle. It seems like White never takes a shift off, and that is the kind of example you want your captain to set.

This season, White is one of only 4 Maple Leafs without a negative +/- rating and even when the team was playing poorly in October, Ian White was putting in a competitive effort each night. He has 3 goals and 9 points this season while recieving minimal powerplay time. His play in his own end has been very good and he has helped ease the burden of generating offence from the forwards.

I believe Ian White should wear the "C". All that is needed is a contract extension for Mr. White.

That is my most recent blog post from my blog - http://leafsfanforever.blogspot.com/

What do you guys think?

[The Sultan of Swank]

Forbes came out with their most valueable teams report. Not surprisingly the money making juggernaught that is Toronto is first for the 4th year in a row at $470M, Montreal was third at $339M, Vancouver #9 at $239M, Calgary #16 at $200M, Ottawa was 17th at $197M and Edmonton rounded out the Canadian teams at #24 at $166 M.

Phoenix was not surprisingly the least valueable team at $138M.

Toronto has an absurd average ticket price of $97. #2 most valueable team (Rangers, $414M) had an average ticket price of only $55. The only hockey market with the same fanbase (Montreal) had an average ticket price of $67... Fuck it sucks to be a regular Joe Leafs fan.

Toe, decent piece of writing. I would however disagree with you on Komisarek, while his hit on Metropolit was for once a nicely timed hit, more often than not, Komisarek goes for a 5 star, HON candidate hit and manages to take himself out of the play, often times leading to a goal. While his play has indeed increased since joining the Leafs, I think that he's still got a lot to prove for his contract. Playing him with Kaberle is really the only option for Komisarek as that the closest player Toronto has to Markov, and it's become evident that Komisarek needs an unbelievable reliable played, offensively gifted, and defensively responsible as Markov to carry the pair.

I wonder about White. I don't know much about him, how long has he been a Leaf? To me, captaining an Original 6 team, no matter how much or little success they've had over the years, you can't just throw someone in at captain for being a consistent player. In my head, White is like Gorges. Strong, passionate about his team mates, reliable and under rated. Does he lead by example? Is he the spark on the ice that we sometimes need... I'd say no... I'd say he's just a solid hockey player and there's nothing wrong with that.

If Komisarek ever regains his form from his pre-Lucic ass-kicking. He's your future captain... at least he was for us.

[SeanDMan]

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2775/4093950458_03e4645497_o.gif

DAMNIT PRONGER.

[NobBe Nobbs]

OK, nobody will really care if we...wait, was it Avery?

[JStarr]

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2775/4093950458_03e4645497_o.gif

DAMNIT PRONGER.

And there's a playoff version, too.

http://www.sportsbybrooks.com/top-link-of-the-day-nhl-suspensions-flowchart-26944