The Official MERB 2011-2012 NHL Hockey Thread

[gohabsgo]

Toronto Maple Leafs: 10 Biggest Barriers Standing in Way of Playoff Run

For the first time in the 2011-12 regular season, the Toronto Maple Leafs face the prospect of being on the outside of the playoff picture looking in.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...ggest-barriers-standing-in-way-of-playoff-run

 

[lgna69xxx]

Lol, speaking of selfish players, Lindros should have started his career in Quebec City. Never liked him as a Leaf either.

Wow, am i seeing a ghost? Did the habs just go on a 5 game winning streak or something? Nope .... man, i am seeing things. (welcome back gohabsgo) :lol:

 

[gohabsgo]

Embracing Mediocrity

this is an undeniable instance of Burke's hockey club openly embracing mediocrity.

Miss the playoffs three straight years, then get to 14th overall in a 30-team league with a weak defensive record (25th out of 30) and the worst penalty killing (30th out of 30)

http://thestar.blogs.com/thespin/2011/12/embracing-mediocrity.html

 

[Mod 8]

Hello gohabsgo,

I have no problem with the posting of links to articles from elsewhere on the web as long as you include your own opinion or points for discussion that others may reply to. If not, there is no point posting them at all in this thread.

M8

 

[Doc Holliday]

Looks like GoHabsGo has become a Leafs fan!

Welcome to Leafs Nation, GoHabsGo!!! :thumb:

Go Leafs Go!!

p.s. It's good having you back among the living.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Plekanec & Subban fight

BROSSARD, Quebec -- The last-place Montreal Canadiens are ringing in the New Year with a fight -- teammates P.K. Subban and Tomas Plekanec exchanged punches during practice Monday.

The two clashed during a one-on-one drill. Both dropped their gloves and threw punches until Josh Gorges and others stepped in.

No big punches landed and neither player was hurt. Both players stayed on the ice as practice resumed.

The Canadiens went 1-5-0 on a road trip that ended with a 3-2 loss in Florida on Saturday. They have one win in their last nine games. Their next game is Wednesday at home against Winnipeg.

http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/7413857/montreal-canadiens-pk-subban-tomas-plekanec-fight-practice

 

[evillethings]

finally, someone is lighting a fire under those montreal players. i wish someone wouldnt punched those 2 back in October!

alright, no more girls, drugs, drinks for the habs til they string 5 wins together. this season is starting to look like an leafs season betw 1968-2010. sad times for montreal's team.

 

[evillethings]

wilson's contract extension on xmas day was unexpected but it tells you exactly how the team is run.
it doesn't matter if the coach isn't getting the most out of the roster. what does matter is whether you're a buddy of burkie or not.

i mean at least make wilson lead the team to the playoffs once before extending him. it's not like there's a shortage of decent to great coaches out there either experienced or ones looking for their first nhl gig. hartley, crawford (only good for 2-3 seasons like burns was or keenan), martin (lol, leafs would do well with him for 2yrs definitely better than under wilson),

hitchcock and darryl sutter would've been great for the buds if they hadn't signed on with other teams.

i think for the leafs to make it to the next level and stay there, they need a new coach.

 

[lgna69xxx]

Wilson has actually done a very good job this season (minus the pk, which is not all his fault) with the young team he has and with all the injuries of regulars. Had Burke not done such a great job adding depth, i would hate to think where we would of fallen to with all the guys hurt, The only thing stopping the Leafs from being in the top 3 or 4 in the conference at this point is the PK and Goaltending, which has been a problem for years, but there was also many other problems for years and they are now gone, except for the 2 mentioned. As talked about before, you do not want a lame duck coach that the players do not know if he will be around in the future, if you ever played sports you would understand what i am saying. If he was only signed because he was "Burkies Buddy" he would of got longer term than just a 1yr ext. If Wilson leads the Leafs to the playoffs, he will get a new deal in the summer.

The Leafs out play the other team most every night, for 55 minutes, but as soon as this young team can learn from their mistakes and play a full 60 minutes, look out. They are one of the most exciting teams in all of the NHL nightly and all they need to do is mature together the second half. I feel a trade is a coming very soon however which could help a lot.

The Leafs the last several years have been known for strong second halfs and if that holds true, the playoffs will happen for sure. Stay tuned.....

wilson's contract extension on xmas day was unexpected but it tells you exactly how the team is run.
it doesn't matter if the coach isn't getting the most out of the roster. what does matter is whether you're a buddy of burkie or not.

i mean at least make wilson lead the team to the playoffs once before extending him. it's not like there's a shortage of decent to great coaches out there either experienced or ones looking for their first nhl gig. hartley, crawford (only good for 2-3 seasons like burns was or keenan), martin (lol, leafs would do well with him for 2yrs definitely better than under wilson),

hitchcock and darryl sutter would've been great for the buds if they hadn't signed on with other teams.

i think for the leafs to make it to the next level and stay there, they need a new coach.

 

[lgna69xxx]

If the habs do not start out with 3 or 4 wins the first 2 weeks of the new year, they are toast. They have to play .650 hockey to get enuf points to even make the playoffs at this point.

finally, someone is lighting a fire under those montreal players. i wish someone wouldnt punched those 2 back in October!

alright, no more girls, drugs, drinks for the habs til they string 5 wins together. this season is starting to look like an leafs season betw 1968-2010. sad times for montreal's team.

 

[evillethings]

agree Iggy!

as it is, the habs are barely contending for a playoff spot. the only positives for MTL is carolina and buffalo are having worse seasons and the NYI still have charles wang as an owner. lol

 

[lgna69xxx]

Does Mike Milbury speak French?

agree Iggy!

as it is, the habs are barely contending for a playoff spot. the only positives for MTL is carolina and buffalo are having worse seasons and the NYI still have charles wang as an owner. lol

 

[Doc Holliday]

The Leafs out play the other team most every night, for 55 minutes, but as soon as this young team can learn from their mistakes and play a full 60 minutes, look out. They are one of the most exciting teams in all of the NHL nightly and all they need to do is mature together the second half. I feel a trade is a coming very soon however which could help a lot.

You've hit the nail on the head. People tend to forget are the league's second-youngest team (after Colorado) and are still learning the ropes. The penalty-killing has been dreadful over the past 5 years or so, but Ron Wilson wasn't coaching when the problems started. The problems were there when Paul Maurice was coaching.

Brian Burke fired some of the assistants he felt were responsible for the poor special teams & replaced them with Scott Gordon & Greg Cronyn. Gordon has done wonders with the PP, while Cronyn has been even worse with the PK. Maybe it's time to show Cronyn the door & replace him with a proven NHL-calibre PK specialist. Craig Ramsay would have been perfect. However, to a lot of people's surprise, the Jets fired him & by the time he was available, Toronto had already signed Cronyn.

 

[Doc Holliday]

as it is, the habs are barely contending for a playoff spot. the only positives for MTL is carolina and buffalo are having worse seasons and the NYI still have charles wang as an owner. lol

I actually think that Charles Wang is a very good owner. He's not afraid to spend $$ and will back his GM in every decision he makes. Unfortunately for him, he had Mike Milbury running (or sinking?) the ship when he got on board. Right now, Wang would like to have a new building for his team, but has faced many obstacles & my guess is that it'll never happen.

If that team moves to a good hockey market, don't be surprised if it revitalizes that once-great franchise.

 

[Doc Holliday]

'The Ghost' now says he's sorry for hiring Cunneyworth

BROSSARD, QUE. - Montreal Canadiens general manager Pierre Gauthier seems to have changed his tune.

Just two weeks after defending his choice of unilingual Anglophone Randy Cunneyworth as the replacement for fired Jacques Martin, Gauthier apologized for creating such a fuss in the French-speaking media.

"We're disappointed and we're sorry if we offended anybody by hiring someone who is not bilingual right now, but when you're in the middle of a season and you're trying to effect change and you're having the difficulties we were having, you evaluate all your options.," Gauthier said Monday during his mid-season press conference. "We felt the best option at this time was to work from within the organization."

Last month, when Gauthier fired Martin and promoted Cunneyworth, who was an assistant coach, many in the media, particularly on the French-speaking side, questioned Cunneyworth's ability to communicate with the fans. But Gauthier was was defiant as the furor around him grew, saying a language could be learned.

Clearly, he thinks differently now. And his about-face has the backing of Canadiens owner Geoff Molson, who outlined in an open letter to fans that hiring a bilingual coach would be a "very important factor" in hiring the team's next coach.


"What will happen in the future, at the end of the season, is that we will re-evaluate the whole file," Gauthier said. "As Molson said in his communique a week ago, it's very important to us that our head coach be bilingual. So that will be part of our decision at that point."

Gauthier also reiterated Monday that Cunneyworth was hired on an interim basis and his status would be looked at when the season ended, words that would appear to cut the legs from under him. The Canadiens have won just one of seven games with Cunneyworth calling the shots, adding fuel to the fire.

Now Gauthier is on the hot seat.

Although he says he isn't worried about his own job, the reality is the Canadiens are 14-18-7 on the season and sit 13th in the Eastern Conference. If the Habs expect to make the playoffs, they need to make a move now, he said.

"We have 11 of the next 15 games at home," Gauthier said. "We have to use this stretch to get back on the right track. Our fans deserve better."

If he stays employed, Gauthier will have his work cut out for him between now and July.

A number of key players, including goaltender Carey Price and defenceman P.K. Subban, will become free agents in the off-season. Re-signing them is a priority.

"We have the intention to keep our young players like Carey Price and P.K. Subban in our organization long-term," he confirmed. "We also have the resources to do it."

Gauthier made sure defenceman Josh Gorges wouldn't go on the market, signing him to a six-year, $23.4 million contract extension Sunday.

"I don't think it's Pierre Gauthier's usual way to sign guys during the season but it's more of an extension of negotiations from the summertime," Gorges said. "I said right from the start this is where I want to be."

With Gorges' $3.9 million cap hit, the Canadiens have more than $45 million committed to just 13 players.

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Hockey/NHL/Montreal/2012/01/02/19191506.html

 

[lgna69xxx]

Have you ever thought for a second that goaltending and the pk have something to do with the high GAA? And where did i say anything about dominating the game? My exact words were OUT PLAY the other team MOST nights, that does not mean dominate by any means. The REAL facts are what i pointed out, PK and GT need to improve, i dont need stats, i watch every game and indeed in most games this season the Leafs have out played the opposition MOST of the game, not dominate and not every single game, but MOST, and why do you always add words in that are not there?, thats a weak way to TRY to prove a point, it is no different than changing someones quo........ ahhhh, got it now

Improved goaltending improves the PK which also improves overall defense which in turn improves the GAA. which is what i said , the Leafs if they have a better PK and Goaltending, they would be top 3-4 in the eastern conference, but thats not the case and those 2 areas are the main things they need to improve on, and little else. Why does everything have to be explained to you at least twice? I understand your new to following hockey on a regular basis but you have a lot to learn.

Also, not sure where your getting your stats either, but the Leafs have played 38 games, not 39, have scored 118 goals, not 115, let in 125, not 123, and i wont bother to look up the sog vs shots agaisnt because frankly there probably wrong also and i do not care. :thumb:

Hmmm,

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/stats/byteam?cat=teamstats

After 39 games the Leafs have taken 1087 SOG (115 goals) while being hit with 1203 SOG (including 123 goals) against them (combining SVs and GAs). Their GFA is 2.98 and GAA 3.19. On the surface that would deny 55 minutes of out-playing the other team. Logic would say no team can dominate for 55 minutes in "most every night" and still be 2 losses (despite 1 point each for 5 overtime losses) below the .500 mark. They are one of only 7 teams with a GAA over 3.0. While you may perceive your team out-playing the opposition the stats show otherwise. Great moves and great hits (even if so) that don't produce goals or prevent opposition goals are not dominance. 55 minutes of dominance does not produce 18-20 even if there's a PK issue. The Leafs need defense, in PKs and otherwise.

Don't worry, even knowledgeable fans will be guilty of bias...ie...mistakes.

Cheers,

Merlot

 

[rumpleforeskiin]

It was pointed out earlier in the season, when the Leafs still had their fans fooled into thinking that they might be a playoff team, that their negative goals for/goals against was a clear sign of a mirage. Now 38 games into the season, the Leafs have won 18 games and lost 20, their GF/GA ratio is 118/125. What goes around, comes around. (I should add that their record now is still probably just a bit better than it should be.)

 

[Lovemaker]

Argue against that if you can.

No one could argue against that, You Is A Champ!!!!! And in any game, no loser can argue against a CHAMP, what is there to argue? One is a champ and the other, a loser. Therefore, nothing to argue or debate. It's all carved into the Stanley Cup!

Now 38 games into the season, the Leafs have won 18 games and lost 20, their GF/GA ratio is 118/125

And what were the odds of this suddenly happening?

 

[evillethings]

how do u kiss ass from the inside of their butts??? i don't wanna know about ur closet thrills LM. lol

Jagr hurt in the Winter Classic. Leg. Not good for an old guy!

 

[lgna69xxx]

Leafs/Wings outdoors @ the Big House in 2013?

With all the excitement surrounding the NHL's Winter Classic, there's always speculation that comes along with it. That speculation is answering the question, "Who's next?" Who will be the next team to host the Winter Classic?

2012 is no different, as rumors are already swirling that the Detroit Red Wings will most likely host the game in 2013.

This isn't exactly new news either. Detroit has previously been named for a likely Winter Classic host before in articles such as this.

Certainly, until it is 100 percent confirmed, we can't take this to be a fact, but we can assume that Detroit has a very good chance.

It would be unlikely for the NHL to put New York in back to back Classics, and New Yankee Stadium is booked for 2013 anyhow.

Other than the Red Wings, the only other name legitimately in talks is the Washington Capitals, and with their recent collapse, it's even more unlikely that the NHL may want to take a risk on the nation's capital.

Even with the question of which team will host the Winter Classic likely answered, there are even more questions if the Detroit Red Wings are indeed the hosts.

First of all, there's the question of where the game is played. Comerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers, is one of the locations discussed. The Big House in Ann Arbor is the other. An NFL Stadium is out of the question due to the fact that Ford Field is an indoor stadium.


It's likely to be a big debate. Red Wings owner Mike Ilitch is also the owner of the Tigers and of Comerica Park, so he would clearly prefer that the Red Wings play in Comerica park.


Many fans would also prefer the idea of the Classic being hosted in the City of Detroit itself, as they feel that having the showcase hosted out of the city would take away from the moment.

The City of Detroit will definitely want to play host to the event as well, as the Winter Classic has reportedly generated anywhere from $22 million to $36 million for past host cities.

On the other hand, you will also have people pulling for the game to be hosted in The Big House. Putting the Classic in Ann Arbor would almost guarantee a new NHL attendance record.

The Big House holds over 110,000 fans, making it relatively easy to shatter the NHL's previous record of 71,000+ set during the 2008 Winter Classic involving the Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins.

The venue debate will certainly be heated, but not necessarily the most important debate. There still isn't a specific team in mind for Detroit to play against in 2013.

There's certainly the possibility of a rematch against the Chicago Blackhawks from the 2009 Winter Classic. However, reports have said that there are no discussions involving Chicago's name to travel to Detroit for the event.

Another possible visitor for the game would be Detroit's other division rival, the St. Louis Blues. Detroit and St. Louis have had a decent rivalry over the years that stumbled in recent years due to St. Louis' mediocre performances.

However, that appears to be in the past, as Detroit and St. Louis are both in good playoff positions currently, and have had absolutely outstanding matchups against each other thus far this season.

Of course, there will most definitely be people who will toss out the name of the Colorado Avalanche. Detroit and Colorado were involved in what may very well be the biggest NHL rivalry of the 1990s, and one of the most famous in sports history.

The word "history" should be noted. Some fans want this game as an attempt to "wake up the rivalry", but rest assured, you can't wake up what's dead.

Possibly the most likely opponent for Detroit is one people may not think of immediately. Before moving to the Eastern Conference in 1998, the Toronto Maple Leafs shared a rivalry with the Red Wings that was even bigger than the Wings' rivalry with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Although the teams have seen less of each other over the years since Toronto's move, the rivalry has still managed to stay alive and a matchup between these two teams could make for the best Winter Classic yet.

The fact that Detroit has so many options may be what could make this Winter Classic great. Having choices on where to play and who to play is a huge decision, but it also provides flexibility.