NHL 2008-09 regular season thread!

[SexyNadya]

A well deserved Spanking !!!

I call it the 'Nightmare on De la Gauchetiere'. As for why 'only a handful' of Habs fans are relevant in this thread, i think you're being generous by using the term loosely. A handful? You mean like 1 or 2.

Good morning guys !!!

I hope I'm being considered among these two ... It's a handful !

I'm certainly going to have more fun enjoying Montreal's annual
St. Patrick's day Parade ! It's a splendid day !
This parade has been held every single year since 1824.

Speaking of ... Tradition ...

I projected the Leafs would provide the Canadiens with the spanking .
I'm not taking any credit for this one , it was an easy call and there was a couple of us that saw this one coming !
The Leafs have much better coaching !
I'm sorry but Wilson toyed with Gainey last night.

What's remarkable is that the Canadiens still might make it in !
Florida and Buffalo are just as awful !

Kisses xxxxXXXXxxx

 

[Doc Holliday]

I projected the Leafs would provide the Canadiens with the spanking .
I'm not taking any credit for this one , it was an easy call and there was a couple of us that saw this one coming !
The Leafs have much better coaching !
I'm sorry but Wilson toyed with Gainey last night.

What's remarkable is that the Canadiens still might make it in !
Florida and Buffalo are just as awful !

My apologies to you Nadya, you are indeed a 'handfull'. Actually, two 'handfulls' at the very least!

I totally agree with what you just posted. Heck, did you ever consider that we could start our own sports talk show on tv? With our hockey knowledge, your handfulls.....It could very well be a success!

It's true that Wilson seriously outcoached Gainey last night. With Gainey having the last line-change, it amazed me how often Laracque wound up on the ice. Wilson simply smirked & loved at the way Gainey was matching his lines. But to be honest, Slava Halak didn't have a strong game last night. Sure, the opposing team nearly got 40 shots on goal once again & Halak did stand on his head a few times. But on at least 2 goals, he was very weak.

However, in my opinion, what killed the Habs was that stupid high-sticking penalty to Billy Latendresse. Stupid!!!! The Habs had the momentum at the time & were trailing by only 2 goals very early into the 3rd period. Toronto then scored on the powerplay & the game was out of reach.

 

[JustBob]

...the Hockey World of Toronto is embracing a huge turnaround towards the future.

Yes the prophet has arrived and the zealots are filled with hope! And then they call Habs fans "delusional".

 

[JustBob]

However, in my opinion, what killed the Habs was that stupid high-sticking penalty to Billy Latendresse. Stupid!!!! The Habs had the momentum at the time & were trailing by only 2 goals very early into the 3rd period. Toronto then scored on the powerplay & the game was out of reach.

What killed the Habs is that they are disorganized, they don't play for 60 min, and only a couple of guys are playing hard. Latendresse is one of these few. Silly penalty but he's not the problem.

 

[Doc Holliday]

What killed the Habs is that they are disorganized, they don't play for 60 min, and only a couple of guys are playing hard. Latendresse is one of these few. Silly penalty but he's not the problem.

Lack of discipline HAS been the main problem over the past 2 months. Nearly every local expert in the media agrees on this.

 

[Cosmo]

What's even more hillarious is that most Habs fans are so blind by their love for a crappy team like the Habs (full of marginal french-canadian players & a bunch of gutless europeans) that they often forget the fact that the Leafs were a very successful franchise throughout the mid-to-late 70's and throughout the 90's under the leadership of former Habs Ken Dryden & Cliff Fletcher, with the likes of Pat Burns & Pat Quinn behind the bench.

What's as hillarious is the fact the Habs, in their 100th anniversary, will likely make people remember this season for the fact they've sunk even quicker than the Titanic!

Successfull throughout the mid 70's???
(for the record,the Habs beat the Laughs in 4 straight games in the 79 quarter finals)
The Make me Laughs?
Successfull throuhout the 90'S???
One semi-final(loss) in 42 years is what you guys call sucessfull???
Pul-eeeeeeeeze!
How many first place?
How many 100 Points seasons?
How many Stanley cup finals?
How many Stanley cup won???
I guess we don't have the same definition of success.

 

[lgna69xxx]

bwahahahaha....... as i said b4, "truth hurts"

Yes the prophet has arrived and the zealots are filled with hope! And then they call Habs fans "delusional".

 

[Doc Holliday]

I guess we don't have the same definition of success.

You're sure correct on that!

 

[Doc Holliday]

And then they call Habs fans "delusional".

Delusional & VERY hypocritical. Yes. What else would you call 19 000 fans standing up & give those bunch of losers a standing ovation last night prior to the start of the game when the team got onto the ice...and then at various times during the 2nd & 3rd periods, booing the hell out of the team & chanting "Carbo! Carbo! Carbo!".

Talk about bandwagon jumpers!

 

[JustBob]

Lack of discipline HAS been the main problem over the past 2 months. Nearly every local expert in the media agrees on this.

No, the main problem is lack of confidence, which translates into being disorganized, playing scared, losing 1 on 1 battles, being caught out of position, etc... What you call "lack of discipline" is not the root of the problem. Again, when you only have a couple of guys (Lapierre, Latendresse, Tanguay, to a lesser extent, was also decent) playing hard for a full 60 min. you have to say "good job" and live with the occasional penalty. If ALL the guys played that hard for 60 min, regardless of penalties, the team would win. Now after you managed to do that for 3-4 games and get some confidence back, THEN you address "discipline/penalties". At this time, getting on a guy's back because of a bad penalty when he played hard for 60 min. would only cause him to go back into a shell and play "scared".

 

[Doc Holliday]

No, the main problem is lack of confidence, which translates into being disorganized, playing scared, losing 1 on 1 battles, being caught out of position, etc...

A friend of mine has a different theory than ours: He says the big problem with the Habs is TOO MANY SINGLE GUYS. I see his point considering Mtl is known as Sin City & it must be hard to concentrate on hockey especially if you're a single hard around these parts where any marginal hockey player with a red sweather is looked upon as a hockey god by the locals.

Maybe the Habs should concentrate on obtaining married hockey players.

 

[JustBob]

Delusional & VERY hypocritical. Yes. What else would you call 19 000 fans standing up & give those bunch of losers a standing ovation last night prior to the start of the game when the team got onto the ice...and then at various times during the 2nd & 3rd periods, booing the hell out of the team & chanting "Carbo! Carbo! Carbo!".


Talk about bandwagon jumpers!

First, I'm not sure you know what "bandwagon fan" means. Actually you should considering how often your "favorite" team changes, you're the very definition of it.

Second, I don't see how the above makes fans hypocritical. They are perfectly in their right to cheer the Habs when they step on the ice (even though they've been playing like crap) to try to give them some sort of a boost. They are also perfectly in their right to boo the heck out of them if they resume playing like crap and it looks like they are not even trying... That's just means that they care and in fact, it's the antithesis of "banwagon fans" who would just jump ship and start rooting for another team.

 

[Doc Holliday]

First, I'm not sure you know what "bandwagon fan" means. Actually you should considering how often your "favorite" team changes, you're the very definition of it.

Let me state it again: THE LEAFS ARE MY FAVORITE TEAM. ALWAYS WERE, ALWAYS ARE, ALWAYS WILL BE. But i do pull for other teams during the playoffs if my favorite team is out. Most people do that. I've even pulled for the Habs at times. But THE LEAFS ARE STILL MY FAVORITE TEAM EVER. Just like Don Cherry last night. He actually wore a Habs pin & stated that even though he's a die-hard Leafs fans, he's decided to also cheer for the Habs since at least one Canadian team from the East has to make the playoffs, and right now, it looks like Mtl has the best chance.

Second, I don't see how the above makes fans hypocritical. They are perfectly in their right to cheer the Habs when they step on the ice (even though they've been playing like crap) to try to give them some sort of a boost.

Boy, that sure did the Habs some good!!

 

[JustBob]

Let me state it again: THE LEAFS ARE MY FAVORITE TEAM. ALWAYS WERE, ALWAYS ARE, ALWAYS WILL BE.

I know Doc, I'm just messing with ya.

 

[Cosmo]

You're sure correct on that!

Dryden was a good goalie but an awful DG.Fletcher had sucess in Calgary but not in TO.Reaching the semi finals once in a decade(actually 4 decades...) isnt sucessfull at all.

I guess when you keep losing,an occasional win makes you think you ve had sucess.

Keep goin' Laughs,you'll beat the Rangers 54 years Cupless stereak!

 

[Doc Holliday]

Dryden was a good goalie but an awful DG.Fletcher had sucess in Calgary but not in TO.Reaching the semi finals once in a decade(actually 4 decades...) isnt sucessfull at all.

Cosmo, your hockey knowledge absolutely astonishes me!

(for your info, Dryden was never GM....he was President. Fletcher rebuilt the Leafs & his impact was immediate. He came 1 game from taking them to the Stanley Cup finals.)

 

[JustBob]

A friend of mine has a different theory than ours: He says the big problem with the Habs is TOO MANY SINGLE GUYS. I see his point considering Mtl is known as Sin City & it must be hard to concentrate on hockey especially if you're a single hard around these parts where any marginal hockey player with a red sweather is looked upon as a hockey god by the locals.

Maybe the Habs should concentrate on obtaining married hockey players.

Temptations, married, unmarried = irrelevant. What the team needs are LEADERS in the locker room. Example:

"Boys Will be Boys: The Glory Days and Party Nights of the Dallas Cowboys Dynasty" (Jeff Pearlman).

Aikman, Smith, Irvin et all. There was no bigger partying team in all professional sports and they won 3 Super Bowls. I remember a line that went sort of like this:

"If you were unfortunate enough to be married, you either had to lie to your wife or she had to accept that this "lifestyle" came with pros and cons."

You wanted to be part of this team, you had to follow...

One of the best sports books ever written. Fascinating read even for non Cowboys fans.

 

[SexyNadya]

When the going gets though ...

bwahahahaha.......

Sergei Kostisyn just got recalled from Hamilton ... bwahahahaha ! !

 

[Doc Holliday]

Sergei Kostisyn just got recalled from Hamilton ... bwahahahaha ! !

I know. I posted about it earlier. If the K brothers are reunited, watch out! The sp business should be picking up!

 

[G1GBallday]

(for your info, Dryden was never GM....he was President. Fletcher rebuilt the Leafs & his impact was immediate. He came 1 game from taking them to the Stanley Cup finals.)

Wrong again Doc , Dryden succeeded Fletcher and was GM from 1997-99.