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The Official M.E.R.B. Hockey Thread

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Doc Holliday

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What a game the Leafs played tonight!!

Kadri was once again fantastic & he scored a highlight reel type of goal in the shootout. Wow!!!

I absolutely love Beauchemin.....what a great all-around defenceman with a canon shot to boot!

It was my first chance to watch Stalberg. This kid has quite a future in the NHL!!

As for Kadri, either he makes the team or they send him down to the juniors. They're not allowed to send him to the minors (similar to Luke Schenn last season). You know what? I want to see him start the season with the Leafs!! He's got nothing to prove in the juniors & he's one of the fastest & higher skilled players on the Leafs. They should at least let him start the season & decide after 10 games if he stays or goes.

Sadly, the kids' terrific play has probably led to the exit of Jason Allison, a good guy. But i don't know what the Leafs will do with all those defencemen. I figure Frogren will be sent down to the minors & they'll have at least 1 defenceman in the press box prior to each game until some of them start going down due to injuries. At the same time, the Leafs will be showcasing some of their top 6 defencemen in order to attract attention & possibly trade one or two of them for high draft picks (1st or 2nd rounders) during the season. The Leafs are in the driver's seat in that aspect. No hurry to trade them right away.....just sit & wait.....offers will soon come when other teams' defencemen start going down....who knows, it might even cause a team to trade a top centerman to the Leafs for one of their excess defencemen.

They spoke about the Leafs tonight on the french talkshow "L'Attack a Cinq". Most of the panel have reversed their thinking that the Leafs wouldn't make the playoffs. Jean-Charles Lajoie added that the Phil Kessel trade might have put Toronto over the top. They all agreed that any team going into Toronto will come up hurting & bruised up. They even mentionned that last season, the Leafs were better than the Habs offensively. Now that their defence has improved considerably, including better goaltending, things will get interesting. I wholeheartedly agree!
 

lgna69xxx

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Kadri is gonna be a good one for sure, i must admit i never heard of him before the draft, and as i was sitting in the bell centre during draft day, i thought to myself "Who"?

well, now after following him since i am fully aware of "WHO" Kadri is,......... also as i said before, since they got him....... Stalberg, remember that name boys and girls, REMEMBER!


With Bozak, Stalberg , Hanson , Kadri, and the Monster,,,,,, the Leafs finally have some young guns looking like their ready to step up and make the leap very soon to the NHL....... Heck there all First round draft material and people can only say the Leafs gave up to much for Kessel, WRONG! , with the 5 guys mentioned, they could afford to give up the picks they did in a weak draft the next 2 years...


its nice for a change to have some young TALENTED kids and not just old players who were good 3 years ago......... Nice Mr. Burke ,. VERY NICE INDEED! (Gaineys drooling as we speak, and sweating im sure).......
 

Doc Holliday

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With Bozak, Stalberg , Hanson , Kadri, and the Monster,,,,,, the Leafs finally have some young guns looking like their ready to step up and make the leap very soon to the NHL....... Heck there all First round draft material and people can only say the Leafs gave up to much for Kessel, WRONG! , with the 5 guys mentioned, they could afford to give up the picks they did in a weak draft the next 2 years.

I'd like to add to your list the names Grabovski, Mitchell, Kulemin, Stajan & White. Nik Hagman is only 29. Will this be the year 21-year old Jiri Tlusti finally shows his potential? All young players with talent & potential coming out of their ears!

The more i think about it, the more i'm thinking that the Phil Kessel trade being an absolutely brilliant move. Let's face it, there isn't any first round pick, even first overall, in the next two drafts who has the talent & potential of a Phil Kessel, who likely would have been a #1 overall pick in any other draft other than his own & last June's. He easily would have been a top 3 pick in last June's fantastic draft crop, even possibly #1 over Tavares. Kessel is also a proven scorer & mountains of improvement ahead of him & he's so young! If you'd be Kessel's GM, would you accept a trade offer of a first-round pick straight up for him? Of course not. Not a single GM in the league would make that trade. How about if he'd add a 2nd rounder? No way....the next draft crops will be very ordinary ones & Kessel is already a star. How about if that GM would add a 2nd first rounder to his trade offer? Maybe. Half the GM's would do it, the other half wouldn't. The only reason Boston agreed to the trade was that they didn't have the money to re-sign Kessel & Kessel was holding the cards, wanting to sign with the Leafs. Boston didn't lose, neither did the Leafs. That's probably how the trade will be evaluated in the next 3-4 years once we find out whom the Bruins drafted with those picks they obtained in the Kessel trade. Toronto didn't lose anything.....they got the better player of the bunch, a future superstar & scoring sensation. As i've said before, that 2nd rounder didn't cost him anything since they practically got it for nothing in that Stralman trade to Calgary. The first-rounder? Kessel is worth much more than just one first-round pick. Two maybe.....or more. Way to go, Burkie!!

I remember a year or two ago when some Habs fans were making fun of the Leafs being an old & slow team. No more!!! The Leafs are young, fast, tough, skilled & will scrap with anyone other teams throw at them. No one will dare push around their smaller, skilled players, knowing full well Ron Wilson will send out an army of tough guys to take care of business if that every happens! The Leafs have one top player who could be considered up there in age, and that's Jason Blake. But Blakie is still one of the fastest players on the team & can still score. He'll be relied upon for his leadership more than ever now. Watch out folks, the Leafs mean business & not a single team will take them lightly this season. Habs fans, be afraid! Be very afraid!!
 
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lgna69xxx

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Of course, but i meant the new Leafs..... btw wouldnt Kadri playing alongside Kessel look good in the future?




I'd like to add to your list the names Grabovski, Mitchell, Stajan & White. Nik Hagman is only 29. All young players with talent & potential coming out of their ears!

!
 

JustBob

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Afraid of what? Of all the hype you two groupies regurgitate on a daily basis? I don't feel anything about the Leafs, not hatred, not fear, nothing. I just ignore them just like all other irrelevant teams.

And congrats for beating the Pen's 'C' team. Huge accomplishment! :D
 
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Doc Holliday

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I've added the names Nikolai Kulemin & Jiri Tlusti to my prior post. Kulemin will once again make the team & be an even better player than last season.
 

lgna69xxx

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sure why not


Would anyone be interested in joining a Merb Fantasy Hockey League, set up on Yahoo? Would be great to get some of you guys into this league and have a lot of fun with it. I set something up so post if you're interested.

SK
 

Doc Holliday

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The NHL's Bret Favre

Forsberg planning another comeback

STOCKHOLM - Peter Forsberg is set to play for his hometown team Modo in a Swedish Elite League home opener against Frolunda on Thursday in yet another comeback attempt following a lingering foot injury.

The former NHL MVP has practised with the team since early August and played two games during a pre-season tournament in Switzerland a month ago.

Modo has given the 36-year-old Forsberg a one-week tryout contract, which means he'll play at least three games. He can play with Modo until the NHL season begins Oct. 2 without jeopardizing a possible comeback in the NHL.

The veteran centre, who won two Stanley Cups with the Colorado Avalanche, has only played sporadically over the last two seasons because of an ailing right foot.
 

gohabsgo

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What a game the Leafs played tonight!!

Big deal – a shoot out win against a Pens team that played the night before (including their farm hand goalie Curry) and had no Crosby, Malkin or Fleury in the lineup.


I guess if your team hasn’t had so much as a sniff of the SC finals in 42 years and missed the playoffs for the last four (or five) seasons in a row; a preseason OT win must seem like winning a championship for loser Leaf fans. Keep drinking Burke’s blue and white kool aid because your sad sack franchise isn’t going anywhere.



I guess I’ll have to update this to '09 and beyond


doncherry_prediction.jpg
 
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joelcairo

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Afraid of what? Of all the hype you two groupies regurgitate on a daily basis? I don't feel anything about the Leafs, not hatred, not fear, nothing. I just ignore them just like all other irrelevant teams.

And congrats for beating the Pen's 'C' team. Huge accomplishment! :D

Well Bobby it took you 1081 posts but you finally wrote something that I completely agree with.

P.S. : As for the two groupies at least Doc knows something about hockey. Doc's fan club president is another story.
 

lgna69xxx

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:D ROFL!!!!!!!!!!

honestly, not to brag but i probably no more about hockey than you and ghg. combined.... but then again, i could of started watching hockey yesterday and known more than you 2 dopes..... where you been joel? still looking at yourself in front of the mirror all day?

and to keep the thread on pace with "Real" talk about the NHL...... Buffalo had most of their team there gonna play this season including Miller in goal and Leafs had maybe 1/2 what they will start with and lost a close one 3-2...... Nadri again was the best of all the rookies, looks like maybe Burke and Co. knew what they were doing drafting this talented kid....


Well Bobby it took you 1081 posts but you finally wrote something that I completely agree with.

P.S. : As for the two groupies at least Doc knows something about hockey. Doc's fan club president is another story.
 
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gohabsgo

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:D ROFL!!!!!!!!!!

honestly, not to brag but i probably no more about hockey than you and ghg. combined.... but then again, i could of started watching hockey yesterday and known more than you 2 dopes..... where you been joel? still looking at yourself in front of the mirror all day? what a waste of time, you should take up trying to learn hockey, at least your hand might not be so sore :p

and to keep the thread on pace with "Real" talk about the NHL...... Buffalo had most of their team there gonna play this season including Miller in goal and Leafs had maybe 1/2 what they will start with and lost a close one 3-2...... Nadri again was the best of all the rookies, looks like maybe Burke and Co. knew what they were doing drafting this talented kid....

Yes, and you no how to spell 2 … and you could of finished primary school
 

lgna69xxx

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thats all you got? Lame with a capital L like you..:rolleyes:

heres a good one that i KNOW you love ......... wait for it,.......... wait,,,,,,,,,,,,, ok,,,,,,,,,,,,,, BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!
Goscabsgo? almost time to jump UNDER the wagon again is it not? the season starts in a week :p , i give you 2 weeks before you get lost until a 3 game winning streak by the scabs..... i have a feeling you will be AWOL alot this season like you were the 2nd half of last year
Yes, and you no how to spell 2 … and you could of finished primary school
 
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Doc Holliday

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Gretzky quits as Coyotes' coach

Minority owner and creditor was in limbo during bankruptcy proceedings for troubled NHL team

The Great One's run in Phoenix is officially over. Wayne Gretzky announced today that he is quitting as head coach of the Coyotes with the hockey club in limbo after being placed into bankruptcy in May.

"This was a difficult decision that I've thought long and hard about," said Gretzky on his website Gretzky.com.

"We all hoped there would be a resolution earlier this month to the Coyotes ownership situation, but the decision is taking longer than expected. Since both remaining bidders have made it clear that I don't fit into their future plans, I approached General Manger Don Maloney and suggested he begin looking for someone to replace me as coach. Don has worked hard and explored many options. I think he has made an excellent choice, and so now it's time for me to step aside."

It's expected associate coach Ulf Samuelsson will take over as head coach, with Doug Sulliman and newly hired Dave King as his assistants.

Gretzky, who has not been at the Phoenix training camp since it opened 12 days ago, was unable during his four-year coaching tenure to lead the Coyotes to the playoffs.

"I often said it was the greatest honor and privilege I could imagine to be able to play in the National Hockey League," Gretzky wrote on his website. "I feel the same way about being an NHL coach. I've loved the four years I spent coaching the Coyotes. Not a day went by when I took it for granted, and I will miss the competition of the NHL dearly."

Gretzky is owed millions of dollars by the Coyotes, but its not clear how much will be left for him through bankruptcy proceedings. The final two bidders for the team, the NHL and one led by Canadian billionaire Jim Balsillie, have indicated they would not honour the terms of Gretzky's contract. Recent online polls in Phoenix indicated a majority of respondents didn't want him to return to coach the team.

Balsillie wants to buy the team for $242.5 million (U.S.) and move it to Hamilton. His initial offer for the team included about $22.5 million for Gretzky if he came on board with the bid.

The NHL is offering $140 million for the team, hoping to find an owner who would keep it in Glendale, Ariz. The NHL's offer did not include the "assumption" of Gretzky's lucrative contract.

The NHL said Gretzky is owed money from Coyotes owner Jerry Moyes's personal finances, not the bankrupt estate.

Gretzky was working closely with a third group, Ice Edge Holdings, which failed to put a bid in at the Sept. 10-11 auction. The group is still interested in the team.

Bankruptcy judge Redfield T. Baum continues to mull over a decision on the fate of the NHL franchise. Balsillie yesterday sweetened his offer for the team, pledging to keep it in Glendale this season and offering to step aside if the NHL should find a buyer by the end of the year.

Interestingly, Gretzky made no comment on whether he believes the Coyotes will survive in the desert, but made a pitch for southern Ontario eventually getting a team.

"As a young boy, I learned to play hockey in Southern Ontario, and I know what great fans they have there. It's my hope they too will have an NHL franchise in the not too distant future," he said.

http://www.thestar.com/sports/article/700375
 

Doc Holliday

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Dave Tippett to be named Phoenix' new head coach

Dave Tippett will be named coach of the Phoenix Coyotes at an afternoon news conference.

The veteran National Hockey League coach takes over from Wayne Gretzky, who announced his resignation earlier in the day. Tippett coached the Dallas Stars for six seasons, never finishing below .500 and with his teams finishing with more than 95 points in five of his seasons in Dallas.

He will be assisted by Dave King, who coached him with the Canadian Olympic team and former Olympic team goaltender, Sean Burke. Tippett was once considered a protege of King's, and when King was named assistant coach recently the rumours of Tippett's hiring began to emerge.

It isn't known if current interim coach Ulf Samuelsson will be part of the coaching package - but it's assumed he will be.

Tippett had an impressive 271-156-28-37 record with the Stars, missing the playoffs only once. The Coyotes have not been in the Stanley Cup playoffs since 2000 and have never won a round since moving to Phoenix.

(Doc's take: The Coyotes are better off with Dave Tippett behind the bench.....he's a very good coach.)
 
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