TropicalFruitGirl26

Have fun TFG !

Thank you, Sir!

I mentioned in the Hawks-Wild playoff thread, i got lucky with these tickets...listening to a local radio station, I was the designated caller they were looking for (18), and they are telling me I won some VIP suite tickets for tonight!

Like I said, only regret is, I can't watch what I am sure will be a very exciting Game 7 in Pittsburgh live.

Have fun, I really wanted to go this game but couldn't find tickets in time. (For the amount I could pay) Regardless of what happens tonight or next two games I'm more than happy with the Wilds performance this season. Juggling through five different goalies, racing for the wild card spot. They really showed up this year. And I picked a good year to actually start actually paying attention to them.

Thanks, @MinnyNorthernLights , oh, and welcome to HF's fine hockey forum!

I got lucky on this deal. I listen to cool 108 FM, they were doing this thing on the radio, I was the 18th caller, next thing I know, I am being told I won some VIP Suite tickets for two! 

Hoping some of my luck rubs off on Minnesota tonight as well.

Yea, the prices are pretty insane without sitting in the rafters...though, I HAVE sat up there, and aside from everything looking smaller (I DO have mediocre eyesight anyways), there really isn't a bad seat in the house.

I've been to quite a few Wild games since moving to the TC area (and some while I still lived in FLA, as I did visit in-laws during the winter before that), but NEVER have had the pleasure of being a VIP suite member....catered food, cushy chairs...hmm, do they do pedicures there too? lol

Either way, sounds like fun. 

I may have 'next morning' regrets, as it will make for a late night for my two young boys, next day being a work n school day (they are being babysat at their grammas), but hey, it's a price I will pay to see the green n gold.

Unfortunately, Minnesota has opted for the WORST of the possible scenarios before Game 5 was said and done...and now they have to run the table, keeping the home win streak perfect and winning on the road in a deciding Game 7.

Exactly like the Colorado series.

Exactly, except that I've said before, the Hawks are NOT the Avalanche, the Hawks have been down this road (and a bunch of other roads Minnesota hasn't) before, and have the experience, leadership, and most certainly on-ice talent to finish off the Wild either tonight or back home in Chicago.

For the Wild, it will be the same ol story: generate chances, be quite physical (and smart about it) whenever possible, keep things on the Chicago end as much as possible, and they simply MUST capitalize on chances given.

Boy, they sure do generate plenty of them no matter WHO it seems they play, however, converting all those to actual goals is a whole other issue for this team...

And making the PP work consistently would be nice too.  

Really, other than actually converting goals and keeping their structured defense, there isn't a whole lot the Wild can do "better" against the Hawks.

I've talked a lot about line matchups for lots of these playoff series, but I believe that if there were a single team that seems to thrive the most from having the home ice matchups in these playoffs, it is the Minnesota Wild.

I am sure having the rabid home crowd backing them is great, but NHL teams in the playoffs are far too talented to let a little thing like screaming fans really get to them...generally speaking anyways.

So I think it really comes down to Mike Yeo getting the people HE wants on the ice against the opposition....while he and his staff seem to have a bit of trouble making the adjustments to do the same on the road when they DON'T have last change.

It really does seem to be a big deal for Minnesota.

Welll, it's Game 6, it's at home for the Wild, they have their fans, and they have their home matchups....now they need to execute.

The Blackhawks are clearly in the driver's seat with not only the series lead and only having to win one of two as opposed to two  must-wins for Minnesota, but they also denied the Wild of any emotional highs leftover from Game 5 due to the Hawks not only winning that, but scoring the last two goals en route to that win.

All Minnesota has left emotionally, is desperation.

Will be there tonight, live to watch the Wild hopefully extend this series back to Chicago.

Not sure if I should bring ear plugs or just soak in the crazy crowd noise...hearing loss be damned...but either way, looking forward to a very good matchup tonight.

Desperate Minnesota trying to fend off the defending Champs, and the salivating Blackhawks looking to finally  put away those pests in the green and gold, and moving on to defend their Western Conference title against the Pacific winner.

Being live at this game will come at the expense of being able to watch the NY-Pitt Game 7 as it goes on, and that is a shame, but for tonight, can't think of a better way to spend a sports evening than with 19,000+ crazy Minnesota Wild fans (oh I am sure some Hawkies fans will sneak in...hehehe), cheering on their team!

Go Wild!

Rangers played yet another good game against the Pens for Game 6.

Whatever frustrations the Pens had in Game 5, the Rangers seemed to foster for Game 6 and it worked to their advantage...along with some great play to keep the Pens' talented scorers at bay.

Everything from good coverage, breaking up plays, good physical play, and taking advantage of calls going their way, the Blueshirts did.

And even when things broke down, the coverage wasn't there, and miscues were made, Henrik Lundquist, as he has throughout the playoffs, was there to shut the door.

Hey, I know officiating for not just this series, but for the entire playoffs has been less-than-desirable for most fans, but it is what it is, and quite frankly, as it relates to Game 6 of THIS series, I don't buy into any conspiracy theories. 

If calls were made that shouldn't have, or calls that SHOULD have been made weren't, it seemed to go both ways, however, it just seemed NY handled their end a bit better than the clearly flustered Pens.

Rangers clearly took the Pens out of their comfort zones the last two games and will look to do it again for Game 7.

Now, if you are Pit, I would think that after seeing what happened the last two games, your goal should be to dictate the pace using PENGUINS style hockey, and keep emotions in check as much as possible.

Pittsburgh is at their most dangerous when they are speeding up the ice, making quick passes, playing responsible defense and drawing penalties by DRIVING to the net, NOT trying to act like tough guys on the ice, THEN letting their calm, cool, collected PP do major damage to the usually deer-in-headlights penalty killing units of the opposition.

Personally, it is one of the reasons I think the Jackets played the Pens so tough, one of the reasons the Flyers have recently been so successful against the Pens, and the reason the Rangers have stormed back from a 3-1 series deficit:  They have all taken, at some point or the other, the Pens AWAY from their style of hockey and coaxed them into playing an emotional, sometimes out-of-control, fly by the seat of your pants, grinding, physical style that simply is NOT in the Pens' best interests, while it suits the team initiating that just fine.

Now we  have Game 7 and many feel-gooders may think the Rangers have this wrapped up, however, I will give the Pens their due simply because they have so much talent and experience.

Anything CAN happen in this game and the Rangers have given themselves the best possible chance to overcoming their deficit in the series, but again, the Pens have the talent, the film and experience from the previous games in the seires (both what went right and went wrong), and NOW have the home line matchups....and all that could very well lead to Pittsburgh dictating and winning this game, making talk of any 'comebacks' and 'pissing away' series leads moot points.

Honestly, if the Pens can't muster the willpower to not buy into whatever the Rangers have been able to sell them the last two games, then they simply don't deserve to move on to the ECF anyways.

That is not to say this game is for the Pens to lose just like that, because I think the Rangers have the capability to TAKE the game rather than having it handed to them, but the Pens clearly were favored coming into this series matchup with reasons that had been backed up throughout the regular season and in their first round against Columbus, and New York can take NOTHING for granted, emotional high or no.

Should be a very exciting game...not sure how close this will be score wise either way...since emotions are so high, this could take on a variety of tones, but I do expect there to be some crazy and exciting moments for everyone looking on.

TFG's keys to Game 7 for each?

Rangers: Keep things emotional, continue to ride that wave of "we can do this", don't get too stupid while emotional and keep taking it to the Pens defense.

Penguins: Get back in control of the emotions, only engage the Rangers in 'extra stuff' when it suits Pittsburgh, let the talent do it's thing, make HOCKEY plays, many of which can and will draw penalties from the Blueshirts, and make that PP be the deciding factor in the outcome.

Bittersweet for me that this game will be going on tonight.

Why? Because I would LOVE to watch how things play out between these teams as they  happen, but I will be in attendance at the Xcel Energy Center tonight rooting on the Minnesota Wild as THEY hope to force a Game 7 in Chicago! 

Raising the decibel level in fashion....one sport coat at a time....

"....Le POW, le SOCK, le BAM!"

You know, normally I would say that a guy like Phaneuf is VERY much a "Flyers type" player....big, strong, hard shot, heavy hitter and quite possibly, about as dense as you can get on the ice when it comes to coverage, positioning, and recognizing who exactly is streaking through the neutral zone with the puck.

Buuuut...I get the sense that the Flyer fanbase here would love to see a guy who can actually, gasp, PLAY good defense...particularly with the money this guy is making.

Not saying the Flyer FO would agree with that, but I honestly think the Flyers would do well in trying to sign a more reliable defenseman that could be available, or just go with the young guys they already have as I suspect Phaneuf will make the same kinds of mistakes tactically one would see out of rookies and younger defensemen anyways.

Look, not saying a guy like Dion has no value to any club.

A club that already has pretty solid defensemen could probably use a guy like him to do what he does and could probably live with defensive gaffes you get out of him.

Flyers are NOT that team. Really, if you are wanting your young D-men (or ANY D-men for that matter) to learn smarter defensive play, then Phaneuf is not the guy you want them learning it from.

No for Philly....though  teams like, oh, say,  Nashville, Boston, Minnesota, St. Louis, or Chicago who already have solid D-men that can cover for Phaneuf's defense, but can use his physicality and heavy shot may want to look into a possible trade.

Minny and Chicago though, have exceptional skating ability almost top to bottom on their teams, and I am not sure if Phaneuf would be fast enough to be up to par for either over the long haul.

".....There we go....now that you don't have any screws loose, now maybe you can score like you're paid to do....."

Who are these guys you ask? Well, they are the Sedin Twins during the off season after John Tortorella got done with them....next coach will try to get their skin tone back to normal and not have them block shots so much so they STAY normal... 

http://www.thehockeynews.com/blog/winds-of-change-blow-el-ninos-way-in-minnesota/

 

Just read it. We are probably the worst run franchise in hockey right now... and it looks like no one inside NYI is interested in changing that.

^^

This...the bolded.

And if the Isles aren't number one in management futility, they are certainly in the top 4 or 5.

A damned shame too as the Isles are in a pretty good hockey market, are set to move to a much nicer arena within the NYC limits, which I would imagine could only bolster the fanbase, despite the market being shared with both the Rangers and Devils, AND they do have some pretty decent to good players on the team and perhaps even in the minors who, under the right circumstances, can thrive and be full-on NHL players.

Unfortunately, the NY Islanders beast stinks from the head down.

Charles Wang simply MUST sell the team....and hopefully for the Isles fans, it is to someone who really understands, or at the very least LOVES the sport of hockey.

Hey, even if a new owner is not a hockey genius, if he is a savvy enough businessman to hire the right people and let them run it, all should be well...he just has to have a passion and care for the sport, the franchise, and its fanbase.

And speaking of the 'right people' running things, Garth Snow, certainly, is NOT that.

And neither was Mike Milbury before him...not counting Neil Smith, because Smith was lucky enough to be fired by Wang very shortly after taking over.

Should the Islanders get a competent ownership and management group, the franchise will be fine.

Anyone who says the Isles "don't have talent" haven't looked around the league and see former Isles players carving pretty nice careers for themselves....such as the article you linked shows.

Even though I am not an Isles fan at all, I do feel for the fanbase because of the simple fact I am a Tampa Bay Lightning fan, and I have seen my fair share of my team go through ups and downs (whooole lotta downs) with regards to personnel, management, AND ownership.

Wasn't too long ago that the circus sideshow of Len Barrie and Oren Koules ran things in Tampa...with Barry Freakin Melrose as our head coach.

And before that, we had disinterested ownership in William Davidson and were for quite a while the laughing stock of the league due to players at the tail ends of their careers being signed so they can "collect checks and bask in the Florida sun".

Hell, if it weren't for the original owner Phil Esposito and even Wayne Gretzky endorsing the franchise through the bad times, there may not be a TB Lightning team today.

But since those dark times, the Bolts have been bought by Jeff Vinik, a sports and hockey fan, and while he is far from a hockey Einstein, he knows enough, and more importantly, has been smart enough to hire REAL hockey people to run the club...and the results have been quite good.

I can only hope the Isles as a franchise can find that stable ownership footing.

About the ONLY guy I can think of who doesn't want Wang to sell the team is Garth Snow.

Because once Wang does, and the new owner has ANY sense at all, Snow will not be manning the GM's chair.

  I keep getting "error, you are not allowed to use this image extension in this forum"....what am I doing wrong and how can I avoid this message? 

@jammer2

i got that at first too, when I tried using stuff from ESPN...I think HF has it so certain sites photos cannot be used..though I could be wrong.

I stopped trying to use ESPN photos, and then I could post pics in urls just fine.

You know, I have my favorite players that I maybe, possibly, perhaps may have a notion of cheating with, but really, this woman is just plain pathetic...... get a grip, Betty, iffin Kesler were gonna stray, he ain't gonna start with some crazed, crying woman who uses crayons, punctuates REALLY weird on signs, and from the look on the face of the woman standing next to her, is quite embarrassing to the female gender in general... 

Seriously....WHY hasn't a GM in the league thought of this by now!!??

Who needs mobility when there is NOTHING for the shooters to go for!!

Giving new meaning to "GTFO!"  

Actually, this one is more recent than the above post...and a bit more telling on the height scale...haha...... Miss both those guys on my Bolts though....

How about this one...the LONG and the SHORT of it all...  

Wow.... like @Polaris922 said, "A lot to digest there"

First off, welcome to the forums @IAMSection407MSG .

Do please go over and make an intro thread on the new members section and tell us a smidge about yourself, your team, etc...would be nice to know a bit about they guy/gal behind the interesting posts....

As for your armchair GM'ing here...umm, are you SURE you don't follow the NBA as well? I mean, I haven't seen this many wholesale team swap-outs since the Knicks and Mavericks just decided "hell, let's just have all our guys switch uniforms and play in the other city from now on" 

Just kidding on that last bit...I know almost NOTHING of the NBA, the Knicks and Mavericks did no such thing (that I know of!), but I think most get my drift:  the NBA usually does crazy things like trade off entire chunks of their teams in crazy multi player deals, whereas the NHL takes a more conservative approach to that (usually anyways..).

Some interesting ideas you posted, for sure, many having a slim to none chance of happening, however, some as others pointed out, getting Bickell in the ranks and possibly signing a guy like Statsny are a plausible possibility.

One thing I DO feel will happen with the Rangers, win or lose in these playoffs, is the team will continue to evolve to be a more 'Vigneault-like' team.

That is simply a natural progression whenever any coach takes over for another (Torts in this case) and their styles are vastly different.

The personnel who are there will simply HAVE to adapt to the new coach and style (or perhaps the new coach adapts to the players, though it is usually the former that happens), or they won't be there, replaced by players that CAN play the style, tempo, and strategies the new coach is trying to employ.

In Vigneault's case, I question some of his methods, but there is no denying the success he had with the Canucks, and like them or not, they were a viable Stanley Cup contender (a sure fire playoff contender) almost the entire time Vigneault ran the team from the bench.

No doubt New York expects the same out of his teams now...and will most likely accommodate any change in personnel he would like to achieve his goals.

Let's face it: Before Vigneault, the Rangers were more of a grinding, defensive, more workmanlike group, and while that was fine for making them competitive night in, night out, they did have the big flaw that their offensive output suffered and that also tended to frustrated some of the star players who wanted to be a bit more creative on the ice.

Also, when the Rangers traded for Rick Nash, that DRASTICALLY changed the team dynamics and how they can go about approaching games using the previous style simply because the Rangers lost so much of what made that work (Dubinsky, Anisimov), then on top of that, not being able to re-sign a very solid 3rd liner/sometimes 2nd liner like Brandon Prust, and the players tiring of Coach Tortorella's taskmaster style of coaching, simply put the nail in the coffin of the Rangers being able to compete in the same manner as they did before.

Enter Alain Vigneault and HIS ideas of what it takes to be a contender, night in, night out....and like I said, he and Torts are like night and day and the Rangers roster will eventually reflect that.

In the meantime, I certainly hope the NHL does NOT take a page out of the NBA's "Screwed Up Guide to Running a League" and allow 10 or 12 man trades between teams 

I know the NHL has their own issues in regards to running their league but at least they tend to give fans of the sport some reasons to NOT have to look at team programs at the start of every year due to massive swaps between teams happening on a regular basis!

Again, welcome aboard, IAMSection, hope you stay active......and errr, keep armchair GM'ing.

Whether it is all plausible or not, still makes for very interesting opinions and reading. 

See ya round the boards!

Didn't get to watch Game 5 of this series, however, from what I saw on the highlights and some of the in-depth coverage on several sports networks, the Rangers simply came out to play, while the Pens fell short in that area.

It also looked to me like the Pens were getting a bit frustrated during the game, taking certain penalties that really could have been avoided, and of course, Lundquist was a difference maker once again.

And what's this?? A Rangers PP that went 2 for 3??? A mirage?? A phantasmic apparition of the spookiest ghostly order? Someone call the Ghostbusters, the Pens have been slimed!

Seriously though, the Rangers PP has been the single most abysmal part of their game these playoffs.

I think their compete level and talent have been on par with the Pens (well about as on-par as one can get with guys like Crosby and Malkin on the other side), their goaltending has been terrific, and their overall defense hasn't been half bad either.

But that PP simply had the Blueshirts mired to a point where it seems Pit had NO FEAR of taking any penalties to begin with.

Well, if Game 5 was any indication, the Pens now may have to watch those penalties a bit better from here on out.

Too soon to say the Ranger PP has finally "figured things out", but nice to see them get a couple and make the Pens pay for any indiscretions.

Rangers will need MUCH more of that if they intend to pull off the impossible and take the next two games.

Still giving the Pens advantage here in likelihood to finish things off, however, if the Rangers can use all the cliches we all know and love, play like they had been overall as a team, continue to frustrated the Pens offense, AND have that PP continue to do what they started in Game 5, the Blueshirts maybe, juuuust maybe, have a shot here. 

We have ourselves a series again.  2-2.  Minny needs to win one in Chicago.  

"..Deja Vu All Over Again..."

Hmm...haven't we seen this situation before?

Minnesota down to a purported 'superior' team, loses the first two games on the road to said team, everyone says "well the Wild had a good season to make it this far, but couldn't expect them to win", then the team goes and wins the two home games, and it's a series again.....oh, and last time this happened, the Wild DID take the series in 7.. 

In all seriousness though, yes, this is a series again, buuuuut, the Blackhawks are NOT the Avalanche.

They may both be talented, high tempo teams, but the fact that the Blackhawks are the freakin defending champions and they have the solid playoff tested depth means that Minnesota really can't lose Game 5 in Chicago, then think they can run the table and win Games 6 and 7 just like that.

Is that possible? Absolutely....though I wouldn't want to put that theory to the test.

Again, they did it against Colorado, but Minnesota had been outplaying the Avs almost since the series start and probably should have had that series won much sooner than 7.

The Blackhawks? Wild HAVE played them well (obviously), however, there have been games where Blackhawks players do things that make your jaw drop and go, "ooooh, so THAT'S why they won it all last year".

That home win streak is great for Minnesota, but being the 7th overall seed in the West, they obviously have to win road games if they want to advance.

They won only 1 of those against Colorado (officially...we all know they should have won more of them   ), but it was the one they needed in the series finale.

Chicago will have the line matchups advantage come Sunday and you can bet their head coach and players will do a much better job of taking advantage of that than the NHL inexperienced coaching of Patrick Roy and his young players.

On the Minnesota side  of things, again, I really feel they need to win Game 5.

They win that, even if they lose Game 6, I think they got a legit shot at winning Game 7 as well (win two on the road, lose one at home...yea, I know, goes against everything that has happened so far for Minnesota).

But if they lose Game 5, I have a hard time envisioning them winning two straight from Chicago to end the series.

Say Minny loses Game 5, then uses home magic to win Game 6, Game 7 could see them falling short.

All sounds crazy, or some may even say, "TFG, what is the difference in the two scenarios you mentioned??"........ I think the differences are huge given how the teams have played and who mans the rosters.

Bottom line: Minny wins Game 5, they show they CAN beat the Hawks at United Center, then they only have to win 1 of 2 to finish things off, something very possible for them to do.

Minny LOSES Game 5, they HAVE to win the next two, one at home and one on the road, and to me, that is simply too much to ask this Wild team to do both mentally and physically at this point....advantage in that scenario clearly goes to the Hawks.

On last night's game, I like how the Wild played with intensity and they kept it up for the entire game.

Sure Chicago had their runs, but the Wild subscribed to the "bend but don't break" policy.

Yea, Bryzgalov didn't look particularly sharp for parts of the game (he seemed to have trouble tracking the puck for some reason), but he DID come up with some monster saves when called upon to do so later in the game.

Crawford wasn't particularly on-point with his puck tracking either, while the Minnesota forwards could be seen hemming in Hawks players in their own zone, and even having that very good group of D-men running around their own zone on occasion too.

Some have called the Blackhawks play lazy and/or uninspired, and that is fine, that may very well have been the case. But I like to think the Minnesota Wild had MUCH to do with the Blackhawks having their "off" game.

I said it in game chat, and will say it again.......if the Hawks want to be so-called "lazy", that is fine by the Wild and their fans. They can join the golf courses filled with the other "lazy" teams who are no longer playing in the post season and/or failed to make the playoffs. Suits Minny just fine.

People can call things however they want, but let's give the Wild credit for taking Game 4 and not just Chicago "letting them have" Game 4.

Yes, we DO have a series again, but for some reason, entering Game 5 in Chicago 2-2 still somehow feels like Minnesota is down a game. 

That is what a real-deal team like Chicago can make a fan of the opposition feel like.

I do expect a much better effort out of the Hawks after Game 4, at home, with a chance to put a stranglehold on the series.

Interestingly enough, I really don't feel the Wild need to change a whole lot to their approach.

Continue the intensity, play a full 60 minutes, Bryz continuing to play as well as he has (errr, hopefully he can see the puck better more often in Game 5), and of course, Minnesota forwards have to FINISH on the chances they are sure to create for themselves....oh,and nice to see that PP finally click... 1 for 5 last night, but really it looked pretty good almost all five times out.

Game 5 on Mother's Day for TFG?

Oh yea...sign me up!  

Go Wild! 

Oooo...I remember threads like these at some of the other forums I frequented before....I have some, I have some!!

"Money Puck"  --- Brian Burke

"Flaky Goalies Make Flaky (But Good) GM's....How Yours Can Too" --- Garth Snow

"12 Step Program to Lady Byngsmanship"" --- Matt Cooke....Brad Marchand, James Neal, and Dan Carcillo were going to assist on this, but fear that one would cheap shot the other before the book signing turned this into a one man sideshow...

"How I tamed a town called Vancouver" --- John Tortorella

"Playing A Smart Checking Game" ---Collaboration by Marion Gaborik and Alex Ovechkin

"College Graduates Guide to Unbiased and Professional Broadcasting" --- Paul Steigerwald

"Wishing Upon a Star and a Cup Run I Go Far" --- Ilya Bryzgalov

"Alternative Guide to Dr. Benjamin Spock's Child Self Esteem Methods" -- Mike Milbury

"Playing It Straight Up" -- Sean Avery

"Fitting In Where You Really Don't Belong" -- Co-Authored by VLC and MSL

"Bringing Home The Big Prize" --- Joe Thornton

"Picking Your Spots: Aggressors Guide to Taking Only Good Penalties" -- Zac Rinaldo

Not a Leafs fan by any stretch, but if I were to look at this thing objectively, I would say, of the two choices you've given, Choice A seems the most logical for lots of reasons.

First, as horrible as this team played down the stretch, showing on many nights that they even FORGOT what proper positioning and playing defense was, they have shown also, that, when they don't have their collective Blue n White heads up their Blue n White arses, they CAN be a very tough, grinding, even intimidating team to play against for most of the league in the sense that they can play a wide open style, a checking style, a bully style, and yes, at times, I've even seen them put on some semblance of a defense in front of their goaltender.

Second, this isn't really an old team. Not the youngest in the league, like say a Tampa Bay, Florida, Colorado, Calgary, etc....but far from being 'washed up' up and down the roster.

And they they have players, GOOD players, who are in their primes now.

They just got themselves a pretty good goaltender in Jonathan Bernier, whose injury was pretty significant for the Leafs, and they seem to put out some decent, if not spectacular players from the Marlies.

Does a guy like Shanahan want to start over and waste away the youth and primes of the players that are on the roster now?

Probably not.

Will the Toronto fanbase even accept that?? Definitely not.

Toronto seems like the NY Yankees of baseball in the sense that they expect to win it all every year and anything short of a SC is simply a failed season. Same with Montreal, by the way.

To trade the core of the team now, IMO, would be setting the franchise back several years as a contender.

The new division alignment has them in such a way that they WOULD suffer many losing seasons if they decide to start over at this point in time.

Obviously, the team isn't good enough as is and changes need to be made, but the re-working, as opposed to a 'do-over', I think, is the way to go.

The Leafs have a few bad contracts, the one that sticks out the most is the David Clarkson one.

And I am not EVEN saying Clarkson is a bad player....just that that Leafs overpayed, and to complicate matters, they seem to misplace him in their lineup (top six forward) probably due to what he is making, than his actual abilities (more likely 3rd liner, and perhaps sometimes 2nd PP unit).

It will be hard for the Leafs to trade away Clarkson's contract (or perhaps even Phaneuf's or Kessels...though I can see a team perhaps taking a chance with Kess), but what they CAN do is properly slot these guys based on what they bring to the table for the team as opposed to playing them where they have no business playing based on their salary and the ridiculous notion that if a player is making more he should be playing on a top line...whether he ranks it or not.

I guess what I am saying is, for the Leafs, make the most out of what you have.

I don't care if Dion Phaneuf is the captain...he obviously is not too well equipped to cover and skate with the league's top forwards. He is a hell of a hitter, has a hell of a shot, and probably has the ear of the locker room....but he seems to me more like a 2nd pair defenseman, perhaps best covering the other team's 2nd and 3rd liners.....just as an example.

I think with some re-working, the Leafs can put out a much better product than what they showed when last season ended for them.

Doesn't make them Stanley Cup contenders at this point, but it makes them NOT look like the awful, putrid, wretched mess we saw as the TB Lightning officially put them out of playoff contention.

And that at least, has a chance to keep the fanbase thinking the team is moving in the right direction, and it gives time for some of the team's younger players to round into shape as full blown NHL'ers, and hey, it may even give time for some of the Marlies players to make themselves knows, as they can be worked into a lineup that includes NHL veterans, meaning they most likely won't have to shoulder all the burden of the entire Leafs fanbase in trying to resemble Cup contenders when they really aren't ready.

If at some point, some how, some way, the Leafs can rid themselves of a bad contract or two (perhaps find a team more desperate than they are for 'star power' or some team needing to reach the cap floor), then by all means explore that possibility.

But blowing up the team right now and going for a complete do-over (ala Calgary Flames, Buffalo Sabres) will NOT appease Maple Leafs fans, and I think will do more harm than good to the players on the team they have who may be on the cusp of the next step in their evolution as players.

My 39 cents. 

Good info, @yave1964

And I can't imagine what it's like as a fan to have a thug, let's face it, that's what Todd Bertuzzi is, a common thug, play for your team and watch him enjoy moments on your team's successes.

IMO, whatever negatives Bertuzzi has coming are well deserved.

I don't care about how since then 'he has played the game the right way', or about that he already did his penance, etc...that is all NONSENSE.

He changed a man's life, took away his career....THEN has the nerve to say "...but, but, Crawford made me do it" , or "The Canucks said I had to go do it..".

Grow a set Mr. Bertuzzi.

If you really are the tough SOB you were always made out to be, and all that stuff was true, then you would have told the Canucks AND Marc Crawford to shove a hockey stick up their you-know-whats.

So the team cuts you, releases you, buys you out...flat out throws you off for that? Big effing deal.

If you ever were a true man of honor and refused to participate in criminal behavior like that, some other team would have realized that and given you a job ASAP!

But no...Todd Bertuzzi did what Todd Bertuzzi does...play the bully.

Whether he did what he did on his own or at the behest of either his coach or organization is irrelevant (ok, perhaps in a legal sense it matters), because from a moral standpoint, and a being-a-man standpoint, it doesn't matter a damned bit.

He either was an animal with that premeditated attack (or impulsive attack...which actually shows weak will and nature), or was a mentally weak man led around by those who "outrank" him....yea, the ol "Just following orders" excuse...uh huh...

Bertuzzi's actions go so far beyond the scope of hockey that it's not even funny.

This is a criminal incident. Make no mistake.

My husband is a former Army Ranger...fully capable of seriously injuring, maiming, or killing a fellow human being with his bare hands if need be.

Had my husband been the kind of weak minded individual to do such a thing to someone else, on the street, or in a bar, because, say some other guy said one or two words that he deemed inappropriate to his wife, he most CERTAINLY would be looking at not only jail time but the incident following him around reputation-wise and financially the rest of his life.

And no one would feel sorry for him, rightly so, for his animalistic actions.

So excuse me if I don't feel sorry in the least for Todd Bertuzzi and his legal and financial plight.

The way I see it, the man got off easy....very easy.

And even though things may get tougher for him legally from here on out with the looming court case, compared to what Steve Moore and his family went through, and continue to go through, it just doesn't compare.

Just the kind of society we live in where if you have enough money, enough status, enough star power...oh and hey, being a dumb jock is good enough too...then you can either get away with, or at least seriously lessen the amount of repercussions for infinitely stupid and/or Neanderthal behavior towards your fellow man.

I am not sure what exactly the Moore family hopes to get out of all this.....the obvious things would be financial compensation...but it is pretty clear that family has wounds, physical and otherwise, that won't be healing any time soon.

For all intents and purposes, Todd Bertuzzi has already played a full career.

So if this circus now takes him away from hockey, for the here and now, we as NHL fans can finally say "Good riddance" to an eyesore on the sport.

But part of me hopes this continues to haunt the man well after he is gone from the NHL.

So he can see what it is like to live day after day with the results of someone doing something to him that irrevocably changes HIS life.

Another amazing game with a tying goal in the last minutes of a hockey game.  Gaborik ties game 1 with 7s and then wins it in OT.  

What an difference it is in his ability to score the big goals on a team where he doesn't have to be "THAT" guy. 

Quite a game.... 4 straight wins for the Kings.

You know, every playoff season seems to have one team so something spectacular during it...could the Kings be pulling off some "OMG, did they just do that?" moments?

Talking about coming back down 0-3 to the Sharks and now, looking like they were going to be beat for sure in Anaheim, come back to tie with seconds left, then a winner in OT...

I was hoping it would be the Minnesota Wild coming up with the "OMG" moments, in these playoffs, but so far, the Kings are writing that script real well.

As for Gaborik, the guy is still an unbeliebable talent on the ice.

That has always been the case in Minnesota, New York, Columbus (though I don't believe he did a whole lot the short time he was there), and now LA.

And yea, his defensive deficiencies can be hidden real well on a team like the Kings....I mean, he can literally go all out and will likely have 4 other skaters (and a goalie) on the ice with enough defensive acumen to cover for the lack of his own.

Also, the fact that there is much less pressure for him to score '2 or 3 goals a game' on a team like LA helps tremendously. Heck, with the way the Kings have been known to output goals, ANY bit that Gaborik can give them is viewed as gravy.

Anaheim Ducks gotta be wondering what they have to do to put away the Kings for Game 2....home ice (for or against) doesn't seem to matter a damned to LA....

Journeyman goaltender Mathieu Garon (aka, Arnold Vosloo, aka The Mummy's Imhotep   )
, has called it a career.
 
From TSN Canada
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=451067
 
Garon, although having played for many teams, will be remembered by THIS fan as the guy who was able to bridge between Dwayne Roloson to Ben Bishop the Bolts have today.
 
Mathieu has also played for the Columbus Blue Jackets, Edmonton Oilers, Montreal Canadiens, and a short stint with the Penguins and prior to this retirement announcement, was most recently with the Omsk Avangard of the KHL.
 
For the most part, Garon was a career backup goaltender.
He seemed to play well enough in that role, but, when asked to play above and beyond that role, was exposed as not being a true NHL starting goalie.
 
Still though, and I don't speak for other fanbases, I think he was just what the Lightning needed after Dwayne Roloson no longer was Superman, and TB had a bunch of inexperienced guys in the minors.
The guy played whatever role the Lightning asked of him, backup, starter, mop up, played hurt....never complained, never was a distraction, and always said the right things in regards to his coaching staff and teammates.
 
He played just well enough for the Bolts while they continued to search what he had to know, would be his eventual replacements.
Enter Anders Lindback and Ben Bishop, and the rest, as they say, came to pass.
 
Thank you Mathieu Garon for taking on the the goaltending role (in all its forms) for the Lightning and never, EVER appearing like you wished you were somewhere else or playing as if you were disinterested, as I would imagine, it would have been VERY easy for a veteran goaltender to do given the situation in Tampa Bay at the time.
 
You gave it everything you had all the time and gave fans, such as myself, some hope that the team would soon turn in the right direction pending the maturity of the team you had in front of you.
 
Here is hoping Mathieu Garon enjoys his retirement, and even though he achieved just 'journeyman' status in the NHL, it is ALOT more than many other past goaltenders can say they did in the league.
 
Oh, and Mr. Garon, I would push REAL hard for those Mummy and Scorpion King royalties....Hollywood should NOT be allowed to use your likeness without the proper compensation!