Things you do not like about your team

[yave1964]

Dedicated to B21, i am not going to say a WORD about the Penguins, lol. Kind of curious if he does though.

 

  Things i do not like about the Wings.

 

1. I believe Ken Holland, a great architect of the game to be sure needs to retire. I believe the game has passed him by and i wish that he had moved on before either Jim Nill or Stevie had left, i was hoping one of them would take his place.

 

2. I hate the way our intensity level seems to drop in the final few minutes. I do not know how many goals this club has given up in the final few minutes of a period but it is easily the most i have ever seen from any Wings team ever. I put a lot of blame on Howard but it is not just him. The whole team seems to sag at the end of a period.

 

3. I think the trainer needs to be questioned and possibly replaced. Too many injuries, and way too long to come back from them. When a player is out for two weeks according to the team, more often than not it turns into three or more. Many times this year (and truthfully for several seasons) this has happened. I am not satisfied with our sports medicine staff.

 

4. I do not like our lack of fire on the ice. With a few exceptions the club always seems to hustle but not have that emotional connect to the game. I know the club is composed of over half Europeans who are less emotional but come on, a little fire on the ice would be great.

 

  That is about it. Anyone else?

[mojo1917]

I do and don't like the "old flyers club" it is great the organization has the loyalty to former players, but are they really equipped to take on law school educated agents and manage the finances of a multi-million dollar business enterprise ?

 

I do and don't like Ed Snider's win every year philosophy, wait I do like it , i hate losing  , but the kind of winning the Flyers seem committed to is the "always good never great" kind of winning and I feel the club should have a few more championships to show for nearly 40 years of high quality play. 

tough thing to really bitch about but i'd like to see a championship during my rooting lifetime, even if that means a couple of barren seasons, where we miss the playoffs but grow.

 

I don't like the Flyers reputation for being the "bullies"  its not true anymore , i think there are at least 2 reputation calls per game against our team.

 

I don't really like the orange sweaters a whole lot.  i love the name plates though. all my flyers sweaters are white.

 

@yave1964

you wouldn't want to have jimmy "the groin" mccrossin on your training staff, i think sports medicine is the wild west as far as actually practicing medicine, "here kid rub this antler extract on that knee and take this supplement it will help your workouts while you rehab from what used to be a career ending injury in 6 weeks..." where else do you see that ?  that said jimmy mccrossin has been the purveyor of sports hernias for over 15 years.

[Commander Clueless]

I don't like the Leafs' horrible defensive play this year. They showed some decent promise last year, particularly on the penalty kill. But this year? Atrocious.

 

I don't like the Leafs' tendency to hand out awful contracts.

 

I don't, for the most part, like the Leafs' lackluster drafting/development.

 

And I don't like the Leafs' ticket prices.

Edited March 13, 2014 by Commander Clueless

[yave1964]

@Commander Clueless

 

Ticket prices!! Oh god i forgot that one.

  I live about an hour north of Columbus and i can go see the Wings play at Nationwide for half the money for great seats. It usually has the feel of a home game because around half the fans have Wings jerseys on at the game......

[Bertmega]

-Ed Snider and his inability to stay out of the business end of the hockey operation

-The "Good Ol' Boys Network" that refuses to seek new blood in upper management positions

-Paul Holmgren and his name jointly on Ed Snider's checkbook

-The PECO powerplay

-The name of the arena and it's location

[Commander Clueless]

@yave1964

 

And Detroit is so much better than Toronto even!

 

I have only ever seen one Leaf game live in my life, but I've seen several Wings games because they are closer and actually somewhat affordable.

 

Speaking of that, my cousin got some tickets so I'm going to see my second live Leaf game next week in Detroit. Should be fun!

Edited March 13, 2014 by Commander Clueless

[B21]

Dedicated to B21, i am not going to say a WORD about the Penguins, lol. Kind of curious if he does though.

 

 

Your restraint is admirable.  (HA HA LOL HA HA LOL)

 

1) I do not like how they will take prospects/young players that project out as 1st/2nd line players and start them off on the 3rd or 4th line.  They did it with Tangredi and they have done it somewhat with Beau Bennett.

 

2) I do not agree with the lack of playing time for Simon Depres until they really had no other options.

 

3) I wish they would replace Staggy with Mike Lange.  I actually think Errey is OK to pretty good but no problem with Lange/Phil Bourque if they came as a pair. I'd take Lange and a bar stool frankly.

 

4) I do not like their tendency to not go for the jugular against a lesser opponent.  Too often they will get out to a 2 or 3 goal lead then ease up and let the other team back into the game. 2-0 becomes 2-2.  Then they end up winning 3-2 (or 4-2 with the empty netter). 

 

[Commander Clueless]

@B21

 

That's something the Leafs do to that I don't like. If they get a lead, they go into defensive mode.

 

Unfortunately, their defensive ability is not often up to the task, and they let teams back into the game in the 3rd period. They are pretty good at winning overtimes, but a lot of those games should never have made it there.

[JR Ewing]

Things I don't like about the Oilers...

 

-The lack of ability for the franchise to produce one of its own goalies since they drafted Grant Fuhr.

-Last summer, Craig MacTavish talked about the need for a 4th line which could actually be looked at to at least hbe an occasional threat to score and hold the puck in the offensive zone. Then, Zack Kassian broke Sam Gagner's jaw, and they decided that dressing Luke Gazdic was the answer.

-The rebuild is in its official 4th year (but they've been terrible since 2007) and the club hasn't progressed since they started playing musical coaches and fired Tom Renney, who did an admirable job.

-The club has a long history of hiring old Boys on the Bus players to be part of the coaching staff when other coaches with superior experience and success aren't even interviewed. Case in point: Steve Smith was hired to be an Associate Coach after bumping into member of Oilers management at O'Hare airport. Literally, within a couple of minutes, standing there with suitcases in hand, he was offered a job.

-Have had, for about 20 years, a habit of labeling certain players as AHLers, and not giving them a real shot, even when they're clearly superior to players on the major league roster. This year's guy: Mark Arcobello. Previous players include bums like Ray Whitney.

-I can't recall a time in my life that the Oilers had a balanced roster, even when they were outstanding.

-Up until the 1st lockout, Oilers management cried the blues, citing payroll as the reason for their lack of success. This was eaten up by fans, but ignored a glaring point: their drafting was terrible for a very long time.

-Too many times, the Oilers have made quality for quantity trades. Those almost never work out. They also have a terrible habit of trading actual NHL players away while not having a replacement for his minutes ready. One which comes to mind: Brodziak, Kyle. A solid depth centre with good size who can play both sides of the puck, given away for a 4th and 5th rounder for no bloody reason. When you have an actual NHL player, you hold onto him until he impacts your cap harshly enough or you have a replacement. Late drat picks? Foolish, and a long term bad habit of Edmonton management.

 

I'll add more as my grumpiness increases.

[bunnyman]

What I hate about the Blues:

1) they always figure out a way to screw themselves out of a Cup

2) see #1

[jammer2]

  I may be re-hashing some of MoJo's points, cause some of the stuff he mentioned are universal Flyer fan complaints.

 

 1)The Flyers inability to draft and develop their own d-men...enough of this crap, if Hagg, Morin and or Ghost don't turn out to be respectable..I will BLOW a gasket!

 

 2)The Old Boys Network...lead by Ed Snider....ok, we got lucky with Berube, who by all accounts is a decent NHL coach, but history tells us they can and will pick clunkers they are close to....and I'm sure it will happen again.

 

 3)I'm 100% convinced that our trainer is a STIFF!!!  I hate McCrossin, and while this may not be fair, cause I'm not there to see the injuries and I'm not a doctor, the number of times we see repeat injuries and just our total in general tells me, where there is smoke, there is indeed fire.

 

 4)Chasing the dragon, always trying to copy the blueprint set forth by the previous NHL champs, which tells us they have no real plan of their own.

 

 5)This should really be number 1...but trading away young talent to aging vets who are past their prime, all in an effort to add that "put you over the top" piece that is much like Charlie Brown's Great Pumpkin friend....never shows up when you really want him.

[mojo1917]

@B21

@Commander Clueless

 

I think letting up once a team gets 2 or 3 goals up on its opponent is pretty standard across the league and across sports in general.

the worst of the sports for this though is baseball, because no matter how many runs you get up on your opponent you still have to throw the ball across the plate until you get 27 outs. 

[Polaris922]

Wow... This one is actually tough for me. Not because I think they're perfect, but because I see a lot of the Pens' issues as taking the good with the bad.

I often wish they were more aggressive at defending the star players. I think Crosby, Malkin, et al should be able to use their skill without needing to be in every scrum that comes with it.

I wish James Neal would drop the petty crap and turn into the power forward he's built to be. He has all the skill, and good size, but seems to shy away from contact unless its with his elbows. He needs to be more physical.

I wish the defense would hit more around our net. They tie up sticks and all the soft defensive stuff well, but when it's time to clear bodies they seem hesitant to do so.

I wish Bylsma would stop messing with line combinations so often. Especially on the top two lines. Part of that would be as @B21 said if you've got a talent coming up in the ranks put him top six and give him more than one period to find his way.

[yave1964]

@B21@Polaris922

  I think Bennett Sans injury would have gotten top six minutes, especially with Dupuis going down. I actually had Bennett as a fantasy sleeper this year and still think in spite of this kind of lost year that he will have a pretty decent career.

 

  I know what you mean with kids though, for years Babcock has developed a well earned reputation for not playing the kids enough, but like Pittsburgh (At least until this year) it is hard to play the kids when you are in a battle for the cup, go with what you know and what has gotten you there in the past is a great mantra. The difference is, while your team has had injuries as well, your GM has went out and added pieces and parts to deal with them, (Goc and Stempniak) our GM Holland is asleep at the breakfast table with his tie in his oatmeal because nobody has asked him to retire yet. At least this year we have been forced to play the kids who have been much better than anticipated, same as you guys on the blue line with the uber talented Maatta.

[goalnut3133]

...when goalnut was a 'Nucks fan... response would have been:  :blink: 

 

And to all of the above: You're all still WAY better off than the Nucks...

 

I'll add more as my grumpiness increases.

 

Which is why I changed my avatar...JR, you need one like mine....for now it's Grump City & I'm the Mayor.

[JR Ewing]

...when goalnut was a 'Nucks fan... response would have been:  :blink: 

 

And to all of the above: You're all still WAY better off than the Nucks...

 

 

 

 

Which is why I changed my avatar...JR, you need one like mine....for now it's Grump City & I'm the Mayor.

 

Ah, I'll stick with Christy Matthewson for now. Somebody has to be there to prop up old players. After all, in two years, it will have been 100 years since he retired. What a pitcher.

 

AND! And... He doesn't get credit for it, but it was Mathewson, working in the media after his career, who outed the Black Sox scandal for what it was, by cataloging suspect plays. It was him that came up with the names of the guilty players, all of whom (aside from Joe Jackson) eventually confessed.

 

Then again, he wasn't your average player in those days. The league had a mix of farm boys, toughs, college boys, etc. When on the road, Matthewson used to find local chess champions to play against on off days. To contrast that, Chick Gandil was a former hobo.

Edited March 14, 2014 by JR Ewing

[jammer2]

@JR Ewing  I have read about Christy's many accomplishments. He has all sorts of pitching records that many say can't be broken. Of course, those are the days when pitchers *somehow* pitched full double headers....lol, that is amazing their arms did not fall off!

[JR Ewing]

@JR Ewing  I have read about Christy's many accomplishments. He has all sorts of pitching records that many say can't be broken. Of course, those are the days when pitchers *somehow* pitched full double headers....lol, that is amazing their arms did not fall off!

 

LOL...

 

Yeah, Mathewson threw a lot of Complete Games (435 out of 552 starts) but it looks a little bit different on further reflection. He completed 78% of his ballgames, but the average in those days was 73% (we're under 5% now). Still, he stands among the absolute greats: 12th best Wins Above Replacement (95.3) all-time.

 

But, the game was pretty different. In Mathewson's first season, the rules were changed so that foul balls were now counted as strikes, and that led to league batting averages to drop by almost 50 points. So, low scoring ball was in. There were few home runs (the NL leader's average for the decade was 10) so any pitched ball was less likely to result in runs against like now. So, pitchers sat back a lot more and saved their best stuff for key moments in the game.

 

From Matty's classic book, "Pitching in a Pinch".

 

"I have always been against a twirler pitching himself out when there is no necessity for it, as so many youngsters do. They burn them through for eight innings and then, when the pinch comes, something is lacking. A man should always hold something in reserve, a surprise to spring when things get tight."

 

This was common practice in those days.

 

I'm pretty sure I would have gotten along with Mathewson; seems right up my alley. When he was in the hospital, recovering from injuries suffered in World War 1 (he was gassed, which eventually proved fatal to him) he used the time to create a table top baseball game based in a statistical element.

 

"When a fellow cannot read or write or talk, it requires more resourcefulness to keep his mind off his troubles. I started working out a baseball game, figuring every chance and studying how it should be played mechanically so as to offer the same chances as are offered on a baseball field. It interested me and keep my mind engaged."

[Vanflyer]

you wouldn't want to have jimmy "the groin" mccrossin on your training staff, i think sports medicine is the wild west as far as actually practicing medicine, "here kid rub this antler extract on that knee and take this supplement it will help your workouts while you rehab from what used to be a career ending injury in 6 weeks..." where else do you see that ?  that said jimmy mccrossin has been the purveyor of sports hernias for over 15 years.

 

This is an interesting topic "sports trainers". The coaches / gms / players get paid millions per annum. I know the Flyers have doctors as "consultants", but why not employ two or three dedicated doctors and rehab specialists? What would it cost a year? 5M? That said, Pat Croce was a guru in this genre. 

[Polaris922]

@goalnut3133

 

Good seeing ya bud... 

 

As for the rest of the posts... the Penguins have had a team doctor that is full on participation with the team for a long time.  I've sat in on coaching lectures with their doctors, hence my comments in the past about concussions and similar issues.  Does it matter?  They've been decimated by injuries these past few years so I'm not so sure the game allows for prevention so much.  

[MadDevil]

After the game tonight I hate how the Devils can't hold on to a lead. Up 3-1 on the Florida freaking Panthers, and they end to losing in regulation. I think that's the third or fourth time in the last couple years they've done that against Florida.

I also can't stand our broadcasting crew. Cangiolosi is terrible at play-by-play, Chico rambles half the game about nothing, and Deb asks the dumbest questions. They might be the worst TV crew outside of those two morons in Pittsburgh.

[yave1964]

@Vanflyer

 

  As far as training staff I am pretty certain that over the past few years the Red Wings have engaged the medical practice of Drs. Kervorkian and Mengele......

[Vanflyer]

@Vanflyer

 

  As far as training staff I am pretty certain that over the past few years the Red Wings have engaged the medical practice of Drs. Kervorkian and Mengele......

 

Coming from a Red Wing fan, I am a bit shocked. I have always had the utmost respect for the organization. Yet, you would know better than me. 

 

I will still assert and question, why teams do not spend a significant budget to monitor / rehab their players with qualified people. 

[DBizzle99]

2 things jump to mind...

 

1.  pandering to the "corporate" crowd.  I know it's a business, it's as much about entertainment as it is sport, yada yada, but the perks and privileges lavished on the suite and lower bowl crowds, most of who don't show up until the second period and then are gone for the bars before the 3rd, while the diehards upstairs are spending entire intermissions waiting in huge lines just to get a single beer or to go pee... grrr.  Shoot us a t-shirt once in a while, will ya?

 

2.  living a little too long in the "good ol' days".  '99 was awesome, Mo and Eddie and company were great, yes sir they were, but can we please stop kissing their arses now?  We've got a new team now, young, exciting, some of 'em not too bad looking... I'm nostalgic too, but love the one you're with, for crying out loud!

 

Don't get me wrong, just sayin'.

[jammer2]

@DBizzle99  Welcome!  I think anyone showing up to a game in a 3 piece suit should be shot and pissed on.....end rant....lol.