Trettioåtta

I'm not gonna join in this cultural deconstruction, however, i don't think most brits hate ice hockey. I think that most Brits know of it and know f the fighting in it, but the reason they don't play it is: a) No history of it - very important when you look at which countries play which sports b) Not cold enough - no frozen lakes to play on in winter, no ice rinks in the garden possible c) Not able to watch a decent league at a decent time - i.e. you are unlikely to stumble across it

I agree with you about the concept of change and humans. However, if you change too much then you can suck for the first little while due to lost chemistry. I think Ryan is a lateral move. This team doesn't need a 30 goal scorer if it costs them a 30 goal scorer (Vanek) or a 20 goal scorer and a hefty chunk of their future. Our prospect pool is not exceptionally deep, outside of Armia, G1, G2, McNabb, Pysyk and Foligno. To lose a 1st and a prospect to gain 10 goals (but only 7 points) seems pointless.

Vanek has better stats than Ryan and he is only 3 years older... His contract is 1 year shorter and is more expensive. This doesn't make sense to me, we get 3 years younger, a little tougher and some cap room in exchange we lose point production from an offensively anaemic team, a first rounder, and a prospect. If the prospect is a random AHL scrub then the deal makes a little more sense, but i am presuming when they say prospect they mean Pysyk, McNabb etc. Also Vanek doesn't appear to have attitude problems Ryan is not a fantastic skater and neither is Vanek - Ryan might be a bit better. Stylitically they are different, V scores his goals from standing in front of the net and tipping whilst R scores his goals by driving to the net.

Maybe we are talking on cross terms - i would have no problem doing what Tootoo did to Miller on Thomas; but if someone says run the goalie, to me that implies deliberately avoiding the play and just checking the goalie as hard as you can. Which could result in a concussion (Miller) and i personally don't think there is ever a play in hockey that needs to be revenged with assault. I also think there is little difference between avoiding a play and hitting a goalie to injure him in the game and waiting to beat him up in the parking lot. To me intent to injure and assault on the ice are as bad a crime as off the ice

In this analogy, what people are suggesting is going up and finger banging his gf - i upped it from gropping because whilst the first guys could be a drunken mistake, even if he doesn't look that drunk. You are sober and would need to make a calculated decision.

I disagree - suggesting someone winds up and runs into a goalie is not very different to suggesting someone uses their stick instead of their body as the weapon. Tootoo roughed Miller up on a play - he didn't run him. Lucic should have been suspended but he wasn't. However, Lucic had the argument that he didn't ahve time to move and it was all in the motion of the play - i didn't buy it, the league did. However, they would not buy it if goose moves away from the play on the next shift and flattens Thomas. We should have stepped up and been more physical and bumped Thomas like Tootoo did Miller - but we should not have run him. I was furious when L ran M, i would have been happy to watch the Sabres take turns to beat L to death with their sticks. But it would have been wrong

I don't think you run thomas - by all means be more physical with him. But actually running a basically immobile player is not tough it is pathetic. Not to mention that player would be gone for 10+ games - the league is not going to let you sort out your problems byt beating up innocent players. Next thing you guys will be suggesting is we should have swung our stick and smacked thomas in the head

I would love Helm on this team. Absolutely love his game.

The torches/the lighting of it was simply awesome.

I really like this opening

Hrmmmm, so we heard it from sskot13, who heard it from hockeyinsider, who heard it from the paper, who heard it from the radio, who heard it from Rutherford's vocal cords, who heard it from Rutherford's pattern of electrical impulses in his brain. Sounds like a rumour to me.

I have to agree - surely a rumour is a rumour and part of it is taking into account the credability of the source - e.g. on a scale from Dregger to Eklund. But they are all rumours and in a slow offseason it gives something to discuss

Thought about how you will propose? I'm presuming you have a girlfriend and this is not a buy for the future one day :P

Don't worry TrueBlue, i still agree with everything you say :wub: To be honest, i'm surprised he wanted to go to such a defensive team. Someone like the capitals would surely have been more fun to play for (Imagine Ovie-Backstrom-Nash)

Yeah i was thinking the same. Weirdly, i found it almost unbelievable that the tracker could follow them so easily, i wondered if he was given help at all or if the camera crew et al make it a lot easier for him. I guess i also feel sorry for them, Doan's brother grew up with him and new what he was taking on, that camera dude must have been put through his paces. It was still fun to watch though

Good deal for both sides. I really wanted us to trade up and draft him. Reminded me of an Iginla type player :ph34r:

Doan's fitness i amazing - he barely seemed out of breath at the end. I felt so sorry for the brother. Doan came across as a really nice guy who could push others to their absolute limits. I would so so like to get him on our team

The owners really need to fire Howson. The man has run the franchise into the gutter

Did he drop his price hugely, or were other teams pretending the price was too high? To me that is the same as 1st, McNabb, Stafford and Adam

Nash is a Rag

Stastny is a poor number 1 or a very good number 2. He is better than Derek Roy, but not by much and he has a poor playoff point record, albeit the sample size is poor. The Flyers have missed the playoffs once in the last 17 seasons. Let's not pretend Briere was their saviour. I fail to see why you are comparing our wins to their wins? This team has not missed the playoffs simply because Briere has gone so it is an irrelevant point. Prior to Briere the Flyers won an average of 6.2 games a playoffs. With Briere it is 6.8 - that to me is not a huge difference (especially considering the with-briere sample is smaller). The Flyers have always been good in the post season because they have always been willing to pay for a good team. Interesting fact: Since black sunday the Sabres and Briere have won the same number of stanley cups Don't get me wrong, i think he is a big time player, but i don't think he is as good as people pretend he is.

I'd happily take a 50 point player who is defensively responsible over a 70 point player who isn't. Briere worked in Buffalo because Pommers and Hecht are damn good two-way players and could cover him

Firstly, what is Danny Briere potential? In the last 5 full seasons he has played his points have been: 95, 72, 53, 68 and 49. Those numbers are all over the shop. But as 3 are around or above the 70 mark, i'll assume that is the DB potential. Secondly, Ennis could learn to play better defence than DB. Which would make him a much more useful as a centre. Thus, if his upper limit is 70 points and a 2-way forward, then yes i think that is probably his upper limit. I also think that he is way overvalued here. He was pretty ###### the first half of the season and really only became a force in the last 20 games. Right now i seem him as a wild card. A 60 point season wouldn't shock me, but then neither would a 30-40. I also think he is of limited use to other teams. LR has dealt with small forwards for almost a decade, the players around him have as well, but most teams wouldn't trade much for him (my personal opinion). He also needs to hit the gym and take some protein shake. There is no way he should weigh less than 175lbs i think. I am not sure Stastny is a true number 1 centre - at the very least he is not a strong one. I don't see him as much of an upgrade over the three centres we have, bar simply being older. Having said that, i like him as a player so would like him on this team

I disagree with the quote. We had a bad season, i think we bounce back and i think our young guys step up more.