French Collection

I'm glad he's back in the fold. It's a team friendly deal and I hope he is motivated to get a big raise.

I am optimistic as well and hope for the playoffs. The Knights are an example of why our roster turnover can work. Most of those guys had never played together before, yet became a team in short order. Their effort level for the entire season was incredible and they played the underdog card to perfection. I believe their coach had a lot to do with their success.

UPL with the Sudbury Wolves and Pekar with the Barrie Colts, JBotts may have to watch some OHL games this year. I know I will, those teams play in North Bay multiple times a year.

Mitts I love a lot. D is my suggestion because he will be the man at that position for a long time.

Amazing sports feats are possible for beginners, take Kim Jong Il shooting 38 under 34 on one of his first tries at golf.

From Russia With Love is my favourite movie. I basically like them all. Sean Connery is the best. Daniel Craig is a close second. Hale Berry used the Ursulla Andress approach but just blew my mind. Blofeld is a great villain, Mike Myers did a great job, lol. I liked Oddjob's bowler hat, a simple but deadly gadget. Pu$$y Galore was an edgy name. I like Adele on Skyfall as my musical choice.

Makita was good and lasted a long time. His bucket was the ugly Northland which is one of the worst helmets ever. The Cooper may beat it, my mother bought me one of those. RIP

There are many Leafs fans who believe every name player from the OHL wants to play there. They spout that out first without considering the cap. They also have fans who think they are going to run the tables this year.

Skinner's higher shooting percentage could be due to his choosing better shots than Kane's 50 footers from the left boards on a zone entry. Skinner may be a puck hog but is probably more creative than Kane. Kane definitely has the edge defensively and physically. One thing that has not been mentioned is that Skinner is a year younger than Kane and has three 30 goal seasons. Kane has always been mentioned as a potential 30 goal winger, with only one to his credit. I expect him to hit that number this season with the Sharks, barring injury. Skinner should match that due to a contract year and having better centres.

Pu may make the Canes this season. I think our centre depth would have made it difficult for him in Buffalo.

Luukkonen joining the Sudbury Wolves in the OHL. Maybe JBot is not as anti CHL as some think. I am interested in seeing him up close in a few games this year.

I watched the whole thing. I can't believe how much footage they have from that war. I was young but remember some of it. As a Canadian we obviously were not affected. A few things that stood out to me were how young these guys were. Many of them were sons of WW2 vets and wanted to be heroes of their own era. The government knowing there was little chance of winning and sending half a million soldiers is tough to fathom as well.

If the majority of the fan base has soured on a player, there should be something obvious in his performance that management can see as well. I can see the players getting sick of the boos and wanting out as well.

I like the comparison to Kessel. Skinner will definitely have warts, on the defensive side of the puck, but if he can mesh with the team and produce he will be a great addition. Kessel was run out of Toronto for his shortcomings and I hope we don't do the same to Skinner.

I agree that I will miss ROR, but he can be replaced by committee. Berglund and Sobotka can provide faceoff ability and some PK work. Thompson and the other 2 can add up to more offence while providing depth. Casey and Dahlin will pick up the slack on the PP.

I chose Vegas for a flop but I see it more as just missing the playoffs. I guess some would call that a flop after their inaugural season.

Fingal, not Fingel is 32 and has been scouting for HV71 J20 since 2014.

Some of the stuff I've been reading indicates he wanted a longer developmental approach while ownership wants to speed up the process.

I'm not a capologist but I think you are correct, they have time.

The right vet in the wrong situation doesn't work either. Messier was brought in to save the Canucks, was named captain and they went nowhere, missing the playoffs three straight years. If I recall correctly, it was Linden's team and management gave Messier the C. Everyone talks about the Cup he won with the Rangers but his Canuck era is swept under the rug.

I guess that is why so many young guys make the SHL in their draft year. Do you think changes to the import rules would improve the quality? Getting more ex NHL guys to play there? Would fans want to see those guys? How about enticing young North American prospects to go develop for a year while getting paid, like Matthews.

That's what Gionta and Gorges were supposed to do. They were undermined by the tank.

Correct on all counts. I don't like a Bloody Mary. The Caesar has worstechire sauce, Tabasco sauce a celery salt rim plus some veggies like pickled beans, olives and/or celery. Waiting for my coworker to bring some any minute.

I don't mind reading some of the analytics stuff on this board so it helps to "keep me in the loop ". I am an old school eye test guy because I am older and I'm not interested in spending my hockey time reading charts and spreadsheets. I guess you could say I also believe in intangibles. My cocktail of choice is a Caesar. Beer works fine for most occasions.

He's getting more money than Baptiste and Bailey. Is that because he put up better numbers in the AHL?