That Aud Smell

^

there are contexts in which it makes sense to cross an international border and scoop up the niagara region of ontario in order to define greater Buffalo's metro area. i don't think this is one of those contexts. and not for nothing, the ontario ministry of finance recently pegged greater toronto's population at 6.9 million (nice) as of year's end 2017 and projected it to grow to nearly 10 million in the next 20 years.

It's a tempting thing to think, I admit. Like I said: Tempting. This is a good post - especially this part (I saw some charts on this point recently, and it was amazing how closely their games have resembled each other). Anyhoo -- I come back to the touchstone of something along the lines of: Blaming the team's best players for the team's struggles is folly. The team sucks because it lacks proper depth, not because it's best players can't shoulder the entire load. Word.

Amazing how that works. I think I misread this as saying he's a #3D on a good winning team. I think you're saying he's a 5/6 on a good winning team and a 3/4 on a lot of teams. And I agree with that. I think we should be mindful that basic Corsi/Fenwick are just the tip of the #fancystats iceberg. I've read several times, in essence, that the way NHL teams deep-dive on this stuff makes Corsi/Fenwick look like addition and subtraction, while the proprietary stuff is more like calculus.

It absolutely was that draft. My memory was foggy though. I thought Dineen asked that question of Pegula in re Risto. Not so. That came up when Zadorov was available. It’s in the clip.

Um, maybe? I'm honestly unsure where those came from -- they were always around though. And I can't say I recall a milkman with a horse.

We've kicked this around here a few times over the years. I can't change my hard-wiring. If I am watching the Leafs play another team in the playoffs, I will be pulling for the Leafs. They were always my secondary team (without ever planning it that way) -- we'd have them tuned in on a small snowy black and white TV, perched on a milk crate in the kitchen, while we made pizzas on a Saturday night. But they're a natural geographic rival, sure. And then there's the role that their visiting fans play at our barn.

That's what it really comes down to, I reckon.

Risto is big, strong, nasty, and can shoot the puck very hard. And he was physically pro ready at a young age. He is also dumb as a box of rocks. In point of fact, it's gotta be more than that. Ray Borque was said to be quite a cement head. But on the ice, he was a bright bulb, a sharp knife. Risto's sample size is plenty big. He has a failing grade in hockey IQ. Bottom 10% in all of pro hockey, I'd wager. Not just the NHL. As much as anything, this reflects poorly on Kevin Dineen (sp), who was frickin' in love with the guy. The BB&G video leaves no doubt on the subject:

I'm not sure how far that principle extends -- whether they ... drill down that far when it comes to managing an event. I tend to doubt it. OTOH, you can readily see a scenario where the Pegulas settle on a number that they'll pay to make the Frozen Four work. And maybe that number is aggressive (BECAUSE HOCKEY HEAVEN!). And then it's up to those who work for them to make that number work. So, in that way, the Pegulas would have had a significant role in the event's pricing (because they paid too much for it).

It appears that the people responsible for pricing were sent packing.

The legend of the 2019 F##KIN' Frozen Four continues.

Q! That's all you need. Seriously, though. Term-searching Twitter for all the takes on him is problematic.

I saw on Twitter that some dudes at TSN were saying the best spot for Quenneville (sp?) to land would be Buffalo. FFS. Make it happen. Maybe the team would still stink out loud. But I think there's a good chance they'd be markedly improved.

It’s a good topic. We went around and around on this with Rex Ryan, who’s apparently a system guy rather than a guy who suits his system to the talent he has (e.g., how he used Mario). I agree with someone upthread (sorry didn’t quote) who opined that, regardless of system, HCPH just doesn’t seem like he’s (capable of) having success as a head coach. The system might be worth waiting for. Hell, the team might even have most of the personnel needed to execute it. And yet ... . I think there’s a very good chance that a new coach could get more out of this roster. Over a long haul, too.

As do we. Thing is, there’s all kinds of stuff from that country’s tradition. Barbecue is a big piece of it. But hardly all of it.

It's a fair question/point. A couple of quick examples. From a music standpoint, there are probably ~6 shows a year that I would love to attend, but can't/don't because the artist or band has a show in Toronto on a Tuesday night, or whatever. From a food standpoint, my wife and I love Korean food. Silly for it. Kicking around in Koreatown in Toronto is something we enjoy doing together. There are some Korean food options here in Buffalo, but it's not the same in quantity or quality.

I'm not here to debate that. I know both towns quite well. The GTA is about 7 million people. Greater Buffalo's probably more like 1 million. They're just different places, with different vibes. As a city of its size and complexity, Toronto has more hustle and bustle (and money (and glamour)) than Buffalo. And if you're a young pro athlete who's looking for some bright lights, Toronto will do the trick. Buffalo won't.

Agreed on both of these points. Milwaukee is, for sure, a less sleepy mid-western Great Lakes town than Buffalo is, but they're more alike than they are different. And, yeah: Toronto. So, Green Bay has a decent city, by city standards, that's 90 minutes away. Buffalo has a city of international class and repute that's 90 minutes away.

Sometimes a malaprop reveals a new and interesting meaning. I liked this one. God bless those wing-bearing dudes. Seriously. That's doing sports (life) right. Fun. I don't know what's to be done about Schopp. He's a smart guy. He's also keenly aware that he's a smart guy. He cannot suffer fools, and there are many of them among any team's fan base. He seems burned out. The only time I hear him sound truly engaged is when he's talking about things other than sports. His radio partner, OTOH, remains steady and salt of the earth. I know he's not everyone's cup of tea -- but Bulldog is my sort of guy and reliably a good listen.

I saw the headline of the Harrington article, echoing this thread's title. (Didn't read it, of course, on principle.) It's inescapable: They have to fire HCPH. They have to.

It's tough to argue the point when they just so clearly lack a true #1. But there's some reason for optimism as well.

It is a curious situation at RB. But Ivory is presumably gone. They will not carry 3 tailbacks with none of them able to play on ST. (Ivory doesn't, does he?) Marcus Murphy might yet factor into their mix as well.