That Aud Smell

maybe it's just my mood - but i just found this post to be odd, absurd, and delightful. also: i cannot imagine loving any food enough to eat it even though it tends to make my throat close up.

I think they're good enough.

FTFY

Nah. It was definitely the chuckin' of knucks.

And speaking of coming to a non-neutral view of Housley: The same process is ongoing for me with respect to Eichel. I continue to fear that he's one of those players who was so good for so long among his peers that he lacks the foundation needed to find yet another gear -- something that will enable him to take his game to the next level. I can only hope that he can get it sorted out, given the contract he signed.

More than fair. This is Eichel's team now.

I think there's something to your post, but, for the reasons posted in the GDT, I don't think this team is lacking the influence of, say, a Teddy Nolan.

I don't think it's a matter of being hard on the players. I take the players at their word when they say that Housley works them hard. I heard an NHL player - seems like it was a recently retired player who had a great career - talk on WGR about Babcock when the Sabres were in the running for his services. He talked in some detail about how and why Babcock is so valuable as a coach. The player said it's Babcock's level of homework and preparation, and his teaching ability that allow him to put players in good positions on the ice. I am getting the sense that Housley just does not know how to do those things very well. Like, maybe the team looks slow and flat because Housley has done a poor job preparing them. With further regard to what that "preparation" entails: I think sometimes people think that "failing to get them ready to play" means that Housley didn't give a Herb Brooks speech in the locker room -- didn't get the boys fired up and ready to go. I don't think that's what failing to get the team ready to play means, at all. I think the failure to prepare the team to play is more of a techniques and teaching failure. Oh, and the failure also involves not-so-detailed things like effing matching Eichel's line against Bergeron.

Looks like Marchand’s stunt succeeded in waking up and firing up his teammates.

If the team doesn’t look better soon, Phil will have plenty of time to support his wife on the campaign trail. Here she is last night:

Welcome to the board!! Please feel free to adopt a slightly less bot-ish screen name. Ha. J/k. Sabres suck ... [Robin Leach voice]: AND I DON’T KNOW WHY. But hey, mother scratchers: 23 page thread.

Correlation. Causation. They could do two a days with Richie Cunningham — ain’t nothing gonna change.

Richie Cunningham: Get thee to a nunnery.

Chicken Little is buried under a bombed out basement RN.

Holy sh1t. HousDermott’s gots TO GO.

To be clear: I meant that as in something along these lines would be said over beers: "Ha - remember that guy? He was the one who scored late in that one blowout, then was a peacock about it to the other team, and [Opposing Player] effing caved his face in that same game."

I will disagree with this. If this were to happen to a Sabre, it'd be filed as something cringeworthy regarding that player.

I can see this as well, btw. Both things can be true -- the Caps can be like "pssssh, idiot" and the Bruins can be like "YAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!"

The who now? With where that game was when this happened, any scoring Marchand might do was not really going to help his team. However, knocking Eller on his ass in response to what Eller did to Marchand's team has a very good chance of rallying the team and improving the esprit de corps following a rough loss.

Ehhhh, I'm not so sure. I think you're projecting your values and principles onto the world of pro hockey players. I don't think these guys navel gaze like that. Marchand has a track record. It does not suggest that he's thin-skinned or easily rattled. What I think happened here is that Marchand demonstrated that he will step up and kick your ass if you do something that his team feels was needlessly disrespectful to him and his teammates.

I understand the point you're making in theory. However, my sense is that, for NHL players sitting on the bench, that bye-bye wave was straight-up disrespect. A blood boiling "OH FU*K THAT GUY" moment. And I'm betting dollars to donuts that the other Bruins frickin' LOVE Marchand for stepping up like that.

I almost invariably come down on the side of "moving the game forward," etc. (e.g., really didn't like Wilson's hit on the Blues player). But I don't really have a problem with what Marchand did. Occasional fisticuffs still have a place in the game -- and they are certainly part of its lore and legacy. The staged fights between heavyweights became a perversion of that, of course, and good riddance to them. But a top-6 player taking on an opposing player who gratuitously disrespected your entire team, even though the opposing player stands a full head taller than the instigator? I sorta mostly like it.

Reading the most recent posts, I've come to realize: When I was younger, I used to envy artists. Nowadays, it's more that I admire them.

I'm not sure I can reconcile the idea that Marchand both jumped him (a strong, aggressive act) and acted like a pansy. At least in this instance. Marchand definitely went after him with aggression, but Eller saw him coming. Marchand didn't blindside or cold the guy. And after the initial skirmish (which Marchand definitely got the better of as the aggressor), they were tied up. It could have ended there. But Eller elected to take two swings. He chose poorly.

You're right - that does happen from time to time. And I love the experience of listening to Rick even more for it.