Cody Hodgson

[dudacek]

I'm on the Hodgson must go bandwagon too, but I gotta say I am stumped at his lack of production.

He's not good defensively, and he's not good enough offensively to compensate for his lack of defence.

 

But the guy is a 20-goal scorer. So are Moulson and Stewart.

Gionta's lack of production you can chalk up to being over the hill, but the other three?

These four look like they aren't going to hit 20 combined.

 

Why?

[qwksndmonster]

I'm on the Hodgson must go bandwagon too, but I gotta say I am stumped at his lack of production.

He's not good defensively, and he's not good enough offensively to compensate for his lack of defence.

 

But the guy is a 20-goal scorer. So are Moulson and Stewart.

Gionta's lack of production you can chalk up to being over the hill, but the other three?

These four look like they aren't going to hit 20 combined.

 

Why?

They're all complimentary players put in the position to lug the mail for this team, and they can barely lift an envelope.

[ubkev]

 

They're all complimentary players put in the position to lug the mail for this team, and they can barely lift an envelope.

 

This! And..... Ted Nolan.

[dudacek]

Not completely disagreeing, but Hodgson and Moulson each scored 20 last year on an equally bad team coached by Ted Nolan

[bunomatic]

Not completely disagreeing, but Hodgson and Moulson each scored 20 last year on an equally bad team coached by Ted Nolan

 

Yeah I agree the Ted Nolan excuse is lame. This is just a real bad roster.

[Kristian]

Yeah I agree the Ted Nolan excuse is lame. This is just a real bad roster.

 

Not just that, but one of the reasons you should consider things veeeeery carefully before you start a deliberate tank, is that you could end up breeding a losing culture in the team, that takes over the entire organisation.

 

I'm sure GMTM expected the team to be bad this year, but I doubt he saw the current trainwreck coming, and I fear both he and Nolan are absolutely cluess about how to rectify it, which *has* to raise some panic-levels somewhere.

 

Reinhart is currently being subjected to this every day, as is Zadorov and Risto. McEichel is next in line to learn how to lose, lose often, and lose big.

 

We can't draft our way out of this, this is going to take years to fix, and it starts by adding guys who want to win, who can play, and who are very vocal in the locker room. Unfortunately, there aren't too many of those guys around, and I doubt we'll be able to attract many, as long as the Sabres are synonomous with not only losing, but also playing like losers.

[kishoph]

There's a pretty strong smell around here. Hodgson is not a player I would hitch my horse to if I was building a team. No friggin drive in that dude.

 

That is what I think the problem with Hodgson is. When he plays hard (once every 7-8 games) he looks good, it's the games in between that good game where he sucks because of a total lack of effort. Maybe if we had a coach that is a good motivator, it would help. :rolleyes:

[LGR4GM]

Not just that, but one of the reasons you should consider things veeeeery carefully before you start a deliberate tank, is that you could end up breeding a losing culture in the team, that takes over the entire organisation.

 

I'm sure GMTM expected the team to be bad this year, but I doubt he saw the current trainwreck coming, and I fear both he and Nolan are absolutely cluess about how to rectify it, which *has* to raise some panic-levels somewhere.

 

Reinhart is currently being subjected to this every day, as is Zadorov and Risto. McEichel is next in line to learn how to lose, lose often, and lose big.

 

We can't draft our way out of this, this is going to take years to fix, and it starts by adding guys who want to win, who can play, and who are very vocal in the locker room. Unfortunately, there aren't too many of those guys around, and I doubt we'll be able to attract many, as long as the Sabres are synonomous with not only losing, but also playing like losers.

I don't agree. I get the impression Murray had a good idea of how bad this team would be. I also think he sent Reinhart away for a good reason. Risto and Zad don't seem effected by the tank now that they are paired together. As for the McEichel will learn to lose, I think that part is entirely wrong. Jack and Connor don't lose. They have won everywhere they played and they don't possess the a loser mentality. Both guys are competitors who hate losing. As to the final part we did start changing the culture this year. Yes we are terrible but last year it was all "We got some bad bounces and we aren't sure why we aren't winning and blah blah blah" this year the locker room is saying things like "We did not work hard enough, we did not play hard enough, we need to be better" That indicates that someone in there is saying something and making this team responsible. That won't translate to the ice because of the lack of talent but when an infusion of talent occurs next season, and the one after that, and the one after that you will see a very different team.

 

We don't have to draft Jack or Connor to turn it around but they will speed the process. They are competitors, that is why they have pushed themselves to be as good as they are.

[LastPommerFan]

Culture of losing. I don't buy it here, nor with the bills.

 

These are professional athletes that get paid to win. You don't undo 20 years of competitive nature with 2 years of uncompetitive play. It's nonsense.

[Eleven]

Culture of losing. I don't buy it here, nor with the bills.

 

These are professional athletes that get paid to win. You don't undo 20 years of competitive nature with 2 years of uncompetitive play. It's nonsense.

 

Totally agree. The 2005-06 Sabres didn't need to overcome some mythical culture of losing, and neither did the 1988 Bills.

[TrueBlueGED]

Culture of losing. I don't buy it here, nor with the bills.

 

These are professional athletes that get paid to win. You don't undo 20 years of competitive nature with 2 years of uncompetitive play. It's nonsense.

 

Yes, yes, and yes again. Teams lose when they lack talent or aren't assembled in any coherent way. When this is corrected, they win. Culture shmulture.

[Weave]

Totally agree. The 2005-06 Sabres didn't need to overcome some mythical culture of losing, and neither did the 1988 Bills.

 

Yep, good examples of why I put absolutely no stock in the "get them in the AHL/Juniors and out of this toxic mess". Winners compete.

[dudacek]

From his Wikipedia entry:

 

Hodgson played at the major junior level for four seasons with the Brampton Battalion of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). After being selected 10th overall in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft by the Canucks, Hodgson won the William Hanley Trophy (OHL's most sportsmanlike player), Red Tilson Trophy (OHL player of the year) and the CHL Player of the Year Award, as well as First Team All-Star honours for the 2008–09 season. While training in the 2009 off-season, Hodgson suffered a back injury that required a year for him to fully recover. In 2010–11, he played his professional rookie season with the Canucks' minor league affiliate, the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League(AHL). The season also marked his debut at the NHL level with the Canucks and he went on to participate in the team's run to the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals. During his rookieseason the subsequent year, Hodgson was dealt to the Buffalo Sabres at the 2012 trade deadline.

Hodgson has represented Canada at two International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF)—sanctioned events, winning gold and leading tournament scoring at both—the 2008 IIHF World U18 Championships and 2009 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. In 2007, he won a gold medal with Ontario at the Canada Games.

Edited November 15, 2014 by dudacek

[Sabres Fan in NS]

There you go.

 

Thanks, duda.

 

We can blame Gary Roberts.

 

Hodgson hurt is back while training in the off-season and it took a full season to recover. I have hurt my back playing pick-up hockey and it took forever to get back to 100%, if it ever did ... still have some intermittent issues 20+ years later.

[bunomatic]

I don't agree. I get the impression Murray had a good idea of how bad this team would be. I also think he sent Reinhart away for a good reason. Risto and Zad don't seem effected by the tank now that they are paired together. As for the McEichel will learn to lose, I think that part is entirely wrong. Jack and Connor don't lose. They have won everywhere they played and they don't possess the a loser mentality. Both guys are competitors who hate losing. As to the final part we did start changing the culture this year. Yes we are terrible but last year it was all "We got some bad bounces and we aren't sure why we aren't winning and blah blah blah" this year the locker room is saying things like "We did not work hard enough, we did not play hard enough, we need to be better" That indicates that someone in there is saying something and making this team responsible. That won't translate to the ice because of the lack of talent but when an infusion of talent occurs next season, and the one after that, and the one after that you will see a very different team.

 

We don't have to draft Jack or Connor to turn it around but they will speed the process. They are competitors, that is why they have pushed themselves to be as good as they are.

 

Good post and I agree 100 %. Bring in winners and shuffle out the passengers.

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

Culture of losing. I don't buy it here, nor with the bills.

 

These are professional athletes that get paid to win. You don't undo 20 years of competitive nature with 2 years of uncompetitive play. It's nonsense.

 

I guess you didn't listen to the interviews of Kyle Williams, Fred Jackson, and Eric Wood, before the past 5 day implosion.

 

You see it now with Ted Nolan.

 

Part of being a winner is "efficiency". When you know you are being set up to fail, by your team president who goes on the radio for 18 months telling you how great it is to finish last, and your season ticket holders get sent out a brochure showing you how great it is to get rid of veterans for draft picks, and an owner who has taken his identity to selling doughnuts over playoff tickets......any reasonable person....especially someone of blood and guts who will die for valor......is going to give you a big old FU at a certain point.

 

I've mailed it in posting the past 2 years. I used to love doing research and stats backing up points. It doesn't matter anyomre. Why should I work my ass off on a team and fanbase that doesn't give a sh!t? I used to get people complaining about how long my posts were years ago. Not anymore.....because there is nothing left to say.

[dudacek]

I guess you didn't listen to the interviews of Kyle Williams, Fred Jackson, and Eric Wood, before the past 5 day implosion.

 

You see it now with Ted Nolan.

 

Part of being a winner is "efficiency". When you know you are being set up to fail, by your team president who goes on the radio for 18 months telling you how great it is to finish last, and your season ticket holders get sent out a brochure showing you how great it is to get rid of veterans for draft picks, and an owner who has taken his identity to selling doughnuts over playoff tickets......any reasonable person....especially someone of blood and guts who will die for valor......is going to give you a big old FU at a certain point.

 

I've mailed it in posting the past 2 years. I used to love doing research and stats backing up points. It doesn't matter anyomre. Why should I work my ass off on a team and fanbase that doesn't give a sh!t? I used to get people complaining about how long my posts were years ago. Not anymore.....because there is nothing left to say.

 

Hell yeah. If as fans, we know this year is meaningless, how the hell can you expect the players not to be feeling it?

It shows most with the guys who don't have "it" like Hodgson and Stewart and even good people like Gionta and Moulson are affected.

 

This, even more than talent is why we are as bad as we are. Subconsciously, they not only expect to lose, they think they are supposed to.

 

To my mind, this is what makes Girgensons so special. He just keeps plowing forward.

[Eleven]

I guess you didn't listen to the interviews of Kyle Williams, Fred Jackson, and Eric Wood, before the past 5 day implosion.

 

You see it now with Ted Nolan.

 

Part of being a winner is "efficiency". When you know you are being set up to fail, by your team president who goes on the radio for 18 months telling you how great it is to finish last, and your season ticket holders get sent out a brochure showing you how great it is to get rid of veterans for draft picks, and an owner who has taken his identity to selling doughnuts over playoff tickets......any reasonable person....especially someone of blood and guts who will die for valor......is going to give you a big old FU at a certain point.

 

I've mailed it in posting the past 2 years. I used to love doing research and stats backing up points. It doesn't matter anyomre. Why should I work my ass off on a team and fanbase that doesn't give a sh!t? I used to get people complaining about how long my posts were years ago. Not anymore.....because there is nothing left to say.

 

I thought we didn't want him to meddle. Now we want him to meddle? And how does this tie into Cody Hodgson? I'm so confused!

[kas23]

 

 

Not just that, but one of the reasons you should consider things veeeeery carefully before you start a deliberate tank, is that you could end up breeding a losing culture in the team, that takes over the entire organisation.

 

I'm sure GMTM expected the team to be bad this year, but I doubt he saw the current trainwreck coming, and I fear both he and Nolan are absolutely cluess about how to rectify it, which *has* to raise some panic-levels somewhere.

 

Reinhart is currently being subjected to this every day, as is Zadorov and Risto. McEichel is next in line to learn how to lose, lose often, and lose big.

 

We can't draft our way out of this, this is going to take years to fix, and it starts by adding guys who want to win, who can play, and who are very vocal in the locker room. Unfortunately, there aren't too many of those guys around, and I doubt we'll be able to attract many, as long as the Sabres are synonomous with not only losing, but also playing like losers.

 

It's just one year though, so I don't know if the losing culture argument applies. Last year was a lost year due to all the change, I'm unsure if it was purposeful losing.

 

But, I would agree that there's going to have to be a large change around here to reverse course. Maybe it will be Nolan leaving. I'm not sure if he can walk in one day and say "now I'm serious" to the same set of players. That said, I do see half the roster turned over by next year. That's enough to change the losing culture.

 

 

 

Hell yeah. If as fans, we know this year is meaningless, how the hell can you expect the players not to be feeling it?

It shows most with the guys who don't have "it" like Hodgson and Stewart and even good people like Gionta and Moulson are affected.

 

They must now what's going on and are affected by it, unless they are living under a rock. Besides, haven't Stafford, Ennis, and Hodgson been playing with this same attitude for years?

[dudacek]

Stafford has had this air of "this too will someday pass" pained endurance for two or three years now.

He's gritting his teeth, not complaining and waiting to be traded or free agency.

 

Ennis is doing what Ennis does, mindlessly push forward flailing for the fun he used to have playing hockey.

 

Hodgson has been coddled and told he's special his entire life. He has no idea how to cope.

[TrueBlueGED]

Hell yeah. If as fans, we know this year is meaningless, how the hell can you expect the players not to be feeling it?

It shows most with the guys who don't have "it" like Hodgson and Stewart and even good people like Gionta and Moulson are affected.

 

This, even more than talent is why we are as bad as we are. Subconsciously, they not only expect to lose, they think they are supposed to.

 

To my mind, this is what makes Girgensons so special. He just keeps plowing forward.

 

I think there's a world of difference between being down psychologically because you know this year is shot, and having a permanently damaged psyche that ruins future seasons. The former can be very real. But the latter? Not even remotely convinced. Why? Because looking at history, it's amazing how quickly a seemingly permanent "culture" of losing turns around when a few star players show up. It's likewise amazing how a winning culture becomes a losing one when star players exit.

[PotentPowerPlay22]

If he's helping with the tank, then he must stay right here.

 

Exactly. The Sabres need to keep Hodgson and Stafford at least until the trade deadline. This will give the Sabres the best chance of finishing last. Let's face it, the future of this team lies in the 2015 draft. I'm just worried about other teams tanking as well.

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

I think there's a world of difference between being down psychologically because you know this year is shot, and having a permanently damaged psyche that ruins future seasons. The former can be very real. But the latter? Not even remotely convinced. Why? Because looking at history, it's amazing how quickly a seemingly permanent "culture" of losing turns around when a few star players show up. It's likewise amazing how a winning culture becomes a losing one when star players exit.

 

Darcy/Lindy circa 2007-2013......and X/X..X/X...X/X....2013-?????????????

 

I thought we didn't want him to meddle. Now we want him to meddle? And how does this tie into Cody Hodgson? I'm so confused!

 

It doesn't tie into Hodgson...he was a loser from day #1.

 

We went from "Sole Reason for Existance is to Win Multiple Stanley Cups!!!"

 

to:

 

"Look at this pretty paper where we have all kinds of draft picks who will probably not be ready for 5 years....but golly, gee!, maybe someday we will be good!!"

 

 

There is 10x more excitement for a Fkng Doughnut shop and sports bar than an NHL franchise. All this from a guy who said had zero interest in real estate development.

[TrueBlueGED]

Darcy/Lindy circa 2007-2013......and X/X..X/X...X/X....2013-???????????

 

Basically all of the most recent Cup winners were awful before winning. Carolina won and became awful. Should culture regulate this stuff to some degree? Or maybe just major gains/losses in talent are the better explanation.

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

Basically all of the most recent Cup winners were awful before winning. Carolina won and became awful. Should culture regulate this stuff to some degree? Or maybe just major gains/losses in talent are the better explanation.

 

Look at the POS avatars on this website.....

 

It's a F'N accepted Culture of Losing!!!