alfstonker
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Posts posted by alfstonker
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46 minutes ago, Attila Umbrus said:
I summed it up from my viewings of them and what they say in interviews. Specifically Bachmen, he even lamented the fact this was probably his last go of it and wished he had played better. At the end of the day you are right they all should count themselves lucky collecting a pay cheque in either league, but to say taking a back seat to allow prospects to develop isn't thankless, it is.
They want to play and they all believe they have what it takes. You can't take that away from any professional hockey player. They are pros and each one has pride in their game, and all 3 have taken a back seat to allow prospect growth, all while getting no thanks from us canucks fans for supporting the young guys in their development paths. At least management knows what they bring and is the main reason they have been around as long as they have...I as a fan wanted to acknowledge them and thank them for their services.
I could go into further detail on how Bachmen helped us with he Vegas expansion rules but don't want to veer off course here.
At the end of the day I have my thoughts on this matter and am definitely not saying I know it all or anything, like all of us on here we go by what we see, think, and feel about this team. And from my point of view they are in a "thankless" position..but are also getting compensated for it, which I respect is your opinion..but you can't tell me they all don't want bigger and better roles, they all want more, they are hockey players, they are built to compete. Hopefully this clarifies things for you and of course this is only my opinion, which means squat to most lol.
cheers
I accept the gist of what you are saying but I still don't understand the use of the word "thankless" which implies no one appreciates them or their contribution to the team/s
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8 hours ago, Attila Umbrus said:
I'd even include Bachmen in this as well. This season looks like it's his last with us, but I have to give the guy a lot of props sticking it out like Arch and Biega have. Thankless roles, but they all have played them well.
Thankless roles?
How do you make that out. I think they have had and deserved some great times and opportunities in the Canucks organisation. I doubt they would have fared better anywhere else. Why would any pro in the AHL feel hard done by to be given an opportunity to nurture youngsters in the AHL and indeed have many similar opportunities in the NHL?
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It is not easy to perform to your capabilities first game back. Added to that re-introducing new players into the line up can at first upset chemistry so we shouldn't read too much into this defeat.
We are expecting too much from Dahlen at present. He did not come from leading a team running riot in the Swedish top league he came from a promoted team in the Swedish 2nd tier league. He should not be compared to EP, at least not until he has had a couple of seasons in the AHL.
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12 hours ago, The Lock said:
His competition was people like Lebate and Megna and an aging Hansen. Also, this is only one aspect of speed.
I don't know about you but I think you might want to watch the video before posting it as supposed "proof". Btw, I don't think Gaunce is slow, just your proof was a little cringeworthy imo. lol
They compete because they are fast. Of course there are other aspects of speed but that test is the main one.
Hansen was 29, it seems you are getting desperate in your puerile attempt to find fault in the post. The point of the video was "he is not slow" on any level.
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8 hours ago, Lancaster said:
They play a very different game. Gaunce's game has always been positioning. Hence he waits for the game to unfold.... rather than him making things happen, thus one of this criticism was him not moving his feet enough... which is a problem in the NHL, especially for a non-speedy player.
That being said, checking and defensive play has never been an issue with Brendan Gaunce, just the team wants more out of him. He's as big as Virtanen minus the speed, but isn't as physical. While he does finish his checks and stuff, he doesn't hammer players like how Jake does.
Should both somehow reach their hypothetical ceilings when they were drafted... Virtanen would be a scoring powerforward a la Bertuzzi, but Gaunce would be strong winger or checking centre like Linden or Malholtra.
You talk like he is slow.
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1 hour ago, Hutton Wink said:
Translation: "speak for yourself"
Maybe you should have been less long winded.
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15 hours ago, Hutton Wink said:
Pfft, what's this "we" business? It's one thing to be critical, it's quite another to be so anguished, fretful, and hopelessness-minded to be essentially calling for the team to fold. A "true fan" doesn't throw rocks or have an irrational tantrum when things go badly; that's not passion but a sign of entitlement immaturity. Sports are an up-and-down emotional rollercoaster, and if one can't handle that maybe they don't have the mental fortitude to be a fan long-term.
Wtf are you jabbering about? Stay off the booze.
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1 minute ago, Dats hockey said:
Believe it or not being critical of you sports teams is a form of passion
It depends what it is based on.
Example: I'm reading another thread where some of our resident idiots are blaming Green for the team's injuries. If you look above we have Comets fans being attacked now - where do these people get the gall?
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I see Canuck fan self entitlement has now spread to the Utica thread. What a despicable bunch we are. We only take a break from ripping the p-ss out of our own players to have a go at the Utica fans now. I sometimes wonder if Vancouver deserves an NHL team.
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8 hours ago, cyoung said:
Can you explain why? Just curious.
I think it could lead to problems for management, coaches and even balance of player relationships.
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57 minutes ago, Horvat is a Boss said:
I didn't say there are lazy, but rather it looks like it sometimes. Juolevi is similar to Edler in that he plays the game so which makes all of his mistakes look terrible. Hughes quite frankly is lazy in the defensive zone at times, but it sounds like he's improving that.
I don't agree with any of that, so we will just have agree to disagree.
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2 hours ago, HorvatToBaertschi said:
They play so calmly and confidently that they look lazy. But really they are just steps ahead of the play. That's my take anyway
You are splitting hairs now. There is a difference between calm and confident and lazy. You are implying they are lazy, why else would you add that we needed more "Stetcher types" insinuating these types will make the shortfall in work done by these two.
I say there is absolutely no evidence of either looking OR being lazy.
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12 hours ago, Ray_Cathode said:
Apparently something minor for Juolevi - I hope it's not minor like Boeser's groin!
Groins are notoriously troublesome, that is why I didn't agree with playing Boeser when the groin strain was first diagnosed. The earlier you rest it the better and faster the outcome.
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8 hours ago, Specz said:
Guys, if we pick top 10 what are your thoughts on Raphael Lavoie? Big 6'4" 200lbs winger who has great hands and a great shot. He can fight too. Check out this video:
I like this guy better than Hughes. (I really don't want two brothers on the team either.)
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9 hours ago, Horvat is a Boss said:
Both Hughes and Juolevi are known looking lazy on the ice at times. We're going to need a bunch of Stetchers (hopefully with a bit more size) to balance that out.
What is your evidence of this? I don't see that in either player.
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19 hours ago, Kootenay Gold said:
I noticed the swap of Gaunce for Boucher just after I had posted. Not sure how that will play out in Utica as I guess it depends on where the coach chooses to use Gaunce. Does he play Center or is he slotted as a LW'er? I think this call up was due to Gaunce getting close to his waiver exempt limit which would have been Nov 29th. Darren Archibald also has that same time limit but I suspect the Canucks are going to keep him up for the rest of the season.
Boucher will be subject to the same 10 game or 30 day limit so he should be back with the Comets probably before the player movement restrictions for the holiday season kick in. I still think Gaudette will head back to Utica once either Beagle or Sutter return to play. That would be good news for Comets fans I am sure.
Another player to watch for a possible move to Utica would be Alex Biega as he must be returned by Nov 24th or be subject to re-entry waivers. With Alex Edler set to return shortly I would expect them to make that move.
Well I hope he wipes the smile off that pudding face of his and decides to work his a-- off for a change. I really can't understand that swap - was Green expecting Gaunce to play lights out after such a long layoff?
We need grafters not snowflakes.
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23 hours ago, canuckledraggin said:
If they made tickets affordable in a way that they can't do at Rogers arena, they would sell plenty of tickets. Then when they call some one up, they wouldn't have to take cross continent flights and show up 3 time zones away.
It works in Toronto and Winnipeg, so I don't see the difference. Great joke about the turkey burger though. I'm not sure you're preparing those correctly.
I think you are missing context if you are implying the Moose and the Marlies are playing like the Comets have been for the last couple+ seasons. This market just does not respond well to failure - in a word they are self-entitled.
In Utica their hockey team is a big part of their community, you need to try to grip that - like a turkey burger.
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8 hours ago, canuckledraggin said:
Sounds like the bloom is off the rose in Utica. After 10 straight losses to start the inaugural season, the fans showed up and screamed their faces off despite the weak team that was in front of them. Now we hear reports of a soldout building, but lots of empty seats and fans wandering around the concourse and grumbling during the game.
I wouldn't hesitate to bring this team to Vancouver, preferably the PNE Coliseum. A sold out crowd of 3k is great, but with decent pricing the Vancouver AHL team could draw from 7-10k easily.
Then you have the young players coming into the franchise through draft and trade, who come to development camps and showcases in B.C., who probably feel like they've been exiled to a town of 60,000 in upstate New York. If we were willing to put an ECHL team in Alaska, I don't see the difference in having an AHL team charter from our parent city.
Then there's the inevitable fishbowl crowd, who is going to say leave these kids away from the outside pressures of the media and fans. It's hard to say what the difference is between the tiny fishbowl of Utica and living in a world class city like Vancouver. These kids are going to be encouraged from fans in this market. The media already calls them for interviews across the continent so I don't see significant added media pressure. Even if there was added pressure, It's something that should be encouraged, considering they will have to get used to it during their tenure in this market.
I'd be thrilled with seeing the junior Canucks in Vancouver next year.
What a joke. If the Comets were playing like they are in Utica, in the PNE Coliseum, they would be performing in front of one man and his turkey burger - and the turkey burger would be making more noise.
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1 hour ago, UticaHockey said:
You may get your wish as early as next year and if not certainly in a couple of years if Seattle comes into the NHL and places an AHL team in the Pacific Northwest. I'm sure they will be popular at first with the excitement of having the farm team in Vancouver or Abbotsford. But how many people will continue to pay for tickets in the long run if the product on the ice is unskilled, lacks energy and loses 7 of 9 home games? Will you personally support this team through thick and thin by purchasing season tickets every year or will you be part of the "I may go to a few games to check them out" crowd?
The Comets have 3,500 season tickets in a building that seats 3,914. Yes the building is small but that season ticket total is still higher than 75% of the league including cities 10X the population of Utica and buildings large enough to support a NHL team. I've been a season ticket holder for all six years and will continue to be as long as the Comets are in Utica. I suspect that the other Utica posters in here are multi year season ticket holders as well. We continue to support this team year in and year out but that doesn't mean we will be all unicorns and rainbows in regards to the way that Benning/Johnson manage the farm team.
Well said.
I have no problem with your complaints about shortcomings of the Canucks management regarding the Comets. Just because you are our farm team doesn't mean you have to like getting the short end of the stick week after week.
I think Vancouver could have helped you more but as I said to you before the Comets have had the misfortune to be acquired by an NHL team, who at the time was in just about the worst state in the league. Our previous management were imo incompetent from 2011 onwards and that doesn't even cover their drafting.
Imo these last few years have been transition years. Unfortunately we transitioned from so far back it will still be 2 years before Utica gets a decent roster from Vancouver. That said, there is nothing to stop us making a few more AHL signings when the Comets are hurting. Surely if Linden's "winning environment" was relative in the NHL it is just as relative in the AHL now that we are starting to see our prospects filter through.
I think the Canucks have got a good thing with having their farm in Utica and as I have said on a number of occasions I would not want to see that connection severed before it has really got started - Seattle or no Seattle.
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44 minutes ago, Googlie said:
Leadership is being provided by 2 veterans, neither of them Canucks property:
Carter Bancks, 29 yrs old (third year as Captain) - see: http://www.uticacomets.com/players/detail/bancks
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Jamie Sifers (36 in January) - Calder Cup winner 3 years ago. See: http://www.uticacomets.com/players/detail/sifers
Problem isn't coaching, or leadership, or lack of commitment by the players - it's the same as with the big club. Injuries, and the call-up domino effect of Canucks' injuries. Lose your entire 1st line (Gaudette between Archibald and Boucher), your top 2 goalies, and key defensemen for 2 or 3 games at a time, and it becomes hard to score and to defend.
By far the worst goals differential in the entire league (where they rank 29 out of 31 teams - 30th if using winning %) with 49 goals for and 69 against.
Send Gaudette, Archibald and Gaunce back down, and with Boucher's return, things would turn around quickly.
Cull can't make Ming vases out of goats' turds !!
Cull hasn't shown he can make goat's turd soup out of goat's turds so far. To start blaming virtually the whole team for lack of effort doesn't say much for his standard of culinary skills.
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3 hours ago, UticaHockey said:
Lets not forget that Cull was offered the job after the Canucks were turned down by Rocky Thompson, Bob Woods and Norm Bazin. Coaching the Canucks AHL team wasn't on the top of the list of any experienced head coaches so they ended plucking an assistant coach from nearby Syracuse.
Well I would have at least tried to offer it to WD who had an amazing record with youth - even in Van despite what some idiots say. He probably turns it down but if he hadn't, what a capture he would have been for Utica.
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On 16/11/2018 at 10:22 PM, DontMessMe said:
I have no hope for Lind. like zero.
Are we seeing "why is no one taking Lind?"
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16 hours ago, UticaHockey said:
I'd be fine with that. Dahlen looks like he hates being here anyway. Too good for the AHL attitude is what I see out of him and very part of the losing culture that has taken over this team.
I think the losing (I don't know about the culture) may be more to do with the age of the players in general and the way Cull coaches the youngsters. I see nothing in Cull's record that should have warranted him even getting the job in the first place.
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An ex gf's mom used to put this band on every time I went round.
2018-19 Utica Comets Thread
in Prospects / Farm Team
Posted · Edited by alfstonker
nm