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IBatch

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Everything posted by IBatch

  1. I do remember Mogilny didn't seem so pleased to win it.
  2. AJ if your haven't yet, I really think you'd enjoy Wayne Gretzky's only book. He talked pretty highly of the Lady Byng, and his entire book reads a little like a history lesson at points, including this award. The origin story is also kind of neat. A lot of great players won it.
  3. I'm sure EP got his fair share of votes. We won't know until the award is given but it will be up there, probably a couple first place votes as well. That said, Stone is a better two way forward, arguably the second best in the league right now, and if he played the entire season for sure would be a finalist, maybe even a front runner - playing against him isn't easy at all. Don't mind wingers winning this award. Lethenin Dallas was deserving of it. Stone is a lot like Gainey with more offense, very tough to play against. If he was on our team we'd be calling him our second best player or at least maybe the third best, and by far the best all-round one.
  4. You bet... Al Mac and Al Ifrate, Wilson ... could murder that puck with wood...Some guys like Al Mac never changed into the hybrids which had more flex ... Wendel Clark breaking masks with his wrister using a wood stick, Bret Hull it took some forearm man strength for sure. Weber and Chara could sure murder them pucks too. Webers sometimes broke mesh - once went through the end boards through the net in practice.
  5. Devils in 6. Was one game off last series ... think they can do it in five ... so let's try six this time.
  6. Scoring had been trending down since 1992-1993... No debate the game was grabby back then too (80's), but not as grabby as it became. Semenko at least kept him from getting clocked (although players did try, was hard to hit) Sather - "hitting Gretz is like trying to hit smoke" etc. When Mario was out, Jagr's points usually took a hit. Compare that to this, hard to fit all the scoring on one page lol...and it had been like that since the late 70's...81 was actually the peak. Respect to you old timer - your right 95/96 was still a year where guys got their points ... Mario left. Jagr did keep it up, but never reached those heights again.
  7. Without checking, i'm pretty sure the last boffo season where a dozen or so guys scored well over 100 points was 1994. Federov and Gretzky leading the pack. Then we had a lockout. NJ had already gained a ton of traction and SJ adopted their style right away. Upset Detroit i think twice. And they were monsters before they finally won a cup, going back to 1993 or so. Dead puck era had a definitive line as far as scoring drop, and that was 1994. As for Wayne. It was actually Mario, Roenick and Hull leading the charge about that stuff. I don't re-call Gretzky ever complaining about anything in the 80's expect he called out NJ Devils once, and called them a joke of a franchise. For sure he used his eventual stardom to intimidate refs as a tactic though. Don't remember him getting the moniker "whine Gretzky" for clutch and grab early on in the 80's lol. And for sure it was a tough rough era he played in back then too. As for speed. Go and check out a 17 year vet Gartner when he was the commish'es choice and see what sort of times those guys had. They had to qualify. Low 13's. As whole lot of them and they didn't get to start and then get timed either. Bure was one of a kind. Federov was fast too. Hedican was part of it mid 13's...Selanne. There were a ton of fast players back then, Bure wasn't just about speed. He was unique. Even Messier scored almost 50 goals just before he came to Vancouver. For me the dead puck era was more than just bad timing for athletes. That's obvious because as soon as it was lifted guys who were in the mid 30's exploded like Zubov. Heck Sakic scored over 100 at 37. And Alfie had his best seasons too. It was also about lack of emerging talent.
  8. It started after 1994...and it was already in the league for years (clutching and grabbing), if you'd like I can show you quotes from GM's, coach's and players who'd be complaining about it in 1992,1993,1994,1995 etc. NJ and expansion added an element to it for sure. That also started in 1994. Bure for sure was victim of clutching and grabbing, going back to his earliest days. Heck Babych was a master of it - can't count how many times I watched him one arm hold a player to keep him out of the play.
  9. Not to mention Bob Gainey whose play inspired the trophy, wasn't a scorer at all, especially considering that era. Neither was Guy Carbonneua. Scoring a bunch of points and the Selke actually are pretty meaningless. Aside from Federov and Datayuk, most guys who've won it or considered for it, weren't high scoring players. Lehtinen. Anyways Bergeron had Kesler competing with him for half a decade ... aside from that nobody really touched him accept Stone IMO, who for some reason, has rarely got the respect he truly deserves, maybe because he's a winger.
  10. In his mind thinking about walking into Allvins office to sign his next deal ..
  11. I'm hoping Schenn is re-signed (in Van). Dubas was wise to pick a winning vet like him, to shore up his D. Apparently the swagger and belief in the room, had a lot to do with Schenn according to Keefe, in that this year would be different. Could end up with folk hero status in TO if that keeps up. Also happy for him.
  12. I get it. It's about what team do we ice next year. Rathbone can be left in the AHL. And used as a call up. And I agree with you, the kids built like a little bull, compared to QHs, he looks like a monster lol. The point i think folks are trying to make is, why risk losing him for nothing (by waiving him) if he's not on the opening night roster. Wouldn't we be better off trading him or using him linked to another trade? You have to be honest about his NHL play so far too, it would be generous to say it's been ok so far. Sure he needs time, and maybe that's what they want for him. The team wants playoffs next season. And needs some cheap relief. Wolanin and Brisbois are safer bets than Rathbone at this stage. It might be better for Rathbone's development to find him a different home. Not sure he'd be helping the club much at this point...are you? Size for sure matters too at this position. QHs/OEL/Rathbone is an awfully small left side. And no, I don't think they should give up on him. But i'm not at all convinced he's a good fit either. He won't be running our power play. And won't be clearing the net and wearing down players with heavy hits.. or blocking tons of shots. Personally think we need to have a bigger D. Edit: The fact anyone is worried we can lose Rathbone on waivers, says a lot. Brisbois is a safer player for the Canucks at this point, and Wolanin is too. So maybe they just keep him in the AHL .... give him a ton of minutes, and bring him up when they have a better feeling he will stick.
  13. Yes. If Messier fell in line, took the second line center role (we opened a spot for Gretzky but never filled it) and instead used his "leadership magic mojo" to get Bure to stick around...and got McLean a solid vet back-up (think Furh/Moog tandem), that team could have truly been something. Bure had a ton of great hockey left in him, did his best work in Florida. Was a monster on the international stage too. Ohlund was drafted in 94 and cooking, Hedican was getting better, Aucion was getting his feet wet. We had a D transition. Babych had he stayed would have been a good third pairing vet (PHI actually got sued for what they made him do on the run to their final)...Naslund for Stajonov... Walker. We had some good young pieces too. Gelinas. Good prime vet wingers too. Ugh. Truly too bad. Yes I know that Linden trade tree ended up being something..:but we were only a few short years away from the final, and those teams didn't get bounced from the playoffs, were built for the second season. Brashear and Gino, we had toughness is spades too, as well as good size to deal with that era. On paper anyways, don't think you can find a better Canucks team. Messier on the second line would have been a lot more effective. Mogilny, Bure, Gelinas, Naslund, Walker ... we had the parts for two great scoring lines.
  14. My heart says Vegas, my head says McDavid is going to put on a show. Up against Eichel lol. "Nobody remembers number two".... Oilers in six. Stone ... well McDavid won't have it easy. But the best players, they do their thing when it matters the most.
  15. Well said. Had my first taste of the "go Leafs go!" chants in the early 90's - in our building (don't remember that happening in the 80's ... maybe because they were more polite or well their teams were pretty bad lol) - and they used to play in our conference, so we saw them a lot more often. As for Boston, same thing, Borque and Neely, and any kid who's now in their late 40's to mid 50's were affected by Gretzky. We were blessed to have been able to watch the hockey from that era. He took the league by storm, and still is the most dominant athlete in any major pro sports. Same thing with LA, cheered for them in 93 (albiet quietly, friends house who I lived at, Dad grew up a Habs fan)...and Wendel Clark/Gilmour's led TO club was pretty easy to like too. Was actually worried in 94, that team was pretty good. Beating them felt like we deserved to be in the final, proving CAL was no fluke. 93 was a great playoff with many storylines. Gretzky's last otherworldly playoff performance, although he did have one good one with the Rangers against PHI, it was his last one. Game 7 against TO, he feels was his greatest game (his book). Was something. Clark and McSorely battling in game six. What a hit. And what a shiner (still remember McSorleys face, half of it was black from Clark's first punch), tough tough players. It's a huge disappointment Gretzky didn't come to Vancouver. Would have loved that, and he wouldn't have taken the C, a key caveat was that Linden would still be the Captain. Bure lol... he'd have been off to the races ... Mogilny. Yikes. What could have been. LA team that beat us in 2012, was nothing like the ones Gretzky played on, not affable for me anyways. As long as Doughty plays with them, won't be picking them to beat a Canadian team. As for TO, i'm not jealous of their media darlings. Or the size of their fanbase. Pretty indifferent. Growing up with elders who had to pick either the Habs or the Leafs as their team before the Canucks joined the league, the Habs and Oilers dynasty ... CAL up the rare times EDM slipped ... It just seemed normal that the cup would stay in Canada. Plus the media was behind it too, Cherry was a huge fan and promoter of Canadian hockey. And the league expanding like crazy ... used to be a pretty even split. Now it's lopsided. Even still it's very bad odds it's been 30 years since the cup was won and paraded in a Canadian city. There is no recent history versus the Canucks not to want to watch that, maybe it's a generational thing to a degree, but it used to be some consolation if the cup stayed in the country that the world of hockey owes the most too. At least we've won some Olympics. Edit: Even then battle of Alberta, in the 2000's took a backseat when EDM was up against CAR, and CAL was up against TB. Those cites showed each other some support and some respect. Ottawa and Montreal sure did it for Vancouver in 2011, despite whatever media stuff individuals want to believe, and the Habs saw a ton of support in Ottawa during the bubble too.
  16. Rathbone has shown flashes at the NHL level, but I agree with EP, Wolanin has shown more...and of all the guys it's probably Brisbois spot to lose as the 7th defenseman at this point. One of them will end up on waivers. Ideally we actually improve on our bottom pairings. Rathbone comes into camp and impresses Tochett who knows. Trading him surely isn't the end of the world either .... Forsling 2.0? Brisbois is obviously more seasoned and plays a safer game.
  17. If you grew up with the original six, almost everyone chose either the Habs or Leafs as their team. One is even called the Canadiens.
  18. Guess you didn't grow up when I did. At this point i'd take any Canadian team winning the cup over any US team. Even the Leafs. It's taken a couple decades, but back in the 90's I didn't think Bettmans league was going to stick either. SJ lol. ANA lol. Etc etc. Maybe it's just who you're hanging out with who are the worst.
  19. Edler lol. Ok. He could have signed for us at the league min im sure. And didn't Brown do us dirty - plus LA ruin our follow up chance?
  20. Not for me. Didn't mind the 80's, and they haven't had much to cheer for since. LA on the other hand, beat us after 2011. Too recent and well a few of those guys are still on that team.
  21. 1993... and 30 years later, 2023 - the most many generations of Leaf fans have had to cheer for since 1967.
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