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IBatch

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Everything posted by IBatch

  1. The V is wasn’t so bad ... but yeah it wasn’t great either...but I suppose if we won a cup with it then it would be a lot better. For me it took a long time to tolerate the Orca - past the WCE era those ones were worse then the V. The league in general had some of the worst uniforms ever at that point in history with everyone going black...Dallas, Sabres buffoloslug, the NYI fisherman ... it was ugly - look at the Oilers logo and how they ruined a perfectly great uniform. Why would the flames go from red to black? It was ridiculous to the point it became hard to even know who was who depending on what teams were playing at the time. The best uniforms with the Orca haven’t been made yet IMO. This years was disappointing- mostly with the green stripes as what are they for? Final losses? Are we a military team now? Don’t get it. The retro stick in rink are by far the best thing they’ve managed. Anyways it’s all good. The Orca won’t be going anywhere- I can live with it - but also felt the team looked way better in the black skate uniforms then anything we’ve had say since the black skate uniforms. And I’d actually be scared if we changed it again it could be something even worse. Edit: The only skate jersey I didn’t like were the third red ones ... seemed pointless other then a cash grab. Baggins made some quotes above - but how about finding the quotes about Quin stopping Orca entertainment from changing the name and about their plans to move the team to Seattle / those quotes were purely PR crap.
  2. Don’t be ridiculous. What 100 people voted on this poll?
  3. Do some research. Fans like the Skate - Original - Orca in that order. So do the players - non- fans and the experts for the most part the Orca uniforms are actually fighting with the V for last spot. I don’t care how many CDCers are posting on this thread - proper polls have shown this for years. Bieksa said that he and his teammates asked to wear them for years ... I don’t disagree that blue and green are better colours - but you could take 50% of the leagues uniforms and also say the same thing. It just works. It was awesome - and Horvat never looked better wearing it same with the rest of the team (and were excited to do so). Can’t believe I’m even debating this with someone who was a fan since 94. You liked the Orca when it came? Not many people I know - virtually nobody did.
  4. 1. Didn’t Messier come around 97? And the Orca? A lot longer then 13 years unfortunately for a lot of us fans. 2. Given you most likely didn’t watch the Canucks before that - imagine if they did finally go by the majority or consensus of fans that preferred the pre-Orca uniforms - wouldn’t be much different to all the fans who were around for the other two cup runs. Yes it probably will never happen but it’s going to be a long time yet before fans age out ... and the more they play in the black skate uniforms the more fans will be like why the heck don’t we just change back - why because they are awesome. 3. The Orca has a new generation of fans ... as far as the logo goes sure maybe you love it but I certainly don’t think it has anything to do with much other then a good business plan promoting a different look. Wonder if they asked the Haidi nation for permission. Personally I think the BC license plates from the 80’s-90’s would have been a better idea showing what Vancouver is all about other then a branding operation that if continued would have put the Canucks in Seattle re-named the Orcas. I actually don’t really care about it that much anymore - but it’s a prime example of when the minority gets what it wants and the majority suffer for it. The team never looked better in the black skate uniforms , heads above the strange most blue ones with green sergeant like stripes on the sleeves. The original one was better too. The only thing I agree with is maybe it’s time to stop changing - but would be absolutely stoked if we did one more change - killed the Orca as Dumb Nuck keeps pushing ... BTW: THN did a top 50 hockey uniforms all-time - including international play and Juniors etc. The only Vancouver one that made the cut (voted by the people that make these things, plus a fan like metric, designers etc.). The Orca didn’t make the cut. Only the Bure/Linden era one did - and some teams had multiple representation. Yes I get that the original colours and the current ones do a better job of BC’s colours and I like I said above I really don’t care that much anymore as I know it’s never going to happen... but given the OPs question and how good the team looked and the reactions (fans and non-fans alike still have a connection to those uniforms) it’s a yes for me. Fantasy land - and yes you made some good points too. The best uniforms IMO of the past two decades aside from the three games this year with the black ones (and the prime Sedin team players themselves have said that they would have liked to have had a chance to wear them too and liked them better) were the retro stick in rink ones. Which pretty much is the pecking order as far as consensus goes fans and non fans - Skate-Stick in rink - Orca.
  5. Just read a recent Sportsnet’s article on this years top 20 UFAs...Marksrom came in at 6, and TT came in at 10, Tanev made the honourable mention list (where as TJ Brodie made the list at 13 - go figure that others don’t see or rank our guys quite the same way once the rose coloured glasses come off). As far as Markstrom goes the quoted him saying he wants nothing more then to stay in Vancouver. Suggested a mid range deal of 3 years at up to 6 million as a good fit. For TT they said before Covid a 5 x 5 deal seemed about right - now they are doubting that’s possible for him. Also mentioned that out of all the TDL deals he produced at the higher level PGP. (Looking into it deeper it doesn’t seem sustainable given his shooting percentage was much higher then career norms - that said could still be a 60 point player for us and nothing wrong with that). Did mention that Tanev looks to be a gamer on a short bridge - but Toffoli won’t be likely to do the same given there is no history with the team. Other notables are Hoffman and Dandanov - both great adds to any team and a level above TT...something to consider as there are other options out there. Both could be solid adds for a modest - or of course could be LE deals you never know. Holtby almost certainly is moving on. Cap restraints and a down year plus losing the crease to an up and comer and the ED pretty much gaurantee that - although a one year bridge would also work. At the 20th spot is Thornton. He has no interest in retiring and wants to win a cup. Given his 2 million cap hit last year he’d be a great add to any contender or team like ours. Pay a little to trade Sutter and convince him to come and fill his spot at a similar one year deal... well hard to do considering I’m sure TO would be his first choice. Interesting times for sure 2020 won’t soon be forgotten for a variety of reasons- as far as this crop goes I’m sure some will sign for less value - and that the more coveted ones will get their usual overpayment for past performances. IMO TT falls into the first bracket. His intangibles and ability to play the PK and up and down the lineup help his cause a little...said before all of this that more that he’s paid about what he should get - at most 5....it’s very possible a 4.5 x 3-4 could be his best offer - nobody is paying him 6-7 like I’ve read on this site - absolutely ludicrous even without Covid.
  6. Funny your said that - because it appears your preferences are the current ones. Still most prefer the old identity to the new one even though it’s been around for a couple decades now. Probably because no team won as many series in it as that one ha ha. Unify indeed as long as unifying means in your direction right? Would you be willing to unify to the old ones if that’s what the majority would prefer? At this point management and all the flak they’ve taken over the years for the change (that wasn’t met with much enthusiasm at the time) stance seems to just wait it out until generations age out and this is no longer an issue. Bet by then another version will pop up and this time all the orca lovers will be on the other side of the fence ha ha. One of our traditions is change. Did we ask the Haidi to use the Orca native art idea? Or just go ahead and do it - how insensitive of us, see a lawsuit pending and for sure Fin is terribly insensitive of us too to whales/dolphins (that’s sarcasm - but who knows when this will stop). With what’s happening right now to two pro clubs - Red Skins and Eskimo’s - you can bet Blackhawks will be next - if not the name the logo for sure (even though it routinely ranks at or near the top best uniforms in hockey)...the Orca hasn’t cracked the top 50 once...beat out by Smokeaters and Junior teams, one of the few NHL logos not represented....the Skate was though - because it’s more iconic, which I suppose winning does.
  7. We had TVs back then too - didn’t need HD to see the uniforms ..Those who grew up with the lighter jersey were used to it for sure - plus almost all black isn’t very colourful no matter how you throw the orange red and yellow stripes on ha ha. The white skate was definitely the home jersey not the black ones. But to each their own. Our current one I really don’t care - but would prefer to see the white skate then the black skate at home. It only became hard to tell during the Messier/Buffaloslug era where all teams went black/dark over a short period. Really noticeable in the 99 finals.
  8. Why not Jovo? He finished higher in Norris voting multiple times then Öhlund or Edler did, finished his career 70th all-time in points and 50th in goals ...playing through the dead puck era in its entirety. More points then Lowe and Huddy ha ha. Aside from the WCE team’s didn’t play on many good teams either but still managed one of the better careers any defenseman we’ve had...multiple all-star games and Olympics, and Pratt’s etc. Aged well too, probably played his best two-way hockey on some bad PHX teams. One year of Hughes is a small sample size - especially given who else is available. What about Tallon, McCarthy, Lidster, Lumme, Babych (playoff warrior) Snepsts etc? Bure and Mogilny played on a line with Federov...sure they could manage EP centering them just fine. Id argue that before Hughes Jovo was the closest thing we had to a number one defenseman given in that era 60 points was the high water mark. One of six Canadians Ds playing in 2002 - definitely didn’t look out of place and carried more then his weight. Also on the 2006 team but couldn’t play (too bad maybe things would have been different). I’m speaking about your lineup mostly - a tad recency bias - have to go will see about adding a lineup tomorrow.
  9. Yep. Pretty sad that all we have to talk a about these days isn’t much of a story. He didn’t break the law - and there sure have been enough guys in the past sniffing coke or admitting to doing bad things after their careers were over including guys in the HHOF to make this look very, very tame. Maybe he should know better ... but I wouldn’t want him any other way. It’s ok to have some swagger folks - not everyone can be a perfect poster boy hockey player - and hey at least he wasn’t caught walking around a parking garage with his pants around his ankles right? Said it earlier worst case his behaviour forces him to isolate for 14 days - he won’t be around his teammates without getting tested first. He won’t be the reason the seasons cancelled either... and maybe he’s thinking ahead to the possibility of spending a couple of months in an EDM hotel and was just blowing off some steam .... whoopdie freaking do. As far as masks go - starting tomorrow they become mandatory in public places where I live / not a big deal / but I’m sure if things ever get close to what it’s like here BC will do the same ....Trudeau should have asked everyone to get two weeks of food and shut the entire country down except for hospital- same with Trump.
  10. Steve Smith was ranked 17th best Oiler all-time not that long ago by THN. Ahead of Hemsky, Fogolin, Jason Smith, Arnott, Curtis Joseph, Richardson, Krushelnyski, Roloson and every single one of the recent players - although maybe McDavid would move up and have surpassed him by now. Point is that was the biggest gaffe possibly ever (if you don’t know what I’m talking about google it) ... Maybe McSorely’s stick fowl too as they’d have almost certainly been up 2-0 (LA in 93 - google that too if you want) . How many other Canucks have made mistakes during the regular season and or playoffs? Virtually all of them - of course no player is perfect. (And McSorley led the league with plus 48! around that time ..) Edler went from a decade of constantly getting beat on by the CDC to “wow he’s actually pretty great” this year because he had some help. Instead the CDC focussed their angst mostly on Myers (who played his best hockey when Edler was out but still didn’t matter much - even though it was mostly him and Hughes giving Tanev and Edler some much needed rest). Can think of many times Murzyn coffed the puck up and it ended up in our net yet he routinely had a higher plus minus then his partner Lumme (who also screwed up too). Saw Borque do it same with Lidstrom too - in big games as well. Of course he wasn’t a perfect player only - Orr - Howe and maybe Potvin were and they stopped playing a long time ago. Only those three guys could be considered perfect hockey players. Maybe Eddie Shore but can’t comment given wasn’t alive back then. If Mario had a mean bone in his body he’d be included. Wayne Gretzky too if he wasn’t just very good defensively, oh nevermind - he was for sure about as a perfect hockey player as they come. He made hyperbole seem understated.
  11. Good post. I hope the murmurs that Tanev has a one year deal on the table and that he’s willing to play ball are true. Would make us well positioned for the Seattle draft defense-wise. Both those guys on one-two year deals makes a lot of sense for both parties going forward. The team has forward depth the next two years miles deep. I’m also ok with ten games of TT and that’s it. JVs stats this year wouldn’t be much different if he spent the entire time on the top line and top PP unit. TT is better for sure - especially defensively- and agree he’s a luxury - but JV is 23...( now im ageist ha ) JB has a lot of work to do. One thing is for sure he will surprise us ... and I will hold my tongue (or try to) when it happens. IMO he’s made only a couple of mistakes given the parameters of what was happening. The Re-tool was doomed...but he made sure if it failed that the back-up plan was ready to go which it most definitely is. Getting a solid defensive defenseman back in Tree would be a boon. Really hope he comes back, wins a spot and becomes that guy who keeps the bet clear and makes players coming into our zone pay...
  12. OJ should be Edlers replacement- that’s what all Canuck fans are hoping for. That said he really isn’t even close to the top four (yet), probably five. Brisbois is more seasoned and has a better playoff game. Fatenburgers and Benn are for sure way above him at this point too. Just because he’s supposed to be doesn’t mean he actually is. Even this year Rafferty came in and stole some of his thunder (this was supposed to be the year OJ finally got games - but he did not). I’m on the fence right now with OJ and I’ve supported him along the way ... even though I hated the pick right from the starts..how many goals did MT score in the playoffs again? MT wasn’t even supposed to be available but he was.... OJ just as likely to be this teams version of Corrado or whomever as his is to ever manage a bottom pairing spot. Defenseman don’t break out as early and his first two seasons let’s say are a wash. That means next season it’s do or die ... and as far as I’m concerned at this point it’s a coin toss. Hope your right ... our team needs him to do it and he’s been given all the privileges of getting picked so high included tons of PP time (where as Brisbois has had to claw and nail every inch he can get). Yet Rafferty comes in from college and one ups him. As has Brisbois for the most part since he’s arrived. One more season tops and we will know what side of the fence OJ falls onto. Already he’s considered a top 25 draft bust the past 20 years .... some portions of the fan base (including me actually) just won’t give up despite the evidence piling up he might never make it pass a few tryouts ...tryouts were supposed to be this year but never happened.. Last part of the L side should be at this point after this years play with the new guys : Fattenberg Benn Brisbois OJ/Sautner interchangeable
  13. No doubt. Have high hopes he’s better then he was (which he should be) if that happens. Have watched maybe 2 hours of footage but it’s hard to gauge given they are highlights or just someone analyzing his play. The eye test while he was here was good. Very fast for a big guy. With him and Myers in the lineup the right side would be monster sized. Figure he could be another Hall Gill type with better skating ... nothing wrong with that at all. 5789 all good - all was hoping to do was put some perspective into the what if? universe. Was a big fan of Willie Mitchell and was the only thing that didn’t mind about losing to LA. His picture of holding the cup in his fishing boat is pretty epic/cool. He didn’t want to leave Vancouver... that’s part of my button on it. Hamhuis and Mitchell would have made one heck of a top six together...
  14. I hold zero ill will towards Ballard - at the time was stoked we added him and Hamhuis to an already solid defensive core. That said I also wanted Mitchell back once he was better and didn’t have any doubt he still had three-four more good years in him. Sure anyone under 30 who keeps in shape will be surprised at how easy it is to keep it up right to and past 40. A lot less reps and the same results. Howe had his best season at 40. Since people are pretty much sensitive about anything these days - if it was current events you could say ageism played into it ha ha. Mitchell was a warrior class athlete a leader (he was the obvious choice for our next captain when Naslund left) and played the game the right way. Felt a little miffed when Babych left too (career cut short for being forced to play on a broken foot in PHI playoffs)... still had it right until the rnd Back to Ballard. Didn’t like that we never got to see what he really could do either. But do understand that our depth at the time was awesome - and who do you take out? If you don’t like what I have to say then perhaps read a bit about what the experts thought about it...THN writes that they believe with Mitchell in the lineup instead of Ballard the cup would have been ours ... I agree with that statement. Sure the circumstances at the time make sense. But it doesn’t mean I have to like it. Maybe JB will make the same mistake and sign someone else instead of Edler next year who knows. Or even Tanev this year.
  15. Mitchell’s play was always solid and dependable so I disagree that there was any signs of regression. He was on his way to his third Pratt in a row when Malkin head hunted. Very hard guy to play against. IMO one of the better four year contracts we’ve ever had - Miller is a good comparable for the forward group at the moment. Watching our defense now it would sure be nice to have a guy like him 22-24 minutes a game. Our goals against would go way down. Always made guys pay for coming into our zone along the boards or infront of the net. We need something like that pretty bad.
  16. They negotiated throughout that period ... we didn’t have anything like him in our lineup and that type of player is gold come playoff time. Someone else mentioned his age - well he’s right about where Edler was when he signed his last deal - guess 32-33 is over the hill these days. A massive list of defenseman have/had their best seasons in their 30’s - including Willie Mitchell. Lidstrom didn’t win his first Norris until he was in his 30’s...how many did he get again? If we had Mitchell in our lineup instead of Ballard or maybe even Hamhuis - I’d say our odds of winning would have gone way up (Ballard) or up enough (Hamhuis). The Sedins were peaking at the time and also around 30...MG made a mistake. It happens. But for me at least (and some hockey writers/historians) it turned into the biggest one he made as far as getting the club over the top as far as contending goes. Not only did we not have Mitchell for our peak years - we also had to play against him and a team in our own division beat us as an 8th seed and went on to win the cup on a defense first system. Go figure. Edit: as far as Ferland goes it might end up becoming one of JB bigger mistakes too. He had worse concussion issues then Mitchell did historically. OR he could come back and do what Mitchell did for LA (be a huge part). We need cap space to sign TT, Pearson is one of the best options, his stock is high - only a year left before he cashes in and we likely won’t have to funds for both. Even if we don’t sign TT, Pearson could be too expensive for us next off season. He’s a cap dump that should give back, especially at the TDL. The best possible thing is Ferland can come back and take that role or go back on LTIR for the duration. There is always Bear too, trade Pearson, and see if one or two or both Ferland and Bear can get back into NHL relevance again.
  17. Didn’t seem to bother LA. Yeah Malkins hit was dirty too. It was still a major screw up IMO, consecutive Pratt awards and the Captaincy should have gone to him instead of Luongo, Mitchell was the guy most people thought would get it after Naslund left. One of the better 4 year players we’ve had and a leader (he did all the talking on ice ref talking as i re-call not Luongo)... - JB and all the other GMs knew about Ferlands concussion history and he really rolled the dice - especially on 4 years. That said Ferland could come back and not miss a game who knows. Two years at 3.5 for LA - what did Ballard get again? Over 4 and we had to buy him out - a major mistake ... they were negotiating for months ... just bad luck really, if Malkin didn’t do that we could have won a cup or two - that defense would have been unreal - all six defenseman legit 2-3 guys. Edit: JT Miller in my mind is going to have a similar impact Mitchell had on our club over a four year period...these types of players are gold - and necessary on cup winning teams.
  18. Well maybe I suppose.. the timeline the public were given near the beginning was 1.5 years for a cure being available and given to the mass public and it seems that with 20 or vaccines ready for trials by or in the fall that they are on course (including one in Canada that looks very promising - delivers more anti-bodies so far then the actual virus does). Guess we will have to wait and see. It could also be next season at some point too.
  19. No worries. I’m used to it (The Orca) - and as I’ve said several times at least the uniforms have improved a lot. But 3 games of seeing the black skates was more then enough for me to fantasize of getting those ones back, and given that’s the OP - yeah I’d be stoked to see them for a round or two.
  20. Maybe dig a little deeper into Toffoli’s stats and it might change your mind. He’s 28, in his prime and a 4 year deal looks like a fair deal. Funny thing is if you do a deep dive into both players stats the are producing at a similar rate based on ice time. TT’s shooting percentage was 40% above his average since coming to Vancouver / can’t expect that to stay up. What will JV do over the next four years or so? It’s extremely rare for a forward to breakout at his age where as JV is ripe for a breakout he’s right at the age it usually happens.. and might have already done that this year (he’s at the right age)... 20/20 bottom six guys are worth their weight in gold. Both guys have clutch abilities too. It wouldn’t be the end of the world if we gave up on him and think the ask is bang on. That said I’m not convinced we’d be better off with TT. Wonder what JV could manage with 17 mins of ice time on the top line and the first PP unit. 10 points in 10 games doesn’t seem like a stretch / heck he did it this year when he was given the chance....or was it 14 in 14 ...
  21. Priceless. Seattle Steelheads ... good one!
  22. Great summation. The thing is did anyone on the CDC read or hear anything about the Tatar trade? Can say I’ve with quite a bit of certainty that I haven’t read anything negative despite what they gave up and how it played out. He’s in MTL now and also had a great year in a bigger role ... and he barely saw any ice once he arrived...I think it’s natural to think of what could go wrong - and our fan base has gone through a lot (hi LE). Even here I’ve seen JD Burke’s stance. Funny thing is he’s the only one I have heard of and anything I can find about the trade isn’t bad - especially now (Miller turned out to be a fantasy all-star too). I’m sure if I lived back home (BC will always be home to me) id have gotten caught up in the dread too. My initial reaction was shock / but after a day I was fine with it (hey guys we just got another Horvat at a great price / I mean what would Horvat get for us if we dangled him at the deadline or the draft? We’d freak out if it wasn’t at least what we paid for Miller right?). Next time JB pulls the rug under us I’m not going to worry so much. Also expecting that will happen again at some point over the next 12 months. A cap dump? A hockey trade? Something has got to give to pay the players we need to keep.
  23. Be careful or you might by called out for being insensitive for bringing that up. I’m sure you just ruined someone’s day and now they need another flex day to recover - can just envision the sputtering - breathing short shallow breaths - typing fast and deleting and then typing again - maybe getting choked up about it and stalking around the house and sharing it with others looking for approval - having a break down and wishing the minus button still existed getting keyed in from previous Gaurdian “trauma” on this site - maybe even peeing their pants a little by accident. Ok maybe I went too far but really this is a hockey site where’s the hockey talk? you know who you are - not hard to tell who’s doing that - and who’s been swept into the off-topic Covid wormhole and found a safe place to express their viewpoint about that (and I forgive you all for doing that it’s ok-but maybe reflect a little please - some of us come here to get our hockey fix and not all the noise associated with it the last few months). Yeah we all get it. And Covid does blur the lines can’t help to do it these days. That said there has been some great threads (thanks AJ!!) along the way and the amount of participants was kind of terrible really given this is a hockey site with thousands of members. Maybe leave some of the Covid talk to Facebook or whatever rocks your boat. BTW this is one of the more logical response’a I’ve seen - keep it up and thanks for posting. JV isn’t going to decimate our team with Covid - come on people / he’s going to score some clutch goals and make some great hits. Worse case he’s tested positive at arrival and has to isolate good grief.
  24. Thanks for sharing. Makes you wonder how many of our southern neighbours really have had it - and how many have it currently. Yeah please keep the border closed for all non-essential travel. Wouldn’t want to have to have this mans job and the tens of thousands like him that keep the supply chain going so we can eat and buy TP or whatever we want. It’s unbelievable how so little has really changed on that front ... that said if I did I would be proud to do it and not waver one bit. Consumers haven’t suffered much (yet) on that front at all. And Canadians have been absolutely spoiled compared to the US and many other countries too. Been born in Canada is like winning the lottery - that’s an actual quote by a group of marines (US of course that’s their nomenclature) I met having a holiday in Whistler 20 or so years ago in the middle of winter in a hot tub. We spent most of the week together and were like peas in a pod. They had travelled all over the world - and were vocally jealous of our system saying it was the best they’d ever seen. It grates me quite a bit when I see overly critical statements about how things are here ... yes we pay more taxes - but it’s not that hard to make a living. Takes a little gusto but not much. And we are extremely well taken care of. Very grateful for it - and get to eat all the prawns we want. For some perspective two overweight Canadian officers were also in the hot tub - complaining about this and that about whatever Canadian current events were going on at the time - and were shut right down when one of the marines spoke up and said “being born in Canada is like winning the lottery” and went on to explain why. Seems like a half dozen or so on this site just look to quote anyone who’s excited about hockey coming back just so they can write about how it can unravel any day. Everyone knows that. But we as Canadians haven’t come close to experiencing what is happening down there - and should be thanking God or whomever every single day for that. And there is enough gloom and doom whenever you go to the news channel since this began. 2020 is the first year in a long time that something has happened that effects the entire planet. Since world war 2 really. If you’re so concerned about it go and volunteer - do some contact tracing - deliver meals to the homeless. Don’t make it worse by constantly pointing out the obvious and lowering morale. We are lucky to live where we do including Quebec and Ont. Top medical care available at our fingertips and it won’t cost half our house to do it.
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