Price was very good, but he didn't steal this series. The Leafs just froze completely.
It was so close - two OT losses - that any one small thing could have made the difference. But you’re right that it should not have been that hard.
It feels to me that the Habs’ last cup in 1993 followed by the Rangers’ cup in 1994 was the high point for the whole sport, but that’s entirely subjective.
It feels to me that the Habs’ last cup in 1993 followed by the Rangers’ cup in 1994 was the high point for the whole sport, but that’s entirely subjective.
It just feels like it was on the verge of becoming big nationwide while remaining was as vital as ever in its traditional strongholds.
But that was followed by a period where it just felt like the game was turning to defensive boring shit while the teams were moving to places where nobody really cared.
But maybe that was no more true or untrue then as it is now.
The game itself is definitely better than it was in the neutral zone trap/clutch and grab days. And while the high scoring 80s had a lot of excitement, there were also a lot of terrible teams and a lot goonery.
I think it would help to make the game a bit more offensive, but it’s not clear how to do that. The evidence suggests that making the ice bigger would not do that. Maybe make the goal a little bigger? That might distort things too much.
Leafs have 4 high value forwards but struggle with depth. They're not strong enough outside of those big 4 contracts and their depth at D and in goal is poor. No team should be paying the thick end of $40mil on 4 players. Matthews OR Tavares? Sure. But not both. Marner AND Nylander? Thats just daft. You could look for 2nd line options at the $5-$6mil mark and save enough from 2 contracts to bring in a top quality D or a very good goaltender. They're not going to be a genuine cup contender until they balance out their roster.
Disagree - there isn't much wrong with them on paper, they have plenty of goal scoring, decent depth, a reasonable defence and a good goalie. They even shipped in "veteran presence" in Foligno (plus Thornton and Spezza). They had more than enough to knock off the Canadiens. I don't think that they were a genuine contender, it feels like England when you know that they will be knocked out of a tournament by the first good team that they face, but they had a semi-final spot handed to them on a plate and ballsed it up spectacularly. Again.
I guess that we'll be waiting a while for the speculative betting odds calculators - sorry, predictive analytical models - to be updated.
1. The pre-game tribute to the 215 dead in Kamloops had me in tears. The shoes. Watch the whole thing. https://www.nhl.com/jets/video/jets-...7442/c-8510747
2. Schiefle's hit on Evans just sucked all the fun out of these playoffs for me. Felt sick.
You need to see his entire full pelt skate from more than 100 feet away and the fact that he completely ignores the puck, which he probably could have stopped going in if he had lunged at it.
That would require much better awareness and timing.
These kinds of things happen on backchecks over and over. The difference between a clean hit and attempted murder is a split second and/or a few inches. I don’t know how the league can make the players 10-15% less reckless.
This particular play is unique because of the empty net, but with most of the boardings, cross checks and game misconducts I’ve ever seen - and i’ve seen many - it looked so obviously stupid on the replay that I just can’t believe it’s because they *planned* it that way. Especially in the NHL where this sort of thing leads to getting one’s face punched repeatedly.
It’s all happening so much faster than I can imagine, I don’t usually feel qualified to judge their intent any more than I feel qualified to question why a major league hitter swung at a particular unhittable pitch or why an NFL player missed what looked like an easy catch or tackle. I’m not seeing what they are seeing.
But if the repeat offenders became a bigger liability than an asset, they wouldn’t have jobs in the league and that would help.
I don’t really blame the league leadership or the owners for this. If the NHLPA wanted - or would accept - steeper penalties they league would implement them. The owners don’t want to see their expensive players knocked out by their cheap ones. The players have to grow up a bit.
The union doesn't want to put some of its members out of a job. The league and owners are convinced that they need violence, particularly in the US market, and that cleaning things up will hurt them financially. Many on both sides have internalized a toxic philosophy that this is how real men act.
Evans has not been hospitalized, but is suffering from a concussion and may we'll be done for the season.
Of all the pro-leagues in North America and Europe the culture of NHL is the one that remains locked firmly in the past. Approximately the era the Leafs last won the Stanley Cup.
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