Hockey Trash Talk & BS thread

I’d say it’s hard to leave Pronger off that top 5 list in my opinion. He played through more eras successfully than the others and he was a great D man in all of them. He carried a few teams to the finals that shouldn’t of been there. He also played through some crazy injuries but never really dropped off until his melon went soft.

 

Right. I thought a couple years ago they changed the odds so that it wasn't as easily to tank and get the 1st pick. Obviously there is some give and take there. But as we all know, some teams were able to snag the 1st pick quite a bit, in the past. It is what it is.

 

Devils advocate but what’s to stop the league from tampering with who gets the number one pick?

 

Exactly, its all handled behind closed doors by a firm. No way that it could ever be fixed right guys! /sarcasm

 

Exactly. I wonder since teams like Edmonton can't sign guys easily did the league try to hand them a team through number 1 picks? Did Matthews end up in Toronto because Shanahan is the President of the Club and has massive ties back to the league office?

Conspiracy theories of course but you can't just dismiss them when the only teams the lose the number one pick seem to be teams outside of the core group of teams.

 

Very cool, kid is beyond ecstatic!

 

Hockey Writers vote to reveal NHL Awards ballots

https://www.tsn.ca/talent/hockey-writers-vote-to-reveal-nhl-awards-ballots-1.1029194

 

Absolutely! ...and the kid broke into uncontrollable tears. It was beautiful...so beautiful it cracks me up every time I see the pic. The photographer really caught the moment wrll in that shot

 

Loved the way Pronger played but who do you take off the top five? Other than Orr, all those guys played through different eras and were successful. He could've won the Conn Smythe on a losing team with the Oilers. Also one of the few d men to take home the Hart. Bourque should've won instead of Messier one years. I'd have to look at the stats but I think he'd have the least games played of any of my top five other than Orr. But #4 was arguably the best player ever so we'll excuse him lol.

Yeah they got Eichel instead. At least you've had number ones. Think Gilbert Perrault. He was freakin' awesome.

 

He was the best player ever. The next 4, as you have already made clear, will always be debated.

Hockey is currently reaching a high point in its history. The game has become unhinged since they cut out the clutching and grabbing. Defensemen excelling currently are as sharp as they come, Lets be honost. I play outdoor shinny with guys at the local community cente that skate better and are in better shape than most NHLers were in the 70's and arguably the 80's as well.

 

Quit beating up on the special kids.

 

Probably has something to do with him being in his contract year as well. He's known as a cancer on teams, whatever he does know until the Sharks are golfing will determine if he gets paid well this summer.

 

Yes lol, that was what I meant. I was typing quickly on my phone.

 

So Minnesota has now beaten the golden showers all three times they've played... I can't decide how Vegas is gonna do in the playoffs though. Are they gonna fold since they've never played a playoff game together? Or are they gonna rally behind home ice advantage and go on a run?

I think Minnesota matches up better against them than they do against their current likely opponent in the Jets, but Vegas is still a strong team so I can't decide who I'd rather see in the first round.

 

That's a ridiculous statement. They were still the best of the best. Give them good gear and they'd surprise you. Ronning's older than me and he'd skate circles around any pond hockey/beer leaguers right now. I was 38 playing against juniors, minor pro guys from Europe and North America in a spring summer league and I could keep up with the kids.

 

In the 1970's there were still players who calmed down between periods with a smoke then hammered a few beers right after the game. I wouldn't go so far as to say the old stars couldn't play with the new. However, if the old stars at their prime were in the shape the NHL was in back then, they'd get smoked by the peak physical and psychological players of today. This is something a lot of players from that era talk about to, the conditioning just wasn't there particularly in the off season before modern sports conditioning.

 

Sure there were some guys back in the day that were in incredible shape, but not nearly to the extent players are now. The level of conditioning of the average pro athlete today is off the chart. Anybody who thinks otherwise is old and either out of touch with reality or has an ego the size of Byfugliens cup.

The money now is relatively huge and the effort put into conditioning Is exponentially greater.

Athletes across the board in all sports are head and shoulders beyond athletes in the past. The human spirit has pushed them there in light of Competition. While I agree with celebrating players of the past in the context of their day, what is truly ridiculous is thinking that the game hasn't evolved past the level to which it was played back then.

 

Kane can play. While not the smartest player, I always liked his effort on the ice. If he doesn't fuck with the team chemistry over time you will have an incredible player in his prime.

 

Kane never even scored 1 goal with the Islanders.

I get the conditioning thing guys and the stick skills are sick today. Bourque played from the 79 to 2000. Robinson played from the early 70's to the mid or early 90's.

 

Bout damn time