I know nothing of Leafs coaches, but what’s the general personality of the coaches they’ve been hiring? Sometimes one needs a ruthless Saban/Belichick/Jimmy Johnson type to put fangs into the guys; culture sometimes just has to be implanted by force of will.
Mitch Marner immediately gave away the puck after that clip, and would have allowed a goal had it not been waved off. He also disappears in the playoffs, particularly in later games. If his teammates managed to avoid saying something snide to him on the bench or after the game after that little comment, they have more restraint than I.
Interesting article on Mitch Marner – New York Times, but doesn’t appear to be paywalled:
They had Mike Babcock, a guy who’s coaching style borders on straight emotional abuse (I’m not joking about that, he’s out of the league because of how much of a shithead he is to staff and players). Sheldon Keefe was more of a players coach, possibly to a fault. Then this year they have Craig Berube, a very no-nonsense sort of guy.
Indeed to everything there - not sure if I need to mention that I just posted the clip not as any sort of rooting for Marner but just as a symbol for current dysfunction.
Still gobsmacked at his directive to Marner to share a list of his teammates’ deficiencies. Or something like that, IIRC.
Too many great players. (sad, kinda)
My pick is Marcel Dionne.
Pardon multi-post…I realise this is a week old, now, so kinda moot, but, has it been mentioned in this thread about about the missed Edmonton can-opener tripping call, (just before their ovetime goal) in (I think) game 3? While this sordid Canucks fan I want Edmonton to win the Cup now, that game was a tainted W.
Looking forward now to just watching McJesus and his otherworldy skating accelerations.
And that’s the kind of statement that makes me compare Leafs fans to Cowboys fans. Money and the talent it buys can get you into the playoffs, whether you go deep in the playoffs depends more on luck.
So? Shot attempts don’t mean much, many teams have won games while the other side had more shots on goal, much less shot attempts. They were lucky to score first because it made Toronto tighten up an play things safe. They couldn’t really afford to do that against Florida.
I’m not a Leafs fan. But fine then, the Leafs are historically unlucky - after all, if it’s mostly luck, they should have made it to the second round 4 to 5 times by now, right? Made the third round twice, and even odds of winning a cup. And the fact they’ve tied the NHL records for consecutive game 7 losses and worst home loss in a game 7, just a coincidence.
Genuine question, if you think that hockey is just luck based, why do you watch? Why not just play lotto or something?
Because it’s not all luck, a great deal of it is the player’s skill capitalizing on their luck. But it is a sport where it is quite hard for a player’s skill to erase the luck of the other team.
In fact, the importance of luck in hockey games is precisely why I watch hockey. It’s a fast moving game, and it is devilishly hard to predict what’s going to happen in the next five minutes, much less an entire best of seven series.You never leave a hockey game because there’s a good chance the team that’s behind right now might just be lucky enough to win it.
I don’t play lotto or generally gamble because I understand enough about statistics to know they’re generally a losing proposition. Unless I can actually influence the outcome of a bet, I’m not wagering on it. So, if you bet against me, you’ve probably already lost your money.
Also, isn’t the reason that people hate the Cowboys because they’re always cocky, predicting a super bowl every year? I’ve literally never heard a Leaf fan say they expect the Leafs to win a cup that year in my life. If anything they have a sort of fatalism about them.
I have no idea why the Cowboys are popular. I suppose it’s marketing. I don’t watch football, but I still have to listen to Cowboys fans bitch.
Oh, and the Leafs fans are just like the Cowboys fans, anything besides a super bowl ring or a cup, and the team are failures.
Calgary had Darryl Sutter, the players eventually rebelled against him, the team imploded, exploded, and former Flames are now spread throughout the league.
Round 2 is done.
Eastern Conference
Florida Panthers (4) vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (3)
Carolina Hurricanes (4) vs. Washington Capitals (1)
Western Conference
Dallas Stars (4) vs. Winnipeg Jets (2)
Edmonton Oilers (4) vs. Vegas Golden Knights (1)
And the Conference Finals are set:
Eastern Conference
Florida Panthers (3A) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (2M)
Western Conference
Dallas Stars (2C) vs. Edmonton Oilers (3P)
A 2018 cover of The Hockey News was titled, ‘Plan the Parade’
Presumably not titled by a true Leafs fan.(Though they are out of Toronto.)
I picked a good year to get back on the hockey bandwagon. I hadn’t paid attention in probably 30 years (who’s this Ovechkin guy everyone is talking about?).
This year I got Fanduel to watch the Braves, and found I could also watch the Predators and the Hurricanes. The Atlanta Gladiators are Nashville’s AA minor league team (is that the correct term?). So, I thought great, the Preds are my team. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Flipped over to the Canes. Hey, they’re pretty good. Oh look they made the playoffs. Alrighty! Go Canes! I’ll still root for the Preds in the Central, but the Canes will be my team.
Off Topic - there are two groups of investors trying to bring the NHL back to Atlanta. Both want to build arenas and revitalize areas that are pretty close to me (north of the city, where most hockey fans probably live). Unfortunately, I don’t see Atlanta getting a third chance, unless another team relocates.
The Canes don’t still do the Duck Duck Goose thing at the end of a game, I trust?
I agree with this. Whether I happen to be a big fan of a particular team at any particular time, I love the high energy and fast action of this amazing sport. And yes, luck is a factor in winning, but only one factor.
Incidentally, way back in the day, I was a Habs fan. I loved the incident in the 1993 Cup Finals when the LA Kings were leading the Habs in Game 2 late in the third period, and coach Jacques Demers very astutely stopped the action and demanded that the curvature on Marty McSorely’s stick blade be measured. It was found to be illegal and McSorely got a two-minute minor, during which Demers pulled goalie Patrick Roy, creating a 6-on-4 powerplay in which Eric Desjardins scored, and sent the game into overtime. Montreal won the game, and ultimately won the Stanley Cup.
Man, hockey used to be fun! And now we have … the Leafs.
Hehehe, you end a post I am wholeheartedly am in alignment with, with more bitching about the Leafs. Are you really sure you aren’t a Leafs fan? 