Equally Obnoxious Hockey Trash Talk Thread, eh?

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Big game tonight, should be interesting. I hope the Eastern Conference gets wrapped up soon, I'm getting antsy for the WCF
 
The Rags were the better team, hate to admit it. I didn't expect the Caps to fare as well as they did. Like I said, no shame. Proud of the boys. Meanwhile, Spurs have cemented a ~top 7 spot, maybe Europa, but won't make Champions League, and definitely won't be relegated, which means all attention goes to DC United for the time being...and my hockey attention goes sporadically to the Ducks. Just because I have good friends who are Ducks fans, and even less love for the other remaining sides ;)
 
I was rooting for the Caps, they had a nice flurry of opportunities in OT. Exciting finish to the series, but someone had to lose I guess.
 
"OMG it's 15 minutes til the first quarter and I'm like soooo stoked!" - Anaheim Ducks fan.

Let's Go Hawks! Kick these little girls back across the street to Disneyland where it all started for them
 
Rundblad is out and Cumiskey is in, so hopefully the Hawks D can get it done tonight and stop giving up turnovers for goals
 
Genghis said:
Looks like Toronto won the Babcock derby.
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Good for them. I am tired of the Leafs disappointment, season after season. it finally looks like they are completely cleaning up the entire system and getting serious with fixing it. They have the biggest and most loyal fans and, frankly, have the money to spend on the Front Office.

Shanahan and Babcock are good starts, and if their philosophy of what a front office and coaching system meshes well (And I have no reason to think they don't, since Shanny spent a ****LOAD of money to nab Babcock!), then they are well on their way to filling in the blanks.

Let's start at the beginning. A lot of teams are built to win the cup in a few short years. Maybe a veteran or two are brought in and they have some talented youth they got for a song to balance the payroll. Quite often that young talent takes off for better pay and the team is stuck with older veterans earning probably more on backloaded contracts than they are really worth. And the low-income youth that comes in to replace the talent that just left isn't quite good enough to get it done.

I think what Shanny is planning to do is to retool the farm system similar to what Detroit and a few other teams have done and that's to make their farm system weed out the weaker players and let the cream rise to the top and maybe uncover a few hidden gems. This takes time.

And don't get me wrong, this is not to say that such a system would guarantee cap contending teams year after year, but it does allow for a better choice to be made when younger talent has to move up. Obviously you still need superstars and experienced veterans AND a goalie having a great year.

My point is that Shanny and babcock I think are on the same page and from what I've seen of the Leafs this season and from what I've heard from the area newspapers, I think that there are likely to be some changes in the team very soon, and I think that a build towards a cup contending team will happen very quickly.

If they fill in the blanks with the front office and can manage to get players to accept the new philosophy, then I don't see why the Leafs can't finally get a team that doesn't choke in the last half of the season. They might have a team that can get out of the first round once in a while and after a few years when the players they need are in place, maybe a Cup Final appearance.

Of course, Babcock hasn't gotten Detroit out of the first round but once since like 2009, so...

And after all, with the salary cap in place the NHL has become one of the most competitive leagues in the world, so it's always going to be hard for ANY team willing to hit the cap to win it all.

Frankly, I'm hoping Blashill will move up to Detroit and continue his success with the younger players that he's show at Western Michigan and Grand Rapids. IMO he has the numbers to show he's as likely to do well as head coach of the Wings as any other candidate.
 
Homercidal said:
since Shanny spent a ****LOAD of money to nab Babcock!
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I disagree. $50m over 8 years is a steal for a coach of Babcock's caliber. I'll bet he left some much higher offers on the table to take on the challenge of resurrecting the Leafs. He certainly has his work cut out for him. I agree with your assessment of Shanahan (that thug!) and Babcock retooling the farm system to make it look more like Detroit or Chicago's. That is definitely a recipe for success but it will take a few years for it to turn out right. They really need to draft well and scout Europe for the next couple of years to make it all work, and then they need to give those prospects time to develop. With Babcock at the helm, I'd say they could be contenders in 2019-2020
 
sudbuddy said:
I disagree. $50m over 8 years is a steal for a coach of Babcock's caliber. I'll bet he left some much higher offers on the table to take on the challenge of resurrecting the Leafs. He certainly has his work cut out for him. I agree with your assessment of Shanahan (that thug!) and Babcock retooling the farm system to make it look more like Detroit or Chicago's. That is definitely a recipe for success but it will take a few years for it to turn out right. They really need to draft well and scout Europe for the next couple of years to make it all work, and then they need to give those prospects time to develop. With Babcock at the helm, I'd say they could be contenders in 2019-2020
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I don't think there is any other team besides Buffalo willing to pay that much for Babcock. That's well more than TWICE the highest paid coach was getting.

Not that they are not worth it, but it's a major shift in salary for Front Office personnel. Now you will see GMs and Presidents getting paid more because of it.

I bet all of the other franchise owners are cursing the Leafs today!

As far as whether it's worth it, only time will tell. Babcock certainly has a worthy record and reputation, but he wouldn't be the first guy to look good at signing only to turn out mediocre after a few seasons.

And you KNOW Toronto is never happy unless they are firing coaches and retooling. ;)
 
Homercidal said:
I bet all of the other franchise owners are cursing the Leafs today!
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Particularly the Sabres. Word out of the Buffalo media is that the team thought they had an agreement with Babcock (nothing signed though), and even scheduled a presser for Monday to announce his hiring. :)
 
Genghis said:
Particularly the Sabres. Word out of the Buffalo media is that the team thought they had an agreement with Babcock (nothing signed though), and even scheduled a presser for Monday to announce his hiring. :)
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I know, right? I don't know how a guy wouldn't choose Buffalo over pretty much any other...

HAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!

Ah hell, I can't say say the whole thing with a straight face! :cross:
 
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