Heh.

Heh.

Comment moderation means that you can't post comments unless I approve them, idiot. You wasted twenty minutes writing out two idiotic, hate-filled posts that I didn't approve.

Who's the idiot? "Your" the idiot.

I want the Wings - Pt. 2

I've come under criticism from people on all sides lately, so I will address that here and now.

First, one of the things people are saying is "so how did that 'I want the Wings' thing work out for you?" Well, idiots, it worked out just fine. If you have to ask, then you clearly didn't grasp my point in the first place. I wanted the Wings because the Wings were the easiest way to the WCF. The Avs were and are a more talented team than the Wings without question, and I wanted them to get the easier matchup.

Did the Wings beat the Avs? Of course.
Were they dominant? Yeah, I'd say so.
Do I regret wanting the Wings? Absolutely not.

The Wings exposed the Avs for what they were - a poorly coached, lazy, lethargic team. They were led by a shitty captain who embodies the laziness and lethargy that the team showed. They were coached by a guy whose only competition for worst coach in the league is the guy who replaced him. The Wings outplayed and outcoached the Avs from the start. Had JoeTed been healthy, things would have been different, but he wasn't.

The end result was fine as well. Had the Avs beaten the Wings, they would have likely gotten their asses kicked in the WCF, but beating the Wings would have meant Joel Quenneville would have stuck around. I would have spent the next couple seasons pissed that my team was being coached by this loser. Instead, they were embarrassed, Idiot was fired and the replacement drove me away from the team.

I'm now focused on my new favorite team, and it's an absolute blast. Instead of wondering if the Avs were going to do something in free agency and being pissed that the braintrust dealt their first round pick away for a 49 year old slow-footed (NPI) UFA DMan, I am actually enjoying the run-up to the Draft and free agency. My team isn't fucked like the Avs are. Had the Avs not played the Wings, none of this would have happened. I'm happy.

Second, me no longer being an Avs fan wasn't really a decision, and it has nothing to do with the Avs' impending freefall. My new team is going to take their lumps the next couple seasons while their young players develop. The Avs will most likely make the playoffs next year, while my new team probably won't. Hell, if it were about winning, I never would have stopped being a Wings fan all those years ago.

Finally, I'm not going to tell who my new team is because you fuckers are obsessed. For all your talk about how nobody reads this blog, it's amazing how many of you dipshits I have had to block from trolling. You all read this. You're too obsessed with me. I leave usenet and you idiots talk about me non-stop. Sgt Trailer Trash bans me from his comments section, and the idiots there can't stop talking about me. After the way I was stalked from group to group on usenet, why the hell would I ever tell you what team I am going to follow?

Despite what everyone seems to think, I don't say or do anything for attention. If attention was what I sought, I'd be telling you what team I follow so you could stalk me there.

Anyway, whatever. I'm sure none of you fucksticks are reading this anyway, right?

I think I'm done.

The Avs stood pat at the 06-07 trade deadline when they should have been sellers. There was no logically sound argument for them deciding not to sell. I was completely against what they did, but I shrugged my shoulders and looked forward to the offseason.

This year, again, they should have been sellers. I said then and I say now, the Avs weren't going anywhere. They won a round, but then were completely outclassed by an inferior team. Again, I shrugged my shoulders and looked forward to the offseason.

This, though, is different. I spent the day doing other stuff, I was away from all the talk and actually forgot about the whole thing until this evening. I went to the various forums and saw the various Avs idiots - both on forums as well as the idiot Avs bloggers - polishing this turd and trying to make it out to be something other than a complete disaster.

Can you fault them? You're talking about a fan base that has had hockey for a little over a decade. They can pretend that they've followed hockey their whole lives, but they haven't. Avalanche fans, in general, are very stupid people. That's the biggest reason why I've never gotten along with them or lumped myself in with them. They don't know the first fucking thing about the sport, and it's always been a pain in the ass to have to explain to them things that pretty much every other hockey fan already knew.

But I digress...I saw these dipshits posting their usual groupthink pom-pon squad nonsense (the first blogger to express an opinion on any matter decides what everyone else's opinion will be), and instead of doing what I always do - point out the flaws in their logic - I just didn't have the desire. It didn't matter to me.

I have absolutely no confidence in the coach or GM of the team. The captain is a joke. I don't really like any of the players other than Salei and a few of the prospects. They aren't doing the things that led to them being the dynasty they once were.

The last few years have been a skid that could have been easily corrected with a new coach, a new mindset and a few personnel tweaks. Instead of doing that, the Avs...fuck, I don't even know why they would do what they did. It doesn't make any sense.

There comes a time in some relationships where you just realize that you're not in love anymore. It's a weird feeling - you're not angry, not bitter, it's just that the spark just isn't there anymore.

Worst. Possible. Outcome.

The Avalanche have named Tony Granato as their new head coach.

I'm lucky in that when something bad happens to the Avs, it doesn't really effect me personally. Losing the series to the Wings didn't disrupt my life at all, I just shook my head at the whole thing. Big wins brighten my day - the Avs' two Cups elevated my mood for a day and a half both times, but big losses and bad moves never really bother me.

This one, though, is downright disgusting. This move proves that the Avalanche organization simply just doesn't fucking get it.

At this point, it would be hard to make a case for FG being any better than Ken Holland. FG might be the worst GM in hockey.

This is fucking disgusting.

Goodbye, Idiot

I'm sure many of you have been wondering why it's taken me so long to weigh in on the Quenneville departure. I've been his most outspoken critic for a long time, as I realized he was a mistake shortly after his signing. Well, I was away on business, and I didn't get the gumption to post on it until now.

This was obviously a great move, and the fact that the Avs have gotten so much criticism for it does nothing but show how little those people know about the Avs, Quenneville and coaching in general. The funny thing is that I have actually seen several Avs fans who were upset that he was let go, and that's just another reason why the rest of the league thinks our fans are stupid.

That all said, while this was definitely the right thing to do for the franchise in both the short as well as long term, I am still very nervous about the whole thing because we haven't inked a new coach, and some of the names being thrown around are rather sickening.

Pat Burns is obviously the best option. If he'd be willing to coach the Avs, the Avs need to give him whatever he wants. He's got fire, he's got the ability to adapt to his personnel, he's got the ability to implement a rock-solid team defensive system while simultaneously getting the most out of the Avs' incredible firepower. Not only that, but he's got an undeniable pedigree, with three Jack Adams awards with three different teams as well as a Cup with a fourth.

If Burns won't sign with us, then the Avs need to take a long look at Johnny Flatbread, recently of the Bolts. Tortorella was given a bum rap in Tampa, and whether he ends up in Colorado or not, I'm happy for him that he gets to leave that situation. That franchise simply doesn't know what it's doing. Tortorella has fire, and he's a good all-around coach with the ability to implement the firewagon offense the Avs are looking for.

Both of those are good options, but the Avs are apparently looking at guys like "Tin Dome" Tony Granato, Cleveland Steamers head coach Joe Sacco and Patrick Roy. *sigh*

Tin Dome was a complete abortion the first time, and the fact that he was in charge of the anemic Avs PP in 07-08 should be argument enough that he needs to be fired completely (the Avs are keeping Granato and Cloutier under contract for 08-09 as of right now), not (re)promoted. If you had the greatest collection of talent in recent NHL history (the 03-04 Avs) and weren't even able to make it out of the first round, then got canned, then CAME BACK WITH A DEMOTION, you're a loser. You don't belong behind the bench. You're a loser. I want a guy with the pride not to accept a demotion. Fire me, fine. Offer me a demotion? For Tin Dome to have done anything other than punch Lacroix in the mouth would make him a complete pansy. Who's going to listen to someone who doesn't even have the nuts to go find other work after he was fired? I sure wouldn't.

Steamers coach Joe (not Sakic) Sacco... You've got to be fucking kidding me. The Steamers were a stunningly accurate AHL portrayal of their NHL counterpart. Loads of offensive talent, solid defense, solid goaltending, and absolutely NOTHING on-ice. Sacco should be fired for the travesty that was the 07-08 Cleveland Steamers season, not promoted.

And Patrick Roy. Okay, let's clear the air here. Patrick Roy is the greatest goalie ever to play the game. He made me nervous as hell, and I wanted him to retire for no other reason than to spare my nerves, as he had a tendency to come out completely flat at key times. Sometimes, he'd be the balls in a Game 7. Sometimes, he was an embarrassment, and you never knew what you were going to get.

He's also a complete headcase, and I like that. He's arrogant, loud, abrasive, and he commands respect and effort from his players just like he did his teammates. He coaches the up-tempo offensive style that the Avs are looking for. So why not Roy?

First, the QMJHL is not the NHL. True, there are lots of coaches out there in the juniors and minors who have the ability to coach teams to Cups if they were only given the opportunity. And it's sickening that re-treads get those jobs instead. But there's a big step between the Q and the NHL, and you have to prove yourself immediately to hold the room. Being Roy will help him, but only for so long.

Also, he's a star player who has never really shown the ability to relate to players who aren't as talented as he was. True superstars are rarely able to transition to coaching because of this. Worse, he has never been interested in teaching the young goalies he's been paired with. That could be different now, but he definitely benefited more from Craig Billington than Billington got from him. From everything I have heard, he never taught Theodore, Denis or Aebischer a damn thing because he wasn't interested in talking to any of them. That could be different as a head coach, but you never know.

Most importantly though, hiring Roy would show that the Avs are more interested in selling tickets on nostalgia than in winning. You want the guy who gives your team the best chance of winning, not the guy who is going to sell tickets and give the fans a trip down memory lane.

I honestly think that Patrick Roy is going to be a very good NHL coach one day, and I would love to see him given an assistant coaching job with the Avs this year. But he's not ready for the head job yet.

So, FG, you made a really great move in getting rid of Idiot. Now close the deal and get us Pat Burns, and I promise I will lay off you for a year.

A reminder

Just a reminder, since a couple people apparently missed the last one - you troll, you roll.

Disagreement is fine (which is exactly why Eric's comments remain). Personal attacks are not. If you're going to personally attack me or another user, you might as well just not even bother commenting, because I will delete your post the second I see it. And if you continue doing it, I will keep you from being able to comment in a rather humorous way.

So have a bit of class. Argue all you want. But keep it above the belt.

Joe Sakic - A Great Captain?

Most people who have known me for any length of time know my position on this, but with all the Sakic fellatio going on in anticipation that he might finally shove off, I feel compelled to write this up for posterity.

Joe Sakic is commonly seen as one of the best captains in NHL history. Why? Because he is commonly seen as one of the best captains in NHL history. Nobody can point to any actual leadership traits that he possesses; their arguments simply revolve around Sakic's achievements, with the argument that everyone else thinks he's great and his teammates think he's great, so I am obviously wrong.

There's an old saying that is so true that I have repeated it enough times for it to be considered my personal motto - "The plural of 'opinion' is NOT 'fact.'" To put it another way, I don't give a rat's ass what everyone else believes. Nobody has ever accomplished anything meaningful in life by going with what everyone else says. Think about it.

Sakic doesn't have any fire. Never has. He's always been a good performer, one of the best players in hockey history, but he's never really been able to inspire others to the extent that it elevates their level of play. And I've never heard of anyone who was afraid to look Sakic in the eye after they put out a poor effort for fear of what Sakic would say. As a matter of fact, everything I have seen, heard and read states that Sakic is a quiet person in all aspects of his life. That's not leadership.

When confronted with the facts on this particular issue, Sakic-lovers always revert to the "well, he's a lead-by-example type of leader." In other words, he doesn't exhibit any sort of leadership traits, but he plays well and is well respected, so he's a good leader. Sorry, but that's a bullshit argument. There are tons of well-respected players who play well and aren't seen as leaders. Milan Hejduk, for example. Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg are two more.

"But he's been the captain for ten years." And? He was named captain of a team that had no other logical options. It's extremely rare for an NHL player to be stripped of the captaincy, so it would have basically required a trade for Sakic to have lost the C. That doesn't mean he's a leader, it means that the Avs didn't want to offend him.

"He led Team Canadia to their first gold medal in blah blah blah." He wasn't the captain of that team. He played well as a cog. The next Olympics, he was named captain of Team Canadia, and despite being the heavy favorite for the Gold, Team Canadia finished seventh. Coincidence? I think not.

Joe Sakic was a great player. If anything, he was a lead-by-example type, and that only works when you have a team of self-motivated players (which, other than in 95-96, 98-99 and 00-01, they have never had). More realistically, he was a lethargic, lame-duck captain to whom the other (better) team leaders always deferred to out of respect to Joe and to the detriment of the team.

Yes, I hope the predictions are true and Joe finally hangs 'em up after this season. I will miss Sakic for the player he used to be. But I am downright giddy at the idea of the Avs possibly having a captain who will hold players accountable for poor efforts. Because we all know damn well that with this team, we're going to see a whole hell of a lot of poor efforts.

Wow. Series Post-mortem.

Worst effort I have ever seen from a hockey team. Ever.

I am writing this as the game is going on, and it's currently 8-2. I knew this team had given up a couple games ago, but I didn't think they would just drop their shorts and take a dump on the ice like this.

Bright spots -
After that first weak goal, Theodore looked really good. Idiot obviously disagreed, but that's why he's called Idiot.
Liles is playing like a guy who wants a big contract next year. He's been very good. I'd like to see him back with the Avs next year, but he'll probably leave.
Jones and Hensick have been playing pretty well, and Hejduk has been at least TRYING to score.

Ugliness -
Sad that Sakic could end his career on the injured list. What? He's not injured? Wow, hadn't noticed.
Arnason...wow, scored a goal and cost us two more. Maybe we'll call that a Tyler Arnason Hat Trick from now on.
Budaj - It's absolutely AMAZING how awful he has been tonight. Just disgusting. He has to go.
Forsberg - Why'd we even sign him in the first place?
The defense was ridiculously bad.
Turnovers.
Idiot - If FG doesn't fire him (or, rather, choose not to re-sign him) after this debacle, I don't think I will be able to support this team anymore. He HAS to go.

At the end of the day, it's shitty that the series had to be like this. I'm not upset or anything, I was actually rooting for the Wings to score a shorty when Franzen put that one in.

It's just a shame that the most classless, uneducated, lowbrow fanbase in the league gets this sweep. Red Wing fans don't deserve their team. But hey, that's life, and this is all they have.

That said, GO STARS!

Game Four

Game Four is tonight. Whoopee.

Luckily, Forsberg has ended all doubt and has taken himself out of tonight's game with an injury to his who-the-fuck-cares. Snasty is out. Smyth is out. Sakic might as well be out - we haven't seen him this series anyway.

If Idiot were smart, he'd put out a first line of Stewart-Hensick-Jones. But there's a reason why his name is Idiot. I expect to see Forsberg replaced with Wyatt Smith. Or maybe he'll dress Budaj and put him at wing.

The Sakic-Hejduk-Whomever line has not earned the right to be the #1 line this series. We need to start thinking for the future and hope that Sakic gets the hint and hangs em up after this season. We need to start getting Jones, Hensick and Stewart ready for NHL duty, and we need to do it tonight. Baptism by fire. They've shown energy and drive, something we haven't seen from Sakic in many many years (if ever). They deserve their shot.

Can we win tonight? Of course.
Can we win the series? Yes.
Will we? Nope.

Hopefully, we'll see Sakic, Forsberg and Idiot's last games with the Avs tonight. I'd rather get the series and season over with than to drag this out any further, to be quite honest. I'd love nothing more than to have them win this series, but I'd also like to win the lottery and play goal for the Avs next year, but none of those things are going to happen.

Go Stars!

Detroit Media - A True Gem

I was out at lunch yesterday, listening to 97.1 in my car (you should never eat Taco Bell anywhere but in your car while listening to sports radio), when I heard these two Detroit idiots spouting off something that actually made me laugh out loud. If I remember correctly, it was Terry Foster of the Detroit News and Pat Caputo of the...what is it? Oakland Press? Anyway, this Caputo moron was talking about Chris Osgood.

Mind you, I am not making any of this up.

Apparently, Chris Osgood, if he wins the Cup this year, will be a "lock Hall of Famer". He's also "one of the ten best goalies of all time," the "second best goalie in Red Wings history" and "he's going to have his number retired".

Wow. Just....wow.

Thankfully, Foster was there to breathe a modicum ("a little bit" for those readers from Detroit) of sanity to the discussion by pointing out that Osgood is a backup goalie was was run out of town once already.

So let me get this straight...Osgood, a backup goalie who once literally cried on camera because the media was "mean to him" is a lock HOFer and one of the ten best goalies of all time? The guy who was not only run out of town by the team, the fans and the media, but was also run out of St Louis and New York? The guy who is notorious for letting in 60ft turds in the 3rd period of series-clinching games (and not just once or twice)? That Chris Osgood?

I mean, I realize the Detroit media are absolutely disgusting in their homerism, but this would make them blush. Don Fucking Cherry doesn't even blindly fellate Bobby Orr as much as this Caputo asswipe just gummed down on Osgood. What a loser.