They're saying Thursday or Friday on his return.
Oh, yeah.
(Does anyone else feel the irony of the Discover logo and the sickle and hammer being on the same hockey card? Or is that just me?)
Monday, March 31, 2008
Almost Back, Now...
They're saying Thursday or Friday on his return.
Oh, yeah.
(Does anyone else feel the irony of the Discover logo and the sickle and hammer being on the same hockey card? Or is that just me?)
I Know, I'm On The Unpopular Side Of This Trade
When I was in college, a history professor once told me that "one has to wait fifty years to study any event in a historical context", the purpose of this being that the fifty-year mark gives time for generational biases and prejudices to fall along the wayside in order for events to be viewed with a little more clarity.
I think that idea is very applicable to the Stars' current situation. I'm far from suggesting we wait fifty years to see how the Brad Richards trade has truly affected the Stars, but I feel a little more time's in order to appropriately view what kind of player Brad Richards could potentially be for this team.
In the past few weeks, while the team has steadily been determined to take a nose-dive straight into a hole they dug themselves, I've watched Stars fans interact on the internet with a lot of interest in regards to the Richards trade. What I'm seeing leaves a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. The prevalent idea seems to be that Brad Richards just sucks and wasn't worth it, which I find a little odd, considering he's only been here for what, a month-ish? Aren't we throwing this guy under the bus a little early?
I'll be the first to stand up and admit that the trade was never what I wanted. I would've been happy for the Stars to make no trades, and I don't think it pained anyone more than me, save for Jen, to see Jussi Jokinen in a Tampa Bay uniform. Jokinen, Smith and Halpern were strong guys on and off the ice and were obviously well-meshed with the rest of the team. I have to say, though, I see little point in looking backwards to see what could have been instead of looking at what we've got and seeing what could be.
I don't think it's this trade mucking with their heads to be quite honest with you; perhaps at the start, but not now.
Turco is finally getting past whatever mental block he's had. I don't subscribe to the belief that Turco needs a strong back-up competing for a starter position in order to play well; I think Turco's been mourning the loss of a player with who he had emotionally connected. Smith lived with Turco for a while, after all, and Turco likened the trade of Smith as losing a brother. That's a heavy thing to suffer, no doubt, but he seems to be bouncing back. I think if anyone was affected heavily by the trade, it was Marty Turco.
As far as the rest of the team goes, none of them have been playing like they were in February. I refuse to make excuses for this team or listen to excuses any longer. While I don't doubt that the trade has something to do with their disappointing losing streak, I don't think it's wholly to blame for the Stars' problems.
They've lost complete focus and sight of their goals. Why, I don't know. I have a feeling that it's not solely the trade. That's a weak excuse on the best of days. I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt that playing a schedule like the March schedule has been set up is difficult, not as an excuse, but as a solid fact. Zubov and Boucher being out for long periods of time has not helped, but we won in February without them. We won all season with combinations of injuries to Lehtinen, Zubov, Jokinen and Boucher. The team just looked lifeless; not all of a sudden but like someone was letting the air out of a balloon, slowly but surely.
And somehow, this is Brad Richards' fault.
I fail to see the logic in that belief.
I don't see how Richards himself can be responsible for the bad play of an entire team. I hold this entire team accountable, and yes, I do mean the entire team, for every loss they've sustained during the month of March. Some of these losses, they lost through sheer faulty judgment and others, they just didn't bother to show up to play. It was a slap in the face to every fan; I'm on the verge of being a little offended at what's coming out of the mouths of people in the organization regarding the bad play of late, because it was downright horrible to watch as a fan.
And yet, this is somehow attributable to Brad Richards, where we can dump all the blame at his doorstep? Or, to some, that Richards just hasn't come in and performed up to snuff immediately, so therefore, he's useless and is dragging the team down with his dead weight?
The pattern I see among fans is that when a player is signed, most notably a player who has performed well on another team, the fans expect instantaneous results from said player. It does not always work that way because you have to give people time to settle in. As I've said above, Dallas is a marked change in almost every single aspect from what Richards is used to in Tampa Bay. I personally know that I do not perform the best when I start a brand new job, because it takes time and a little patience to learn your role and acclimate to a new environment. Unreasonable expectations, in my opinion, will only yield severe disappointment.
I'm not making excuses for Richards, either; I do believe his play should have been better than it has been. On the other hand, though, I don't feel it's very fair to point the finger at Richards for not producing and leave others out of it.
I've seen the argument arise many, many places that Richards is a handicap to us salary-wise. $7.8 million a year is a lot of money. I'm not arguing that it was a good choice, but I will make the argument that if I were cutting paychecks right now based on what these guys were earning from their play, no one would be getting paid what they actually are making. We pay Mike Ribeiro $5.25 million a year, and I'm not seeing very many people get torn up over his drop in production.
What I dislike the most is seeing a guy who, talent-wise, is a very good player and has a lot of potential for this team being raked over the coals because he's an easy target for people to scapegoat. When this team is down, he's a perfect target, because he's new and he's not scoring a goal a game. I watched this guy get two assists and a shootout goal in the last game and even then, people aren't satisfied with that kind of performance in the slightest.
It's easier to point the finger at Brad Richards and blame him because fans don't know him, not like they do the Ribeiros and Hagmans and Lehtinens on this team. It's easier to take the guy you don't know and blame him for the ills of a team that just gave up in the middle of the road than to take a hard look at the guys who have become favorites over the years and admit, hey, they're not playing as well as they should be. That's what leaves me scratching my head and also a little sad about the situation at hand, because making Richards take the blame (or even pointing out every little negative about the man) for what is a fundamental breakdown in the entire team is a pretty harsh verdict to level against someone who's been with the team a little over a month.
I'm not here to make anyone agree with me, or to change minds that were long ago made up. I'm here offering another point of view on the situation, that's all.
No one wants to hear this, because everyone wishes this season would be the season that the Stanley Cup returns to Dallas. I must admit, I had meager hopes for this season, as all I hoped for was more than just the first round of playoffs. If this entire team continues to play like this, they will get slaughtered in the playoffs. No ifs, ands or buts. If you take stupid penalties, can't cover your assignments, consistently turn over the puck in the neutral and defensive zones, and give up two goal leads, your team is probably not going to win the Stanley Cup. Look, it sounds terrible, but in my opinion, it's perfectly realistic. Do the Stars have the talent to go win the Cup? Absolutely, in my view. Do they have the will and the drive? It's questionable at this point.
Even if they improve at this point, I don't know how much better they can do in the playoffs than history has shown. The nasty truth is that it might actually take a season for Richards to reach his full potential with this team, and you know what? That's okay. That's okay with me, because everything in this guy's history says he can do that. I'd rather be patient and see the results than to throw a fit over a lack of instananeous results. Maybe he won't do what he's done before. Maybe he won't be what our GMs and our guys in the front office thought he could be.
But you know what? The guy deserves a chance. A real, honest chance from the fans to be part of this team and not just some convenient whipping boy for the anger people feel at the current standings. He deserves a chance that's not just from a handful of games in a crap month where the other members of the team aren't pulling their weight before everyone decides that Richards should be first against the wall.
He deserves a fair shot at being a member of this team, just like every other player. The sad thing is, once the Stars exit the playoff runs, there will be people screaming for Richards to be run out of town on a rail.
Somehow, that seems distinctly not right to me.
I think that idea is very applicable to the Stars' current situation. I'm far from suggesting we wait fifty years to see how the Brad Richards trade has truly affected the Stars, but I feel a little more time's in order to appropriately view what kind of player Brad Richards could potentially be for this team.
In the past few weeks, while the team has steadily been determined to take a nose-dive straight into a hole they dug themselves, I've watched Stars fans interact on the internet with a lot of interest in regards to the Richards trade. What I'm seeing leaves a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. The prevalent idea seems to be that Brad Richards just sucks and wasn't worth it, which I find a little odd, considering he's only been here for what, a month-ish? Aren't we throwing this guy under the bus a little early?
I'll be the first to stand up and admit that the trade was never what I wanted. I would've been happy for the Stars to make no trades, and I don't think it pained anyone more than me, save for Jen, to see Jussi Jokinen in a Tampa Bay uniform. Jokinen, Smith and Halpern were strong guys on and off the ice and were obviously well-meshed with the rest of the team. I have to say, though, I see little point in looking backwards to see what could have been instead of looking at what we've got and seeing what could be.
I don't think it's this trade mucking with their heads to be quite honest with you; perhaps at the start, but not now.
Turco is finally getting past whatever mental block he's had. I don't subscribe to the belief that Turco needs a strong back-up competing for a starter position in order to play well; I think Turco's been mourning the loss of a player with who he had emotionally connected. Smith lived with Turco for a while, after all, and Turco likened the trade of Smith as losing a brother. That's a heavy thing to suffer, no doubt, but he seems to be bouncing back. I think if anyone was affected heavily by the trade, it was Marty Turco.
As far as the rest of the team goes, none of them have been playing like they were in February. I refuse to make excuses for this team or listen to excuses any longer. While I don't doubt that the trade has something to do with their disappointing losing streak, I don't think it's wholly to blame for the Stars' problems.
They've lost complete focus and sight of their goals. Why, I don't know. I have a feeling that it's not solely the trade. That's a weak excuse on the best of days. I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt that playing a schedule like the March schedule has been set up is difficult, not as an excuse, but as a solid fact. Zubov and Boucher being out for long periods of time has not helped, but we won in February without them. We won all season with combinations of injuries to Lehtinen, Zubov, Jokinen and Boucher. The team just looked lifeless; not all of a sudden but like someone was letting the air out of a balloon, slowly but surely.
And somehow, this is Brad Richards' fault.
I fail to see the logic in that belief.
I don't see how Richards himself can be responsible for the bad play of an entire team. I hold this entire team accountable, and yes, I do mean the entire team, for every loss they've sustained during the month of March. Some of these losses, they lost through sheer faulty judgment and others, they just didn't bother to show up to play. It was a slap in the face to every fan; I'm on the verge of being a little offended at what's coming out of the mouths of people in the organization regarding the bad play of late, because it was downright horrible to watch as a fan.
And yet, this is somehow attributable to Brad Richards, where we can dump all the blame at his doorstep? Or, to some, that Richards just hasn't come in and performed up to snuff immediately, so therefore, he's useless and is dragging the team down with his dead weight?
The pattern I see among fans is that when a player is signed, most notably a player who has performed well on another team, the fans expect instantaneous results from said player. It does not always work that way because you have to give people time to settle in. As I've said above, Dallas is a marked change in almost every single aspect from what Richards is used to in Tampa Bay. I personally know that I do not perform the best when I start a brand new job, because it takes time and a little patience to learn your role and acclimate to a new environment. Unreasonable expectations, in my opinion, will only yield severe disappointment.
I'm not making excuses for Richards, either; I do believe his play should have been better than it has been. On the other hand, though, I don't feel it's very fair to point the finger at Richards for not producing and leave others out of it.
I've seen the argument arise many, many places that Richards is a handicap to us salary-wise. $7.8 million a year is a lot of money. I'm not arguing that it was a good choice, but I will make the argument that if I were cutting paychecks right now based on what these guys were earning from their play, no one would be getting paid what they actually are making. We pay Mike Ribeiro $5.25 million a year, and I'm not seeing very many people get torn up over his drop in production.
What I dislike the most is seeing a guy who, talent-wise, is a very good player and has a lot of potential for this team being raked over the coals because he's an easy target for people to scapegoat. When this team is down, he's a perfect target, because he's new and he's not scoring a goal a game. I watched this guy get two assists and a shootout goal in the last game and even then, people aren't satisfied with that kind of performance in the slightest.
It's easier to point the finger at Brad Richards and blame him because fans don't know him, not like they do the Ribeiros and Hagmans and Lehtinens on this team. It's easier to take the guy you don't know and blame him for the ills of a team that just gave up in the middle of the road than to take a hard look at the guys who have become favorites over the years and admit, hey, they're not playing as well as they should be. That's what leaves me scratching my head and also a little sad about the situation at hand, because making Richards take the blame (or even pointing out every little negative about the man) for what is a fundamental breakdown in the entire team is a pretty harsh verdict to level against someone who's been with the team a little over a month.
I'm not here to make anyone agree with me, or to change minds that were long ago made up. I'm here offering another point of view on the situation, that's all.
No one wants to hear this, because everyone wishes this season would be the season that the Stanley Cup returns to Dallas. I must admit, I had meager hopes for this season, as all I hoped for was more than just the first round of playoffs. If this entire team continues to play like this, they will get slaughtered in the playoffs. No ifs, ands or buts. If you take stupid penalties, can't cover your assignments, consistently turn over the puck in the neutral and defensive zones, and give up two goal leads, your team is probably not going to win the Stanley Cup. Look, it sounds terrible, but in my opinion, it's perfectly realistic. Do the Stars have the talent to go win the Cup? Absolutely, in my view. Do they have the will and the drive? It's questionable at this point.
Even if they improve at this point, I don't know how much better they can do in the playoffs than history has shown. The nasty truth is that it might actually take a season for Richards to reach his full potential with this team, and you know what? That's okay. That's okay with me, because everything in this guy's history says he can do that. I'd rather be patient and see the results than to throw a fit over a lack of instananeous results. Maybe he won't do what he's done before. Maybe he won't be what our GMs and our guys in the front office thought he could be.
But you know what? The guy deserves a chance. A real, honest chance from the fans to be part of this team and not just some convenient whipping boy for the anger people feel at the current standings. He deserves a chance that's not just from a handful of games in a crap month where the other members of the team aren't pulling their weight before everyone decides that Richards should be first against the wall.
He deserves a fair shot at being a member of this team, just like every other player. The sad thing is, once the Stars exit the playoff runs, there will be people screaming for Richards to be run out of town on a rail.
Somehow, that seems distinctly not right to me.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Words Fail Me
I have not much to say about this loss, Stars. Sure, we got a point, but you're not going to make it to the playoffs, much less a first round exit if you keep these shenanigans up.
So I'm going to hand out awards tonight. We're kicking it old-school, like we did in middle school when you got those glittery, macaroni encrusted paper plate awards.
First up, BRENDEN MORROW:
Good job, Brenden! A solid game and your 30th goal isn't bad at all. Congratulations, Mr. Morrow, you rock.
Matty Norstrom, please come to Russian Watch '08 headquarters to pick up your award. I saw that, Matty, I saw you nearly tip that puck past Turco even though you tried to hide from me by getting into some shoving match with some Shark player. You had a big hit, Matty, but you pushed me dangerously close to turning off the television period.
Here's one for me.
I don't think it's entirely fair to watch you guys blow a great season over whatever's going on behind the scenes. I don't pretend to know your ins and outs and I have no clue what's going on in your heads but I do know that I'm very worn out on sacrificing my time to watch these kinds of games.
I don't think that as a fan I should feel obligated to give you time out of my day if you can't at least show up to play. "Believe" is your team motto for the playoffs. Right now, the only thing I believe is that even if you're going to land in the playoffs, you're not earning much and team play does anything but indicate you deserve to go to the playoffs.
There's still time to turn it around, but the question is, can you turn it around?
Jen's trying to be positive, so I will be too: Russian is coming back soon, we readded Boucher to the lineup, and we got a point. Right now, I'm kind of way too excited for Russian to come back (can you tell?!) but Russian playing keeps me from being 100% exasperated, really.
So I'm going to hand out awards tonight. We're kicking it old-school, like we did in middle school when you got those glittery, macaroni encrusted paper plate awards.
First up, BRENDEN MORROW:
Good job, Brenden! A solid game and your 30th goal isn't bad at all. Congratulations, Mr. Morrow, you rock.
Matty Norstrom, please come to Russian Watch '08 headquarters to pick up your award. I saw that, Matty, I saw you nearly tip that puck past Turco even though you tried to hide from me by getting into some shoving match with some Shark player. You had a big hit, Matty, but you pushed me dangerously close to turning off the television period.
Here's one for me.
I don't think it's entirely fair to watch you guys blow a great season over whatever's going on behind the scenes. I don't pretend to know your ins and outs and I have no clue what's going on in your heads but I do know that I'm very worn out on sacrificing my time to watch these kinds of games.
I don't think that as a fan I should feel obligated to give you time out of my day if you can't at least show up to play. "Believe" is your team motto for the playoffs. Right now, the only thing I believe is that even if you're going to land in the playoffs, you're not earning much and team play does anything but indicate you deserve to go to the playoffs.
There's still time to turn it around, but the question is, can you turn it around?
Jen's trying to be positive, so I will be too: Russian is coming back soon, we readded Boucher to the lineup, and we got a point. Right now, I'm kind of way too excited for Russian to come back (can you tell?!) but Russian playing keeps me from being 100% exasperated, really.
He's Coming...
We're about to head into the third period of the San Jose game as I write this. Boucher's back.
You know what that means.
RUSSIAN IS COMING AND WE'RE SO CLOSE TO HAVING HIM BACK.
Why NOT decorate the blog to celebrate? It's been so long since we've had that cranky Russian playing that I feel a celebration is in order! Let's celebrate something, people!
You know what that means.
RUSSIAN IS COMING AND WE'RE SO CLOSE TO HAVING HIM BACK.
Why NOT decorate the blog to celebrate? It's been so long since we've had that cranky Russian playing that I feel a celebration is in order! Let's celebrate something, people!
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Time to Reassess
Okay, so I know I said I wasn't going to freak out about the Stars' losses during this month.
I'm not freaking out. I'm pissed. I'm so pissed I almost don't know where to start with this.
Mike Heika is the Dallas Morning News' main hockey writer and he is the main writer for the DMN's Stars blog as well. I read the blog post Heika wrote today. Needless to say, I'm extraordinarily disappointed -- in every player, in every coach, in the entire organization.
You can find the original post at the link above, but I'm going to post excerpts here for the sake of brevity.
Wow. Robidas and Hagman. Now there's two players who do not deserve a bag skate in the slightest, in my opinion. Both Robi and Hagman give and give and give, every shift. I don't know how much more you can ask from those two. And as far as I'm concerned, the hard practice these guys got was far too late.
It's good to know Dave Tippett and I have been seeing the same games. My only problem is that the Stars have been playing like this all year. A lot of times it felt like the guys seemed to think it was okay to ride it to a shootout, because Jokinen and Zubov would be their saviors. I have seen this team literally give up in the third period. I hate it when they just quit. Have some pride in yourself and in your team and in your fans. Don't just shut it off because you know you can't win.
Heika also says they've brought up B.J. Crombeen from Iowa. I like Crombeen, but according to Heika, they're going to bench Antti Miettinen for this.
Look, no one's play has been fantastic of late. And even if Miettinen deserves a benching (which I don't think he does) I'm frankly sick and tired of watching Miettinen constantly take the healthy scratch. I watched Eriksson royally screw us from pre-season until about mid-December with hardly a healthy scratch while Miettinen watched games from the pressbox. I'm glad to take abuse on the fact that I am a big Miettinen fan, but you can't say psychologically the guy hasn't weathered the proverbial storm, with fans calling him "Metal-Hands" and consistently making him the butt of jokes. So what if the guy's not going to be a 30 goal scorer? He checks well. He has consistently performed well on the Morrow/Ribeiro line. The guy helps set up goals. He helps the damn team and his PIM is low. I don't get why Miettinen gets benched when there's other guys out there who have deserved a good benching or seven and have never gotten it.
So, what isn't working here, then? They blew a game they had practically in the bag in a whopping minute and a half against the Kings and they've been going through all this? Look, I feel bad for Sergei Zubov. The guy's been injured and now it seems like half of Stars fans are desperately relying on the guy to come back and save us all.
It's not right. The Stars have to learn how to function without Sergei Zubov. He's 37, which is not old, but for a hockey player it's not young, either. Zubov's in the twilight of his career here, which means you have to learn to get along without him. While we've been lucky to have a remarkable February without him, March has just been crap. We've had young defensemen who rise to the occasion, but our veteran defensemen aren't faring very well themselves (Boucher excluded).
For god's sake, scratch Norstrom. He's gotten better, as Jen has pointed out to me, but I think he's never gelled well with the team nor has he played to the level of the other d-guys on the Stars.
I have never understood the massive hate-on for Daley that a lot of people have had. I like Daley. I think Daley does a capable job but he has a lot to learn. I don't think Daley's the best defenseman we've got but I sure as hell don't think he's the worst either. Scratching him for a couple of games, however, couldn't hurt...I don't think.
I don't care how much money Norstrom is costing the Stars. He costs you less at this point from the pressbox than he does on the ice, because it might actually be helpful for him to be sitting up high than in the damn PENALTY BOX.
You bet it's frustrating. Not only is it frustrating, it's maddening and disappointing. This team has a remarkable level of talent. Many guys are having record years this year. Yet we still can't get the job done. We're looking at maybe not even clinching a playoff spot, let alone worrying over whether or not we'll have another first round exit from the playoffs again.
What's frustrating as a fan is to watch a team that's entirely capable give up over and over and over again. You can sit there and watch all the air go out of them and watch them just hand a game over to someone. I'm sick of hearing excuses and spin about all this. Actions speak louder than words, and a rough bag skate is one of them, but I like how we conduct this skate now. Look, I'm not a hockey coach, and I'm not a GM, but I am a fan who gives a considerable amount of money towards this organization who is sick of watching crap like this.
I could understand more if they were a team that was trying to rebuild or get better. To watch a team just waste themselves away is not only frustrating, it pisses me off. In my opinion, watching players just give up like they, to squander what they have worked so hard for, shows such utter disregard for the franchise and for the fans.
I wish I could tell you exactly how much money I have pumped into the Stars this season. I have bought tickets -- I've attended well over twenty games this season and not just in the cheap, upper deck seats either. I've bought jerseys. I've bought shirts. I've bought stuff for hockey loving family and friends. In short, I have put many of my hard earned dollars into this organization. For THIS.
What makes me even sadder is watching the players who don't deserve this losing streak, who work their hearts out -- Zubov, Hagman, Lehtinen, Morrow, Boucher and Robidas -- and end up like this.
Jen got me a brand, spanking new Mittens jersey for my birthday (it really does say "Mittens" on the name plate, even) and I wear it with a lot of pride - for Miettinen, for the team, for everything I like about hockey. I love my Mittens jersey and I still love the Stars. I'm just tired of feeling like for some in this organization, merely phoning it in is somehow acceptable.
It's never acceptable.
I'm not freaking out. I'm pissed. I'm so pissed I almost don't know where to start with this.
Mike Heika is the Dallas Morning News' main hockey writer and he is the main writer for the DMN's Stars blog as well. I read the blog post Heika wrote today. Needless to say, I'm extraordinarily disappointed -- in every player, in every coach, in the entire organization.
You can find the original post at the link above, but I'm going to post excerpts here for the sake of brevity.
Tippett ran the players at the end of practice today, and they were truly gassed when they left the ice. Stephane Robidas was sitting on the ice slumped over at the end, and Niklas Hagman lost his Easter breakfast.
Wow. Robidas and Hagman. Now there's two players who do not deserve a bag skate in the slightest, in my opinion. Both Robi and Hagman give and give and give, every shift. I don't know how much more you can ask from those two. And as far as I'm concerned, the hard practice these guys got was far too late.
...Tippett emphasized that the players were much stronger in the first half of the drills than at the end. He said players have to be able to compete intensely throughout the game...
It's good to know Dave Tippett and I have been seeing the same games. My only problem is that the Stars have been playing like this all year. A lot of times it felt like the guys seemed to think it was okay to ride it to a shootout, because Jokinen and Zubov would be their saviors. I have seen this team literally give up in the third period. I hate it when they just quit. Have some pride in yourself and in your team and in your fans. Don't just shut it off because you know you can't win.
Heika also says they've brought up B.J. Crombeen from Iowa. I like Crombeen, but according to Heika, they're going to bench Antti Miettinen for this.
Look, no one's play has been fantastic of late. And even if Miettinen deserves a benching (which I don't think he does) I'm frankly sick and tired of watching Miettinen constantly take the healthy scratch. I watched Eriksson royally screw us from pre-season until about mid-December with hardly a healthy scratch while Miettinen watched games from the pressbox. I'm glad to take abuse on the fact that I am a big Miettinen fan, but you can't say psychologically the guy hasn't weathered the proverbial storm, with fans calling him "Metal-Hands" and consistently making him the butt of jokes. So what if the guy's not going to be a 30 goal scorer? He checks well. He has consistently performed well on the Morrow/Ribeiro line. The guy helps set up goals. He helps the damn team and his PIM is low. I don't get why Miettinen gets benched when there's other guys out there who have deserved a good benching or seven and have never gotten it.
Team psychologist Scot McFadden is in town and has talked to a lot of players. The players themselves have talked to each other on numerous occasions. The coaches have both coddled and yelled.
So, what isn't working here, then? They blew a game they had practically in the bag in a whopping minute and a half against the Kings and they've been going through all this? Look, I feel bad for Sergei Zubov. The guy's been injured and now it seems like half of Stars fans are desperately relying on the guy to come back and save us all.
It's not right. The Stars have to learn how to function without Sergei Zubov. He's 37, which is not old, but for a hockey player it's not young, either. Zubov's in the twilight of his career here, which means you have to learn to get along without him. While we've been lucky to have a remarkable February without him, March has just been crap. We've had young defensemen who rise to the occasion, but our veteran defensemen aren't faring very well themselves (Boucher excluded).
....you force the coaches to make tough decisions on Norstrom and Daley when all of the D-men are healthy. And, then you wait for the results and evaluate.
For god's sake, scratch Norstrom. He's gotten better, as Jen has pointed out to me, but I think he's never gelled well with the team nor has he played to the level of the other d-guys on the Stars.
I have never understood the massive hate-on for Daley that a lot of people have had. I like Daley. I think Daley does a capable job but he has a lot to learn. I don't think Daley's the best defenseman we've got but I sure as hell don't think he's the worst either. Scratching him for a couple of games, however, couldn't hurt...I don't think.
I don't care how much money Norstrom is costing the Stars. He costs you less at this point from the pressbox than he does on the ice, because it might actually be helpful for him to be sitting up high than in the damn PENALTY BOX.
It's frustrating to watch that process as a fan (especially with this group's history), but it seems the only practical answer right now.
You bet it's frustrating. Not only is it frustrating, it's maddening and disappointing. This team has a remarkable level of talent. Many guys are having record years this year. Yet we still can't get the job done. We're looking at maybe not even clinching a playoff spot, let alone worrying over whether or not we'll have another first round exit from the playoffs again.
What's frustrating as a fan is to watch a team that's entirely capable give up over and over and over again. You can sit there and watch all the air go out of them and watch them just hand a game over to someone. I'm sick of hearing excuses and spin about all this. Actions speak louder than words, and a rough bag skate is one of them, but I like how we conduct this skate now. Look, I'm not a hockey coach, and I'm not a GM, but I am a fan who gives a considerable amount of money towards this organization who is sick of watching crap like this.
I could understand more if they were a team that was trying to rebuild or get better. To watch a team just waste themselves away is not only frustrating, it pisses me off. In my opinion, watching players just give up like they, to squander what they have worked so hard for, shows such utter disregard for the franchise and for the fans.
I wish I could tell you exactly how much money I have pumped into the Stars this season. I have bought tickets -- I've attended well over twenty games this season and not just in the cheap, upper deck seats either. I've bought jerseys. I've bought shirts. I've bought stuff for hockey loving family and friends. In short, I have put many of my hard earned dollars into this organization. For THIS.
What makes me even sadder is watching the players who don't deserve this losing streak, who work their hearts out -- Zubov, Hagman, Lehtinen, Morrow, Boucher and Robidas -- and end up like this.
Jen got me a brand, spanking new Mittens jersey for my birthday (it really does say "Mittens" on the name plate, even) and I wear it with a lot of pride - for Miettinen, for the team, for everything I like about hockey. I love my Mittens jersey and I still love the Stars. I'm just tired of feeling like for some in this organization, merely phoning it in is somehow acceptable.
It's never acceptable.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Deep Thoughts, Period
Okay, guys, I've just decided that I'm not going to get riled up over this 4-2 loss to the Kings. No, really, I'm not. I'm just going to cynically (and proverbially) sit here with an eyebrow raised, daring the Stars not to suck. If they don't suck, then I'm pleasantly surprised.
Instead of rehashing my feelings and my ways to relieve hockey-related stress, especially when other bloggers like Patty do a much better job than I do, I must say that the very thought of Pros vs. Prospects IV the other night was an encouraging one. All the guys seemed to have a really good time. Jen has a recap and photos -- sadly, my camera died, or else I'd have photos -- so I thought I would hit you up with some highlights from the charity game.
Instead of rehashing my feelings and my ways to relieve hockey-related stress, especially when other bloggers like Patty do a much better job than I do, I must say that the very thought of Pros vs. Prospects IV the other night was an encouraging one. All the guys seemed to have a really good time. Jen has a recap and photos -- sadly, my camera died, or else I'd have photos -- so I thought I would hit you up with some highlights from the charity game.
- Jen saw Mike Modano high-five the Easter Bunny. Seriously, how can anyone dislike Mike Modano? We had seats directly behind the Tornado bench (literally) and Mo was standing off to the side, looking distinctly happy to be watching everyone playing. And then he high-fived THE EASTER BUNNY. What more can you say? AMERICAN HERO, that's what.
- Most of the pros wore their old hockey pants and helmets for the game, which was confusing, as some of them had blue/red/black pants. It was very odd to look over and see old school Red Wings and Blues helmets.
- I'm sure the Texas Tornado now hate the three of us, as we spent most of our time cackling and laughing at stupid shit. Okay, so really, that was me.
- OMG Brett Hull nearly killed himself playing. Seriously. Poor Hullie.
- A good time was had by all, even though an enormous polar bear mascot named Ike tried to kiss me through the glass of the benches.
Monday, March 17, 2008
The Best Way To Describe How I Feel
Oh, Mo, I know. While Russian's craftily put up an impersonator behind him both to block Norstrom and to ward off the flocks who cry, "A Norris for you! A NORRIS FOR YOU!", you have recognized our worst fears. San Jose has nearly inevitably clinched the division. We had an awesome February, followed up by a depressing March. As we can see back there, Turco's smushed flat. And you, my friend, lay face down on the ice, a sad little figure wallowing in despair at our situation, too tired to even unclench the stick from your plastic, molded hands. I know you want the Stanley Cup one more time, but trying to inhale a fake, plastic ice sheet isn't going to help matters any, Mike. Or maybe you can't get up because your head's so heavy, you can't prop yourself up anymore. Either way, it's a sad, sad state of affairs.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Around the NHL
Sean Avery is a massive douchebag. Throwing water bottles like a two year old out of the penalty box? Get over yourself, dude. Nearly hitting someone? Not cool. Go cry in your designer apartment, jerkface. (And by the way, the Dior men's collection? So not cute for you. If you had any sense of style, Avery, you'd be wearing Zegna!)
It looks like the Wings and some other team are going to be playing at Yankee Stadium for the next big "outdoor game". Wow. Um, uniting the Wings and Yankees, two of my top sports hates? Good call, NHL.
Poor Niklas Backstrom. He scored into his own net, but everyone else will score on him for the rest of his career. Sympathies, man.
Sergei Zubov wants to hurry up and play again! The Stars wrote a whole piece about it, as a matter of fact. My favorite parts?
Ha! So basically, we're now acknowledging Russian's crankiness in public, huh?
Poor Russian. Undoubtedly his days are long and cold, filled with too much chilled vodka and multiple viewings of James Bond films while Iskristiy lurks about the house, occasionally stopping to serve as a footstool for his master's busted foot.
"And furthermore, I have been bribing said specialist, but he won't budge. I hate this stupid boot. As soon as this man fixes my foot, I shall send Iskristiy on an 'errand'. This feels like years. I'd retreat to my Siberian bunker, but it's all snowed in. I hate life right now."
It looks like the Wings and some other team are going to be playing at Yankee Stadium for the next big "outdoor game". Wow. Um, uniting the Wings and Yankees, two of my top sports hates? Good call, NHL.
Poor Niklas Backstrom. He scored into his own net, but everyone else will score on him for the rest of his career. Sympathies, man.
Sergei Zubov wants to hurry up and play again! The Stars wrote a whole piece about it, as a matter of fact. My favorite parts?
Defenseman Sergei Zubov excels at a lot of things as a professional hockey player.
Unfortunately, waiting around for a bone to heal is not one of them.
Ha! So basically, we're now acknowledging Russian's crankiness in public, huh?
"Even if you miss a couple of games you get frustrated, so imagine two months,” he said. “That's just not good. Honestly I’m sick of it and cannot wait to get back."
Poor Russian. Undoubtedly his days are long and cold, filled with too much chilled vodka and multiple viewings of James Bond films while Iskristiy lurks about the house, occasionally stopping to serve as a footstool for his master's busted foot.
"It's not really my call,” he said. “There is a specialist that is watching me closely. I see him every day, every morning. It's going to be his call when I can take the boot off, but I will try to get there as fast as I can. It as been a long, long time now."
"And furthermore, I have been bribing said specialist, but he won't budge. I hate this stupid boot. As soon as this man fixes my foot, I shall send Iskristiy on an 'errand'. This feels like years. I'd retreat to my Siberian bunker, but it's all snowed in. I hate life right now."
Friday, March 7, 2008
My Informants Are Everywhere
I have to say, I have dear, dear friends.
It's no secret that I feel stuck in the doldrums right now. March hockey? Blows. It blows more than anything that has ever blown before. The Stars have such a lopsided schedule. I'm trying not to be pathetically despondent. It is my deepest urge to rip out my hair, kick something, issue a primal scream and then yell "I HATE HOCKEY RIGHT NOW SO MUCH".
This evening, I went out to dinner with an old, close friend of mine, one who is not into hockey in the slightest. I had a refreshing dinner of no hockey talk in the slightest, which is sort of what I needed at the moment. I needed a break, a respite, a palate cleanser from the utter despair I had felt at looking at our upcoming, break-filled, stacked to the gills with divisional opponents schedule. This particular friend doesn't know Alexander Ovechkin from Khruschev, so that should tell you a lot.
When I got back, I had lots of IMs on my computer from 4 or 5 different people that essentially screamed one thing at me:
"RUSSIAN!"
I was instructed to go to the Stars website, where new Casino Night photos had been posted. "Look, look!" my IMs screamed at me.
This, ladies and gentlemen, is what I found:
It's no secret that I feel stuck in the doldrums right now. March hockey? Blows. It blows more than anything that has ever blown before. The Stars have such a lopsided schedule. I'm trying not to be pathetically despondent. It is my deepest urge to rip out my hair, kick something, issue a primal scream and then yell "I HATE HOCKEY RIGHT NOW SO MUCH".
This evening, I went out to dinner with an old, close friend of mine, one who is not into hockey in the slightest. I had a refreshing dinner of no hockey talk in the slightest, which is sort of what I needed at the moment. I needed a break, a respite, a palate cleanser from the utter despair I had felt at looking at our upcoming, break-filled, stacked to the gills with divisional opponents schedule. This particular friend doesn't know Alexander Ovechkin from Khruschev, so that should tell you a lot.
When I got back, I had lots of IMs on my computer from 4 or 5 different people that essentially screamed one thing at me:
"RUSSIAN!"I was instructed to go to the Stars website, where new Casino Night photos had been posted. "Look, look!" my IMs screamed at me.
This, ladies and gentlemen, is what I found:
First of all: WIN.
And a few points:
1. He's alive! He's really, really alive!
2. He's ambulatory!
3. My god, is that cameraman going to be okay? I mean...look at the smirk on Russian's face. Look at the cameraman's position. He had to be standing practically ON the card table. Doesn't that smirk say, "I have an alligator and you shall meet him shortly, interloper"?
4. What a suit!
5. HE'S TOTALLY ALIVE!
6. EEEE RUSSIAN! YOU ARE IN PUBLIC!
7. What in the world did they have to bribe him with to get him to willingly dress up, exit the Fortress of Zubovitude and associate with people?
8. How freakin' KGB awesome does he look in that picture?
9. GUYS, RUSSIAN IS ALIVE, HAVE I MENTIONED THAT? WOOOOO!
In short, I love hockey. We miss you, Russian -- please come back soon. (Don't overdo it this time.)
1. He's alive! He's really, really alive!
2. He's ambulatory!
3. My god, is that cameraman going to be okay? I mean...look at the smirk on Russian's face. Look at the cameraman's position. He had to be standing practically ON the card table. Doesn't that smirk say, "I have an alligator and you shall meet him shortly, interloper"?
4. What a suit!
5. HE'S TOTALLY ALIVE!
6. EEEE RUSSIAN! YOU ARE IN PUBLIC!
7. What in the world did they have to bribe him with to get him to willingly dress up, exit the Fortress of Zubovitude and associate with people?
8. How freakin' KGB awesome does he look in that picture?
9. GUYS, RUSSIAN IS ALIVE, HAVE I MENTIONED THAT? WOOOOO!
In short, I love hockey. We miss you, Russian -- please come back soon. (Don't overdo it this time.)
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Stars vs. Coyotes - 03.05.08
Who's excited to see the Coyotes again? Who's excited for Coach Gretzky? Who is ready for some wonderful divisional play?
So, I'm not the only one who feels bored to tears too, huh?
Pre-Game
Our broadcast team is just...insane. Between Renner and Rhadigan, I'm already feeling particularly despondent. At least mumbly Craig Ludwig is back, who at least knows what he's talking about.
I'm thoroughly disappointed in Ralph's ensemble this evening. It's so...easy. A blue suit, blue striped shirt and a blue silk tie. It looks nice, but B- for look, F for effort, Ralph. Razor is wearing a nice tie that reminds me of a sunrise. Razor wins the tie battle this evening. Ralph does inform me that Zubov's disposition is "good" which probably means "only slightly crotchety with a mild side of cranky".
We get a Happy Meals interview. What a dork (and I mean that in a good way).
Niskanen is definitely back and Grossman is benched tonight. My dreams of seeing Matty Norstrom benched? Gone.
First Period
Boucher gets hurt on his very first shift, something involving his shoulder -- some Coyote hit him into the boards at a bad angle on his shoulder. The grimace of pain on Bouche's face is not good.
Our power play is a complete mess. First power play? One shot on goal. A joke. We get another power play right after that...and it's still a mess. The Stars look unmotivated and uncaring. And then Eriksson takes a penalty for goaltender interference. Wow. The rest of this game had better not go this way, or I'm throwing things. By throwing things, I really mean I'm throwing my resolve to finish watching all my March hockey...right out the window.
Mattias Norstrom, please go back to Sweden. PLEASE. IKEA's hiring. I know they are.
Okay, Daley just did really well hauling the puck down into the offensive zone, and right as I think that, Razor seconds my thought. I seriously do not understand why people hate Daley so much. He makes mistakes, but not like Norstrom does, and he comes through at key times.
First goal goes to Mueller, who just landed his 20th. I have a headache.
Mittens does what looks like a tap dance on the ice after he gets tripped and hooked by some Coyote and loses his balance, falling to his knees. Yup, it's going to be THAT kind of game.
So far, this game has been....depressing.
First Intermission
Barnes is interviewed. I'm too depressed to type properly, and they're talking crazy eye injuries, which I cannot stand, so I'm tuning this out. Cat, Jen & I are not even discussing this. Between the three of us, we are having rousing discussions about Icy Hot (Jen), the AFI Film Festival (me), eating and Chicago being up one (Cat). I mention to Cat that this feels like three periods of hockey shoved into one already. Her response: "GOD I KNOW".
Second Period
I have no hope for the Stars. I'm finding total disenfranchisement is fine by me this evening. I'm tired and not entirely sure this hockey game is worth the time I'm spending. It's the March doldrums, that's for sure.
Phoenix scores (again, less than a minute in) and Jovonovski goes down oddly and seems to be hurt. They've got trainers out on the ice assisting. Jovo gets up and seems to be okay. (Edit: He comes out later and is playing regular shifts, so I'm sure he's alright.)
I hate Shane Doan; he took a late hit on Hagman in the first and screwed him up. Boucher isn't coming back. I say right now, we riot and we take over the American Airlines Center with some Molotov cocktails! Who's with me?
If you're not watching this game, the Stars look like they have never met each other before, never played for each other before and no one is speaking the same language. In other words, they're blowing hard.
And then, Mittens gives me some hope; he sets up close to the net and begins pushing and shoving with a Coyote and after the play is stopped, Mittens begins getting pushy-pushy with the Coyote! What in the goodness is going on here? Mittens, Mr. World Peace, Mr. Relaxed Finn, is pushing and shoving like Crazy Nik Hagman. Huh. (Mittens is just upset they hurt his BFF, I'm sure.) My mother would be shocked at your behavior, Mittens. (Good job.)
HEY WAYNE GRETZKY: Just because you're Wayne Gretzky doesn't entitle you to hijack my screen for five minutes with you screaming and yelling about HOW UNFAIR it is that your team took a penalty. Dude, it was blatant. Just shut up and pay off the refs if you're going to get that upset, O Great One. I get so sick of Gretzky's false sense of entitlement that his team is somehow never deserving of penalties because he's the coach.
Gretzky, you suck at coaching anyways. Get over it, shut up, and let the officials do their job. Nice to know you have some semblance of class.
A quick poll is taken. Jen is not cool with Bryzgalov's mustache. Cat kind of is, she says it suits him. I personally don't like it, but I love Bryz no matter what, so there you go.
Brenden's so mad, he knocks into the boards, kicks open the bench door and slams it shut, only to have it reopen from the force of him slamming it, and he very nearly slams it shut on Ribs, who's trying to struggle onto the bench. So....that should tell you a lot more too about this game. Winchester fights, and eventually loses, but got some pretty good hits in. Good job, F5.
And here we go with someone punching Otter in the back of the head. I don't know what Otter said to this dude, but he's pissed. The linesmen are being tugged all over the ice. It's crazy. The Coyote is fuirous, Gretzky looks mad enough to spit and is muttering profanity under his breath; Otter goes to the box for his obligatory five and is mouthing off to the Coyote in the adjoining box. Hee. Tippett looks like he's about to jump the bench and beat Gretzky within an inch of his life, which I fully support.
God. Someone. Please. TAKE THE FOOD AWAY FROM BRETT HULL. They show his photoshoot with Gretzky, and I must say that Hulmo is starting to look like The Penguin. Yes. Freakin' Penguin from Batman, with the suits and the top hat and the waddle. It is really starting to upset me, guys. Jen & I briefly are distracted from the OMGWTFHULLIE to notice that he has his tie in his pocket. Jen speculates: "Don't want to get that tie dirty with all that Arby's sauce". You know it's true. Also, he looks distinctly too happy to be sharing a photoshoot with Gretzky, who looks as if to say, "Seriously. Get it over with."
I can't really tell you what just happened in the game because I was just informed that Patrick Swayze has terminal cancer and will die soon.
DAMMIT. SWAYZE, NO!
What in the Christ. THis game is blowing. Barnes is working awesomely to try and score and is denied. I have no idea where our team went, but they need to come back and soon.
WWAAAAAAAAYYYY TO GO BRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD WINCHESTER! Jen's only been waiting for htis moment for....FOREVER! Good job, buddy! He looks so pleased with himself. You deserve it, Winchester!
I'm so exhausted.
Second Intermission
I have no idea what happened here. I was too busy catching up on INTERCHANGEABLE PARTS (go visit them, they're seriously the best hockey bloggers out there. Period. End of story.)
Third Period
Bryz is momentarily pissing me off for the fact that he keeps denying Robidas. YOU LET ROBI HAVE A GOAL, ILYA.
Seriously, I would love love love love love love to meet Ilya Bryzgalov. The guy just screams fun and frivolity, does he not? I kinda want to adopt him.
SOMEONE TIE MARTY TURCO TO THE NET. Making saves on your knees five feet out of the net is unacceptable. Part of that was Niskanen. Norstrom is teaching him bad habits. Please come back soon, Russian, come back soon! We need your angsty, crotchety, Soviet-hockey-esque guidance!
Hagman's shot gets deflected off of a stick, and Nik Hagman looks alternately like the sorrow at missing the net is emotionally destroying him, and like he's going to murder someone by beating them to death at any moment.
This strikes fear into my heart: "The puck goes to Norstrom..." NOOOO!
Ralph is entirely to thrilled that Robi got the touch for icing. Robi looks like he needs a hug. Your fan club volunteers, Robi! We all volunteer! Group hug for Robidas!
This game sucks so hard.
I could make a list of 8,000 reasons why this game has sucked so hard. SUCK SUCK SUCK.
Richards at least looks like he's hustling, he just dropped like a sack of potatoes to save a puck from being given away to a Coyote. Good job, B-Rad!
We just pulled Turco and someone high sticked Hagman, so they're going to the box. Well played, Coyotes. STUPID GRETZKY. His hair is so ugly.
I HATE WAYNE GRETZKY, It's official. As one of his stupid players holds up Ribs on the boards, one of the Yotes hits Ribbons in the face and as the whisle's called begins to fight back and all these players jam up into the fight. One of the Coyotes came dangerously close to kicking Modano in the junk with a skate blade. Tippett is so mad. Gretzky sits on the bench and laughs!
You and Roenick are equally hated now, Gretzky, and that's saying a lot.
Gretzky also looks like he's had some work done on his face, just sayin'.
I hate this game.
I am pissed.
If I am pissed, how is Dave Tippett feeling, huh?
So, I'm not the only one who feels bored to tears too, huh?
Pre-Game
Our broadcast team is just...insane. Between Renner and Rhadigan, I'm already feeling particularly despondent. At least mumbly Craig Ludwig is back, who at least knows what he's talking about.
I'm thoroughly disappointed in Ralph's ensemble this evening. It's so...easy. A blue suit, blue striped shirt and a blue silk tie. It looks nice, but B- for look, F for effort, Ralph. Razor is wearing a nice tie that reminds me of a sunrise. Razor wins the tie battle this evening. Ralph does inform me that Zubov's disposition is "good" which probably means "only slightly crotchety with a mild side of cranky".
We get a Happy Meals interview. What a dork (and I mean that in a good way).
Niskanen is definitely back and Grossman is benched tonight. My dreams of seeing Matty Norstrom benched? Gone.
First Period
Boucher gets hurt on his very first shift, something involving his shoulder -- some Coyote hit him into the boards at a bad angle on his shoulder. The grimace of pain on Bouche's face is not good.
Our power play is a complete mess. First power play? One shot on goal. A joke. We get another power play right after that...and it's still a mess. The Stars look unmotivated and uncaring. And then Eriksson takes a penalty for goaltender interference. Wow. The rest of this game had better not go this way, or I'm throwing things. By throwing things, I really mean I'm throwing my resolve to finish watching all my March hockey...right out the window.
Mattias Norstrom, please go back to Sweden. PLEASE. IKEA's hiring. I know they are.
Okay, Daley just did really well hauling the puck down into the offensive zone, and right as I think that, Razor seconds my thought. I seriously do not understand why people hate Daley so much. He makes mistakes, but not like Norstrom does, and he comes through at key times.
First goal goes to Mueller, who just landed his 20th. I have a headache.
Mittens does what looks like a tap dance on the ice after he gets tripped and hooked by some Coyote and loses his balance, falling to his knees. Yup, it's going to be THAT kind of game.
So far, this game has been....depressing.
First Intermission
Barnes is interviewed. I'm too depressed to type properly, and they're talking crazy eye injuries, which I cannot stand, so I'm tuning this out. Cat, Jen & I are not even discussing this. Between the three of us, we are having rousing discussions about Icy Hot (Jen), the AFI Film Festival (me), eating and Chicago being up one (Cat). I mention to Cat that this feels like three periods of hockey shoved into one already. Her response: "GOD I KNOW".
Second Period
I have no hope for the Stars. I'm finding total disenfranchisement is fine by me this evening. I'm tired and not entirely sure this hockey game is worth the time I'm spending. It's the March doldrums, that's for sure.
Phoenix scores (again, less than a minute in) and Jovonovski goes down oddly and seems to be hurt. They've got trainers out on the ice assisting. Jovo gets up and seems to be okay. (Edit: He comes out later and is playing regular shifts, so I'm sure he's alright.)
I hate Shane Doan; he took a late hit on Hagman in the first and screwed him up. Boucher isn't coming back. I say right now, we riot and we take over the American Airlines Center with some Molotov cocktails! Who's with me?
If you're not watching this game, the Stars look like they have never met each other before, never played for each other before and no one is speaking the same language. In other words, they're blowing hard.
And then, Mittens gives me some hope; he sets up close to the net and begins pushing and shoving with a Coyote and after the play is stopped, Mittens begins getting pushy-pushy with the Coyote! What in the goodness is going on here? Mittens, Mr. World Peace, Mr. Relaxed Finn, is pushing and shoving like Crazy Nik Hagman. Huh. (Mittens is just upset they hurt his BFF, I'm sure.) My mother would be shocked at your behavior, Mittens. (Good job.)
HEY WAYNE GRETZKY: Just because you're Wayne Gretzky doesn't entitle you to hijack my screen for five minutes with you screaming and yelling about HOW UNFAIR it is that your team took a penalty. Dude, it was blatant. Just shut up and pay off the refs if you're going to get that upset, O Great One. I get so sick of Gretzky's false sense of entitlement that his team is somehow never deserving of penalties because he's the coach.
Gretzky, you suck at coaching anyways. Get over it, shut up, and let the officials do their job. Nice to know you have some semblance of class.
A quick poll is taken. Jen is not cool with Bryzgalov's mustache. Cat kind of is, she says it suits him. I personally don't like it, but I love Bryz no matter what, so there you go.
Brenden's so mad, he knocks into the boards, kicks open the bench door and slams it shut, only to have it reopen from the force of him slamming it, and he very nearly slams it shut on Ribs, who's trying to struggle onto the bench. So....that should tell you a lot more too about this game. Winchester fights, and eventually loses, but got some pretty good hits in. Good job, F5.
And here we go with someone punching Otter in the back of the head. I don't know what Otter said to this dude, but he's pissed. The linesmen are being tugged all over the ice. It's crazy. The Coyote is fuirous, Gretzky looks mad enough to spit and is muttering profanity under his breath; Otter goes to the box for his obligatory five and is mouthing off to the Coyote in the adjoining box. Hee. Tippett looks like he's about to jump the bench and beat Gretzky within an inch of his life, which I fully support.
God. Someone. Please. TAKE THE FOOD AWAY FROM BRETT HULL. They show his photoshoot with Gretzky, and I must say that Hulmo is starting to look like The Penguin. Yes. Freakin' Penguin from Batman, with the suits and the top hat and the waddle. It is really starting to upset me, guys. Jen & I briefly are distracted from the OMGWTFHULLIE to notice that he has his tie in his pocket. Jen speculates: "Don't want to get that tie dirty with all that Arby's sauce". You know it's true. Also, he looks distinctly too happy to be sharing a photoshoot with Gretzky, who looks as if to say, "Seriously. Get it over with."
I can't really tell you what just happened in the game because I was just informed that Patrick Swayze has terminal cancer and will die soon.
DAMMIT. SWAYZE, NO!
What in the Christ. THis game is blowing. Barnes is working awesomely to try and score and is denied. I have no idea where our team went, but they need to come back and soon.
WWAAAAAAAAYYYY TO GO BRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD WINCHESTER! Jen's only been waiting for htis moment for....FOREVER! Good job, buddy! He looks so pleased with himself. You deserve it, Winchester!
I'm so exhausted.
Second Intermission
I have no idea what happened here. I was too busy catching up on INTERCHANGEABLE PARTS (go visit them, they're seriously the best hockey bloggers out there. Period. End of story.)
Third Period
Bryz is momentarily pissing me off for the fact that he keeps denying Robidas. YOU LET ROBI HAVE A GOAL, ILYA.
Seriously, I would love love love love love love to meet Ilya Bryzgalov. The guy just screams fun and frivolity, does he not? I kinda want to adopt him.
SOMEONE TIE MARTY TURCO TO THE NET. Making saves on your knees five feet out of the net is unacceptable. Part of that was Niskanen. Norstrom is teaching him bad habits. Please come back soon, Russian, come back soon! We need your angsty, crotchety, Soviet-hockey-esque guidance!
Hagman's shot gets deflected off of a stick, and Nik Hagman looks alternately like the sorrow at missing the net is emotionally destroying him, and like he's going to murder someone by beating them to death at any moment.
This strikes fear into my heart: "The puck goes to Norstrom..." NOOOO!
Ralph is entirely to thrilled that Robi got the touch for icing. Robi looks like he needs a hug. Your fan club volunteers, Robi! We all volunteer! Group hug for Robidas!
This game sucks so hard.
I could make a list of 8,000 reasons why this game has sucked so hard. SUCK SUCK SUCK.
Richards at least looks like he's hustling, he just dropped like a sack of potatoes to save a puck from being given away to a Coyote. Good job, B-Rad!
We just pulled Turco and someone high sticked Hagman, so they're going to the box. Well played, Coyotes. STUPID GRETZKY. His hair is so ugly.
I HATE WAYNE GRETZKY, It's official. As one of his stupid players holds up Ribs on the boards, one of the Yotes hits Ribbons in the face and as the whisle's called begins to fight back and all these players jam up into the fight. One of the Coyotes came dangerously close to kicking Modano in the junk with a skate blade. Tippett is so mad. Gretzky sits on the bench and laughs!
You and Roenick are equally hated now, Gretzky, and that's saying a lot.
Gretzky also looks like he's had some work done on his face, just sayin'.
I hate this game.
I am pissed.
If I am pissed, how is Dave Tippett feeling, huh?
Saturday, March 1, 2008
The Norstrom Problem
We have a problem on the Stars, and I believe the title of this post could be applicable league-wide, if one of these types of players ever ends up on a team. The problem is hurting us play-wise and cap-wise. The problem, however, is such a sweet problem to have, who whilst totally unintenionally fucking us over, offers us meatballs and lingonberry preserves, while offering a fun-filled day of shopping at IKEA, because the problem knows we have been lusting after that BERGMAR endtable since that 2008 calendar came out.
The problem in question is Mattias Norstrom.
Matty Norstrom is a major cap hit at $4.25 million. It will never cease to amaze me why Doug Armstrong thought signing Matty was such a fantastic, wonderful idea. The team's already top-heavy on "veteran" leadership, which is the main appeal of signing someone like Matty Norstrom. With guys like Zubov, Turco, Boucher, Barnes, Modano, and Morrow, to name a few of many, what in the good Christ compelled Armstrong to say, "That beautiful, bald-headed Swede! I'll take HIM!"
With 48 games played this season, Matty was recently -8 with a whopping 6 points. He's since moved up to a glorious -2, thanks in no small part to Brad "SAVIOR OF THE STARS" Richards. My point of view regarding defensive defenseman is this: If they stop the puck from going into the net, I don't give a damn about how many points they get. But come on, Matty. Are those numbers a joke?
Is a -8 defenseman worth $4.25 million/year?
I can't tell if Norstrom's play is just middle of the road or he's trying to get his feet under him after an injury-laden season, between knee problems and then being "accidentally" high-sticked in the face by Turco. (Sorry, I know it was an accident. I can just see Turco being a passive-aggressive freakshow who would "accidentally" trip someone or "accidentally" high-stick someone in the face.) Either way, there have been countless times where I scream at the television in fury and throw popcorn at a teensy image of an enormous Swede, "NORSTROM, I CAN'T WAIT TO GET RID OF YOU!" while he's busy screening up Marty FOR the other team, or failing to keep his assignment on the ice.
And then I feel bad, because Matty Norstrom is such a nice guy. On the ice, off the ice, Norstrom is genuinely a very sweet, kind person.
So, it makes me feel badly oftentimes to say, "Norstrom, the orange traffic cones outside my office can play better defense than you can. Hell, the crackhead homeless person outside of my office can play better defense than you right now. That dude with NO LEGS who sits on the sidewalk by one of the Woodall Rogers service roads could probably play better defense than you. I've ice skated once in my entire life; give me a stick and I could totally play better defense than you. As long as I didn't get put on a line with Zubov." Then internally I remind myself of what a kind-hearted guy Norstrom is and I feel terrible.
I have a guilt issue.
So here it is: Matty, I like you as a human being. You're a great guy! (Like you needed me to tell you such things.) I don't think you're the right fit for this team, though. I think someone like Mark Fistric is. And I think there's another team out there for you, one who's going to be awesomely amazing, who you're going to have a lot of fun with -- it's just not this team, Matty. I know you tried to sway my opinion with that goal the other night, but it's just not working out, Matty.
So instead of offering the lingonberry preserves to us, why don't you offer some to your agent? I hear that person can help you find the team of your dreams. And after all, Matty, isn't happiness what we all want? Go for your dreams, Matty.
Just go for them someplace else.
The problem in question is Mattias Norstrom.
Matty Norstrom is a major cap hit at $4.25 million. It will never cease to amaze me why Doug Armstrong thought signing Matty was such a fantastic, wonderful idea. The team's already top-heavy on "veteran" leadership, which is the main appeal of signing someone like Matty Norstrom. With guys like Zubov, Turco, Boucher, Barnes, Modano, and Morrow, to name a few of many, what in the good Christ compelled Armstrong to say, "That beautiful, bald-headed Swede! I'll take HIM!"
With 48 games played this season, Matty was recently -8 with a whopping 6 points. He's since moved up to a glorious -2, thanks in no small part to Brad "SAVIOR OF THE STARS" Richards. My point of view regarding defensive defenseman is this: If they stop the puck from going into the net, I don't give a damn about how many points they get. But come on, Matty. Are those numbers a joke?
Is a -8 defenseman worth $4.25 million/year?
I can't tell if Norstrom's play is just middle of the road or he's trying to get his feet under him after an injury-laden season, between knee problems and then being "accidentally" high-sticked in the face by Turco. (Sorry, I know it was an accident. I can just see Turco being a passive-aggressive freakshow who would "accidentally" trip someone or "accidentally" high-stick someone in the face.) Either way, there have been countless times where I scream at the television in fury and throw popcorn at a teensy image of an enormous Swede, "NORSTROM, I CAN'T WAIT TO GET RID OF YOU!" while he's busy screening up Marty FOR the other team, or failing to keep his assignment on the ice.
And then I feel bad, because Matty Norstrom is such a nice guy. On the ice, off the ice, Norstrom is genuinely a very sweet, kind person.
So, it makes me feel badly oftentimes to say, "Norstrom, the orange traffic cones outside my office can play better defense than you can. Hell, the crackhead homeless person outside of my office can play better defense than you right now. That dude with NO LEGS who sits on the sidewalk by one of the Woodall Rogers service roads could probably play better defense than you. I've ice skated once in my entire life; give me a stick and I could totally play better defense than you. As long as I didn't get put on a line with Zubov." Then internally I remind myself of what a kind-hearted guy Norstrom is and I feel terrible.
I have a guilt issue.
So here it is: Matty, I like you as a human being. You're a great guy! (Like you needed me to tell you such things.) I don't think you're the right fit for this team, though. I think someone like Mark Fistric is. And I think there's another team out there for you, one who's going to be awesomely amazing, who you're going to have a lot of fun with -- it's just not this team, Matty. I know you tried to sway my opinion with that goal the other night, but it's just not working out, Matty.
So instead of offering the lingonberry preserves to us, why don't you offer some to your agent? I hear that person can help you find the team of your dreams. And after all, Matty, isn't happiness what we all want? Go for your dreams, Matty.
Just go for them someplace else.
Make New Friends, But Keep The Old
Okay, everyone, let's all sit down and take one massive deep breath, shall we?
I started out with news of this trade feeling extraordinarily distraught. We've gotten used to guys like Smith and Jokinen, who we drafted, and we've gotten to know and like Jeff Halpern quite a bit after he signed with us. We learn a lot of random little factoids about these guys through game-day interviews and the like, like Mike Smith's affinity for Ping-Pong and Guitar Hero, Jussi's not so great English and Halpie's affinity for injuring members of his own team.
More than anything, they're talented players who have worked hard for the team and did quite a bit for the community, whether it was visiting sick kids or volunteering their time, or making extra time to sit and talk with a little kid at practice. In short, they were professional athletes that the city of Dallas and any Stars fan took pride in. Now, they're gone.
I sincerely hope they do well. Jeff Halpern had a two-point night in Tampa Bay in their last game against the Wild. While Smitty was the losing goaltender, everyone raved about his performance and he's getting the chance to be a starting goaltender, something that was not going to happen for him here in Dallas. Jokinen's playing on a line with Lecavalier and St. Louis, and frankly, there's far worse places to be. I hope Tampa treats every single one of them well.
Given the fact that Richards played for a cellar-dwelling Eastern Conference team, I knew relatively little about him. The absolute shock I had at pulling up his stats and verifying that his contract totals were correct and were not typos was half-like getting sucker-punched in the stomach.
Why? Okay, let's be generous here. Let's use Richards' stats from last night for the season, even though he earned five assists and a plus rating.
Games Played: 63
Goals: 18
Assists: 38
Points: 56
+/- Rating: -23
Now you tell me "We are going to pay this guy $7.8 million a year." Well, part of what we're paying him for is his proven playoff experience, which granted, is impressive. A Conn Smythe winner, the dude's already got his name on the Stanley Cup. But woah, those numbers?
That much? For those numbers? Wait a minute, we've got a top eight scorer in the NHL on our team already? What's his name? Blibs? Ribbons? Ribeiro, that's it!
At this point Ribs has:
Games Played: 65
Goals: 26
Assists: 48
Points: 74
+/- Rating: +23
Huh. Wait, we're paying Ribeiro $5 million a year.
So, I think it's understandable that I was confused. Lost. In a sea of disarray and searching for an answer here. Richard is a center and we were told Hullie was going to go out and buy the best wingman he could for Modano. While Richards is versatile, I don't think he's what most fans envisioned as a pickup. Marty's making $5 million plus a year, we just upped Ribeiro's contract. Mike Modano did us a huge favor and gave us the hometown discount by front loading his contract extension as well as discounting his price tag.
Woah. I mean, that's a lot of money. And in addition, we'll probably need to resign some guys who are having record seasons. We should resign Miettinen. We definitely should resign Hagman.
So it made me twitchy and nervous. Given the fact that myself and other Stars fans felt the best idea was not to mess with a good thing, the Richards trade felt like someone had dropped a piano on your head.
We gave up three much beloved players (plus a pick) for a guy we'd never really heard of, nor had any major dealings with. Pardon us Stars fans our cynicism, but there have been some guys signed who never delivered as promised. Those first-round playoff exits are crushing fans. Given the fact the Stars were coming off of one of their best months ever, I don't think many fans seriously felt we needed a trade.
You have to give Richards credit though; he's a Stanley Cup winner who was on a team that obviously was rejecting its coach, had terrible defense, virtually no goaltending to speak of and a complete and utter mess in the front office. The whole team seems to sag with the weight of that craziness on its proverbial shoulders. So you have to think that part of Richards' numbers is the sheer situation he found himself in Tampa.
Brad Richards hit the proverbial home run in his debut against the Blackhawks.
At this extremely limited point, we've gotten the slight edge over the Bolts in the trade, that's for sure. I feel better about Richards playing for us. Now, there is no way whatsoever that a good trade and a five point night justifies everyone and their dog calling this THE BRAD RICHARDS ERA. Get over it, MSM. Please stop calling this trade the beginnings of the Richards era in Dallas. He's played one game.
I like the trade more and more as we get farther down the line, but I have few doubts that there will be some bobbles along the way and that we shall have to mess with the numbers to make the cap work, most notably getting rid of Matty Norstrom.
It's a good thing for us, it just certainly didn't feel like it at the time. The closer we inch to the end of the season, though, I feel as if playoffs will really be the litmus test for Mr. Richards, and then we can go from there.
Welcome to Dallas, Brad. I sincerely hope you like it here.
I started out with news of this trade feeling extraordinarily distraught. We've gotten used to guys like Smith and Jokinen, who we drafted, and we've gotten to know and like Jeff Halpern quite a bit after he signed with us. We learn a lot of random little factoids about these guys through game-day interviews and the like, like Mike Smith's affinity for Ping-Pong and Guitar Hero, Jussi's not so great English and Halpie's affinity for injuring members of his own team.
More than anything, they're talented players who have worked hard for the team and did quite a bit for the community, whether it was visiting sick kids or volunteering their time, or making extra time to sit and talk with a little kid at practice. In short, they were professional athletes that the city of Dallas and any Stars fan took pride in. Now, they're gone.
I sincerely hope they do well. Jeff Halpern had a two-point night in Tampa Bay in their last game against the Wild. While Smitty was the losing goaltender, everyone raved about his performance and he's getting the chance to be a starting goaltender, something that was not going to happen for him here in Dallas. Jokinen's playing on a line with Lecavalier and St. Louis, and frankly, there's far worse places to be. I hope Tampa treats every single one of them well.
Given the fact that Richards played for a cellar-dwelling Eastern Conference team, I knew relatively little about him. The absolute shock I had at pulling up his stats and verifying that his contract totals were correct and were not typos was half-like getting sucker-punched in the stomach.
Why? Okay, let's be generous here. Let's use Richards' stats from last night for the season, even though he earned five assists and a plus rating.
Games Played: 63
Goals: 18
Assists: 38
Points: 56
+/- Rating: -23
Now you tell me "We are going to pay this guy $7.8 million a year." Well, part of what we're paying him for is his proven playoff experience, which granted, is impressive. A Conn Smythe winner, the dude's already got his name on the Stanley Cup. But woah, those numbers?
That much? For those numbers? Wait a minute, we've got a top eight scorer in the NHL on our team already? What's his name? Blibs? Ribbons? Ribeiro, that's it!
At this point Ribs has:
Games Played: 65
Goals: 26
Assists: 48
Points: 74
+/- Rating: +23
Huh. Wait, we're paying Ribeiro $5 million a year.
So, I think it's understandable that I was confused. Lost. In a sea of disarray and searching for an answer here. Richard is a center and we were told Hullie was going to go out and buy the best wingman he could for Modano. While Richards is versatile, I don't think he's what most fans envisioned as a pickup. Marty's making $5 million plus a year, we just upped Ribeiro's contract. Mike Modano did us a huge favor and gave us the hometown discount by front loading his contract extension as well as discounting his price tag.
Woah. I mean, that's a lot of money. And in addition, we'll probably need to resign some guys who are having record seasons. We should resign Miettinen. We definitely should resign Hagman.
So it made me twitchy and nervous. Given the fact that myself and other Stars fans felt the best idea was not to mess with a good thing, the Richards trade felt like someone had dropped a piano on your head.
We gave up three much beloved players (plus a pick) for a guy we'd never really heard of, nor had any major dealings with. Pardon us Stars fans our cynicism, but there have been some guys signed who never delivered as promised. Those first-round playoff exits are crushing fans. Given the fact the Stars were coming off of one of their best months ever, I don't think many fans seriously felt we needed a trade.
You have to give Richards credit though; he's a Stanley Cup winner who was on a team that obviously was rejecting its coach, had terrible defense, virtually no goaltending to speak of and a complete and utter mess in the front office. The whole team seems to sag with the weight of that craziness on its proverbial shoulders. So you have to think that part of Richards' numbers is the sheer situation he found himself in Tampa.
Brad Richards hit the proverbial home run in his debut against the Blackhawks.
At this extremely limited point, we've gotten the slight edge over the Bolts in the trade, that's for sure. I feel better about Richards playing for us. Now, there is no way whatsoever that a good trade and a five point night justifies everyone and their dog calling this THE BRAD RICHARDS ERA. Get over it, MSM. Please stop calling this trade the beginnings of the Richards era in Dallas. He's played one game.
I like the trade more and more as we get farther down the line, but I have few doubts that there will be some bobbles along the way and that we shall have to mess with the numbers to make the cap work, most notably getting rid of Matty Norstrom.
It's a good thing for us, it just certainly didn't feel like it at the time. The closer we inch to the end of the season, though, I feel as if playoffs will really be the litmus test for Mr. Richards, and then we can go from there.
Welcome to Dallas, Brad. I sincerely hope you like it here.
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