Monday, August 11, 2008
Monday Morning Musings
by Jes
Still so little to talk about ...
My pal Joeri Loonen wrote up a recap of the Slovak Hockey Federation's awards ceremony. Marian Hossa was the big wiener as he won his third straight Golden Puck for being the best Slovak not named Pavol Demitra.
Best goalie? Peter Budaj
Best defenseman? Lubomir Visnovsky. How he got the vote over Zdeno Chara makes me wonder how much hot wine the voters were quaffing.
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Gretzky to Detroit? It could have happened ... and I would have still hated Detroit just as much. Joe Pelletier has a look at what could have been.
You know what, it was much better for Detroit that the trade never happened. Detroit would have never done quite as well with Gretzky, especially how atrocious defensively he was ... I can't see Gretzky fitting in with that left-wing lock Wings system very well.
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Over at The Hockey News, Brian Costello asks us "When will [Guy] Carbonneau be recognized by Hall of Fame committee?"
To which I ask, "When was Guy Carbonneau ever considered one of the Top 20 players in any one season he played in?"
The answer: Never.
While we all know that Guy was a great defensive center, it is MUCH MUCH MUCH harder to create and sustain offensive production in the NHL than it is to play defence.
The argument that Dick Duff is in the Hall of Fame is a awfully weak one. If we used Duff (or Clark Gillies) as the reason why any player should be in the Hall of Fame, we'd have the Markus Naslund's and Ray Sheppard's as shoe-ins.
Costello finishes with another weak argument: "So if the league gives out an award for defensive greatness among forwards, shouldn’t the Hall of Fame recognize that greatness as well? It’s hypocritical that it doesn’t, especially in an era when attempting to shut down the opposition is the common denominator in the game plan of all 30 NHL teams."
If the Dead Puck Era (not my term) has shown us anything, it is that just about ANY forward can play defense. Look at how Marian Gaborik, a puck-hungry greyhound, plays responsible defense. Playing defensive hockey within a tight system is much easier than trying to score against a team doing just that. There are far more Guy Carbonneau's in the league than there are Sidney Crosby's.
At the end of the day, one team cannot simply win by playing pure defense. Even in a 1-0 game, someone has to score.
Still so little to talk about ...
My pal Joeri Loonen wrote up a recap of the Slovak Hockey Federation's awards ceremony. Marian Hossa was the big wiener as he won his third straight Golden Puck for being the best Slovak not named Pavol Demitra.
Best goalie? Peter Budaj
Best defenseman? Lubomir Visnovsky. How he got the vote over Zdeno Chara makes me wonder how much hot wine the voters were quaffing.
---
Gretzky to Detroit? It could have happened ... and I would have still hated Detroit just as much. Joe Pelletier has a look at what could have been.
You know what, it was much better for Detroit that the trade never happened. Detroit would have never done quite as well with Gretzky, especially how atrocious defensively he was ... I can't see Gretzky fitting in with that left-wing lock Wings system very well.
---
Over at The Hockey News, Brian Costello asks us "When will [Guy] Carbonneau be recognized by Hall of Fame committee?"
To which I ask, "When was Guy Carbonneau ever considered one of the Top 20 players in any one season he played in?"
The answer: Never.
While we all know that Guy was a great defensive center, it is MUCH MUCH MUCH harder to create and sustain offensive production in the NHL than it is to play defence.
The argument that Dick Duff is in the Hall of Fame is a awfully weak one. If we used Duff (or Clark Gillies) as the reason why any player should be in the Hall of Fame, we'd have the Markus Naslund's and Ray Sheppard's as shoe-ins.
Costello finishes with another weak argument: "So if the league gives out an award for defensive greatness among forwards, shouldn’t the Hall of Fame recognize that greatness as well? It’s hypocritical that it doesn’t, especially in an era when attempting to shut down the opposition is the common denominator in the game plan of all 30 NHL teams."
If the Dead Puck Era (not my term) has shown us anything, it is that just about ANY forward can play defense. Look at how Marian Gaborik, a puck-hungry greyhound, plays responsible defense. Playing defensive hockey within a tight system is much easier than trying to score against a team doing just that. There are far more Guy Carbonneau's in the league than there are Sidney Crosby's.
At the end of the day, one team cannot simply win by playing pure defense. Even in a 1-0 game, someone has to score.
Labels: Guy Carbonneau, Hall of Fame, Marian Hossa, musings, Slovak hockey, Wayne Gretzky
Comments:
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To continue recent agreements with FAUX, I'd have to say the first comment is spot on...
As for Carbo, I'd have to agree with your assessment Jes, that he played far too average a role to be considered, no matter how well he played it.
As for Carbo, I'd have to agree with your assessment Jes, that he played far too average a role to be considered, no matter how well he played it.
Just about any NHL-level skater could be turned into a quality checker. I mean, what skill is involved, exactly?
I agree with the poster above, Dino should be in.
How does Visnovsky get the vote over Chara? I know Visnovsky is a good d-man, But I'd take Chara over Visnovsky anyday.
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How does Visnovsky get the vote over Chara? I know Visnovsky is a good d-man, But I'd take Chara over Visnovsky anyday.
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: 5:21 am
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