Re: 2009 Chicago Blackhawks

[17 Seconds]

haha

 

i'm not saying for sure it's wasted season or anything like that though. just that i have this overwhelming feeling that no matter what we do this year, it's going to be a lost cause.

[17 Seconds]

oh and i'm with kyle about detroit. even before today, i've been terrified of getting them in the first round. not because i think they'll beat us, but because i think they have (by far) the most upset potential of any lower seed we might get in the first round.

 

then again, nashville wouldn't be a great matchup either.

 

calgary plz

[kujay]

I'm nearly to the point of being resigned to this team not doing [expletive] come playoff time. The goaltending just won't get it done.

 

Go play in traffic, Dale Tallon. You damned fool.

[UMFan83]

I'm nearly to the point of being resigned to this team not doing [expletive] come playoff time. The goaltending just won't get it done.

 

Go play in traffic, Dale Tallon. You damned fool.

 

I often wonder what this team would be like if we never signed Huet and Campbell. I'd imagine we'd still be a conference contender, only one that could afford to take on salary. What a disasterous offseason for them that year.

[kujay]

I'm nearly to the point of being resigned to this team not doing [expletive] come playoff time. The goaltending just won't get it done.

 

Go play in traffic, Dale Tallon. You damned fool.

 

I often wonder what this team would be like if we never signed Huet and Campbell. I'd imagine we'd still be a conference contender, only one that could afford to take on salary. What a disasterous offseason for them that year.

 

Right. Campbell has made some contribution, but I can confidently say this team would have done just as well last year as they did without him. And obviously Huet has made zero contribution whatsoever that couldn't be given by a chimp in pads.

 

I agree that Niemi is not the answer either at this point. But he's clearly shown he can stand on his head at times, which Huet hasn't done since CF Game 5 last May. And he's young and might get better. So go with him exclusively from here on out. What do they have to lose?

[Hairyducked Idiot]

I think you have to keep alternating them when they screw up and waiting for one to go on a hot streak.

[Soul]

One of these two will get hot for the playoffs. Stay positive. They'll get it done.

[kujay]

One of these two will get hot for the playoffs. Stay positive. They'll get it done.

 

There's a difference between staying positive and putting on blinders. What's the longest hot streak either of our goalies has had this season? 3 games? There is no reason to expect either of them will do any better in the playoffs, though Niemi seems to play up to big games better and seems to have better focus. Go with him.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

There's a difference between staying positive and putting on blinders. What's the longest hot streak either of our goalies has had this season? 3 games?

 

Huet's was very strong from Oct. 15 to Jan. 5, then Jan. 9 was where he started to fall apart.

 

Niemi's I would say lasted from Oct. 3 to Jan. 21 (though he did have a six-game stretch where he had three shutouts, one 1 GA and two 4 GA, that might be considered unhot).

[Magnetic Curses]

I think you have to keep alternating them when they screw up and waiting for one to go on a hot streak.

 

http://news.softpedia.com/news/The-Power-of-Positive-Thinking-A-Multi-Billion-Dollar-Scam-119404.shtml

[SpongeWorthy]

Didn't the Red Wings win a bunch of Stanley Cups with Chris Osgood who was considered pretty mediocre?

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Didn't the Red Wings win a bunch of Stanley Cups with Chris Osgood who was considered pretty mediocre?

 

Like I said earlier in the thread: Mediocre goalies who win Stanley Cups are assumed to be good goalies, so people think no mediocre goalies can win the Cup. A lot of them have.

 

The problem is, right now, neither Huet nor Niemi is being mediocre. They are playing awful. If we can get one of them up to mediocre in the playoffs, I'd feel pretty good about our chances.

Edited March 8, 2010 by Hairyducked Idiot

[Magnetic Curses]

Didn't the Red Wings win a bunch of Stanley Cups with Chris Osgood who was considered pretty mediocre?

 

wasn't it mike vernon?

[Soul]

One of these two will get hot for the playoffs. Stay positive. They'll get it done.

 

There's a difference between staying positive and putting on blinders. What's the longest hot streak either of our goalies has had this season? 3 games? There is no reason to expect either of them will do any better in the playoffs, though Niemi seems to play up to big games better and seems to have better focus. Go with him.

 

Everyone knows a goalie collapse in the playoffs could happen. I see no reason not to remain positive until it does happen, and I see no benefit to worrying about it until it does happen.

 

We are what we are. It's not like there are the possibility of changes at this point. Talking about how bad it is going to be isn't going to make anything better.

 

I'll assume they are going to find a way to get it done until proven otherwise. Huet has gotten hot before. Niemi has looked great at times. It can happen.

[Magnetic Curses]

Didn't the Red Wings win a bunch of Stanley Cups with Chris Osgood who was considered pretty mediocre?

 

wasn't it mike vernon?

 

upon further review, osgood DID start in the playoffs for 2 stanley cup red wings teams. however, he played on some pretty good red wings, blues, and islander teams that barfed all over the ice in the first round.

 

detroit, in particular, went in riding high (after dominating the regular season) with an old and crappier version of cujo a couple of years in a row and got swept in the first round once, and beaten in the second round the other time.

[Soul]

Grant Fuhr was winning Cups with a sv% well below .900 and GAA's usually well above 3, sometimes pushing 4. That would plant him firmly at the bottom of the league this year, and probably most years.

 

Of course, Fuhr was playing with one of the great scoring teams of all time so it didn't matter much. I'm not sure how much defense the Oilers teams were sacrificing too, given that they knew they could just blow goals past everyone.

 

I think it's worth noting.

[Magnetic Curses]

Grant Fuhr was winning Cups with a sv% well below .900 and GAA's usually well above 3, sometimes pushing 4. That would plant him firmly at the bottom of the league this year, and probably most years.

 

Of course, Fuhr was playing with one of the great scoring teams of all time so it didn't matter much. I'm not sure how much defense the Oilers teams were sacrificing too, given that they knew they could just blow goals past everyone.

 

I think it's worth noting.

 

i thought the reason for this was because of a rink size change, but that wasn't reason. more likely, it's due to goalie pad size and advent of the butterfly goalie. fuhr was pretty average as far as goalies go, i think.

[jersey cubs fan]

I'm not going to pretend the goaltending isn't an issue, but I was more disappointed in the play of the rest of the team to allow some of those scoring opportunities. After Buff was robbed they looked sloppy as hell until the 3rd.

[kujay]

Grant Fuhr was winning Cups with a sv% well below .900 and GAA's usually well above 3, sometimes pushing 4. That would plant him firmly at the bottom of the league this year, and probably most years.

 

Of course, Fuhr was playing with one of the great scoring teams of all time so it didn't matter much. I'm not sure how much defense the Oilers teams were sacrificing too, given that they knew they could just blow goals past everyone.

 

I think it's worth noting.

 

You can't in any way compare goaltending statistics from the early-to-mid 1980s to the current NHL, even after the lockout. Look at the point totals players racked up in that era -- not even close to today's standards.

 

Games will tighten up. How many amazing saves did Khabi make in the first few rounds last year? Those are going in this year.

 

I don't want to be all doom and gloom, but I guess I had faith that Bowman would fix this at the deadline. Now that he didn't, it's just a black cloud over this team. And they have to know it.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Games will tighten up. How many amazing saves did Khabi make in the first few rounds last year? Those are going in this year.

 

This only makes sense if:

 

1) You ignore that Khabibulin had plenty of shaky moments in the regular season last year.

2) You ignore that Khabibulin had plenty of shaky games in the postseason last year.

3) You ignore that Huet and Niemi are both capable of making amazing saves.

[kujay]

Games will tighten up. How many amazing saves did Khabi make in the first few rounds last year? Those are going in this year.

 

This only makes sense if:

 

1) You ignore that Khabibulin had plenty of shaky moments in the regular season last year.

2) You ignore that Khabibulin had plenty of shaky games in the postseason last year.

3) You ignore that Huet and Niemi are both capable of making amazing saves.

 

Khabi had proven he could carry a team through the playoffs and win it all and he was doing it again.

 

I'm going to stop being negative now. Whoever said it earlier was right -- it doesn't do any good. This team is what it is.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Oh yeah, I forgot we needed a Proven Winner with Playoff Experience in order to win.

 

Maybe some Veteran Presence would help. Can we replace Q with Dusty?

[kujay]

Oh yeah, I forgot we needed a Proven Winner with Playoff Experience in order to win.

 

Maybe some Veteran Presence would help. Can we replace Q with Dusty?

 

Okay, why don't they bring Crawford up then and just let him start Game 1 of the playoffs. Since a track record of playing well in the NHL doesn't mean [expletive].

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Oh yeah, I forgot we needed a Proven Winner with Playoff Experience in order to win.

 

Maybe some Veteran Presence would help. Can we replace Q with Dusty?

 

Okay, why don't they bring Crawford up then and just let him start Game 1 of the playoffs. Since a track record of playing well in the NHL doesn't mean [expletive].

 

Huet's track record in the NHL is solid. He's playing like crap right now. Are you mad about his track record or how he's playing right now?

 

Because if it's his track record, you are wrong. If it's how he's playing right now, it's wrong to assume that's how he'll be playing then.

[jersey cubs fan]

Games will tighten up. How many amazing saves did Khabi make in the first few rounds last year? Those are going in this year.

 

This only makes sense if:

 

1) You ignore that Khabibulin had plenty of shaky moments in the regular season last year.

2) You ignore that Khabibulin had plenty of shaky games in the postseason last year.

3) You ignore that Huet and Niemi are both capable of making amazing saves.

 

Khabi had proven he could carry a team through the playoffs and win it all and he was doing it again.

 

That is complete nonsense. Khabi was not in the process of carrying the Blackhawks through the playoffs last year.