2013 - 2014 NHL Discussion Thread (1 Viewer)

[Scott Merryfield]

Yeah, but if the Pats and Broncos had ended in a tie also, the universe would've cracked open and swallowed us all up in a vast gullet of oblivion.

We really dodged a bullet!

Maybe the Broncos should have been awarded a "half win" for getting the game into overtime.

 

[Ockeghem]

A good win for the Bruins against the Penguins yesterday, even if it was in overtime. I still don't like that we traded Seguin, but Krug seems to be coming into his own nicely.

http://scores.espn.go.com/nhl/recap?gameId=400484598

 

[Scott Merryfield]

A good win for the Bruins against the Penguins yesterday, even if it was in overtime. I still don't like that we traded Seguin, but Krug seems to be coming into his own nicely.

http://scores.espn.go.com/nhl/recap?gameId=400484598

Was Krug part of that trade for Seguin? If so, that does make the trade look a little better. Krug is having a fine rookie season.

 

[Ockeghem]

Was Krug part of that trade for Seguin? If so, that does make the trade look a little better. Krug is having a fine rookie season.

Scott,I don't believe so. As much as I don't like Seguin being gone, I do see why they had to do it.

http://www.weei.com/sports/boston/hockey/bruins/dj-bean/2013/11/04/closer-look-why-tyler-seguin-no-longer-bruin

"When things came together with the Stars, the Bruins were able to accomplish their financial goals by also moving the contract of Rich Peverley and getting Loui Eriksson ($4.25 million cap hit through 2015-16) back as the centerpiece. The money saved in the trade allowed the Bruins to replace Horton with Jarome Iginla.

Though seen as an afterthought behind names like Eriksson and 2011 first-round pick defenseman Joe Morrow, getting Reilly Smith in the deal allowed the B’s to get a young winger they had long had their eye on. Chiarelli said in training camp that the B’s had scouted Smith in his college days at Miami of Ohio, and that when it came time to talk Seguin with the Stars, Smith was a player they specifically wanted."

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Scott,I don't believe so. As much as I don't like Seguin being gone, I do see why they had to do it.

http://www.weei.com/sports/boston/hockey/bruins/dj-bean/2013/11/04/closer-look-why-tyler-seguin-no-longer-bruin

"When things came together with the Stars, the Bruins were able to accomplish their financial goals by also moving the contract of Rich Peverley and getting Loui Eriksson ($4.25 million cap hit through 2015-16) back as the centerpiece. The money saved in the trade allowed the Bruins to replace Horton with Jarome Iginla.

Though seen as an afterthought behind names like Eriksson and 2011 first-round pick defenseman Joe Morrow, getting Reilly Smith in the deal allowed the B’s to get a young winger they had long had their eye on. Chiarelli said in training camp that the B’s had scouted Smith in his college days at Miami of Ohio, and that when it came time to talk Seguin with the Stars, Smith was a player they specifically wanted."

I think Seguin's off-ice issues had more to do with his being traded than Chiarelli will ever admit publicly. Tyler does have some flaws to his game, but I cannot see the Bruins trading away a player with that much offensive talent otherwise, no matter what other reasons the GM lists. Knocking him as timid seems rather short-sighted, considering he is even now just turning 21 and still developing as an NHL player.

While we will never know for sure, it may have been a mistake for the Bruins to bring Seguin into the NHL right from the draft. While he had outgrown the OHL physically, he was coming right from high school (and a small Ontario town coming to Plymouth) and may not have been mature enough to handle the combination of a million dollars a year and living in a city with such a young, vibrant nightlife right out of high school. Another year in the juniors with less money in his pocket from an NHL entry level contract may have allowed him to grow up a little.

 

[Aaron Silverman]

Krug was an emergency injury fill-in in the playoffs last year and absolutely exploded -- he had 4 goals in his first 5 games or something like that.

If you can't see the Bruins trading away a player that offensively talented, I've got a Joe Thornton to sell you. (Granted, that was a different regime. . .) I think the reasons for the trade were a combination of off-ice issues and salary cap concerns.

 

[Ockeghem]

It was nice to see Z get the Gordie Howe hat trick.

http://bruins.nhl.com/club/blogpost.htm?id=23347

 

[Aaron Silverman]

The strange thing is, I've been a hockey fan since Gordie Howe played for my local team (The Whalers, although I've always been a Bruins fan -- I grew up in MA, but closer to Hartford than Boston), but I don't think I've ever heard that term before!

 

[Ockeghem]

Aaron,It's not a term I know very well either. Speaking of Hartford though, I can recall those days when the Celtics would play a 'home' game at Hartford. I never really felt like they had a home-court advantage during those games!

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Being from the Detroit area, the term "Gordie Howe Hat Trick" has been well-known to me for a very long time, even though I am not quite old enough to remember watching him play in a Wings uniform. The only time I saw him play here was in the 1980 All-Star game, when my dad and I scored free tickets to the game at the then-new Joe Louis Arena. It was Gordie's last All-Star game, and the first for some hot shot kid named Gretzky.

 

[Jeff Gatie]

The reasons for the Seguin trade was three fold (most of which was hinted at in "Behind the B":

1) Bruins Culture. After the fact, Seguin admitted the Bruins are a bunch of fuddy duddies. Even Marchand has had the same girlfriend for 3 years. On the other hand Seguin was, by all accounts, a party animal. Culminating in the Toronto playoff series where he showed up to the rink in the same clothes 3 days in a row, and they had to place a guard at his hotel door, it began to weigh on the team. When Shawn Thornton has words with you, you know you are on thin ice. Also, the on-ice culture is a "do anything to win" summed up in Greg Campbell's' shift on a broken leg and Patrice Bergeron's rib/lung/shoulder in game six. They are a tough team that gets dirty, and Seguin is not. No need for him to fight, but I saw too many curls away from the dirty areas and/or puck battles. Not nearly Phil "would be a superstar if the rinks were round" Kessel, but he was soft .

2) Performance. Seguin was due to make 6 million/yr. He produced 1 (one!!) goal in a cup run that made it 6 games into the finals. That is unacceptable. As one scout said "If he gives us 1/2 of Patrick Kane, we win the cup." Now to his credit he tried to chip in, and was stellar defensively, but 6 million per is paid for goals, and he was quite lacking in those.

3) Bruins window. The window to win is small for the Bruins. Chara is 36, and no one knows what happens after they lose that linchpin. Everybody in the room on "Behind the B" said he was a 40 goal guy, a franchise type player. But with that small a window, they couldn't wait until he matured off-ice and "got" the things on ice that would incorporate his skill set into the Bruins tight defensive system. The fact that he regressed last year, especially in the physical battles and willingness to go to the dirty areas, was a big point.

See the "Behind the B" episode containing the Seguin discussion here (starts around 0:50):

http://video.bruins.nhl.com/videocenter/console?catid=1405&id=443574&lang=en

Notice the "Sound familiar" comment about his physicality and relying on only skill. We all know who they mean by that, and that trade worked out just fine.

 

[Jeff Gatie]

Aaron,It's not a term I know very well either. Speaking of Hartford though, I can recall those days when the Celtics would play a 'home' game at Hartford. I never really felt like they had a home-court advantage during those games!

I knew it well. Then again, I had a brother who led his junior league in points by a defenseman and total PIMS.

 

[Aaron Silverman]

Scott, I remember watching the Celtics at the Hartford Civic Center too.

Notice the "Sound familiar" comment about his physicality and relying on only skill. We all know who they mean by that, and that trade worked out just fine.

Trades involving multiple #1 picks from bottom-of-the-barrel teams often do.

Thanks for sharing the info. I keep meaning to watch those videos but rarely get around to it.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

There was a rather humorous moment in last night's Habs - Devils game. The two teams took the game to a shootout. NJ had not scored a shootout goal in four games so far this season. Peter DeBoer (NJ coach) selected rookie Reid Boucher, playing his first NHL game, to take the opening shot, but did not tell him until just before the shootout started so he would not get nervous. The cameras showed the kid on the bench looking calm and cool, waiting to watch the shootout, until he got the news that he was up first. His expression went from cool to "what, who, me?". Of course, in storybook fashion he scored on the attempt and the cameras showed the coaching staff cracking up. Fortunately, the Canadiens still won the shootout and the game.

Big game tonight -- Montreal vs. Boston for 1st place in the division. The Canadiens are playing their 3rd game in four nights, while the Bruins have been home resting since the weekend. Advantage: Boston.

 

[Ockeghem]

Scott,

I'm really looking forward to tonight's game. It should be televised on one of the hockey channels that I receive.

I watched the Flyers - Red Wings game last night. It was 3-2 Detroit entering the third period, and the next thing I see are four goals in the third period by the Flyers! I wish the Bruins could handle the Red Wings like that.

And have a peek at this:

"Henrik Lundqvist became the highest-paid goalie with a seven-year, $59.9 million deal, a source said."

http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/10077638/henrik-lundqvist-new-york-rangers-signed-seven-year-extension

I could live on this salary without too much trouble.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Scott, Tonight's Habs - Bruins game appears to be on TSN (Canada), RDS (French Canada) and NESN (New England). I was hoping NBCSports or NHL Network would be picking it up -- if not, I will be watching on my PC.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

In honor of tonight's game, here is a highlight from last year's Habs - Bruins series:

 

[Ockeghem]

Scott,

For some reason today, I've been keying in either Jean Béliveau or Boom Boom Geoffrion on several occasions, and all I've been able to retrieve is this image. What gives? It must be a faulty internet connection or something.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Gee, Scott, I didn't have any problem finding something regarding Beliveau...

 

[Ockeghem]

I'm glad you let me off easy. I had visions of twenty-four Stanley Cups being shown in your next post, with all of them somehow being hoisted above the ice by Yvan Cournoyer.

I am soooo hoping that NESN gives me a freebie tonight.