Official NHL Season 2016-2017 Thread

[nino33]

I was sarcastic since the Avs won their first game in 10 and at home on top of that. Their record at home is atrocious this season.

Ah, OK...sorry I didn't get it!

[nino33]

That hit looked clean to me. Hard and pretty devastating, but clean. Don't really understand how he got a charging penalty for that tbh

Didn't seem like charging to me (it's like they're trying to take hitting out of the game); Zadorov had another good hit on Scheifele in that game

I think such hitting is just part of the pro game, and wish it was more expected/accepted

[ClassicSwarley]

I agree with you, nino, I think hitting is a beautiful part of this game and is one of the things that separates hockey from other sports as being the best. Seems to me the charging penalty was just a penalty for hitting so hard which, in my opinion, shouldn't have happened.

[philou21]

I've just read, without details, that Julien has been fired by Boston.

[CJ]

I've just read, without details, that Julien has been fired by Boston.

Yeah. What details do you need? Didn't really surprise me THAT much.. but I was sure there would have been many other team's coaches fired before him.

[philou21]

Yeah that's what I'm thinking too. It's not like the Bruins have the team to perform. Julien did his best IMO with what he had. Bruins's futur is not so bright if you ask me.

[CJ]

It's not like the Bruins have the team to perform.

So true. Their defence is really weak. Rask and the first two lines are good though.

They're a "fighting for a playoff spot" team I'd say. And that's where they are right now. It's not like Julien has "made" the team under perform.

[philou21]

They can battle for a playoffs spot this year maybe but after that...they team is getting a bit old and they don't seem to have much upcoming players.

[Primis]

I've said in both STL and BOS cases that their team is where it probably should be. So I'm not sure in the logic of either firing. I don't really see anyone wringing more points out of them.

[bruins72]

Julien's firing was overdue but the timing was wrong. I would have done it back last summer, or waited until next summer. The team definitely wasn't listening to him anymore. The problem is, they need to make a lot of other moves to right the ship.

[philou21]

Julien's firing was overdue but the timing was wrong. I would have done it back last summer, or waited until next summer. The team definitely wasn't listening to him anymore. The problem is, they need to make a lot of other moves to right the ship.

They shouldn't have done some moves they did in the past.* There, I corrected your last sentence.

[Primis]

Julien's firing was overdue but the timing was wrong. I would have done it back last summer, or waited until next summer. The team definitely wasn't listening to him anymore. The problem is, they need to make a lot of other moves to right the ship.

The problem there is that... if firing the coach can't help because the GM needs to do roster moves like waivers, trades, signings, etc.... then why fire the coach? The coach doesn't build the team, that's on the GM. Why does the coach get fired first? Why not fire the GM and see what the coach can then do with a better roster? Because if the GM didn't get the right roster now, what indication is there he can do it later after firing a coach?

This is one of the chief debates right now in DET too: people want Blashill fired, but then in the very same breath say the roster isn't good enough. That's on Ken Holland, not Blashill. There's very little indication at all that if Mike Babcock were still coaching the team would be doing any differently.

I just... I don't understand the logic in these things, or why the GM's that build the flawed teams stay off the hook. Boston isn't a good team. I don't see a single coach capable of making them any better, because the players aren't good enough. Not enough forward depth, and their defense isn't good (2, maybe 3 keepers there out of the 6). I'm no Julien fan, but geez... in my estimation BOS has been maybe overachieving even, given the roster state.

One thing I will agree on is timing being wrong: it was cowardly of them to purposely do it knowing it was the day of the Patriots Super Bowl parade and thus would be buried in the news cycle. It was very much on purpose. They wanted to bury the news as much as they could.

[philou21]

What a nice game the Avalanche played vs MTL! Seems like their win against Winnipeg lifted their spirit. Mtl on the other side REALLY played a bad game so it might be biased a bit. Rantanen was awesome though.

[bruins72]

Julien's firing was overdue but the timing was wrong. I would have done it back last summer, or waited until next summer. The team definitely wasn't listening to him anymore. The problem is, they need to make a lot of other moves to right the ship.

They shouldn't have done some moves they did in the past.* There, I corrected your last sentence.

There's definitely that! But to correct things, they need to make some moves.

[bruins72]

Julien's firing was overdue but the timing was wrong. I would have done it back last summer, or waited until next summer. The team definitely wasn't listening to him anymore. The problem is, they need to make a lot of other moves to right the ship.

The problem there is that... if firing the coach can't help because the GM needs to do roster moves like waivers, trades, signings, etc.... then why fire the coach? The coach doesn't build the team, that's on the GM. Why does the coach get fired first? Why not fire the GM and see what the coach can then do with a better roster? Because if the GM didn't get the right roster now, what indication is there he can do it later after firing a coach?

This is one of the chief debates right now in DET too: people want Blashill fired, but then in the very same breath say the roster isn't good enough. That's on Ken Holland, not Blashill. There's very little indication at all that if Mike Babcock were still coaching the team would be doing any differently.

I just... I don't understand the logic in these things, or why the GM's that build the flawed teams stay off the hook. Boston isn't a good team. I don't see a single coach capable of making them any better, because the players aren't good enough. Not enough forward depth, and their defense isn't good (2, maybe 3 keepers there out of the 6). I'm no Julien fan, but geez... in my estimation BOS has been maybe overachieving even, given the roster state.

One thing I will agree on is timing being wrong: it was cowardly of them to purposely do it knowing it was the day of the Patriots Super Bowl parade and thus would be buried in the news cycle. It was very much on purpose. They wanted to bury the news as much as they could.

Sweeney is very much a big part of the problem. He wasn't ready to be GM. On top of that, Chiarelli left him a big mess in regards to contracts. There's a lot that needs to be done. I think firing Julien would've been a step in the right direction, not a solution by any means, if it was done in the off-season. I think a lot of people forget that back in 2011 when the Bruins won the Cup, Julien was on the verge of being fired. They were almost knocked out of the playoffs early on and in an embarrassing fashion. On top of that, the Bruins' power play was so bad that it was more of a disadvantage to them to get one.

This is a team that needs a rebuild. Not a full rebuild because you've got guys like Bergeron and Marchand, but a still a major overhaul. Julien isn't the coach for that. He likes his veterans and doesn't give youngsters ice time. He'd rather give a veteran 4th liner ice time over a youngster that has the potential to be a 1st or 2nd line guy. You can't do that in a rebuild.

[CJ]

What a nice game the Avalanche played vs MTL! Seems like their win against Winnipeg lifted their spirit. Mtl on the other side REALLY played a bad game so it might be biased a bit. Rantanen was awesome though.

Within a week 3 Finns has done a hat-trick. (Aho, Granlund & Rantanen)

[philou21]

Wings's owner passed away today. He bought the team for 8 millions in 1982!

[philou21]

Things are not looking good right now in MTL. Everyone plays awfully and it almost seems like the players lost confidence in their coach. Therrien isn't better anyway, keeps changing the lines all the times and the players look completely lost on the ice. He uses Galchenyuk so badly since he's back from his injury that's a pity.

[nino33]

I'm looking forward to the NHL playoffs...or rather, I'm hoping the playoffs can rekindle some interest in hockey for me

CBC has the HNIC Saturday games online, and I've tried to watch...and I lose interest in less than 5 minutes; I tried again last Saturday, and neither the Leafs/Sabres nor the Oilers/Blackhawks held my interest - so I'm hoping the playoffs will be different!

If not, I'm thinking I might just give up and put hockey "at the back of the closet" (as close to giving up on hockey as I can imagine HaHa)

In recent months, with other interests getting a lot more attention [reading (not about hockey), music, writing, taking online courses, and sports essentially "new" to me like soccer and auto racing] I've even been struggling to do much EHM editing due to a lack of motivation/interest

April 12th seems so far away...

[philou21]

Like most people were expecting, during their 5 days break MTL fired Therrien...to replace him by Julien. What a disaster.

[Primis]

Like most people were expecting, during their 5 days break MTL fired Therrien...to replace him by Julien. What a disaster.

Wait, is this 2003?

[CJ]

Like most people were expecting, during their 5 days break MTL fired Therrien...to replace him by Julien. What a disaster.

Hahahahaaaa...

[philou21]

Exactly my thoughts Primis. What a lack of imagination. I can understand that Julien is among the best cadidate available but judging what Bruins said here when he got fired....Therrien got fired for the same reason. So it's 4 quarters for 1 dollar IMO.

But hey....in Quebec we MUST have a bilingual coach AT ALL COST. Who cares if they're bad? The fans wants to protect french through their hockey team which isn't even 90% french anymore. What a stupid mentality we have here. Sorry rant over.

[Ukko]

As a french native speaker I find it cool, it gives MTL and Quebec a strong identity, and I think it's important to keep both french and english alongside.

[philou21]

But hockey development is pretty bad now in Qc. We don't make great coach and great players as much as in the past. In fact, it's mediocre now. When the good coaches will take their retirement who will be left? Almost nobody. So yeah, they can go ahead and keep their billingual coaches for all I care but they will have the results that comes with mediocre coaches.

At some point people need to realise it's just a sport and a sport team is meant to win at some point. It's not just about an "identity" that is long gone. With a thinking like that, the Habs will be the new Leafs.