nfreeman

This thread demonstrates why PAFan, baggage notwithstanding, is a platinum level poster. What a great find. The shot of the front doors and the entrance hall leading to the turnstiles really brought me back. We sat for a number of years in the blues under that overhang. The Aud was cramped and claustrophobic in the interior, but it was most assuredly not a dump. It was a fantastic place to watch a hockey game. There was no Chef and Muffy issue in that building. The newer arenas have better food (that SportsSevice logo was another, less welcome, blast from the past) and are more comfortable, but too much has been sacrificed on the altar of creature comfort.

OK -- time to chill out in here.

from the WSJ: Oboyoboyoboy...

I assume you're joking? As in "ha ha, can you believe how wrong I was about Vanek?"

Out.

I don't like Vanek at all, but I would trade Moulson for him in a second for the reasons TBPhD mentioned. What a freaking waste of talent he's turned out to be.

I agree with pretty much all of this.

But is anyone really disputing the proposition that an owner shouldn't force hockey decisions on his GM if the goal is to produce the best team? My impression of this discussion is that many have said the owner is entitled to do what he wants with his team, while others have said essentially that he/she is not so entitled. Is anyone saying that owners weighing in on hockey decisions improves he on-ice product? The rest of the discussion has revolved around a forensic discussion of children's tweets to speculate that/whether their dad did in fact meddle.

Vacation!

So if I understand this correctly, Mirtle wasn't tweeting about TP? Just about the concept of ownership meddling? And this somehow has been deemed to vindicate PAFan's ongoing, based-wholly-on-speculation (not sure whether this is "speculation that" or "speculation whether") crusade? If you must.

Dennis -- that is awesome. Congrats to you and your awesome wife. If you're taking suggestions for names -- "French Connection Menace" "SabreSpace Moderator Menace" "Rex Ryan Menace" Enjoy!

Better than, say, the local Sabres reporters, none of whom seemed to be in the loop on this? Boom!

Interesting. He's good good size and a nice college resume.

Now that would be pretty sweet.

Yes, and both deserve credit for this. But it doesn't mean the job is done or that vigilance is no longer needed. It's also worth noting that the problem is several orders of magnitude greater in Europe than it is here due to much greater proportions of Muslim immigrants and lesser assimilation.

I agree that it can't be stopped, but it can be combatted to the point where it approaches de minimis effect in terms of casualties. This has happened in Israel.

Did you read it? Did you bother to figure anything out about the writer? Or did you just react with intellectual snobbery because it wasn't from the NYT or WP? I had dinner last weekend with a Trump supporter. He's not a fascist. More broadly, I think Trump is whipping up populist-style discontent among those who have been lied to and economically left behind. They are PO'd, to be sure, and they aren't particularly conservative or capitalist in philosophy, but I don't see fascism. As for the return of skinheads and other ultranationalists in Europe -- this is regrettable, and well of a piece with European history, but also not fascist. No one is talking about abandoning democracy or crushing dissent. I think he was talking about Salman Rushdie and the bounty put on his head by Muslim religious leaders for the sin of defaming Islam. Which Christian terrorists, specifically? In particular: which Christians are committing acts of mass murder in the name of Christianity? NB that when a Christian knocks over a liquor store and shoots someone in the process, that isn't terrorism.

From Merriam-Webster: Full Definition of fascism 1 often capitalized : a political philosophy, movement, or regime (as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition 2 : a tendency toward or actual exercise of strong autocratic or dictatorial control <early instances of army fascism and brutality — J. W. Aldridge> While I will agree that Muslim fascism differs from "classical" fascism in the sense that the bonds to the currently-defined map (and thus what we think of as "nations") are weak, Muslim fascism substitutes Islam (and Sunni/Shiite) for "Germany" or "France" or whatever. Clearly the other elements are there in spades. As for Trump: whatever he's selling, it isn't fascism. Here is a pretty even-handed discussion of no-go zones: http://dailycaller.com/2015/12/02/muslim-no-go-zones-in-europe/

Do you think it will not happen here?

No-go zones are absolutely a real thing. The "rise of right-wing nationalist parties" isn't the real problem here, nor is fascism ascendant anywhere except the Muslim world, where it is the dominant political reality. 11 posts on the latest Muslim act of mass murder, and no one has bothered to mention who the perpetrators were or why they did it -- even though everyone here knows. Heads that are stuck in sand -- willingly! -- do not win wars.

So an evil corporation rigged the lottery and gave the best player in 40 years to...Edmonton? A small-market Canadian team that sells out every game no matter how bad they are? I wonder if it's the same evil corporation that controls this message board and stifles all criticism of the Pegulas? You have a rare talent for concocting conspiracy theories. It's all connected, I tell ya.

The first day of the NCAA tournament is awesome.

I have no recollection of this whatsoever, but I have no doubt that from Darcy's perspective, Atlanta's insistence on including Ghyslain Rousseau in the deal was the deal-breaker.

Well, I should've been more precise. What I've read Brooksie saying is that other teams have inquired, and he thinks the Rangers should consider trading Kreider -- not that he thinks the Rangers are considering trading Kreider. In any case, I think there is NFW they trade Kreider for cap reasons, although I could see them doing so as part of a Rangers-style blockbuster to bring in a big star.

Link? I've seen Brooks speculate on this, and report that other teams have inquired, but have not seen him report that the Rangers are shopping him.