Around the NHL: 2024-2025 Season

[ska-T Chitown]

31 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

I am finding it weird, but also quite amusing how quickly the Bruins fan site has turned into the same type of conversations that we have had here for years. It's a large and diverse group with many opinions but the "arguments" now are the same. Fire the GM, culture is broken, lazy country club locker room, tear it down and start over. Almost everything read here is now over there. 

Also Sweeney quoted with "players that want to be here will stay". How familiar is that!

Now the only problem for me is the Sabres aren't winning yet. The flip is missing that part of the equation. I really don't want to go looking for a 3rd team to enjoy hockey.

This gives me even more pause for all of these arguments that are cast out here. There is no way that a Bruins team that is what - 2 year removed from the best record ever? - that has not had significant roster turnover - can have "a bad culture". Am I supposed to believe that between last year (they made the playoffs easily) and this year that everything they had worked for and built just came crumbling down and now their culture is trash and they are lazy?? C'mon. I have a hard time accepting that when it is tossed out for the Sabres, but the Broons? C'mon.

I get that "bad culture" and "lazy country club locker room" are really just euphemisms for "no one is really pushing that extra little bit so they can start to reach the next level", but it is so condescending (not directing this at you, PF, if that is not clear), ill-informed, and dismissive. 

[thewookie1]

1 hour ago, ska-T Chitown said:

This gives me even more pause for all of these arguments that are cast out here. There is no way that a Bruins team that is what - 2 year removed from the best record ever? - that has not had significant roster turnover - can have "a bad culture". Am I supposed to believe that between last year (they made the playoffs easily) and this year that everything they had worked for and built just came crumbling down and now their culture is trash and they are lazy?? C'mon. I have a hard time accepting that when it is tossed out for the Sabres, but the Broons? C'mon.

I get that "bad culture" and "lazy country club locker room" are really just euphemisms for "no one is really pushing that extra little bit so they can start to reach the next level", but it is so condescending (not directing this at you, PF, if that is not clear), ill-informed, and dismissive. 

It’s because most fans are the same just like the coaches and players we watch. We all have cliches and typical talking points; we all have extremely depressed and overly positive fans; we all have grievances with our ownership. It’s just sports fandom 

[Taro T]

2 hours ago, ska-T Chitown said:

This gives me even more pause for all of these arguments that are cast out here. There is no way that a Bruins team that is what - 2 year removed from the best record ever? - that has not had significant roster turnover - can have "a bad culture". Am I supposed to believe that between last year (they made the playoffs easily) and this year that everything they had worked for and built just came crumbling down and now their culture is trash and they are lazy?? C'mon. I have a hard time accepting that when it is tossed out for the Sabres, but the Broons? C'mon.

I get that "bad culture" and "lazy country club locker room" are really just euphemisms for "no one is really pushing that extra little bit so they can start to reach the next level", but it is so condescending (not directing this at you, PF, if that is not clear), ill-informed, and dismissive. 

The "best culture" comes from having really good hockey players during their peak years.  Good coaching helps; but that's really at the heart of it.

[shrader]

6 hours ago, LabattBlue said:

Ovie out week to week with a leg injury. 😞

 

Too bad as he is off to a great start and 27 goals away from overtaking Gretzky. 
 

I am sure some don’t want the record broken,  but I look forward to it “possibly” happening. 

And with Matthews out, the league is missing a ton of goal scoring ability. 

[PerreaultForever]

2 hours ago, thewookie1 said:

It’s because most fans are the same just like the coaches and players we watch. We all have cliches and typical talking points; we all have extremely depressed and overly positive fans; we all have grievances with our ownership. It’s just sports fandom 

Yes I think that's what it proves. Ultimately it's just about winning. If you win then everything is fine. The coach is clever, the GM made good deals, the mistakes are excused, the culture is strong and everything is wonderful. When you don't win, all those same things are some level of garbage. The switch from hero to zero can happen quickly. 

After 13 years of it though, things do get cynical quickly. Bruins fans, on the other hand, are spoiled rotten and aren't used to it so for them the sky is truly falling. 

[ska-T Chitown]

3 hours ago, Taro T said:

The "best culture" comes from having really good hockey players during their peak years.  Good coaching helps; but that's really at the heart of it.

That kinda gets at the heart of it for me. I never made it past collegiate level (wrestling ... I barely even played intramural floor hockey for the longest time), so i know it is not a 1:1 - but we were bad for a while and none of us were Chris Drury or anything like that ... but a few guys pulled out some wins and things built from there.

I don't think the issue with the Sabres is talent, but a fair amount of the time there seems to be a 'hockey IQ' problem? Like, dumb plays. Careless plays that are too risky (dangles near the blueline when there is no one behind you to back you up?) and frankly not likely to work in the NHL where the talent gap for most players is not that big. So, having the smarts and the maturity to take the safe play - or at least the less risky play - is something that seems to be missing when I watch the "bad" games.

I am sure there is a lot of room to argue that the really talented, well-coached (for a longer period of time), or physical teams are throwing the Sabres off and contributing to "dumb" plays, cuz when they are ON, they are ON, ask the Rags.

[Flashsabre]

Leafs have won 6 of 7 since Matthews has been out

[French Collection]

49 minutes ago, Flashsabre said:

Leafs have won 6 of 7 since Matthews has been out

Dressing room cancer.