Around the League 2018-2019 Part 3

[Boy Hedican]

Friendly Sharks fan here...

I'd trade it all for 1 cup, let alone 2.

Being a Sharks fan is tough on our hearts. Its all fun in the regular season (which, by many accounts is still fun hockey to watch), but the playoffs drain us. Hard.

DW has done a great job. No complaints. Not every team can win it all. Its hard enough to attract players to California and DW does a fantastic job selling it.

And lastly....

Some of you may remember, but before your cup many of us were super friendly posters on here. Dance off threads, friendly Nor/So Cal bickering, and no cups. Once ya'll won, things changed. My honest perspective was the humility that brought us together was shattered after you won it all. You guys had the upper hand and everyone knew it and some slammed it in our faces. Oddly enough, many of us actually get along with more Ducks fans (yuck) now...

Here's hoping we can get our own cup so we can go back to where we were. I enjoyed the friendly rivalry of the past...

 

[KINGS17]

Love when Sharks fans on the main board tell me the Blackhawks suck and will be garbage for a long time.

(Ignoring the fact we have the #3 pick, Strome, DeBrincat, Perlini, Gustafsson and 19/88 are only 31. - but thats a different story)

I could care less if my team is now crap and in the draft lottery. They won 3 cups in 6 years, including the 2013-2015 stretch where they went Champs-Almost made (really good series against you guys, much better than the SCF)-Champs. Sharks fans dont even know what a real banner is. Call me a loser but I think that 2014 WCF kinda of brought our fanbases together, we were rivals and still are, but I think a new respect was shared and given on both sides of the ice.

For a few seasons (2012-2014) every hockey fan knew that winning the Clarence Campbell Bowl would ultimately turn into the Stanley Cup.

I have a lot of respect for the way the Blackhawks built their cup teams. Like the Kings, you guys probably paid too much for too long to players who helped you win it all.

 

[Voight]

For a few seasons (2012-2014) every hockey fan knew that winning the Clarence Campbell Bowl would ultimately turn into the Stanley Cup.

I have a lot of respect for the way the Blackhawks built their cup teams. Like the Kings, you guys probably paid too much for too long to players who helped you win it all.

Which I’m fine with because not only did win once, we did it 3 times. Seabrook was a big part of that, he got what he deserved.

 

[Voight]

This was one of the best series of hockey I've ever seen. Talk about so many ups and downs and changes in momentum.

This series gave everyone not just acid indigestion but heart palpitations to boot.

It was so entertaining, it really was the “real” 2014 finals, especially after that egg the Rangers laid.

I had already liked what I saw in 2012 from the Kings (huge Doughty fan since he was in juniors) but after that series I said damn, these guys are just as good as us. Now as our teams struggle, I enjoy coming to the defence of the Kings especially when it’s fans of 0 cup teams. Like NATO for HFB/hockey

Sharks fans couldn’t relate (2010 WCF, 2014 Round 1)

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Friendly Sharks fan here...

I'd trade it all for 1 cup, let alone 2.

Being a Sharks fan is tough on our hearts. Its all fun in the regular season (which, by many accounts is still fun hockey to watch), but the playoffs drain us. Hard.

DW has done a great job. No complaints. Not every team can win it all. Its hard enough to attract players to California and DW does a fantastic job selling it.

And lastly....

Some of you may remember, but before your cup many of us were super friendly posters on here. Dance off threads, friendly Nor/So Cal bickering, and no cups. Once ya'll won, things changed. My honest perspective was the humility that brought us together was shattered after you won it all. You guys had the upper hand and everyone knew it and some slammed it in our faces. Oddly enough, many of us actually get along with more Ducks fans (yuck) now...

Here's hoping we can get our own cup so we can go back to where we were. I enjoyed the friendly rivalry of the past...

For the most part, it still is. Lots of ball busting, some bickering, but considering the history, usually not as much venom as there would be with other fanbases.

 

[Steve Zissou]

Some of you may remember, but before your cup many of us were super friendly posters on here. Dance off threads, friendly Nor/So Cal bickering, and no cups. Once ya'll won, things changed. My honest perspective was the humility that brought us together was shattered after you won it all. You guys had the upper hand and everyone knew it and some slammed it in our faces. Oddly enough, many of us actually get along with more Ducks fans (yuck) now...

Here's hoping we can get our own cup so we can go back to where we were. I enjoyed the friendly rivalry of the past...

For most of us here it was 2011, not 2012.

 

[SettlementRichie10]

Friendly Sharks fan here...

I'd trade it all for 1 cup, let alone 2.

Being a Sharks fan is tough on our hearts. Its all fun in the regular season (which, by many accounts is still fun hockey to watch), but the playoffs drain us. Hard.

DW has done a great job. No complaints. Not every team can win it all. Its hard enough to attract players to California and DW does a fantastic job selling it.

And lastly....

Some of you may remember, but before your cup many of us were super friendly posters on here. Dance off threads, friendly Nor/So Cal bickering, and no cups. Once ya'll won, things changed. My honest perspective was the humility that brought us together was shattered after you won it all. You guys had the upper hand and everyone knew it and some slammed it in our faces. Oddly enough, many of us actually get along with more Ducks fans (yuck) now...

Here's hoping we can get our own cup so we can go back to where we were. I enjoyed the friendly rivalry of the past...

As long as Sharks fans continue to act like Dustin Brown is Jeffrey Dahmer on skates and ruined Hertl’s career and this that and the other, there will be no love lost between our fanbases.

 

[KINGS17]

Making both a SCF and WCF in the last four seasons is more than a wet fart. Maybe it was a wet fart in the close out games but there were pretty triumphant and proud farts until that point. If making the WCF isn't a big deal, let's start talking about the Kings good stretch as 2012 and 2014 only and just skip over '13.

Look: I hate the Sharks. I don't believe they will do it and I was only going to start being worried this last season if they made the SCF yet there was a ton of worry on this very board, even after just getting past Vegas. Once they crash out though, everyone is back to saying they will never win it.

Sol sticks to his guns and said they would get smashed by Colorado in Round 2. I firmly believe he will stick to believing they will never win it even if they are up 3-0 in the Final. It just seems there is a lot of surety that the Sharks will never win but then everyone starts getting scared once they look good in Round 2.

I think a lot of people were worried because they saw Colorado in Round 2, and not many understood just how well St. Louis was playing. Especially, when it came to how physical St. Louis was playing.

I thought Colorado actually had a 50/50 chance against San Jose in the playoffs, and the Avs should only get better.

 

[kilowatt]

Friendly Sharks fan here...

I'd trade it all for 1 cup, let alone 2.

Being a Sharks fan is tough on our hearts. Its all fun in the regular season (which, by many accounts is still fun hockey to watch), but the playoffs drain us. Hard.

DW has done a great job. No complaints. Not every team can win it all. Its hard enough to attract players to California and DW does a fantastic job selling it.

And lastly....

Some of you may remember, but before your cup many of us were super friendly posters on here. Dance off threads, friendly Nor/So Cal bickering, and no cups. Once ya'll won, things changed. My honest perspective was the humility that brought us together was shattered after you won it all. You guys had the upper hand and everyone knew it and some slammed it in our faces. Oddly enough, many of us actually get along with more Ducks fans (yuck) now...

Here's hoping we can get our own cup so we can go back to where we were. I enjoyed the friendly rivalry of the past...

It does suck, but there has been a lot of bad blood. I think it changed in 2011 with Thornton’s slip n’ slide, and it’s gotten worse ever since. It was definitely a strange role reversal that the Kings, within about a year, went from a decently-well-liked underdog story to arguably the most hated team in the league.

But the Sharks should be a great team again next season. I think it’s a risky bet to have the team so top-heavy on defense, especially given EK’s injury history. But when he and Burns are on, what a treat that offense is to watch. I don’t envy your team’s position, but I thought the Kings had a chance to push for another cup two seasons ago and would have gone all in as well.

Good luck - hopefully your team succeeds, but just not against us.

 

[BigKing]

I think a lot of people were worried because they saw Colorado in Round 2, and not many understood just how well St. Louis was playing. Especially, when it came to how physical St. Louis was playing.

I thought Colorado actually had a 50/50 chance against San Jose in the playoffs, and the Avs should only get better.

Sure, but if SJ is never going to win it than why even start worrying?

 

[tomd]

I think it's more than that. The vets themselves aren't allowing Wilson to waste their remaining years. Had the Sharks flat out quit from day 1 of camp one of these years, is Wilson(or whoever would've been GM by then) going to invest in the current year's team?

I think that might be the deep down foundation of this entire line of conversation; we still can't quite believe how inconsistent and/or bad the championship players on this team have been for the last 5 years. It also doesn't help that management hasn't been able to draft/develop/bring anyone in to help the top players that have to end up playing the entire game.

Here's the thing with me. The Kings were bad last year...really bad. And I get that the fans have turned on them (fans are fickle). I'm really surprised that management has turned on them though with so much at stake financially. Coaching was obviously a problem last year from day 1 of training camp. That is now theoretically fixed. But why weren't the players ready to play? Did their talent evaporate all at once? Of course not. I think the main issue was motivation and - dare I say it - desire. But that can be fixed by rededicating the organization to an excellence of winning. And that should be the focus for Blake and Luc. Fix some attitudes, bring in some players with some talent and hunger and actually try to compete. And yes, that also means getting younger through good drafting but drafting alone is not going to be the answer. Look at Ottawa, Buffalo, Edmonton, and (gasp) the Lakers!

 

[Boy Hedican]

For most of us here it was 2011, not 2012.

It does suck, but there has been a lot of bad blood. I think it changed in 2011 with Thornton’s slip n’ slide, and it’s gotten worse ever since. It was definitely a strange role reversal that the Kings, within about a year, went from a decently-well-liked underdog story to arguably the most hated team in the league.

But the Sharks should be a great team again next season. I think it’s a risky bet to have the team so top-heavy on defense, especially given EK’s injury history. But when he and Burns are on, what a treat that offense is to watch. I don’t envy your team’s position, but I thought the Kings had a chance to push for another cup two seasons ago and would have gone all in as well.

Good luck - hopefully your team succeeds, but just not against us.

Oh I didn't realize how much of an impact JT's slide had on you guys. I obviously have teal colored glasses, but he's such a character that I can't understand any animosity towards him other than Canucks fans for his infamous Sedin nose picking.

If it makes you feel any better, the league doesn't like us either. Or maybe they just are tired of our "decent" success. But ya, I can tell you by a long shot a lot of the main board really does not like our team and we haven't even won anything. Somehow the Warriors dynasty hate has shed its glory all over us and we have nothing to show for it...

Except EK65 Ya its a risk for sure with his injury history, but he's a mega super star and you roll the dice with players like that. We have a few promising prospects but nothing to his caliber. DW will just do what he's aways done - trade for top end talent, build depth through the draft. If EK65 slumps and Burns hits a wall, we'll adjust. If there's anything I have faith in is DW's ability to adjust, whether or not its successful at least he doesn't sit back and watch.

Thanks for your success wishes. If I can just feel it once, that will be enough. Can't always be chasing the dragon right?????

Hope you guys also turn a new page and become competitive again. I miss people going on about the California gauntlet.

PS. You guys still have one of the top 3 jerseys in the league. I'm def jelly about that. But if the rumors (without legs) come true and we go back full retro then, we instantly jump into the top 3 imo.

 

[kingsholygrail]

Thornton announced he's not retiring.

 

[LAKings88]

Friendly Sharks fan here...

I'd trade it all for 1 cup, let alone 2.

Being a Sharks fan is tough on our hearts. Its all fun in the regular season (which, by many accounts is still fun hockey to watch), but the playoffs drain us. Hard.

DW has done a great job. No complaints. Not every team can win it all. Its hard enough to attract players to California and DW does a fantastic job selling it.

And lastly....

Some of you may remember, but before your cup many of us were super friendly posters on here. Dance off threads, friendly Nor/So Cal bickering, and no cups. Once ya'll won, things changed. My honest perspective was the humility that brought us together was shattered after you won it all. You guys had the upper hand and everyone knew it and some slammed it in our faces. Oddly enough, many of us actually get along with more Ducks fans (yuck) now...

Here's hoping we can get our own cup so we can go back to where we were. I enjoyed the friendly rivalry of the past...

San Jose lost me when couture took out his full page ad. Jumbo Joe’s slide before that. Beat LA ad nauseam.

 

[SettlementRichie10]

San Jose lost me when couture took out his full page ad. Jumbo Joe’s slide before that. Beat LA ad nauseam.

Couture acting like that 2016 1st round win was the Cup and the Gold medal and a Nobel Prize all wrapped into one just because Doughty took his lunch money in 2014.

That alone refreshed the Sharks curse for another 10 years.

 

[KINGS17]

There isn't a single SJ fan wringing their hands that the Kings have won 2 Stanley Cups. Especially when they occurred a half decade ago. And I would guess there aren't many SJ fans that are wringing their hands about what the team will look like in 5 years (unless K17 has a relative who lives up there). SJ has some potentially exciting years ahead of them...just let them enjoy it. They don't give a d@mn about what fans from teams think nor should they (if they are mature at any rate). Win with humility; lose with class and don't dwell or live in the past.

Trust me, there are many long-time San Jose fans that know the score when it comes to Stanley Cups, and it sticks in their craw. I have a pretty good idea the San Jose roster in five years won't be pretty. Probably more like three years.

I don't think San Jose will win with this roster, because when you compare it to other Western Conference teams on the rise, it doesn't measure up.

I would rather make a run for the top of the mountain for three seasons every six or seven years than be in the position of best regular season team over the last fifteen years. We have a basic philosophical difference, and I don't respect your philosophy on what fans want to see. I am more than happy to support a young struggling team as they move closer to the ultimate prize. What I won't support is complacency.

 

[Steve Zissou]

Leafs fans after hearing Marleau wants to be traded out West (and assuming they wouldn't have to give up an asset for the serious cap dump), and now this...

 

[tomd]

Trust me, there are many long-time San Jose fans that know the score when it comes to Stanley Cups, and it sticks in their craw. I have a pretty good idea the San Jose roster in five years won't be pretty. Probably more like three years.

I don't think San Jose will win with this roster, because when you compare it to other Western Conference teams on the rise, it doesn't measure up.

I would rather make a run for the top of the mountain for three seasons every six or seven years than be in the position of best regular season team over the last fifteen years. We have a basic philosophical difference, and I don't respect your philosophy on what fans want to see. I am more than happy to support a young struggling team as they move closer to the ultimate prize. What I won't support is complacency.

At least admit that the Lombardi rebuild was going essentially nowhere until he started loading up the team with veterans and trading away 1st round picks. How many top 10 picks drafted by ANY team were on that 2012 team? ONE.

Hang out on the Buffalo board and see how excited they are about their never ending rebuild.

 

[KINGS17]

At least admit that the Lombardi rebuild was going essentially nowhere until he started loading up the team with veterans and trading away 1st round picks. How many top 10 picks drafted by ANY team were on that 2012 team? ONE.

Hang out on the Buffalo board and see how excited they are about their never ending rebuild.

The rebuild phase was over. If you hadn't bailed on the Kings when Lombardi came along you would know this. He always said there would come a time when enough assets had been stockpiled to trade some away and go for it. That's the difference between the Buffalo plan and Lombardi's plan.

You act like the only element of the plan is stockpiling picks and prospects, but you're wrong. The plan is to win the Stanley Cup. Stockpiling picks and prospects is Phase One of the plan.

 

[tomd]

The rebuild phase was over. If you hadn't bailed on the Kings when Lombardi came along you would know this. He always said there would come a time when enough assets had been stockpiled to trade some away and go for it. That's the difference between the Buffalo plan and Lombardi's plan.

You act like the only element of the plan is stockpiling picks and prospects, but you're wrong. The plan is to win the Stanley Cup. Stockpiling picks and prospects is Phase One of the plan.

I'm the one who thinks the only element of the plan is stockpiling picks??? Seriously?!?!? You're the one who literally wants to trade every player over 23 for draft picks. You're the one who has no problem throwing away the remaining career of a Norris Trophy winning defenseman who is still just 29. You're the one who doesn't even want to TRY to improve the team by filling a couple of holes in the roster. You're the one who doesn't give a d@mn if the team culture is toxic or not. You're the one who will not hold management responsible for righting the ship...and starting over is NOT righting the ship. You're the one who thinks the only job of the newly hired expensive coach is to build a system that players in Ontario can use. You're the one who scorns other teams trying to put themselves into a POSITION to win the SC because it doesn't align with YOUR view of the world. You're the one who is in love with the idea of winning the SC but hates this team more than I ever did.

 

[BigKing]

At least admit that the Lombardi rebuild was going essentially nowhere until he started loading up the team with veterans and trading away 1st round picks. How many top 10 picks drafted by ANY team were on that 2012 team? ONE.

Hang out on the Buffalo board and see how excited they are about their never ending rebuild.

You need to understand that part of the rebuild plan is that you acquire assets that allow you to trade for established players once you are ready to do so.

Williams (O'Sullivan via Demitra)
Penner (Teubert and a 1st)
Richards (Schenn/Simmonds/1st)
Carter (Johnson/1st)

These trades could be made because DL had collected enough assets to where losing the futures didn't sting: he didn't just sit on every prospect and future and hope all of them became stars. Blake isn't looking at this as long-term as DL was since he already has big dollars and dwindling time with 11 & 8, but the plan is to accumulate assets in this draft and then find out what they have with several of their younger players next season. If they surprise this year, then maybe they are a little closer than previously believed but it would take something like a seven game playoff series loss or better to get Blake to be aggressive again this soon. In the Yannetti blurbs in The Athletic today, he mentioned that getting Hughes or KK would be like getting Doughty in 2008 and could speed up being in contention by two years. He also said that getting them would be more of a retool than a rebuild. Feel like that is the first time someone in management actually said rebuild but there it is. It can't be a five year plan though with 11 & 8 so I'm expecting them to be serious about winning starting in T-Mac's 3rd season. That is two more off-seasons of draft picks and UDFA signings. Some old money gone or with one year left. Things will change before then because you have to have a roster, but the only players under contract at that point for more than one season--outside of 11 & 8--is Quick with one year left. Brown/Carter are in their last year. Blake will have a lot of money to work with but, prior to that, the scouting staff has to crush it. They simply must hit on this #5 pick with a Top 6/Top 4 guy at a minimum. Getting another one out of the first round would do wonders. I know there aren't guarantees but it is the best way to try and build sustained contender status since you can't force UFA's to sign here and, historically, the Kings have struck out on the big names.

Also to your point about how many Top 10 picks were on the 2012 team: How many 1st round picks in general were on that team? How about three from the greatest draft in NHL history? You can then toss Gaborik (Top 5), Regher and even Schultz on to the fire for 2014. Eight in 2012 (Nine with Bernier on the bench) and 11 in 2014. Stoll/Greene/Clifford/Voynov all 2nd round picks. That's 15 total players from the 1st/2nd round for the 2014 team. Only two Top 10 players and, not surprisingly, they were key in Doughty/Gaborik. Well, the Kings are getting a Top 5 pick this year and will hopefully have better luck in the lottery next year and at least still be in the Top 10 if they wind up black hole. Look how Nolan Patrick is apparently available. Maybe he is a bust or he is still only 20 years old and was the 2nd overall pick only two years ago. Opportunities present themselves and Blake should have the assets to pounce in a couple of years.

 

[SettlementRichie10]

Trust me, there are many long-time San Jose fans that know the score when it comes to Stanley Cups, and it sticks in their craw. I have a pretty good idea the San Jose roster in five years won't be pretty. Probably more like three years.

I don't think San Jose will win with this roster, because when you compare it to other Western Conference teams on the rise, it doesn't measure up.

I would rather make a run for the top of the mountain for three seasons every six or seven years than be in the position of best regular season team over the last fifteen years. We have a basic philosophical difference, and I don't respect your philosophy on what fans want to see. I am more than happy to support a young struggling team as they move closer to the ultimate prize. What I won't support is complacency.

So much this.

08/09 and 09/10 were some of the funnest years I’ve had watching this team. You knew they were young and getting better and it made you get behind them all the more.

 

[Voight]

Couture acting like that 2016 1st round win was the Cup and the Gold medal and a Nobel Prize all wrapped into one just because Doughty took his lunch money in 2014.

That alone refreshed the Sharks curse for another 10 years.

The best is when he talked about how he and DD are such good friends.... only for Doughty to say its not really the case.

 

[lumbergh]

This thread sucks.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

The Flyers have lost their f***ing minds. $7 million per year for Kevin Hayes?!