Around the League - 2023 Offseason Edition

[UncleRisto]

Good thing Mailloux isn't a Jacket.

Kekäläinen just heard about this Babcock thing and iced a trade for Carter Hart.

 

[BaconNater]

There is way too much going on this morning between this and Tatar and Rodgers and fantasy football waivers can't they spread it all out

 

[Balthazar]

I forgot that Babcock was the Jackets coach. Jarmo must go.

 

[22FUTON9]

I’m not sure if it’s been posted here but the Yakupov interview he did on a podcast is pretty good.
Talks a bit about Mackinnon from the 59:40 mark.
Pretty interesting interview in general

 

[LOFIN]

I wanted to like the Babcock hire, because I like Jarmo as a GM, and I didn't mind giving Babs a chance to redeem his reputation. But if this turns out to be true, then lol...

I don't even know how you would sort this out. I know some people yell for the easy answer of fire 'em both, but the CBJ ownership really likes Kekäläinen apparently. So what should he do? Fire Babcock? Even if you could actually find the grounds of terminating the contract based on the fact that Babcock has lied to them during the interviewing process or something, that's a bad time to change a coach. A week before training camp. How did that first year go for Bednar?

Maybe Jarmo needs to pull some Babcock shit on Babcock to sort this out I don't know lol.

 

[Gumballhead]

The gatekeeping has to be close.

Kids playing soccer has never translated though, so I'm not sure playing the sport is a prerequisite to being a spectator. What's the percentage on this board who played.

I think the NHL's best potential for international growth is East Asia: China, Japan, Taiwan, And South Korea. Industrialized Countries with winter and decent amounts of registered players.


I do think the NHL is more concerned about how hockey is handled on ESPN right now (thinking back to the '01 Cup finals where they were showing early season baseball highlights during the intermissions).

I definitely played soccer before any other sports, but I was so little it was just running around basically, and I'm old enough that there wasn't a lot of skill teaching back then. Very intramural feel to it. I think tons of kids played soccer in the US before even finding out whether they were athletically gifted at all, and those who are usually end up playing the more popular sports here. Exceptions all over of course, particularly if you live in a state with a big soccer infrastructure. As a kid in Iowa, that's not the case. Where I went next, Minnesota, has a pretty healthy soccer culture, especially around the Twin Cities and the college towns. I played soccer in high school and was a decent JV player but awful on varsity. I could outrun most kids so that was my only chance hahaha.

Hockey was my other sport we tried when I was a little kid, part of the Sioux City Musketeers local program, but it was too hard to get me to practices so that didn't last long. Never played hockey again. Ironically I ended up being a 3 sport letterman at Shattuck-St. Mary's

 

[The Merchant]

 

[LOFIN]

For what it's worth, Mike Commodore has had a personal vendetta against Mike Babcock for years.

Not saying he can't hear things.

 

[sethro109]

 

[expatriatedtexan]

Please delete.

 

[Avs_19]

What a clown show and needless distraction to start the season in Columbus. Babcock isn't someone who deserves the benefit of the doubt as he has lost that now with his prior behavior. Then you have two of the biggest idiots in hockey "media" on the other side in Bissonnette and Commodore.

 

[S E P H]

Simply elegant banter here

 

[LOFIN]

Also, a former Leafs assistant posted a thread on twitter where he said Babs did the same thing with coaching staff in 2019. "Share a photo of your life" or something. So my takeaway is, that this is nothing malicious. Phones should be private, and I don't think it's an ok thing for a superior to ask his subordinate to do. But pretty much a nothing burger story in the end, where a few ex-players with strong convictions wanted to create an issue.

 

[henchman21]

There's certainly a group of former players out to get Babcock by any means they can. From the sounds of this, it is an innocent thing meant to get the team to bond. You can call hokey or dumb (and I'd agree), but it wasn't malicious.

 

[Foppa2118]

I'm not really buying that characterization from Babcock or Jenner either. Sounds like PR damage control.

This feels weird and Babcock has already shown us who he is many times. Hard for me to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Probably not creepy sexual, but I'm not buying that this was just a team bonding thing to make them feel like a family. Babcock has some sort of ulterior motive going here. He always does.

Wouldn't be surprised if the plan was that if they go on a losing streak, or a player gets in a slump, he'd put on a montage of their family and friends on the TV in the background while he's grilling them about disappointing the "family."

 

[Ceremony]

I am disinclined to believe any apparent vendetta the Spittin Chiclets boys have to grind.

 

[sethro109]

I am disinclined to believe any apparent vendetta the Spittin Chiclets boys have to grind.

I don't think they have a vendetta. They just saw a gold mine of jokes and ran with it.

 

[expatriatedtexan]

This kinda sucks. I actually enjoyed the energy Biz brought to TNT's studio, but this seems pretty much like it was intended to mislead or at the very least just stir shit up for no reason. Not sure I can be a fan of him as a "journalist/analyst" when he's pulling stunts like that.

 

[Bill Peckerskull]

Looks like Nick Holden has decided to retire

 

[CobraAcesS]

Crazy

Hockey is only a niche sport that no one cares about, just like soccer is in North America

Everyone I talk to about hockey that doesn't follow it says they don't understand it, but like it.

The American way

 

[Bill Peckerskull]

Looks like Nick Holden has decided to retire

 

[sethro109]

With Holden developing their defensemen we never have to worry about Vegas winning again.

 

[Balthazar]

With Holden developing their defensemen we never have to worry about Vegas winning again.

Dude had such a loooong NHL career after leaving the Avs. No one expected this.

 

[Avs_19]

Naz wouldn't lie.

In my head I just picture Gaudreau whining about this.

 

[CobraAcesS]

Dude had such a loooong NHL career after leaving the Avs. No one expected this.

Except @henchman21








literally no one else lmao, well, and Roy..