Around the League - 2023 Offseason Edition

[Foppa2118]

Good for Z. He's gonna catch heat for that.

 

[the_fan]

Now he better hide from Putin

 

[Bill Peckerskull]

 

[Foppa2118]

Good on Ovi. I’m sick of everyone’s ideologies being shoved down my throat at sporting events. I’m not specifically talking about pride nights. All the military stuff too for example - I’m here to watch hockey that’s it.

Hesitate to get into this, but do the players wearing pride jerseys during warmup really impact your viewing experience though? Same with anything else in that vein.

There's ads all over the ice and now on helmets and jerseys trying to sell you products you don't want. To go along with multiple commercial breaks interrupting the game and doing the same thing. Multiple anthems and former player celebrations delaying the start of games.

That's way more distracting and impactful on just trying to watch hockey, than what they do before the game, or during intermission on pride night or military appreciation night.

 

[Chiarelli]

Hesitate to get into this, but do the players wearing pride jerseys during warmup really impact your viewing experience though? Same with anything else in that vein.

There's ads all over the ice and now on helmets and jerseys trying to sell you products you don't want. To go along with multiple commercial breaks interrupting the game and doing the same thing. Multiple anthems and former player celebrations delaying the start of games.

That's way more distracting and impactful on just trying to watch hockey, than what they do before the game, or during intermission on pride night or military appreciation night.

You make a good point - they should get rid of the ads on jerseys/ice/boards as well as commercials too.

 

[Foppa2118]

You make a good point - they should get rid of the ads on jerseys/ice/boards as well as commercials too.

Ok fair enough, at least that's consistent to how you view it. They won't though and we don't make a big deal out of it the same way.

 

[Chiarelli]

Ok fair enough, at least that's consistent to how you view it.

Definitely is. Actually the other one that really pisses me off is all the gambling ads we’re seeing lately.

Queue old man yells at cloud meme

 

[Foppa2118]

Definitely is. Actually the other one that really pisses me off is all the gambling ads we’re seeing lately.

I like various forms of gambling, and poker, but that definitely has some moral ambiguity to it too, because some really struggle with the addiction and ruin their lives. And they're pushing it like crazy.

 

[expatriatedtexan]

Hesitate to get into this, but do the players wearing pride jerseys during warmup really impact your viewing experience though? Same with anything else in that vein.

There's ads all over the ice and now on helmets and jerseys trying to sell you products you don't want. To go along with multiple commercial breaks interrupting the game and doing the same thing. Multiple anthems and former players celebrations delaying the start of games.

That's way more distracting and impactful on just trying to watch hockey, than what they do before the game, or during intermission on pride night or military appreciation night.

No matter how many themed nights they offer, I'll always take the under. I find them all to be more or less patronizing because of how canned an unoriginal they are. As a vet, I literally cringe on Military appreciation night. Of course, being a world-class hypocrite, I do admit to smiling during Hockey Fights Cancer and Movember, so there's that.

I can see where individuals view each of these nights differently and I'm sure the players views are just as varied as the publics. That's why I guess I'm okay with the solution they came up with which is to still host the nights (to show support for all these different groups) but not wear special jerseys requiring players to take a stand they may or may not normally be willing to share publicly. Yes, athletes are celebrities, but they are not where they are, for the most part, because of their knowledge of political science and medical acumen. Why we need them to kiss our rings is beyond me. I'd rather just watch a hockey game.

On the topic of the ads, I'm actually mostly okay with it. My biggest pet peeve is the animated ads. Those absolutely are terribly distracting when they go off during play. If they could just lock the ads during game play and then go nuts during the stoppages, I'd be fine.

 

[Foppa2118]

No matter how many themed nights they offer, I'll always take the under. I find them all to be more or less patronizing because of how canned an unoriginal they are. As a vet, I literally cringe on Military appreciation night. Of course, being a world-class hypocrite, I do admit to smiling during Hockey Fights Cancer and Movember, so there's that.

I can see where individuals view each of these nights differently and I'm sure the players views are just as varied as the publics. That's why I guess I'm okay with the solution they came up with which is to still host the nights (to show support for all these different groups) but not wear special jerseys requiring players to take a stand they may or may not normally be willing to share publicly. Yes, athletes are celebrities, but they are not where they are, for the most part, because of their knowledge of political science and medical acumen. Why we need them to kiss our rings is beyond me. I'd rather just watch a hockey game.

I get it. I've never been a raw raw patriotic type or flag waiver. And I don't feel the need to tell vets I appreciate their service, even if I do.

But as I've gotten older and gained perspective on the rest of the world, while nowhere near perfect, my appreciation for this country has grown a lot, as has my appreciation for those like you that volunteered to protect what we (myself included) sometimes take for granted.

I don't particularly like the military appreciation nights. They can definitely be corny and staged. But at the same time it doesn't really bother me much. If other people like it and the vets involved feel a sense of appreciation, that's a good thing IMO. Especially with service rates dropping.

Contrast that with how the vets who didn't have a choice were treated after Vietnam and I'll take the over on the military appreciation nights every time. Though once a year is probably enough.

 

[expatriatedtexan]

I get it. I've never been a raw raw patriotic type or flag waiver. And I don't feel the need to tell vets I appreciate their service, even if I do.

But as I've gotten older and gained perspective on the rest of the world, while nowhere near perfect, my appreciation for this country has grown a lot, as has my appreciation for those like you that volunteered to protect what we (myself included) sometimes take for granted.

I don't particularly like the military appreciation nights. They can definitely be corny and staged. But at the same time it doesn't really bother me much. If other people like it and the vets involved feel a sense of appreciation, that's a good thing IMO. Especially with service rates dropping.

Contrast that with how the vets who didn't have a choice were treated after Vietnam and I'll take the over on the military appreciation nights every time. Though once a year is probably enough.

No doubt. I can't believe some of the stories my dad told me about coming home. He doesn't speak about it often but its can be pretty gut-wrenching when does.

The worst that ever happened to me was I saw a sign in someone's yard in Portsmouth, NH that read, "Sailors and dogs, keep off the grass."

 

[Foppa2118]

The worst that ever happened to me was I saw a sign in someone's yard in Portsmouth, NH that read, "Sailors and dogs, keep off the grass."

Haha, probably a Marine.

 

[Avsboy]

Bert's agent is smiling

He’s gonna….Earnie

 

[dahrougem2]

Dominik Hasek still probably thinks Zadorov should be put in a cage with 7 rabid wolves, 3 sabertooth tigers and a gaggle of silverback apes while drowsy and left to fend for himself.

Or close to it.

F*** Dominik Hasek is the moral of this post.

 

[thedoctor]

Dominik Hasek still probably thinks Zadorov should be put in a cage with 7 rabid wolves, 3 sabertooth tigers and a gaggle of silverback apes while drowsy and left to fend for himself.

Or close to it.

F*** Dominik Hasek is the moral of this post.

Did I miss something? I thought he was Czech...

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Did I miss something? I thought he was Czech...

Hasek has gone a bit crazy with his hate on Russia. A bit absurd level.

 

[MarkT]

Again, that's not how it works. Young players with high pedigrees aren't going to be sent to Cleveland or the Marlies or back to junior because they told Babcock to f*** off when he asked to look through their phones.

This isn't some 26 year old potential 4th liner here. These young kids - and their agents, especially - have the ability to tell Babcock to f*** off and not be punished because there are lines of communication between GM and player/agent that don't include a coach.

I'm not sure where you're getting the info that it was only high pedigree young players Babcock asked for their phone, but even so it's ridiculous to think that Babcock couldn't f*** with a high pedigree player's career if he wants to. You really seem to think that the head coach of the team has no power, and it all rests with the young player and their agent. Even just being labelled by Babs as "not a team player" could end up negatively affecting a player's career. And don't pretend there haven't been players with high pedigrees that never made it, or ended up never getting much of a chance outside the bottom 6.

I'll give an example: Tage Thompson. He was drafted 26th overall, but has never anything but a marginal player in St Louis before he was traded to Buffalo. There he was again a marginal player, and spend two seasons in the AHL. Finally a new coach gives him a chance in the top 6 and now he's a superstar.

Now, we don't know why Thompson was never really give any sustained shot in the top 6 in the NHL until Don Granato did it, but it could have easily been coaches not liking him. Maybe he's the guy who refused to do something the coach asked. Regardless of the reason, he's a good example of a high pedigree guy with tons of talent who nonetheless was sent to the AHL and played on the 4th line.

And to counter your final point there, yeah there will be lines of communication between the agent and the GM. So here's what the GM hears:
Agent (clearly biased in favor of his player): The coach is being unfair the my client all because he said no to (photo situation)
Babs: That player is not buying in to the culture we are trying to create here. I did the same thing with all the other players and none of them had a problem with it - in fact it was a great way to create some bonding. I'm not sure (player) is the kind of person we want for this team.

If you're the GM, who are you going to believe?

 

[The Moops]

Miss him bros

 

[UncleRisto]

Avoid balconies and windows.

 

[Soedy]

Love Z.

He also confirms, that there are russian NHL players who still support the propaganda and the regime which isn't a surprise to me.

 

[henchman21]

Love Z.

He also confirms, that there are russian NHL players who still support the propaganda and the regime which isn't a surprise to me.

Most support it actually.

 

[ABasin]

Love Z.

He also confirms, that there are russian NHL players who still support the propaganda

Russia isn't the only country with a propaganda machine, LOL.

I'm in the middle on Zadorov. Liked his physical game, and there always seemed to be some untapped offensive potential there.

But damn - it seemed that several times a game, that guy just had brain farts that would make Mitch McConnell concerned. Not sure how you coach that out of a player.

 

[AvsGuy]

Avoid balconies and windows.

Zadorov can't fit out a window or on a balcony

 

[UncleRisto]

Zadorov can't fit out a window or on a balcony

Well then avoid climbing up the side of a skyscraper.

 

[AvsGuy]

Well then avoid climbing up the side of a skyscraper.