Around the League | And then there were four.

[SeawaterOnIce]

The country's lack of Cups is a combination of bad luck (lots of SCF Game 6/7 losses) and owners prioritizing short-term revenue over long-term success. The "fan factor" only really contributes to the latter problem, but should not be affecting players directly.

We have a lot of European players who can attest to soccer culture in their home countries bearing x100 more pressure. Not just in the form of being scrutinized in the media, but having to deal with thousands of Ultras who feel they're entitled to be bigoted or outright violent if their club aren't doing things their way.

There's a reason why an old mate signed in the Swiss Super League for 100k less than continue his career in the EFL champ league. Management and obssesive fans can be irrational and scary to deal with.

 

[4th line culture]

It’s not a coincidence that Canada hasn’t won a cup in ages, there’s definitely something towards the pressure, that being said, it’s not the main reason

Buttman

 

[vancityluongo]

I want a Florida / Dallas Final. I think the hockey would be insanely entertaining (and I want Edmonton to lose).

I feel like we might get a 2006 Rematch between Carolina and Edmonton, with a sinking feeling Edmonton would take it.

nah. would way rather see the oilers in the final and lose again (ie. get the personal joy AND economic benefits) than cheer for loser jamie benn lol

and screw florida - mainly their owner, but also marchand, tkachuk, and their lack of fanbase too. lu has a cup, don't care if he gets another.

carolina winning would be fun for a lot of reason (best of what's left), but tulsky winning in his first official season after dealing rantanen at the deadline? the analytics discourse would be through the roof.

 

[me2]

nah. would way rather see the oilers in the final and lose again (ie. get the personal joy AND economic benefits) than cheer for loser jamie benn lol

and screw florida - mainly their owner, but also marchand, tkachuk, and their lack of fanbase too. lu has a cup, don't care if he gets another.

carolina winning would be fun for a lot of reason (best of what's left), but tulsky winning in his first official season after dealing rantanen at the deadline? the analytics discourse would be through the roof.

Carolina vs Dallas. Extra spicey

Rantanen vs the world.
His old team
#1 team
McDavid
His other old team

 

[ManVanFan]

nah. would way rather see the oilers in the final and lose again (ie. get the personal joy AND economic benefits) than cheer for loser jamie benn lol

and screw florida - mainly their owner, but also marchand, tkachuk, and their lack of fanbase too. lu has a cup, don't care if he gets another.

carolina winning would be fun for a lot of reason (best of what's left), but tulsky winning in his first official season after dealing rantanen at the deadline? the analytics discourse would be through the roof.

The amount of exploding heads in here would be something if Carolina won.

Carolina
Dallas
Florida
Edmonton

Order I'd like to see win the cup.

 

[Mr. Canucklehead]

Carolina vs Dallas. Extra spicey

Rantanen vs the world.
His old team
#1 team
McDavid
His other old team

Actually, this. This is my revised answer.

 

[thecupismine]

The pressure thing seems to be a hockey-specific thing.

Small markets in basketball constantly get wrecked by stars saying screw it I’m going to a big market. In football no one ever talks about the media pressure other than saying people don’t talk about them enough. I’ve never heard anyone in either sport say the pressure of playing in a big market gets to them, other than like, Ben Simmons, and he’s been absolutely roasted since.

I don’t watch a lot of soccer, and baseball is entirely different because there is no cap, but the whole “pressure makes me play bad/makes me want to play somewhere else” thing makes hockey players sound mentally soft as hell.

 

[Jerry the great]

It would be kind of hilarious if Marner went to Florida and signed for less than $10MM

 

[sting101]

It’s not a coincidence that Canada hasn’t won a cup in ages, there’s definitely something towards the pressure, that being said, it’s not the main reason

what is the difference in pressure?

 

[quat]

It’s not a coincidence that Canada hasn’t won a cup in ages, there’s definitely something towards the pressure, that being said, it’s not the main reason

The pressure is on management from the owners to always milk the most they can from their fanbases. Leads to impatience and poor decisions.

Tkatchuckuck forced a trade to a team that has been on welfare from Teams like the laffs for most of their existence
, and he's slagging that market. He's clearly got the brains of his father.

 

[bandwagonesque]

That's why I have trouble believing that's Formenton's attorneys were making fun of the jurors.





I hate this kind of thinking. There is a right to legal counsel. That means that somebody has to defend the accused. I know that not everyone agrees but procedural fairness matters. If a cop tortures someone to get a confession should that be allowed because that person is "credibly accused?" Should evidence that was obtained solely because a cop racially profiled the accused be allowed to support a conviction? Should a doctor be allowed to not save someone or even purposely botch the surgery/treatment simply because that doctor believes that he's saving a murderer and will continue to murder if he gets to live? If your cousin murder someone's cousin should you be murdered because it's only fair?

People do get falsely accused and convicted of crimes. As a society we've determined that it's best to let 100 guilty persons go free than convict one innocent person.

None of this has anything to do with my point. I understand and approve of the notion of everyone deserving legal counsel. It was literally the first thing I said. I simply think the people who defend people who probably committed rape, and who do so by attacking and insulting the women who have accused their clients, are probably soulless.

 

[Jyrki]

There's a reason why an old mate signed in the Swiss Super League for 100k less than continue his career in the EFL champ league. Management and obssesive fans can be irrational and scary to deal with.

Still a sweet gig for him, I bet. Peace of mind has no price.

 

[stampedingviking]

Well at least I used the time of the game to finish this guy:
View attachment 1038644

Gonna do the base terrain and some touch up another day.

Looking good.

 

[Nick Lang]

The country's lack of Cups is a combination of bad luck (lots of SCF Game 6/7 losses) and owners prioritizing short-term revenue over long-term success. The "fan factor" only really contributes to the latter problem, but should not be affecting players directly.

We have a lot of European players who can attest to soccer culture in their home countries bearing x100 more pressure. Not just in the form of being scrutinized in the media, but having to deal with thousands of Ultras who feel they're entitled to be bigoted or outright violent if their club aren't doing things their way.

Yup, mostly owners prioritizing sort-term revenue. Canadian fans are so hardcore they believe they can always make it, and both demand and support the cause financially. It's just been easier for the GM's and owners to keep doing just that as the fans keep coming back no matter what. Ottawa and then Montreal the only teams in the past 20-30 years that have embraced a proper rebuild, although Ottawa has had some struggles after the fact.

 

[Nuckles]

Caps d-man Alexander Alexeyev pepper sprayed and arrested for public intoxication after getting into a fight

JUST IN: Washington Capitals player charged after incident in Clarendon | ARLnow.com

A Washington Capitals player was pepper sprayed and arrested in Clarendon early Saturday, ARLnow has learned. The incident happened around 3:30 a.m. Saturday on the 3100 block of Clarendon Blvd, amid Clarendon's bar district but well after closing time. According to scanner traffic, it took...

www.arlnow.com

Washington Capitals player charged after incident in Clarendon​

A Washington Capitals player was pepper sprayed and arrested in Clarendon early Saturday, ARLnow has learned.

The incident happened around 3:30 a.m. Saturday on the 3100 block of Clarendon Blvd, amid Clarendon’s bar district but well after closing time. According to scanner traffic, it took place in front of Big Tony’s Pizzeria, across from the Metro station.

“At approximately 3:26 a.m. on May 17, officers on patrol in the 3100 block of Clarendon Boulevard were flagged down by a witness who reported an active fight outside of a business,” Arlington County Police Department spokesperson Kiyah Daniell tells ARLnow.

“Officers subsequently observed the male suspect involved in a physical altercation with the male subject,” Daniell said. “As officers approached, the male suspect assaulted the male subject, and one officer deployed pepper spray as he was taken into custody. The suspect was treated on scene by medics for pepper spray exposure.”

A crime report notes that “Aleksandr Alekseev, 25, of Arlington, Va. was arrested and charged with Public Intoxication.”

A booking photo obtained by ARLnow clearly shows Alex Alexeyev, the 25-year-old Russian defenseman for the Caps who lost several teeth to a high stick during the team’s recently concluded playoff run. Alexeyev was signed to a two-year, $1.65 million contract in 2023.

Clarendon is a well-known hangout for Caps players, who practice at the team’s headquarters at the Medstar Capitals Iceplex in Ballston. The team brought the Stanley Cup to a private celebration at Don Tito in 2018 and watched the Nationals win the World Series at a now-defunct Clarendon sports bar in 2019.

Alexeyev was booked at the Arlington County jail in Courthouse at 4:19 a.m. Saturday, but was later released, online records show. There’s no word yet on a court date.

 

[LuckyDay]

For a while, Ken Holland started trend where he would invest little into goaltending because there is an abundance of them around the world and only 30 (back then) starter jobs available. In theory, this strategy makes a ton of sense when building a roster because the pool of goaltenders was rich and you can train them to cover zones of the net and make the high percentage play.

Now, the game has evolved where you actually need high athletic, high IQ goalies to counter offensive plays that are formulated by players like McDavid and Draisaitl.

Goaltending is once again an important position that you need to invest heavily into and top tier goalies are expensive. I’m surprised Oilers haven’t made it a high priority yet but they might be able to outscore their way for now.

this year, thanks to these playoffs, there's talk again that you can no longer rely on just a #1 goalie with a backup. I sure hope the tandem is back. The Canucks had three good goalies in the playoffs last year.

It has to do with scouting, IMO. Not just the goalies but the defensive systems and how to take advantage of them. The way that Hellybuck was surgically amputated and almost cost them in the first round and for the past few years shows a few things: scouting as a I said; related, a series against one team is not the same as the regular season; also related, is the exposure for doing so well; and too many games and overworked in the regular season leaves you nothing left in the tank when it really matters.

 

[LuckyDay]

There is really no way you can convince talent to sign in a crazed hockey market unless you overpay.

A few players took a "salary cut" to play in their home team Toronto (the results speak for themselves).

 

[I am toxic]

View attachment 1039026

Yes, you are correct

That is @Bleach Clean on the left, @MS on the right

I am once again in the background

So, @Vector said no more kitten gifs

 

[arttk]

A few players took a "salary cut" to play in their home team Toronto (the results speak for themselves).

And there is Marner who squeezed as much as he could for his last contract with Toronto.

 

[Jyrki21]

The country's lack of Cups is a combination of bad luck (lots of SCF Game 6/7 losses) and owners prioritizing short-term revenue over long-term success. The "fan factor" only really contributes to the latter problem, but should not be affecting players directly.

Another reason everyone leaves out is that all the Canadian teams are concentrated in the same divisions (it used to basically be 2 out of 6), so they structurally stand in each other's way. It's not surprising that you rarely see more than 3 or 4 in the playoffs, since it'd basically be impossible.

 

[supercanuck]

I want Dallas to win for 2 reasons: 1) That means the Oilers lost, 2) Aqua would probably not be happy seeing Gaglardi winning a Cup

 

[me2]

Another reason everyone leaves out is that all the Canadian teams are concentrated in the same divisions (it used to basically be 2 out of 6), so they structurally stand in each other's way. It's not surprising that you rarely see more than 3 or 4 in the playoffs, since it'd basically be impossible.

That's not necessarily a bad thing. A Canadian team beating another Canadian team means one goes to the next round.

 

[F A N]

None of this has anything to do with my point. I understand and approve of the notion of everyone deserving legal counsel. It was literally the first thing I said. I simply think the people who defend people who probably committed rape, and who do so by attacking and insulting the women who have accused their clients, are probably soulless.

Perhaps I didn't get my point across cogently. My point is that you agree that everyone deserves legal counsel. That means that somebody has to be that legal counsel. But then you take issue with the legal counsel's methods and vilify them them for their methods/doing their job. Kind of reminds me of Colonel Jessop's speech in a few good man: "I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide and then questions the manner in which I provide it." But we do question the manner of things. The examples I gave relates to cops and doctors.

Of course we're talking about checks and balances. I am sure that you are aware of some of the legal concepts at play. Lawyers have a duty to advocate zealously for their client. You seem to be suggesting that these defence lawyers should half ass their jobs or not employ litigation strategy that is in the best interests of their client to employ. You think it's a good look to "attack" and "insult" women in front of a judge and jury? Of course not. That's why you often see a woman cross-examining the woman. If that is the strategy they are employing that's the strategy they chose to employ.

There's also the legal concept that an accused gets to face his accuser. In the States, they call it the right to "confront" your accuser. At the end of the day this is life and death for those accused. You can't say that the accused deserves legal counsel and then criticize the legal counsel for defending the accused as best they can. It's not their job to go easy on the alleged victim. If their "attacks and insults" as you would put it are out of bounds that's for crown counsel to object and the judge to rule on. We already have some "rape shield" laws in place that are meant to protect women accusing someone of sexual assault. You can argue that more needs to be done but that is besides the point.

Again, you can disagree with the system we have in place. There are some countries where defense counsels are limited in what they can do and the conviction rate is close to 100%. But that's not what our society's laws are founded upon. We believe in due process and that includes requiring crown counsel to prove that a crime was committed beyond a reasonable doubt and allow the accused to essentially "confront" his accuser.

 

[F A N]

The pressure thing seems to be a hockey-specific thing.

Small markets in basketball constantly get wrecked by stars saying screw it I’m going to a big market. In football no one ever talks about the media pressure other than saying people don’t talk about them enough. I’ve never heard anyone in either sport say the pressure of playing in a big market gets to them, other than like, Ben Simmons, and he’s been absolutely roasted since.

I don’t watch a lot of soccer, and baseball is entirely different because there is no cap, but the whole “pressure makes me play bad/makes me want to play somewhere else” thing makes hockey players sound mentally soft as hell.

Actually Lebron has talked about the pressure of winning a championship for the Lakers. I think there is genuine pressure to play on some teams where fans expect you to help deliver a championship.

I think one difference in hockey is that going to a smaller market doesn't really affect your ability to earn money all that much. Also, I think basketball players tend to crave media attention more than hockey players. A lot of hockey players seem more content being able to like walk their dog without being recognized and interferred with. Most hockey players don't have an active social media accounts.

 

[Jyrki21]

That's not necessarily a bad thing. A Canadian team beating another Canadian team means one goes to the next round.

OK, but the point is they’re all jockeying for the same few playoff spots because they aren’t distributed evenly throughout the league.