Around the NHL 2023-24

[Rybread86]

Players getting so mad because of some empty net shit is some real pathetic nonsense. For a league that prides itself on how tough the players are, they are some of the most mentally soft people around. “Oh no, you scored an empty net goal the wrong way. You broke some unwritten code, now im going to physically beat you.” God, grow up and take your loss like an adult

It matters to competitive people, especially at these levels. Always has, always will. Just like a guy doing a a 2 handed dunk and hanging on the rim after a breakaway. You show boat, youre going to be a target.

Its one thing to tell your kid to lose with class. Thats a good life lesson. You also dont or shouldnt have kids show boating and trying to show up the competition. Because the other kids should also be taught to win with class. These arent kids, they arent playing for a participation trophy.

 

[Kalv]

Fowler for Matthews straight up. They get the minute munching guy.

 

[dracom]

It matters to competitive people, especially at these levels. Always has, always will. Just like a guy doing a a 2 handed dunk and hanging on the rim after a breakaway. You show boat, youre going to be a target.

Its one thing to tell your kid to lose with class. Thats a good life lesson. You also dont or shouldnt have kids show boating and trying to show up the competition. Because the other kids should also be taught to win with class. These arent kids, they arent playing for a participation trophy.

i get where you're coming from I just dont think I really agree with it. This feels like people getting upset over Zegras scoring lacrosse goals because it's "disrespectful way to score." Don't want to get embarrassed by opponent? don't get in that position. I would feel way more sympathy for Reilly if Greig had made some big showboating celebration for the empty net goal, but he didn't.

 

[FiveHoleTickler]

i get where you're coming from I just dont think I really agree with it. This feels like people getting upset over Zegras scoring lacrosse goals because it's "disrespectful way to score." Don't want to get embarrassed by opponent? don't get in that position. I would feel way more sympathy for Reilly if Greig had made some big showboating celebration for the empty net goal, but he didn't.

Git gud lolz

 

[Rybread86]

i get where you're coming from I just dont think I really agree with it. This feels like people getting upset over Zegras scoring lacrosse goals because it's "disrespectful way to score." Don't want to get embarrassed by opponent? don't get in that position. I would feel way more sympathy for Reilly if Greig had made some big showboating celebration for the empty net goal, but he didn't.

Zegras scoring a goal in the middle of a game is different than Grieg taking a slapshot on an empty net from 5 ft away and no one around him. And "dont get in that position"? Empty netters happen virtually every night in the NHL. 99.9% of the time, they are handled with class from both sides.

Rielly also didnt give Grieg time to celebrate lol And its not about Rielly, hes just the one who took it upon himself to dish out the vengeance.

Also, are we even talking about this if the stick didnt goto Griegs dome?

 

[dracom]

Zegras scoring a goal in the middle of a game is different than Grieg taking a slapshot on an empty net from 5 ft away and no one around him. And "dont get in that position"? Empty netters happen virtually every night in the NHL. 99.9% of the time, they are handled with class from both sides.

Rielly also didnt give Grieg time to celebrate lol And its not about Rielly, hes just the one who took it upon himself to dish out the vengeance.

Also, are we even talking about this if the stick didnt goto Griegs dome?

it's about not scoring the right way. Greig is there to win and score right? he did that, just not in the way others want him because of some unwritten code. If Reilly had just not cross checked him in the head I doubt we would be talking about it, but he did. His reaction was over the top for what caused it. "Dishing out vengeance" cause someone took a slap shot to your empty net is some soft mindset mentality I will never get behind.

 

[Rybread86]

it's about not scoring the right way. Greig is there to win and score right? he did that, just not in the way others want him because of some unwritten code. If Reilly had just not cross checked him in the head I doubt we would be talking about it, but he did. His reaction was over the top for what caused it. "Dishing out vengeance" cause someone took a slap shot to your empty net is some soft mindset mentality I will never get behind.

Unwritten rules are in every game and what make sports so complex and intriguing. The higher you go in sports, the higher the level of competition and competitiveness in the players. If they dont have that passion, they likely arent the best in the game. Its not "soft mindset mentality", its almost the exact opposite. These guys are so passionate, so keyed up.... its war. The code is there for a reason and when it gets broken, you see retaliation.

I guarantee, you do not want to see that stuff come to an end. You kill that stuff, you will kill the passion of the game and the product will suffer because of it. It will turn into a skills competition and ruin the sport.

 

[The Midnight Burrito]

Stop saying "dome."

 

[Rybread86]

Stop saying "dome."

Dome.

 

[FiveHoleTickler]

Stop saying "dome."

 

[JAHV]

Unwritten rules are in every game and what make sports so complex and intriguing. The higher you go in sports, the higher the level of competition and competitiveness in the players. If they dont have that passion, they likely arent the best in the game. Its not "soft mindset mentality", its almost the exact opposite. These guys are so passionate, so keyed up.... its war. The code is there for a reason and when it gets broken, you see retaliation.

I guarantee, you do not want to see that stuff come to an end. You kill that stuff, you will kill the passion of the game and the product will suffer because of it. It will turn into a skills competition and ruin the sport.

Maybe I'm an outlier, but I don't agree with this. I watch the game for the skill. I would much rather see a bunch of humble, respectful players go out there and do amazing things with the puck. You can be passionate without being stupid and unnecessarily violent. There can be physicality in the game without masculine posturing.

I don't need to see the stuff after the whistles - it's the stuff between the whistles that I'm interested in, and I don't think the quality of the latter is inextricably linked to the intensity of the former.

 

[Rasp]

If someone did that to another person on the street they would be thrown in jail so why is it ok to do it on tv in front of kids they are supposed to be role models for?

Weakness is letting emotions control your actions

 

[ohcomeonref]

If someone did that to another person on the street they would be thrown in jail so why is it ok to do it on tv in front of kids they are supposed to be role models for?

Weakness is letting emotions control your actions

But, you'd also go to jail for shooting a puck at someone on the streets. You simply can't compare the two.

 

[mightyquack]

There's literally no difference between snapping or taking a slap shot into the empty goal. Insane to think taking a slap shot is show boating or showing the other team up.

 

[Dr Johnny Fever]

The "unwritten" rules need to be re-written.

Run my goalie during the game I will come at you with a mean crosscheck. Use the same vengeance after the whistle for a meaningless EN goal totally not the same thing.

 

[Rybread86]

Maybe I'm an outlier, but I don't agree with this. I watch the game for the skill. I would much rather see a bunch of humble, respectful players go out there and do amazing things with the puck. You can be passionate without being stupid and unnecessarily violent. There can be physicality in the game without masculine posturing.

I don't need to see the stuff after the whistles - it's the stuff between the whistles that I'm interested in, and I don't think the quality of the latter is inextricably linked to the intensity of the former.

I mean, I just cant disagree more. Look back to all sports with any degree of physical play and you will see "masculine posturing". Every great high skill player I can remember has gotten in skirmishes. I just dont think you fully understand sports if you think you can take the ego, bravado, trash talk and violence out of sport and still have a good product that people want to watch.

Its exactly why All-Star games are such a gimmick and have struggled for viewership. Its why they have had to add so much showmanship to them and change up the format all the time. Just watching guys be skillful doesnt sell.

Look, back to the Reilly hit. If the stick doesnt go to Griegs cranium (for you @The Midnight Burrito ) then no one is talking about the aftermath. So I have to think people really only have issue with the hit to the noggin and not the action of going after Griegs itself. Otherwise, there should be a lot more discussions popping up about how we need to eliminate competitive passion and masculine posturing after the whistle. But Ill put money on the fact that we wont see those discussions happening. Reilly will be punished for going high, rightfully so, and then everyone will go back to cheering for their team when a scrum happens after a whistle.

 

[Rybread86]

There's literally no difference between snapping or taking a slap shot into the empty goal. Insane to think taking a slap shot is show boating or showing the other team up.

You dont think there is a difference in the energy thats put into that? If there was no difference, why would Griegs take the slap shot instead of just wristing it? if there was no difference, why do we pretty much only see wristers in that situation and not slapshots?

Why then when it was Kesler did we see an almost identical response? It matters, there is a difference and the players reactions tells as as much.

If someone did that to another person on the street they would be thrown in jail so why is it ok to do it on tv in front of kids they are supposed to be role models for?

Weakness is letting emotions control your actions

Sorry, this argument has never held up. There is so much that happens in sport that would be considered assault if you were just walking down the street.

 

[JAHV]

I mean, I just cant disagree more. Look back to all sports with any degree of physical play and you will see "masculine posturing". Every great high skill player I can remember has gotten in skirmishes. I just dont think you fully understand sports if you think you can take the ego, bravado, trash talk and violence out of sport and still have a good product that people want to watch. Almost every interview or documentary I have ever watched on the topic of eliminating hits, fights, tackles, etc, has had high level, professional athletes saying you cant and shouldnt eliminate that stuff unless you want to neuter the sport.

Its exactly why All-Star games are such a gimmick and have struggled for viewership. Its why they have had to add so much showmanship to them and change up the format all the time. Just watching guys be skillful doesnt sell.

Look, back to the Reilly hit. If the stick doesnt go to Griegs cranium (for you @The Midnight Burrito ) then no one is talking about the aftermath. So I have to think people really only have issue with the hit to the noggin and not the action of going after Griegs itself. Otherwise, there should be a lot more discussions popping up about how we need to eliminate competitive passion and masculine posturing after the whistle. But Ill put money on the fact that we wont see those discussions happening. Reilly will be punished for going high, rightfully so, and then everyone will go back to cheering for their team when a scrum happens after a whistle.

I've played sports for 35 years and coached for the last dozen years. This includes playing water polo at the high school and college level, and coaching high school water polo, one of the most physically demanding and physically intense sports on the planet. Water polo is an amazing sport, and while things can get incredibly intense, it rarely devolves into maniacal assault. Water polo, like other physical sports, is at its best when you have the passionate physical combat without the wanton violence that comes when someone gets their ego bruised and lashes out. It happens from time to time, of course, but it doesn't improve the entertainment value of the sport when it does.

I understand that some people enjoy the trash talk and bravado. That stuff adds nothing for me and often detracts from my enjoyment of professional sports. I'm entertained by guys making precision passes while skating at high speeds. I'm entertained by goalies diving across the net to stop a wide open goal. I'm entertained by a guy timing a hip check perfectly along the boards to stop a clean zone entry. I don't need it to be punctuated by players retaliating when they think someone has done something annoying.

I'm not looking to change anyone's minds on that, as much as I'd love to. Lots of people enjoy it. But I take exception to the notion that I don't understand what makes sports great.

 

[JabbaJabba]

But, you'd also go to jail for shooting a puck at someone on the streets. You simply can't compare the two.

Hockey players generally try to avoid shooting pucks at other players though. Like if you take a slap shot from the blue line you want it to go in the goal and not to get blocked by someone. Shooting pucks intentionally at opposing players isn't ok either.

 

[FiveHoleTickler]

I've played sports for 35 years and coached for the last dozen years. This includes playing water polo at the high school and college level, and coaching high school water polo, one of the most physically demanding and physically intense sports on the planet. Water polo is an amazing sport, and while things can get incredibly intense, it rarely devolves into maniacal assault. Water polo, like other physical sports, is at its best when you have the passionate physical combat without the wanton violence that comes when someone gets their ego bruised and lashes out. It happens from time to time, of course, but it doesn't improve the entertainment value of the sport when it does.

I understand that some people enjoy the trash talk and bravado. That stuff adds nothing for me and often detracts from my enjoyment of professional sports. I'm entertained by guys making precision passes while skating at high speeds. I'm entertained by goalies diving across the net to stop a wide open goal. I'm entertained by a guy timing a hip check perfectly along the boards to stop a clean zone entry. I don't need it to be punctuated by players retaliating when they think someone has done something annoying.

I'm not looking to change anyone's minds on that, as much as I'd love to. Lots of people enjoy it. But I take exception to the notion that I don't understand what makes sports great.

Having played water polo myself, guys simply don't have the energy (or a weapon, for that matter) to do something like what Reilly did.

And lashing out sure as shit happened on the regular. My testicles can attest to it.

 

[Rybread86]

Good write up on the incident

Both Ridly Greig and Morgan Rielly Are At Fault For End of Game Antics

The incident that occurred Saturday between Morgan Rielly and Ridly Greig was avoidable as both players made poor decisions.

nhlrumors.com

And agree with Whit here

 

[Rybread86]

So Rielly gets 5 games. I know Ill sound like a Leafs fan here, but I can totally see the argument that Rielly looks like hes going for shoulder but Grieg tries to block it and he blocks it up into his thinker.

Regardless if that were the case, theres some optics here they couldnt ignore. 5 seems fair.

I know Perron got 6, but he also went after the wrong dude, so +1 for being wrong.

 

[JAHV]

Having played water polo myself, guys simply don't have the energy (or a weapon, for that matter) to do something like what Reilly did.

And lashing out sure as shit happened on the regular. My testicles can attest to it.

Oh absolutely. But it wasn't posturing or bravado or defending your manhood (pun intended) - it was survival and/or gaining an advantage in order to score or prevent a goal.

I always hated trash talk and taunting, on both sides. Respect your opponent and just play the game.

 

[ohcomeonref]

Hockey players generally try to avoid shooting pucks at other players though. Like if you take a slap shot from the blue line you want it to go in the goal and not to get blocked by someone. Shooting pucks intentionally at opposing players isn't ok either.

I was talking about goalies, lol

 

[FiveHoleTickler]

Oh absolutely. But it wasn't posturing or bravado or defending your manhood (pun intended) - it was survival and/or gaining an advantage in order to score or prevent a goal.

I always hated trash talk and taunting, on both sides. Respect your opponent and just play the game.

My point was that water polo is not a good example because the sport is nothing like hockey.

And trust me, there was plenty of posturing and bravado at practice. Especially coming from the varsity players directed at the freshmen.