Rumor: Gagner New Captain?

[Distinct]

Making Gagner the captain of The Oilers, would be like Pittsburgh handing the C to Kunitz. So wrong.

 

[Perfect_Drug]

What exactly makes a good captain? Clutch plays? Willingness to stand up for teammates?

If we make Hall the captain and we end up worse than last year, who gets the blame now that Horcoff is gone?

Contrast, what if Gagner becomes the captain and we make the playoffs? Will he get any credit?

Remember when Bucky was captain when Weight was putting up 90-100point seasons?

It was absolutely silly.

It was Weights team, and was rightfully made the captain shortly after.

The Captain is a reflection of the Teams identity. Hall is that identity.

How good or how improved Gagner is has no bearing on the fact this is Taylor Halls team.

 

[oilman9482]

You don't see any connection between your "own ****" and the broader trends and events occurring in the world, eh?

Oh Canada.

The vast majority of all of our problems have their roots in what is happening worldwide and what is being planned for us by the ruling elite.
We have the technology to empower humanity where each of us would be working 2 or 3 days a week instead of 5,6,or 7 OR being unemployed and out of luck.

 

[oilman9482]

Making Gagner the captain of The Oilers, would be like Pittsburgh handing the C to Kunitz. So wrong.

Except Kunitz fits in on a top line seamlessly. Gagner, not so much.
I like Gagner's work ethic and passion, that's about it for him though. He doesn't fit in on a playoff team.

 

[The Head Crusher]

OK boys and girls, enough with the off topic talk/conspiracy theories, this is a thread on Sam Gagner on a Hockey Board. If you want to continue the discussion take it to the Political thread.

 

[Seedling]

Why ask a question you already know and has nothing to do with what i said? Not going to play that game with you. He has problems winning faceoffs against cheaters, The league is cracking down on winning faceoffs with your feet. He has spent the last 4 seasons taking faceoffs against guys he had no business taking faceoff against, thanks to Horcoff and Belanger. Just because he took them does not make him bad at faceoffs it means he was thrown into the fire.

Yes I said back checking and it was evident that it improved with numerous takeaways on the back check he even took a few penalty's for someone that is so weak and small. I can recall more then one. But yet you only recall one defensive lapse that happens to every center in the league. Its game of mistakes and his mistakes are not that evident. Him abandoning his position is total BS, He made the NHL because of his positioning and its rather good. He made mistakes its not any where near a problem area for him. Say what you want the proof is in the pudding.

If any of what you say is true he would not be getting paid like he is, he would not be a serious contender for captain, he would not have lead the team in ice time, he would not be getting it on with that hot ass docter, He would not have so many haters like you. The last one is how know he is good even Gretzky had a **** load of haters as well. People who suck have zero haters and they just suck.

And no I am not saying he is as good as Gretzky just saying he is good. Why is that so hard for you to admit???????????

Players he has no business taking faceoffs against? Isn't that what you need out of a guy making 4.8 and being your second line centre? You need a guy in his role to excel at this no?

Seems like you make a lot of excuses for why Gagner is what he is.

-can't compare him to first overalls on our team. That is not fair to Gagner
-Cannot blame him for sucking on the dot because the rest of the league are cheaters and Sam is too honest. Really? Come on man.

-Again, I bring up his Corsi compared to Hall. Not even close.

 

[harpoon]

Why ask a question you already know and has nothing to do with what i said? Not going to play that game with you. He has problems winning faceoffs against cheaters, The league is cracking down on winning faceoffs with your feet. He has spent the last 4 seasons taking faceoffs against guys he had no business taking faceoff against, thanks to Horcoff and Belanger. Just because he took them does not make him bad at faceoffs it means he was thrown into the fire.

Yes I said back checking and it was evident that it improved with numerous takeaways on the back check he even took a few penalty's for someone that is so weak and small. I can recall more then one. But yet you only recall one defensive lapse that happens to every center in the league. Its game of mistakes and his mistakes are not that evident. Him abandoning his position is total BS, He made the NHL because of his positioning and its rather good. He made mistakes its not any where near a problem area for him. Say what you want the proof is in the pudding.

If any of what you say is true he would not be getting paid like he is, he would not be a serious contender for captain, he would not have lead the team in ice time, he would not be getting it on with that hot ass docter, He would not have so many haters like you. People who suck have zero haters and they just suck.

I think this is a really accurate post. Thank you for taking the time to articulate these points. Since his first season Gagner has in every way been thrown to the wolves by this club - and they did it again last season when Horc went down and they needed somebody to PK and take all the draws. So Gagner got the assignment, and performed pretty well. That's what this kid does. He steps up and does what is asked of him by the club.

I do give BBO some credit because he's one of the few anti-Gagner posters who is at least open to changing his mind on this player. For a stretch of about twenty games last season he was posting positive stuff about Gagner. Most of the haters would rather chew off their own arm than say anything positive about the kid. Some of them even find a way to mock his eight point night

 

[harpoon]

How many of our other players stopped playing while the puck was headed our way?

He did do that. Once. It was terrible. Don't try to make it seem like that is his standard approach to his defensive responsibilities.

He had more than 1 bad defensive play and apparently people are going to need to start documenting them with video evidence to MAYBE get some of Sam's biggest boosters to admit that he still needs work.

I would welcome that. In fact I think you should make such a thread. I was in a lot of GDTs last season and I know for a fact that many of the plays were "selectively" blamed on Gagner by a vocal minority making umpteen posts each ... but there were many other posters in disagreement. I think a thread like the one you suggest would show once and for all that Gagner's defensive game is not that bad. I'm sure you agree that for balance the thread would have to include his good defensive plays as well. Cause its usually crickets on the board when that happens.

Honestly my opinion is that the team defense (particularly the defencemen) has been so poor under Tamby that its unreasonable to hang that deficiency on the shoulders of the second line center.

 

[CanucksSayEh]

Well he did score 8 points vs Chicago..

Thought for sure it would be Hall tho.

 

[Moonlapse Vertigo]

Except Kunitz fits in on a top line seamlessly. Gagner, not so much.
I like Gagner's work ethic and passion, that's about it for him though. He doesn't fit in on a playoff team.

Kunitz fits on a top line when the best player in the world is centering it.

And your "work ethic/passion"... "doesn't fit on a playoff team" sentence is a gross contradiction.

 

[AlowlyMcOilersfan]

Well he did score 8 points vs Chicago..

Thought for sure it would be Hall tho.

Hall will just have to get 9 against Chicago.

 

[The Nuge]

Making Gagner the captain of The Oilers, would be like Pittsburgh handing the C to Kunitz. So wrong.

I fail to see the comparison at all

 

[AlowlyMcOilersfan]

I fail to see the comparison at all

agreed

 

[Mr Forever]

Making Gagner the captain of The Oilers, would be like Pittsburgh handing the C to Kunitz. So wrong.

These are just two, random, unrelated players

 

[PBandJ]

Well that sucks. Should be Hall.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

Making Gagner the captain of The Oilers, would be like Pittsburgh handing the C to Kunitz. So wrong.

Actually if you're not making things up. It would be like making Patrick Sharp the Captain instead of Toews, and that's not even that close. Geez you people.

 

[fuswald]

How good or how improved Gagner is has no bearing on the fact this is Taylor Halls team.

I fail to see why everybody says stuff like this. Hall is an awesome winger with continuous energy. Good example for others but his team, please. Hall wouldn't even give centre a go when needed.

Captain doesn't have to be best player at all. I don't need to spell out what is needed it is obvious.

Seems some teams give captaincy to a player as part of a contract agreement or to make that player happy. Stupid reasons to me. Though there may be more than one possible on a team captain material stands out, not to fans necessarily but to the team.

If Gagner becomes captain its because he fits.

 

[Worraps]

Actually if you're not making things up. It would be like making Patrick Sharp the Captain instead of Toews, and that's not even that close. Geez you people.

In what world is Sam Gagner even close to analogous to Patrick Sharp?

Sharp is one of the 20 best forwards in Canada. Sammy Snowpants isn't one of the five best forwards on his team.

Maybe I'm wrong and SS's invitation to the Canadian Olympic Camp got lost in the mail just like all those invitations to World Championship teams.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

In what world is Sam Gagner even close to analogous to Patrick Sharp?

And you missed the point, getting lost in the things that Don't Matter about the comparison. Geez you guys.

 

[Moose Coleman]

Serious question: why do any of you care who is the captain?

 

[Worraps]

Serious question: why do any of you care who is the captain?

Because, while it is not measurable, it is important to the players.

 

[joestevens29]

Because, while it is not measurable, it is important to the players.

Taylor Hall would disagree with you. Leaders lead, you think because Gagner gets the A and Hall doesn't that Hall isn't going to be able to lead if he wants?

It's a letter on a jersey that only hockey fans make a big stink about.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Serious question: why do any of you care who is the captain?

Exactly. I care more about the team as a whole.

 

[Worraps]

And you missed the point, getting lost in the things that Don't Matter about the comparison. Geez you guys.

You were implying the captain should be chosen by seniority but the Blackhawks have been a great team picked apart by free agency so the only players left on it with a long tenure are perennial all stars who are part of their core. A member of the core or a 30 plus year old veteran should be captain, Sam Gagner is neither.

Sam Gagner is not part of the Oilers core. If he is part of the core, why wasn't he offered a long-term deal?

 

[Worraps]

Taylor Hall would disagree with you. Leaders lead, you think because Gagner gets the A and Hall doesn't that Hall isn't going to be able to lead if he wants?

It's a letter on a jersey that only hockey fans make a big stink about.

Putting aside the level of dishonesty in an interview with any professional athlete, Taylor Hall said it wasn't important to him to be named captain, he didn't say he was indifferent about who becomes captain.

It is generally accepted that the average hockey player cares about who is named captain of his team but since no one has ever really conducted a survey I can only provide anecdotal evidence.