Searching for opinions about Kovy for feature in hockey column

[Baggy Spandex]

Maybe the best argument I've seen for him.

I can sign on for that. I haven't felt joy like that in damn near 9 years.

 

[JimEIV]

I can sign on for that. I haven't felt joy like that in damn near 9 years.

I think I might have to agree.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

Scoring goals is the most important. Jonathan Quick was out of this world to get them in the playoffs by the way. Not just good, or a little above average.

Ottawa might have been the only extremely low scoring team to get in and they had out of this world goaltending this year too.

The goaltending would have had to be really good last year to get us in. Not just average or a little above average.

Someone(I think FMASC) calculated how many goals we would have given up of we had league average goaltending and it was staggeringly low. Our scoring was clearly a problem, but with even average goaltending we would've been a playoff team..

 

[Bleedred]

Someone(I think FMASC) calculated how many goals we would have given up of we had league average goaltending and it was staggeringly low. Our scoring was clearly a problem, but with even average goaltending we would've been a playoff team..

The original point I was trying to make was Kovalchuk was not that good last year by his standards. He had no gamebreaking ability, and regularly looked like he didn't give a kazoo. He had Russia on his mind.

I don't agree with Jim that Kovalchuk was NEVER any good for us, but last season he was not that great. We were just as bad for that 13 game stretch when he was playing, but won 2 shootouts. You can't replace the 11-12 Kovalchuk, but you might have an easier time replacing the mediocre 2013 Kovalchuk.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

The original point I was trying to make was Kovalchuk was not that good last year by his standards. He had no gamebreaking ability, and regularly looked like he didn't give a kazoo. He had Russia on his mind.

I don't agree with Jim that Kovalchuk was NEVER any good for us, but last season he was not that great. We were just as bad for that 13 game stretch when he was playing, but won 2 shootouts. You can't replace the 11-12 Kovalchuk, but you might have an easier time replacing the mediocre 2013 Kovalchuk.

I agree Kovy wasn't great last year.

 

[JimEIV]

I agree Kovy wasn't great last year.

He wasn't good in 2010-11 either. Not until about mid to late January and by then the season was just about mathematically finished. So who cares? Edit: it actually wasn't until February when he really started scoring. I just checked...he had a solid February and March that was pretty much it for 2010-11

Anybody remember when we started seeing backup goalies started against us almost every game in 2010-11?

It was despicable. It was the worst season Ive had to endure as a devil fan.

 

[Rhodes 81]

I was mad at first, but now... I'm mildly apathetic. I'm still a Kovy fan, I'll still watch him play in SKA, and I'll still root for the Devils.

i was more disappointed than mad. but otherwise agree 100%
if i'm mad about anything, it's that we didn't get any assets for him leaving. no draft picks or prospects to add to the farm.

agreed. and to jim's incessant points, i think we'll improve this season without him here- but not because he's gone....because lou has finally beefed up out forward lines to we're more balanced

as i've said numerous times around here, i worry about guys that in the past had been going against teams' secondary defensive units now going against the top, but if they can overcome that (and i believe they can), i agree with this as well

Pretty sure the Prince of Wales Trophy is a trophy.

and he broke it. dammit kovy

 

[R8Devs]

I think Kovalchuck was the best thing to happen to this organization in years.

Fast scoring winger who could wow the crowd and be creative. He changed his game to fit the system, and it hurt his game. Then, he played half a year in Russia during the lockout, and realized how much he missed his old run-and-gun play style, and decided to leave.

I was mad at first, but now... I'm mildly apathetic. I'm still a Kovy fan, I'll still watch him play in SKA, and I'll still root for the Devils.

This is how I feel, I really can't bring myself to hate him. I mean he didn't do right to the organization, but I understand why he did what he did. I enjoyed his time here, he was the best player for our team in one of the most fun playoffs I have ever watched.


Anyway, I think it would be better for him to leave then to have regrets over the next decade playing here.

 

[JerryGigantic]

I can sign on for that. I haven't felt joy like that in damn near 9 years.

I have far too many friends who are Rangers fans, who have Matteau! Matteau! Matteau!'d me to death over the years. To now silence that forever with "Henrique! It's over!" is literally the best thing ever.

 

[Bleedred]

Anybody remember when we started seeing backup goalies started against us almost every game in 2010-11?

It was despicable. It was the worst season Ive had to endure as a devil fan.

Oh man this reminds me of going to Nassau Coliseum live for that Thanksgiving weekend matinee and we were shutout by Dipietro. This was after the Islanders had lost 14 games in a row too. He may have been their starter at the time though. It was probably his one healthy month of the season.

I was also at the MLK 2010 matinee over there when Dipietro shut us out. Luckily the last time I went there was the Moose shutout Thanksgiving weekend 2011. Then the next day was a game against the Islanders at home. Another matinee and I was there too cause I was up for Thanksgiving. Kovy cost us the game by coughing up the puck to Grabner right in front of Marty shorthanded. He was also booed vehemently after a Happy Thanksgiving message from him was shown on the monitor a few minutes later.

He capped that performance off with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty with a few minutes left in the game. Think he was yapping at a ref.