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bags
(Person With Nothing Better To Do!)
USA
2224 Posts |
 Posted - 11/27/2011 : 10:05:02 AM
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Okay I know it's early but I don't like the direction the team is
heading in. Just like last year, we threw away the first 3/4 of the
season with underachievers and roster spot issues. Like last year we
had early goaltending issues not being addressed.
This year we don't have the underachievers as much as young talent
learning each other. The lack of stable veterans to lead the newbies
is hurting us. Now the goalies. After last year, I took every shot at
Chet and this year he is showing me some talent. So how do we keep him
on track-we saddle him w/ the entire goaltending job while Plante pouts
in the corner.
Now's your time Mr. Skalde to step up. We watched Weber cut ties with
players wanting out. We saw Weber BENCH veterans in the playoffs when
they wouldn't play his system.The puck's on your stick. TAKE CHARGE ! !
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tjpavlik
(Been Here Awhile)
USA
552 Posts |
Posted - 11/27/2011 : 11:08:47 AM
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I'm not sure I agree. I see a young team that is figuring out how to play with one another. Some nights it works, other times not so much. The influx and outflux(?) or players certainly doesn't help, but it happens every year and Skalde is dealing with the flux. (for good or bad is up for debate).
There is some veteran leadership with Aubin. I'm not sure he is better or worse than anyone else but we only see the on ice product. You can only lead the players that are here right now.
Goaltending leaves a lot of questions to be answered. Pickard is light years ahead of where he was last year. Plante may or may not be on the verge of leaving but the fact remains the coaches do not have enough confidence in him to put him between the pipes. So Pickard goes every night with an offensive system that leaves the defense up ice and the goalie vulnerable to fast breakouts and accurate distance passes. Pickard will burn out at some point but till then what can you do? You can't drop an affiliated goaltender.
No one wants to stay in the ECHL. Danny Taylor sung about it and Paul "Biz-Nasty" Bissonnette told me personally he couldn't get out fast enough. The best you can do is get a few college guys and CHL/SPHL guys who think they can move up. Some guys will only be good enough for the ECHL, however. Having those guys around are nice but they take the place of a guy that might be moving up or an assigned player. Having a player that is an ECHL "lifer" is okay if that player is there for a specific reason or role. Which brings us too....
Should Barrett be in a Cyclones uniform this year? Absolutely. He would bring a stability we don't have. But as of a few weeks ago we didn't have the roster spot. Now, we may not have the "sack" as Catch said so perfectly.
Coach Skalde is our coach. Coach Weber is not coming back. I don't particularly like his systems but he excels in the only stat that really matters. He (and the marketing staff) are putting butts in the seats. We had 4100+ on a Wednesday night! Weekend crowds are much improved. Individuals might be dropping down their individual season ticket plans (I probably will next year too) but the walk up crowds more than make up for it. Scheduling most of our home games after New Years is genius. We get our biggest crowds after the Bengals are done and basketball has become old hat.
I still like going to the games and have a great time. Players come and go, they always do. I root for the logo on the front not the name on the back. The names are important but only as they contribute to the success as a whole. |
Edited by - tjpavlik on 11/27/2011 11:22:43 AM |
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bags
(Person With Nothing Better To Do!)
USA
2224 Posts |
Posted - 11/27/2011 : 11:47:52 AM
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Thanks Tom for your honest opinion. One statement I could disagree with.
"No one wants to stay in the ECHL" for a veteran AHL player is true
but take a young player out of college or the CHL can see this as the
chance to showcase for the next level. To Coach Skalde I have one thing
to say- put Plante on the ice and see if he plays or not. If he tanks
it, now you can get rid of him and know one questions it. Maybe if he
gets on the ice he settles down and we have the needed tandem in the pipes. |
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tjpavlik
(Been Here Awhile)
USA
552 Posts |
Posted - 11/27/2011 : 7:33:48 PM
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The point I was trying to make was no one dreams of playing ECHL hockey. The ECHL is a stepping stone to better leagues. The guys that are truly good end up in the AHL or in rare instances the NHL. I relate to it like this: while I enjoyed pumping gas into jets and it gave me a start in my business I certainly don't miss it and like flying the jets much better.
The players that are only good enough for the ECHL play for a while then explore other options (Europe or the CHL which has slightly better rules for keeping veterans). It doesn't make them bad hockey players, just not as talented as other guys out there. Personally I think we have had a fabulous run of ECHLers!
I have to believe either Plante has said something to Skalde ("I'm gonna wave it at em...." ) or Florida has said not to play him. There is no other logical explanation for not putting him out there in the last two weeks. When Pickard hits the wall its going to be ugly. I just hope we have some sort of back up plan.
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Edited by - tjpavlik on 11/27/2011 7:35:30 PM |
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cMan2KellyCup
(Been Here Awhile)
USA
540 Posts |
Posted - 11/29/2011 : 08:59:31 AM
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I do not see the first 1/4 of the season as a waste... I mean this is the minor leagues, and there is a team with 18 possible playing spots every night and two NHL teams to answer to. These things happen. That is why there are different teams winning every year. I forget who said this, but it was after the Toledo exhibition in 2009... he asked me as I was walking to a bus "Was the (2008) Kelly Cup worth it?".... damn skippy it was! And so was the deep run in 2009... and so was the 2010 Kelly Cup!
At the same time, I do see a problem within the coaches office... because while a minor league roster overhauls every year, it is the coach that keeps the team winning. With that said... and Bags is right about this... Jarrod Skalde might not be able to help make a significant dent on the roster with all the players Chuck sends up here, but he needs to crack the whip on the players he has. Chuck won here because he didn't take any kind of B-S from his players. If you didn't want to play within his system, there were hundreds more teams to play for in North America. It WILL work for him in San Antonio but the West seems to be the black and blue division of the AHL right now... Jarrod Skalde has a great winning system, and he can make a great coach for us... but as far as discipline and forcing the way he wants to play... he is a complete wuss. And if he doesnt change that soon, he will lose control of the team, and he might even lose his job.
That's it for me. Im back on the road but my next time in town is just before Christmas, so you'll definitely see me for either Kalamazoo or Chicago that week |
KELLY CUP CHAMPIONS- 2008, 2010
AMERICAN/EASTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS- 2008, 2010, 2014
DIVISION CHAMPIONS- 1996, 2008, 2009, 2013
2008 BRABHAM CUP CHAMPIONS
Boards + visitors = broken bones! |
Edited by - cMan2KellyCup on 11/29/2011 09:00:54 AM |
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dbc
(Been Here Awhile)
865 Posts |
Posted - 11/29/2011 : 11:04:29 AM
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As one who grew up playing this game,I am very willing to comment about what I see on the ice and recognize there are different opinions on the talent, effort etc we all see. That makes this room and this message board fun. But I am very circumspect about commenting on coaching skills, what goes on in the locker room etc--things we don't see and, unless you have coached at this level, don't really understand. I have absolutely no idea if Skalde is a great coach or if he sucks. He was hired by the Cyclones management with, I imagine, some approval level by both the NHL organizations we deal with, and I know they know more than I or any other fan does about what they were looking for and their assessment of how Skalde has performed.
This time last year Claude Julien was being roasted in Boston and now he is the toast of the town. Boudreau had Washington flying high and now he has been fired. Marvin was a jerk at the end of last year and fans figured the only reason he was coming back was that the Bengals couldnt get anyone else. Now he is a candidate for coach of the year. |
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