|
|
Post by The New Guy on Jul 3, 2008 10:17:58 GMT -5
Or make paper airplanes and throw them down into the Philly crowd during Game 3.  Because you wouldn't be frustrated sitting in the press box during the playoffs while your team was losing because they couldn't score any goals, and your specialty happens to be scoring (timely) goals. Not a smart thing to do, certainly, but I don't blame him. He deserved to play as much (or more) than some of the other guys playing, including one guy whose name rhymes with might (as in 'he might look like an idiot when he plays for the Islanders blueline next year'). At least Michael can play something resembling defense. Are you willing to defend Ryder on Boston boards? Because every team has critical fans....and unless Ryder regains his shot and loses the tunnel-vision, he's going to get ripped on many occasions, especially at the $4 million price tag. I will admit 4 million is a bit excessive. But everything this year has been a bit (or more than a bit) excessive. In Boston, Ryder will probably fit better than he did in Montreal. Ultimately it was a square peg/round hole situation. Ryder plays a barrage type game. Give him the puck, in the high slot, let him take a shot. The Habs are a possession team (Kovalev, Kostitsyn (both), Koivu, Higgins and Plekanec are all quite good puck carriers) who cycle down low and generate quality chances. He wasn't going to find his game here, and so it's as well that he's moving on. Boston is a team much more geared to Ryder. Of course he still has to find his shot. But I don't think that'll be a problem in Boston. His problem in Montreal was a lack of chances, not a lack of skill. He played his best hockey under Julien in Montreal. Hopefully he can get it back....and lose it when he plays the Habs.  As HA mentions, a lot of people think he'll be easy to defend against. I think there might be a little more bitterness there, and Ryder tends to play better when he has a reason to play better. If he gets paired with Savard, look out. Ryder has a way of sneaking through coverage and getting open long enough to release a quick wrist shot. Savard can pass with the best of them. The solution will be not to cover Ryder, but to cover Savard, and take away his passing lanes. Three games stand out to me with Ryder in a Habs jersey. 1. Double OT winner in Game 2 in Carolina. 2006. Coming home with a 2-0 series lead was HUGE. 1st star performance with 2 goals. If only we could have capitalized on it. 2. Last game of the season vs. Toronto. 2007. Hat-trick. "Raysoft" helped....but Ryder seemed to be on a mission that night....while a lot of others weren't. 2nd star performance. 3 G 1 A. I always though he should have been first star. He was on that night, and yes facing Raycroft did undoubtedly help (hey, I'd be pissed if he had won the Calder instead of me too) - bottom line was he kept scoring and pushing when others were thinking about their golf game. Too bad we couldn't capitalize. 3. The 5-0 comeback game vs. the Rangers. 2008. He got the ball rolling in the second period with our first two goals. 1st star performance. 2G 1 A Coincidentally, all three games were 6-5. After the rough year he had been having, I really hoped that the NY game marked a turning point for him. Sadly, he drifted back. It all goes back to wrong type of player point I raised earlier. After being down 5-0 he probably said 'forget the system, it's not working'. He played a game that worked with his skills. And consequently he potted two and turned the entire team around. It's too bad no one noticed. Even though he didn't play the 'team style' I think he could have been useful. Just find a way to get him the puck. That's all he really needed. Good luck, Mikey....and thanks for those great moments. Most of my favorite Mikey moments come from when he was playing in the AHL against the Leafs. I'd try and see the Bulldogs/Citadels whenever they were in town, and he was the only guy any of the decidedly blue and white crowd cheered for (I myself stayed pretty quiet - I couldn't bring myself to cheer against the hometown team, or for anything in that jersey). He always showed up for those games, and usually it meant disappointment for the Baby Leafs. Still the crowd loved him, giving him the star treatment and cheering for him anytime he touched the puck. Good times! |
|
|
|
Post by Skilly on Jul 3, 2008 19:26:07 GMT -5
Colour him happy
KENN OLIVER
The Telegram
When Michael Ryder was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in 1998, hockey fans in Bonavista and environs - which had been a stronghold for Toronto Maple Leafs support - hopped on the Habs' bleu, blanc et rouge bandwagon to back their local hero.
Ten years later, the Bonavista Peninsula may be changing hues again now that Ryder has signed on with Boston Bruins, inking a three-year deal worth $12-million in total.
But while all that green may have a lot to do with Ryder's switch to the black and gold of Boston, he says it was an opportunity for significant playing time that was truly the deciding factor.
"I'm pretty excited to go to a team that shows a lot of interest telling me they're going to play me a lot," Ryder said from Prince Edward Island where he is vacationing with family, "and that's what I wanted."
The Bruins weren't the only team flirting with Ryder on the first day of unrestricted free agency, al though he wouldn't disclose the identity of the other club most interested in his services. At the end of the day, once the offers plateaued, Ryder was left with the decision.
"I'm gonna get to play (in Boston)," he said. "That's the main reason I made the decision."
The right-winger is coming off his worst season as a pro, collecting only 14 goals and 17 assists in 70 games in 2007-08, half his offensive output from his previous three seasons with the Montreal Canadiens. But it was a season during which Ryder saw his ice-time - particularly on the power play, where he collects a lot of his points - drastically cut.
"I was kind of disappointed with how the season went and I didn't know how other teams would feel, or if they thought I had lost it. I didn't want to be that guy with people thinking I had lost my scoring touch."
Ryder's acquisition can be seen as a win-win situation. It gives him the opportunity to play in clutch situations and offers the Bruins - who struggled offensively last season, with only 212 goals - a much needed offensive boost.
In a conference call following Ryder's signing, Bruins' coach Claude Julien called Ryder a "sharpshooter" who will make his club "that much better."
"One thing we did is we worked really hard in the offensive zone. We did create some chances, but I thought many nights, the difference in the game was lack of finish," Julien said of his team in 2007-08. "That's where Michael comes in. He's pretty good at finishing his opportunities and will hopefully increase our goal output."
The signing reunites Ryder and Julien, his coach for three seasons with the QMJHL, one in the AHL and for his first two years with the Habs. And Ryder says having a coach who knows what kind of player he is made Boston all that more appealing.
"It's good to have a coach who understands the type of player you are and has confidence in you.
"They say I'm going to be on the top lines, I'm going to be on the power play and maybe on the penalty kill."
Ryder is also excited about the prospect of playing with on the wing with one of the clubs "three strong centres" in Marc Savard, Patrice Bergeron or third-year pro David Krejci, who will more than likely move up into the number three spot with Glen Metropolit's move to the Philadelphia Flyers.
"I don't know who they're planning on putting me with, but either one would be a good fit," said Ryder adding he has a great deal of respect for the team following their play versus the Canadiens in the first round of this year's playoffs.
But Ryder says his parents have told him last season left a sour taste in their mouths.
"A lot of people (in Bonavista) were upset with what happened and a lot of them didn't watch the games after," he said. "I don't think it'll be hard to convert a couple of people."
Next year's NHL schedule has yet to be released, but Ryder (knows) the Bruins and Habs will square off six times. Asked whether he's looking forward to it Ryder said, "What do you think?"
"Those first couple of games might have a bit of tension, I might even get booed in Montreal."
koliver@thetelegram.com
|
|
|
|
Post by Skilly on Jul 3, 2008 19:27:17 GMT -5
Julien on Ryder signing
Boston Bruins' head coach Claude Julien spoke to the press on a conference call Wednesday to discuss the Bruins' signing of free-agent forward Michael Ryder. Here are some of the things Julien had to say about Ryder:
"No doubt, he's a sharpshooter. Every year I've had him, he's had real good success. I think we can keep going in that direction with him, which will make our team that much better."
"Last year, with his 14 goals, sometimes he was a little snakebitten, sometimes you're not receiving the best opportunities. We're going to make sure Michael gets those opportunities."
"He's very good at winning battles along the boards., then stepping out into the slot area, protecting the puck, and shooting the puck. He's got a great release. He's gotten stronger in that area. He's a guy that's very physical as well. He's capable of throwing his weight around. So he's a good fit for us."
|
|
|
|
Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Jul 3, 2008 19:52:03 GMT -5
The signing reunites Ryder and Julien, his coach for three seasons with the QMJHL, one in the AHL and for his first two years with the Habs. And Ryder says having a coach who knows what kind of player he is made Boston all that more appealing. Was talking to a former teammate of Mike's about an hour ago, Skilly. Donald Johnstone is a pharmacist who left a shot at NHL money to deal drugs ... err ... yeah ... anyway, he brought up this very point when I was talking to him. Julien and Ryder have a history and I think Mike will be more than motivated playing for his former coach. Besides, there are a lot of Bruins' fans on the East Coast and in Newfoundland, no? Cheers. |
|
|
|
Post by Skilly on Jul 3, 2008 22:25:20 GMT -5
The signing reunites Ryder and Julien, his coach for three seasons with the QMJHL, one in the AHL and for his first two years with the Habs. And Ryder says having a coach who knows what kind of player he is made Boston all that more appealing. Was talking to a former teammate of Mike's about an hour ago, Skilly. Donald Johnstone is a pharmacist who left a shot at NHL money to deal drugs ... err ... yeah ... anyway, he brought up this very point when I was talking to him. Julien and Ryder have a history and I think Mike will be more than motivated playing for his former coach. Besides, there are a lot of Bruins' fans on the East Coast and in Newfoundland, no? Cheers. Newfoundland is mostly Leaf and Habs territory ... events of the past week will see a sharp increase in Red Wings and Bruins fans. The west coast of Newfoundland I would suspect has alot of Shark fans... |
|
|
|
Post by Doc Holliday on Jul 18, 2008 7:19:23 GMT -5
Ryder's acquisition can be seen as a win-win situation. And I think that is where its at. Ryder gets a ton of money, job security and will play for a coach who won’t ask him to become a player he isn’t but will instead try to maximize the player he is. The B’s get a goal scorer they badly needed. Given how well Mike worked with Ribs, I think playing him with Savard (who’s very similar to Ribs) could be a good idea. For the first time of his career Ryder gets the kind of contract that pressures him to play to his full potential and must live up to it. No ifs and buts. He’s no longer an underdog and must now take the next step forward as a player and leader. I think that’s a challenge for him right there. |
|
|
|
Post by seventeen on Jul 18, 2008 18:02:28 GMT -5
Kinda like the new Glen Murray?
|
|
