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Post by Gogie on May 1, 2007 9:43:32 GMT -5
Little brother is joining big brother in Hamilton, although big brother is apparently still out of the lineup with a groin injury. The Hamilton Spectator (May 1, 2007) Another Kostitsyn joining Dogs The Bulldogs may well have a new face on the ice at practice today. Sergei Kostitsyn was expected to join the team when they hit the ice at Copps Coliseum this morning at 10:30. There has been no formal announcement from the Montreal Canadiens but the Bulldogs are expecting him. www.hamiltonspectator.com/Check out the local sports stories (I couldn't get the complete link to work). |
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Post by duster on May 1, 2007 10:58:37 GMT -5
Good news. Mathieu Carle is joining the team as well. I didn't find any mention of either signing a contract. I would presume a standard ATO.
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Post by NWTHabsFan on May 1, 2007 19:50:18 GMT -5
Good news. Mathieu Carle is joining the team as well. I didn't find any mention of either signing a contract. I would presume a standard ATO. The Dogs official site has SK signing an ATO. 131 points this year in the OHL is nothing to sneeze at. The Belarusian Bulldogs are ready for round two, especially if Andrei can get back on the ice soon. www.hamiltonbulldogs.com/index.php?module=newser&func=display&nid=561 |
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Post by roke on May 1, 2007 23:06:43 GMT -5
and they'll face Manitoba, game 1 begins Saturday in Winnipeg.. I'm planning to going to at least one game on the weekend, perhaps both. Whether or not I take notes and provide a comprehensive report or go there and cheer for the Bulldogs depends on what kind of mood I'm in though.
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Post by Gogie on May 2, 2007 7:45:07 GMT -5
and they'll face Manitoba, game 1 begins Saturday in Winnipeg.. I'm planning to going to at least one game on the weekend, perhaps both. Whether or not I take notes and provide a comprehensive report or go there and cheer for the Bulldogs depends on what kind of mood I'm in though. If you do nothing else, it's your duty to ensure that at least one lonely voice in the crowd is heard in favour of the Dogs!!! ;D |
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Post by roke on May 2, 2007 9:56:32 GMT -5
and they'll face Manitoba, game 1 begins Saturday in Winnipeg.. I'm planning to going to at least one game on the weekend, perhaps both. Whether or not I take notes and provide a comprehensive report or go there and cheer for the Bulldogs depends on what kind of mood I'm in though. If you do nothing else, it's your duty to ensure that at least one lonely voice in the crowd is heard in favour of the Dogs!!! ;D There'll be at least 3 ;D. Hopefully the arena is as quiet as it was Sunday night because then it's possible we'll be heard all night long. |
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Post by franko on May 2, 2007 11:32:54 GMT -5
Hey, Roke: what's the MTS Centre like? I remember watching the Jets in the old Winnipeg Arena . . . being stuck behind a pillar! Good thing I could crane my neck (it still hurts!) and watch the game on the three-inch screens provided.
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Post by roke on May 2, 2007 14:18:06 GMT -5
Hey, Roke: what's the MTS Centre like? I remember watching the Jets in the old Winnipeg Arena . . . being stuck behind a pillar! Good thing I could crane my neck (it still hurts!) and watch the game on the three-inch screens provided. I've been there twice for a couple hockey games and it's pretty good. There's not much leg room but I'm not very tall so it's not too much of a problem for me. Sightlines are pretty good although if I am sitting behind a tall person I can' t see the near boards or the ice near it, but that's a problem I've had at every arena. They usually don't have the upper deck open for hockey games and when you're in the arena it just feels, well, small. I'd say the arena overall is not great but not bad. I'd feel a lot better about it if so much public money hadn't gone into building it though. If there's one thing I do like about it it's the choice you have when it comes to concessions. The difference between the MTS Centre and the Winnipeg Arena is like night and day to me. Tim Hortons (although during intermission you'd have to wait in line for at least 15 minutes I figure), a 'local' (I think) pizza place, TCBY, Quiznos are all in the arena. As with every entertainment venue you pay a bit of a premium but the last time I decided to buy Quiznos I didn't think I was getting ripped off as the prices seemed to be close to what you'd usually pay. Getting to or from the MTS Centre is also a lot easier, for me at least, compared to the Winnipeg Arena. I live in the South end of the city and the old arena/stadium is East of downtown. Traffic all the way there is 2 lanes in each direction and the old arena/Winnipeg Stadium are in one of the busiest commercial/retail part of the city. Traffic was always bad and you're looking at probably 30-40 minutes each way and having to wait in traffic. Since the new arena is downtown getting home and there is a lot easier and if you get there in time, you can just park at the library parkade or somewhere nearby and take the skywalk to the arena which is definitely nice in the winter. |
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Post by franko on May 2, 2007 14:30:26 GMT -5
Not wanting to hijack the thread, but thanks for the info. I lived in Fort Gary and travelling to the Winnipeg Arena was a 40 minute trek back in the early 80s (the 90?) -- traffic never seemed so bad; just the distance. I guess I'm used to it -- used to drive from Red Deeer to Calgary to meet my in-laws for coffee then return afterwards -- a longish day trip but not bad. Here in Ontario if you have to go anywhere more than a couple of hours away it is a weekend trip! And for me here: a 45 minute bus ride to the Palladium Corel Centre ScociaBank Place; not bad, one bus.
Went back to visit a couple of years ago and took in a Goldeyes game, and was impressed with the concessions -- not standard fare, not overly expensive -- and a fun day. Crowds I couldn't believe! About 700 show up each game for our Triple-A Lynx.
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Post by habmeister on May 2, 2007 15:06:10 GMT -5
any chance this will be on tv anywhere?
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Post by roke on May 2, 2007 15:27:26 GMT -5
any chance this will be on tv anywhere? I'm not sure H&C but if i had to guess I'd say it won't be. The AHL does have a streaming thing through B2 but I believe you have to pay for it and I don't know what the quality is like. Here's the link in any case, I think. theahl.com/fanz/highlights/ |
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Post by roke on May 5, 2007 22:57:49 GMT -5
Dogs win game 1 by a score of 2-1. Ajay Baines was the player of the game for me, just terrific. Price got beat 5 times, nearly 6 and yet only allowed 1 goal so can't complain. More thoughts to follow later tonight but if I were you and East of BC I wouldn't stay up late for them.
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Post by seventeen on May 5, 2007 23:06:40 GMT -5
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Post by Gogie on May 6, 2007 9:32:49 GMT -5
Dogs win game 1 by a score of 2-1. Ajay Baines was the player of the game for me, just terrific. Price got beat 5 times, nearly 6 and yet only allowed 1 goal so can't complain. More thoughts to follow later tonight but if I were you and East of BC I wouldn't stay up late for them. Two comments on Price's play: 1. He was the first star. 2. If a goalie plays his angles well, then the goal posts are part of his "equipment". If the shooter has nothing to hit but the post, then the goalie is doing his job. I did not see the game so I don't have an opinion on how well he played. I've seen him twice in Hamilton and wasn't particularly impressed either time, although he does show signs of having mucho talent. Hopefully he's gaining confidence as he goes along and he'll continue to play better. I'm looking forward to seeing him Tuesday and Saturday in Hamilton. |
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Post by habmeister on May 6, 2007 14:24:55 GMT -5
Dogs win game 1 by a score of 2-1. Ajay Baines was the player of the game for me, just terrific. Price got beat 5 times, nearly 6 and yet only allowed 1 goal so can't complain. More thoughts to follow later tonight but if I were you and East of BC I wouldn't stay up late for them. Two comments on Price's play: 1. He was the first star. 2. If a goalie plays his angles well, then the goal posts are part of his "equipment". If the shooter has nothing to hit but the post, then the goalie is doing his job. I did not see the game so I don't have an opinion on how well he played. I've seen him twice in Hamilton and wasn't particularly impressed either time, although he does show signs of having mucho talent. Hopefully he's gaining confidence as he goes along and he'll continue to play better. I'm looking forward to seeing him Tuesday and Saturday in Hamilton. before i even read your comment i saw roke's saying he was beat five times and thought to myself, that is price's game, he's so big and so positionally solid that he only gives the posts or just inside the post and guys are shooting to miss him rather than get it on net. he makes guys hit posts because that is all the have to shoot at. |
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Post by roke on May 6, 2007 14:37:50 GMT -5
I was typing this out last night but I finished an update on my computer and proceeded to restart it halfway through finishing this, hence the delay. That's the bad news. The good news is I'm going to tonight's game tonight so I'll provide some general impressions. Anyway, yesterday's game, edited thoughts:
#2 Ryan O'Byrne: I and my friends thought he had a pretty strong game. Early on he had some blocked shots, he was always tough on the boards and from what I saw did not get beat by any Moose forward. The Hamilton breakout and lack of Moose forechecking allowed him to not have to make a difficult first pass, more often than not O'Byrne made a short pass to his defense partner. Had one shot from the point that I recall but it was very weak, not much mustard on it and I don't recall whether or not it reached the net. Nonetheless a strong game from him and based on this one game I've seen I think he needs at least 1 more year in Hamilton although he would be a servicable callup if injuries decimated our D. He did play the Left side on a number of occasions even though he's a right-hand shot, that could be the answer to the staggering amount of RH dmen we have in the prospect pool.
#10 Cory Urquhart I actually ended up impressed with Urquhart's play, even though the first words out of my mouth when I saw him on the ice were "Why didn't we pick O'Sullivan like I wanted us to?". He played a solid all-around game, was decent from what I saw in the faceoff circle and made a great backcheck to breakup a potential scoring chance for Manitoba. My expectations for him coming into the game were low but he exceeded those pretty well. Played on a line with Lapierre at times and Lapierre took his fair of faceoffs even though they were both on the ice.
#16 Andre Benoit I didn't see much of Mr. Benoit since he plays the left side and I was to the right of the Bulldog's goal for 2 periods. The only comment I have on him is his powerplay goal which was a nice deflection on a pass from Grabovski.
#17 Kyle Chipchura Chipchura was one of those players I really noticed out there and it usually wasn't for bad things. Him playing centre made it very easy to follow him and he played a solid game. Used some speed to try and get around Manitoba defenders and setup some chances, which didn't happen. He's very good in the neutral zone, using his stick and angling the puckcarriers and puck away from the middle towards the boards where the D or wingers can take care of them. Seemed to be one of the key faceoff guys for the Bulldogs. Took a somewhat dumb penalty in the 1st while killing a penalty, overskating the Moose defenseman, who had the puck, at the point and hooked him so the guy wouldn't get by him. Was also good on the forecheck, stealing the puck on one occasion and nearly setting up a scoring chance. Overall, a strong game but I'd like to see him in Hamilton for at least half a season before being relied upon in the NHL. Again, that is based solely on last night's game.
#20Zach Stortini Not a Hab but I did notice him out there. took a stupid penalty in the 3rd I believe which allowed Hamilton to get some chances, other than that not much to say.
#21Jonathan Ferland I didn't notice him much but he seemed to have a decent game out there. Got absolutely boarded by Moose defenseman Prestrin Ryan in the last minute of the game, drawing the 5 minute major and game misconduct and seemingly clinching the game. not much else to say about him.
#22Matt D'Agostini Horrible game, just horrible. Had trouble controlling the puck, from what I saw didn't seem to win board battles, wasn't good on the powerplay and had more than his fair share of giveaways. One notable one was on a Hamilton powerplay where he tried a weak backhand pass to the slot which was intercepted by Manitoba and resulted in a shorthanded rush the other way. Hopefully it's just one bad game though.
#26 Maxim Lapierre Strong game from Lapierre. He was very strong on the forecheck, always moving his feet, strong in the faceoff circle and had an all-around good game. Had one particularly impressive stint on the Penalty kill wher he rushed the puck up the ice, along the boards, chipped it in spun away from the defender and held it along the boards for a period of time. Strong on the forecheck too, stealing the puck from the Moose defender on more than one occasion.
#27 Danny Groulx Not the strongest game from him, was not impressed but it's only one game, I think he'll bounce back tonight even though I've never heard of him before.
#31 Mikhail Grabovski Made a great pass to Andre Benoit, through the PK box (which was however, very loose) on the powerplay to setup Benoit's fairly easy tip for the 2nd goal of the game. Didn't seem to be as explosive as I remembered seeing him on TV in his callup with the Habs, perhaps he's not 100% healed from whatever injury he had. He was also very weak on the boards, on one occasion getting outmuscled by Brandon Reid. He did however skate and control the puck fairly well throughout the game, expect some seasoning next season.
#32 Ajay Baines As I believ eI said earlier, player of the game. Scored on a beauty wristshot on a breakaway from the Bulldog's blueline (I cannot remember if he was the one who poked the puck away from the Moose dman), wasn't noticable all the time but was all over the ice. Saved a goal when a puck went off of Price's shoulder and was 4" or so from the goal-line and dribbling in. Should've been the first star, terrific game.
#34 Mathieu Biron Didn't expect to be writing any notes about him at the game but he saved a goal following a D'agostini giveaway in the offensive zone. Used his reach and long stick to dive and poke the puck away from the Moose player who was on a partial breakaway for Price. Was in the middle of a scuffle in the 3rd, standing up for his team-mates. solid in his zone.
#55 Andrew Archer I saw Archer paried with O'Byrne for a bit and they were huge and pretty solid together. Archer played a physical game with a pretty big hit along the boards, other than that he may as well have been invisible because I didn't see him, not that that's a bad thing for a defensive dman.
#84 Corey Locke Jeckyll and Hyde type game for Locke in my opinion. On some occasions he was skating well, creating chances and backchecking fairly well. Was firmly in the shooting lanes when I saw him out on a PK. On the other hand many of his passes didn't work (just barely though), wasn't too strong on the puck and turned it over a few times. Didn't have a bad game, but wasn't great either.
MTS Centre: the seats I had were pretty good despite being the least expensive in the arena. I could actually see more of the ice from where I was last night than a week ago when I was in centre ice. Disapointed with the fact that the Quizno's was no longer there, replaced by Gondola pizza which was greasy, cheap cheese, little toppings and not worth my money. Disapointed that it takes less time to get out of the 200 level of the Parkade at the Millenium Library than the 100 level, which makes no sense. Nonetheless it was alright.
and what you all really wanted last
#29 Carey Price Despite him getting beat 5 times or so last night he had a good game, and I agree with what gogie says about perfect positioning leading to goal-posts although there was a fair bit of net visible on one of the goal-posts. In most of my notes I wrote "sound positioning save, no rebound" which was impressive. Didn't face many shots early on in the first period, I believe the Moose had 1 shot 7 minutes in but then faced a flurry of chances as the Moose kept pressure on the Bulldogs. A number of shots went wide but he was in good position for them, much like 2 of the goal-posts. Dealt with traffic all night long and didn't see a number of shots from the point as a result, 1 or 2 of those hit the post. Deflected rebounds to the corner/sideboards away from dangerous areas, especially with shots to the blocker side. Made a terrific right-pad kick save in teh game as well. To be honest, I was disapointed with his puckhandling last night. Keep in mind that last night's game was the first I've seen of Price since the World Juniors. Didn't play the puck all that much. The most notable occasion when he did he played it off the boards past the first forechecker right to another Moose player, whose shot was blocked by a diving Duncan Milroy. He got lucky but was good when he needed to be, especially when the Moose were dominating play in the offensive zone. Displayed pretty good lateral movement when on his knees with the puck behind the net. I don't know much about goaltending but he had to make a desparation push from one end to the other on a wrap-around-type attempt which looked difficult, un-finess-like and hurtful to the groin but it worked. Will need at least one season in the AHL based on his play last night to work on making some quicker decisions when handling the puck since the game is a tad faster (based on this one game). More importantly he needs to get better at fighting through traffic though, which he probably will. Did not appear distracted at all by the "CARRRRREEEE-EEEEEEY, CARRRRRRREEEEE-EEEEEEY" chants from the Moose fans sitting behind him in the 3rd period. His only mistake all night was really that giveaway. The goal he allowed was due to shoddy defensive zone coverage with Lee Goren being left wide open at the faceoff dot (despite it being 5on5 including the Moose goalie pulled) and putting a nice one-timer into the goal
My 3 stars of the game:
1)Ajay Baines- terrific game for him at both ends
2)Carey Price- although I wasn't wowed he was very solid and dependable when needed
3)Lee Goren- strong on the puck and had a beauty shot to beat Price to give the Moose a glimmer of hope.
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Post by roke on May 6, 2007 14:39:35 GMT -5
Two comments on Price's play: 1. He was the first star. 2. If a goalie plays his angles well, then the goal posts are part of his "equipment". If the shooter has nothing to hit but the post, then the goalie is doing his job. I did not see the game so I don't have an opinion on how well he played. I've seen him twice in Hamilton and wasn't particularly impressed either time, although he does show signs of having mucho talent. Hopefully he's gaining confidence as he goes along and he'll continue to play better. I'm looking forward to seeing him Tuesday and Saturday in Hamilton. before i even read your comment i saw roke's saying he was beat five times and thought to myself, that is price's game, he's so big and so positionally solid that he only gives the posts or just inside the post and guys are shooting to miss him rather than get it on net. he makes guys hit posts because that is all the have to shoot at. I have to agree with you. I commented to a friend after the 3rd goal-post that Kelly Hrudey says that goalposts are often a result of a goalie being in perfect position. He didn't have a spectacular game but was solid. With his size, playing style and cool demeanor I doubt he'll have spectacular games or saves very often unless you take a look at the stat-sheet afterwards and realize how good he was. |
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Post by franko on May 6, 2007 14:54:52 GMT -5
Disapointed with the fact that the Quizno's was no longer there, replaced by Gondola pizza which was greasy, cheap cheese, little toppings and not worth my money. Gonorrhea Pizza is still in business? Sounds like what they sell hasn't improved during the last 20 plus years. |
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Post by roke on May 6, 2007 15:05:40 GMT -5
Disapointed with the fact that the Quizno's was no longer there, replaced by Gondola pizza which was greasy, cheap cheese, little toppings and not worth my money. Gonorrhea Pizza is still in business? Sounds like what they sell hasn't improved during the last 20 plus years. It was horrible. Had I known that Quizno's was gone and that my friend would be 30 minutes later than he said I would have made something before I left. |
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Post by seventeen on May 6, 2007 15:59:48 GMT -5
Thanks Roke. It sounds like neither team really played that well. Fair assessment?
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Post by roke on May 6, 2007 16:16:39 GMT -5
Thanks Roke. It sounds like neither team really played that well. Fair assessment? I wouldn't say either team played that badly either Seventeen. Both teams played so as to not lose. |
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Post by Skilly on May 6, 2007 20:08:36 GMT -5
#10 Cory Urquhart I actually ended up impressed with Urquhart's play, even though the first words out of my mouth when I saw him on the ice were "Why didn't we pick O'Sullivan like I wanted us to?". The better pick would have been Patrice Bergeron. Cory Urquhart selected 40th Patrice Bergeron selected 45th Patrick O'Sullivan selected 56th |
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Post by roke on May 6, 2007 22:37:16 GMT -5
#10 Cory Urquhart I actually ended up impressed with Urquhart's play, even though the first words out of my mouth when I saw him on the ice were "Why didn't we pick O'Sullivan like I wanted us to?". The better pick would have been Patrice Bergeron. Cory Urquhart selected 40th Patrice Bergeron selected 45th Patrick O'Sullivan selected 56th That is true Skilly but at the time of the draft Bergeron wasn't even on my radar, O'Sullivan was. Hamilton wins 3-2 tonight. Game should've been sealed in the last minute with the Moose getting a roughing penalty (someone punched/shoved down Lapierre) but they won nonetheless. I didn't take notes at the game tonight so I don't have as comprehensive of a report as last night but I do have thoughts. Carey Price: Very, very solid game. Once again unspectacular but sound positioning, great rebound control. 41 saves tonight and had to deal with crease crashing and traffic like Huet faced against Carolina during the playoffs last year. the second Moose goal (which put them up 2-1) was a rocket which I didn't see, went off a post (probably the inside one although they didn't show a replay on the screen). The lack of video review in the AHL is apalling to me though. They showed an overhead shot of a goal in the 1st and yet they don't put it up for the refs to make the decision. They ended up holding a conference with the goal judge and the end decision was a goal. Price promptly (immaturely?) skated back to the glass, squirted it with his water bottle and rubbed the spot in front of the goal judge like a windshield washer, which was good for a laugh from me. Matt D'agostini Another impressive game, that is, until the goal. What a shot, off the inside the post and behind Macintyre. The guy has a terrific shot and wow, it was amazing. Maxim Lapierre Played his typical disturber goal. Did take a quiestionable penalty early on but more than made up with it crashing the crease and jamming the puck through MacIntyre for the goal to make it 3-2. Got punched in the last minute of play by a Moose player and should've drawn a penalty. Seemed to have some trouble skating backwards when in the neutral zone, was kind of off-balance. Mathieu Biron Not a good game, falling all over the place, having trouble controlling the puck. Not that impressed with his game tonight. Cory Urquhart Another solid game for Cory. Opened the scoring with a weak goal (a shot through the five-hole of Macintyre) but it still counts on the scoreboard. Other than that I didn't think he was too noticable out there. Mikhail Gravoski Pretty good game. The guy has great vision and passing ability, able to pick out an open man and get the puck on his stick when he's about to be checked off the puck. Got a little chippy as well although his skating still wasn't as explosive as I expected. That's about all i have to say. There were a fair number of Hab fans at the arena, especially around where I was sitting this time and there were some humorous "conversations" going on between them. Another defensive game but the turning point was definitely the 2nd Moose goal. Hamilton started turning on the offense and began to control the game more than they had previously. |
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Post by jkr on May 10, 2007 9:45:12 GMT -5
Just read this on the Gazette site. At the end of the article it says SK went to Belarus when the Bulldogs told him he wasn't going to dress. Also says he has to be signed by June 1 or he goes back into the draft. tinyurl.com/239ne9 |
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Post by Doc Holliday on May 10, 2007 13:18:34 GMT -5
What kind of an attitude is that? You're a junior invited to the farm team for the playoff and you request a roster spot or else boot out... Can you see Carle saying "play me or else I'll stay in friggin' Rouyn-Noranda"... He would be crucified on Team 990 everyday for the next 20 years... ...I am so fed up of those guys... |
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Post by halihab on May 10, 2007 13:41:36 GMT -5
What kind of an attitude is that? You're a junior invited to the farm team for the playoff and you request a roster spot or else boot out... Can you see Carle saying "play me or else I'll stay in friggin' Rouyn-Noranda"... He would be crucified on Team 990 everyday for the next 20 years... ...I am so fed up of those guys... Exactly, Like I have said before, get rid of all the Russians (they're not worth the aggravation). Please Bob, don't draft anymore either. |
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Post by habmeister on May 10, 2007 16:30:12 GMT -5
What kind of an attitude is that? You're a junior invited to the farm team for the playoff and you request a roster spot or else boot out... Can you see Carle saying "play me or else I'll stay in friggin' Rouyn-Noranda"... He would be crucified on Team 990 everyday for the next 20 years... ...I am so fed up of those guys... Exactly, Like I have said before, get rid of all the Russians (they're not worth the aggravation). Please Bob, don't draft anymore either. after what has went down in the past year with them i think that they will be very careful to draft another, and if they do it will be because they just couldn't resist. amazing what is going on now. i'm not really down on him for going home, but after samsonov, kovalev and now perezhogin, and markov not being signed yet, then this... |
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Post by NWTHabsFan on May 10, 2007 22:49:39 GMT -5
What kind of an attitude is that? You're a junior invited to the farm team for the playoff and you request a roster spot or else boot out... Can you see Carle saying "play me or else I'll stay in friggin' Rouyn-Noranda"... He would be crucified on Team 990 everyday for the next 20 years... ...I am so fed up of those guys... Exactly, Like I have said before, get rid of all the Russians (they're not worth the aggravation). Please Bob, don't draft anymore either. I am guessing the draft day will confirm this sentiment. It really is not worth the hastle any more. |
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Post by Deleted on May 10, 2007 23:41:01 GMT -5
What's the point in signing a contract if you're not going to play? I'd go home, too.
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Post by seventeen on May 11, 2007 0:27:58 GMT -5
too bad we have such a great Russian scout. Could be a horrible waste.
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