Oh ian, stop with the attempt at hubris.
I already attempted a direct affront to your laughably homeristic blog. with no logical reply.

Torts had zero interest in the development of some the guys who probably are the biggest reason the vaunted rangers failed.
Nash? Gaborik? Richards as of now? Lundqvist?

Torts did quite the opposite actually.

Im not sayin torts is a bad coach, im just sayin your rankings didnt have alot of logic to it. In fact, i think torts was dangerously close to being unemployed if gillis wasnt backed into a corner to shake things up now.
He's not at 3 in the pacific division from anybody who's not either looking for hits and/or a total homer.

Just Leave the head slapper emoticons out of it.
- hugefemale dog77

*yawn* where does all of this hate come from? I guess when your team is as poopty as the Oilers are, even with all of their number 1 picks, you would fill up with piss and vinegar.....

i replied to his post. Isnt that the point of hockeybuzz?
what hate? It's called realism brother. Learn it.

Do you even know why you replied? Your left field oiler diss suggests you certainly didnt.
Was it just some nonsensical oiler hate and it seemed like the appropriate response cause you dont know better?

But good post...... No really

Oh ian, stop with the attempt at hubris.
I already attempted a direct comment to your laughably homeristic blog. with no logical reply.

Torts had zero interest in the development of some the guys who probably are the biggest reason the vaunted rangers failed throughtout this year. If he doesnt have 5 goalies on the ice he's lost.
Nash? Gaborik? Richards as of now? Even lundqvist? How do you win games when your team doesnt score?

Torts did quite the opposite actually.

Im not sayin torts is a bad coach, im just sayin your rankings didnt have alot of logic to it. In fact, i think torts was dangerously close to being unemployed if gillis wasnt backed into a corner to shake things up now.
He's not at 3 in the pacific division from anybody who's not either looking for hits and/or a total homer.

Just Leave the head slapper emoticons out of it.
- hugefemale dog77

And how many playoff games have these three played without Torts coaching them?

Maybe those three aren't who you think they are.

i replied to his post. Isnt that the point of hockeybuzz?
what hate? It's called realism brother. Learn it.

Do you even know why you replied? Your left field oiler diss suggests you certainly didnt.
Was it just some nonsensical oiler hate and it seemed like the appropriate response cause you dont know better?

But good post...... No really
- hugefemale dog77

Jesus, you whine a lot......

i replied to his post. Isnt that the point of hockeybuzz?
what hate? It's called realism brother. Learn it.

Do you even know why you replied? Your left field oiler diss suggests you certainly didnt.
Was it just some nonsensical oiler hate and it seemed like the appropriate response cause you dont know better?

But good post...... No really
- hugefemale dog77

What exactly is your definition of realism?

Missing the playoffs 7 year in a row mean you really aren'tgoing to finish high on a list of top teams.

And how many playoff games have these three played without Torts coaching them?

Maybe those three aren't who you think they are.
- IanEsplen

I dunno. Nash has never really been on a good team though. Richards had a conn smythe and was prob the go to on the same team the year before.
Gaborik is an elite scorer.

Either way, last year was a failure

anyone listen to the sutter interview today? He was pretty down on Guance ever being a top 6 fwd. Said he is 3rd or 4th line guy at best and is not remotely ready for the NHL this yr. I havent seen much of his play other than read what others say about him. But I am definitely a little worried about him now.

What exactly is your definition of realism?

Missing the playoffs 7 year in a row mean you really aren'tgoing to finish high on a list of top teams.
- IanEsplen

Read the posts before u respond. Makes you look even more foolish when you dont

Jesus, you whine a lot......
- chompsey

Weak

Not a favorite? In 03-04? I must have missed the memo. The team piled up 46 wins on its way to the Eastern Conference crown and didn't stop there. I'm not sure there was a team in the East I would have taken ahead of the Lightning in a playoff pool that year.

Rewinding, in 02-03 the Bolts won the SE division and made it to the second round, losing to the eventual Stanley Cup winning New Jersey Devils. That was with a young, offensively gifted core that was developing at rapid pace. It's fair to say the Lightning wasn't THE favorite in 03-04, but to say the team wasn't A favorite is simply incorrect.

EDIT - And, for the record, I give John Tortorella a huge amount of credit for showing the Lightning organization and its players what it takes to win. I don't know how he did it, but he instilled something in the organization that allowed it to reach greater heights. The Lightning had the talent, but Tortorella brought something more. If he can do the same in Vancouver, you folks will all be mighty pleased.
- Michael_Stuart

It's fair that they were a good team, but they were absolutely not the favourite that year. The conference was very close. They were only 7 pts up on 6th even though they had the 10, 11, 12 & 14 seeds in their division. Common opinion was that they were a very good young team, but that they benefited from an incredibly weak division (while somewhat inaccurate, was the conception). They also weren't considered to be as strong defensively as the other championship teams before them (this was still the pre obstruction NHL).

anyone listen to the sutter interview today? He was pretty down on Guance ever being a top 6 fwd. Said he is 3rd or 4th line guy at best and is not remotely ready for the NHL this yr. I havent seen much of his play other than read what others say about him. But I am definitely a little worried about him now.
- Bluechip23

Maybe he was just trying to sell Vancouver on sending him to junior so he had him for the WJHC.

Wonder what he thinks of NaMac...yah he's at least a year away

I dunno. Nash has never really been on a good team though. Richards had a conn smythe and was prob the go to on the same team the year before.
Gaborik is an elite scorer.

Either way, last year was a failure
- hugefemale dog77

I think the point is that neither Nash nor Gaborik ever starred in the post season. As for Richards, Torts was there last time he did. You can't really blame him for Richard's failure and credit him for the success (best player the year before even?).

I think the point is that neither Nash nor Gaborik ever starred in the post season. As for Richards, Torts was there last time he did. You can't really blame him for Richard's failure and credit him for the success (best player the year before even?).
- micah555

richards struggles weren't torts' fault. richards showed up to camp extremely out of shape and was literally a step behind every play. he just didn't have it whatsoever...all his passes were just wide, he just missed all his open net opportunities, he was giving up odd man rushes from stupid d to d passes....he was just literally useless and deserved to be scratched from the midway point of the season and on.

maybe torts' style of play really hindered his ability and fcked him but there's no excuse for how poorly he played. it wasn't for a lack of effort; he probably tried the hardest out of any player on the team besides hank, cally, and a couple others but he just literally sucked.

the numbers give him way too much credit. i believe he was on a 60 point pace but i have no idea how...he was playing like he should've got 20 points tops.

Maybe he was just trying to sell Vancouver on sending him to junior so he had him for the WJHC.

Wonder what he thinks of NaMac...yah he's at least a year away
- IanEsplen

Lets just hope. Somehow I think Guance is just what he is a bottom pairing guy. He did praise Bo and Shink calling them top 6 fwds in the nhl but still a year or 2 away.

Maybe he was just trying to sell Vancouver on sending him to junior so he had him for the WJHC.

Wonder what he thinks of NaMac...yah he's at least a year away
- IanEsplen

Lets just hope. Somehow I think Guance is just what he is a bottom pairing guy. He did praise Bo and Shink calling them top 6 fwds in the nhl but still a year or 2 away.

I think the point is that neither Nash nor Gaborik ever starred in the post season. As for Richards, Torts was there last time he did. You can't really blame him for Richard's failure and credit him for the success (best player the year before even?).
- micah555

9 years apart? I think you can. Richards credited Torts in 2004, and last year said the relationship isn't the same and Torts isn't the same coach. Would you rather look at recent history or go back a decade?

You guys can take a wait and see attitude, nothing is proven yet, but to tout Torts as the next great coach of the Canucks and think he's going to play an offensive style because he did almost a decade ago is denial. He hasn't allowed a team to play that style since, and the Rangers didn't have any freedom to be creative offensively.

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That pretty much sums this offseason up.

9 years apart? I think you can. Richards credited Torts in 2004, and last year said the relationship isn't the same and Torts isn't the same coach. Would you rather look at recent history or go back a decade?

You guys can take a wait and see attitude, nothing is proven yet, but to tout Torts as the next great coach of the Canucks and think he's going to play an offensive style because he did almost a decade ago is denial. He hasn't allowed a team to play that style since, and the Rangers didn't have any freedom to be creative offensively.
- Isles_since_6

You nailed it when you said we'll have to take a wait and see attitude. To laud him as a defence first coach who won't let the reigns go offensively is the same denial you claim Canucks fans have when they proclaim him the next great Canucks coach.

You nailed it when you said we'll have to take a wait and see attitude. To laud him as a defence first coach who won't let the reigns go offensively is the same denial you claim Canucks fans have when they proclaim him the next great Canucks coach.
- KB3Point0

Indeed no one knows how the new coaches will go.

Krueger was brought in in the hope of applying sensible team defense first hockey to Edmonton, but in the end his system was a worse version of the run and gun than the year previous.

It should be interesting to watch.