I don't think of the term 'Bandwagon fan' as derogatory. I'm sure a huge population of the NHL fan base jumped on a bandwagon at one point or another.

It does however, bother me when people will only support teams when they have success and disappear when they are struggling.

As for me, I jumped on the bandwagon back in 1993 and became a Kings fan mostly because they were the local team but in all honesty it was the game of hockey that I fell in love with.

What I didn't realize at the time was how lucky I was to start watching the sport when the Kings were having the most success they ever had to that point.

In those horrid years after, I was already hooked and fully dedicated to the team and became more invested in the team as the seasons went on and like 99% of all Kings fans in the mid 90's I probably had a bit of Stockholm Syndrome

Although in the end it was all worth it because there's nothing like success when things were so bad for so long.
- Anjin

I'm 53 years old and go back before Gretzky. Had a lot of tail gate parties in the Forum parking lot with guys that followed the Kings before the great one. Learned a lot about being a fan through the lean times. Those times we just relished a victory against the powerhouses of the league at the time. I never thought I would be able to say we're double SC winners. LA and OC are very much a melting pot and both have their fan bases. The bandwagon effect happens with all winners. Be proud of both franchises. they've both earned it

Hey RobitailleFAN20,

FYI, my favorite palyers are Adam Banks and Greg Goldberg.
Favorite coach, Gordon Bombay.
Favorite owner, Gerald Ducksworth.
Favorite shootout move, the triple deke.
Favorite breakout, the flying V.
I started being a Ducks fan when they were still called District 5. I jumped off the bandwagon when they all joined Team USA. If your team isn't the Hawks, your team isn't very good.

Even I know that yzermaneely owned you!

Hey RobitailleFAN20,

FYI, my favorite palyers are Adam Banks and Greg Goldberg.
Favorite coach, Gordon Bombay.
Favorite owner, Gerald Ducksworth.
Favorite shootout move, the triple deke.
Favorite breakout, the flying V.
I started being a Ducks fan when they were still called District 5. I jumped off the bandwagon when they all joined Team USA. If your team isn't the Hawks, your team isn't very good.

Even I know that yzermaneely owned you!
- flyducksfly

Lol, that's cool

He would be a good player to get...I think # 3 on the Coyotes is who we should really try and trade for !!

He would be a good player to get...I think # 3 on the Coyotes is who we should really try and trade for !!
- rubberduckies

Love to have him. Bob Murray will be GM of the year again if he he can get two all-star caliber players from within his own division this off-season.

He would be a good player to get...I think # 3 on the Coyotes is who we should really try and trade for !!
- rubberduckies

Sounds good to me. A top 4d should be our main target.

He would be a good player to get...I think # 3 on the Coyotes is who we should really try and trade for !!
- rubberduckies

Sounds good to me. A top 4d should be our main target.
- selanne4pres

The Ducks don't need anymore defensemen.

Anaheim go get Keith Yandle !!!

Anaheim go get Keith Yandle !!!
- rubberduckies

The Ducks need defensemen that can play defense, not another Joe Corvo. The Ducks don't have any problems scoring goals. They do have problems keeping them out of their own net. They would be better off going after players like Brooks Orpik, Willie Mitchell, Michael Del Zotto, etc. Even older players like Sami Salo, Ed Jovanovski, and Derek Morris would be better options and could be had for fairly cheap. If Bryan Allen is still in the lineup come October, then the Ducks have some issues.

The Ducks need defensemen that can play defense, not another Joe Corvo. The Ducks don't have any problems scoring goals. They do have problems keeping them out of their own net. They would be better off going after players like Brooks Orpik, Willie Mitchell, Michael Del Zotto, etc. Even older players like Sami Salo, Ed Jovanovski, and Derek Morris would be better options and could be had for fairly cheap. If Bryan Allen is still in the lineup come October, then the Ducks have some issues.
- tkecanuck341

The Ducks don't really have issues keeping the puck out of their net. Not really sure where this is coming from... They were 9th in the league last season in GA/G. The depth on defense is actually one of their strengths. They have 9 NHL defensemen on the roster. The problem they had last season was at the center position. They addressed that problem with Kesler, Thompson, and Leblanc, who are all better two way pivots. Also, Bryan Allen is a defensive defenseman. He had a pretty good year last season defensively.

The Ducks don't really have issues keeping the puck out of their net. Not really sure where this is coming from... They were 9th in the league last season in GA/G. The depth on defense is actually one of their strengths. They have 9 NHL defensemen on the roster. The problem they had last season was at the center position. They addressed that problem with Kesler, Thompson, and Leblanc, who are all better two way pivots. Also, Bryan Allen is a defensive defenseman. He had a pretty good year last season defensively.
- sniper11

Our defense sucks. We have an excessive amount of bottom pairing defenseman getting huge contracts. Allen is horrible possession wise and Stoner is even worse. We have Lovejoy playing on our first pair even though he should barely be playing top 4 minutes.

Fowler-Great but doesn't have the right partner when it comes to inflated minutes.
Lindholm- Young, can't ask too much of him yet.
Beauch- Another offseason surgery on his knee (I saw him with a cane). Too injured.
Lovejoy- Same as what I said before.
Allen- Terrible, horrible, barf everywhere
Stoner- Worse than Allen.
Fistric- Cheaper Allen.
Vatanen- One of our best possession defenders but isn't even signed. Even if he gets a contract he probably won't crack the lineup because our stupid gm has made it a requirement to play worse, more expensive players.
Souray- Done.

Add in questionable, unproven goaltending and you have yet another early playoff exit as the best case scenario.

Our defense sucks. We have an excessive amount of bottom pairing defenseman getting huge contracts. Allen is horrible possession wise and Stoner is even worse. We have Lovejoy playing on our first pair even though he should barely be playing top 4 minutes.

Fowler-Great but doesn't have the right partner when it comes to inflated minutes.
Lindholm- Young, can't ask too much of him yet.
Beauch- Another offseason surgery on his knee (I saw him with a cane). Too injured.
Lovejoy- Same as what I said before.
Allen- Terrible, horrible, barf everywhere
Stoner- Worse than Allen.
Fistric- Cheaper Allen.
Vatanen- One of our best possession defenders but isn't even signed. Even if he gets a contract he probably won't crack the lineup because our stupid gm has made it a requirement to play worse, more expensive players.
Souray- Done.

Add in questionable, unproven goaltending and you have yet another early playoff exit as the best case scenario.
- selanne4pres

This post was very angry sounding...I liked it.

This post was very angry sounding...I liked it.
- Jeropotato

Thanks.

I'm a realist, which is annoying being a diehard hockey fan.

Our defense sucks. We have an excessive amount of bottom pairing defenseman getting huge contracts. Allen is horrible possession wise and Stoner is even worse. We have Lovejoy playing on our first pair even though he should barely be playing top 4 minutes.

Fowler-Great but doesn't have the right partner when it comes to inflated minutes.
Lindholm- Young, can't ask too much of him yet.
Beauch- Another offseason surgery on his knee (I saw him with a cane). Too injured.
Lovejoy- Same as what I said before.
Allen- Terrible, horrible, barf everywhere
Stoner- Worse than Allen.
Fistric- Cheaper Allen.
Vatanen- One of our best possession defenders but isn't even signed. Even if he gets a contract he probably won't crack the lineup because our stupid gm has made it a requirement to play worse, more expensive players.
Souray- Done.

Add in questionable, unproven goaltending and you have yet another early playoff exit as the best case scenario.
- selanne4pres

This past season it was the opposite, so there isn't much reason to buy into your critiques. I wonder if you even watched any of these players.

Fowler - just had the best season of his promising young career. No reason to expect the trend to change
Lindholm - young player, expect more to be asked of him after a successful rookie season
Lovejoy - coming off the best season of his career
Allen - coming off the best defensive season of his career (it not his job to drive possession)
Fistric - good hitter, more mobile physical defenceman
Stoner - physical stalwart, stay at home dman addresses Ducks needs on defense
Vatanen - good possession guy but plays the most protected minutes of anyone on the team, will be great for the PP
Souray - LTIR

Add in young goaltending that impressed at the end of the regular season and in the playoffs and supplanted Hiller as the no. 1 in net (would have beat the kings in 5 had Hiller not played), and you can expect a long playoff run.

Honestly the biggest issue was at center, not at all on defense. Specifically, the two way play from last seasons centers was not good at all. Kesler changes things in a big way.

This past season it was the opposite, so there isn't much reason to buy into your critiques. I wonder if you even watched any of these players.

Fowler - just had the best season of his promising young career. No reason to expect the trend to change
Lindholm - young player, expect more to be asked of him after a successful rookie season
Lovejoy - coming off the best season of his career
Allen - coming off the best defensive season of his career (it not his job to drive possession)
Fistric - good hitter, more mobile physical defenceman
Stoner - physical stalwart, stay at home dman addresses Ducks needs on defense
Vatanen - good possession guy but plays the most protected minutes of anyone on the team, will be great for the PP
Souray - LTIR

Add in young goaltending that impressed at the end of the regular season and in the playoffs and supplanted Hiller as the no. 1 in net (would have beat the kings in 5 had Hiller not played), and you can expect a long playoff run.

Honestly the biggest issue was at center, not at all on defense. Specifically, the two way play from last seasons centers was not good at all. Kesler changes things in a big way.
- sniper11

With that mindset you could probably be hired to an executive position in the Leafs organization.

I probably watched 75 games last season so I'd say that I got a pretty solid view of every player on the team. First I'll talk about goaltending (heads up, I'm a tendy).

Anderson: Has the opportunity to be an above average goalie in this league. This "defense" seems to play better in front of him than Hiller because he is an excellent puck handler. He can easily clear pucks himself (focus on this). Still, he has had history of injuries and has not played a full season.
Gibson: 7 games cannot be used to say that he will be a successful player. The only team that figured out the book on him was the Kings in the last two games. Honestly his terrible rebound control cost us game 7. In the LA series, Hiller was our best goalie and should have been given the team's full confidence. Gibson needs another year in the A to refine his skills and boost his confidence.

As teams like the Kings and Hawks have shown us, possession wins championships. Fowler is amazing but is anchored by Lovejoy. I dream over a pairing like Fowler-Buff. Allen can play on the PK but that's all. He constantly forces passes and ices the puck. He was easily our worst defenseman last year and now Stoner will challenge him for that spot. The defense looked better in front of Anderson because they needed the extra help to get the puck out of the zone. In today's league, the winning recipe is to hang on to the puck and create scoring chances. Our defense minus a few individuals does the opposite.

If you would like more information about possession and why our defense is the main problem please check out "extraskater.com". It's a great site that shows things like corsi, fenwick, zone starts, and quality of competition. For example, we gave out a lucrative contract to the Wild's six/seventh defenseman that gets sheltered zone starts and plays against the weakest competition. Can't wait to see him suck for four years.

With that mindset you could probably be hired to an executive position in the Leafs organization.

I probably watched 75 games last season so I'd say that I got a pretty solid view of every player on the team. First I'll talk about goaltending (heads up, I'm a tendy).

Anderson: Has the opportunity to be an above average goalie in this league. This "defense" seems to play better in front of him than Hiller because he is an excellent puck handler. He can easily clear pucks himself (focus on this). Still, he has had history of injuries and has not played a full season.
Gibson: 7 games cannot be used to say that he will be a successful player. The only team that figured out the book on him was the Kings in the last two games. Honestly his terrible rebound control cost us game 7. In the LA series, Hiller was our best goalie and should have been given the team's full confidence. Gibson needs another year in the A to refine his skills and boost his confidence.

As teams like the Kings and Hawks have shown us, possession wins championships. Fowler is amazing but is anchored by Lovejoy. I dream over a pairing like Fowler-Buff. Allen can play on the PK but that's all. He constantly forces passes and ices the puck. He was easily our worst defenseman last year and now Stoner will challenge him for that spot. The defense looked better in front of Anderson because they needed the extra help to get the puck out of the zone. In today's league, the winning recipe is to hang on to the puck and create scoring chances. Our defense minus a few individuals does the opposite.

If you would like more information about possession and why our defense is the main problem please check out "extraskater.com". It's a great site that shows things like corsi, fenwick, zone starts, and quality of competition. For example, we gave out a lucrative contract to the Wild's six/seventh defenseman that gets sheltered zone starts and plays against the weakest competition. Can't wait to see him suck for four years.
- selanne4pres

So I was gonna reply, but you covered just about every point that I was gonna make. Thanks for that. Also, you can add Boston to the list of possession teams that win championships.

With that mindset you could probably be hired to an executive position in the Leafs organization.

I probably watched 75 games last season so I'd say that I got a pretty solid view of every player on the team. First I'll talk about goaltending (heads up, I'm a tendy).

Anderson: Has the opportunity to be an above average goalie in this league. This "defense" seems to play better in front of him than Hiller because he is an excellent puck handler. He can easily clear pucks himself (focus on this). Still, he has had history of injuries and has not played a full season.
Gibson: 7 games cannot be used to say that he will be a successful player. The only team that figured out the book on him was the Kings in the last two games. Honestly his terrible rebound control cost us game 7. In the LA series, Hiller was our best goalie and should have been given the team's full confidence. Gibson needs another year in the A to refine his skills and boost his confidence.

As teams like the Kings and Hawks have shown us, possession wins championships. Fowler is amazing but is anchored by Lovejoy. I dream over a pairing like Fowler-Buff. Allen can play on the PK but that's all. He constantly forces passes and ices the puck. He was easily our worst defenseman last year and now Stoner will challenge him for that spot. The defense looked better in front of Anderson because they needed the extra help to get the puck out of the zone. In today's league, the winning recipe is to hang on to the puck and create scoring chances. Our defense minus a few individuals does the opposite.

If you would like more information about possession and why our defense is the main problem please check out "extraskater.com". It's a great site that shows things like corsi, fenwick, zone starts, and quality of competition. For example, we gave out a lucrative contract to the Wild's six/seventh defenseman that gets sheltered zone starts and plays against the weakest competition. Can't wait to see him suck for four years.
- selanne4pres

This is a really bad assessment. Gibson is the best goalie prospect in the league and if you didn't know that then youve been under a rock for 3 years. The entire team quit in game 7. That was definitely not Gibson's fault the Ducks lost. It should have never gone to game 7 anyway. Hiller was the worst player on the ice for the Ducks in games 1 and 2 and thats the reason why they lost the series. He was mediocre against Dallas as well. There is a reason why he lost his starting position to two rookies at the end of the regular season. Andersen was easily the best goalie against LA, definitely not Hiller...

I know all about fenwick, corsi and other metrics and none of them give any consideration to defensive play. The Ducks as a team have bad advanced stats because of their centers not the defense. Allen is not a puck mover and neither is Stoner so they won't have great fenwick numbers. Something has to be said about Allen's +20 when most of his shifts begin in the defensive zone, under pressure because the Ducks couldn't win faceoffs. He was in the bottom pairing so obviously he shouldn't be one the best defensemen on the team. The problem wasn't the defense even if you look at the metrics. Metrics still show that the problem was at center for the Ducks. It was their lack of two way centers who can win faceoffs (maybe you didn't realize while watching all those 75 games, which isn't very many, that faceoffs are key to possession). By the way, Allen's fenwick and corsi stats were better than Fowler's and comparable with Willie Mitchell and better than Robyn Regehr. Two stalwarts of LA's defense. He was also better than Hjalmarsson, Oduya and Rozsival, three of Chicago's defensive stalwarts. You are probably one the people who would rather have Corvo because his iCorsi is 12.115.

This is a really bad assessment. Gibson is the best goalie prospect in the league and if you didn't know that then youve been under a rock for 3 years. The entire team quit in game 7. That was definitely not Gibson's fault the Ducks lost. It should have never gone to game 7 anyway. Hiller was the worst player on the ice for the Ducks in games 1 and 2 and thats the reason why they lost the series. He was mediocre against Dallas as well. There is a reason why he lost his starting position to two rookies at the end of the regular season. Andersen was easily the best goalie against LA, definitely not Hiller...

I know all about fenwick, corsi and other metrics and none of them give any consideration to defensive play. The Ducks as a team have bad advanced stats because of their centers not the defense. Allen is not a puck mover and neither is Stoner so they won't have great fenwick numbers. Something has to be said about Allen's +20 when most of his shifts begin in the defensive zone, under pressure because the Ducks couldn't win faceoffs. He was in the bottom pairing so obviously he shouldn't be one the best defensemen on the team. The problem wasn't the defense even if you look at the metrics. Metrics still show that the problem was at center for the Ducks. It was their lack of two way centers who can win faceoffs (maybe you didn't realize while watching all those 75 games, which isn't very many, that faceoffs are key to possession). By the way, Allen's fenwick and corsi stats were better than Fowler's and comparable with Willie Mitchell and better than Robyn Regehr. Two stalwarts of LA's defense. He was also better than Hjalmarsson, Oduya and Rozsival, three of Chicago's defensive stalwarts. You are probably one the people who would rather have Corvo because his iCorsi is 12.115.
- sniper11

Why bring up Corvo? No one wants him. And I meant 75 regular season games. If the Ducks are going to get D, they need to sign Vatanen and then unload Allen/get an actual top4 d.

Hiller won us game 6 against Dallas and should have won game 1 against LA. We only lost because Boudreau took a timeout while ahead and then inexplicably sent out Allen. Allen lost his man (Gaborik) who knocked the puck out of mid air. Nothing a goalie can do there. Again, Gibson is way too young and cannot be counted on yet. His rebound control is atrocious. I have talked to people in Norfolk who all say the same thing. He needs to get used to the speed of professional hockey before coming to the big leagues.

Centers were definitely a problem last year. Kesler should help a lot but losing Perreault is going to hurt the team as well. At the moment I'm not convinced that Rakell can put up similar numbers at his age. The centers will be better but not significantly. I tend to agree that faceoffs are important but I've been reading some articles that argue that they aren't nearly as important when it comes to possession. Given Boudreau's faceoff loss pressure system, faceoffs mean little.

You're right about some of the aspects of possession but not exactly quite there. Fowler's numbers were worse because he was playing against top competition and had to play with Lovejoy. Check out Lovejoy's numbers while Fowler was injured. Not pretty. Allen's numbers are inflated by playing with Vatanen. Look up Allen's numbers when he played with Sbisa or Fistric. By the way, possession and defense are positively correlated. Teams that can defend have better possession numbers. Both win championships. With this defense, we can't beat the Kings.

So I was gonna reply, but you covered just about every point that I was gonna make. Thanks for that. Also, you can add Boston to the list of possession teams that win championships.
- tkecanuck341

Glad I could help you out. Boston is an enigma. Great team with scum as players. They would have reached the Cup Final but they always have problems with Montreal.

Why bring up Corvo? No one wants him. And I meant 75 regular season games. If the Ducks are going to get D, they need to sign Vatanen and then unload Allen/get an actual top4 d.

Hiller won us game 6 against Dallas and should have won game 1 against LA. We only lost because Boudreau took a timeout while ahead and then inexplicably sent out Allen. Allen lost his man (Gaborik) who knocked the puck out of mid air. Nothing a goalie can do there. Again, Gibson is way too young and cannot be counted on yet. His rebound control is atrocious. I have talked to people in Norfolk who all say the same thing. He needs to get used to the speed of professional hockey before coming to the big leagues.

Centers were definitely a problem last year. Kesler should help a lot but losing Perreault is going to hurt the team as well. At the moment I'm not convinced that Rakell can put up similar numbers at his age. The centers will be better but not significantly. I tend to agree that faceoffs are important but I've been reading some articles that argue that they aren't nearly as important when it comes to possession. Given Boudreau's faceoff loss pressure system, faceoffs mean little.

You're right about some of the aspects of possession but not exactly quite there. Fowler's numbers were worse because he was playing against top competition and had to play with Lovejoy. Check out Lovejoy's numbers while Fowler was injured. Not pretty. Allen's numbers are inflated by playing with Vatanen. Look up Allen's numbers when he played with Sbisa or Fistric. By the way, possession and defense are positively correlated. Teams that can defend have better possession numbers. Both win championships. With this defense, we can't beat the Kings.
- selanne4pres

I guess agree to disagree. You are reading the number wrong. Vatanen was the most protected player on each of his shifts because Boudreau didn't trust him, so Allen's minutes with Vats were protected also. And Fistric's numbers were actually worse than Allen, so an argument could easily be made that Fistric brought down Allen's numbers. Still it all doesn't change the fact Allen's iCorsi and iFenwick were better than almost half of the defensemen from the teams you mentioned. And faceoffs are the most key component of puck possession. There can be no argument about that, regardless of whatever bs article you read or didn't read. There is a difference between correlation and causality. Good defense (defensemen) only affects the SA numbers, but it has very little effect on individual possession numbers. Good team defense (forwards and centers included) has a much larger effect, which is really what the Ducks issue was. That is where teams like Chicago and LA have been better than Anaheim. Their forwards play a better two way game than the Ducks do. Also, it was Beuchemin that was covering Gaborik, not Allen, and Hiller was out of position just casually (and lazily!) sliding across the crease which is why the puck even went in. If the Ducks win that game, they win the series in 5. They can beat the kings with the team they have now.

Glad I could help you out. Boston is an enigma. Great team with scum as players. They would have reached the Cup Final but they always have problems with Montreal.
- selanne4pres

I guess agree to disagree. You are reading the number wrong. Vatanen was the most protected player on each of his shifts because Boudreau didn't trust him, so Allen's minutes with Vats were protected also. And Fistric's numbers were actually worse than Allen, so an argument could easily be made that Fistric brought down Allen's numbers. Still it all doesn't change the fact Allen's iCorsi and iFenwick were better than almost half of the defensemen from the teams you mentioned. And faceoffs are the most key component of puck possession. There can be no argument about that, regardless of whatever bs article you read or didn't read. There is a difference between correlation and causality. Good defense (defensemen) only affects the SA numbers, but it has very little effect on individual possession numbers. Good team defense (forwards and centers included) has a much larger effect, which is really what the Ducks issue was. That is where teams like Chicago and LA have been better than Anaheim. Their forwards play a better two way game than the Ducks do. Also, it was Beuchemin that was covering Gaborik, not Allen, and Hiller was out of position just casually (and lazily!) sliding across the crease which is why the puck even went in. If the Ducks win that game, they win the series in 5. They can beat the kings with the team they have now.
- sniper11

Agree to agree to disagree about the first half.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3qL5bqya_Y

It was Allen on Gaborik. As a goalie, I know that you have little chance on that type of deflection. It is pure randomness and can go anywhere. That makes it the responsibility of the defenseman to take the body. A goalie can only do so much. The Ducks wouldn't have won in five games. The series would have completely changed. Too many variables.

I honestly shared the same stance as you in regards to faceoffs until the beginning of this summer. I don't have any articles to reference but try researching it on the internet. It's still hard to understand but it really is eye opening. They have a very minute effect on possession.

- Jeropotato

My love for what Bergeron does disappears when I see Lucic and Marchand on the ice.

Agree to agree to disagree about the first half.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3qL5bqya_Y

It was Allen on Gaborik. As a goalie, I know that you have little chance on that type of deflection. It is pure randomness and can go anywhere. That makes it the responsibility of the defenseman to take the body. A goalie can only do so much. The Ducks wouldn't have won in five games. The series would have completely changed. Too many variables.

I honestly shared the same stance as you in regards to faceoffs until the beginning of this summer. I don't have any articles to reference but try researching it on the internet. It's still hard to understand but it really is eye opening. They have a very minute effect on possession.
- selanne4pres

I thought you were talking about the OT goal. On the tying goal it was Allen covering, but it was poor rebound control that directly led to that goal. Allen was in good position when the original shot was put on net. Hiller sticks the rebound not into the corner like he should, but straight out to the slot, which is what he usually does with his stick saves. It went right to Gaborik before Allen even had time to turn around and play him. That goal was all on Hiller.