Calder cup.....2nd hardest champion trophy to win.

Not an easy feat.

With all the hysteria around not wanting PN and not winning the lottery I've got to throw my two cents in.

Not only do I hope that we don't win the lottery, I hope we finish in the 5 hole and three teams (6,7,9) win all the lottery positions. That way we won't have any pressure when we pick eighth and puck up a defensemen with bottom pairing ceiling.


Right guys.
Let's hear some more, I hope that we don't win the lottery talk, because that makes about add much sense as this post.
- Pres.cup

Hardest trophy to win is the Memorial Cup......need to win 16 playoff games plus win a tournament of the other league champs.

I give credit where credit is due. Its an accomplishment, whether you give him credit or not.
- Codes1087

I was excited to see him come here at 1st. Figured with his winning record he'd be a great coach with lots of tools. Wrong.
Turns out he didnt even last long as an assistant in nhl. Im sure he has good qualities in ways, but not the right make up to be an nhl level coach.

I was excited to see him come here at 1st. Figured with his winning record he'd be a great coach with lots of tools. Wrong.
Turns out he didnt even last long as an assistant in nhl. Im sure he has good qualities in ways, but not the right make up to be an nhl level coach.
- SMBDragon

Mike Babcock or Joel Quenville couldn't do much more with our roster lol. It's what happens when you bridge the gap with a bunch of AHL free agents with a team who already has an aging core.

Lord, you keep going back to that. Yet certain coaches the pens had had them losing and missing playoffs. Then a change was made and the new coach wins them a cup. Same great players. You keep forgetting that.
- SMBDragon

I go back to it because it's pretty relevant. You also fail to mention that team was overhauled at TDL that year in unison with Sullivan. It's a combination of so many things which I'm not sure you are getting...but it is what it is. Just adding Sullivan is not what won PIT that cup...not even close actually.

And if you go back and look at the rosters of CHI an LA over the past 5 years you can also see how impactful the GM's were in those rosters. It wasn't just Quenville and Sutter that won them cups. Again...a combination of a great many things which really begins and ends with the roster the coach is given to work with.

I will agree with you somewhat that WD has failed to adapt in a few different situations. Having said that since his first season the roster has gotten worse and worse and more stale. Expecting him to coach himself out of those situations to me anyways is an unrealistic notion.

It is never easy to win a cup, period. With that similar roster the Pens went 7 years before winning another cup.

WD is not a stupid guy, he will learn from this experience. If he doesn't then he won't coach in the NHL for long.
- Kaynine

Fair enough. Let's call it 'easier' when you have the best player in the world on your team plus a Norris Dman.

would you then say we pick him if nico patrick and mittlestadt are already gone?
- SMBDragon

Well I actually have Vilardi 3rd and Mittelstad 4th. Vilardi is younger and has a higher floor. Pretty safe bet he is a top 6 center. I also like the fact that he drives offense on his team. Windsor is one of the few teams that actually tracks advanced stats and all of his teammates that play with Vilardi show an improvement. He is the engine of the team. Pretty impressive for a 17 year old with an August bday

when its the stanley cup you are competing against the top coaches in the world. He's not in that class period
- SMBDragon

I'm still not sure who the head coaches are in this league. Could you please list all the head coach's that you know?

Just trying to figure out who the top 31 coach's inn the world are, the ones that are hired by the top hockey mind's in the world.... Not anonymous posters one an internet comment board.
He might not be great but I can't take a datsun b210 with a missing spark plug and race a Ferrari now could I?

Doesn't matter how good of a driver i am... I'd fail.

Or to put it another way and take it back to last year..... if you bring a twig to a sword fight, you're going to lose. Doesn't matter how buff you are, you will get stabbed.

no rub n tug for me...was my hot asian girlfriend. Best part is she likes cleaning my house too
- SMBDragon

Sounds like a keeper.

I used to love the naked hoo.....er ahmm... housecleaning service available in town. The only naked
Cleaning that gets done around my place is me wandering around naked looking for a towel after i get out of the shower.



Fixed... Damn auto correct

Fair enough. Let's call it 'easier' when you have the best player in the world on your team plus a Norris Dman.
- LordHumungous

I will agree your odds are better for sure. As good as Crosby was last year, I think the HBK line and young guys were the difference makers for the Pens.

I'm still not sure who the head coaches are in this league. Could you please list all the head coach's that you know?

Just trying to figure out who the top 31 coach's inn the world are, the ones that are hired by the top hockey mind's in the world.... Not anonymous posters one an internet comment board.
Hee might not be great but I can't take a datsun b210 with a missing spark plug and race a Ferrari now could I?

Doesn't matter how good of a driver i am... I'd fail.

Our to put it another way and take it back to last year..... if you bring a twig to a sword fight, you're going to lose. Doesn't matter how buff you are, you will get stabbed.
- Pres.cup

It's ironic that our 3 previous coaches are all in the playoffs on different teams.

Sullivan - PIT
AV - NYR
Torts - CBJ

Common denominator is NOT the coach that is wrong with this team. It is the players. Is Willy to blame for some weird decisions regarding deployment/roster/lines etc... Yes I would say a fair bit is on his hands, but the fact still remains that we have a poopy team and you would be hard pressed to find a coach who could turn around this stale roster

Hardest trophy to win is the Memorial Cup......need to win 16 playoff games plus win a tournament of the other league champs.
- Kaynine

You could make an argument for it for sure. Still might have to go with the Stanley Cup however as it's spread out a bit more and the grind/pounding the players take I'm sure is a bit more taxing on the bodies than Junior hockey.

It's ironic that our 3 previous coaches are all in the playoffs on different teams.

Sullivan - PIT
AV - NYR
Torts - CBJ

Common denominator is NOT the coach that is wrong with this team. It is the players. Is Willy to blame for some weird decisions regarding deployment/roster/lines etc... Yes I would say a fair bit is on his hands, but the fact still remains that we have a poopy team and you would be hard pressed to find a coach who could turn around this stale roster
- Codes1087

Attention Dragon.

It's ironic that our 3 previous coaches are all in the playoffs on different teams.

Sullivan - PIT
AV - NYR
Torts - CBJ

Common denominator is NOT the coach that is wrong with this team. It is the players. Is Willy to blame for some weird decisions regarding deployment/roster/lines etc... Yes I would say a fair bit is on his hands, but the fact still remains that we have a poopy team and you would be hard pressed to find a coach who could turn around this stale roster
- Codes1087

Correct on all counts.

Mike Babcock or Joel Quenville couldn't do much more with our roster lol. It's what happens when you bridge the gap with a bunch of AHL free agents with a team who already has an aging core.
- Codes1087

total disagree with that....even if its 6-8 more wins its the difference between PO's and no PO's

It's ironic that our 3 previous coaches are all in the playoffs on different teams.

Sullivan - PIT
AV - NYR
Torts - CBJ

Common denominator is NOT the coach that is wrong with this team. It is the players. Is Willy to blame for some weird decisions regarding deployment/roster/lines etc... Yes I would say a fair bit is on his hands, but the fact still remains that we have a poopy team and you would be hard pressed to find a coach who could turn around this stale roster
- Codes1087

Yes.... I agree its not coaching but years of poor talent management. What we need is to rotate vantel into the head scout role and dragon into some type of coach advisor role.

Then we will finally start seeing some success.

total disagree with that....even if its 6-8 more wins its the difference between PO's and no PO's
- SMBDragon

Willy took us to the playoffs with those 6-8 more wins, and how did that go over?

It's ironic that our 3 previous coaches are all in the playoffs on different teams.

Sullivan - PIT
AV - NYR
Torts - CBJ

Common denominator is NOT the coach that is wrong with this team. It is the players. Is Willy to blame for some weird decisions regarding deployment/roster/lines etc... Yes I would say a fair bit is on his hands, but the fact still remains that we have a poopy team and you would be hard pressed to find a coach who could turn around this stale roster
- Codes1087

Really???

Torts was the right coach?? So you think we shouldn't have fired him?
AV did a lot of good things in Van but it was time to go.
Sullivan? just because he won a cup last year doesn't mean we should have kept him after firing Torts.

Really???

Torts was the right coach?? So you think we shouldn't have fired him?
AV did a lot of good things in Van but it was time to go.
Sullivan? just because he won a cup last year doesn't mean we should have kept him after firing Torts.
- Kaynine

Attention Dragon.
- Marwood

All your trying to do is keep an argument going with Dragon......do your really feel the plight of this team is all on the players and that WD has done nothing wrong?

Hey man I like a jazzy too but that poope must really strong!

- Codes1087

Hey man you said it not me

All your trying to do is keep an argument going with Dragon......do your really feel the plight of this team is all on the players and that WD has done nothing wrong?

Hey man I like a jazzy too but that poope must really strong!
- Kaynine

It's kind of a stupid argument really. Willie sucks and the players suck. Who cares?

- Codes1087

Besides Codes, answer my question about a Torts

It's kind of a stupid argument really. Willie sucks and the players suck. Who cares?
- CanuckDon

It's not and argument when all your doing is trolling

Hey man you said it not me
- Kaynine

you just filled my mouth with a bunch of poop about each coach that I never said. I never once pulled any cards saying anything close to what you just assumed.

My point was, 3 former coaches having success who DIDN'T have success with our current roster. People harping on Willy but don't see the other side of the argument that MAYBE, just MAYBE, it has something to do with the players he is coaching as well. I have no idea where your breakdown of each coach comes from.

Next years draft should be very good and have a deep top 7-8
- mauryballstein

A couple of "game breakers" in there too.