23. That should tell you something.
- Leafland

Everything.

id be drinking too if i just realized i signed a contract that forces me to live in Winnipeg
- DoubleDown

lol

id just hire a buddy
id tell him

smoke all the reefer u want, snort all the coke u want, i dont care what you do, just dont blow over and be my personal driver, il pay you 100k a year.


DONE AND DONE.

who wouldnt do this!?

That and kaberle for Carter are the dumbest trades in recent history that the leafs didnt make.
- Prolific_Scorer

Lol

Lupul-Spezza-Kessel
Macarthur-Carter-Grabvoski
Kulemin-McClement-Frattin
Brown-Steckel-Kamorov

Phaneuf-Gunnarson
Gardiner-Komisarek
Holzer-Franson

all the players from back in the day would suck right now, who are we trying to kid.

speed? lol, Guy would be about as fast as Bozak. no chirp on bozie either, thats just the new NHL.

everyone is bigger, stronger, faster, better equipment, the ice is better, blades are sharper, training all year round...i mean poop, the guys in the day made 40k a year, we make 4+ mil a year now. those guys would have summer jobs to go to, we train, and prepare for the season.

gretzky and mario would still dangle, but they woudlnt be putting up 100+ point seasons every season il tell ya that.
- big_dion

Mario would still be winning the art ross with 1 hand behind is broken back.

Supply and demand. Every team has their star players and big ticket names. If you eliminate about say 5 squads and have those players on the market you saturate it. Eventually with more and more outrageous contracts secondary talent will leave for more money. If people think Connolly and such got overpaid in free agency, just imagine a league where there are 25 teams bidding on 3 stars
- AdamFrench

Yeah, but they'd be actual stars. Not wannabes like Connolly.

Lol

Lupul-Spezza-Kessel
Macarthur-Carter-Grabvoski
Kulemin-McClement-Frattin
Brown-Steckel-Kamorov

Phaneuf-Gunnarson
Gardiner-Komisarek
Holzer-Franson


- maverickJ

u forgot liles!

all the players from back in the day would suck right now, who are we trying to kid.

speed? lol, Guy would be about as fast as Bozak. no chirp on bozie either, thats just the new NHL.

everyone is bigger, stronger, faster, better equipment, the ice is better, blades are sharper, training all year round...i mean poop, the guys in the day made 40k a year, we make 4+ mil a year now. those guys would have summer jobs to go to, we train, and prepare for the season.

gretzky and mario would still dangle, but they woudlnt be putting up 100+ point seasons every season il tell ya that.
- big_dion

Bobby Orr would be able to do it, he had the skating, speed, passing and shooting ability that even most defensemen today don't have.

Mario would still be winning the art ross with 1 hand behind is broken back.
- Scabeh

i wish, but we all know thats not the case.

these guys are legends.

the game has changed too much.

Lol

Lupul-Spezza-Kessel
Macarthur-Carter-Grabvoski
Kulemin-McClement-Frattin
Brown-Steckel-Kamorov

Phaneuf-Gunnarson
Gardiner-Komisarek
Holzer-Franson


- maverickJ

Pray for a season ending lock-out...

Al Strachan actually had an interesting theory.

The notion of a watered-down league is crap. The players are all better, stronger more skilled than ever before.

The problem with the league is there are no weak players anymore. So you can't take advantage of crap players. Everyone is so technically sound, and of course good defence can always trump good offence.

I can't say I disagree with this.

Take a look at film from the 1970s. The players are terrible. Some guys can't skate.

Yeah, equipment has made a difference. But still...
- Atomic Wedgie

It's an interesting theory. Yet, we all flock in record numbers to watch the Olympics, featuring the very best of the best.

Yeah, it's tight, close hockey, but it's also far better to watch all-stars at the peak of their primes than 4th line plugs.

In theory, a match between two perfect teams would be tight-checking and perhaps not as exciting as the 70s/80s. But it would also feature much much refined play and you'd get to see players attempting things that no other players could do. They'd be playing to crack the other team.

I think that's different than watching two teams loaded with players who are all quite good, but who are really just playing not to make a mistake.

I guess the best analogy I could make is to modern tennis with Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic (Murray, as well). The best tennis you will ever see is when any two of those guys play each other, not when they're stomping on the 100th seeded chumps.

u forgot liles!
- big_dion

He was acquired from the 2nd that Kaberle fetched us.

Supply and demand. Every team has their star players and big ticket names. If you eliminate about say 5 squads and have those players on the market you saturate it. Eventually with more and more outrageous contracts secondary talent will leave for more money. If people think Connolly and such got overpaid in free agency, just imagine a league where there are 25 teams bidding on 3 stars
- AdamFrench

Yeah, I guess I overlook the business aspect of hockey, when it comes to the leaue.

all the players from back in the day would suck right now, who are we trying to kid.

speed? lol, Guy would be about as fast as Bozak. no chirp on bozie either, thats just the new NHL.

everyone is bigger, stronger, faster, better equipment, the ice is better, blades are sharper, training all year round...i mean poop, the guys in the day made 40k a year, we make 4+ mil a year now. those guys would have summer jobs to go to, we train, and prepare for the season.

gretzky and mario would still dangle, but they woudlnt be putting up 100+ point seasons every season il tell ya that.
- big_dion

I do not agree. I truly believe you put those guys, in today's game, and they'd be mega superstars.

Pray for a season ending lock-out...
- Flyfreaky

pray for a time machine

who cares about the sabres. really.

sorry mike lol
- big_dion

The deadbeat players who clog their roster? a.k.a. Ville Leino

Bobby Orr would be able to do it, he had the skating, speed, passing and shooting ability that even most defensemen today don't have.
- LeafMan

Lidstrom

Bobby Orr would be able to do it, he had the skating, speed, passing and shooting ability that even most defensemen today don't have.
- LeafMan

lol no he wouldnt, we all like to think the greats would still be able to do it, they just cant.

i am not being a know it all here, just being honest.

take bobby in his prime and slot him into a playoff game.

honestly, he may do ok, but he wont shine like he did, not even close.

all the players from back in the day would suck right now, who are we trying to kid.

speed? lol, Guy would be about as fast as Bozak. no chirp on bozie either, thats just the new NHL.

everyone is bigger, stronger, faster, better equipment, the ice is better, blades are sharper, training all year round...i mean poop, the guys in the day made 40k a year, we make 4+ mil a year now. those guys would have summer jobs to go to, we train, and prepare for the season.

gretzky and mario would still dangle, but they woudlnt be putting up 100+ point seasons every season il tell ya that.
- big_dion

In that light, though, send today's players back to that era and put them in the same equipment with the same trainers, and make them get second jobs because a career in hockey doesn't pay the bills.

Pray for a season ending lock-out...
- Flyfreaky

Then the Oilers can pick 1st overall for 5 years in a row!

Yeah, but they'd be actual stars. Not wannabes like Connolly.
- Leafland

I can see both sides of the argument, but we'll never know unless it happens I think.

all the players from back in the day would suck right now, who are we trying to kid.

speed? lol, Guy would be about as fast as Bozak. no chirp on bozie either, thats just the new NHL.

everyone is bigger, stronger, faster, better equipment, the ice is better, blades are sharper, training all year round...i mean poop, the guys in the day made 40k a year, we make 4+ mil a year now. those guys would have summer jobs to go to, we train, and prepare for the season.

gretzky and mario would still dangle, but they woudlnt be putting up 100+ point seasons every season il tell ya that.
- big_dion

Youre (frank)ing kidding right? With these new sticks Gretz might have had 300 points forget 200. Mario is well, Mario, and you do not believe that the equipment now would favor him either?

pray for a time machine
- maverickJ

a hot tub time machine

That and kaberle for Carter are the dumbest trades in recent history that the leafs didnt make.
- Prolific_Scorer

Leafs wanted to make the Carter deal. Kaberle refused to waive.

Leafs could of had Mike Richards though. Holmgrem asked for a switch of a player for another. Burke said he will call back after talking to his management team. They told Burkie to take it and when he called back, he got told Richards got traded to LA.

Mario would still be winning the art ross with 1 hand behind is broken back.
- Scabeh

No poop.

Bobby Orr would be able to do it, he had the skating, speed, passing and shooting ability that even most defensemen today don't have.
- LeafMan

Give Gretzky and Orr composite sticks and today's training/equipment.

Give MacInnis, Iafrate, and Lafleur today's miniature catapults we call hockey sticks.