I have to say if anyone in here is a "State Farm Agent" it is IGotTheMemo ltmsq

I have to say if anyone in here is a "State Farm Agent" it is IGotTheMemo ltmsq
- LAkings96

No, you're wrong again. You Kings fan stop by here with delusions of grandeur, and when I knock ya back down to reality it's waterworks. QQ

On a side note, looks like the Kesler, Silfverberg, Cogs line will shutting down everyone's top line for another 3 years.

It's slang for people with inferiority complexes, a very common trait amongst humans. They feel inferior (for whatever reason) and therefore discount people's accomplishments in an attempt to compensate for their shortcomings. I refer to these people as State Farm agents because in the hugely promoted marketing campaign with NFL star Aaron Rodgers, he would do a "discount double check" to make sure State Farm clients got the best rate possible. I adopted this slogan as a way to describe people like tkecanuck341 . And TBH, of all the regulars here, I thought you of all people would get this.
- IGotTheMemo

Are you Vulcan??

You discounted his accomplishment's with your little writings. I know a State Farm agent when I see one, and I'm not going to put up with it. There's nothing hostile here, I'm just calling it for what it is.

Since the latter part of the 2015-2016 season, Rakell's really stepped up his game. He's consistently getting open and finding the back of the net. There's a reason why Getzlaf is 3rd in PPG production, and that reason is Rakell. The guy's an effective goal scorer.

Is Rakell a star? He's getting close to that, but with his play the past 2 years, it's safe to say he's elite.
- IGotTheMemo

And this is I think where the disagreement comes from. A player can be a star player without being elite. Elite is the uppermost echelon that a player can belong to; equivalent to a "superstar" if you want.

I would agree that Rakell is on his way to being a star player for the Ducks, along with a handful of other players, including Getzlaf, Perry, Gibson, Lindholm, & Fowler. Of those, I would say that Perry has proven to be an elite goal scorer, while an argument can be made for Getzlaf's eliteness as an all-around Center in the league. On the Kings, Doughty is an elite defenseman, unanimously recognized as one of the best 2 or 3 at his position every year. Kopitar is an elite two-way centerman, consistently nominated for the Selke every year. Quick is debateably an elite goaltender with 2 Stanley Cups, a Conn Smythe, and several Vezina nominations under his belt, but the argument can be made that he's not an elite goaltender due to his relatively low career save percentage compared to the other elite goaltenders in the league.

My point is only that this conversation has nothing to do with how good I think Rakell is (as I have repeatedly said, I think he's great), but rather with the casual usage of the word "elite" to describe a larger group of players than I think the word is meant to. In my opinion, it should be reserved to the top handful of players in any given category. Palumbo described Rakell as an elite goal scorer. While he has proven to be a very good (great even) goal scorer, "elite" implies that he is as good of a goal scorer as players like Ovechkin, Stamkos, Kane, and Perry. I think we would all agree that he's not there yet.

If that makes me a "State Fund Agent", then so be it.

No, you're wrong again. You Kings fan stop by here with delusions of grandeur, and when I knock ya back down to reality it's waterworks. QQ
- IGotTheMemo

Please point out where you knocked me down to reality?

And this is I think where the disagreement comes from. A player can be a star player without being elite. Elite is the uppermost echelon that a player can belong to; equivalent to a "superstar" if you want.

I would agree that Rakell is on his way to being a star player for the Ducks, along with a handful of other players, including Getzlaf, Perry, Gibson, Lindholm, & Fowler. Of those, I would say that Perry has proven to be an elite goal scorer, while an argument can be made for Getzlaf's eliteness as an all-around Center in the league. On the Kings, Doughty is an elite defenseman, unanimously recognized as one of the best 2 or 3 at his position every year. Kopitar is an elite two-way centerman, consistently nominated for the Selke every year. Quick is debateably an elite goaltender with 2 Stanley Cups, a Conn Smythe, and several Vezina nominations under his belt, but the argument can be made that he's not an elite goaltender due to his relatively low career save percentage compared to the other elite goaltenders in the league.

My point is only that this conversation has nothing to do with how good I think Rakell is (as I have repeatedly said, I think he's great), but rather with the casual usage of the word "elite" to describe a larger group of players than I think the word is meant to. In my opinion, it should be reserved to the top handful of players in any given category. Palumbo described Rakell as an elite goal scorer. While he has proven to be a very good (great even) goal scorer, "elite" implies that he is as good of a goal scorer as players like Ovechkin, Stamkos, Kane, and Perry. I think we would all agree that he's not there yet.

If that makes me a "State Fund Agent", then so be it.
- tkecanuck341

I get it, and mud slinging aside, Rakell's been a nice story for us Ducks fans to watch. To see someone get drafted, get the call up to the big club, become a regular, become an impact player, and now to get named to the the All-Star team is a big deal. For us Ducks fans, this first half of the season has been a painstaking one here in Anaheim, so it's a been a nice story.

Hopefully the Pacific Division can bottle up some of this tenacity here and bring it to Tampa Bay! We've already won one All-Star game.

In other news, I want to congratulate Andrew Cogliano on his 3 year contract extension. There are so many unknowns in hockey, and to have a guy that's always there and can be counted on is huge. Cogs does so many things right, and for guys trying to break into the league; I'd be paying extra close attention to how he does things. He's a professional through and through. Congratulations Mr. Cogliano!

In other news, I want to congratulate Andrew Cogliano on his 3 year contract extension. There are so many unknowns in hockey, and to have a guy that's always there and can be counted on is huge. Cogs does so many things right, and for guys trying to break into the league; I'd be paying extra close attention to how he does things. He's a professional through and through. Congratulations Mr. Cogliano!
- IGotTheMemo

I agree. Cogliano is a very underrated player. They were talking about his extension on NHL radio this afternoon, and said that while he was never the guy that was gonna regularly score 20+ goals, he's the absolute best at everything else....work ethic, tenacity, intelligence, friendliness, leadership, etc. I think he's one of the most underrated players in the West, and his ironman streak is impressive. He is the Trevor Lewis of the Ducks. Good for him.

And this is I think where the disagreement comes from. A player can be a star player without being elite. Elite is the uppermost echelon that a player can belong to; equivalent to a "superstar" if you want.

I would agree that Rakell is on his way to being a star player for the Ducks, along with a handful of other players, including Getzlaf, Perry, Gibson, Lindholm, & Fowler. Of those, I would say that Perry has proven to be an elite goal scorer, while an argument can be made for Getzlaf's eliteness as an all-around Center in the league. On the Kings, Doughty is an elite defenseman, unanimously recognized as one of the best 2 or 3 at his position every year. Kopitar is an elite two-way centerman, consistently nominated for the Selke every year. Quick is debateably an elite goaltender with 2 Stanley Cups, a Conn Smythe, and several Vezina nominations under his belt, but the argument can be made that he's not an elite goaltender due to his relatively low career save percentage compared to the other elite goaltenders in the league.

My point is only that this conversation has nothing to do with how good I think Rakell is (as I have repeatedly said, I think he's great), but rather with the casual usage of the word "elite" to describe a larger group of players than I think the word is meant to. In my opinion, it should be reserved to the top handful of players in any given category. Palumbo described Rakell as an elite goal scorer. While he has proven to be a very good (great even) goal scorer, "elite" implies that he is as good of a goal scorer as players like Ovechkin, Stamkos, Kane, and Perry. I think we would all agree that he's not there yet.

If that makes me a "State Fund Agent", then so be it.
- tkecanuck341

Don't bother making rational points with "I Got." It's a useless endeavor.

I assume every team has to be represented at the All Star Game. Given that, besides Rakell, the only other player even remotely deserving of representing the Ducks would have been Gibson.

Elite definition, "a select part of a group that is superior to the rest in terms of ability or qualities."

Rakell isn't even close to being "elite." One 33g season and on pace for 30g this season is not "elite." Very good, yes. Let's revisit his stats in a few years.

It's slang for people with inferiority complexes, a very common trait amongst humans. They feel inferior (for whatever reason) and therefore discount people's accomplishments in an attempt to compensate for their shortcomings. I refer to these people as State Farm agents because in the hugely promoted marketing campaign with NFL star Aaron Rodgers, he would do a "discount double check" to make sure State Farm clients got the best rate possible. I adopted this slogan as a way to describe people like tkecanuck341 . And TBH, of all the regulars here, I thought you of all people would get this.
- IGotTheMemo

But I'm a real State Farm Agent. So you can see where I might get confused.

You do realize that adding 5 or 6 more points would just put him inside the top 50 players in the league? Perron has played in 4 less games the Rackell and has more points, is he elite?.

You do realize that everything you are saying about Kings fans, you are literally doing right now?
- LAkings96

WISH WE STILL HAD PERRON!

The Ducks first game back after their extended break is tomorrow. Puck drop is at 7:30 P.M. at the Staples Center. I anticipate a good game. Establishing a forecheck and winning puck battles will be the name of the game for Anaheim. The time is now.

Ritchie is a franking wussy!