I hope Montreal doesn't pick him, not because he's a bad prospect or even because of his attitude. but because Montreal SUCKS ass at developing prospects. They pick well though.
Akim leaves team Again
- Thread starter skerbud
- Start date
CapGoodie
Registered User
This Mike and Nick Foligno, favouring the son stuff - it's 99% hogwash IMO. I don't know where people get this stuff about kids being benched for a long time for calling Mike out for favouring his son. Early last season I heard the exact opposite, Mike was way to comfortable yelling and picking apart his own son in front of the entire team.
I'm not seeing the vast conspiracy of Nick Foligno. He's a pretty darn good hockey player and from where I sit he hasn't been given a free ride at all or given undue favours (otherwise Dad probably would have given him a letter sooner - most kids of his skill level/age were wearing letters long before he was in the O')
Anyway - my personal belief is this is a culmination of poor habits hitting a head, probably more to do Aliu with being unreliable in practice, making practices/buses etc on time, training habits etc. Aliu just doesn't seem very committed to being an athlete and I could see that reaching a head after months and months of carrying a bad influence around 20 other guys waiting for him to fall into line.
I don't no where this stuff about Aliu calling out the Dad over his son comes from.
Geez...just watch Aliu play. He's talented as hell when he cares, but that's almost never. Without the shine of the prospects game or some such thing Aliu doesn't play like he gives a rat's ass.
Mike Foligno is rightfully taking the high-road. He's the adult, he doesn't need to sabotage Aliu further by coming out and saying he doesn't practice, play, or do anything with much effort or relaiblity etc etc etc. I applaud Mike for going so far as to point out it wasn't some incident or altercation like in ALiu's past (obviously for Aliu's benifit).
I'm not seeing the vast conspiracy of Nick Foligno. He's a pretty darn good hockey player and from where I sit he hasn't been given a free ride at all or given undue favours (otherwise Dad probably would have given him a letter sooner - most kids of his skill level/age were wearing letters long before he was in the O')
Anyway - my personal belief is this is a culmination of poor habits hitting a head, probably more to do Aliu with being unreliable in practice, making practices/buses etc on time, training habits etc. Aliu just doesn't seem very committed to being an athlete and I could see that reaching a head after months and months of carrying a bad influence around 20 other guys waiting for him to fall into line.
I don't no where this stuff about Aliu calling out the Dad over his son comes from.
Geez...just watch Aliu play. He's talented as hell when he cares, but that's almost never. Without the shine of the prospects game or some such thing Aliu doesn't play like he gives a rat's ass.
Mike Foligno is rightfully taking the high-road. He's the adult, he doesn't need to sabotage Aliu further by coming out and saying he doesn't practice, play, or do anything with much effort or relaiblity etc etc etc. I applaud Mike for going so far as to point out it wasn't some incident or altercation like in ALiu's past (obviously for Aliu's benifit).
johnny canuckistan
Registered User
- Nov 14, 2006
- 2,139
- 0
It must be a little awkward for Foligno to have his son on the team. Probably a little awkward for the kid as well.
Aliu seems to be establishing a track record for being a bit flaky. When he got into the fight with Downie, I put the blame on Steve-o for being a jerk and for being too young and irresponsible to be the captain. Maybe I jumped to the wrong conclusion.
Aliu seems to be establishing a track record for being a bit flaky. When he got into the fight with Downie, I put the blame on Steve-o for being a jerk and for being too young and irresponsible to be the captain. Maybe I jumped to the wrong conclusion.
SneakerPimp82
Registered User
One situation isn't necessarily ties to the other. Downie still was in the wrong in that earlier fight. It's not that far a stretch to think Aliu also did something stupid to get suspended, especially since they're both hotheads.
But yea, we still don't know why the kid was suspended. Also, could a mod change the thread title to reflect the fact that Aliu was suspended and did not walk out on the team.
Last edited:
EatSleepJeep
Registered User
Naw, Downie sounds like he is as advertised. In terms of Akim I think the cliche "I'd rather tame a tiger than paint stripes on a tabby cat" fits well here.
Buffalo should draft him, I dont think he would want to mess with Lindy Ruff (at least I wouldnt).
OHLArenaGuide
it's dot com
There have been rumours of favouritism from all over the OHL since Nick started. You usually don't see that much smoke without a little fire.
MsMeow
Registered User
- Nov 4, 2005
- 16,442
- 1,100
But what are they supposed to do? From the beginning of Nick's OHL career, he got a ton of ice time at the expense of others. The Wolves' #1 draft pick, Ryan McDonough, saw his ice time dwindle even though he had way more points and way less penalty minutes at the time. At the end of the year, his agent told the Wolves to trade him because he wouldn't be back. They made one of the worst trades in OHL history and McDonough finished 12th in OHL scoring with Saginaw. Last season, their next #1 draft pick, Brett Parnham, also saw little to no ice time, and also demanded a trade. The Wolves sent him to Oshawa and Generals fans are laughing hysterically because this kid is a really good player.
So getting back to the original question, is Marc Staal, the captain, supposed to go to Mike Foligno and say that Aliu is fed up for being called out in the papers for stupid play when his own kid has over 130 minutes in penalties and doesn't even get benched for a shift when he takes them? How awkward is that for Staal?
It's easy to think Aliu was entirely to blame because of his past history, but we as Wolves fans have seen this situation develop for 3 years now and I, for one, am glad it's finally being talked about. I never wanted to see Aliu as a Wolf, but if this is what he's remembered for, I'm glad for it.
If he does, he can move in to Ridgewood, Queens. Lots of Albanians, and most are in gangs here, so he will fit right in.
MsMeow
Registered User
- Nov 4, 2005
- 16,442
- 1,100
I believe his dad is from somewhere in Africa and his mom is Czech. Where are you getting Albanian from?
johnny_rudeboy
Registered User
Agree, the kid is what 17??? Hell, when I was at that age I could not keep my mouth for a minute. Would love to see Leafs or Rangers draft this kid.
DaveMatthew
Bring in Peter
I seriously doubt this has anything to do with hockey. Mike Foligno is a very respected hockey coach and man in the hockey world. The thought of him suspending a player because "he favors his son" is ridiculous.
I'm sure there are perfectly legitimate reasons for this decision by the Wolves management, and I credit them for not leaking them.
Why some people are taking the side of an 18 year old who's had well document problems in the past over an entire OHL organization is beyond me.
I'm sure there are perfectly legitimate reasons for this decision by the Wolves management, and I credit them for not leaking them.
Why some people are taking the side of an 18 year old who's had well document problems in the past over an entire OHL organization is beyond me.
MsMeow
Registered User
- Nov 4, 2005
- 16,442
- 1,100
You're missing the point. He didn't get suspended because Foligno favours his kid. This past weekend, Nick Foligno took 2 stupid penalties which resulted in 2 Belleville goals and cost the Wolves the game. Aliu did something last weekend in Brampton that pissed off Mike Foligno, and he was benched for the second period and most of the third.
There's a serious double standard going on in Sudbury, which most of us have been talking about since the beginning of Nick's career. Mike isn't a respected coach, in fact, he's a weak coach and a terrible GM. Ownership seems to have given him free reign, and now they're paying for it. Here we are, days before the playoffs and the Wolves have sunk from 4th to 6th and could end up 7th.
The game last weekend against Belleville would have put them in 5th place with a win, but with Nick the Stick doing what he does best, it didn't happen. Someone on another board did some checking and found that 16 goals have been scored by the opposition while Nick's been in the box. Mike carries on to the media that the team has to stay out of the box, but they've been at or near the top of the league for the past 4 years in PIMs. He should have been sitting guys out ages ago for excess penalties instead of just complaining to the media, but for whatever reason, he chose to do it to Aliu and nobody else.
It's easy to blame Aliu because of his history, but those of us who live and breathe Wolves hockey are aware of the situation with the team.
DaveMatthew
Bring in Peter
Like I said, you may be familiar with the on ice team, but you likely have no idea what goes on off of it.
A team can't just suspend a player because they feel like it. It has to go through the ownership and then through the league. I'm sure there's a perfectly valid reason for why Aliu has been suspended.
Although I think the pressure on a 17 year old is too heavy,if they truly want to be a hockey player,this is the time that they need hard lessons.
The problem is,how can we expect these kids to truly make a life altering decision at such a young age?Maybe if he were an over-ager,with four years on the team it would make sense to suspend him,but 17 is young.Just my opinion.
The problem is,how can we expect these kids to truly make a life altering decision at such a young age?Maybe if he were an over-ager,with four years on the team it would make sense to suspend him,but 17 is young.Just my opinion.
from here:
hmm never heard of him, is he good? seems he's of albanian descent. there was an albanian girl that i went to school from 1st to 6th grade, her last name was also aliu... still, i've never heard of that guy
ooops, i've just seen that he's from nigeria
but then he changed his story, haha
MsMeow
Registered User
- Nov 4, 2005
- 16,442
- 1,100
Actually, I know of some things that happened first hand, which I witnessed with Nick Foligno. I also have seen comments on another board from people on the inside who have been proven right over time, and they are saying the same thing about the Foligno situation.
MsMeow
Registered User
- Nov 4, 2005
- 16,442
- 1,100
Kinda reminds me of Wolski and Schremp both should have gone in the top 10, Schremp possibly even top 5 but Schremp has that huge attitude scouts didnt like and demanding a trade did not help. Wolski got in that bar fight that dropped his draft stock. This kid wont be drafted in the 1st round for sure has a slight chance for the 2nd round but what ever team picks him needs to deal with him because he seems like a selfish player all about him and not the team. He needs to know theirs no I in Team, and he needs to learn to suck it up even if he doesnt like certian things.
A few thoughts:
-Are you suggesting that it's not even hypothetically possible for someone to be suspended unfairly?
-If your answer is no (ie you're not suggesting that), then how do you know this is not a case of an unfair suspension?
-I'm not suggesting it was right or wrong, only that we don't know for sure and that it seems like an awfully harsh punishment.
Finally,
-What makes you think a team suspending a player has to go through the league? I've never heard of such a thing.
I talked to Aliu's agent a couple of days ago. Here are a couple of his quotes:
"It's an internal matter we'll deal with ourselves," said his agent Mark Guy, from Newport Sports. "When the team feels it is acceptable to return, he'll return."
"I won't comment on the suspension," said Guy, who has represented the Alius for more than two years.
"Just because we're not commenting on it doesn't mean you are to assume we're in agreement with the suspension; we're just not commenting on the situation."
They are part of an article I've written on the suspension for March's Draft Digest, out on Tuesday.
http://mckeenshockey.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=608959
LoL...that's my hangout. My Albanian friend's uncle owns Tirana Cafe off of Forest Ave. Albanian places are probably the safest places because they're Albanian.
MXD
Original #4
- Oct 27, 2005
- 50,778
- 16,507
I rather have Ryan White leaving juniors after next season than having Aliu leaving juniors in two years + from now to provide secondary scoring, traffic skills and grit.
Oh, they also had similar stats at similar age, while White plays in a much more defence-oriented league. And White's been somewhat tearing it this year in the W, something we ain't sure Aliu will do next year. And of them is a meathead.
