Post-Game Talk: Another OT Win

[JPE123]

It was mid-December - 12/19, to be exact.

Don't mean to pop in but I'd like to echo what a bunch of the other HFCanes crew have said here and in other places but class act by your players (and your fans) in sticking around while Lack was tended to and loaded up in the ambulance. Word is that scans done at the hospital were negative and that it's a strained neck. Still, scary to see and probably the scariest play I've witnessed live as a hockey fan.

A pic I took from my seats in PNC's upper bowl last night.

Again, pure class, especialy given I'm sure your guys were tired after playing a full 60 minutes plus OT and wanted nothing more than to get back to the hotel and rest up for tonight's game. Your guys are alright by me - even more so if next time they come down they leave behind a couple pizzas from Buddy's.

Just glad he seems to be alright. One of those scary moments we never like to see. I agree classy move by both teams. One of the things that makes hockey special. Warriors one moment and mates the next

 

[Ozz]

Very lucky result there. One of my goalies got ran in a similar manner, his head crunched downward into his neck like what seemed to have happened here, and was diagnosed with a concussion. It wasn't major and he was cleared for play relatively soon after, but still...it's something.

The way his head crunched, at such speed and velocity, you almost couldn't help but fear the worst.

 

[DanZ]

Even if 1 does become elite, what does 1 elite player that is a winger do for you? Look at CBJ with Nash and ATL with Kovalchuk.

Not a whole lot, but it does more than 0 elite players

 

[DanZ]

Man I would not make that comparison at all. Nash is a physical power forward and I haven't seen that from Mantha. Mantha is a big guy with incredible reach but uses his skill and finesse more than his strength. But no reason he can score 35. Dude has one hell of a shot and is blessed with so many natural physical gifts. Give him a good playmaker and he'll score for you.

Nash really isn't that physical

 

[ArGarBarGar]

Franzen's shot is no worse than Manthas. Neither are/were physical but at least Franzen wasn't built like a pencil and was able to protect the puck really well. Franzen better two way player too as others have mentioned. The only thing Mantha clearly has over franzen is skating/agility.

Mantha is not built like a pencil. That distinction is reserved for Dekeyser.

 

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

Mantha is not built like a pencil. That distinction is reserved for Dekeyser.

Agreed. Mantha is an inch taller and pound heavier than Ericsson. That's a pretty big pencil.

 

[Perfect Human]

Thanks for the irrelevant factoid!

You'll notice I didn't say anything about games played but about age.

Because age matters.

It is entirely less impressive that a 22 year old does well in a league as compared to a teenager. There's a reason leagues are separated by age until you get to the NHL. Because being older, up to a point, is a huge advantage. You're bigger, stronger, more coordinated, hell you're even smarter. That's why "overagers" aren't as impressive as some young kid who's blowing it up in other leagues. That's why the 30 year old who's lighting up the Finnish leagues isn't as impressive as the 17 year old who can hang with the men.

Age matters. It matters that Mantha is 22 and doing what he's doing. If he were doing it as an 18 year old I'd be over the moon. He's doing it as a 22 year old so I'm not.

I see your point and completely agree that it is much better to have a teenager put up these numbers than an early 20's player. I do, however, not agree that number of games doesn't matter.

Experience absolutely matters in the NHL. Of course some just have "it" and will be superstars from Day 1, but most don't. I do not know if Mantha will be a superstar, but I sure do know that the Red Wings have not had a 22 yr old do what he can quite some time. Z turned 22 right at the start of the 02-03 season. I, personally, am excited (not over the moon as you put it) with Mantha's potential and what his future in Detroit (hopefully) holds.

I am relatively young, so I do not have a lot of context for historical hockey players, I started watching the Wings seriously in '96(ish) and the NHL as a whole around 2006. That being said, the only hockey player over 6'4" I have seen translate his game to the NHL rather quickly was Big Joe who scored 60+ when he was 21 (2 years pro). Mantha is not and never will be Joe Thornton. Just saying that it seems to take time for bigger players to adopt their game to the next level. I could be missing something here, so please, let me know.

 

[19 for president]

I see your point and completely agree that it is much better to have a teenager put up these numbers than an early 20's player. I do, however, not agree that number of games doesn't matter.

Experience absolutely matters in the NHL. Of course some just have "it" and will be superstars from Day 1, but most don't. I do not know if Mantha will be a superstar, but I sure do know that the Red Wings have not had a 22 yr old do what he can quite some time. Z turned 22 right at the start of the 02-03 season. I, personally, am excited (not over the moon as you put it) with Mantha's potential and what his future in Detroit (hopefully) holds.

I am relatively young, so I do not have a lot of context for historical hockey players, I started watching the Wings seriously in '96(ish) and the NHL as a whole around 2006. That being said, the only hockey player over 6'4" I have seen translate his game to the NHL rather quickly was Big Joe who scored 60+ when he was 21 (2 years pro). Mantha is not and never will be Joe Thornton. Just saying that it seems to take time for bigger players to adopt their game to the next level. I could be missing something here, so please, let me know.

I agree. Players that are Mantha's size typically take longer to develop than someone Larkins, Nyquist, Tatar's size. To get to their premium build usually takes 2 or 3 NHL seasons, so you quite often don't see them come into their own until they are mid twenties vs. early twenties. This is even more true for Dman who sometimes don't hit their stride until 27ish. For this reason I still think Mantha has lot to grow into vs. a player like AA, whose game I think will stagnate more. Although he did have a really late growth spurt to get up to 6'2, so even he could still be developing.

Also lets be real if Mantha is a slightly better offensive version of Franzen you are talking about a pretty dominant player. He already fights on occasion, and I think he is a better playmaker than Franzen. In his prime Franzen was a heck of a sniper, but injuries really hampered his ability to be consistent.

 

[Flowah]

I do, however, not agree that number of games doesn't matter.
I could be missing something here, so please, let me know.

You're missing something.

You keep not reading me carefully enough.

Where did I say experience or games played don't matter?

Tips: read me more carefully, don't put words in my mouth.