Former Bruins EX Bruins Discussion Thread Part II All Talk Here..

[BNHL]

Dougie Hamilton with 3 assists- maybe the trade rumors have flipped the switch

I still expect 15G/40A second pair at some point - to much skill to be given up on 100 games into by Flames. The defensive side is never going to be a strong suit but he should be adequate with that size reach and skating

If they could just remove that bone from his head that forces him to make some of the dumbest decisions I've ever witnessed.

 

[DKH]

If they could just remove that bone from his head that forces him to make some of the dumbest decisions I've ever witnessed.

He likely has been so superior skating & size at every level he's had to learn positioning and disciplined play at NHL level

To me there is a lot of early Kessel in him

McAvoy when I watched him live last year was somewhat like this - more structured than DH but still all over the place but this year he is playing from what I've read a disciplined game. I should see him at least a half dozen games so I'll get to see for myself

It's probably tough for Hamilton to break these habits that he's been doing his entire life

Being taught at NHL about gaps and minimizing pinching and all that goes into playing D must be a lot different than McAvoy getting taught at college where he still plays against a high quality player but gets the benefits of older and bigger players to go against and more attention at practice from a former NHL guy in Quinn and having the Bruins guys around and nearby

I have no doubt McAvoy is being taught the NHL way and Bruins way and should be prepared more than DH was

 

[BNHL]

He likely has been so superior skating & size at every level he's had to learn positioning and disciplined play at NHL level

To me there is a lot of early Kessel in him

McAvoy when I watched him live last year was somewhat like this - more structured than DH but still all over the place but this year he is playing from what I've read a disciplined game. I should see him at least a half dozen games so I'll get to see for myself

It's probably tough for Hamilton to break these habits that he's been doing his entire life

Being taught at NHL about gaps and minimizing pinching and all that goes into playing D must be a lot different than McAvoy getting taught at college where he still plays against a high quality player but gets the benefits of older and bigger players to go against and more attention at practice from a former NHL guy in Quinn and having the Bruins guys around and nearby

I have no doubt McAvoy is being taught the NHL way and Bruins way and should be prepared more than DH was

Maybe he's always gotten away with it due to superior skill at the other level,but some of his passes,clears and choices are the worst I can ever recall. We've all seen stupid plays by young defensemen,but Dougie's unforced stupidity was top of the mark in my memory. It wasn't just bad panic plays,it was no pressure decisions too. This guy is in year 5 so I'd give him 1 more year and the vote is in.

 

[Estevan Bruins]

Dougie News

It seems as though the Calgary media is not fully aware of the circumstances behind Dougie's trade. Watching the Boston/Calgary game on the Flames' broadcast, the announcers were shocked by the degree of booing Dougie received each time he touched the puck. They remarked, "why are you booing Dougie, you traded him, he didn't ask to be traded."

Also Flames fans mixed on Dougie's performance so far:
http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthread.php?t=157304

Seems also that trade talks continue to swirl around the young defenseman:
http://thehockeywriters.com/leafs-targeting-dougie-hamilton/
Writer is surprised that Calgary is interested in moving Dougie after giving up so much......

 

[Sharp Shooting Neely]

It seems as though the Calgary media is not fully aware of the circumstances behind Dougie's trade. Watching the Boston/Calgary game on the Flames' broadcast, the announcers were shocked by the degree of booing Dougie received each time he touched the puck. They remarked, "why are you booing Dougie, you traded him, he didn't ask to be traded."

Also Flames fans mixed on Dougie's performance so far:
http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthread.php?t=157304

Seems also that trade talks continue to swirl around the young defenseman:
http://thehockeywriters.com/leafs-targeting-dougie-hamilton/
Writer is surprised that Calgary is interested in moving Dougie after giving up so much......

The Brain (or Brian as his mom called him) Burke is at his usual caustic self again. He generously gave his time while no doubt continuing his ridiculous "l have an important job to do and far too busy to put on my tie and take stupid questions for mere mortals" persona and addressed the recent Dougie trade rumours. Amongst his indignant comments were an idiot GM started the rumour, of course who would no better about such things than the Brain. He also would want 10 first round draft picks as value if he ever where to consider such a move. If only Sweeny had none Described his impressive size and ability to skate like a deer. No other team in the league has that weapon on their roster . Got caught up in the Christmas spirit with that comment I'm guessing. But hey, that Rudolph is just not all about sleighs and a shiny red rose. Man oh man can that deer skate! Almost as good as Dougie

Just stop it Brian. It's old and tired.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/burke-not-shopping-hamilton-rumour-started-one-idiot-gm/

 

[mikelvl]

Scouts on Hamilton

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/west-coast-bias-scouts-say-dougie-hamilton/

But just in case, we reached out to five long-time pro scouts and asked for their objective evaluation of Hamilton — senior scouts whose reports their GMs rely heavily on when acquiring players.

“He’s a Top 4 defenceman. He’s just not as good as people thought he would be,†said an Eastern Conference scout. “He’s good, but he doesn’t do anything great. Passes well, but he’s not a great puck mover. He defends OK, but he’s not real physical. Pretty good at everything. Not great at any one thing.â€

“He’s big, but he’s never played real big,†said another scout. “He’s paid as a No. 2-3 (defenceman), and Calgary is not getting that value.â€

“He’s got good skills — skating, shooting, passing — and good size. But he plays soft. No grit or pushback to his game,†evaluated another scout. “I believe Burkie is all huff and puff, and they’d move him as quick as they could.â€

All agree that Hamilton’s size and lack of truculence would be more likely to drive Burke crazy. Not crazy enough to ship Hamilton out, perhaps, but as one scout said, “Truculence is his word, and Hamilton isn’t that guy. He’s calm. Not vicious, mean or physical. [t 6-foot-6], you’d better be on your ass. He doesn’t put anyone on their ass.â€

 

[Sharp Shooting Neely]

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/west-coast-bias-scouts-say-dougie-hamilton/

Came to this thread to post that same article. The Burke rant earlier this week in defence of Hamilton is just a couple posts back in this thread. Let's just say it's over the top. Maybe Sweeny should be getting a lot more credit for his move than folks give him credit for.

 

[EverettMike]

Hmm, no Dougie bashing for awhile. Wonder what that's all about...

Let's take a peek at his numbers AND HOLY ****.

His ****ing advanced metrics are through the ****ing roof. And he has 53.1% d-zone starts. Also on a 45 point pace.

 

[Hali33]

"Dumpster fire".

 

[Mpasta]

I'm not a big fan of Hamilton and I'm glad we traded him but he's been killing it lately. Funny how many Bruins fans called a 21-23 year old a bust.

 

[Oates2Neely]

I'm not a big fan of Hamilton and I'm glad we traded him but he's been killing it lately. Funny how many Bruins fans called a 21-23 year old a bust.

I know one or two. Some even still refer to that trade as a win for Boston.

He weasel end his way out of town no doubt, but to knock his game constantly and label him a bust at such a young age is silly.

 

[CharasLazyWrister]

Hamilton isn't a perfect player, but he's certainly got talent. Any player with talent like his can be a very effective NHL player.

Labeling him a "bust" is an insult to the actual meaning of that word.

 

[BamBamCam]

The latest on Dougie.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/flames-fans-finally-seeing-dangerous-dougie-hamilton-expected/

 

[JCRO]

I know one or two. Some even still refer to that trade as a win for Boston.

He weasel end his way out of town no doubt, but to knock his game constantly and label him a bust at such a young age is silly.

All I have ever said is, as a Boston fan, I enjoyed his struggles early on this season. Made you feel a little better about the trade. Labeling him as a bust isn't fair or logical at all. How many seasons has he been in the NHL full time now? Additionally, what was his "ceiling" people are claiming he didn't meet, hence bust? That's what Id like to know.

 

[chizzler]

I'm not a big fan of Hamilton and I'm glad we traded him but he's been killing it lately. Funny how many Bruins fans called a 21-23 year old a bust.

Sell high Calgary!

 

[Fossy21]

Haven't seen a lot of "bust" thrown around here. He sucked to start the year, which was noteworthy and thus discussed. His coach has shown more faith in him and he's stepped up. Young players, especially D, are inconsistent, no surprises there. Didn't see a lot of praise for him in here when he stunk the joint up either. Surprise.

 

[x Tame Impala]

Do Bruins fans feel like Joe Thornton is their baby?

Hi guys. I'm not a Bruins fan. Hey do you guys all feel like Joe Thornton is your baby? You watched him be born in Boston and learn how to walk and then he grew up and went away to San Jose. Now he's a shark but he was born a bruin and you'll always love him like your baby.

 

[smithformeragent]

Not much love for Jumbo in these parts by most.

Generally, the consensus was that it was fine for the Bruins to move on from him, but that O'Connell should have gotten more in return.

In many ways, Thornton became the scapegoat for ownership's botched post lockout strategy. Ownership decided to let most of what was a pretty competitive pre lockout team walk because they believed that the new cap would create a plethora of talent on the market. They did not foresee the players accepting a 24% rollback on existing salaries and wound up surrounding JT with mostly plugs.

There was always a faction of fans who felt like he played too soft for his size and disappeared during the playoffs.

 

[BruinLVGA]

My "baby" is Tyler Seguin.

 

[Terrier]

I understood the Bruins moving on from Joe, but I've never disliked him. He's been well received in the past as a Shark. I sat behind him once at Walter Brown Arena and he was pretty cool.


http://www.espn.com/boston/nhl/stor...oe-thornton-sweet-homecoming-vs-boston-bruins

 

[northeastern]

I feel that was about Bergeron but not Thornton.

 

[BruinDust]

Not much love for Jumbo in these parts by most.

Generally, the consensus was that it was fine for the Bruins to move on from him, but that O'Connell should have gotten more in return.

In many ways, Thornton became the scapegoat for ownership's botched post lockout strategy. Ownership decided to let most of what was a pretty competitive pre lockout team walk because they believed that the new cap would create a plethora of talent on the market. They did not foresee the players accepting a 24% rollback on existing salaries and wound up surrounding JT with mostly plugs.

There was always a faction of fans who felt like he played too soft for his size and disappeared during the playoffs.

That, and they didn't anticipate the lock-out dragging for a full-season, and making all 2004-05 contracts null and void. Once those deals weren't tolled forward, the Bruins game plan of being the only team in the new cap system to have any cap space to work with back-fired. Instead everyone had cap space, and Boston, after a nasty lock-out lead by Jacobs, weren't No.1 on any players list of destinations.

The trade was shocking, the return absolutely stunk.

That being said, perhaps it was the Bruins era he played in, but I don't look at Joe with any form of nostalgia, nor have any longing to see him honored as a great Bruin once he retires, even though he probably deserves some acclaim as a great player when he was here.

 

[BNHL]

I understood the Bruins moving on from Joe, but I've never disliked him. He's been well received in the past as a Shark. I sat behind him once at Walter Brown Arena and he was pretty cool.


http://www.espn.com/boston/nhl/stor...oe-thornton-sweet-homecoming-vs-boston-bruins

If Thornton stays,probably no cap space for Savard or Chara. We won a cup 5 1/2 years later with Chara.

 

[mikelvl]

Hi guys. I'm not a Bruins fan. Hey do you guys all feel like Joe Thornton is your baby? You watched him be born in Boston and learn how to walk and then he grew up and went away to San Jose. Now he's a shark but he was born a bruin and you'll always love him like your baby.

Every once in a while, somebody posts something that I never expected to read on here. This is downright bemusing.

That being said, Joe Thornton feels like an awfully long time ago. And they don't eventually win the Cup by keeping him. So no wistful memories nor any hard feelings towards a true character in Jumbo Joe. San Jose fits his persona much better anyways.

 

[Dr Hook]

I still have a soft spot for Joe and watch the Sharks games as often as I can on TV. I know it's ages ago now, but I felt at the time we traded him that both the Bruins and a large part of the fan base were expecting things out of him that he wasn't temperamentally suited to deliver. He was a big guy with skill, and it seemed like so many, including the club, wanted the second coming of Cam Neely. I think in part this is why he was made captain so young. Joe had (and still has) tremendous skills, but his game is as a playmaker; there isn't a lot of snarl or ferocious hits with him. He is what he is. If he had been 6 ft 195, there would have been a lot less moaning about Joe, and maybe many fans- and the front office too- could have accepted the player that he was and enjoyed what he brought to the table, which was a great deal.

But, as others have said, it was a long time ago now, and we've all moved on, but it's nice to see him continue to have a strong career in San Jose.