Pittsburgh Penguins clinch 1st overall!

[stardog]

There have been more than one questionable callups for each team. The Caps have been calling up all different players with no real chance at making the NHL (long term) for much of the year.

Watching today's game, part of my point has been made for me, Caron's numbers are awful. Why is he still playing?


It really doesn't matter. Season's pretty much over. Lottery will fall as it will. Pens will have 'earned the first pick' the old fashioned way, and the Caps will get one of the top 5. So... all works out.

What are the other "questionable" call ups that the Pens made?
There weren't any others. At all. Every call up other than Hussey was easily an earned one....

As for your other post, it is ironic in how you choose to interpret things. After being called the worst team in the history of the NHL, they certainly can't be accused of tanking down the stretch.
In fact, they were one of the leagues best team for the final quarter of the season.

I dont think the Caps players or coaches can be accused of tanking anything. In fact, it would be difficult to prove any teams management did the same.

HOWEVER, calling up Yeats and starting him 3 games in a row is, IMO a VERY questionable move. The case could easily be made as to the reasons behind it were embedded in failure.

All of the reasons that you listed for the Pens tanking are not questionable at all with the exception of Hussey. However, Hussey recieved 4th line minutes and wasn't playing the most important position on the team.
If this were Brochu we were talking about, and he recieved a majority of the starts down the strecth run, then you would have a legitimate and valid reason to question the motive.
Yet we aren't (talking Brochu) and he didn't (recieve any starts).
Therefor you dont have much of a leg to stand on.
I mean, I understand that you are trying to defend the Caps position, and are irritated with a certain poster here. But in doing so (defending them by questioning the Pens motives) you are basically doing the very thing which you had a problem with the other poster doing.
And then you call him hypocritical.
Just because you don't like what he has to say, dont be so audacious as to make a list of all these supposed examples of the tanking Pens, and then in the same breath say that the Caps moves are defensable. These Pens moves you cited are either just as easily defensable to even more defensable.
That is speaking out of the side of your mouth as the saying goes.
Or, if you like, the pot calling the kettle black as you put it.
You basically did the same thing that you ripped into him for doing. And I would say that it wasn;t even basically, I would say it is the exact same as what you ripped him for.
If the Pens DID try to tank, then answer this. Why on earth would they have not called up Brochu and started him? While he was called up and played only after Caron was lit up for 5 goals in a period and a half, why wasn't he started? Why didn't he start any games? Why wasn't he kept up?

The answer is because the Pens were icing the very best possible roster that they could with what they had in the system.
To suggest that the moves you pointed out were an example of a team which is trying to tank is ludicrous and wreckless.
It is also just plain wrong.
To bring up other things (Beech, Maffy, etc.) is quite absurd. Plain and simple.
I could very easily pick apart the entire argument as it is simply a false interpretation on your part, yet I do not have the time or inclination to waste on a false interpretation of the facts. However, if you would like me to, I will gladly point out where your argument becomes errounious and why it became such.
No need to thank me, that is part of what the boards are for.

And I am in no way attacking you. I am simply pointing out the obvious falacies in your reasoning.

 

[stardog]

OK Stop saying the Pens aren't trying to tank:

The Penguins used their allotted practice time yesterday morning at Southpointe to perform a grueling series of conditioning tests. Two skaters simultaneously skated three laps before taking a breather and doing it again. The times they recorded will be measured against those in the next training camp to determine fitness levels. Some players, such as LW Konstantin Koltsov, went full-bore with the first lap and clearly wore down by the end. Others, such as D Dick Tarnstrom, paced themselves evenly for all three. All were exhausted upon completion. "I couldn't walk," D Martin Strbak said. "I couldn't even feel my legs for 10 minutes."

That is rediculous, SHAMELESS.

And you stop flip flopping. One day you say that you understand the moves and at the very least IMPLY that the Pens aren't trying to tank, then I come over here and read you starting up all over again.

They had a grueling practice. Fitness tests. So fricking what.

To call that ridiculous and even SHAMELESS is really overstating things a bit.
No, it is overstating them alot.

You keep looking for new reasons to prove that they tried to lose down the stretch. Every time, I have pointed out how you were misinformed. You say that you understand, well then drop it.
The facts remain that CP upgraded the roster down the stretch. A roster that lost 18 games in a row. Do you really think that if losing was his motivation he would NOT keep the same roster that WAS losing?

I understand that you are having a debate with Handsome over here(and I don't neccesarily agree with all of his reasons either mind you). Don't equate your debate to facts though. Dont search for all these reasons and try to tie them together in a big conspiracy.
For the final time, I am asking you, since we have discussed this before and I have tried to help edjucate you on why the team made certain moves, are you telling me in all honesty that the Penguins TRIED to lose?

If you say yes, despite having been shown the error of your ways, then I am simply going to quit discussing the matter. It would show that you are not going to change your opinion no matter what facts disprove them.

It is one thing for you to say that the Pens made a questionable move or two, but quite another to say that they blatantly tanked it down the stretch (when they went 12-5-3 mind you).
IMO, THAT suggestion alone is what is rIdiculous and shameful.
You are more knowledgeable and smarter than that....

Even I changed my tune somewhat after Caps fans helped edjucate me on this. It bothers me that you seemed to do the same and then did a 180....

 

[stardog]

Everybody's making a huge deal out of Crosby and Ovechkin. I think its a crime to the fans of the lower end teams that they have to feel to tank a season to get in a better position to draft Ovechkin.

That being said, I'm not racist or xenophobic -- but I hope that the "next one" is not going to be Crosby or Ovechkin, but some other kid in the draft who is going largely unnoticed.

Hey I agree...as long as he is drafted by the Pens!

Having said that, has there EVER been a guy who came out of nowhere to be mentioned in the "next one" status? I am talking about a guy who was the Mario, Wayne, Orr of his time. All of these guys were hyped beyond belief before they were drafted.

There have certainly been excellent players/ first ballot hall of famers who were drafted late or not drafted at all. But has there ever been a guy who was the dominant player of his era that came out of nowhere?

 

[stardog]

Thanks man The funny thing about it is that the Kings have Cartman doing things on the jumbotron during games.

Yeah I know they do. I live in Cali also.....maybe next year I'll get to a couple more games than I got to this year and we can all meet up or what not.

I LOVE going to Kings games at Staples. Call me blasphemous if you would like, but I like it better there than in the old forum easily.
Maybe that is because of a bad experience I had a few years ago.
I saw the Pens play the Kings, was decked out in my Jagr jersey and a guy threw a hot dog at me.
Just to show him up, I picked it up, smiled at him, and then took a HUGE bite!!!! Hahaha...I thought that was so cool...that is, until I was throwing up all night!

I also got heckled beyond belief. Everyone kept yelling "Jagr sucks" at me. I found that quite amusing. I mean, say what you want about him, but you can come up with something better than "he sucks". They didnt have an argument when I replied that he sucks so bad that he is leading the league in scoring....so they then turned thier attention to comparing him with a girl. Much better and more factual insult IMO.

 

[SwOOsh*]

For the final time, I am asking you, since we have discussed this before and I have tried to help edjucate you on why the team made certain moves, are you telling me in all honesty that the Penguins TRIED to lose?

Maybe not all the Penguins had a part in tanking, as there is no way they could instruct the players to do so, but this shows that they had the coach in this as well, which is worse then the promotion of Yeats to me.

 

[Hunter Gathers]

I don't think I have ever seen a team play with less heart than Phoenix the 2nd half of this season...

 

[Big McLargehuge]

Maybe not all the Penguins had a part in tanking, as there is no way they could instruct the players to do so, but this shows that they had the coach in this as well, which is worse then the promotion of Yeats to me.

:lol

Olcyzk...tanking...

:lol

This guy is like a combination of Bill Cowher, Jr. if you ask me. Loved by the fans, loved by his players, but still a tough *******. If you heard his speeches he gave throughout the season.

The guy benched players who made bad mistakes that led to goals all season long, regardless of who it was...meaning Drake Berehowsky spent half the season on the end of the bench.

You can acuse management all you want, which would be stupid if you ask me since none of the call-ups sans Hussey were bad call-ups(and even Hussey scored 3 points in 3 games), but laying any blame on the players or Olcyzk is just blasphemous.

Without Olcyzk's coaching we would have clinched last overall over a month ago.

 

[Grave77digger]

Without Olcyzk's coaching we would have clinched last overall over a month ago.[/QUOTE]

 

[stardog]

Maybe not all the Penguins had a part in tanking, as there is no way they could instruct the players to do so, but this shows that they had the coach in this as well, which is worse then the promotion of Yeats to me.

Swoosh, I think that is an incredibly wreckless and unfounded allegation to throw out. I think that you certainly need to edjucate yourself on the matter before responding as well.
To suggest that Olcyzk wanted nothing but the best effort and results from his players night in and night out shows ignorance of the man and the coach.

Like I said before...you are looking way to hard for reasons to back your point up, when it seems to me, that you are only this passionate about it because of your dislike for a certain poster on these boards.
I think you may want to question both your motives for making these accusations and your knowledge behind them.
It would benefit you in the long run, because, as it stands now, you are coming across like someone with an agenda. And you are coming across as showing ignorance and bias because you dont like said poster.
And I know that you are neither of those, which is why I would suggest that you look at your motives.