2013 AA Final: Balgonie vs. Pittsburgh

[Hawkey Town 18]

Balgonie has home ice advantage...

Balgonie North Stars

coach Ron Wilson

Pete Horeck - Viktor Polupanov - Mike Ryder
Eric Vail - Vladimir Golikov - Alexander Martynyuk
John Marks - Shawn Horcoff (A) - Keith McCreary (C)
Darcy Rota - Steve Ott (A) - Floyd Smith
Parker MacDonald, Murray Armstrong

Keith Carney - Yuri Fedorov
Roy Rickey - Rod Flett
Terry Carkner - Rick Lapointe
Gerry Hart, Cody Winters

Herb Collins
Gilles Villemure


VS.

Pittsburgh Pirates

coach Bob Pulford

Oren Frood - Jude Drouin - Tommy Williams
Tord Lundstrom - Andy McDonald - Glenn Brydson
Brent Ashton - Mike Sillinger - Jason Blake
Ken Smith - Jarret Stoll - Tom Fitzgerald (A)
Mats Ahlberg, George Allen, J.P. Dumont

Dave Lewis (C) - Toni Lydman
Joni Pitkanen - Sylvain Lefebvre (A)
Tom Reid - Frank Mathers
Filip Kuba

Urpo Ylonen
Andy Aitkenhead
​

Click to read more...

 

[seventieslord]

I'm game if you are.

I know one thing - we should never try to cram in two drafts prior to the main one. It becomes all about drafting for.drafting's sake, with no time for good research, bios, all star teams, comparison and playoff discussion. The AA and A drafts were jokes. Never again.

The last draft that we can do properly should be the last one we do.

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

Did you have to wait until right before the ATD playoffs?

 

[seventieslord]

That definitely wasn't the plan. But we'll get this one out of the way asap.

What does it really matter, anyway?

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

That definitely wasn't the plan. But we'll get this one out of the way asap.

What does it really matter, anyway?

I just think it might get a little confusing with this thread in the middle of the 14 first round threads. Not a huge deal

 

[BubbaBoot]

I like these lower drafts. I like digging down and researching the players, finding out the history of the soldiers, the unheralded players, guys who should get some kind of notice, the speculation on how they would do against their peers....

Personally I find it kind of tedious trying to find and research players that have been gone over with incredible digging and research.....it's great to speculate about how they would match up with others but it gets to be a pissing war among the "experts" and the "newbies" and can turn quite sanctimonious.

If you don't want to do these lower drafts, fine, stay away......I'm up for it.

 

[VanIslander]

Personally I find it kind of tedious trying to find and research players that have been gone over with incredible digging and research.....it's great to speculate about how they would match up with others but it gets to be a pissing war among the "experts" and the "newbies" and can turn quite sanctimonious.

Hear!

If you don't want to do these lower drafts, fine, stay away......I'm up for it.

HEAR!

 

[seventieslord]

we definitely could have had a "good" AA draft. We could have easily managed doing a pick per day, just like the AAA draft, which would have given more time for research, bios that aren't internet cut and paste jobs, real consideration on the most worthy players by all GMs (meaning all star teams can be constructed to aid the following year's drafts) and a competitive playoff that GMs are actually interested in (as opposed to one that falls by the wayside due to another draft crammed right after it and before the next year's main draft)

There was actually nothing wrong with the idea of having a AA draft this year. The only thing wrong was the way it was seemingly strategically planned to make room for a single-A draft. Instead of one very good draft, we got two pointless, crappy ones.

I definitely let this one slide and I take my share of the blame. My Florida vacation got in the way, and then I was just really busy when I got back. I sometimes forgot about this thing for a week at a time. Should have seen it to its finish a couple months back. But I am determined to see it to its finish, due to the potential it had to be an excellent draft with the class of players still available at the 1500-1700 range.

The next time VI says "let's cram in a 12-day draft and then another 8-day draft" just say NO. You don't have to aquiesce to whatever parameters he sets. Insist on having a GOOD, reasonably-paced draft, with a point to it. If someone insists on drafting just for the sake of drafting, there are other places on this very board where they can do just that.

 

[JFA87-66-99]

I like these lower drafts. I like digging down and researching the players, finding out the history of the soldiers, the unheralded players, guys who should get some kind of notice, the speculation on how they would do against their peers....

Personally I find it kind of tedious trying to find and research players that have been gone over with incredible digging and research.....it's great to speculate about how they would match up with others but it gets to be a pissing war among the "experts" and the "newbies" and can turn quite sanctimonious.

If you don't want to do these lower drafts, fine, stay away......I'm up for it.

I agree i enjoy reading your ubdrafted bios. U do an amazing job

 

[BubbaBoot]

I agree i enjoy reading your ubdrafted bios. U do an amazing job

It's guys that slipped through the cracks, the unheralded guys who have vital roles in the success of their teams or just have some type of skill that usually goes unnoticed, (ie....PK guys, face-off specialists, shadows, pests, guys who flourished in post-season, those who tanked, +/- on good/bad teams, etc.....)

I love looking at the lower tier/2nd or 3rd line/pairings from various eras in Europe and try to gauge who they are similar to and if they could fit in with their North American cousins.

There's been a number of these lower end drafts and some of these guys have never been picked or even discussed....while some of them have with various viewpoints, (see Basil McRae most recently).

 

[BubbaBoot]

As far as this Final.....In the semis I had picked Pittsburgh and Lindsay over Balgione.....although Balgione matches up pretty good here.

Going to be another 7 game series I think.....both teams have some very good quality players.

 

[seventieslord]

As far as this Final.....In the semis I had picked Pittsburgh and Lindsay over Balgione.....although Balgione matches up pretty good here.

Going to be another 7 game series I think.....both teams have some very good quality players.

I hope we can have a good series, but I'm waiting to see if RS has the time for it. I'd understand if he didn't. He's got an ATD title to chase.

 

[Rob Scuderi]

I hope we can have a good series, but I'm waiting to see if RS has the time for it. I'd understand if he didn't. He's got an ATD title to chase.

I'd like to do it, but realistically I'm not going to have much time for it. If you want to carry the load I can chip in, but I won't be able to do this series justice.

 

[seventieslord]

I'd like to do it, but realistically I'm not going to have much time for it. If you want to carry the load I can chip in, but I won't be able to do this series justice.

It's ok, I completely understand... we could just both get Spanish Influenza if you like.

Come closer, let me cough on you.

 

[Rob Scuderi]

 

[VanIslander]