Confirmed with Link: Canucks sign Brock Boeser to 3 year deal worth 5.875 million annually. | #607

Thoughts on the deal?


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I am toxic

. . . even in small doses
Oct 24, 2014
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Vancouver
I don't particularly disagree with most of this, and as I said I've had issues with reponses in the past, and in a general sense yes this has needed to be improved in the past. But we honestly have no idea what the coaches are doing here so I don't feel like I can really comment as to whether there's a breakdown coming from that end.

This is not one of those times. There was just no way, ever, there was going to be a response to a slightly bad hit from a clean player (who, again, would have been having beers with these guys at Horvat's wedding and is probably considered a friend) when Boeser didn't even appear to be injured at the time. If this was a Borowiecki and Boeser was knocked out, I'd be on board with you. But that's not what happened and the play did not appear significant at the time.

And I highly doubt that he intended to throw that hit from behind. One of my pet peeves is when people act like all bad hits are maliciously intentional. When you're playing, these plays happen in an instant - you're skating hard, see a target present itself, and try to catch a piece of that target all in a half-second. Get your angles right and it's a great legal hit. Get your angles wrong or guess wrong on their movement, and you're catching a knee or getting behind a shoulder instead of in front or on the side. And you could see from Tierney's slumped shoulders immediately after the hit that this was not what he was intending.


Oh, I fully agree that Tierney immediately regretted what he did.

But Tierney did it because he had a "hit first/think second" mentality, which is no doubt common for players from teams facing the Canucks.

NHL players have absolutely amazing reflexes and situational awareness. A half second is an eternity for them. They are responsible for their stick. They are responsible for their hits. If they can't do that, they should be heavily suspended such that their mentality is always think first/hit second, or else they are gone.

I may try to get further clarification on what the coaches are doing. I already know much of what is being taught vis a vis puck protection, at least as of last spring. Not from Manny or Alex or Henrik, I don't ever talk Canucks stuff with them.
 

MS

1%er
Mar 18, 2002
53,367
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Oh, I fully agree that Tierney immediately regretted what he did.

But Tierney did it because he had a "hit first/think second" mentality, which is no doubt common for players from teams facing the Canucks.

NHL players have absolutely amazing reflexes and situational awareness. A half second is an eternity for them. They are responsible for their stick. They are responsible for their hits. If they can't do that, they should be heavily suspended such that their mentality is always think first/hit second, or else they are gone.

I may try to get further clarification on what the coaches are doing. I already know much of what is being taught vis a vis puck protection, at least as of last spring. Not from Manny or Alex or Henrik, I don't ever talk Canucks stuff with them.

Tierney is one of the least physical players in the NHL and threw 50% fewer hits than Markus Granlund last year.

He clearly doesn't have a 'hit first' mentality and I *highly* doubt that if there had been a fight after the Matheson hit last year there would have been anything at all even remotely different happening here. NHL players are not 'scared away' from throwing hits because some other guy got a gloved facewash after a marginal hit a year before.

Again, there are points where I would agree with you and I was frothing about the Matheson situation last year. But when you look at this specific case, the history of the player involved and his relationship to this team, and the fact that Boeser seemed to be fine ... I'm not going to be blaming anyone for not responding and completely understand why nothing happened. I'll save my outrage for when it's actually warranted.

And yes, NHL players are fantastically skilled but things happen in a blink of an eye and you're trying to hit a target that can move unpredictably. Mistakes happen. Guys try to throw hits and miss entirely. Guys try to throw hits and get on the wrong side of a shoulder by a few inches.
 

I am toxic

. . . even in small doses
Oct 24, 2014
9,352
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Vancouver
Tierney is one of the least physical players in the NHL and threw 50% fewer hits than Markus Granlund last year.

He clearly doesn't have a 'hit first' mentality and I *highly* doubt that if there had been a fight after the Matheson hit last year there would have been anything at all even remotely different happening here. NHL players are not 'scared away' from throwing hits because some other guy got a gloved facewash after a marginal hit a year before.

Again, there are points where I would agree with you and I was frothing about the Matheson situation last year. But when you look at this specific case, the history of the player involved and his relationship to this team, and the fact that Boeser seemed to be fine ... I'm not going to be blaming anyone for not responding and completely understand why nothing happened. I'll save my outrage for when it's actually warranted.

And yes, NHL players are fantastically skilled but things happen in a blink of an eye and you're trying to hit a target that can move unpredictably. Mistakes happen. Guys try to throw hits and miss entirely. Guys try to throw hits and get on the wrong side of a shoulder by a few inches.

Mistakes happen far more frequently when players have a hit first/think second mentality.

If there is only a gloved facewash after a hit the year before, I agree there will be little if any deterrent value.

If the ideas I've presented are instituted on a comprehensive basis, it is highly likely that fewer star players on the Canucks are injured. At the cost of the coach speaking (which is already done, just needs a different message), training (which is already done, just needs a different focus), and players sticking up for one another (which is not done other than Ryan Miller and Luke Schenn who are gone, but hey the others are there at the rink anyway, so why not stick up for you team-mate).
 

MS

1%er
Mar 18, 2002
53,367
83,459
Vancouver, BC
Mistakes happen far more frequently when players have a hit first/think second mentality.

If there is only a gloved facewash after a hit the year before, I agree there will be little if any deterrent value.

If the ideas I've presented are instituted on a comprehensive basis, it is highly likely that fewer star players on the Canucks are injured. At the cost of the coach speaking (which is already done, just needs a different message), training (which is already done, just needs a different focus), and players sticking up for one another (which is not done other than Ryan Miller and Luke Schenn who are gone, but hey the others are there at the rink anyway, so why not stick up for you team-mate).

Again, Chris Tierney has never had a 'hit first' mentality at any level. The guy would be a Lady Byng candidate if he scored 20 more points/season.

I'm not campaigning against a response when a star player takes a cheap shot. Again, there have been multiple occasions in the past where I've roasted the team for it.

But you have to look at each specific situation individually. In this case, the guy throwing the hit is the best friend from junior of the team captain, was probably having beers with most of the team at the wedding this summer, is probably friends with Boeser given how close Boeser and Horvat are, and is an extremely non-physical player which everyone on the ice would be aware of. And Boeser seemed to be fine.

Everyone would have understood it was a mistake from a clean player who didn't mean it, and have been relieved that Boeser continued in the game. Bullet dodged. End of story. Expecting the team to lose it on a friend when there didn't appear to be an injury is an unrealistic expectation.

Literally nobody would be talking about this if Boeser was fine, as appeared to be the case at the time.
 
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I am toxic

. . . even in small doses
Oct 24, 2014
9,352
14,635
Vancouver
Again, Chris Tierney has never had a 'hit first' mentality at any level. The guy would be a Lady Byng candidate if he scored 20 more points/season.

I'm not campaigning against a response when a star player takes a cheap shot. Again, there have been multiple occasions in the past where I've roasted the team for it.

But you have to look at each specific situation individually. In this case, the guy throwing the hit is the best friend from junior of the team captain, was probably having beers with most of the team at the wedding this summer, is probably friends with Boeser given how close Boeser and Horvat are, and is an extremely non-physical player which everyone on the ice would be aware of. And Boeser seemed to be fine.

Everyone would have understood it was a mistake from a clean player who didn't mean it, and have been relieved that Boeser continued in the game. Bullet dodged. End of story. Expecting the team to lose it on a friend when there didn't appear to be an injury is an unrealistic expectation.

Literally nobody would be talking about this if Boeser was fine, as appeared to be the case at the time.


Either Tierney had a hit first/think second mentality in this case, or he deliberately hit Boeser from behind into the boards and gave him a concussion. It makes no difference.

The likelihood of that happening can be reduced by implementing the suggestions I have made. Some of which Ferraro just said on 1040.

By not immediately going after Tierney and Chabot by finishing every clean check on them, and Green calling it a hockey play after the game, has made bigger targets on Boeser and Hughes and EP.
 

Josepho

i want the bartkowski thread back
Jan 1, 2015
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British Columbia
It's really a shame that we're the only team in the league that'll actively have our star players being targeted by the opposition.
 

orcatown

Registered User
Feb 13, 2003
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Tierney history is irrelevant when considering his action. I might have never driven drunk before but that will not be considered in judging my guilt. Where it will be considered is in the punishment phase. If you believe Tierney made a dangerous play by driving his stick into another players back and pushing head first into the boards he is guilty of major infraction and suspendable offense.

And I don't see how him being a friend of Horvat's has anything to do with anything
 

rypper

21-12-05 it's finally over.
Dec 22, 2006
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And I don't see how him being a friend of Horvat's has anything to do with anything

Another poster inferred that Horvat was a coward for not doing anything to Tierney. Their friendship was brought up as a reason why perhaps he, in particular, didn't literally murder him on the ice like some people might have hoped for.
 

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