Flint Firebirds 2018-19 Season Thread (Part 3)

[Hockey61fan]

Renewed, Renergized and Refocused???

NOT.... one could have hoped

 

[OttersFan]

I come in peace, just wanted to inquire about Dellandrea.

Flint was clearly turnover central tonight and didn't help Morrison one bit. I've watched every Flint vs Erie game. Can someone tell me the hype about Dellandrea? I understand he's obviously the captain, but what's the hype behind him? Flint is clearly struggling, but I can't seem to put a finger on why he's wanted on other teams. He definitely racks up a ton of minutes which isn't a surprise on a team like Flint. Is it because he's averaging a point a game? Please let me know, I just wanted clarification regarding if and when he gets traded to understand his value.

 

[Packman]

From what I hear the two goalies were scratched from the repercussions before Christmas. Every player that was involved had to serve their scratch and now the goalies had to since they couldn’t on the road trip. The goalies should feel like crap letting their team down for poor choices. I like what Wellwood is doing, he’s not not taking any crap. Every poor decision cones with consequences. Flint’s not going anywhere this year anyways.

 

[MJ5]

Seriously Wellwood.....why would you leave in a rookie goalie for 9 goals against when you have a veteran on the bench. Not 1 player helped him out tonight. Way to kill a kids morale. Brutal coach.

This was clearly to send a message.

The goalies were both mentioned in the Xmas party stuff. Vella didn't dress tonight and it sounds like Cavallin won't dress tomorrow.

It's a shit show, but I give Wellowod credit for trying to send a message.

 

[Savard18]

He's mishandled the goalies repeatedly since he arrived. You go into the break with Vella picking up a 7-1 win. You come outta the break, scratch him and play the kid they've been scared to put in net for the last two seasons? It's watching games like tonight that just make me think "these boys just aren't very good". That 2016 2nd round has turned out to be absolutely brutal. 3 picks in the second and it's Busby, Holmes and Wismer. Throw in 2 2nd's and a 3rd for CJ Clarke that offseason and they're getting like 15 points out of 5 2nd's and a 3rd. Ouch.

 

[Flint Hockey fan]

went to the game tonight with high hopes after the first half ended with a 7-1 win. Alas, the old tea showed up again with a pathetic defensive effort in front of one of the biggest crowds this year. Back to the drawing board apparently!

 

[Packman]

Delkandrea has never ‘impressed’me on his own and I agree there’s a lot of hype around him. Sometimes other players can make a player look good. He definitely looks like he doesn’t want to be there and he has for a while. I hear he’s no leader in the dressing room whatsoever. Probably the only reason he has the C is because he was drafted, but from what I hear there are other players in the dressing room that are better leaders then he is. Will be interesting to see how the team does once he’s gone (assuming he’s being traded like the rumors say).

 

[Savard18]

Delkandrea has never ‘impressed’me on his own and I agree there’s a lot of hype around him. Sometimes other players can make a player look good. He definitely looks like he doesn’t want to be there and he has for a while. I hear he’s no leader in the dressing room whatsoever. Probably the only reason he has the C is because he was drafted, but from what I hear there are other players in the dressing room that are better leaders then he is. Will be interesting to see how the team does once he’s gone (assuming he’s being traded like the rumors say).

What other players on this team are making Dellandrea look good? I agree there are nights where he just seems checked out and won't produce much offense and be a bit turnover prone...tonight for example, but he is by FAR the best forward on this team in all 3 zones. He's had to carry this club most nights for the last 12 months. Most of the other kids who have found their way outta Flint over the last 4 years haven't really produced much if any better offensive numbers after leaving. If Ty goes somewhere else, watch him explode as one of the guys and not THE guy.

 

[MJ5]

What other players on this team are making Dellandrea look good? I agree there are nights where he just seems checked out and won't produce much offense and be a bit turnover prone...tonight for example, but he is by FAR the best forward on this team in all 3 zones. He's had to carry this club most nights for the last 12 months. Most of the other kids who have found their way outta Flint over the last 4 years haven't really produced much if any better offensive numbers after leaving. If Ty goes somewhere else, watch him explode as one of the guys and not THE guy.

Dellandrea and Durham feed off each other very well. But I agree hes easily the best player on this team, and when he wants it, he produces. He does look checked out a lot, but hes also gotten the shit beat out of him most of the year. He will thrive when he leaves, probably come back to the Dort and hang a 5 spot on us. Hope Rolf is in the house and he points at him.

 

[Hockey61fan]

He's mishandled the goalies repeatedly since he arrived. You go into the break with Vella picking up a 7-1 win. You come outta the break, scratch him and play the kid they've been scared to put in net for the last two seasons? It's watching games like tonight that just make me think "these boys just aren't very good". That 2016 2nd round has turned out to be absolutely brutal. 3 picks in the second and it's Busby, Holmes and Wismer. Throw in 2 2nd's and a 3rd for CJ Clarke that offseason and they're getting like 15 points out of 5 2nd's and a 3rd. Ouch.

IMO he has mishandled a lot of things not just the goalies.
I feel really bad for Morrison. Not fair to him at all that the boys never showed up.

 

[Savard18]

I'm still on the fence about Wellwood. It's obvious he's handicapped by multiple factors from ownership on down and he does have the boys playing better than Ouhlahen. He came into a really bad situation with a LOT to fix, so I'll reserve judgement until later. He's also playing catch-up to 19 other coaches in regards to implementing systems. I do think he's made poor decisions in regards to the goalies multiple times but it's the first time in his life he's been making those decisions too. I get scratching guys and holding them accountable for off-ice stuff. It is the right thing to do. It is the medicine he has to take now to establish accountability now and in the future. This group is so fragile right now though, that I wish he had handled it different. Maybe he couldn't. Fedor Gordeev has 2g 4a 6pts and is -21 over his last 14 games. He has 1a and is -12 over his last 7. At least one goal ends up in the back of the net on almost a nightly basis because of his decisions/effort. If he can be scratched for an entire game because of Christmas party excess when there's already a short bench, why can't he be held accountable for his on ice play once in awhile? Hakon Nilsen is -12 and has zero points over his last 18 games. When those are your two veteran D you're gonna struggle and it'll take big games EVERY night from multiple guys to overcome that. I'm less concerned when 16yo Bianconi is on the ice. I won't be surprised to see this Hekyl & Jekyl group come out flying tonight. I also won't be surprised to see a majority of the kids mentally disengaged until after the trade deadline has passed.

 

[TcNorth]

Great to see the sellout in Flint last night, but a pathetic pathetic performance by Firebird players on home ice!!!

 

[Hockey61fan]

I'm still on the fence about Wellwood. It's obvious he's handicapped by multiple factors from ownership on down and he does have the boys playing better than Ouhlahen. He came into a really bad situation with a LOT to fix, so I'll reserve judgement until later. He's also playing catch-up to 19 other coaches in regards to implementing systems. I do think he's made poor decisions in regards to the goalies multiple times but it's the first time in his life he's been making those decisions too. I get scratching guys and holding them accountable for off-ice stuff. It is the right thing to do. It is the medicine he has to take now to establish accountability now and in the future. This group is so fragile right now though, that I wish he had handled it different. Maybe he couldn't. Fedor Gordeev has 2g 4a 6pts and is -21 over his last 14 games. He has 1a and is -12 over his last 7. At least one goal ends up in the back of the net on almost a nightly basis because of his decisions/effort. If he can be scratched for an entire game because of Christmas party excess when there's already a short bench, why can't he be held accountable for his on ice play once in awhile? Hakon Nilsen is -12 and has zero points over his last 18 games. When those are your two veteran D you're gonna struggle and it'll take big games EVERY night from multiple guys to overcome that. I'm less concerned when 16yo Bianconi is on the ice. I won't be surprised to see this Hekyl & Jekyl group come out flying tonight. I also won't be surprised to see a majority of the kids mentally disengaged until after the trade deadline has passed.

Players should not be disengaged. Trade deadline or not. With the situation they should have brought in an experienced coach which is not Wellwood. Just because you've played doesn't mean you can coach. I truly believe there was an alterior motive as to why Branch brought him in. As I have said before they do not want this team to succeed in anyway so they can force Rolf to sell.

 

[MJ5]

Players should not be disengaged. Trade deadline or not. With the situation they should have brought in an experienced coach which is not Wellwood. Just because you've played doesn't mean you can coach. I truly believe there was an alterior motive as to why Branch brought him in. As I have said before they do not want this team to succeed in anyway so they can force Rolf to sell.

They brought him in, because any coach with experience wouldn't touch this shit show with a 50 foot pole.

Wellwood comes in and has any kind of success when the season is over with and hes not retained for whatever reason, at least he has it on his resume.

 

[Hockey61fan]

They brought him in, because any coach with experience wouldn't touch this **** show with a 50 foot pole.

Wellwood comes in and has any kind of success when the season is over with and hes not retained for whatever reason, at least he has it on his resume.

I am going to call bs on that as I know for a fact that a coach with 20 yrs experience approached Branch about the job. Sorry cant give names but trust me on this one.

 

[N Da No]

If you think that another coach is going to make a difference with the talent on this team than you are so very wrong.

You should all be venting your anger at the Branches who have FULL control and management of this disaster and have done nothing but allow this to keep continuing.

How many times has this team played shorthanded...one player, two players, three players and the Branches did nothing to fix this.

How is the coach going to get his system to work when he is confronted even before the start of each and every game of being disadvantaged with no help from management. Do you think if another coach came in all of a sudden the Branches would do something to improve this squad?

Oulahen told Wellwood what was going on, but still Wellwood took the job with NO job security and even more important NO support from management.

At least Coach Wellwood comes out and speaks to the fans after each and every game. Heck, there are some games when David and Barclay are not even in the building, let alone speak out in regards to the state of the team.

Who in their right mind would buy this team in the state that they are in? It would be better for a potential buyer to start from scratch from the beginning with an expansion franchise then the current state of this team.

Your going to realize soon after the first of the year how much the OHL really cares about this team and keeping it in Flint.

 

[Hockey61fan]

If you think that another coach is going to make a difference with the talent on this team than you are so very wrong.

You should all be venting your anger at the Branches who have FULL control and management of this disaster and have done nothing but allow this to keep continuing.

How many times has this team played shorthanded...one player, two players, three players and the Branches did nothing to fix this.

How is the coach going to get his system to work when he is confronted even before the start of each and every game of being disadvantaged with no help from management. Do you think if another coach came in all of a sudden the Branches would do something to improve this squad?

Oulahen told Wellwood what was going on, but still Wellwood took the job with NO job security and even more important NO support from management.

At least Coach Wellwood comes out and speaks to the fans after each and every game. Heck, there are some games when David and Barclay are not even in the building, let alone speak out in regards to the state of the team.

Who in their right mind would buy this team in the state that they are in? It would be better for a potential buyer to start from scratch from the beginning with an expansion franchise then the current state of this team.

Your going to realize soon after the first of the year how much the OHL really cares about this team and keeping it in Flint.

If you read my past posts I have always vented about the OHL and the Branches and what they are doing to this team. No one is blind to this.
A new buyer would mean the OHL would no longer control and the Branches would be gone. That is a bonus in itself.
From what I have seen Wellwood has no system with even the players he has. Again only my opinion.

 

[TcNorth]

Back to back sellouts for Flint is very impressive by Flint fans and a much much better effort by the players tonight.

 

[Hockey61fan]

Back to back sellouts for Flint is very impressive by Flint fans and a much much better effort by the players tonight.

Nice to see even through all the adversity. Huge character win tonight after last night....
Way to go boys....

 

[N Da No]

Back to back sellouts for Flint is very impressive by Flint fans and a much much better effort by the players tonight.

Fans didn't wait to turn in their gift certificates for tickets. I'm told over 3,000 were sold, many of those were in attendance both yesterday and tonight to help spur full capacity.

Don't have to tell the long time fans and season ticket holders how much much enjoyable it is to be at a hockey game with hardly any empty seats.

 

[maninboat]

Dellandrea and Durham feed off each other very well. But I agree hes easily the best player on this team, and when he wants it, he produces. He does look checked out a lot, but hes also gotten the **** beat out of him most of the year. He will thrive when he leaves, probably come back to the Dort and hang a 5 spot on us. Hope Rolf is in the house and he points at him.

What does Rolf have to do with this? He is paying all the bills without having any input. As far as I can tell he has been a stand up guy since the suspension.

 

[N Da No]

What does Rolf have to do with this? He is paying all the bills without having any input. As far as I can tell he has been a stand up guy since the suspension.

Rolf has everything to do with this. If it wasn't for Rolf there would be no OHL hockey in Flint.

If it wasn't for Rolf the Firebirds would not be confronted with players, parents and agents not wanting or hesitating to play in Flint.

If it wasn't for Rolf, his son Hakon would have not set a record for the player having played the most games in a Firebirds uniform.

If it wasn't for Rolf, you tell me why his son Hakon is still on this team. Is there not another player who's dream was to play in the OHL, but lost out because of Rolf's actions demanding that his son have a permanent spot with the Firebirds.

Now that's what I call NOT being a stand up guy.

 

[MJ5]

Uba, Keppen and Clarke really brought it tonight. Excellent games from all 3.

All around good effort tonight, 2nd was sloppy. But the 1st was probably the best period they have played this year at home.

 

[Savard18]

Uba, Keppen and Clarke really brought it tonight. Excellent games from all 3.

All around good effort tonight, 2nd was sloppy. But the 1st was probably the best period they have played this year at home.

Jekyl and Hyde. I mean, it's often just effort level. I wish they could just exhibit that kind of effort and focus for 60 minutes more often. I know there's crap going on behind the scenes that drags the boys down but they could be doing so much better. Hell of a night by your 3 stars and Morrison had a hell of a night too. I would like to get a few more looks at him this season to see which kid he is. Tonight or last night?

 

[TcNorth]

Fans didn't wait to turn in their gift certificates for tickets. I'm told over 3,000 were sold, many of those were in attendance both yesterday and tonight to help spur full capacity.

Don't have to tell the long time fans and season ticket holders how much much enjoyable it is to be at a hockey game with hardly any empty seats.

Good nonetheless to Flint fans.