News Article: I don't heart Brian Wilde

[Jigger77]

Because those of us who want to see a Stanley Cup one day look forward to the development of young players like Lars Eller, PK Subban and Alexei Emelin.

If the Habs keep sucking those guys aren't going to develop as well though. Being part of a wining culture from the onset in their NHL careers is incredibly underrated around here. You have to learn how to win.

That's why this tanking stuff is nonsense in my personal opinion. Well, one of many reasons anyway.

 

[DAChampion]

If the Habs keep sucking those guys aren't going to develop as well though. Being part of a wining culture from the onset in their NHL careers is incredibly underrated around here. You have to learn how to win.

That's why this tanking stuff is nonsense in my personal opinion. Well, one of many reasons anyway.

It's underrated around here because it's meaningless.

You think Ryan Nugent-Hopkins didn't develop well last year?

You think Kopitar and Brown didn't develop all those years that LA was out of the playoffs?

You think Crosby didn't develop in his rookie year when his team finished in the basement? Ovechkin?

And so on and so forth.

Players will develop just fine if they have opportunities. The advantage of a strong team is to have players to pass the puck to and from, and to be able to experience the playoffs. But we are the team we are. A basement team. It will have to do and we can start making noise in the playoffs in 2015-2016.

 

[Jigger77]

It's underrated around here because it's meaningless.

You think Ryan Nugent-Hopkins didn't develop well last year?

You think Kopitar and Brown didn't develop all those years that LA was out of the playoffs?

You think Crosby didn't develop in his rookie year when his team finished in the basement? Ovechkin?

And so on and so forth.

Players will develop just fine if they have opportunities. The advantage of a strong team is to have players to pass the puck to and from, and to be able to experience the playoffs. But we are the team we are. A basement team. It will have to do and we can start making noise in the playoffs in 2015-2016.

The only ones that won anything out of those guys are Crosby, Brown and Kopitar. So 50% success rate. I think it's as simple as winning is contagious, and so is losing. Pretty sure this tank stuff is reserved for online chatter and that in actual NHL circles it's not part of the equation. You play to win.

 

[Et le But]

It's underrated around here because it's meaningless.

You think Ryan Nugent-Hopkins didn't develop well last year?

You think Kopitar and Brown didn't develop all those years that LA was out of the playoffs?

You think Crosby didn't develop in his rookie year when his team finished in the basement? Ovechkin?

And so on and so forth.

Players will develop just fine if they have opportunities. The advantage of a strong team is to have players to pass the puck to and from, and to be able to experience the playoffs. But we are the team we are. A basement team. It will have to do and we can start making noise in the playoffs in 2015-2016.

Crosby, Ovechkin and RNH are bad examples because all were above average players form day 1 in the NHL. The first two immediately started to turn their team around by themselves. There was a reason they were number 1 draft picks.

 

[DAChampion]

Crosby, Ovechkin and RNH are bad examples because all were above average players form day 1 in the NHL. The first two immediately started to turn their team around by themselves. There was a reason they were number 1 draft picks.

Similarly, your counterargument is weak because there were plenty of other players who developed on those Pittsburgh, Chicago, Washington, Los Angeles, etc that were not 1st overall draft picks. Chicago in particular was so stacked that they couldn't survive the salary cap.

There were no 1st overall draft picks on the LA team. There was a 2nd overall, a 4th overall bust we can count as overhead, a 5th overall traded for Mike Richards, an 11th overall, and a 13th overall traded for Dustin Penner. All those high picks imply years of sucking in which some players certainly developed.

 

[Et le But]

Similarly, your counterargument is weak because there were plenty of other players who developed on those Pittsburgh, Chicago, Washington, Los Angeles, etc that were not 1st overall draft picks.

There were no 1st overall draft picks on the LA team. There was a 2nd overall, a 4th overall bust we can count as overhead, a 5th overall traded for Mike Richards, an 11th overall, and a 13th overall traded for Dustin Penner. All those high picks imply years of sucking in which some players certainly developed.

Most of Pittsburgh's core is from either slightly before or slightly after Crosby and them turning it around, in fact the only player who was on that team for a significant amount of time before Crosby was drafted is Brooks Orpik, a 1st rounder who turned into a career grinder.

I do agree that being on a terrible team for a year or so doesn't ruin prospects, the problem is a mixture of that and rushing them like the Islanders and Blue Jackets do. And even besides that, last I checked the Oilers are still terrible, the Capitals won nothing and the Kings traded half their prospects for vets to go all the way, so I'm struggling to find any sort of winning formula here.

 

[DAChampion]

Most of Pittsburgh's core is from either slightly before or slightly after Crosby and them turning it around, in fact the only player who was on that team for a significant amount of time before Crosby was drafted is Brooks Orpik, a 1st rounder who turned into a career grinder.

I do agree that being on a terrible team for a year or so doesn't ruin prospects, the problem is a mixture of that and rushing them like the Islanders and Blue Jackets do. And even besides that, last I checked the Oilers are still terrible, the Capitals won nothing and the Kings traded half their prospects for vets to go all the way, so I'm struggling to find any sort of winning formula here.

Oilers are clearly a team of the future.

Capitals didn't win, but they were a contender, not every great team can win in a 30-team league. "X has never won anything" is never a valid argument. They also suffer from an owner not willing to spend to the cap.

Kings are contenders for years to come.

I see a clear winning formula. Get elite talent through the draft over a few years, surround it with strategic UFA signings, make 1 or 2 good trades, and profit.

 

[Et le But]

For more negativity

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/nhl/news/20130109/nhl-preseason-power-rankings/?sct=uk_t11_a7

SI Power Rankings has us the second worse in the league after Columbus. That offends me less than that they have the Oilers in 3rd place.

Oilers are clearly a team of the future.

Reminds me of an old saying about Brazil, "Brazil is the country of the future, and always will be."

On paper the Oilers have a very exciting team, and it's hard to not be envious of them, yet I said the same thing last year and they ended up drafting 1st overall again. Their vets are mediocre, and while Schultz will make a difference they still have a sub par defense and questionable goaltending. There will come a time where they probably will have to make a few trades to put everything together, and a lot can go wrong.

 

[Dharvey33]

Don't put RNH in the same sentence as Crosby or ovechkin the kid is and will be good but he is far from their level and don't have to potential to reach it either. I don't know why everyone is so pumped about this kid, Eberle will be the best player of the oilers for years to come not RNH.

Good garbage article putting oilers 3rd is really laughable you can take a gamble and put them in the playoffs but as of now habs have a team a lot more balanced than the oilers. They have a better 1st line we have better grit a better goalie and a better defense that's a fact.

 

[Andy]

Brian Wilde is okay. Don't have a problem with him. Wouldn't say he's one of the best though.

The team probably won't be good this year. Just don't trust that defense to do any good. If the D was stronger, the team probably could squeeze out 8th place even with the weaker forward group. I just don't see the defense as a strength, even with Markov back. We'll see. The team will probably finish any where from 10th-15th.

 

[Maffew]

Well, I definitely like your reply, thanks.
I'll definitely pay more attention to Brian Wilde and to what you were saying (in the above). The last time I paid major attention to Brian Wilde (pertinent to hockey talk...lockout) was around end of Nov-December when Brian looked so excited/happy about the possibility of hockey coming back very soon (we still had to wait of course after that...many reporters made false alarms...I don't blame any of them). But he looked so happy.... but now that hockey is back I'll pay even more attention to how he is... I believe you but I swear the Brian Wilde I see is always cheerful! (8 or 9 out of 10 times!)

Randy Tieman is the one who seems disinterested/bored in our Habs, imo (Tieman seems more interested in football or his ''Randy's rookies'' mini-show/segment during the CTV sports! he actually smiles a lot during his ''Randy's rookies''!!)...Wilde adds more color and excitement vs Tieman when it comes to our Habs imo (this is what makes me believe he's really into our Habs...positive or negative), but I'll get a chance to see more of Brian now since hockey is back (will pay more attention to every detail! and come back here and report!!).

But you know...in the end if he is a Hab fan...I'm not that upset with a Hab fan saying this or that as long as that person is not secretly a Bruin or Leaf fan just bashing our Habs! and we can't all share the same opinion, but of course seeing the positive is better than always seeing the negative! (ex: if our Habs do end up at the bottom...there's a light at the end of the tunnel in that we get a star prospect in exchange for a miserable season filled with injuries and/or many losses). For me the worst case scenario is barely missing the playoffs and/or losing badly in the 1st Rnd (we don't get a top 5 or top 10 pick and our Habs are eliminated early...this would get me down...at least last year's miserable season was rewarded with a Galchenyuk).

Cheers!

Definitely agree on the Tieman part. I get the feeling he goes home and drinks a bottle of Whiskey each night, and has ever since the Expos left town.

 

[Mr. Hab]

Definitely agree on the Tieman part. I get the feeling he goes home and drinks a bottle of Whiskey each night, and has ever since the Expos left town.

Haha!! I remember when we had the Expos...Tieman looked so happy!! (he'd sometimes even do reporting while eating a hot-dog!!).
I think he replaced baseball (Expos) with the Alouettes! (he seems to be into football now), but I did notice he seems kind of business-like or not that interested...when reporting on the Habs (doesn't seem excited at all! just doing the job,etc). I've seen the friendly teddy-bear Tieman and then I've seen the semi-grumpy Tieman!! he does look happy when it's ''Tieman's rookies'' time!!

Anyways...can't wait for the first game of the season!! (our Habs vs the Leafs). Feels like years since we've seen a Hab game! (of course...I'm still a bit bitter if I think about how long it took the millionaire players/owners to end the bitter lockout...but I can't stand being bitter for too long!! not good for blood pressure!!).
Go Habs Go!!

 

[Marc the Habs Fan]

And suddenly Wilde is optimistic.

http://montreal.ctvnews.ca/mobile/habs-fever-pre-season-prediction-1.1117879

 

[Maffew]

And suddenly Wilde is optimistic.

http://montreal.ctvnews.ca/mobile/habs-fever-pre-season-prediction-1.1117879

That's pretty off the charts. I never pegged him as a flip-flopper, as he's generally been pretty accountable for his reporting.

But being an optimist myself, this leaves me with mixed emotions.

 

[Dr Gonzo]

A big swing and a miss by Wilde in the OP's original article.

 

[Gally11]

A big swing and a miss by Wilde in the OP's original article.

big swing and a miss by a lot in this thread

 

[1UP]

Hilarious necro

 

[Cole Caulifield]

I'm not the biggest fan of Therrien either but I think he'll be better for young players with talent like Emelin, Eller, Diaz, Galchenyuk.

I wasn't completely out to lunch ! See above.

With that said, has it ever happened that a team finishes 15th, then wins the conference the next year ?

I really don't think anyone thought we were gonna be this good.

EDIT:

Heck, if you ask Bergevin, I think he would tell you he didn't think we were going to be this good either.

 

[habtastic]

I think since we've been winning, we've forgotten how effective Bourque was. Prust was pretty recent and at times, we really needed him tonight. Looking forward to having Rene back although I really don't know what MT is going to do with the lineups given we've got Ryder in now (well...not tonight, but in general).

But to the point of this thread, feels great being optimistic and then proven right. At this point we're almost getting used to winning, I'm sacred what this board is capable of for the bumps we will inevitably take. We've already had one Price controversy (on the board, not in reality).

 

[BaseballCoach]

But to the point of this thread, feels great being optimistic and then proven right. At this point we're almost getting used to winning, I'm sacred ....

Humble much?

You have some insight all right, but SACRED????

 

[Strat]

He obviously meant "scared."

Same with the poster above who said Prust was "recent" when he meant "decent."

 

[BaseballCoach]

He obviously meant "scared."

Same with the poster above who said Prust was "recent" when he meant "decent."

Uhmmmm.......it was the same guy!

 

[Mr. Hab]

Josh ''humble pie'' Gorges:
love it when he said in a recent interview '' we have won nothing yet...no one remembers the regular season once it's all over...
you can be 1st in the Conference or Division and then lose in the 1st Rnd and it's all for nothing''.
****ing right. Damn right.

I found it funny/tad hypocritical though when he praised DD's recent contract...
I thought he would say ''DD's contract? don't know about that...I just know this is a team thing and we're focusing on the team...don't know anything about someone's contract''
(just comparing his comment to a journalist question about Subban's arrival after all the negotiations/delay talk).


The real season is in MAY.
(yes the regular season is important for qualifying and home advantage position but we forget about that as soon as the REAL season starts...Markov better stay healthy and better bring it this time...I'm pulling for Markov to stay healthy but will be a bitter ***** as usual if he gets injured before or during the playoffs, or...regular season).

We need a solid/gritty top 4-5 dman for insurance...imho.
(I won't say no to a solid top 3 dman, but don't want to give up 2nd Rnd Picks).
(Diaz has been a hot top 4 offensive dman this season...but we still have to insure ourselves since we know about Markov and how our team can get so ****'ed up when he gets injured for such a long time).
I don't want us to depend on Kaberle or Weber in playoffs..., so...get that top 4-5 dman...SOON. (doesn't have to be a big/known name...just someone who can get the job done AND is maybe underrated/not so well known so we don't have to overpay to get him!).

1Subban
2Markov
3Gorges
4Diaz
4 or 5___?___
6Bouillon
------------- --------------
7Emelin/Bouillon
8Tinordi
-------------- ------------------
9Kaberle
10Weber



p.s.: I'm a huge Gorges' fan...didn't mean to insult Gorges' quotes (in the above! just having some fun).