MLD2011 Mickey Ion Rnd 1: Garnish Dragons (4) vs. New York Awesome Express (5)

[BillyShoe1721]

Garnish Dragons

Buzz Boll-Ted Hampson (A)-Pierre Larouche
Tony Mckegney (A)-Nikolai Khlystov -Bill Flett
Shawn Burr-Terry Crisp -Wildor Larochelle
John Marks-Michael Nylander -Jason Pominville
Greg Gus Adams-Veli Pekka Ketola

Garry Galley- Brad Marsh (C)
Leo Reise Sr.-Arnie Brown
Scott Hannan-Genrikh Sidorenkov
Zarley Zalapski

Dan Bouchard
Nikolay Puchov
Martin Biron

Coach: Bryan Murray

Special Teams Units

PP 1: Tony Mckegney-Nikolai Khlyskov-Pierre Larouche-Garry Galley-Ted Hampson
PP 2: Buzz Boll-Michael Nylander-Wildor Larochelle-Leo Reise Sr.-Genrikh Sidorenkov

PK 1: John Marks-Jason Pominville-Brad Marsh-Leo Reise Sr.
PK 2: Bill Flett-Terry Crisp-Arnie Brown-Scott Hannan

vs.

New New York Awesome Express

General Managers: Team Awesome - (Dwight) Conrad and Cubert Farnsworth (Velociraptor)

Head Coach: Randy Carlyle
Captain: Orest Kindrachuk
Assistant Captains: Dale McCourt, Warren Godfrey, Sheldon Souray
Trainer: Zapp Branigan
Team Doctor: Zoidberg

Jim Riley - Guy Chouinard - Martin Havlat
Darryl Sutter - Dale McCourt (A) - Ilkka Sinisalo
Ron Duguay - Orest Kindrachuk (C) - Don Saleski
Ted Irvine - Christian Ruuttu - Vlastimil Bubnik
Spares: Alf Pike F/D, Mikko Koivu C, Dustin Brown RW

Warren Godfrey (A) - Jocelyn Guevremont
Sheldon Souray (A) - Brent Seabrook
Bret Hedican - Pat Quinn
Spares: Doug Lidster

Eddie Johnston
Jose Theodore


PP1: Riley - McCourt - Havlat - Guevremont - Chouinard
PP2: Sinisalo - Duguay - Bubnik - Souray - Seabrook
PK1: Kindrachuk - Saleski - Godfrey - Seabrook
PK2: McCourt - Duguay - Hedican - Quinn​

Click to read more...

 

[BenchBrawl]

I think New york express has the best 3rd line in the league with the Kindrachuk & Saleski duo making a come back.

 

[tony d]

Sorry for my lack of contribution thus far but I went on a family vacation this past weekend and our car ended up breaking down. Thought we'd have it fixed today but apparently there's another issue with it now so I don't know when that'll get fixed. Hopefully I'll be home soon to make some contributions towards the series. Note to everyone: Never ever buy a PT Cruiser, they are garbage cars.

 

[Velociraptor]

Good luck to you tony, this is the second year in a row we will have faced off in the MLD first round, although we had the advantage this year, now you have home ice for the first two games of the series.

Internet is free for 15 minutes daily in the Bahamas having used 11 minutes so far, I will add a few quick notes today, and hopefully add some more each day until my return on Saturday.

Very evenly matched teams, but I think that our third line will a massive factor in this series, relied upon to shutdown the Dragons first line. Three proven two-way players add a great mix of offense and defense, that will do everything in their power to execute the opposition's scoring chances.

I think the overuse of Garry Galley will wear down his effectiveness, as he is for one an unspectacular defensive defenseman.

The goaltending matchup is close, neither will steal a game in this series, but both are capable of providing solid play.

Will add more tomorrow, as i'm running out of time.

 

[tony d]

Finally home, so let me do a general consensus of this match before I dig in deep tomorrow:

As Velocirpator said this is a fairly even series but I think it's more even in my favour. I think the 1st line is more in my favour than the Awesome Express' 1st line. Boll-Hampson-Larouche is a very versatile line. Boll plays all facets of the game very well, Hampson plays a good 2-way game and is a good playmaker. Larouche is of course my team's featured scorer. I expect him to play a key role in this series. Whereas the Express' 1st line, while good, has huge question marks. Will Havlat be able to handle a long series, given his injury concerns? We're assuming this is a top league here, Jim Riley amassed 2 points in his NHL career albeit a short 1. He did amass good career numbers in weaker leagues, but how will he adjust to a top league? Can Guy Chouinard handle an offensive load by himself?

As for the defensive matchups I think my team has the advantage. I do not think Souray should be on a 2nd defensive unit here in the MLD, he's a 3rd pairing guy in this at best. Also I like Hedican and Quinn but not as a pairing. My defense is more balanced with 3 offensive guys and 3 defensive guys in my top 6.

Goaltending is also in my favour, Bouchard is probably one of the best goalies in this draft, if he falters then I'm confident in going with Puchkov as my backup. I wouldn't be so confident with Jose Theodore as my backup should Johnston falter.

So Good Luck to you guys, will add more tomorrow, but am looking forward to your rebuttal.

Also as a note to other voters: Ted Hampson is now playing the point on my power play 1 unit and Garry galley is off the pk 1 unit and replaced by Leo Reise Sr.

 

[seventieslord]

- I don't think Jim Riley is really that great anyway, but I don't see why you'd consider the PCHA a "weaker" league. It was more or less the same.

- Did Ted Hampson ever play the point? I love the guy, I'd love him even more knowing that. (let me guess, it's in my bio from last year and I forgot? )

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

Also as a note to other voters: Ted Hampson is now playing the point on my power play 1 unit and Garry galley is off the pk 1 unit and replaced by Leo Reise Sr.

Post your updated full special teams and I'll update the original post.

 

[tony d]

Garnish Dragons (Updated Roster)

Buzz Boll-Ted Hampson (A)-Pierre Larouche
Tony Mckegney (A)-Nikolai Khlystov -Bill Flett
Shawn Burr-Terry Crisp -Wildor Larochelle
John Marks-Michael Nylander -Jason Pominville
Greg Gus Adams-Veli Pekka Ketola

Garry Galley- Brad Marsh (C)
Leo Reise Sr.-Arnie Brown
Scott Hannan-Genrikh Sidorenkov
Zarley Zalapski

Dan Bouchard
Nikolay Puchov
Martin Biron

Coach: Bryan Murray

Special Teams Units

PP 1: Tony Mckegney-Nikolai Khlyskov-Pierre Larouche-Garry Galley-Ted Hampson
PP 2: Buzz Boll-Michael Nylander-Wildor Larochelle-Leo Reise Sr.-Genrikh Sidorenkov

PK 1: John Marks-Jason Pominville-Brad Marsh-Leo Reise Sr.
PK 2: Bill Flett-Terry Crisp-Arnie Brown-Scott Hannan

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

Oops, I can't edit the lineup because I didn't make the thread... heh. Has to be Billy or a mod.

 

[seventieslord]

Changed the units. Hope I got it right. I assume the point was to get Galley off special teams entirely.

In real life he was used a ton on special teams - 47% on the PP, 29% on the PK.

Personally I don't see the point removing him from both entirely. I would have him on PP1 and not on the PK at all, or on both 2nd units.

 

[tony d]

Changed the units. Hope I got it right. I assume the point was to get Galley off special teams entirely.

In real life he was used a ton on special teams - 47% on the PP, 29% on the PK.

Personally I don't see the point removing him from both entirely. I would have him on PP1 and not on the PK at all, or on both 2nd units.

No, you see my edited post, there at Post 8 I believe, that's my new roster.

 

[tony d]

As for keys to victories for the Dragons over the Express, here are a couple:

1) Balanced Lines- Each of my 4 lines can score points. I have one of the top 5 offensive players in this draft in Pierre Larouche on my 1st line. Hampson is a good playmaker and Boll has the speed to keep up with him. On my 2nd line Mckegney was always a dependable goal scorer. Khlyskov can feed him the puck and Flett's grit should help. The 3rd line is largely defensive but both Burr and Larochelle are guys who can score goals in a dependable manner. My 4th line has Nylander who may be one of the better playmakers in this draft, he's paired with Jason Pominville and John Marks who can score goals as well. Each of my 4 lines has players who can play offense and defense.

2) Defense- Much like my offense by defensive pairings are balanced between scoring guys and defensive guys. Galley was one of the better offensive guys in this. As I said I considered myself lucky to get both Brad Marsh and Arnie Brown. Both guys should be able to shut down the Express' offense. Hannan is a guy I'm glad I got. Solid defensive exploits for a guy I consider my shutdown defenseman. Sidorenkov and Reise should be able to help Galley in scoring goals from the back end for my team.

3) Goaltending- Bouchard, as has been said, was one of the top 3 goalies in this draft. Yes his playoff record is nothing stellar but the teams he played on where terrible teams. I expect Bouchard to be just fine here and help me to win this series.

Good luck to my opponents, looking forward to your comments.

And to my comments on Jim Riley. I take them back, The PCHA was a good league but it's just the NHL is the cream of the crop when it comes to pro hockey.

 

[seventieslord]

John Marks who can score goals as well.

Marks is probably one of the bottom-10 forwards in the entire draft as far as goal scoring is concerned.

The PCHA was a good league but it's just the NHL is the cream of the crop when it comes to pro hockey.

When Riley was in the PCHA, the NHL existed and the two leagues were of similar quality, and I don't just mean in an "original 6 AHL" or "70s WHA" kind of way, either.

 

[Dwight]

Heading out to run a few errands, and then I will be back with some posts. Good luck to you, tony. Let's have a good match

 

[Velociraptor]

Finally home, so let me do a general consensus of this match before I dig in deep tomorrow:

As Velocirpator said this is a fairly even series but I think it's more even in my favour. I think the 1st line is more in my favour than the Awesome Express' 1st line. Boll-Hampson-Larouche is a very versatile line. Boll plays all facets of the game very well, Hampson plays a good 2-way game and is a good playmaker. Larouche is of course my team's featured scorer. I expect him to play a key role in this series. Whereas the Express' 1st line, while good, has huge question marks. Will Havlat be able to handle a long series, given his injury concerns? We're assuming this is a top league here, Jim Riley amassed 2 points in his NHL career albeit a short 1. He did amass good career numbers in weaker leagues, but how will he adjust to a top league? Can Guy Chouinard handle an offensive load by himself?

As for the defensive matchups I think my team has the advantage. I do not think Souray should be on a 2nd defensive unit here in the MLD, he's a 3rd pairing guy in this at best. Also I like Hedican and Quinn but not as a pairing. My defense is more balanced with 3 offensive guys and 3 defensive guys in my top 6.

Goaltending is also in my favour, Bouchard is probably one of the best goalies in this draft, if he falters then I'm confident in going with Puchkov as my backup. I wouldn't be so confident with Jose Theodore as my backup should Johnston falter.

So Good Luck to you guys, will add more tomorrow, but am looking forward to your rebuttal.

Also as a note to other voters: Ted Hampson is now playing the point on my power play 1 unit and Garry galley is off the pk 1 unit and replaced by Leo Reise Sr.

Chouinard won't have to handle the load by himself when he's got a big left winger who's place in history is reinforced by his goal-scoring ability, and Havlat is a lightning quick power forward who has a history of injuries, but in his post-season experience he has been a factor. This first line has speed and size, as well as Chouinard, one of the best centers of his era, the margin between him and Larouche isn't a very big one, closer than most would think. And trust me, I wanted Larouche with our first round pick, almost to the point where I considered engaging in trade talks, but I think Chouinard is Larouche's equal, who had a shorter career due to loss of interest.

Souray has a higher peak than all of your defenseman (somebody please correct me if I'm wrong) his Norris voting record may not be flattering, but he was a solid defenseman for about a seven year span. Our first pairing is one of the better contrasting pairs in the draft, and it draws identical comparisons to your first, Guevremont IMO is a better offensive defenseman than Galley, specifically known for his PP ability, and I think Godfrey adds more in terms of defensive ability than Marshy)

Your goaltending tandem is better, but I wouldn't conclude so quickly that Puchkov is that much better than Theodore, he is a servicable MLD back-up, and Johnston was a cornerstone for the 60's and 70's Bruins success.

I'd also like confirmation on Hampson's ability to play the point.

- I don't think Jim Riley is really that great anyway, but I don't see why you'd consider the PCHA a "weaker" league. It was more or less the same.

- Did Ted Hampson ever play the point? I love the guy, I'd love him even more knowing that. (let me guess, it's in my bio from last year and I forgot? )

As for keys to victories for the Dragons over the Express, here are a couple:

1) Balanced Lines- Each of my 4 lines can score points. I have one of the top 5 offensive players in this draft in Pierre Larouche on my 1st line. Hampson is a good playmaker and Boll has the speed to keep up with him. On my 2nd line Mckegney was always a dependable goal scorer. Khlyskov can feed him the puck and Flett's grit should help. The 3rd line is largely defensive but both Burr and Larochelle are guys who can score goals in a dependable manner. My 4th line has Nylander who may be one of the better playmakers in this draft, he's paired with Jason Pominville and John Marks who can score goals as well. Each of my 4 lines has players who can play offense and defense.

2) Defense- Much like my offense by defensive pairings are balanced between scoring guys and defensive guys. Galley was one of the better offensive guys in this. As I said I considered myself lucky to get both Brad Marsh and Arnie Brown. Both guys should be able to shut down the Express' offense. Hannan is a guy I'm glad I got. Solid defensive exploits for a guy I consider my shutdown defenseman. Sidorenkov and Reise should be able to help Galley in scoring goals from the back end for my team.

3) Goaltending- Bouchard, as has been said, was one of the top 3 goalies in this draft. Yes his playoff record is nothing stellar but the teams he played on where terrible teams. I expect Bouchard to be just fine here and help me to win this series.

Good luck to my opponents, looking forward to your comments.

And to my comments on Jim Riley. I take them back, The PCHA was a good league but it's just the NHL is the cream of the crop when it comes to pro hockey.

Riley was a star in the PCHL.

 

[Iain Fyffe]

When Riley was in the PCHA, the NHL existed and the two leagues were of similar quality, and I don't just mean in an "original 6 AHL" or "70s WHA" kind of way, either.

Indeed, there's an argument to be made that the PCHA was the tougher of the two league to play in for much of its existence.

 

[seventieslord]

Chouinard is definitely not Larouche's equal, and I'm not even that high on Larouche.

 

[MadArcand]

In what world is Havlat a power forward? Just sayin'...

 

[Dreakmur]

In what world is Havlat a power forward? Just sayin'...

Women's hockey maybe....

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

In what world is Havlat a power forward? Just sayin'...

Kicking contests?

 

[Velociraptor]

Chouinard was near as dynamic as Larouche when he played with the Flames? Havlat isn't as much a power forward, but a skilled forward with size who is physically capable and is very fast.

Also, the Dragons third line doesn't seem up to the task of shutting down our first line.

Shawn Burr was a mediocre power forward who wasn't anything special offensively, Crisp is a good 3rd line center but what does Larochelle bring to the line besides offense? for a line who's objective it is to eliminate the top lines potent scoring chances, they are a bit of a scattered line. Our third line includes three players who were relied upon to shut down the oppositions offensive firepower, including some proven chemistry with Kindrachuk and Saleski. The Dragons first line will run into a lot of trouble with this shut down unit, while the Express aren't subject to be overpowered by a much inferior third line.

The Dragons second line also comes with some flaws, Nik Khylstov is 5'5", he's never been able to hold his own, and with Bill Flett constantly having to take care of our players pestering the half-pint Russian, Tony McKegny will not get chances he desires. He's able to hold his own, but with a liability in Khylstov, the entire chemistry of the line is unbalanced because he will be subject to incessant physicality from our bottom lines and defense.

The Dragons fourth line adds a nice mix of offense and Jack Marks as a glue guy, but in the limited time that line will see, I don't see them as being overly effective. In our case we have Ted Irvine, a prototypical grinder. Christian Ruuttu, a two-way centre that can play very well offensively or defensively, and Vlastimil Bubnik, a dangerous offensive threat who occupies the spot on our second power play unit. (Bios located in my roster post in the assassination thread)

I've added my reasoning behind our first pairing being stronger than the Dragons.

The second pairings are more equal. I like Reise Sr. and Brown, and they both add a defensive element, we went with 2 two-way defenseman who can play at an equal caliber at both ends of the ice.

I'll add more tomorrow.

 

[seventieslord]

I guess Chouinard looks good on the PP, but Larouche holds a definite per-game edge at ES, and he maintained that over many more games as well. Chouinard outscored Larouche 37-27 adjusted points per 80 games on the PP, because he got so much extra time on the point. He played 52% more time on the PP, and scored 37% more PP points, which either means he wasn't actually as good there and just got more time, or it means that he had less opportunity for actual PPP being on the point a lot (noticed this with Brad Richards before)

I admit he's closer than I first thought, but he's still no Larouche.

 

[tony d]

Thanks velociprator for your comments on my team:

You mentioned Larochelle in your commentary, here's his bio from the Montreal Canadiens website which explains his qualities:

Wildor Larochelle, a 19-year-old Sorel, Quebec native, cracked the Montreal Canadiens’ lineup for the first time in 1925-26. He proudly wore the Habs jersey for 11 seasons with the club, one of the longest tenures of his era.

In his first three seasons, Larochelle saw limited ice time and as a result, was assigned to the Providence Reds of the Canadian-American Hockey League for the bulk of the 1928-29 campaign. There he developed a scoring touch and after a season in the minors, he returned to the Canadiens in 1929-30 a changed player.

More aggressive and with a nose for the net, he entered the most productive phase of his career, playing alongside Pit Lépine and Georges Mantha. Upon his return to the club, Larochelle easily eclipsed his output of five goals in his previous three-season stint with the Habs. Finding the twine 14 times during the 1929-30 season and twice more in the playoffs, Larochelle helped lead the team to the franchise’s third Stanley Cup.

Tough and strong despite carrying less than 160 pounds on his 5-foot-8 frame, Larochelle missed very few games in his second stint with the Habs, successfully holding his own against bigger, heavier opponents. The Canadiens repeated as Stanley Cup Champions in the spring of 1931 with the stocky right winger contributing three points to the team’s postseason success.

Larochelle, who scored a career-high 18 goals in 1931-32, finished 1933-34 with 27 points, second only to Howie Morenz. He peaked the next year, notching 28 points. On March 8, 1934, the Habs recorded a 3-0 victory over the New York Americans on a night that saw the veteran forward score all three markers.

Thirteen games into the 1935-36 campaign, Larochelle was dealt to the Chicago Blackhawks, where he wound down his NHL career. He spent a season and a half in the Windy City before retiring rather than reporting to St. Louis of the American Hockey Association for the 1936-37 schedule.

Wildor Larochelle died in 1964. A street in his hometown bears his name.

 

[Velociraptor]

Here are my thoughts per each offensive line.

First Lines: The Express first line includes a high-scoring centre in Chouinard, who can feed the puck to two known goal-scorers in Havlat and Riley. Larouche serves as a primary playmaker with a glue guy and a winger who can score.
Advantage: Even

Second Lines: Our second line includes a proven play-maker in McCourt, a crafty goal-scorer in Sinisalo, and a two-way hard working player in Sutter. I think Khylstov is way too small to be effective, he will be overpowered by the grit of our bottom-6, McKegny is a decent offensive player who can hold his own, and Flett will do what he can to protect the microscopic Russian.
Advantage: Express

Third Lines: I think we have the best third line in the draft, given the task to shutdown the opposition, this line will be able to eliminate many scoring chances and keep the puck out of their own zone. Garnish has a bit of a confusing third line that I don't think is up to the task of competing against our first line.
Moderate Advantage: Express

Fourth Lines: A prototypical glue-guy, a two-way centre and a prolific scorer vs. a tough grinder, a play-maker and a player I'm not sure is MLD caliber in Jason Pominville, maybe better served as a spare. The line functions similarly to a top-six line with lots of grit, Irvine and Ruuttu will create chances by winning battles in the corner or knocking the opposition of the puck, setting up Bubnik for a scoring chance.
Advantage: Express

Defense

First Pairing: As I've stated above, I like Guevremont's power play and offensive ability better than Galley's, and I think Warren Godfrey was a better defensive defenseman than Brad Marsh.
Advantage : Express

Second Pairing: Our pair includes two two-way defenseman who play both ends effectively, while the Dragons have more of a defensive mentality. That I assume will be a serviceable shutdown pairing.
Slight Advantage: Dragons

Third Pairing: Our pairing includes two defensive minded defenseman which serves as a primary shutdown unit, Hedican's speed and Quinn's toughness form a reasonable shutdown pair, I don't know much about Sidorenkov but Hannan is a solid bottom pairing defenseman, having known more about the Russian counterpart I'd make a more decisive review.
Advantage: Express

Spares: Greg Adams elevated his play in the post-season, but wasn't spectacular throughout his career, Ketola seems like a good offensive spare, Mikko Koivu Is a good spare at this level IMO. He is a leader and has a few international accomplishments to his name, Dustin Brown is a solid two-way player who could occupy a vacancy due to a bottom-six injury. Zalapski was alright, he could never really put it together and he was a defensive liability, not a bad offensive D spare, Doug Lidster and Alf Pike offer offensive and defensive ability respectively, I don't see the need for a third goaltender nor do I see Biron as an MLD capable backup goaltender.
Advantage: Express

Goaltending: I like Bouchard and I think he is one of the better goalies in the MLD, however he isn't the type to steal a game for his team, and he has pretty abysmal playoff statistics. Eddie Johnston played on a better team, but when he was given the chance, he shone brightly in the postseason. He has 2 cups to his name, Puchkov is a good MLD backup, but so is Theodore, he has some very impressive accolades including a Vezina and a career winning record while playing for mediocre teams in his career. Puchkov has some nice Russian accolades, but he played in the Sologubov era when the Russians weren't exactly playing the best players from other countries, so it's not a farfetched statement to say Puchkov and Theodore are on a similar level, and could even be argued that Theodore is a better backup, and I don't think Biron will be a factor.
Advantage: Even

Coaching: We both have similar coaches, but last time Murray went up against Carlyle who won? Murray's all time record perhaps trumps Carlyle's short resume, but Carlyle has missed the playoffs once in his career, and has been known to get success out of his entire lineup.
Slight Advantage: Express

 

[vecens24]

Velociraptor:

I have a question about your third line pretty much: Does Duguay fit at all from a defensive standpoint? I mean I haven't been able to find much on his defensive ability at all, if anything. Don't you think Ted Irvine with his physicality would fit better on a smash-mouth third line with the Bullies? As it stands right now, I can't see your defensive shut down being the best in this draft if you're going to have issues shutting down some of the RWs such as Larouche (This Matchup), Drozdetsky, McDougall, Lukac, etc.

Basically I'm looking for some sort of confirmation of Duguay's ability defensively.