OHL Playoffs - McDavid vs Nurse!!

[Mav3rick07]

Tootoo

Tootoo didn't get traded to Detroit until 2012.

 

[s7ark]

This Nurse chirping issue is such a complete non issue. So he annoys other players. Lots of great players have done that. Sometimes it's part of what makes them great. Did opposing players love Pronger or Tikk?

I love that other fans hate Hall's smugness on the ice, or Yakupov's exuberance. If Nurse can be a pain in the ass to play against, perfect. The Oilers need that badly. And if he can do it 22M+ out of a game, all the better. Players will take stupid penalties against those types of players and the skilled kids can make them pay.

 

[doulos]

Get rid of Nurse. We can;t have a guy who chirps or taunts like that. It i snot morally right. Not good for the organization. We need nice guys on our team. We have a plethora of top 4 potential D anyways...

You realize no one is advocating that right?

 

[doulos]

This Nurse chirping issue is such a complete non issue. So he annoys other players. Lots of great players have done that. Sometimes it's part of what makes them great. Did opposing players love Pronger or Tikk?

I love that other fans hate Hall's smugness on the ice, or Yakupov's exuberance. If Nurse can be a pain in the ass to play against, perfect. The Oilers need that badly. And if he can do it 22M+ out of a game, all the better. Players will take stupid penalties against those types of players and the skilled kids can make them pay.

Again, you can draw lots of penalties in this league without being that way. Look at Darren Helm or Jeff Skinner. Two of the top players in the league at drawing penalties from opposing players (relative to taking penalties and costing the team) and they don't play that style of hockey at all. You don't NEED to be that way to be effective, to draw penalties, or to be one of the world's best. Lidstrom certainly never had to.

Now, if it can be shown that acting that way actually benefits the team, or throws the other team off of their game, then I'd reconsider. Maybe it does. Maybe it doesn't. Really all we have are anecdotes and personal opinions on the matter and that's about it. So in the absense of evidence either way I'll side with people behaving like adults and actually playing hockey (which Nurse is stupid amazing at!) rather than spending precious energy acting like a moron.

 

[The Nuge]

This Nurse chirping issue is such a complete non issue. So he annoys other players. Lots of great players have done that. Sometimes it's part of what makes them great. Did opposing players love Pronger or Tikk?

I love that other fans hate Hall's smugness on the ice, or Yakupov's exuberance. If Nurse can be a pain in the ass to play against, perfect. The Oilers need that badly. And if he can do it 22M+ out of a game, all the better. Players will take stupid penalties against those types of players and the skilled kids can make them pay.

Agreed. And the fact that he's going to be one of those 220+ pound dmen who know how to drop the gloves makes it even better. Nurse is going to be a nightmare to play against, and this just makes me like him more

 

[Lay Z Boy GM]

Again, you can draw lots of penalties in this league without being that way. Look at Darren Helm or Jeff Skinner. Two of the top players in the league at drawing penalties from opposing players (relative to taking penalties and costing the team) and they don't play that style of hockey at all. You don't NEED to be that way to be effective, to draw penalties, or to be one of the world's best. Lidstrom certainly never had to.

Now, if it can be shown that acting that way actually benefits the team, or throws the other team off of their game, then I'd reconsider. Maybe it does. Maybe it doesn't. Really all we have are anecdotes and personal opinions on the matter and that's about it. So in the absense of evidence either way I'll side with people behaving like adults and actually playing hockey (which Nurse is stupid amazing at!) rather than spending precious energy acting like a moron.

So we can have different players draw penalties in different ways. McDavid will probably draw them with his speed, Nurse can draw them by getting under people's skin. Every good team has agitators, I have no issue with having one or two on our team.

 

[s7ark]

Again, you can draw lots of penalties in this league without being that way. Look at Darren Helm or Jeff Skinner. Two of the top players in the league at drawing penalties from opposing players (relative to taking penalties and costing the team) and they don't play that style of hockey at all. You don't NEED to be that way to be effective, to draw penalties, or to be one of the world's best. Lidstrom certainly never had to.

Now, if it can be shown that acting that way actually benefits the team, or throws the other team off of their game, then I'd reconsider. Maybe it does. Maybe it doesn't. Really all we have are anecdotes and personal opinions on the matter and that's about it. So in the absense of evidence either way I'll side with people behaving like adults and actually playing hockey (which Nurse is stupid amazing at!) rather than spending precious energy acting like a moron.

There are always multiple ways to get the results you want. In the end, a penalty is a penalty much like a goal is a goal.

Yapping isn't wasting any energy. I have no problem with anything Nurse did and frankly am looking forward to him being here more than ever because of it. It is useful having players that teams hate to face, for whatever reason.

Agitators aren't like dirty rats. Players that intend to injure. Those players I don't respect and have no time for. Players that annoy a team into taking penalties is a different matter. Those kinds of players can be quite useful and don't tarnish the sport, imo.

 

[doulos]

There are always multiple ways to get the results you want. In the end, a penalty is a penalty much like a goal is a goal.

Yapping isn't wasting any energy. I have no problem with anything Nurse did and frankly am looking forward to him being here more than ever because of it. It is useful having players that teams hate to face, for whatever reason.

Agitators aren't like dirty rats. Players that intend to injure. Those players I don't respect and have no time for. Players that annoy a team into taking penalties is a different matter. Those kinds of players can be quite useful and don't tarnish the sport, imo.

Fair enough. It's not my thing, but I can why some might support it.

 

[Fourier]

His skating? Really Jones was a beast in Junior, and yes he was very aggresive out there. Dominated Junior hockey at 17 not 19.

Jones has never been physically aggressive. That was probably his main flaw as a draft eligible player. He was too passive.

 

[GMofOilers]

Jones has never been physically aggressive. That was probably his main flaw as a draft eligible player. He was too passive.

Did he do it every game? Nope, but when games mattered he was a beast

 

[Fourier]

If I had to pick the most important trait in dmen. I would pick poise. The ability to stay calm under pressure and still make the right play.

Nurse has the physical tools no doubt. I am not convinced he has the poise to be a top dman in this league. He only played 2 games in the NHL this year but he looked extremely shaky out there. Extremely young and only 2 games I know but he didn't even look close to other young dmen like Ekblad/Jones/Lindholm.

Not saying he can't be great but it certainly isn't a slam dunk like many people here think it is IMO.

He was shaky in one game and fine in the next. But if you want to see poise watch Nurse in the WJHC. Against the best of his peers he certainly showed ample poise.

 

[CupofOil]

If I had to pick the most important trait in dmen. I would pick poise. The ability to stay calm under pressure and still make the right play.

Nurse has the physical tools no doubt. I am not convinced he has the poise to be a top dman in this league. He only played 2 games in the NHL this year but he looked extremely shaky out there. Extremely young and only 2 games I know but he didn't even look close to other young dmen like Ekblad/Jones/Lindholm.

Not saying he can't be great but it certainly isn't a slam dunk like many people here think it is IMO.

That one game this season where he got shelled was at the Kings so it's hard to take too much from that.

Nurse is never going to be a calm, poised defender IMO. This is why I don't like the Pronger comparisons. Pronger was a beast physically but he always played a cerebral game with the puck and had an absurdly high Hockey IQ.
Nurse is an aggressive puck rusher so mistakes will always be a part of his game but there will be enough brilliant plays to compensate. He's kind of like a bigger Subban in that sense, too bad that he doesn't have the Subban shot.

I guess it all depends on coaching and what the team needs out of him. Maybe his game will calm over time.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

according to Dreger, Chiarelli will be in attendance tonight in Erie to watch the game

hopefully McDavid and Nurse put on another good show

 

[dustrock]

Love how we're predicting a career based off 2 nhl games

 

[CornKicker]

Again, you can draw lots of penalties in this league without being that way. Look at Darren Helm or Jeff Skinner. Two of the top players in the league at drawing penalties from opposing players (relative to taking penalties and costing the team) and they don't play that style of hockey at all. You don't NEED to be that way to be effective, to draw penalties, or to be one of the world's best. Lidstrom certainly never had to.

Now, if it can be shown that acting that way actually benefits the team, or throws the other team off of their game, then I'd reconsider. Maybe it does. Maybe it doesn't. Really all we have are anecdotes and personal opinions on the matter and that's about it. So in the absense of evidence either way I'll side with people behaving like adults and actually playing hockey (which Nurse is stupid amazing at!) rather than spending precious energy acting like a moron.

wrong certain players dont need to play that way to be THEIR best. others do. I would bet that Darnell nurse has been smack talking on the ice since he was 12 years old. Thats how he plays the game, if you dont like it too bad thats how he plays. Same way corey perry plays, same way wayne simmonds plays, same way chris pronger played. if you have that edge to your game you use it regardless of how anyone else feels about it.

 

[McDeepika]

That one game this season where he got shelled was at the Kings so it's hard to take too much from that.

Nurse is never going to be a calm, poised defender IMO. This is why I don't like the Pronger comparisons. Pronger was a beast physically but he always played a cerebral game with the puck and had an absurdly high Hockey IQ.
Nurse is an aggressive puck rusher so mistakes will always be a part of his game but there will be enough brilliant plays to compensate. He's kind of like a bigger Subban in that sense, too bad that he doesn't have the Subban shot.

I guess it all depends on coaching and what the team needs out of him. Maybe his game will calm over time.

I hope so but I'm not sure I like that comparison.

In his final junior year, Subban had 76 points in 56 games on a team that scored 256 goals. Nurse had 33 in 36 on a team that scored 340.

 

[McDeepika]

He was shaky in one game and fine in the next. But if you want to see poise watch Nurse in the WJHC. Against the best of his peers he certainly showed ample poise.

He was 19 years old and was able to overmatch everybody with his combination of size, strength and speed. Don't need a ton of poise when you are just that much better than everybody.

Those will still be strengths for him in the NHL so he will make it in some capacity. I'm just not sure he is going to be a top pairing guy. He could be but I wouldn't say it's a certainty.

 

[OnTheBrink]

He was 19 years old and was able to overmatch everybody with his combination of size, strength and speed. Don't need a ton of poise when you are just that much better than everybody.

Those will still be strengths for him in the NHL so he will make it in some capacity. I'm just not sure he is going to be a top pairing guy. He could be but I wouldn't say it's a certainty.

You could say the same about any prospect not in the NHL, get your point though. I think its a safe bet that his floor is a #3 big, good skating, mean, tough defensive D man and if his offensive game develops his ceiling is a true #1 top 20 Dman in the league.

 

[McDeathbyCheerios*]

I hope so but I'm not sure I like that comparison.

In his final junior year, Subban had 76 points in 56 games on a team that scored 256 goals. Nurse had 33 in 36 on a team that scored 340.

That's impressive for Nurse, a guy who most of the season got turned into a shutdown D and focused on his defensively game.

 

[McDeathbyCheerios*]

You could say the same about any prospect not in the NHL, get your point though. I think its a safe bet that his floor is a #3 big, good skating, mean, tough defensive D man and if his offensive game develops his ceiling is a true #1 top 20 Dman in the league.

Big players don't often know how to use their size and physical gifts so the size doesn't matter or translate. Nurse knows how to use his size and skill and he is still growing and bulking up

 

[OnTheBrink]

Big players don't often know how to use their size and physical gifts so the size doesn't matter or translate. Nurse knows how to use his size and skill and he is still growing and bulking up

Not sure what your getting at little sleepy this morning, but my point was either way Oiler's are getting a very important and good fitting piece long term.

 

[McDeathbyCheerios*]

Not sure what your getting at little sleepy this morning, but my point was either way Oiler's are getting a very important and good fitting piece long term.

I was expanding on what you were saying.

 

[Panda Bear]

Poise is something you can develop over time.

Some people just have more of it same as some people just have more consistency, better skating, stronger positioning, and so on.

 

[doulos]

wrong certain players dont need to play that way to be THEIR best. others do. I would bet that Darnell nurse has been smack talking on the ice since he was 12 years old. Thats how he plays the game, if you dont like it too bad thats how he plays. Same way corey perry plays, same way wayne simmonds plays, same way chris pronger played. if you have that edge to your game you use it regardless of how anyone else feels about it.

That's your opinion and I don't share it. I don't like it and never will. You're right, they are not going to change, but it doesn't mean I have to like that side of their game.

I think the justification of poor behaviour is a very poor way to look at things. Dustin Brown dives all over the ice and draws penalties by doing so and I find that reprehensible as well. It's arguably also much more effective than anything Nurse is doing out there by making kissy faces, and yet most people here probably have no problems calling out Brown for his conduct either.

Anyways, it's a part of his game I don't enjoy but he is such a stellar player that the good far outweighs the bad,

 

[Perfect_Drug]

Nurse I think will turn into an Alzner/Jason Smith type.

I don't see the offense out him, but I definitely see that Chuck Norris/sandpaper nastiness.