FlyersFan10*
Guest
The only problem I have with the whole hype thing is that each player mentioned is different in all areas of their game. For instance, Ilya Kovalchuk is a pure goalscorer in the Mike Bossy/Jari Kurri mould. I haven't seen a player like that in a long time. Not even Pavel Bure in his heyday could score a goal like Kovalchuk. Sure, Bure may have scored more goals in a season, but that was mainly due to his speed and the fact that he did play on some great Vancouver teams. I want to see what happens when Atlanta becomes a great team. I'm thinking Kovalchuk might (key word here being might) eventually take a run at Gretzky's single season record. The man is that good. As for Spezza, he's a playmaker. Can he score goals? Absolutely. The man has a cannon of a shot and it's accurate. Why he doesn't use it more often is beyond me. However, Spezza's vision of the ice is phenomenal and feels more comfortable being able to distribute the puck. Contrary to what is being said, Spezza will be a 100 point player in this league. The only problem is Jacques' reluctance to use Jason as the #1 pivot on the team. Thornton has been everything he was supposed to be, minus the mean streak. I really think the coaches in Boston have to make him ornery and mean natured and his game will open up even more. Of course, Joe has to watch the stick work as he's been suspended a couple of times for high sticking and cross checking incidents. As for Bouwmeester and Pitkanen, it's a toss up between the two and I think it will be an ongoing thing between both players when it comes to the Norris trophy. Truth of the matter is that Pitkanen is just as good a skater as Bouwmeester and has a higher upside. Bouwmeester on the other hand is much better defensively and is the kind of player you want on the ice during the last minute of a game. Once again, apples and oranges comparison (think of it as comparing a prime Brian Leetch to a prime Nicklas Lidstrom....both dominating players, but each played a different style). Now comes my favourite topic......Eric Lindros. Eric did have greatness written all over him and it was apparent he would have been "the Next One." However, there were several factors working against him. The first was his style of play. From junior right up to the pros, he always skated with his head down. Why that wasn't curbed by any of his junior coaches and professional coaches is completely beyond me. He could get away with that in junior because he was bigger than most of the players, but the fact that professional coaches allowed that habit to continue is beyond me. Had that have been curbed, he wouldn't have suffered all those concussions and might still be a Flyer today. The second issue with Eric is his dad being his agent. Being a parent, I know I could not separate business affairs from personal affairs. I really think Carl screwed Eric's career by being his agent. Eric had a great agent in Ric Curran who got Eric a sweet rookie deal. It's funny that he was replaced by Carl after Carl stated Eric could have gotten more. Now, if that isn't greed speaking. Eric's rookie contract at the time was paying him more money than Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky. Go figure that one out. For a kid who hadn't played in the NHL and he got more money than Gretz or Mario and his dad said he could have gotten more. Anyways, once again, his father could not separate business. I'm sure that Bobby Clarke did like Eric, but that he had to think of what was best for the Flyers time and eventually, it wasn't Eric who became a cancer to the Flyers, it was Eric's parents. Eric could have simply fired his dad as his agent and use Gordon Kirke as his agent and his dad could have been a consultant. But no, Eric could not say no to his parents. I really think that Eric's time in New York must be weighing heavy on his mind and that he really had it made in Philadelphia. If Eric were to fire his parents and get a real agent, I would like to think that it would be possible that he and Bobby can rebuild the burned bridges and start a new. As for Vinny Jordan down in Tampa Bay, let's remember that this current NHL stifles creativity and offensive excitement. If they were to open up the game again (and the easiest way to do that is to fine any team that deploys a trap like system $100,000 per game......that begins to add up and I think you'll see owners pressure coaches into getting rid of the trap), I think you would see Vinny put up astronomical numbers. Is he the Jordan of the NHL? Of course not. But I would venture to say he is at least a Thornton of the NHL. Not a bad player if I say so myself.