Post-Game Talk: Stanley Cup Champion Tom Wilson vs the New York Islanders

[TRASHCAT]

[QUOTE="Devil Dancer, post: 152731513, member: 33572”]I know he declined in the late Boudreau/Hunter/early Oates era, but he has plateaued so beautifully for the last several years, and he still doesn't show signs of slowing. It's amazing.[/QUOTE]

Those were some dark times and i doubt even the biggest optimist homer would have seen things breaking so well for the franchise/ovy

 

[artilector]

Ovi can Brett Hull it forever, pretty much, just make sure he's got two linemates with elite puck-retrieval abilities to compensate. I don't know how long he can keep doing that at 1st line level, but Brett Hull was doing that in Detroit as part of a scoring 3rd (?) line when he was like 38. Ovi could probably do that indefinitely, if he wanted to.

 

[Roshi]

Should Willy be brought up to Selke conversation?!

 

[artilector]

Should Willy be brought up to Selke conversation?!

Centers have that award pretty much locked up...

 

[Roshi]

Centers have that award pretty much locked up...

Pretty much, but then again Jere Lehtinen won it 3 times. Pre lock out though..

 

[ovikovy817]

I just checked the scoreboard. And it's wonderful. Willy ahahahaha.
Ovi also with a goal
Backy with 3 apples

2 points

Now I'll go and read isles board

 

[Jacoby4HOF66]

 

[Sam Spade]

He might make it but not on the first ballot.

He has 0 major awards. Not a single all star either.

My two first thoughts as well.

That being said he should make it. The fact there are so few guys playing now who will finish with his numbers makes him a lock. Patrick Laine may finish his career with 800 goals and still not hit 1000 points.

 

[Blades of Steel]

Tom Wilson really does own the islanders and it's not even a joke

 

[Corby78]

My two first thoughts as well.

That being said he should make it. The fact there are so few guys playing now who will finish with his numbers makes him a lock. Patrick Laine may finish his career with 800 goals and still not hit 1000 points.

In all honesty the zero awards and all star games are a joke. We would rather have some dude from the AHL play an all star game. He should have made a couple already

 

[maacoshark]

I am surprised so many were down on him this summer.... he's still just a kid at 23. On a cup winning team, there just aren't many development slots available. The key to his little breakout may have been getting away from Barry. Or, Orpik. Not all D pairs are matches made in heaven.

He didnt seem to fit well with Orpik for some reason.

 

[maacoshark]

Sorry sharkbait, nobody was happy with no defense, or rather, poor defensive performances.

Most just weren't sweating it, 20 mins into the season.

Several people argued with me because I wanted us to play a defensively responsible game. Sorry but that is a fact. I'm not saying you were one of them.

 

[g00n]

Several people argued with me because I wanted us to play a defensively responsible game. Sorry but that is a fact. I'm not saying you were one of them.

No people argued with you because you complained even after wins about how bad the team was defensively, how certain players were one-dimensional liabilities, and how the losses and poor defense were because the new coach was worse than Trotz. This persisted even though people pointed out to you both teams had similar starts to the season and it was too early to declare TR an inferior coach who couldn't get this team to play solid hockey. You also revealed that your expectation for goalies and teams was unreasonably high statistically...something like .926 save% being common.

THAT is why people argued with you. Not just because you like defense.

 

[marcel snapshot]

Nicky getting a Cup and playing so well in that run really boosts his chances. I assume he gets to 1000 points, only 173 away and he's been averaging 70 a year, so that should be a lock. Sundin was a PPG guy w/o a Cup, and he went in on first ballot. Sedins were around 1050 points in 1300 games, no Cup, and they'll probably go in. So it would seem hard to keep Nick out given those comps.

From the standpoint of what he does on the ice night after night, there's no question in my mind that he's a Hall of Famer. He thinks and sees the game at a level that few achieve. As for the Ovie shadow, I look at Ovie Nicky in a similar way to Bossy Trottier - achievements and skill set of one shouldn't diminish the other

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

I am surprised so many were down on him this summer.... he's still just a kid at 23. On a cup winning team, there just aren't many development slots available. The key to his little breakout may have been getting away from Barry. Or, Orpik. Not all D pairs are matches made in heaven.

*raises hand* I was down on Bowey. The kid to me looked like another Burakovsky - all the tools with no tool box. He seemed to think the game way too slow but man he's been impressive this year. Really nice to see.

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

This is when RMNB is readable. They should stop letting Peter Hassett write. His hack job on Wilson's return was pathetic and, as usual with him, totally wrong.

 

[RandyHolt]

*raises hand* I was down on Bowey. The kid to me looked like another Burakovsky - all the tools with no tool box. He seemed to think the game way too slow but man he's been impressive this year. Really nice to see.

Hockey fandom requires an awful lot of patience with D with offensive upside. Larry Murphy may not be the best example, but Eminger, Green, Carlson, Orlov most recently, it's just ugly watching them sometimes. They say D don't peak until 30 or some shit like that. Flash back to them in their rookie years, and then consider Bowey. You gotta let them take their lumps. Now some may argue Bowey has little offensive upside based on what we have seen but I call bunk. Orlov had many boneheaded plays in the loffs where the goalie saved his ass that didn't get much discussion.

Bowey looks more assertive this year, and seems faster and stronger. Getting benched may have been the best thing for him, for it made him hungry. Who the hell knows. I suspect a rookie Ds first year is 100% about learning the speed of the game, the opposition, tendencies etc, but also slowly earning the coaches trust. I think its pretty well documented Barry never really liked kids and may have shattered his confidence in his quest for a cup.

Get the coaches trust and its a snowball effect, and out of no where, pigs can fly. I think Reirden has removed his defensive leash we see placed on young offensive players. Gotta learn D first, greenhorn!

 

[sycamore]

Six games and all without 92. Wilson a force of nature out there. Amazing.

 

[Ridley Simon]

There were some people that loved the run and gun style. They loved the goals. Even when we were losing those games. They defensive hockey was boring. They even thought we should stick to pushing offensively when protecting a lead late in games. We did that and it backfired on us.
Right now we are playing hockey the way it is meant to be played.

Proof, please? That actually still matters...,yes? Proving your “fact” comments?

We can all wait.

 

[Midnight Judges]

No? You want to trade our best player for a 2nd lol

I do not know what the case is for Kuz over Ovechkin. All Kuz brings is offense and Ovechkin outscores him, plus gets tons more goals, while also bringing a highly physical element.

Not trying to minimize it - Kuz is great. A wizard. I just think Ovechkin is not properly appreciated sometimes.

 

[smd333]

There were some people that loved the run and gun style. They loved the goals. Even when we were losing those games. They defensive hockey was boring. They even thought we should stick to pushing offensively when protecting a lead late in games. We did that and it backfired on us.
Right now we are playing hockey the way it is meant to be played.

I think you have some selective amnesia at times

 

[Midnight Judges]

Centers have that award pretty much locked up...

They do, but wrongly so.

At least in Trotz's system wingers end up getting back or covering for a defender pinching just as much as the C. Whoever is rotating back at that moment is the one who gets back regardless of C or W.

 

[Sam Spade]

In all honesty the zero awards and all star games are a joke. We would rather have some dude from the AHL play an all star game. He should have made a couple already

I thought you meant end of the season 1st or 2nd team all star selections. Ovechkin has nine of those.

At least in Trotz's system wingers end up getting back or covering for a defender pinching just as much as the C. Whoever is rotating back at that moment is the one who gets back regardless of C or W.

God dang it, Reirden can't even implement his own system.

I also am on the Bowey love train and have been since watching him in the WHL but Djoos is really coming into his own as well. That play in the third when all hell was breaking loose in the slot Djoos just calmly stick-handles his way out of danger and all is good.

 

[txpd]

He might make it but not on the first ballot.

He has 0 major awards. Not a single all star either.

You are essentially saying that because he was not better than or more popular then Sidney Crosby that he is not a first ballot hall of famer. Which is ridiculous. During the tenure of his career he is outscored by Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, Evgeny Malkin, and Patrick Kane. That's all.

 

[txpd]

Is Ovie just going to be this good forever? Is that the plan? I know he declined in the late Boudreau/Hunter/early Oates era, but he has plateaued so beautifully for the last several years, and he still doesn't show signs of slowing. It's amazing.

Ov took the losing in the Boudreau era hard. It was reflected in his play for a period. Just like Backstrom last season. The change in his on ice attitude this season compared to previous seasons is significant. He has discovered new ways to score in previous years. I think he has discovered new building blocks for his game.
Remember when people foam about Crosby saying that he worked so hard to improve a weak area of his game? I think we are seeing that with Ovechkin only in a slower form. He is still finding ways to get better. Its amazing for sure, but I am not sure that we have even seen his best yet.