Why do you call them baby? I honestly want to know, it seems like an insult
It seems that way because it is.
Not to insult the Stars, or demean their achievement (because as Guru says they dominated a very good Griffins team) but didn't they load up on vets for this team? I remember reading somewhere its not a popular tactic amongst some owners in the AHL.
No, they did not. That was a popular whining point for fans of teams they beat on their way to the finals.
It's not an uncommon nomenclature.
The real final was the previous round: Stars vs Marlies, that was a great series !! Congrats
Not to insult the Stars, or demean their achievement (because as Guru says they dominated a very good Griffins team) but didn't they load up on vets for this team? I remember reading somewhere its not a popular tactic amongst some owners in the AHL.
From the AHL web site:
"What is the AHL's development rule?
In the AHL, player development is a top priority. The American Hockey League and the Professional Hockey Players' Association have the following development rule in place for the 2013-14 season:
Of the 18 skaters (not counting two goaltenders) that teams may dress for a game, at least 13 must be qualified as "development players." Of those 13, 12 must have played in 260 or fewer professional games (including AHL, NHL and European elite leagues), and one must have played in 320 or fewer professional games. All calculations for development status are based on regular-season totals as of the start of the season. "
With that rule, how can any team load up on vets?
They had 5 skaters (playing 40+ games) over 25: Travis Morin, Chris Mueller, Mike Hedden, Maxime Fortunus and Francis Wathier (who got traded after playing 48 games).
Several years ago, Chicago had 7 or 8 veterans on their team. They just sat out the extras over the 5 allowed to dress for a game. You can see how sitting out an older player one game a week keeps him fresher during the season. Instead of 5 guys playing 80 games, you get 8 guys playing about 50 games each. Of course somebody is going to get hurt during the season, and a veteran goalie doesn't count against the total. That is how you load up on vets.
That may be fine for older "vets" but many of them are only 26 or 27 years old. hardly requiring "rest". A better argument is that these teams are stocking up on younger players and rotating them keeping them fresh because they are used to only playing 50-60 games thus keeping them faster and stronger than the "vets".
I can see a maximum of 1 extra vet, and even that makes me queasy. Most of the guys you keep around long enough to become vets play all the time. Sitting them down rarely makes them happy, and some of them handle it less diplomatically than others. Having 2 or 3 extra vets usually leads to someone heading to Europe or Russia.