ColePens
RIP Fugu Buffaloed & parabola
Today's game is obviously speed and youth. Toronto and Pittsburgh are two teams that share the identity, albeit Pittsburgh getting a tad older. McDavid is the prime example of speed/youth. MacKinnon needs brought up in this discussion, too. But who deserves the most credit for this evolution/change (team or player)?
- Chicago? Some will claim the Hawks and their Cup runs, but I think they were more skilled than loaded with speed. I think they deserve credit for puck possession, but not the speed/youth movement.
- Pittsburgh? They will get a ton of credit for back to back cups and every team changing their backend to be puckmovers, but I actually think they copied off a team they struggled with in the past.
- McDavid? MacKinnon? Karlsson? Young dmen? While all these guys deserve to be the example of what today's game is all about, I don't give them credit either.
My answer is actually the New York Islanders. Around 2012-ish they were on to something way before it went full stride into the NHL and gave Pittsburgh absolute fits with speed. Pittsburgh even created their own buzz line at one point but never went all-in with the identity under Dan Bylsma. He relied on vets as many did in the NHL. But the Isles had something going with a team of speed and started to make noise with it. But then false hope set in with a 4th line of heavy guys who had their career year and they lost their identity because of it. But IMO they planted the seeds for what was the eventual evolution of the game. And they get absolutely zero credit for it.
For today's game - who do you give the credit to for the speed/youth transition? Maybe you want to give credit to 2-3 of those players/teams. So be it. Interested to hear what HF thinks was the main culprit for the evolution of the game.
- Chicago? Some will claim the Hawks and their Cup runs, but I think they were more skilled than loaded with speed. I think they deserve credit for puck possession, but not the speed/youth movement.
- Pittsburgh? They will get a ton of credit for back to back cups and every team changing their backend to be puckmovers, but I actually think they copied off a team they struggled with in the past.
- McDavid? MacKinnon? Karlsson? Young dmen? While all these guys deserve to be the example of what today's game is all about, I don't give them credit either.
My answer is actually the New York Islanders. Around 2012-ish they were on to something way before it went full stride into the NHL and gave Pittsburgh absolute fits with speed. Pittsburgh even created their own buzz line at one point but never went all-in with the identity under Dan Bylsma. He relied on vets as many did in the NHL. But the Isles had something going with a team of speed and started to make noise with it. But then false hope set in with a 4th line of heavy guys who had their career year and they lost their identity because of it. But IMO they planted the seeds for what was the eventual evolution of the game. And they get absolutely zero credit for it.
For today's game - who do you give the credit to for the speed/youth transition? Maybe you want to give credit to 2-3 of those players/teams. So be it. Interested to hear what HF thinks was the main culprit for the evolution of the game.