weaponomega said:
I don't know how you can compare Malone's importance to his team with Raycroft's. There is no more important postion in hockey than goaltender. Without Raycroft, you could argue that the Bruins may not be a playoff team. Without Malone maybe Pittsburgh has 46 losses instead of 43. There is no bigger role than the one Raycroft is playing in Boston.
Malone is a good player, I'm not arguing that, but someone on Pittsburgh has to score goals, it just happens to be Malone. On any other team he'd probably be in the AHL.
I dont believe I compared Malone's importance to his team with that of Raycroft. I believe what I compared is the relative role each player shares with his team. There is a vast difference. Malone, in my opinion, has played the role of the teams best player.
Perhaps you feel the same about Raycroft.
At any rate, my statement wasn't about the importance of the player to the success of the team, but about the role each has on his team.
Raycroft has made his team better no doubt. Perhaps they may not make the playoffs without him, perhaps they would.
Perhaps Malone is only worth three more wins and perhaps not.
Your post is full of speculation. And in that speculation you are downplaying the role of Malone's importance to his team while building up Raycrofts.
Certainly, if you would like my opinion, Raycroft has been more important to his team this season for the reasons that you have stated, though that has nothing to do with my post that you commented on.
I also stated that the role he has played is neither greater nor less in my opinion, so in saying so, I must point out that I have not said Malone is more important.
As for your "someone has to score the goals" theory, I actually am humored every time I hear that. No, noone has to score goals. Put you and I on the team, along with other posters on this board and guess what. You go a whole 82 schedule season with nobody scoring any goals.
It takes talent to score goals. It takes talent to score 20 goals. It takes talent to score 20 as a rookie.
You may not have meant to do it, but you have seriously downplayed Malone's achievments this year by suggesting that his goals have come because "someone has to score". Or that they came by chance.
Watch him play with any sort of frequency, and you will find the great error in that statment. Malone scores his goals, because he deserves to score them. He scores through talent, drive, skill and determination. Suggesting otherwise shows ignorance in Malone's game.
Finally, saying that he would be in the AHL on most any other team is also a slap in the face to what he has accomplished.It is pure speculation with no actual way to prove it in its theory. I don't know any team in the league currently that he couldnt play on. Let alone "MOST teams".
Perhaps you meant he would not have recieved the chance to showcase his game on some other teams. That may be a more accurate statement. He could, however, play on the other teams in this league right now.