- Seattle gave up the first 11 shots of the game and thanks to Calvin Pickard they were somehow able to keep the Rebels off the scoreboard before Burke Gallimore scored on Seattle's first shot. It wasn't a fair indication of how the game was being played and sure enough the Rebels answered back with 4 unanswered goals in the first period and the game was effectively over.
- Pickard should probably be traded. Picks gave up 5 goals on 22 shots and none were really his fault. Seattle is playing horribly in front of him and probably killing any chance he had of making Team Canada at the WJC. At this point, Cotton has proven himself to be a pretty capable goaltender and this team isn't going anywhere this season. I know Russ and Steve keep saying that they "like their team" but I don't expect them to say anything different. They have to believe in their team publicly. My eyes tell a different story and there isn't much to like about this team. Trade Pickard for players that are already in the league... NOT draft picks. Seattle had a bad track record with draft picks but Russ has a knack for recognizing talent once it hits the league. Trade Pickard to Kamloops who have played very well in front of a rookie goaltender and a journeyman goaltender. He deserves better than this.
- Speaking of Cotton... I want to emphasize that I was very impressed with his technique and overall play tonight. Cotton looks like a solid WHL goaltender in the making. As a 17 year old he could use the experience of playing and seeing some shots and we all know Seattle can provide plenty of shots for him to face.
- Noebels, Lockhart and Gallimore - 2 points, -4. I'm picking on these guys for a reason. These are your best players and they need to start playing like it if this team has any chance at winning.
- The first period was staggeringly bad. I can't believe after the crappy game they played on Tuesday that the Tbirds could manage to play arguably worse in the first period tonight. Passes were being thrown to areas of the ice instead of sticks. Teams in upper levels of adult rec league hockey don't do things like that. I realize we're talking about completely different levels of competition but comparatively there is no excuse. This is major junior hockey and the expectation is that "most" of the time passes are going to be intended for a teammates stick and not an area where you hope someone can pick up the puck.
- The officials were crap tonight but I'm not going to sit here and pretend it had any impact on the game. It was just annoying.
I can't stand to write anymore about this game. I'm going to go tailgate and attend the Huskies and Ducks game tomorrow and hope that ignoring this team will cause them to play better tomorrow in Edmonton. I'm trying to keep the faith but it's pretty difficult when things are getting worse. We all have to hope that the team is approaching "bottom" and they will soon start to swing back towards positive play and results.
16 comments :
It seems this season is becoming a exact carbon copy of last season minus the few wins that they had at the beginning last season. The problem with this team is that they are not really that talented. I personally blame the upper management and owners' inability to finding decent talent, minus Pickard. Sutter is now a after thought...even he didn't cause this team to lose this badly. But you did nail the real problems.
I am interested in seeing what happens tonight, hopefully these guys aren't quitting on the season, if they are, then that's shows you the character of them. The thing about this league is it's not as easy to make trades as in the pros.
Great analysis Tyler, hit it on the head as usual.
Pickard will have a hard time getting traded unless he refuses to play for the t-birds. He has asked for a trade at least twice (once last year and after the Avalanche camp this year)and Russ refuses to do so. This team is very hard on the careers of its goalies and it's not getting better anytime soon!
I was at the game last night in Red Deer and have to disagree with you on at least one count. Pickard was not very good. First goal was a routine shot from outside that hit his sdhoulder & bounced over him and the 5th goal he overplayed and it dribbled thru his legs (it may have been deflected). Most of the issue is with the defence doing 2 things poorly. One not keeping the play in the offence end by pinching a little more and two not making even an attempt at a decent first pass. This means they are kept in their own end far too much which leads to too many shots & players on the ice too long. Last thing is that the forwards need to force the issue & create more chances, forecheck harder with maybe all 3 guys once in awhile. Hopefully better tonight in Edmonton.
The shoulder goal I would agree to an extent. The 5th goal was deflected by Deagle so I would totally disagree with that one.
TBirds last in league in goals scored (still). Anyone surprised? Farwell - for the love or Pete, pass the fricking torch!!
The Pickard situation reminds me of the Mucha in Portland a few years back. The team was horrible and the ONLY asset was the goalie. The difference though was the Hawks traded Mucha when the team actually had some talent and were going to make the playoffs. Mucha was the heart and sole for the Hawks for 3 HORRIBLE years to be delt when the team is average, left a bad taste in mine and other Winterhawk fans. The Difference is the T-birds are going NOWHERE SOON. Love to hear your thoughts.
Brian in Sherwood
This team is a bunch of quiters who don'to care . A culture change is needed. Coach K is not the issue it's the quiters on this team!
This team is have difficulty in becoming the second worst team in the league. Right now...they are the worst. It seems the team just doesn't care. So sad that they are letting down the fans that actually do support them by buying tickets to see them play.
Good news...they only lost 4-1 tonight after giving up three goals in the first period. After the first period I was expecting another drubbing.
"This team is a bunch of quiters who don'to care . A culture change is needed. Coach K is not the issue it's the quiters on this team!"
Ironically, this is exactly what Tyler was saying all last year when everyone was busy bashing on Sumner. At least last year there seemed to be a couple players who pushed the others to push themselves a little bit (Button, Dillon, Toomey), but no one has stepped up this year to fill those shoes.
On an unrelated note - I was thinking about my frustration with Sutter...my frustration is that he's got SO MUCH POTENTIAL and he shows it once in a while. The rest of the time he's making lazy, careless passes, skating with no urgency and taking shots when there's someone standing right in front of him.
Anyways, I agree with what Dean said...it's looking just like last year, only we don't have Sumner to blame any more.
There's a belief that I have stuck with all along as well, which is that Rob Sumner had to get out of here no matter what. It wasn't about last year's roster, or the one before that.. It was about getting rid of a coach who had been here for too long and became a part of the losing culture, who at his best could only be so good.. which in his case was not good enough.
I like what I see out of coach K so far, I believe that in time he can lift this team to a higher level. But we still lack talent on the current roster and need to trade away a few players who have been here too long as well. Gallimore and Pickard could use a fresh start somewhere else, for instance.
Trust me as a Winterhawk fan from years past, there is nothing more frustrating watching a team with little to NO talent. Need to blow everything up, from general manager to scouting department. Nothing kills a franchise more than a couple of years of bad bantum picks.
Brian in Sherwood
Brian in Sherwood,
I hate seeing you get ignored…..even if you are a Winterhawk fan. I’m joking. I appreciate the perspective you are bringing to this blog. It is different up here though. In Portland you saw a new owner come in and really put effort into building a winner, and he did. Russ Farwell is an Owner, Governor and General Manager of the T-Birds. The Owner and GM part have created a moral hazard of sorts. He doesn’t have to fear being fired by an Owner, so he has in essence been shielded from responsibility for the poor teams that we have been “treated” to here in Kent.
We have some long suffering fans that finally had it last year. Unfortunately IMHO the GM managed to play them like a fiddle and buy more time for himself. They spent all of their justified frustration attacking the coach instead of calling out the GM or scouts. The GM/Owner saw this and when they threatened not to renew their season tickets, he was more than happy to scapegoat his coach. This bought him another year because people were placated. You see, he operates on a strategy that says once we win, all will be forgotten/forgiven. I think he is right………he just can’t get the winning part accomplished. I think that the best way to build a good team here is to look to players like Hickman, Trook, Hauf, Theodore and Cotton, not Gallimore, Pickard or Noebels. But I imagine that 2 years without a single playoff game have helped shape how management is dealing with this season. I felt as though any thoughts of building around the youth on the team were abandoned when they traded for two 19 yo defensemen, and were only reinforced with the acquisition of Aschim (19yo) over the weekend. Missing that playoff revenue seems to have forced them into a “going for it this year” mentality. Casual fans would probably not show up to watch this team without Pickard, which only goes to show what kind of position Russ has put this organization in.
Russ Farwell = Wally Walker. There should be a rule against owners taking management positions.
This sad stuff has been going on for years with the TBirds. I first got season tickets in the early 90's, and believe me this is nothing new. If Farwell couldn't scoop up 19 and 20 yr olds from other teams he would be in the perpetual cellar and he's not far off anyway. He isn't going for it this year, he is just trying to minimize the carnage. I've been saying for years, don't look at the coach (not the Konowalchuk might not be a vast improvement) its the GM. Now maybe they've made improvements to their scouting staff but I haven't seen it yet. If they don't manage to sign Gropp it could be a major setback (assuming he is a top level prospect which comes into question since we drafted him)
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