there is no reason he should be playing teams that don't have an enforcer. he is a waste of a roster spot in those games; but against teams like the flyers, bruins, penguins, maple leafs, etc he's needed.
Maybe it's time to find a player who can add some bite to the roster, who's also got another quality to his game.....a vet who plays mean, unites the locker room, and maybe has a knack for winning faceoffs.....hmmmm......
Snarkiness aside, if there ever was a reason to give Travis Hamonic angel dust so he could be double-shifted, allowing the team to roll with 13F/5D/2G, this would be it. Haley's an excellent fighter, but he's no heavyweight.
Goons don't intimidate anyone other than the team's opposing goon. The goon will generally not hurt Tavares because quite frankly he is not a good enough player to catch another player vulnerable on the ice (Ironically, evidence to the contrary includes Gillies on Tangredi which is a one off thing imo). Certainly the goon will not prevent guys like Cooke from doing what they're doing, because Cooke doesn't have to answer to the goon and never will.
The goon is simply an antiquated part of the game. GMs and coaches were institutionalized to believe in their importance. When quite frankly its not there. They are just too stubborn to admit it.
I love Gillies but I would rather Have Haley play than him.....Hes good when the opposition has a true Heavyweight, but that about it.....He on plays about 2 1/2 min per game, which is a waste IMO....And this is Pro Hockey, Nobody is really afraid of anyone...sure thier are guys who wont drop the gloves or guys who turtle and slap like Talbot, but not everyone changes thier game out of fear of a beat down...sure someguys might think twice about taking liberties, but for the most part its going to almost always happen, Gillies or no Gillies...
To me this is why Gillies IS valuable to us...Take Gillies off this team and who is willing to take a 10 game suspension to prove a point? And for the record, If someone takes a liberty and Gillies does something brutal...that's how it goes. If you don't like it, don't take liberties with guys like Tavares, Grabner, Moulson, PAP etc.
I don't approve of injuring players but everyone knows what Gillies is here for. Its up to the other teams whether he's gonna have to "do his job" or not. Suspensions and all.
Maybe it's time to find a player who can add some bite to the roster, who's also got another quality to his game.....a vet who plays mean, unites the locker room, and maybe has a knack for winning faceoffs.....hmmmm......
Snarkiness aside, if there ever was a reason to give Travis Hamonic angel dust so he could be double-shifted, allowing the team to roll with 13F/5D/2G, this would be it. Haley's an excellent fighter, but he's no heavyweight.
You mean Ol' Healthy Scratch Konopka? He's certainly working wonders up in Ottawa.
Garth made the right call there and with Martinek.
To me this is why Gillies IS valuable to us...Take Gillies off this team and who is willing to take a 10 game suspension to prove a point? And for the record, If someone takes a liberty and Gillies does something brutal...that's how it goes. If you don't like it, don't take liberties with guys like Tavares, Grabner, Moulson, PAP etc.
I don't approve of injuring players but everyone knows what Gillies is here for. Its up to the other teams whether he's gonna have to "do his job" or not. Suspensions and all.
I agree Gillies is useful. The biggest question i have is why he is not in the lineup for tonights game? This is the game Gillies should be playing. I hope Martin / Hamonic dont have to stand up to Asham, Eng or Mac because those 2 guys are valuable to the team.
Can't answer either choice as they are one extreme to the other, which is not fair to the job he is asked to perform. So long as other teams employ full time goons there is a place for a Gillies, that said, he fills a need on the team that has noone else in the system can provide.
To those crowing for Konopka, other than his faceoff % he was garbage. The guy was in plenty of fights but fought to the best of a draw, most he lost, and his faceoff win % mattered squat when you couldn't trust him to stay engaged in the play afterwards. Sorry but for the good Konopka brought he was far worse.
I agree Gillies is useful. The biggest question i have is why he is not in the lineup for tonights game? This is the game Gillies should be playing. I hope Martin / Hamonic dont have to stand up to Asham, Eng or Mac because those 2 guys are valuable to the team.
Because Cappy knows that these two points are far more valuable than anything gained by gooning it up.
You mean Ol' Healthy Scratch Konopka? He's certainly working wonders up in Ottawa.
Garth made the right call there and with Martinek.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TennesseeJedd
To those crowing for Konopka, other than his faceoff % he was garbage. The guy was in plenty of fights but fought to the best of a draw, most he lost, and his faceoff win % mattered squat when you couldn't trust him to stay engaged in the play afterwards. Sorry but for the good Konopka brought he was far worse.
LOL....my post wasn't a veiled admission to wanting Konopka back....but it's really six of one & half a dozen of the other regarding team needs. The board's a weathervane - I'd bet that right after the first game to hit triple digit penalties, we'd see a few recanted statements regarding Gillies' worth.
I'm just sick of seeing the team play listless a lot earlier in the season, having seen them add more of that mean component to their game. Names and previous tenures aside, It'd be great to have a guy like Asham back.
It's not as hard to stomach losing when the likelihood of 2 of the 6 players who actually woke up for the season (Tavares, Parenteau, Streit, Martin, Hamonic, Moulson) aren't the only deterrent to opponents taking liberties.....causing the defacto #2 d-man and best checking winger to spend extra time in the penalty box.
Last edited by 88th Precinct: 10-25-2011 at 05:09 PM.
