nobody wants gillies..period..he can't get on the ice in bport...nobody wants haley over a young skilled player...WE WANT HALEY OVER BRIAN F'ING ROLSTON AND MARTY F'ING REASONER...why can't anyone see this..how many times this season does jt get run..or PA gets hit high...it happens at least once a game...will Haley win games?? no will he bring a much needed energy to the team YES..if your ok with JT being in a wheelchair in four years then go right ahead...this thread makes my eyes vomit
Having Haley hear will not prevent either JT or PA or anyone else from high hits.
What prevented Bossy and Trottier from getting run over was that they had a guy on their wing who would send you to the hospital if you tried it... which meant he could play, which meant that Gillies was reliable and a top line contributor to the team. 1 4th line guy who can't make it in the AHL is not going to help protect your teammates.
This is a thread about Cizikas. His presence here is far better overall then Haley.
I also believe — as troubling as the play of Reasoner or Rolstons play might be, they are still better then Haley. You want to make the argument that Cizikas should have replace Haley sooner, OK. I disagree with it, but OK. Rolston should have been waived by December and sent to BP in favor of Ulstrom or Rhakshani. No argument there.
But Haley is not on my radar at all. Why are Isles fans in love with him? Because he went after Brent Johnson? OK... fine. That's appreciate. But what else can he do?
The part that I don't understand is how he does he actually protect John Tavares (the only player we're really concerned about protecting) when he's sitting on the bench for 55 minutes a game.
The record isn't Haleys fault. It's just a fact that protecting our players with 4th liners doesn't do anything. Players need to be on the ice in order to protect eachother. Michael Haley is a waste of a roster spot.
Give me a guy who can play this sport Give me a guy who the coach can count on to take a regular shift. Give me another Matt Martin. Not some career AHL player who takes dumb penalties and wastes the roster spot of a superior player. Hell Pandolfo does more to help this team win then Michael Haley would.
This Shows how little you know about Haley. He's more then a 5 minute player. He IS NOT A GOON. He's been playing on bridegports 1st line recently.
You dont understand what a player like Haley brings to a team because you have never played the game. Sometimes guys like him wont show up on the score sheet but their intangables and character cant be measured.
Again I wouldent expect someone like you to understand this. This is not NHL the video game, those roles are there for a reason.
You continue to dodge questions. How come no one ran us or cheapshotted us after the Pitt game while dressing one of the toughest line-ups in the NHL?
How come we played our best hockey in the 2nd half of the year while dressing one of the toughest line-ups in the NHL?
I'll Say it again, why when you talk to former or current players about those types of players they all say how much those types of players mean to a team and the physical pressence just a player like that has JUST BY BEING ON THE BENCH. Again I'll take the opinion of former or current players opinions on these types of players then a person who like yourself wants to build a team as if it were a video game.
You better hope this team does not finish around the same record as last year because then your theory that removing Konopka-Haley and Gilles the "useless" players that you say and replacing them with "real hockey players" would make us better is BS.
Not only were those "useless" players removed we have our best D-man back, a healthy KO and a Goaltender stealing games. You better hope they finish better then last year.
How come these guys can still be in the league? Nashville has HW Brian McGrattan 6'4 230lbs,Philly has HW Jody Shelly6'3 230lbs and HW Tom Sestito 6'5 230 lbs, Chicago has HW John Scott 6'8 275lbs,The ducks have HW George Parros 6'5 230, The Sens have HW Matt Carnker 6'4 240 lbs,the wild have HW Matt Kassian 6'5 250, the LA kings have HW Kevin Wesgarth 6'5 245lbs,Phoenix has HW Paul Bissonett 6'3 215, The bruins have HW Shawn Thorton 6'2 220lbs ,Columbus has HW Jared Boll 6'2 220, The Devs have 2 HW's HW Eric Boulton 6'1 225 lbs, HW Cam Janseen 6'0 215lbs, The Caps John Erskine 6'4 220, Toronto has HW 6'3 220 lb Jay RoseHill, the Oilers have HW Darcy Hordichuck 6'1 215 lbs, ST. louis has HW Ryan Reaves 6'2 225 lbs. Those are just the HW goons playing. Why are useless guys like this still on NHL rosters and playing?
Then you have the non HW's guys who only fight and get harldy any ice time and produce nothing on the score sheet in Mike Brown, Zach Rinaldo, Zenon Konopka, Krys Barch, Brad Stabuitz, Kyle Clifford, Stu Bickle, ect.
If all these players can still be on NHL rosters and Haley can not there is a problem. Thats OK though have fun with your pacifist team.
Last edited by Isles4ever82: 02-24-2012 at 02:21 PM.
Having Haley hear will not prevent either JT or PA or anyone else from high hits.
What prevented Bossy and Trottier from getting run over was that they had a guy on their wing who would send you to the hospital if you tried it... which meant he could play, which meant that Gillies was reliable and a top line contributor to the team. 1 4th line guy who can't make it in the AHL is not going to help protect your teammates.
This is a thread about Cizikas. His presence here is far better overall then Haley.
I also believe — as troubling as the play of Reasoner or Rolstons play might be, they are still better then Haley. You want to make the argument that Cizikas should have replace Haley sooner, OK. I disagree with it, but OK. Rolston should have been waived by December and sent to BP in favor of Ulstrom or Rhakshani. No argument there.
But Haley is not on my radar at all. Why are Isles fans in love with him? Because he went after Brent Johnson? OK... fine. That's appreciate. But what else can he do?
Another one who just does not get it.
We dont love him because he went after Johnson.
We want Haley here Because WE ARE THE SOFTEST TEAM IN THE NHL, thats why we want Haley here.
We want Haley here because he will bring energy to this lackluster boring team, he will protect and STANDUP FOR HIS TEAMMATES.
He will actually look to make a big hit. This team is sevearly lacking in the physical department its embarrassing and pathetic. We want him here because we are sick of our players and goaltenters being ran and cheapshotted and nothing being done about it.
We dont want Matt Martin fighting every night and fighting all this teams battles because the rest of the team is filled with soft players.
Im sick and tired of our team being so damn soft. Enough already! This team has Martin and thats it! THERE IS NO REASON HALEY SHOULD NOT BE HERE ON THE 4TH LINE.
How you fans can put up with a lineup that is the sofest in the NHL is beyond me. Will we really lose anything if we remove one of the useless 4th line players and play Haley there instead?
At least he brings an element to this team that we are lacking.
OUR 4TH LINE AS A WHOLE HAS 3 ********** POINTS ON THE YEAR! Put Haley on the 4th line he cant be worse and he will atleast provide toughness, energy, big hits and will fight for the honor of his teammates. Our 4th line is useless in every way no reason Haley should not be on it.
You say "I also believe — as troubling as the play of Reasoner or Rolstons play might be, they are still better then Haley"
That statement alone is just absurd and I have to question your credibility with statements like that. Those 2 bring have brought nothing to the table, NOTHING! At least Haley will come here and do his job.
Another one who just does not get it.
We dont love him because he went after Johnson.
We want Haley here Because WE ARE THE SOFTEST TEAM IN THE NHL, thats why we want Haley here.
We want Haley here because he will bring energy to this lackluster boring team, he will protect and STANDUP FOR HIS TEAMMATES.
He will actually look to make a big hit. This team is sevearly lacking in the physical department its embarrassing and pathetic. We want him here because we are sick of our players and goaltenters being ran and cheapshotted and nothing being done about it.
We dont want Matt Martin fighting every night and fighting all this teams battles because the rest of the team is filled with soft players.
Im sick and tired of our team being so damn soft. Enough already! This team has Martin and thats it! THERE IS NO REASON HALEY SHOULD NOT BE HERE ON THE 4TH LINE.
How you fans can put up with a lineup that is the sofest in the NHL is beyond me. Will we really lose anything if we remove one of the useless 4th line players and play Haley there instead?
At least he brings an element to this team that we are lacking.
OUR 4TH LINE AS A WHOLE HAS 3 ********** POINTS ON THE YEAR! Put Haley on the 4th line he cant be worse and he will atleast provide toughness, energy, big hits and will fight for the honor of his teammates. Our 4th line is useless in every way no reason Haley should not be on it.
You say "I also believe — as troubling as the play of Reasoner or Rolstons play might be, they are still better then Haley"
That statement alone is just absurd and I have to question your credibility with statements like that. Those 2 bring have brought nothing to the table, NOTHING! At least Haley will come here and do his job.
Your the one who seems not to get it... Haley provides nothing but a 5 minute major!!!
He does not contribute to any offensive capability and that is the reason we are losing. There is another thread on this forum that says we are the 3rd least offensive team in the NHL. Tell me how Michael Haley is going to help us in that department.
This isnt a video game kid... This is real. We dont need Haley to come in and fight. We need guys to come in and score. Ill take Cizikas and Ullstrom over Haley anyday.
Maybe you like to see the Islanders lose 5-0 to the Rangers as long as Haley and Gillies win 2-0. Sorry Id rather win the game and get the 2 pts.
What a polarizing topic Haley is. I fall into the we need him up here camp. Yes we are havign trouble scoring and no he won't remind anyone of Wayne Gretzky out there but he provides value. He gives other guys sapce and will make folks think twice about running JT. This team is too soft (with a few exceptions) and that contributes to the lack of goal scoring. Our guys have no space and we don't have the type of guys that can out physical the other team. The guys that say Haley is a waste just don't get it. This is not personal as we all root for the same team. I wish someone could explain how Rhakshani coming up and playing on the 3rd line (and getting pushed around) is more valuable than having Haley out there. I am not against Cizakas getting his shot tonight but I want Haley in there every day.
One more thing, the 2 points are the most important tonight but if it gets chippy we are screwed, all we have is Martin. Hamoinc can't fight with the cage and nobody else has the nards to hold their own.
Having Haley hear will not prevent either JT or PA or anyone else from high hits.
What prevented Bossy and Trottier from getting run over was that they had a guy on their wing who would send you to the hospital if you tried it... which meant he could play, which meant that Gillies was reliable and a top line contributor to the team. 1 4th line guy who can't make it in the AHL is not going to help protect your teammates.
This is a thread about Cizikas. His presence here is far better overall then Haley.
I also believe — as troubling as the play of Reasoner or Rolstons play might be, they are still better then Haley. You want to make the argument that Cizikas should have replace Haley sooner, OK. I disagree with it, but OK. Rolston should have been waived by December and sent to BP in favor of Ulstrom or Rhakshani. No argument there.
But Haley is not on my radar at all. Why are Isles fans in love with him? Because he went after Brent Johnson? OK... fine. That's appreciate. But what else can he do?
I was actually there, Hyedray, and watched that team grow with my own eyeballs, and I can tell you that you are mostly wrong. Not completely wrong, because Gillies was a piece of the deterrent, but he was not the answer like you seem to suggest. Some points for you from someone who was actually there:
- The entire team was tough. Howatt, Nystrom, Gillies, the Sutters, the goaltender, Lane, Potvin, Longevin, Bourne... Fighting was a team effort. Some more than others obviously like Lane and Howatt, but they were, as a team, very tough, and defensive monsters, but that's besides the point.
- Bossy got picked on regularly, and his back problems were a direct reflection of the **** he put up with from some of the goons in the league. So team toughness only goes so far, but if they weren't tough as a team, he would have been out of the league in 5 years.
- Gillies was not the top fighter on this club by any stretch of the imagination. That was a role he wasn't interested in pursuing. Granted, he was a good fighter with his beat downs of O'Reilly and Shultz being epic legend, but he took lots of crap from fans and the media for not embracing the role more. Gillies wanted his legacy to be as a forward, not a goon.
Team toughness requires more than just one or two players. It requires mostly a team effort which means you need most of the team to be a hell of a lot more tougher than Grabner, Bailey, Okposo, Nielsen, etc... Unlike some in here who think otherwise, you can not ice a club of cream puffs and hope to compete. Our team is mostly a bunch of cream puffs. Haley, despite his warts and limitations, is a very good deterrent. Hell, he might be the best middle weight fighter in the NHL. And for as limited as his skills are he does have some, does score goals, is a leader by sticking up for everyone, and has more to offer than some vets currently wasting roster spots. I remember Howatt, and his zero hockey skills. If you can win a cup with him skating a regular shift, then you bet your ace Haley shouldn't hold you back.
Some of you guys with the Haley hate are really over the top. The club needs toughness. I love the idea of Ulstrom, Cizikas, etc., up.... but yeah, bring up Micheal too. The reason he is not up is because he makes Wang pee his knickers. Tavares get his face crushed in? Wang is totally ok with that, and may even look forward to it. Haley beat the guy who does it into a bloody pulp? Momma Wang can't have any of that because it's mean and not nice.
Your the one who seems not to get it... Haley provides nothing but a 5 minute major!!!
He does not contribute to any offensive capability and that is the reason we are losing. There is another thread on this forum that says we are the 3rd least offensive team in the NHL. Tell me how Michael Haley is going to help us in that department.
This isnt a video game kid... This is real. We dont need Haley to come in and fight. We need guys to come in and score. Ill take Cizikas and Ullstrom over Haley anyday.
Maybe you like to see the Islanders lose 5-0 to the Rangers as long as Haley and Gillies win 2-0. Sorry Id rather win the game and get the 2 pts.
Hows your soft as butter 4th line done for you all year? 3 points on the whole ********** year.
Not only do they not score they do nothing else, they dont play with any fire or energy thy dont hit shy and away from the physical part of the game. USELESS IN EVERY WAY. They bring nothing to the table.
Just stop your another one trying too hard. If you are looking for offence out of your 4th line then your team has huge problems. The 4th line is supposed to bring energy(ours dont) they are supposed to play physical(our dont) and they are supposed to defend temamates (ous dont) and I can go on and on.
This team has no one other then Martin playing physical. He should not be the one night in night out fighting, hes becoming too valuable as a player. Not only that Haley would be replacing anyone of those hacks on the 4th line.
At least Haley would bring much need energy and toughness this team is lacking. I'll tell you the same thing if these below guys can have roster spots on the NHL then Haley should on this awful 4th line.
How come these guys can still be in the league? Nashville has HW Brian McGrattan 6'4 230lbs,Philly has HW Jody Shelly6'3 230lbs and HW Tom Sestito 6'5 230 lbs, Chicago has HW John Scott 6'8 275lbs,The ducks have HW George Parros 6'5 230, The Sens have HW Matt Carnker 6'4 240 lbs,the wild have HW Matt Kassian 6'5 250, the LA kings have HW Kevin Wesgarth 6'5 245lbs,Phoenix has HW Paul Bissonett 6'3 215, The bruins have HW Shawn Thorton 6'2 220lbs ,Columbus has HW Jared Boll 6'2 220, The Devs have 2 HW's HW Eric Boulton 6'1 225 lbs, HW Cam Janseen 6'0 215lbs, The Caps John Erskine 6'4 220, Toronto has HW 6'3 220 lb Jay RoseHill, the Oilers have HW Darcy Hordichuck 6'1 215 lbs, ST. louis has HW Ryan Reaves 6'2 225 lbs. Those are just the HW goons playing. Why are useless guys like this still on NHL rosters and playing?
Then you have the non HW's guys who only fight and get harldy any ice time and produce nothing on the score sheet in Mike Brown, Zach Rinaldo, Zenon Konopka, Krys Barch, Brad Stabuitz, Kyle Clifford, Stu Bickle, ect.
If all these players can still be on NHL rosters and Haley can not there is a problem. Its pathetic how soft our team is compared to other teams and for you "kool aiders" to be so blind to see it is beyond me.
Some of you guys with the Haley hate are really over the top. The club needs toughness. I love the idea of Ulstrom, Cizikas, etc., up.... but yeah, bring up Micheal too. The reason he is not up is because he makes Wang pee his knickers. Tavares get his face crushed in? Wang is totally ok with that, and may even look forward to it. Haley beat the guy who does it into a bloody pulp? Momma Wang can't have any of that because it's mean and not nice.
These posters are part of pacifist movement. They think this is a video game and you have to dress the best "skill guys". There is more to the game then that. A guy like Haley or a Konopka has more intangables that cant be measured on the score sheet.
Thats the point these pacifist posters seem to not understand. Steve Webb is a perfect example, that guy was one of the worst "hockey players" to ever lace up skates yet anyone who watched that 2001-2002 team knew how much of a factor he was throughout the year and in the playoffs.
Our fourth line sucks and BRINGS NOTHING TO THE TABLE at least Haley would provide toughness a physical pressence and someone who will hit someone ect.
I was actually there, Hyedray, and watched that team grow with my own eyeballs, and I can tell you that you are mostly wrong. Not completely wrong, because Gillies was a piece of the deterrent, but he was not the answer like you seem to suggest. Some points for you from someone who was actually there:
- The entire team was tough. Howatt, Nystrom, Gillies, the Sutters, the goaltender, Lane, Potvin, Longevin, Bourne... Fighting was a team effort. Some more than others obviously like Lane and Howatt, but they were, as a team, very tough, and defensive monsters, but that's besides the point.
- Bossy got picked on regularly, and his back problems were a direct reflection of the **** he put up with from some of the goons in the league. So team toughness only goes so far, but if they weren't tough as a team, he would have been out of the league in 5 years.
- Gillies was not the top fighter on this club by any stretch of the imagination. That was a role he wasn't interested in pursuing. Granted, he was a good fighter with his beat downs of O'Reilly and Shultz being epic legend, but he took lots of crap from fans and the media for not embracing the role more. Gillies wanted his legacy to be as a forward, not a goon.
Team toughness requires more than just one or two players. It requires mostly a team effort which means you need most of the team to be a hell of a lot more tougher than Grabner, Bailey, Okposo, Nielsen, etc... Unlike some in here who think otherwise, you can not ice a club of cream puffs and hope to compete. Our team is mostly a bunch of cream puffs. Haley, despite his warts and limitations, is a very good deterrent. Hell, he might be the best middle weight fighter in the NHL. And for as limited as his skills are he does have some, does score goals, is a leader by sticking up for everyone, and has more to offer than some vets currently wasting roster spots. I remember Howatt, and his zero hockey skills. If you can win a cup with him skating a regular shift, then you bet your ace Haley shouldn't hold you back.
Some of you guys with the Haley hate are really over the top. The club needs toughness. I love the idea of Ulstrom, Cizikas, etc., up.... but yeah, bring up Micheal too. The reason he is not up is because he makes Wang pee his knickers. Tavares get his face crushed in? Wang is totally ok with that, and may even look forward to it. Haley beat the guy who does it into a bloody pulp? Momma Wang can't have any of that because it's mean and not nice.
I grew up watching it too! And YES. You are 100% right. The entire team had toughness.
My point was not that those glory teams had one or two guys who had toughness and that was the answer. My point was that Gillies was a top 6 guy who was, you know — ACTUALLY ON THE ICE during the game and not just a goon for 2-3 minutes to fight. He could contribute.
Bossy was picked on, but there was a steep price to pay for the players trying to nail him — from Gillies, Gord Lane, Bob Nystrom and others.
I concur the team needs much more size and overall toughness. Mental and Physical!!!! BUT, I am not prepared to give Haley a spot in my head, just as much as I dont think trading away "Cream Puffs" is the right answer.
Changes need to continue. Its a process. They are maturing. Cizikas is a piece of that process. Given who is available, and all of the considerations, Cizikas made the most sense. He deserves the shot based on his play.
Rolston should not be playing — I will grant that to you and anyone else. For the life of me, I dont know why Ulstrom was not brought back in after his injury and conditioning. The guy played well.
This is also not a "pacifist movement" idea as Isles4Ever82 may like to believe. I want my physical guys to be able to play the game. THAT is my point. I want them to be able to contribute something on the ice other then fighting majors. I am a big advocate of going back to the way hockey used to be — with a little more of the clutch and grab, and physical play. I am a big believe in the idea that they give your star a bloody lip, you break their jaw. (Not literally, you all know what I mean)
I think the team lacks toughness and size. All the more reason, I don't want Yakupov if he were available to us. Im happy with Strome, but I wanted Couturier (can't teach size).
Steve Webb had a great playoff series looking back on it because of the toughness he displayed and that is important, and part of the game. But — would he have been able to sustain that throughout a season, 2, 3 or more? No one can answer that. Lets not elevate Steve Webb to a god. He is an Isles folk hero because of a few game.
The 1992-93 Isles — Darius Kasperitus was the kind of guy I would want to keep. his defensive play was #4-5-6 worthy, but he could take a regular shift, do his job, and deliver a healthy dose of fear to the opposition. Hamonic is that guy a little now, but not as much as I would even like.
Lets also not forget something — the NHL has taken a very serious stance on how hits are made, and I truly feel, that players in general have become gun shy. I can see our guys hold up some as they go into the boards. Does that make them 'soft' or concerned about taking a penalty and putting their team down a man? Keep in mind, any NHL ref who sees blue and orange is going to call a penalty for breathing....
Back on point — Cizikas is a much 'grittier' player on paper then Bailey. He should be an improvement. Haley might be a 'tougher' player, but he would never be able to contribute the way Cizikas can. If Cizikas can add in some offense, create some energy, hit some bodies, then it bodes well for the Isles overall. He may be shifted to the LW when Bailey returns. Great. Its a plus overall for the team.
I am not against Haley coming up. I am against him coming up over Cizikas and I am against him coming up over Ullstrom.
Perhaps this would be a better lineup to incorporate balance....
I know Haley is listed as a LW, can he play the right? I dont know.
I am aware Reasoner has not produced, but he is good in the faceoff circle, and we need a center.
I grew up watching it too! And YES. You are 100% right. The entire team had toughness.
My point was not that those glory teams had one or two giuys who had toughness and that was the answer. My point was that Gillies was a top 6 guy who was, you know — ACTUALLY ON THE ICE during the game and not just a goon for 2-3 minutes to fight. He could contribute.
Bossy was picked on, but there was a steep price to pay for the players trying to nail him — from Gillies, Gord Lane, Bob Nystrom and others.
I concur the team needs much more size and overall toughness. Mental and Physical!!!! BUT, I am not prepared to give Haley a spot in my head, just as much as I dont think trading away "Cream Puffs" is the right answer.
Changes need to continue. Its a process. They are maturing. Cizikas is a piece of that process. Given who is available, and all of the considerations, Cizikas made the most sense. He deserves the shot based on his play.
Rolston should not be playing — I will grant that to you and anyone else. For the life of me, I dont know why Ulstrom was not brought back in after his injury and conditioning. The guy played well.
I just dont understand the problem with Haley considering how soft our team is and how many useless players are on the 4th line anyway. It's not like he would be stealing minutes from anyone of worth and would actually bring much needed toughness,physical play and energy something we are laking in a big way. Some here are really reacting too harsh. He is not some 6'4 240 lb goon. He can actually play, recently he was playing on Bridgeports 1st line. This team has no backbone and get pushed and pushed and never do the pushing back.
I grew up watching it too! And YES. You are 100% right. The entire team had toughness.
My point was not that those glory teams had one or two giuys who had toughness and that was the answer. My point was that Gillies was a top 6 guy who was, you know — ACTUALLY ON THE ICE during the game and not just a goon for 2-3 minutes to fight. He could contribute.
Bossy was picked on, but there was a steep price to pay for the players trying to nail him — from Gillies, Gord Lane, Bob Nystrom and others.
I concur the team needs much more size and overall toughness. Mental and Physical!!!! BUT, I am not prepared to give Haley a spot in my head, just as much as I dont think trading away "Cream Puffs" is the right answer.
Changes need to continue. Its a process. They are maturing. Cizikas is a piece of that process. Given who is available, and all of the considerations, Cizikas made the most sense. He deserves the shot based on his play.
Rolston should not be playing — I will grant that to you and anyone else. For the life of me, I dont know why Ulstrom was not brought back in after his injury and conditioning. The guy played well.
Hey, for everyone who wants Cizikas, Ulstrom, maybe even DiBo up now, particularly since the playoffs are out of the picture, I am all for it. But Haley can occupy a spot on the 4th line just fine, IMO, without ruining anything. He's done pretty well for himself in Bridgeport btw. I mean between Pando, Reasoner, Nino & Rolston, I see spots that should be occupied safely by the others without slowing the scoring down, and likely speeding it up.
The only argument I can see against it is any cap issues that would be caused by moving big salary vets down.
I was actually there, Hyedray, and watched that team grow with my own eyeballs, and I can tell you that you are mostly wrong. Not completely wrong, because Gillies was a piece of the deterrent, but he was not the answer like you seem to suggest. Some points for you from someone who was actually there:
- The entire team was tough. Howatt, Nystrom, Gillies, the Sutters, the goaltender, Lane, Potvin, Longevin, Bourne... Fighting was a team effort. Some more than others obviously like Lane and Howatt, but they were, as a team, very tough, and defensive monsters, but that's besides the point.
- Bossy got picked on regularly, and his back problems were a direct reflection of the **** he put up with from some of the goons in the league. So team toughness only goes so far, but if they weren't tough as a team, he would have been out of the league in 5 years.
- Gillies was not the top fighter on this club by any stretch of the imagination. That was a role he wasn't interested in pursuing. Granted, he was a good fighter with his beat downs of O'Reilly and Shultz being epic legend, but he took lots of crap from fans and the media for not embracing the role more. Gillies wanted his legacy to be as a forward, not a goon.
Team toughness requires more than just one or two players. It requires mostly a team effort which means you need most of the team to be a hell of a lot more tougher than Grabner, Bailey, Okposo, Nielsen, etc... Unlike some in here who think otherwise, you can not ice a club of cream puffs and hope to compete. Our team is mostly a bunch of cream puffs. Haley, despite his warts and limitations, is a very good deterrent. Hell, he might be the best middle weight fighter in the NHL. And for as limited as his skills are he does have some, does score goals, is a leader by sticking up for everyone, and has more to offer than some vets currently wasting roster spots. I remember Howatt, and his zero hockey skills. If you can win a cup with him skating a regular shift, then you bet your ace Haley shouldn't hold you back.
Some of you guys with the Haley hate are really over the top. The club needs toughness. I love the idea of Ulstrom, Cizikas, etc., up.... but yeah, bring up Micheal too. The reason he is not up is because he makes Wang pee his knickers. Tavares get his face crushed in? Wang is totally ok with that, and may even look forward to it. Haley beat the guy who does it into a bloody pulp? Momma Wang can't have any of that because it's mean and not nice.
But cream puffs are good. Have you ever tried the chocolate covered ones? They're undeniably delicious. I'd love a team full of cream puffs, have them shipped right to my house, please!
To be honest, I don't know if this is the right time to be bringing in Cizikas... The team is down and playing its archrival with little toughness in the line-up.
Do they think his 'enthusiasm' and 'winning attitude' is gonna do something real positive for the Isles tonight?
But cream puffs are good. Have you ever tried the chocolate covered ones? They're undeniably delicious. I'd love a team full of cream puffs, have them shipped right to my house, please!
But they are! They come in two assorted packages:
MSG 2, with closed captioning for the seriously drunk, or
Center Ice, for the hard core cream puff lover in you.
Like another poster already pointed out to you this logic is ridiculous.
Cizikas has never had a fight in his career. Cizikas is leading the bridge in scoring and will do what ever it takes to get a goal. Cizikas does not have a rep for being a tough player Haley does.
Haley and Cizikas are 2 tottaly different players. Haleys job is to protect, defend his teammates and bring energy and fight.
Cizikas is not that player no where close to even being remotley the same type of player Haley is. This logis is so flawed.
Hey I'm on your side when it comes to this argument, but Casey has 7 career fights in Juniors.
I thought Casey played very well for his debut. The pelanty call was really a weak one, he never impeded the progress of the player, it was not a hook or obstruction of any kind. He id not fumble passes and made smart plays, getting into good positions without the puck.
Short of getting on the scoresheet, I though he played very well.
i liked him. that penalty was a softie, not his fault at all.
as for haley, i'd like him up over rolston but i'd rather a plastic bag on the ice than rolston
No doubt. Richards was offsides when the puck was dropped. Thought he did okay on the draws otherwise and he saw 2nd unit PP time!
As for the Haley chatter, when your head coach says in the presser after the sens game and pretty much most of the season that your line-up lacks physicallity, why would anyone here argue the value of Haley vs. Reasoner or Pando? 1 goal between them at the 60 game mark and both are looking old.
