NHL.com: Lehner Finalist for Vezina & Masterton

SI90

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Jul 25, 2011
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My guess is 4 years at 13-15. He deserves a raise

He acknowledged no other team wanted him. You can tell me how wrong I am, but for someone who has dealt with addiction....comfortable living (also enabling you wife and kids to have a nice quality of life) is much more important than cashing in and setting the market.
My guess is 4 years at 13-15. He deserves a raise

He acknowledged no other team wanted him. You can tell me how wrong I am, but for someone who has dealt with addiction....comfortable living (also enabling you wife and kids to have a nice quality of life) is much more important than cashing in and setting the market.


I’d sign up for that deal at those numbers in a heartbeat.
 

Uncle Duke

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May 14, 2018
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It's hard to remember a new player who completely gets the Isles fan base and a new player that Isles fans have so universally embraced as Lehner. Seriously, he totally gets us and we love him for it.
Not to be too much of a cynic but, please, we love him because he wins. Doesn't mean we wouldn't root for him as a person regardless (Isles fans are not cruel and inhuman - other than to Thomas Hickey all the time and occasionally to Josh Bailey), but if he wasn't winning and had a 2.70GAA with a .908SP his story would be an afterthought and "good luck to ya" as he was sent on his way after the season ended on Apr 8.
 
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SI90

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Not to be too much of a cynic but, please, we love him because he wins. Doesn't mean we wouldn't root for him as a person regardless (Isles fans are not cruel and inhuman - other than to Thomas Hickey all the time and occasionally to Josh Bailey), but if he wasn't winning and had a 2.70GAA with a .908SP his story would be an afterthought and "good luck to ya" as he was sent on his way after the season ended on Apr 8.

What’s the point of “but if” ??

He’s been great and he’s embraced the whole isles organization. That’s all that matters.

But what if Pajama Boy was born in Wisconsin and not Toronto?

But What if Milbury was never hired?

But what if Hunter never cheap shorted Turgeon?

But what if Aliens really existed?

But what if the Mafia Had Kennedy killed?

But what if ?
 
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Uncle Duke

Heads up, fellas!
May 14, 2018
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What’s the point of “but if” ??

He’s been great and he’s embraced the whole isles organization. That’s all that matters.

But what if Pajama Boy was born in Wisconsin and not Toronto?

But What if Milbury was never hired?

But what if Hunter never cheap shorted Turgeon?

But what if Aliens really existed?

But what if the Mafia Had Kennedy killed?

But what if ?
No idea what you're talking about here. Another poster wrote that we love RL because he's embraced the Islanders and their fans and I wrote we love him because he wins. Tell me, which part do you think is more true?
 

SI90

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Jul 25, 2011
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No idea what you're talking about here. Another poster wrote that we love RL because he's embraced the Islanders and their fans and I wrote we love him because he wins. Tell me, which part do you think is more true?

I just don’t see why you would even bring that up? What’s the point?

Also, that’s not necessarily true. DiPietro didn’t win much or have a lot of success here but he bled blue and orange and understood the fan base and the isles history. That’s why there is a lot of islanders fans who love him still.

Yes, Lehners play certainly has helped him this year but his attitude and actions have really ingratiated him to the fan base. If he put up average numbers this year I still think the fans would love him. Maybe not want to keep him long term but would still love and appreciate him. He’s a guy who seems to get it and get what it means to be an islander. We love those players. Especially since coming into the season the expectations of the fans was us being a lottery team.
 

Uncle Duke

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I just don’t see why you would even bring that up? What’s the point?

Also, that’s not necessarily true. DiPietro didn’t win much or have a lot of success here but he bled blue and orange and understood the fan base and the isles history. That’s why there is a lot of islanders fans who love him still.

Yes, Lehners play certainly has helped him this year but his attitude and actions have really ingratiated him to the fan base. If he put up average numbers this year I still think the fans would love him. Maybe not want to keep him long term but would still love and appreciate him. He’s a guy who seems to get it and get what it means to be an islander. We love those players. Especially since coming into the season the expectations of the fans was us being a lottery team.
I didn't bring it up, another poster did. Tell me, who has a better attitude and disposition than Hickey? And yet somehow he has not managed to "ingratiate" himself to the fans. In fact, the exact opposite for the most part. Why is that? I'll tell you, because he's not very good. He's not as horrible as many say, but he's not what we had hoped he would be one the ice.

It is my opinion that it is disingenuous, at best, to speak about how much we all "love" Lehner and how we get him and how he gets us separated from the fact that he has been lights out fantastic between the pipes. That fact, more than any other, is what has endeared him to Islander fans. Does that mean that those other things don't count at all and that we're not rooting for him off the ice as well? Of course not. It is a fantastic story and we are all thrilled with everything about RL during his short time with the Isles so far, but if anyone is going to tell me that I'd still be reading these gushing posts about how much we love him and how much he gets us if his numbers were pedestrian or worse, I'm going to say right back that I think they are full of sh*t.
 

BelovedIsles

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Oct 22, 2005
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Did not expect this; very happy for him. He won’t win given the sample size. He’s a good goalie and a better human being.

Should give him a confidence booster for the 2nd rd.
 

LeapOnOver

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Jan 23, 2011
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No idea what you're talking about here. Another poster wrote that we love RL because he's embraced the Islanders and their fans and I wrote we love him because he wins. Tell me, which part do you think is more true?

You actually aren't wrong. DP did the same thing. Guy loved the fans, acknowledged them all the time, bled blue and orange, but then got saddled with injuries and couldn't compete anymore and he was the number one target of vitriol here, despite probably working just as hard, maybe even harder than Lehner to rehab from two major surgeries. Both took an immense amount of will power and self sacrifice, but whereas Lehner's condition was treatable with meds, sadly DP didn't get the same break. Hypocrisy much. I love Islander fans ..... sometimes.
 

Uncle Duke

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You actually aren't wrong. DP did the same thing. Guy loved the fans, acknowledged them all the time, bled blue and orange, but then got saddled with injuries and couldn't compete anymore and he was the number one target of vitriol here, despite probably working just as hard, maybe even harder than Lehner to rehab from two major surgeries. Both took an immense amount of will power and self sacrifice, but whereas Lehner's condition was treatable with meds, sadly DP didn't get the same break. Hypocrisy much. I love Islander fans ..... sometimes.
It's not wrong in the literal sense, but hypocrisy is a strong word. It is just the nature of sports fandom. Love 'em when they're winning, hate 'em when they're not.

The Lehner case is a bit different because of the nature of his illness and we all wish him well, better than well, whatever happens on the ice. I just get annoyed by the gushing and that one post, I mean, c'mon, "we get him, he gets us." Psychobabble nonsense.
 
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LeapOnOver

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It's not wrong in the literal sense, but hypocrisy is a strong word. It is just the nature of sports fandom. Love 'em when they're winning, hate 'em when they're not.

The Lehner case is a bit different because of the nature of his illness and we all wish him well, better than well, whatever happens on the ice, I just get annoyed by the gushing and that one post, I mean, c'mon. Psychobabble nonsense, "we get him, he gets us." Gimme a break.

I know, Lehner's case is very different as for the most part what he has is treatable by daily medication. DP damaged his body playing the sport for us, so much so that surgeries couldn't fix it enough to get back to NHL level quality good. In his case, fans should have even been more sympathetic to his plight and should have cemented their fandom more. Like you said though, it's about winning obviously and DP didn't do enough of it to earn fan adulation.
 

Uncle Duke

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I know, Lehner's case is very different as for the most part what he has is treatable by daily medication. DP damaged his body playing the sport for us, so much so that surgeries couldn't fix it enough to get back to NHL level quality good. In his case, fans should have even been more sympathetic to his plight and should have cemented their fandom more. Like you said though, it's about winning obviously and DP didn't do enough of it to earn fan adulation.
With DP, whatever negative feelings people still have at this point, it's about the contract.
 

Instant

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Feb 20, 2018
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Not to be too much of a cynic but, please, we love him because he wins. Doesn't mean we wouldn't root for him as a person regardless (Isles fans are not cruel and inhuman - other than to Thomas Hickey all the time and occasionally to Josh Bailey), but if he wasn't winning and had a 2.70GAA with a .908SP his story would be an afterthought and "good luck to ya" as he was sent on his way after the season ended on Apr 8.

Very respectfully, that's bullshit :laugh: Dude, if that was a requirement no one would love anyone here, we've been losing forever. Okay, maybe not forever, but for pretty much all of my life, this team sucked. And yet, somehow, there are players that I love, even if they're not playing for the Isles, retired, or still on the team.

Your love for a player doesn't have to be connected to their results. Like, for all of the acquisitions made by Lou this season, Lehner is the most outspoken about his love for the fans, for this organization, about how good he feels here. They're all winning and doing a great job, but it's Lehner who gets the most love (not saying his game was anything except exemplary and not diminishing his achievements) because of his personality and his history. He's a great human being and it matters a lot.

And believe me, if he wasn't winning and had a 2.70 GAA with a .908 S% he would still be loved for many.
 

DarkHorse2

Registered User
Feb 27, 2002
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Not to be too much of a cynic but, please, we love him because he wins.

If he tried hard and was hung out by his defense, and had the same fan-friendly attitude, we'd still embrace him. We've embraced far less talented and successful netminders.
 
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Uncle Duke

Heads up, fellas!
May 14, 2018
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If he tried hard and was hung out by his defense, and had the same fan-friendly attitude, we'd still embrace him. We've embraced far less talented and successful netminders.
You mean like Halak and Greiss last year? Yeah, the fans really embraced them. It was downright heartwarming.
 

Uncle Duke

Heads up, fellas!
May 14, 2018
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Very respectfully, that's bull**** :laugh: Dude, if that was a requirement no one would love anyone here, we've been losing forever. Okay, maybe not forever, but for pretty much all of my life, this team sucked. And yet, somehow, there are players that I love, even if they're not playing for the Isles, retired, or still on the team.

Your love for a player doesn't have to be connected to their results. Like, for all of the acquisitions made by Lou this season, Lehner is the most outspoken about his love for the fans, for this organization, about how good he feels here. They're all winning and doing a great job, but it's Lehner who gets the most love (not saying his game was anything except exemplary and not diminishing his achievements) because of his personality and his history. He's a great human being and it matters a lot.

And believe me, if he wasn't winning and had a 2.70 GAA with a .908 S% he would still be loved for many.
Yeah, the fans would still be rooting for him to do well personally, but somewhere else. He's here and embraced primarily because he wins. Not bull****.
 

notDatsyuk

Registered User
Jul 20, 2018
10,117
8,105
Good for him!

I'd say he's not the favorite, but he has a decent chance, especially considering what Vas did in the playoffs (yes, I know 'playoffs don't count'), but I also know that the GM's have to be aware of what happened, and they wouldn't be human if they could totally ignore it. (Cue the "GM ___________ isn't human" comments.)

On the other hand, I think he has as good a chance as any for the Masterton.
 

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