PineJockey
10-02-2003, 04:44 PM
Hey, Pierre McGuire and Gord Miller were just interviewed in the Oilers pre-game show and talked a bit about the Avs.
Basically they said they were thin on d and said:
"If Martin Skoula was playing in Edmonton he would get booed off the ice. The fans here booed Tom Poti out of town and Skoula is a poor man's Poti".
Ouch.
They also talked about how Granato may not be up to coaching in the Western conference and that he got massively out-coached by Lemaire during last year's playoffs.
Finally, the were worried about how Granato was going to keep everyone happy, and noted that Hedjuk, the only 50 goal scorer in the league last year would likely be sitting on the bench during the beginning of the powerplays, and that Tanguay was going to "rot on the end of the bench".
Thoughts?
ryansiu
10-02-2003, 05:02 PM
no way, hedjuk and tanguay will get plenty PP time
you could have
Line 1 PP
Tanguay Forsberg Selanne
Kariya Blake
Line 2 PP
Svatos? Sakic Hedjuk
Morris Liles
thats 2 damn good PP lines
Skoula does get booed at Avalanche games, I can attest to that. Perhaps not booed severly, but its there as are the cat calls. He is the whipping boy for most Colorado fans.
I wasn't much of a fan of the Granato hiring, but it was a typical Lacroix move. Funny when I watched them preview Vancouver on TSN yesterday I didn't hear things about Marc Crawford getting out coached by Lemaire :joker:
The thought the Avs having players who would not be happy with less ice time isn't new. I don't see it as a big concern because of the character of the players involved, but it can't be completely ignored. I think the lack of the depth on the Avs blueline is a bit overblown, not many teams are deep 1-6, but perhaps its a bigger deal because the safety net in Roy is gone.
andora
10-02-2003, 05:14 PM
no way, hedjuk and tanguay will get plenty PP time
you could have
Line 1 PP
Tanguay Forsberg Selanne
Kariya Blake
Line 2 PP
Svatos? Sakic Hedjuk
Morris Liles
thats 2 damn good PP lines
or mix and match to your pleasure, either way it's sick beyond belief :)
ryansiu
10-02-2003, 05:16 PM
Tonite theyve got
Kariya Forsberg Hedjuk
Morris Liles
Line 2 PP
Tanguay Sakic Selanne
Blake Skoula/Foote
Zodiac
10-02-2003, 07:17 PM
Pierre McGuire is the most annoying guy on TSN. Any time I've heard him talk about the Avs he always seems to focus on the negative. I can't stand looking at him or listening to his crap. I'd love to get him in the ring. Little bald *****.
dempsey_k*
10-02-2003, 08:27 PM
Hey, Pierre McGuire
"SHOW ME THE MONEY" ... with the male pattern baldness.
Enough of Pierre, he's done.
I've heard him say something twice, both at the draft, luckily we're spared his drivel in the states for the most part. At least Melrose is comical and popular enough to chant "MELROSE SUCKS" when he bets against you.
Goulet17
10-03-2003, 06:07 AM
Hey, Pierre McGuire and Gord Miller were just interviewed in the Oilers pre-game show and talked a bit about the Avs.
Basically they said they were thin on d and said:
"If Martin Skoula was playing in Edmonton he would get booed off the ice. The fans here booed Tom Poti out of town and Skoula is a poor man's Poti".
Ouch.
They also talked about how Granato may not be up to coaching in the Western conference and that he got massively out-coached by Lemaire during last year's playoffs.
Finally, the were worried about how Granato was going to keep everyone happy, and noted that Hedjuk, the only 50 goal scorer in the league last year would likely be sitting on the bench during the beginning of the powerplays, and that Tanguay was going to "rot on the end of the bench".
Thoughts?
And the point with this is?
Frankly if McGuire and Miller were this negative It sounds as if they feel the Avs are an awful team. Perhaps they think the Avs are overrated, but compared to who?
They can talk up Detroit, who critics can point out lost their best forward and have several key players pushing 40 years of age.
Perhaps they like Dallas, who lost their most physical defensemen and their longtime captain.
Vancouver? Have they significantly improved their team since last since? That is questionable, unless you count Hedberg as a playoff savior. And who knows if they will be as fortunate with injuries this season, particularly with Nazlund or Bertuzzi.
Maybe they feel Ottawa is appreciably better than the Avs, and I might agree with them if that is their view.
But the point is, if Miller and McGuire are essentially bashing the Avs as overrated, aren't they conveniently overlooking some of the question marks surrounding other potential "contenders".
I've sinced a trend this offseason that has emerged in both the media and on fan message boards such as here. Many people feel the Avs are unstoppable even going as far as to compare them to the 1980's Edmonton Oilers teams, while others feel they are vastly overrated and not a true contender. Whatever the view, it seems as if this Avs team evokes strong emotional responses from both fans and media alike.
How good are the Avs, only time will tell, but over the course of the season I imagine that it will be revealed that they fall somewhere in the middle of the often expressed extremes.