dyck@alberta.UUCP (Terry Dyck) (05/08/85)
*** DO NOT REPLACE THIS LINE WITH YOUR FLAME *** I have been reading this newsgroup with a lot of interest. I have also been reading it with a lot of disbelief and amazement!!! First of all, our American friends have to understand the status of hockey in the frozen north. Baseball, basketball, football et el are mearly professional sports. HOCKEY is a RELIGION!!! Canadian heros are all hockey players. To dump on hockey would be considered a national insult. Second: I have noticed that some neophyte hockey fan at UCLA feels that the Islanders are a good hockey team. Well, at one time they might have been if they could have played hockey. The Flyers once played that style of hockey but saw the light and changed their ways. When brawn and bloodshed are prefered over speed and skill you can win. Unfortunately you get 'picked on' by the officials. Somehow they don't see the fun in boarding, slashing, fighting and ether actions generally reserved for roller derbys and professional wrestling. When Billy 'The Dive' Smith (aka Slasher Bill) goes on television and BRAGS about taking dives and his slashing skills, then closes the interview by saying the officials aren't smart enough to catch him at it, you wonder if maybe he hasn't stopped too many pucks with his head. Rick seems to think (:-)) that Trottier is going to score +100 points next year. Hummmmm I didn't know the Islanders were trading him to New Jersey. Ah well, he was getting kind of old anyway. Maybe they should think about getting rid of some of their other geriatric patients while they're at it. That way they could maybe start winning again in the NHL and not have to play the Original Six Oldtimers to satisfy their fan's lust for blood. As far as 'Slasher Billie' is concerned, 70% of the goals scored on him were the FIRST rebound shots (according to Howie Meeker). He's pretty good at stopping the first shot, but just terrible on the rebounds. Without a powerful defence to back him up HE IS USELESS. But then again, with that kind of support to lean on anyone would look OK. Third: What is all this trash about the Oilers having it easy. They play the same teams everyone else does. The difference is, if you make it look easy, you're probably one h*ll of a lot better than they are. Yes other teams have to play injured while they Oilers don't. Why is it consistently that way? Maybe the other teams are forced to take more chances during the games. If two teams are equal then the team that takes the most chances will probably win the game. The Oilers don't seem to have to do that, therefore they have few injuries. Although they have had suspensions and still seemed to keep winning. Maybe they can afford to lose one or two players without having it cripple them. Seems to be just a matter of greater talent. Fourth: Blowouts are boring. I couldn't agree with you more. But it is not the fault of the winning team that the score was lopsided. It's not even poor sportsmanship. It's simply that one team is that much better, or at least played that much better. If a high offence team plays a team who can't play defence you are going to have a blowout. The only way to stop this from happening is for all the losers to improve to the level of the winners. When a players contract is renewed, the number of points he has scored is very definitely considered. This equates to points=$$$$$$. With this in mind, do you realy think a hockey player is going to back off so that the other team doesn't look bad? Roadapples!!!! He's going to turn it into a blowout. Well I guess I've done enough for one morning. All flames will be gladly received, and maybe even answered. Terry Dyck ihnp4!alberta!dyck
rick@ucla-cs.UUCP (05/13/85)
In article <482@alberta.UUCP> dyck@alberta.UUCP (Terry Dyck) writes: >Second: I have noticed that some neophyte hockey fan at UCLA feels >that the Islanders are a good hockey team. Look, don't veil your flames, I know you are talking about me so come out and say it! I am NOT a neophyte, pal. I'm 27, from Canada, and grew up watching Hockey Night In Canada. I've also been known to go out a play the game once in a while. When your precious Oilers have matched what the Islanders have accomplished then you can brag about them too. I suffered through the bad times with them (although not the AWFUL times of the first two years), and celebrated the good times. They may not be as good as they once were, but they will be back. >Somehow they don't see the fun in boarding, slashing, fighting and >ether actions generally reserved for roller derbys and professional >wrestling. You must really love to watch Semenko, Mcclelland, and Lumley in action then. Not to mention Messier when he is in a mean mood. > When Billy 'The Dive' Smith (aka Slasher Bill) goes on >television and BRAGS about taking dives and his slashing skills, then >closes the interview by saying the officials aren't smart enough to >catch him at it, you wonder if maybe he hasn't stopped too many pucks >with his head. Smith has been trying for years to get the league to protect goalies more. By showing up the referees he was trying to get some league action. I won't argue that his methods are good (they aren't) but his objective is valid. > > Rick seems to think (:-)) that Trottier is going to score >+100 points next year. Hummmmm I didn't know the Islanders were >trading him to New Jersey. Ah well, he was getting kind of old >anyway. 28 is old? Come on now. Is Bossy getting too old too? He is just a year behind Trottier. I seem to recall that an athlete was in his prime from 26-30, or something like that. Trottier had a bad year this year because of nagging injuries (let's see you play on a bum knee). He has always followed up a bad year (the one time it happened) with a great year the next. I get the feeling you guys back in Edmonton don't like him because he slighted Glen Sather in the Canada Cup last year. >Third: What is all this trash about the Oilers having it easy. >They play the same teams everyone else does. The difference is, if >you make it look easy, you're probably one h*ll of a lot better >than they are. Yes other teams have to play injured while they Oilers >don't. The Oilers were fortunate this year when they played Los Angeles (the only team they have faced in the last 2 years in the playoffs without any serious injuries) that Fuhr stood on his head to make saves. 2 of the 3 games went to overtime and could easily have gone the other way. People were saying the Islanders were lucky to get past the Capitals because Smith carried them. Where are the comments about the Oilers? So far this year the Oilers have snuck past the Kings, whipped the Jets (who were missing Dale Hawerchuk, their best player), and have played even with the Black Hawks (missing Doug Wilson [one of the best defensemen in the league], Keith Brown, and now Bill Gardner; Fraser has been playing with a flak jacket, and last night Bob Murray was gashed by Anderson's stick). > Well I guess I've done enough for one morning. All flames >will be gladly received, and maybe even answered. Go ahead, make my day :-). -- Rick Gillespie rick@ucla-cs ...!{cepu|ihnp4|sdcrdcf|ucbvax}!ucla-cs!rick "She turned me into a newt! . . . I got better."