NHL 2010-2011

**tmlfan123** · 10-20-2010, 08:14 AM

Rick Rypien is going to take some heat for this one. I don't care what was said, you can't go after a fan. That said, I'm sure he's realized his mistake and it won't happen again.

**Skeeter** · 10-20-2010, 10:16 AM

A lot of overreaction to the Rypien incident. It happened, it wasn't pretty, but it's also not as bad as people are saying. I've seen comments calling it 'roid rage and labeling Rypien a "psychopath" and an "animal." That's pretty off-base. He got frustrated with what happened on the ice (partly because the linesmen restrained Rypien and Staubitz from having a re-match of their earlier fight) and those frustrations boiled over.

A 10-game suspension is about right for what he did, likely a fine as well. Of course, the NHL may come down stronger on Rypien because of the supposed PR problem. If the NHL cares more about their image than making the right decision like a lot of people claim, Rypien may get upwards of 20 games.

**tmlfan123** · 10-21-2010, 07:30 PM

bahhhhhhhhhhh
Leafs still need more scoring to win games, and right now they're not getting it.

**Skeeter** · 10-22-2010, 01:06 AM

I think this is my finest piece of writing on Pass it to Bulis yet. Parts of it still make me chuckle to myself: Pass it to Bulis: Armchair Cynic: How to Fix the Canucks Woes from the Safety of Home

Looks like Cory Schneider will get the start against the Wild for the Canucks. It's a quick re-match after the Rypien incident. Lost in the hubbub was the fact that the Canucks played terribly against the Wild. They have a chance to make up for that game.

earlessdog · 10-24-2010, 12:27 PM

Oh my goodness, Thomas is back! I know it's just a few games in, and i'm prepared for anything to happen, but this looks so awesome!

**tmlfan123** · 10-26-2010, 02:39 PM

The Leafs need a win in a bad way tonight. They looked absolutely awful on Saturday night - last year's team all over again.

**Skeeter** · 10-26-2010, 05:34 PM

Pass it to Bulis is liveblogging tonight's Canucks game. Stop by to read our witty banter. I guarantee it will be, at minimum, mildly amusing.

Pass it to Bulis: I Am Watching This Game, A PITB Live Blog: Canucks vs. Avalanche, October 26, 2010

earlessdog · 10-29-2010, 01:32 PM

Bruins stone the Leafs 2-0, Thomas with the shutout, Seguin with a goal, great game. Plus that random Horton/Phaneuf fight, what the heck? I didn't see that coming . . .

**tmlfan123** · 10-29-2010, 02:09 PM

Leafs can't score. If they had consistent scoring they would be downright scary but I don't see that happening anytime soon. As it is, they'll make a few teams sweat on their way to giving the Bruins another great pick among the first dozen.

**tmlfan123** · 10-31-2010, 03:05 PM

Leafs can't score. This time, because of the unbelievable play of Henrik Lundqvist. The Leafs utterly dominated the game from start to finish, but one perfect backhand and one unforgivable giveaway later, they lost 2-0. They hit posts, took over 70 shots (nearly 40% of them were blocked), but could not will a puck into the net behind Lundqvist. He was simply phenomenal. I couldn't believe that the Rangers made it to twenty shots. Terribly frustrating game to watch.

**tmlfan123** · 11-10-2010, 08:21 AM

Right now, the Leafs are just pathetic. They had a 5-on-3 for nearly a minute right at the beginning of the game last night and didn't take a shot. Just about everybody not named Luke Schenn (and especially Francois Beauhcemin) are liabilities defensively, and Phil Kessel is getting run into the ground night after night because the Leafs simply don't have anyone else who is a threat offensively. Ron Wilson looks like he's lost at sea. Granted, his team is not a good one. But one win in the last ten games and IIRC, three third-period blown leads in that time is unacceptable. I'm beginning to question not only Wilson (I've never been a fan of his), but Burke as well in his construction of this team.

The bright side? It can't get much worse.

**tmlfan123** · 11-13-2010, 11:15 PM

Um...

Leafs are simply finding ways to lose at this point. I thought they largely outplayed Vancouver, particularly in the third period, but Luongo made a few big stops and Giguere let in a horrific long five-hole goal by Mason Raymond with five minutes left in the third. Bad officiating tonight as well - it went both ways, but it was brutal. And the diving! I know I'm going to get in some trouble for this, but the Vancouver Canucks looked a little like a soccer team tonight. There was the physics-defying leap upwards Christian Ehrhoff took after a fairly innocent looking cross-check to the buttock region (funny, he had no problems staying on for the ensuing power play). There was Roberto Luongo tripping on air after Tim Brent came within a few feet of him, then yelling at the officials about it. There was Mikael Samuelsson cartwheeling to the ground after a poke in the ribs area by Giguere's stick. There was Kesler slashing Nazem Kadri after the faceoff, pushing Tyler Bozak after every whistle (presumably because Bozak had won the previous faceoffs from him)... it wasn't hockey. Add Phil Kessel to the mix too - he managed to garner a phantom call by grabbing his chin when a stick hit him in the shoulder. I lost a lot of respect for a lot of players tonight.

**Skeeter** · 11-14-2010, 03:08 AM

Ehrhoff going down on that crosscheck definitely looked a little fishy, but I wouldn't put Luongo going down in the same category: he got bumped in the mask and then almost got a skate in the mask as Brent went down from Burrows pushing him. And Samuelsson didn't cartwheel to the ground after getting hacked by Giguere - he crumpled. Which is what often happens if you get the wind taken out of you.

Kessel grabbing his chin was definitely atrocious, but you have to be careful; the colour commentators were acting as if every person going down was diving and some of the replay packages they put together were done to support this supposition and I don't think there was anywhere near the diving they were suggesting. It was an odd night, certainly, but trying to say that Samuelsson took a dive when he got hacked in the guy by Giguere is pushing it a bit too far.

**tmlfan123** · 11-14-2010, 10:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skeeter

Ehrhoff going down on that crosscheck definitely looked a little fishy, but I wouldn't put Luongo going down in the same category: he got bumped in the mask and then almost got a skate in the mask as Brent went down from Burrows pushing him.

I think we're talking about two different plays - once MacArthur was driven into Luongo by Burrows, but the play I'm talking about was in the corner as Luongo tried to clear the puck off the boards. And no, I wouldn't put it in the same category as the Ehrhoff dive, moreso it was the yelling at the officials after the fact that got to me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skeeter

And Samuelsson didn't cartwheel to the ground after getting hacked by Giguere - he crumpled. Which is what often happens if you get the wind taken out of you.

Kessel grabbing his chin was definitely atrocious, but you have to be careful; the colour commentators were acting as if every person going down was diving and some of the replay packages they put together were done to support this supposition and I don't think there was anywhere near the diving they were suggesting. It was an odd night, certainly, but trying to say that Samuelsson took a dive when he got hacked in the guy by Giguere is pushing it a bit too far.

It wasn't much of a hack; Samuelsson was gliding by and Giguere poked him in the ribs. Goalies do this to players passing too close by the net all the time, but rarely does one "crumple" to the ice the way Samuelsson did. To be fair, we can't know if he's got a broken rib or something, but for instance Manny Malhotra took a stick in the throat area, grabbed the area once, and then kept playing.

**Skeeter** · 11-14-2010, 10:18 PM

The way Samuelsson stayed down was a clear indication to me that he was in significant pain. He's not the kind of guy to take a dive; he's much more likely to retaliate with a slash instead. He's a bit of a hothead.

And now I recall the time Luongo went down behind the net. Definitely a little odd. I didn't watch the replay too closely, so I can't really comment on it's diviness.