Rink Rat

If you're a hockey fan or just looking for some "ice advice", this is your place. Share your opinions about hockey teams, players, coaches or ask fellow Hubdubbers what they think.

My opionion , on my team the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Leafs this year have a new look, and while there wont be a Stanley Cup parade anytime in the near future. The new batch of players bring alot that the other ones didnt, that being passionate, young, excited hockey players, which makes for a whole different look and feel to this team. Lets face it on paper this team will be lucky to reach the 70 point mark , which i predicted they would get to at the end of this season. But the effort they have shown in the first 4 games this season,is there all the way threw the season, i can see them surprising alot of people.
I as a diehard Leaf fan just might have some exciting hockey to watch- win or lose. This team has rid itself of alot of veteran laziness, and in such doing so replaced it with a group of young hardworking players, who in there own head realize that there extremly lucky to have made the big leagues and the amount of hardwork it takes to get to that level. What i have seen so far this year is a brilliant effort from everyone which i havent seen from this team in the 23 yrs i been watching them.
These young players give it there all during each and every shift. No there not superstars, just a group of hockey players thrown together with average talent. If this continues as a TEAM putting together efforts like they have the first four games of the season, they will finally give a long time Leaf fan somthing to be proud of. Put a 100% in everytime they go on the ice this season, and some exciting entertainment, i will deal with the losses.

How could the "new Leafs" let the new yorkers win? LOSERS! (hehe)

Wow shocker that Tampa Bay fired Barry Melrose!

It is kind of shocking , however it was a stupid to hire a guy who hasnt coached in over 10 years. Melrose was never a great coach to begin with, yes he made it to the Stanley Cup Finals in 93 against Montreal, but it wasnt Melrose that got them there with the likes of Gretzky, Robitaile, Blake, Mcsorley and Hrudy, i think i could of taken the Kings to the final that year. I think it was his actions a few days ago that cost him his job , by going to the arena calling a meeting with the team to discuss him taking the practice off , even tho the team agreed to let the assistant coach the practice, its not what a great coach does. Melrose has and always will be a washed up hockey coach. Back to ESPN Mr Melrose. The Lightning should learn a lesson from this.

Hoping the Rangers beat the Flyers. For years I took constant ribbing from family Islander fans as they beat the Rangers...now the Rangers are winning some games against the Islanders..heh heh revenge is sweet.

The Lightning never seemed to do well after their Stanley Cup win. Puzzling.

The Lightning have had problems in net for as long as i can remember before they won the Cup they were deep up front okay on the backend and total garbage in goal. I think part of the problem they havent been doing well is once again the goaltending, after they won the cup and Khabibulin left for more money in Chicago, they havent had a solid number one. They did make an attempt by getting Mike Smith from Dallas for Brad Richards but that isnt turning out like they had thought or wanted. Anouther thing i think attributed to there lack of sucess i think once they won the cup the middle of the next year they stopped listening to the coach and when your team doesnt listen to you nine times out of ten, you wont be sucessful. So here we are into this season and still a team without a direction they thought Melrose would be Jack Adams material, well that lasted all of 16 games. Now they turn to assistant (gambler) Rick Tochett, which again has me scratching my head, not sure why this guy was ever reinstated into the nhl, however i do with the Pete Rose of hockey well , with a team going nowhere fast.