Alumni In the Pros: January 2012

Because as Bahnstorm noted, it is not December anymore.

Fantastic news about Bitz as he just got the start tonight for the Chicago Wolves. An article on canada.com talks about his return with him saying "At this point my chips are on the table, I'm all-in.": [www.canada.com]
I really hope this works out for him.

EDIT: BITZ SCORES, welcome back.

Glad Scrivens took part in this


It Gets Better video

Colin Greening scored his 8th goal of the year last night, in Ottawa's 6-4 win over Philadelphia.

sah67
Colin Greening scored his 8th goal of the year last night, in Ottawa's 6-4 win over Philadelphia.

A lucky break for Colin. He was at the boards near the bottom of the circle and passed the puck to a teammate heading for the net. The Flyer d-man, Matt Carle, had that guy covered, but it went in off Carle's stick.

So when Datsyuk puts a puck in the net off a D-man, it's a heads up play. But when Colin does it, that's luck? I guess it's all about perspective.

sah67
Colin Greening scored his 8th goal of the year last night, in Ottawa's 6-4 win over Philadelphia.

The box score says it was his 9th goal.

Luke 05
So when Datsyuk puts a puck in the net off a D-man, it's a heads up play. But when Colin does it, that's luck? I guess it's all about perspective.

If he intentionally deflects it off a D-man, it is a heads-up play. This was a pass to a teammate that defelected off the D-mans stick.

Of course, it's always a heads-up play to throw the puck at the net. In this case, however, it was lucky it went in.

Check out Moulson's +/- statistic (currently +2): Islanders stats

He doesn't have any shorthanded points and he seemingly plays mostly with Tavares and Parenteau (at least when I've watched him play, perhaps not over the full season?). It's an interesting stat as the next best +/- from a forward who has played in 30+ games is a -5. I'm not trying to argue that he's a comparatively better defensive forward than his teammates, it just seems a little odd to me. Perhaps he's good at getting off the ice 5-10 seconds before goals are scored?

Moulson got goals 19 & 20 (and an assist).... so far.

jeff '84
Moulson got goals 19 & 20 (and an assist).... so far.

and Greening has 3 assists (all primary assists per the scoresheet), as Sens lead at Pittsburgh 5-1. Good night for our favorite left wings and their teams. Isles beat the Wings 5-1.

jkahn

jeff '84
Moulson got goals 19 & 20 (and an assist).... so far.

and Greening has 3 assists (all primary assists per the scoresheet), as Sens lead at Pittsburgh 5-1. Good night for our favorite left wings and their teams. Isles beat the Wings 5-1.

The last assist on Milan Michalek goal was very pretty. To borrow a baseball phrase, Greening's pass had eyes and got through 3 penguins and landed perfectly on Michalek's stick.

14 Assists o the season thus far for Colin, and for the 2nd year in a row he is the Senator's "Fastest Skater" and just shy of having the fastest time ever in that All-star skill event. (The penguin announcers spent a lot of time on this, and for those of you who are wondering, that title belongs to Aaron Cole).

6 points for Cornell graduates last night, not bad.

RatushnyFan
Check out Moulson's +/- statistic (currently +2): Islanders stats

He doesn't have any shorthanded points and he seemingly plays mostly with Tavares and Parenteau (at least when I've watched him play, perhaps not over the full season?). It's an interesting stat as the next best +/- from a forward who has played in 30+ games is a -5. I'm not trying to argue that he's a comparatively better defensive forward than his teammates, it just seems a little odd to me. Perhaps he's good at getting off the ice 5-10 seconds before goals are scored?

The (few) games I've watched this season, his line has dominated in puck possession. It's also going to be the case that when Tavares is on the ice, the opponent hangs back a bit, all the more because there's so little to fear when he's not on the ice.

Colin Greening has been announced as a NHL All-Star rookie. If they run this like last year, the rookies are divided into two teams by the NHL and then at the end of the fantasy draft (Thursday Jan 26, 8-9:30) the two "rookie teams" are chosen by the All-Star team captains. They will then participate in the skills competition Saturday night, Jan 28 7-9.

Complete All-Star roster here:
[www.nhl.com]|NHL|home

Flyers1037
Colin Greening has been announced as a NHL All-Star rookie. If they run this like last year, the rookies are divided into two teams by the NHL and then at the end of the fantasy draft (Thursday Jan 26, 8-9:30) the two "rookie teams" are chosen by the All-Star team captains. They will then participate in the skills competition Saturday night, Jan 28 7-9.

Complete All-Star roster here:
[www.nhl.com]|NHL|home

Too bad Tavares got the nod over Moulson, who was just as deserving (and perhaps more deserving).

Greening had an assist last night against the Rangers. He looked good out there.

I watched Moulson last night (and several other times this season) and it's hard to argue that he's more deservng than Tavares in my view. Tavares skates really well and is 4th in the league in takeaways, I think his game has matured. Moulson simply can't skate as well, he's a solid finisher and an improving passer and he works hard to get open but without an all-star on his line I doubt his numbers would look as good. All that said, I think Moulson is fantastic and has improved so much, I'm amazed that he's doing this well in the NHL.

RatushnyFan
I watched Moulson last night (and several other times this season) and it's hard to argue that he's more deservng than Tavares in my view. Tavares skates really well and is 4th in the league in takeaways, I think his game has matured. Moulson simply can't skate as well, he's a solid finisher and an improving passer and he works hard to get open but without an all-star on his line I doubt his numbers would look as good. All that said, I think Moulson is fantastic and has improved so much, I'm amazed that he's doing this well in the NHL.

My sense is Tavares is the pretty skater, but Moulson knows where to be in the ice.

The pretty skaters get the accolades.

Flyers1037
Complete All-Star roster here:
[www.nhl.com]

I like that it's the 2012 Tim Horton's NHL All-Star Game with All-Star Fan Balloting presented by Sirius/XM. And the 2012 Molson Canadian NHL All-Star Skills Competition. I don't see a sponsor for the draft.

Jeff Hopkins '82
My sense is Tavares is the pretty skater, but Moulson knows where to be in the ice.

Atop it?

nyc94

Flyers1037
Complete All-Star roster here:
[www.nhl.com]

I like that it's the 2012 Tim Horton's NHL All-Star Game with All-Star Fan Balloting presented by Sirius/XM. And the 2012 Molson Canadian NHL All-Star Skills Competition. I don't see a sponsor for the draft.

Shouldn't Molson be the sponsor of the Draft?

Ho hum, another 2-point game for Moulson as he leads the Isles to a 3-zip win at Washington. Matt is now 21-19-40 in 43 games.

Trotsky
Ho hum, another 2-point game for Moulson as he leads the Isles to a 3-zip win at Washington. Matt is now 21-19 21-40 42 in 43 44 games.

Trotsky can't count. Either that or the NHL Player Stat page is incorrect.

In other news, Ottawa hangs on for a 3-2 win in Toronto. I tuned in during the 2nd period and heard the announcers mention that Greening hadn't seen a lot of ice time (Ottawa's lines got shaken up in this game) and weren't sure if it was due to injury/equipment/or being in the doghouse. However, he had ice time in the 3rd, including in the last minutes, and it looked like he was playing center.

Trotsky
Ho hum, another 2-point game for Moulson as he leads the Isles to a 3-zip win at Washington. Matt is now 21-19-40 in 43 games.

Actually that was before tonight's game. Current numbers:

21 G (9th in league)
21 A
42 Pts (18th in NHL)

Rita

Trotsky
Ho hum, another 2-point game for Moulson as he leads the Isles to a 3-zip win at Washington. Matt is now 21-19 21-40 42 in 43 44 games.

Trotsky can't count. Either that or the NHL Player Stat page is incorrect.

In other news, Ottawa hangs on for a 3-2 win in Toronto. I tuned in during the 2nd period and heard the announcers mention that Greening hadn't seen a lot of ice time (Ottawa's lines got shaken up in this game) and weren't sure if it was due to injury/equipment/or being in the doghouse. However, he had ice time in the 3rd, including in the last minutes, and it looked like he was playing center.

And, I thought it was telling that he was on the ice in the last minute of the game, when they were clinging to that one-goal lead. A sign of confidence.

Rita
Trotsky can't count. Either that or the NHL Player Stat page is incorrect.

I'm sure it's the former. Playwriting major...

On p. 24 of this week's Sports Illustrated (dated Jan 16, 2012), there is a picture of the Rangers' Girardi and Lundqvist. Uncredited but actually dominating the pic is Colin Greening.

If you have a subscription to SI, you can see it in the online edition. The story is called "Blue Steel". Sorry, no link because it's behind the paywall.

heykb
On p. 24 of this week's Sports Illustrated (dated Jan 16, 2012), there is a picture of the Rangers' Girardi and Lundqvist. Uncredited but actually dominating the pic is Colin Greening.

If you have a subscription to SI, you can see it in the online edition. The story is called "Blue Steel". Sorry, no link because it's behind the paywall.

Moulson scored a goal in the Islanders 4-1 win at Philadelphia.
[www.nhl.com]

Greening had two goals against the Sharks tonight in the Sens 4-1 win. He now has 11 goals on the season.

[www.nhl.com]

Colin Greening scored twice in the Senators' 4-1 win in San Jose. He has 11 goals and 15 assists in 49 games this season.

cbuckser
Colin Greening scored twice in the Senators' 4-1 win in San Jose. He has 11 goals and 15 assists in 49 games this season.

Now I'm curious (because I couldn't stay awake for the game), how did Douglas Murray do? Did he get toasted by the young'un? Off to NHL.com to find out.....

edit: Nope.

The video posted above is pretty thorough. Douglas was on the ice for the Turris goal and also the Sharks' lone goal, so he was even on the night. He was almost victimized on a nice rush by Zack Smith. Greening's two goals are really nice shots but if you look at the Senators last three goals (including both of Greening's) the Sharks' gap control was exceptionally poor, they gave Ottawa way too much space to shoot.

nr53
Greening had two goals against the Sharks tonight in the Sens 4-1 win. He now has 11 goals on the season.

[www.nhl.com]

That's because he winked at me wearing my Cornell sweatshirt during warmups!

French Rage

nr53
Greening had two goals against the Sharks tonight in the Sens 4-1 win. He now has 11 goals on the season.

[www.nhl.com]

That's because he winked at me wearing my Cornell sweatshirt during warmups!

Anybody in South Florida want to try and get a wink or maybe even a smile out of Colin Greening?

Colin and the Senators play the Panthers on Wed 2/15 at 7:30 and Sunday March 4th at 6 pm. I'm thinking about getting tickets for the Sunday 3/4 game (a weeknight game would be really tough with work and traffic). Just thought I would put this out there in case there is anyone else out there that needs/likes to make plans weeks in advance .

Matt Moulson Q&A in The Cornell Daily Sun: Matt Moulson Q&A

"Keeping my head up when I play Dougie. He’s still a force to be reckoned with back there...."

Not our alum, but certainly a guy with a significant (negative) association with Cornell hockey.

Trotsky
Not our alum, but certainly a guy with a significant (negative) association with Cornell hockey.

This whole thing makes me sad.

ftyuv

Trotsky
Not our alum, but certainly a guy with a significant (negative) association with Cornell hockey.

This whole thing makes me sad.

How so -- the fact that he chose not to participate in the White House visit or the fact that he might be "persecuted" because of it?

scoop85

ftyuv

Trotsky
Not our alum, but certainly a guy with a significant (negative) association with Cornell hockey.

This whole thing makes me sad.

How so -- the fact that he chose not to participate in the White House visit or the fact that he might be "persecuted" because of it?

Whoops, I meant to hit "quote" and hit "+1" instead. So your +1 Rating is undeserved!

To answer your question, it's a bunch of things. Putting the actual politics aside, he took a fun team event and turned it into a circus that was all about him. (Even if that wasn't his intent, he should have known it would happen.) And now we learn that he's not the nice, friendly, team player that he seems to be on the ice -- turns out he might be a bit of a jerk (though you also have to watch out for biases all that). I've been one of his few (only?) defenders/apologists on this board, and now, next time someone says he's a selfish jerk, I won't be able to say that that was just back in his UVM days, but now he's changed.

Long story short, it's fun when you can root for an athlete as a person as well as for his skills, and Timmy's taken that away from me.

Whatever, I always liked Bergy a bit more, anyway. If he turns out to be a jerk, that'll be a big problem. Well, as big a problem as can be when it's about watching sports.

scoop85

ftyuv

Trotsky
Not our alum, but certainly a guy with a significant (negative) association with Cornell hockey.

This whole thing makes me sad.

How so -- the fact that he chose not to participate in the White House visit or the fact that he might be "persecuted" because of it?

That politics have gotten so poisoned that a person would feel it worthwhile to snub the President and that some would deem him a hero for it. I can't say I'd have acted differently if I were at all talented and found myself invited to the Bush White House but I also wouldn't put on a martyr's shawl if someone said I was a grandstanding prick.

ugarte

scoop85

ftyuv

Trotsky
Not our alum, but certainly a guy with a significant (negative) association with Cornell hockey.

This whole thing makes me sad.

How so -- the fact that he chose not to participate in the White House visit or the fact that he might be "persecuted" because of it?

That politics have gotten so poisoned that a person would feel it worthwhile to snub the President and that some would deem him a hero for it. I can't say I'd have acted differently if I were at all talented and found myself invited to the Bush White House but I also wouldn't put on a martyr's shawl if someone said I was a grandstanding prick.

Can we call you a prick even if you're not invited to the White House?

ugarte

scoop85

ftyuv

Trotsky
Not our alum, but certainly a guy with a significant (negative) association with Cornell hockey.

This whole thing makes me sad.

How so -- the fact that he chose not to participate in the White House visit or the fact that he might be "persecuted" because of it?

That politics have gotten so poisoned that a person would feel it worthwhile to snub the President and that some would deem him a hero for it. I can't say I'd have acted differently if I were at all talented and found myself invited to the Bush White House but I also wouldn't put on a martyr's shawl if someone said I was a grandstanding prick.

Yes, it is sad that the partisan divide have gotten so strong in this country. But I can't say I blame him for what he did. I rather respect him for it (especially since I agree in general terms with what he's standing for.) It doesn't make him a hero. it just makes him someone who is willing to speak out for his beliefs and use the little bit of stage that he's been granted.

But is Tim Thomas a prick? Of course he is! That seemed pretty clear fifteen years ago.

KeithK

ugarte

scoop85

ftyuv

Trotsky
Not our alum, but certainly a guy with a significant (negative) association with Cornell hockey.

This whole thing makes me sad.

How so -- the fact that he chose not to participate in the White House visit or the fact that he might be "persecuted" because of it?

That politics have gotten so poisoned that a person would feel it worthwhile to snub the President and that some would deem him a hero for it. I can't say I'd have acted differently if I were at all talented and found myself invited to the Bush White House but I also wouldn't put on a martyr's shawl if someone said I was a grandstanding prick.

Yes, it is sad that the partisan divide have gotten so strong in this country. But I can't say I blame him for what he did. I rather respect him for it (especially since I agree in general terms with what he's standing for.) It doesn't make him a hero. it just makes him someone who is willing to speak out for his beliefs and use the little bit of stage that he's been granted.

But is Tim Thomas a prick? Of course he is! That seemed pretty clear fifteen years ago.

(Emph. added)

I think that's part of the heart of the question -- was this event a stage that had been granted to him? Or was it a stage granted to his team, which he then usurped?

ftyuv

ugarte

scoop85

ftyuv

Trotsky
Not our alum, but certainly a guy with a significant (negative) association with Cornell hockey.

This whole thing makes me sad.

How so -- the fact that he chose not to participate in the White House visit or the fact that he might be "persecuted" because of it?

That politics have gotten so poisoned that a person would feel it worthwhile to snub the President and that some would deem him a hero for it. I can't say I'd have acted differently if I were at all talented and found myself invited to the Bush White House but I also wouldn't put on a martyr's shawl if someone said I was a grandstanding prick.

Can we call you a prick even if you're not invited to the White House?

This is still America, right?

ugarte

ftyuv

ugarte

scoop85

ftyuv

Trotsky
Not our alum, but certainly a guy with a significant (negative) association with Cornell hockey.

This whole thing makes me sad.

How so -- the fact that he chose not to participate in the White House visit or the fact that he might be "persecuted" because of it?

That politics have gotten so poisoned that a person would feel it worthwhile to snub the President and that some would deem him a hero for it. I can't say I'd have acted differently if I were at all talented and found myself invited to the Bush White House but I also wouldn't put on a martyr's shawl if someone said I was a grandstanding prick.

Can we call you a prick even if you're not invited to the White House?

This is still America, right?

Depends who you ask!

scoop85

ftyuv

Trotsky
Not our alum, but certainly a guy with a significant (negative) association with Cornell hockey.

This whole thing makes me sad.

How so -- the fact that he chose not to participate in the White House visit or the fact that he might be "persecuted" because of it?

For me, the worst was the part where the Bruins won the Stanley Cup.

ftyuv
Long story short, it's fun when you can root for an athlete as a person as well as for his skills, and Timmy's taken that away from me.

Whatever, I always liked Bergy a bit more, anyway. If he turns out to be a jerk, that'll be a big problem. Well, as big a problem as can be when it's about watching sports.

It can suck being a fan sometimes, but fan psychology is pretty interesting. Living in an area with an unholy mix of Whalers/Bruins/Rangers fans all swirling about, I sometimes tell my recollections of the mid-90s UVM teams and Thomas's exploits I saw firsthand. Bruins fans tend to (expectedly) get defensive, and I've heard the "people can change" line from others. I'm going to leave the whole political and personality aspects aside, and comment on his career, despite how enjoyable the smugness is that he's being outed as the petulant baby I remember.

It's remarkable that this guy is around to even make these headlines, really. You have to imagine that at the time the Bruins signed him, it was going to be his last shot. Who picks up a 32-year-old journeyman goaltender who just had his worst professional statistical year at the IHL level and bounced around the Swedish leagues? A team desperate for a goaltender, that's who. The Bruins really had nobody to turn to, and scooped him off the scrap heap. It really was a "right place, right time," kind of situation similar to Moulson when he moved to the Islanders. I don't know what happened to make him into a Vezina winner with NHL stats better than when he was overrated at UVM but he made the most of the opportunity, and capped it with an incredible run to the Stanley Cup at age 37! You did get the feeling that Bruins management were always looking to dump him if he faltered, but he didn't.

Historically, it's very difficult for collegiate goaltenders to take a fast-track to the NHL. It's been true of all the recent CU standouts ("System" jokes aside), but also for collegiate stars like Danis, Quick, Howard, Montoya, Conklin, Goehring, Koenig, (to cherry-pick some memorable names from the NCAA All-American Teams) all wallowed for 4-6 YEARS in the minors/Europe before getting a shot, if they got one at all. Elliott, Miller, and Turco all had to wait about 2 years before earning significant NHL time after college, which seem to be the exceptions. It seems you have to really luck into the right situation. Luck and skill are both needed to make it. LeNeveu seemed to be stifled with the Coyotes. Scrivens got NHL time earlier this season due to injury emergencies, and I hope managed to turn some heads. I think most top collegiate goaltenders given the opportunity, can succeed at the NHL...they just have to be given the chance to fail and adjust.

[/incoherent rambling]

Anyway, Tim Thomas. A remarkably unlikely career, petulant baby. Then and now.

RichH

ftyuv
Long story short, it's fun when you can root for an athlete as a person as well as for his skills, and Timmy's taken that away from me.

Whatever, I always liked Bergy a bit more, anyway. If he turns out to be a jerk, that'll be a big problem. Well, as big a problem as can be when it's about watching sports.

It can suck being a fan sometimes, but fan psychology is pretty interesting. Living in an area with an unholy mix of Whalers/Bruins/Rangers fans all swirling about, I sometimes tell my recollections of the mid-90s UVM teams and Thomas's exploits I saw firsthand. Bruins fans tend to (expectedly) get defensive, and I've heard the "people can change" line from others. I'm going to leave the whole political and personality aspects aside, and comment on his career, despite how enjoyable the smugness is that he's being outed as the petulant baby I remember.

It's remarkable that this guy is around to even make these headlines, really. You have to imagine that at the time the Bruins signed him, it was going to be his last shot. Who picks up a 32-year-old journeyman goaltender who just had his worst professional statistical year at the IHL level and bounced around the Swedish leagues? A team desperate for a goaltender, that's who. The Bruins really had nobody to turn to, and scooped him off the scrap heap. It really was a "right place, right time," kind of situation similar to Moulson when he moved to the Islanders. I don't know what happened to make him into a Vezina winner with NHL stats better than when he was overrated at UVM but he made the most of the opportunity, and capped it with an incredible run to the Stanley Cup at age 37! You did get the feeling that Bruins management were always looking to dump him if he faltered, but he didn't.

Historically, it's very difficult for collegiate goaltenders to take a fast-track to the NHL. It's been true of all the recent CU standouts ("System" jokes aside), but also for collegiate stars like Danis, Quick, Howard, Montoya, Conklin, Goehring, Koenig, (to cherry-pick some memorable names from the NCAA All-American Teams) all wallowed for 4-6 YEARS in the minors/Europe before getting a shot, if they got one at all. Elliott, Miller, and Turco all had to wait about 2 years before earning significant NHL time after college, which seem to be the exceptions. It seems you have to really luck into the right situation. Luck and skill are both needed to make it. LeNeveu seemed to be stifled with the Coyotes. Scrivens got NHL time earlier due to injury emergencies. I think most top collegiate goaltenders given the opportunity, can succeed at the NHL...they just have to be given the chance to fail and adjust.

[/incoherent rambling]

Anyway, Tim Thomas. A remarkably unlikely career, petulant baby. Then and now.

Agreed on most parts, though I think management were a bit more forgiving than you suggest. The season before last he was pretty mediocre, and many Bruins fans (present company included) felt his time was up, his age was showing, and it was time to move on. Management stuck with him, and last year he showed some improvement over that mediocre season.

Also, I'd to point out that it's not the first time Boston caught a good break from an oh-crap-we-need-a-backup situation. I only mention it since it'll be relevant in a couple weeks when the Pats win the Superbowl. [/troll]

Now having read the articles, his actual remarks on not going are a lot less offensive/poisonously political than I had assumed based on the comments. I can agree with others that it looks like an overly self-important move for something blandly ceremonial, but mostly this gets a shrug from me.

However, I'm very interested to learn about his exploits in the NCAA, if any of you would be so kind as to regale the young ones among us...

ftyuv
I think that's part of the heart of the question -- was this event a stage that had been granted to him? Or was it a stage granted to his team, which he then usurped?

He's a member of the team. And by granted I really mean given his moment of fame when the general public is aware of his statements, not that he was granted a White House visit.

If he had showed up at the White House and then disrupted the event by shouting political slogans until security dragged him away that would have been inappropriate and flat out rude. By choosing to skip the event and issuing a statement he made his point in a way that was minimally disruptive to his team. Seems pretty reasonable to me.

KeithK

ftyuv
I think that's part of the heart of the question -- was this event a stage that had been granted to him? Or was it a stage granted to his team, which he then usurped?

He's a member of the team. And by granted I really mean given his moment of fame when the general public is aware of his statements, not that he was granted a White House visit.

I'm a member of my company, but it doesn't mean all that is my company's is mine.

If he had showed up at the White House and then disrupted the event by shouting political slogans until security dragged him away that would have been inappropriate and flat out rude. By choosing to skip the event and issuing a statement he made his point in a way that was minimally disruptive to his team. Seems pretty reasonable to me.

Depends on one's definition of minimally disruptive, I suppose.

KeithK

ftyuv
I think that's part of the heart of the question -- was this event a stage that had been granted to him? Or was it a stage granted to his team, which he then usurped?

He's a member of the team. And by granted I really mean given his moment of fame when the general public is aware of his statements, not that he was granted a White House visit.

If he had showed up at the White House and then disrupted the event by shouting political slogans until security dragged him away that would have been inappropriate and flat out rude. By choosing to skip the event and issuing a statement he made his point in a way that was minimally disruptive to his team. Seems pretty reasonable to me.

He obviously had the right to not go. And I have the right to think he's a dick for not going.

What complicates it is that he didn't announce his absence or the reason for it in advance. That's disrespectful and took the spotlight away from his team, which was where it belonged.

Ben

KeithK

ftyuv
I think that's part of the heart of the question -- was this event a stage that had been granted to him? Or was it a stage granted to his team, which he then usurped?

He's a member of the team. And by granted I really mean given his moment of fame when the general public is aware of his statements, not that he was granted a White House visit.

If he had showed up at the White House and then disrupted the event by shouting political slogans until security dragged him away that would have been inappropriate and flat out rude. By choosing to skip the event and issuing a statement he made his point in a way that was minimally disruptive to his team. Seems pretty reasonable to me.

He obviously had the right to not go. And I have the right to think he's a dick for not going.

What complicates it is that he didn't announce his absence or the reason for it in advance. That's disrespectful and took the spotlight away from his team, which was where it belonged.

So it would be less disrespectful had he made a big deal of announcing in advance his decision not to go and reasons? I think quietly skipping the event is probably the most respectful way to do it if he didn't want to attend. But YMMV.

I've been a Bruins fan since The Goal, and maybe I'll be one again after Teabagger Timmay retires (I don't object to his views, just the way he expressed them with the White House snub). In the meantime, I'm going to extend my love of Cornell hockey by rooting for Ottawa, San Jose, and the Islanders.

Ben

What complicates it is that he didn't announce his absence or the reason for it in advance. That's disrespectful and took the spotlight away from his team, which was where it belonged.

I thought the Bruins GM said he had known for several months that Thomas was going to skip the event. Or did you mean that Thomas didn't make a public announcement about his decision?

KeithK

Ben
He obviously had the right to not go. And I have the right to think he's a dick for not going.

What complicates it is that he didn't announce his absence or the reason for it in advance. That's disrespectful and took the spotlight away from his team, which was where it belonged.

So it would be less disrespectful had he made a big deal of announcing in advance his decision not to go and reasons? I think quietly skipping the event is probably the most respectful way to do it if he didn't want to attend. But YMMV.

No, it would have been less disrespectful if he'd said so beforehand and not turned it into a political dispute. Just a simple "I will not be attending this event and I have no further comment" several days or a week before would have done fine. Instead he stole the show, intentionally or not.

Ben

KeithK

Ben
He obviously had the right to not go. And I have the right to think he's a dick for not going.

What complicates it is that he didn't announce his absence or the reason for it in advance. That's disrespectful and took the spotlight away from his team, which was where it belonged.

So it would be less disrespectful had he made a big deal of announcing in advance his decision not to go and reasons? I think quietly skipping the event is probably the most respectful way to do it if he didn't want to attend. But YMMV.

No, it would have been less disrespectful if he'd said so beforehand and not turned it into a political dispute. Just a simple "I will not be attending this event and I have no further comment" several days or a week before would have done fine. Instead he stole the show, intentionally or not.

He used the event and his stature to make a loud political statement. Athletes have been doing this for some time. People can think he's a dick for doing it, but this is consistent only if all one condemns all political use of athletic celebrity equally.

Swampy

Ben

KeithK

Ben
He obviously had the right to not go. And I have the right to think he's a dick for not going.

What complicates it is that he didn't announce his absence or the reason for it in advance. That's disrespectful and took the spotlight away from his team, which was where it belonged.

So it would be less disrespectful had he made a big deal of announcing in advance his decision not to go and reasons? I think quietly skipping the event is probably the most respectful way to do it if he didn't want to attend. But YMMV.

No, it would have been less disrespectful if he'd said so beforehand and not turned it into a political dispute. Just a simple "I will not be attending this event and I have no further comment" several days or a week before would have done fine. Instead he stole the show, intentionally or not.

He used the event and his stature to make a loud political statement. Athletes have been doing this for some time. People can think he's a dick for doing it, but this is consistent only if all one condemns all political use of athletic celebrity equally.

Nonsense. It is entirely possible for an athlete to make a political statement in an honorable, humble, respectful way. Thomas's antics appear (haven't cared enough to read the details) to have been none of these. It's not an athlete's making a political statement that is a problem, it's a JERK's making a political statement.

Swampy

Ben

KeithK

Ben
He obviously had the right to not go. And I have the right to think he's a dick for not going.

What complicates it is that he didn't announce his absence or the reason for it in advance. That's disrespectful and took the spotlight away from his team, which was where it belonged.

So it would be less disrespectful had he made a big deal of announcing in advance his decision not to go and reasons? I think quietly skipping the event is probably the most respectful way to do it if he didn't want to attend. But YMMV.

No, it would have been less disrespectful if he'd said so beforehand and not turned it into a political dispute. Just a simple "I will not be attending this event and I have no further comment" several days or a week before would have done fine. Instead he stole the show, intentionally or not.

He used the event and his stature to make a loud political statement. Athletes have been doing this for some time. People can think he's a dick for doing it, but this is consistent only if all one condemns all political use of athletic celebrity equally.

I don't really care that he was making a political statement, but he put himself before his team and created a locker room problem. When Ali, or Smith and Carlos made statements, they did it in individual sports where the focus was about them already (although I'll grant that the Olympics is also about country). However it says something about you when you won't even show up for guys who fling themselves in front of masses of rubber flying at 100 MPH to help you do your job. Thomas was selfish and arrogant and his teammates have every right to be upset with him. Beyond being a jerk to his teammates though, its completely his right to do this.

I thought Keith (O) did a typically good job summing it up.

[current.com]

He even beat out a cat killer.

CowbellGuy
I thought Keith (O) did a typically good job summing it up.

[current.com]

He even beat out a cat killer.

Someone still watches Keith Olbermann?

KeithK

CowbellGuy
I thought Keith (O) did a typically good job summing it up.

[current.com]

He even beat out a cat killer.

Someone still watches Keith Olbermann?

As I found out on NPR this morning, today is Keith Olbermann's birthday _and_ he is apparently arguing with his bosses at Current TV (but they didn't get into the details). I guess somethings don't change, even as one ages. I do like his baseball musings, on his MLB blog.

KeithK

CowbellGuy
I thought Keith (O) did a typically good job summing it up.

[current.com]

He even beat out a cat killer.

Someone still watches Keith Olbermann?

Someone watched Keith Olbermann in the first place?

Ronald '09

KeithK

CowbellGuy
I thought Keith (O) did a typically good job summing it up.

[current.com]

He even beat out a cat killer.

Someone still watches Keith Olbermann?

Someone watched Keith Olbermann in the first place?

MSNBC probably wouldn't exist today if they hadn't.

Ronald '09

KeithK

CowbellGuy
I thought Keith (O) did a typically good job summing it up.

[current.com]

He even beat out a cat killer.

Someone still watches Keith Olbermann?

Someone watched Keith Olbermann in the first place?

Oh, he was great back in the day when he was on Sportscenter. Back when many of the folks on this board were still in elementary school. If only he'd stuck with sports...

CowbellGuy

Ronald '09

KeithK

CowbellGuy
I thought Keith (O) did a typically good job summing it up.

[current.com]

He even beat out a cat killer.

Someone still watches Keith Olbermann?

Someone watched Keith Olbermann in the first place?

MSNBC probably wouldn't exist today if they hadn't.

The world sure owes a debt of gratitude to Keith for that...

It would make a big difference if people would keep their strident political views off this forum.

Al DeFlorio
It would make a big difference if people would keep their strident political views off this forum.

Oh come now. We're just tiptoeing around the political in this thread. I'm sure we could get a lot more strident over in JSID if we wanted to expend the effort.

Al DeFlorio
It would make a big difference if people would keep their strident political views off this forum.

Second that. I think there are too many lefties hanging out here but we root for the same team and that's why we are here. If we talk about politics, we would be at each other's throats. So knock it off...

Redscore

Al DeFlorio
It would make a big difference if people would keep their strident political views off this forum.

Second that. I think there are too many lefties hanging out here but we root for the same team and that's why we are here. If we talk about politics, we would be at each other's throats. So knock it off...

Can't trust those Scaevolae.

Ben

Redscore

Al DeFlorio
It would make a big difference if people would keep their strident political views off this forum.

Second that. I think there are too many lefties hanging out here but we root for the same team and that's why we are here. If we talk about politics, we would be at each other's throats. So knock it off...

Can't trust those Scaevolae.

I prefer to use sinister.

Greening has been chosen to participate in the Fastest Skater and Elimination Shootout in the All Stars Skills Competition tomorrow.

TheMatrix
Greening has been chosen to participate in the Fastest Skater and Elimination Shootout in the All Stars Skills Competition tomorrow.

Each team has their own "skills day" for the fans and Colin won the Fastest Skater for the Sens, and IIRC, was very close to the fasest time ever. I hope he breaks it tomorrow night.

It came down to two rookies in the fastest skater competition at last night's NHL All Star Weekend Skills Challenge, and one of them was Colin Greening. Carl Hagelin, of the Rangers (via UMichigan), was the other and ended up winning the competition, beating Colin by less than a tenth of a second in the finals. Greening had the fastest time of any skater all night, earlier in the competition, but couldn't replicate that time in the finals.

Not bad for the 6'3, 212 lbs. Greening, especially considering Hagelin is listed at 5'11, 182 lbs.

Moulson checks in at #49 on Bucci's top 100 NHL players list.

49. Matt Moulson: You want 30 goals? Here you go. This guy is going to get 30 for the third year in a row. Some people know just where to go and what to do to be successful.

[espn.go.com]

NYTimes article on Thomas not going. and an interesting letter to the editor. It's the fourth one down. I agree with her.

The guy makes millions a year playing a GAME, and he feels like his liberty and property are under attack? I wonder how, exactly..? Not enough income from capital gains, or carryover interest?

steveb
The guy makes millions a year playing a GAME, and he feels like his liberty and property are under attack? I wonder how, exactly..? Not enough income from capital gains, or carryover interest?

Bain Capital might help him out.

Luke 05
Moulson checks in at #49 on Bucci's top 100 NHL players list.

49. Matt Moulson: You want 30 goals? Here you go. This guy is going to get 30 for the third year in a row. Some people know just where to go and what to do to be successful.

[espn.go.com]

Aaaaand they're still using the picture from when he was in the Kings organization.

nr53

Luke 05
Moulson checks in at #49 on Bucci's top 100 NHL players list.

49. Matt Moulson: You want 30 goals? Here you go. This guy is going to get 30 for the third year in a row. Some people know just where to go and what to do to be successful.

[espn.go.com]

Aaaaand they're still using the picture from when he was in the Kings organization.

If you were a photographer, would you take an assignment to shoot an Islanders game?

ugarte

nr53

Luke 05
Moulson checks in at #49 on Bucci's top 100 NHL players list.

49. Matt Moulson: You want 30 goals? Here you go. This guy is going to get 30 for the third year in a row. Some people know just where to go and what to do to be successful.

[espn.go.com]

Aaaaand they're still using the picture from when he was in the Kings organization.

If you were a photographer, would you take an assignment to shoot an Islanders game?

Probably not but they're just using the stock pictures from the NHL. All they need to do is update their database every once in a while [www.nhl.com]

nr53

ugarte

nr53

Luke 05
Moulson checks in at #49 on Bucci's top 100 NHL players list.

49. Matt Moulson: You want 30 goals? Here you go. This guy is going to get 30 for the third year in a row. Some people know just where to go and what to do to be successful.

[espn.go.com]

Aaaaand they're still using the picture from when he was in the Kings organization.

If you were a photographer, would you take an assignment to shoot an Islanders game?

Probably not but they're just using the stock pictures from the NHL. All they need to do is update their database every once in a while [www.nhl.com]

Because clearly ESPN cares about hockey...

Riley Nash recalled by the Hurricanes today... saw it on the ticker of NHL network, which I receive as a consolation prize for being screwed over by Time Warner Cable (and MSG)

Moulson scores a PPG with Riley Nash in the penalty box. Greening also has a goal tonight.

jkahn
Moulson scores a PPG with Riley Nash in the penalty box. Greening also has a goal tonight.

.... And two assists (moulson that is).

jeff '84

jkahn
Moulson scores a PPG with Riley Nash in the penalty box. Greening also has a goal tonight.

.... And two assists (moulson that is).

Riley had a big part of the play leading to Carolina's 2nd goal. On a scramble in front (well, technically the side) of the net, Riley was able to poke the puck out from the Islander's goalie before the whistle, thus keeping the play alive for the Tim Brent ppg.

So, did Greening score tonight because his eye caught a bunch of Cornellians during warm-ups?

At 23-23-46 in 49 games, Moulson in 8th in goals and 18th in points. His points-per-game is way ahead of his first two Islanders seasons:

2010 82 30-18-48 .585
2011 82 31-22-53 .646
2012 49 23-23-46 .939

That's also at least 213 consecutive games played.

No props for Douglas? He had his 4th assist last night.

Cornell alumni unrelated thread drift: Dan Boyle beat the snot out of Derick Brassard, wow. Beat down.

RatushnyFan
Cornell alumni unrelated thread drift: Dan Boyle beat the snot out of Derick Brassard, wow. Beat down.

Isn't beating the snot out of people Murray's job?

Josh '99

RatushnyFan
Cornell alumni unrelated thread drift: Dan Boyle beat the snot out of Derick Brassard, wow. Beat down.

Isn't beating the snot out of people Murray's job?

Relative to Boyle, yes but Murry has been moved to the second D pair with Brent Burns and wasn't on the ice for any of the late-game shenanigans (that I noticed at least). He also hasn't had to do much fighting in recent years:

According to hockeyfights.com
2011-2012 Regular Season NHL (1)
2011-2012 Preseason NHL (1)
2010-2011 Regular Season NHL (4)
2010-2011 Preseason NHL (1)
2009-2010 Regular Season NHL (2)
2008-2009 Postseason NHL (1)
2008-2009 Regular Season NHL (2)
2008-2009 Preseason NHL (1)
2007-2008 Regular Season NHL (11)

nr53

Josh '99

RatushnyFan
Cornell alumni unrelated thread drift: Dan Boyle beat the snot out of Derick Brassard, wow. Beat down.

Isn't beating the snot out of people Murray's job?

Relative to Boyle, yes but Murry has been moved to the second D pair with Brent Burns and wasn't on the ice for any of the late-game shenanigans (that I noticed at least). He also hasn't had to do much fighting in recent years:

According to hockeyfights.com
2011-2012 Regular Season NHL (1)
2011-2012 Preseason NHL (1)
2010-2011 Regular Season NHL (4)
2010-2011 Preseason NHL (1)
2009-2010 Regular Season NHL (2)
2008-2009 Postseason NHL (1)
2008-2009 Regular Season NHL (2)
2008-2009 Preseason NHL (1)
2007-2008 Regular Season NHL (11)

I think early on in his pro career Murray tried specifically to fill the physical defenseman role to cement his place in the league. I think he placed more emphasis on hitting, which probably results in more fights. As he's become more established he's focused more on playing solid positional defense with a physical component. He still delivers punihsing hits but it's not the sole focus of his game.

Not strictly the right place for this, as he's not a Cornell alum, but his brother coached Andy Iles for a while, and I think it's important to remember people: [www.legacy.com]

I met Bobby Armstrong 30 years ago when he was an undergrad at Clarkson...and a member of the Clarkson hockey team. I liked and respected him anyway. I wanted my new-born son to grow up to be a person like Bobby Armstrong [except for the part about going to Clarkson]. The world is a lesser place with his passing and my heart goes out to his family.

It's a rough month for hockey players and coaches with the Armstrong family name. May Bobby and Jim both rest in peace.

Re. Douglas, I think his fights are also down because players aren't as willing to challenge him. They've learned that he's quite strong and it's no fun to get hurt (the Eric Boulton fight notwithstanding).