"shoot the puck!"

[canucksfan]

Yes, certainly. Bitz is definitely a better skater than Bâby was at the beginning of his career. More strength will come later, just as it did with Bâby, but most importantly, it looks like Bitz has good hands and hockey sense, just like ol' #21.

[Jim Hyla]

But Bitz also has to be the All-Everything player that Baby was. As I posted last year, I couldn't think of a time during a game that I would not have wanted a healthy Baby on the ice. PP, PK, even, he was the total package.

[Ack]

Wouldn't mind a big ole Murray to slam some heads together either....

[Greg Berge]

Bitz is an excellent offensive player.  Defensively, he couldn't carry Baby's skates -- yet.

"Shoot!" is one of those things you always hear beginner fans yell -- they're frustrated and they don't understand how plays are set up.   But having said this... *everybody* starts out as a beginner fan, so don't be too hard on HC, who has the further extremely embarassing circumstance of receiving her hockey education on a public forum rather than by a few months of observation.

But here's something I *was* yelling at my computer screen last night: HIT !!!  The checking game was non-existent.  Even the usually dependable grinders weren't doing their jobs.  There were several situations down the stretch in the late third and into the o.t. in which the puck was free either against the boards or in the corner -- situations that an insanely great and aggressive team like Cornell '03 would win 80% of but which a decent team could still win at least half the time.  Except, Cornell '04 didn't win *any* of these situations, because they backed off and gave the puck to Mercyhurst uncontested.

After one particularly horrible example (not to single him out, but by Bitz), the camera passed Schafer and I thought he was going into toxic shock -- he wasn't so much angry as utterly appalled.

They may be afraid to take themselves out of the play because of the weaker D.  They may tentative because of the closeness of the games.  They may be tired because this years' puck bunnies are particularly ebullient.  I don't know (Especially about the bunnies.  Dammit.),  but it's a problem.



Post Edited (11-30-03 21:08)

[Josh '99]

Greg Berge '85 wrote:
Bitz is an excellent offensive player.  Defensively, he couldn't carry Baby's skates -- yet.

But then, neither could freshman-year Bâby.