Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site watrose.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!watnot!watrose!gbelleville From: gbelleville@watrose.UUCP (gbelleville) Newsgroups: net.sport.hockey Subject: Re: NHL Rookie of the year - FLAME OFF! Message-ID: <7869@watrose.UUCP> Date: Tue, 4-Mar-86 13:06:26 EST Article-I.D.: watrose.7869 Posted: Tue Mar 4 13:06:26 1986 Date-Received: Wed, 5-Mar-86 04:48:29 EST References: <1796@dciem.UUCP> <484@watdragon.UUCP> <7865@watrose.UUCP> <503@watdragon.UUCP> Distribution: net Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario Lines: 75 > > < Donning Asbestos Suit > > Damn right, Gary! :-) It's getting mighty warm in here! :-) > > Kjell Dahlin is NOT riding on the coat tails of Naslund and Smith. > > Did Montreal have the best power play last year? Noooooo. > > And why do you suppose it is a lot better this year? > > What has been added to the Montreal power play since last year? > > Yup... Kjell Dahlin. > I suggest that you review the principles of causation. Just because Dahlin > is new does not mean that he is responsible for the success. Nor am I saying > that he did not have a part in it, either. OK fine. He's not the only reason, but he is a contributing factor. And that fact has been ignored in the media's evaluation of Dahlin. > >(Bobby Smith is the one benefitting from playing with Naslund and Dahlin). > Smith finally has the type of atmosphere that made him such a success in > Minnesota. He's a talented player who was not adapting to things in > Montreal. I'm glad that he's finally clicking. Let's not minimize his > effect on the other two, either. You are right, Bobby is playing better this year, but I don't think the powerplay would suffer without him. (I am confident Stephane Richer could be just as successfull). > > The bottom line is Clark has spent far too much time in the penalty box. > > How many goals has he cost the Leafs this year by stupid penalties? > > (Like Saturday vs Detroit). I agree the man has goal scoring talent, > > but its awful hard to score from the penalty box. > He's just a rookie making mistakes of overaggressiveness. And sometimes when > you're the only guy with guts out there you have to take some penalties in > order to show the other team that you can't be pushed around (like going > after (I think) Reed Larson on Friday night after Larson injured Salming). Isn't that what Goons are for?? Why should you have your #1 draft pick playing policeman?? That job used to belong to Brubaker, but since the Leafs got Clark they don't need him anymore. You should have your garbage players doing the fighting so the people with goal scoring talent(like Clark) can put the puck in the net. Clark might have 35+ goals by now if he had stayed on the ice longer this year. > > > And don't use that "HE'S ON THE LEAFS AND THEY ARE A CRUDDY TEAM" argument, > > because that doesn't cut it. Check Courtnall's, Thomas' and Salming's > > plus-minus. > As far as his backchecking goes, it's no worse than Mr. Dahlin's (and I would > say better). He's only a rookie playing on a lousy team. Like it or not, > it is a valid argument (or do you believe that all players should be able > to play like they've just played 5 years on the Edmonton Oilers?). No, it is NOT a valid argument. You can't really believe that someone with a -27 plus/minus is no worse defensively than someone with a -2 plus/minus when they both play forward on the same team. Statistics do not tell the whole story, but this stat on Clark cannot be overlooked when one tries to decide who is the best rookie. > > > How can you justify giving the Calder to someone with NINE assists? > By the same token, anyone with only 19 assists doesn't deserve to be on > the All-Star team, right? I'm sure Tim Kerr would appreciate the > vacation. Wrongo. Consider that: 1) 19 is more than twice as much as 9, and that it was attained in fewer games 2) Kerr had an amazing number of goals 3) Please don't compare being named to the "All Star" team with winning a major NHL award. > > > The last time I checked (3 weeks ago), Clark was 188 th in the NHL in > > scoring. Rookie of the year??? Gimme a break. > I call your attention to the aforementioned list of players, none of which > would break the bank in any scoring race (except Mr. Clarke). Give *him* > a break, huh? Sure. But if he didn't get into double digits in assists in his rookie year thats *all* I would give him. Gary.