garfield: Those anti-awards were pretty cool. I was sad Quinn didn't make the anti-coach list though. He had a truly momentous year of brutality.
Ugh. I think Quinn is a great coach, but last year brutal. The team country-clubbed its way into the new calendar year. I don't know how player-friendly the practices were, but all that saved energy should've produced much more hustle in game situations. I can't stand a team that doesn't hustle back for the puck on the powerplay, and the Leafs were guilty of this on a nightly basis. And how long did it take for the Leafs to adjust and implement some-stretch plays that took advantage of not having the two-line pass rule? I smelt trouble when I read about the Hurricanes and Sabres were using the new officiating standards in training camp and making players do sprints if they held on too tightly to their old ways. I just knew the Leafs wouldn't be as ready as other teams would be. Oh well. Personnel decisions stunk too; never giving Czerkawski a legit chance, giving O'Neill and Domi way too many chances. And staying with Belfour too long cost the team the post-season.
Woo-Hoo Leafsfilter!! Garf - 100% on the Quinn synopsis. I think he's a wonderfully respected man and a HoFer. But he did a woeful job with the Loafs. I think it's a case where he just hung around too long and too many of his boys got too old and slow. Loyalty is a wonderful trait, but his was follyin several specifc instances. There were no adjustments on this team, and it actually was worse than it's record, given the over-reliance on the power play (which propped it up many a night against similar competition). Here's hoping for next year. But I just can't see who they're going to manage to get that's really going to make a difference. I hope the answer to that is Chara, but it's no longer Brad Richards (where'd the Lightning find the money?).
I love how almost every anti-award has a Penguins player in it. Isn't it a bit harsh to say Mario "mailed it in?" I'll cut the guy some slack... after all he's been through, he still tried and was finally taken down with an irregular heartbeat.
Everything that I have to say about the Wings was already said by wingnut.
