Stars Hockey

[fischer]

It still bugs the crap out of me how he just randomly picks teams to cheer for:

Penguins over Stars
Dolphins over Cowboys
TCU over NTSU

[Ticket Mouse]

I was an established Pens fan before the Stars came to town. My Dolphins fandom has wavered to a point of barely existing. I actually went to TCU so that does give me some cred.

[P. Marf]

There were many rumors of Ott being trade and the interest of other teams. The stars obviously weren't sellers at the deadline or else he would be in Vancouver now.

[P. Marf]

www.chicagotribune.com/sns-rt-hkn-blogmt1sbnation2583160-20120223,0,7489358.story

"Earlier this week ESPN's Pierre LeBrun mentioned that there are a few teams interested in Steve Ott and Mike Ribeiro, and last night on TSN Darren Dreger -- perhaps the best "inside man" in hockey -- specifically mentioned Ott. When asked which player would be the most sought-after at the deadline, Dreger had this to say:

"I like Steve Ott from the Dallas Stars for a number of reasons. He's a good faceoff guy, he's a penalty-killer, he's a fierce competitor all year long. When it comes to the playoffs, you need that kind of energy presence in your lineup. Toronto, Vancouver and Philadelphia are all teams that will be looking at adding him.""

The fact that you have so much hatred in him just proves that he is successful at the "agitator" role he is in. Same thing with how I feel about guys on Anaheim and San Jose who piss me off. Kinda like how I felt about Jason Arnott back in the late 90s and early 00s when he was on New Jersey.

[P. Marf]

Mar 20, 2012 14:23:56 GMT -5 Ticket Mouse said:

Dude, he completely backed down. They didn't show it on TV. I was at the game. Asham kept saying "let's go. Let's go." Ott skated backwards before the puck even dropped. I recorded the game and watched it the next day. It was just out of frame. Everyone in the arena thought they were going to throw down. Asham is one of the best fighters in the league and Ott skated away. That's Ott's MO. He'll paster the smaller forwards...try to get them to go...but if they throw an enforcer out on the ice he acts like he hasn't been doing anything all game. That's what he's known for. Why do you think no one wanted him at the trade deadline. He's a liability. As much as I hate Scott Hartnell I'd take him with one leg over Ott. It's one thing to take penalties and it's another to take them at crucial points in the game. Malkin takes bad penalties but he's the best player in the league. Ott has 10 goals and 125+ PIMS. He's a liability.

One guy I am impressed with is Ryder. That kid could be something special. He's playing at a +20. Louis Eriksson is playing out of his mind as well.

A few things that debunk this ridiculous post if the previous one didn't already do some damage to it:

A. He is 52nd in the NHL in penalties taken/60 minutes at 1.2. (at least 30 games played)

B. He also draws .9 penalties/60 minutes.

C. You have to remember that Ott is an agitator and protector of his teammates. He only has 6 fights this year but he lays big hit after big hit and gets in the head of the other team. If I were not a Stars fan I would hate him too.

D. You made the worst comparison possible with Asham. He hardly plays. According to the rankings of fighters I could find, Asham doesn't even rank 1st or second on his team in terms of being the best fighter. He averages 1 penalty/ 60 minutes, he only has 4 goals (13 points).

E. You mentioned Ott's 10 goals, however you failed to mention his 25 assists (35 points). Not that high, but what he does on the ice isn't taken for granted. He has been hitting the post all year as well.

F. See my previous post about Ott and the trade deadline.

[fischer]

very typical. Stubbs is wrong and misleading when it comes to a sports topic. That just goes with the other 99% of his sports posts so its not hard to believe.

[P. Marf]

I'll go ahead and argue the point that you will probably argue next. I am no hockey expert, but even I was able to see that Ashner is a spare. He may be a good fighter (or at some point in his career maybe) but he is on the ice under 10 minutes a game. He hardly plays. This show me he probably goes into a game to instigate a fight, thus, putting him and the guy he fights in the penalty box. How smart would it be for Ott, a player that is on the ice twice as long as Ashner, to fight him and get put in the box. Ott is a key player on his line. Ashner's only role is probably to get better players off the ice. It would have been incredibly stupid for Ott to fight a guy who is hardly a threat to the actual game, which was a battle. Of course you wanted Ott to fight him -- you guys would end up with a spare in the box while the Stars have a major piece off the ice.

So, don't come on here with a story about a guy who barely plays trying to fight Ott. Ott would have been an idiot to do so. Send a key player after him and then we will have a story.

Ashner is the Brian Cardinal of the NHL.

[fischer]

boom.

[Ticket Mouse]

First off it's Asham, not Ashner. Second, I never said he was a big player. He's a bit player that is used strictly as an enforcer. The fact that he's an enforcer and hasn't been in many fights or had many PIMs says a lot about his reputation. He's been in the league for 15 years and is one of the most hated guys over that time. Everyone hates him but loves him when he's on your team. He has a very limited role on the team but is one of the most respected players in the locker room. If there could be a 3rd alternate he'd have an A on his shoulder.

Your point about him being used as an instigator is laughable. When you have the two best players in the game and another who is probably top 15 (Neal), a top 10 defenseman (LeTang), a top 5 defensive forward (Staal), one of the meanest guys in the league having his best point total ever (Cooke), and a top 4 goalie, you don't need instigators. You are the instigated. You need an enforcer. Ott was trying to draw penalties all night and was successful in getting matching minors with Geno he was the only one taking the bait. There was a slash on Kunitz that wasn't called and a cross check on Cooke. He was hacking away all night and for the most part Pittsburgh didn't fall for it. He tried to get the gloves to drop a few times. No one bit. Finally, Bylsma threw Asham out there to make Ott make a decision-either keep it up or back down...and back down is what he did.

The fact is only one team wanted him and that was Vancouver. They are a bit soft up front but to give what Dallas wanted would be to rob from what is already working. The mentions of Toronto and Philly are funny. Toronto is patheticly average and have nothing that could help Dallas on the ice this year or next. Philly is probably the most physical team in the Eastern Conference and already has 4 guys cut out of Ott's mold that are better than him. Ott would be on their 3rd line at best. I think Newy and the Stars threw out some leading information to draw up some interest in Ott. GMs in hockey do this all the time.

[P. Marf]

A. The quote didn't have to do with Anything Newy said. It had to do with an expert saying who was interested in Ott and how he was the biggest name included at the deadline.

B. You argued against your original point. You are now saying Ott was trying to fight all night and no one would. Originally you called him a bitch for not fighting. There is no benefit to him fighting a spare that barely gets on the ice. So what about all the guys who backed off Ott's request for fights? Again, don't send Broan Cardinal out there to do the dirty work and expect other teams to bite.

C. Keith Brooking was a respected guy in his locker room. Who cares.

D. Your credibility is struggling because you originally stated no one wanted Ott in a trade. Now that I have brought up evidence you state someone did.

E. Complaining about missed calls is weak.

F. The game you keep referring to you were at. Yes, the experience is better. However, unless you went home and researched the whole game on tv, people at home have more insight on the game with close-ups, in depth replays, commentary, and analysis.

G. And again, you can't hate on Ott for not wasting a fight and the box on a guy who is only out there to get to the box.

[fischer]

this thread is awesome. I'm glad someone else is having to put up with the stubbs bs this time.

[Ticket Mouse]

A. I didn't say Newy said anything publicly. I just speculated that they threw out leads to up the bidding. Like I said, hockey GMs do that all the time.

B. I didn't say he was trying to fight all game...he was just trying to bait them into taking penalties. When he realized he wasn't getting under their skin (except for Geno who threw a few solids to his face) he started taking cheap shots like the slash and cross-check. There's a HUGE difference between challenging someone to fight and trying to get under their skin. His shift before the Asham incident he kept mouthing like he wanted to dance but it was all talk because when Asham lined up across him on the next faceoff he skated backwards.

C. Bad analogy. Brooking looked like a fool out there doing his little pep talk. Asham lets the backing up of his linemates do the talking.

D. The talks weren't serious. Vancouver was the only one even close to interested and they weren't willing to give up as much as Dallas wanted. Don't act like Ott was Cliff Lee. He was Harold Baines.

E. They were just evidence of his cheap shots. Calls get missed all the time.

F. I actually watched the game twice. Once when I got home that night and again the following weekend.

G. That's the same reason why Pittsburgh, by and large, ignored Ott's antics.


Here me out...I have never said Ott does not possess the skill set to be a good player. I just think he's a liability, takes DUMB penalties, and lets his emotions get the best of him more often than not. He reminds me a lot of Pittsburgh's Matt Cooke. Cookie has the reputation as one of the dirtiest players in the league. He knocked out Boston's Joe Thornton for an entire season a couple years ago. By last year his antics had gotten tired and most Pens fans and the media were calling for them to trade or release him. He was a liability and put his teammates in bad situations. He was hockey's answer to Vincente Padilla.

This year has been one of the biggest 180s I've ever seen in a hockey player. His point total this year is his highest since 2003 and second-highest in his career. He already set a career high in goals. His PIMS went from almost 130 last year to 30 this year. He's considered one of the favorites for the Masteron Trophy (given to the player who most diplays gentlemenly play; named after the former North Stars great). He's still aggressive. He's not playing soft by any means; he's just playing smarter and it's showing up in his production.

I think Ott has three times the talent that Cooke does. He should be a consistent 20-goal scorer (something he's done only once) and 50 (something he's never done) points should be a healthy expection. This is his 9th year in the league. He's a career -14. It's time for him to transform himself on the ice.

[P. Marf]

B. You said Ott tried to "drop the gloves a few times" which is a lot over the course of a game.

[duckbutter]

Do Derian Hatcher or Mike Modano still play?

[P. Marf]

Unfortunately no. Those were the glory days.