Thunder

Didn't get to listen to the game last night, but looking at pointstreak it looks like we did a little better. I still think its way premature to start freaking out and say that we are doomed. Tulsa scored every goal last night on special teams.....four power play goals and a shorthanded goal.....

Anyway, doesn't matter how they scored them......they scored them.

We have to figure out how to play better on the road. We need to stop giving up close to 50 shots on the road. We need to make a couple changes in my opinion, don't know what is out there but there are several guys who I would look into trading or replacing (Murphy, Kuntz, Bain, Lardner, McLean, Hanson, Fairbarn). I'm not saying get rid of all of these guys, just make a couple changes....remember when it comes to trades you need to give something up to get something in return. You can't go offering Murphy for Joly.....DUH...

Anyway, we need to make a few minor moves and then find somehow to get these guys motivated to play a full 60 minutes of hockey!

Like Sheddon used to say, it's the games that are played after Christmas THAT REALLY COUNT. So we have a very important stretch coming up.....January is gut check time! I'm still confident that French will get it figured out, he seems like a very hard worker!

Every team goes through a down stretch during their season where they don't play very well...we will get back on track!

OUT

GDOGG

I think Lardner could be really good if he just wouldn't try to do everything himself! I'm not too worried about our forwards, our biggest problem is defense. We're scoring goals, but we're allowing too many! I'm sure there is a team out there who has a strong defenseman that they would be willing to give up for one that can score (Fairbarn). At the very least, put Fairbarn and Tetrault on seperate lines.

We should take everyone that had a negitive +/- last night and put them on the trading block!

According to pointstreak, that was just Blaznek... I don't think we want to do that.

rovot wrote:

We should take everyone that had a negitive +/- last night and put them on the trading block!

Another quality post by rovot....yup, get rid of Joe Blaznek, there is a thought right there! Ha ha ha

OUT

GDOGG

Back to reality......

One of the things that would make this team a whole lot better (in my opinion) is if we went out and threw some body checks. Seriously, the other teams do not have to worry one bit about being hit....I don't know how many times I've see our guys in hot pursuit after someone, that someone passes the puck off and we peel off without even attempting a check..that's not hockey. This is a trend that I see on many teams, not just the Thunder, but it seems that we check much less then other teams as a whole. I don't understand why.... I can do without fighting and stuff, but when we don't check, that's a little harder to swallow!

OUT

GDOGG

Gdogg6 wrote:

Back to reality...... One of the things that would make this team a whole lot better (in my opinion) is if we went out and threw some body checks. Seriously, the other teams do not have to worry one bit about being hit....I don't know how many times I've see our guys in hot pursuit after someone, that someone passes the puck off and we peel off without even attempting a check..that's not hockey. This is a trend that I see on many teams, not just the Thunder, but it seems that we check much less then other teams as a whole. I don't understand why.... I can do without fighting and stuff, but when we don't check, that's a little harder to swallow! OUT GDOGG

I'm with you on that G. When the "toughness" question comes up, this is what the majority of us are talking about. We haven't had a quality checker since Leiter retired. McPuss is a joke, and Liebel really only gets check happy when he gets really pissed (he's pissed off alot of times, but I'm talking about when he gets penalties he doesn't think he should get). Like G said, the majority of the time, when a Thunder player has the opportunity to "finish" a check, he doesn't. Good, quality body checking is what "sets the tone". I'm for the occasional fight, especially when the team is getting ass pumped, but continuous hard, board bending, glass rattling, body checks get the fans into the games as much as a knuckle buster.

Now saying that, I think alot of the "non"-checking has to do with the ticky-tack calling of interference and holding penalties. But I've still seen enough teams come into our barn, this season, and dominate the Thunder along the boards, and in the checking department. And not get called for these penalties.

Last edited by BT on Sun Dec 18, 2005 2:52 pm; edited 1 time in total

Gdogg6 wrote:

Back to reality...... One of the things that would make this team a whole lot better (in my opinion) is if we went out and threw some body checks. Seriously, the other teams do not have to worry one bit about being hit....I don't know how many times I've see our guys in hot pursuit after someone, that someone passes the puck off and we peel off without even attempting a check..that's not hockey. This is a trend that I see on many teams, not just the Thunder, but it seems that we check much less then other teams as a whole. I don't understand why.... I can do without fighting and stuff, but when we don't check, that's a little harder to swallow! OUT GDOGG

Yup.

All I know for sure is if THEY don't do something different it is going to be a long, cold, losing January with 8 of our 11 games on the road.

BT wrote:

Gdogg6 wrote: Back to reality...... One of the things that would make this team a whole lot better (in my opinion) is if we went out and threw some body checks. Seriously, the other teams do not have to worry one bit about being hit....I don't know how many times I've see our guys in hot pursuit after someone, that someone passes the puck off and we peel off without even attempting a check..that's not hockey. This is a trend that I see on many teams, not just the Thunder, but it seems that we check much less then other teams as a whole. I don't understand why.... I can do without fighting and stuff, but when we don't check, that's a little harder to swallow! OUT GDOGG I'm with you on that G. When the "toughness" question comes up, this is what the majority of us are talking about. We haven't had a quality checker since Leiter retired. McPuss is a joke, and Liebel really only gets check happy when he gets really pissed (he's pissed off alot of times, but I'm talking about when he gets penalties he doesn't think he should get). Like G said, the majority of the time, when a Thunder player has the opportunity to "finish" a check, he doesn't. Good, quality body checking is what "sets the tone". I'm for the occasional fight, especially when the team is getting ass pumped, but continuous hard, board bending, glass rattling, body checks get the fans into the games as much as a knuckle buster. Now saying that, I think alot of the "non"-checking has to do with the ticky-tack calling of interference and holding penalties. But I've still seen enough teams come into our barn, this season, and dominate the Thunder along the boards, and in the checking department. And not get called for these penalties.

Couldn't have said it better myself... good posts guys!

Of course when other teams got through a stretch of rough games it's because their coach sucks or they have the shittiest team ever

Beamer wrote:

Of course when other teams got through a stretch of rough games it's because their coach sucks or they have the shittiest team ever

No, it is because they suck in general. The Thunder are perfect and every other team is just that....a other team. That sucks. Bad. Unlike the thunder. The other teams are shit. We are good. You aren't so much.

You get the picture.

Quote:

No, it is because they suck in general. The Thunder are perfect and every other team is just that....a other team. That sucks. Bad. Unlike the thunder. The other teams are shit. We are good. You aren't so much.

Oh

Beamer wrote:

Quote: No, it is because they suck in general. The Thunder are perfect and every other team is just that....a other team. That sucks. Bad. Unlike the thunder. The other teams are shit. We are good. You aren't so much. Oh

Yeah, like that.

Re: Thunder

Gdogg6 wrote:

Didn't get to listen to the game last night, but looking at pointstreak it looks like we did a little better. I still think its way premature to start freaking out and say that we are doomed. Tulsa scored every goal last night on special teams.....four power play goals and a shorthanded goal..... Anyway, doesn't matter how they scored them......they scored them. We have to figure out how to play better on the road. We need to stop giving up close to 50 shots on the road. We need to make a couple changes in my opinion, don't know what is out there but there are several guys who I would look into trading or replacing (Murphy, Kuntz, Bain, Lardner, McLean, Hanson, Fairbarn). I'm not saying get rid of all of these guys, just make a couple changes....remember when it comes to trades you need to give something up to get something in return. You can't go offering Murphy for Joly.....DUH... Anyway, we need to make a few minor moves and then find somehow to get these guys motivated to play a full 60 minutes of hockey! Like Sheddon used to say, it's the games that are played after Christmas THAT REALLY COUNT. So we have a very important stretch coming up.....January is gut check time! I'm still confident that French will get it figured out, he seems like a very hard worker! Every team goes through a down stretch during their season where they don't play very well...we will get back on track! OUT GDOGG

I listened to the game last night and it was just the same old story. They started to show up about the second period, and finally did show up about the ten minute mark of the third. They just didn't play the whole game, and that doesn't win hockey games. As for the toughness issue, the only player that i've seen get physical DURING play in Liebel. McLean has turned into pretty much a joke when it comes to being physical, but I still believe he's a good hockey player. We've still gotta good club, but like you said, it needs to be more physical.

Any how, check your pm's......

Gdogg6 wrote:

Back to reality...... One of the things that would make this team a whole lot better (in my opinion) is if we went out and threw some body checks. Seriously, the other teams do not have to worry one bit about being hit....I don't know how many times I've see our guys in hot pursuit after someone, that someone passes the puck off and we peel off without even attempting a check..that's not hockey. This is a trend that I see on many teams, not just the Thunder, but it seems that we check much less then other teams as a whole. I don't understand why.... I can do without fighting and stuff, but when we don't check, that's a little harder to swallow! OUT GDOGG

exactly!! well put!!

One other thing we have got away from since the first of the season is standing them up at the blue line and playing the body. has of late others have been allowed to skate right into the zone untouched. Maybe because we have been behind on the play but alot of times we are there and in position and they go right on by.

Does anyone else think that maybe French's coaching style has changed? I remember reading that he said we would rather lose being agressive then lose sitting back,checking at the blue line, hard nosed hockey. We seen some of it at the beginning of the year and not much since the middle of November.Has he changed his style to suit the players abilities or just changed his style because that isn't really how he coaches? I think he has done a solid job since he was not able to hand pick his own players but he really needs to get the guys motivated.