|
Post by saginawhxc on Mar 29, 2015 15:30:11 GMT -5
Actually you are absolutely right. I don't know what I was thinking. I don't know if it's the new drugs, the severe lack of sleep, or just pure simple frustration at watching this team fail hard several years in a row, but either way you are right. My apologies.
|
|
|
Post by malarkey on Mar 29, 2015 17:29:55 GMT -5
I'll leave the debate about rebuilding to you Spirit fans....been there, done that.
But I am wondering if anybody found out or knows why the Spirit thought it was was an OK idea to have the team arrive in the Soo and pull into the Essar at 5-ish (actually it was a few minutes after 5) for a 7:07 game start for game 1. I asked in the game thread but I am still mystified.
|
|
|
Post by kingpin794 on Mar 29, 2015 17:38:28 GMT -5
I'll leave the debate about rebuilding to you Spirit fans....been there, done that. But I am wondering if anybody found out or knows why the Spirit thought it was was an OK idea to have the team arrive in the Soo and pull into the Essar at 5-ish (actually it was a few minutes after 5) for a 7:07 game start for game 1. I asked in the game thread but I am still mystified. I'd have to guess bus troubles. You'd figure they'd want to get there as early as possible.
|
|
|
Post by johnt on Mar 29, 2015 18:59:33 GMT -5
The plan was to arrive at the arena the usual two hours before game time, which was 7:07pm. No mechanical troubles were encountered with the bus or at Canadian customs. Weather on the way up was "perfect". Bussie on the trip was the regular guy, Jean-Marie Nicol.
|
|
|
Post by bpfox on Mar 30, 2015 19:18:15 GMT -5
Every sports fan wants "Their" team to be good. They want them to be at the top of the heap. But the reality is that just doesn't happen that often. Look at the Detroit Lions. They haven't won a championship since 1957. That is bad enough, but they have only won one playoff game in the 57 seasons since that championship. I am a huge Tigers fan and I love the fact that they have been competitive in recent years, but the fact is they have not won a championship in over 30 years. Even with those realities in place, the Lions pack the house on Sundays and the Tigers are right around 3 million fans a year coming thru the gates. I have been coming to hockey games in Saginaw for as long as there has been hockey being played in Saginaw. I am not the least bit frustrated with the Spirit this season. I know what they are trying to do and I see how they are going about it. They are doing it the right way for the first time. I would like to share with some terms I use and exactly what I think they mean. It might help.
Rebuild: This is a complete tear down of the team. This is selling off top talent for prospects and draft picks. Getting the right players with the time to develop them into the kind of team a coach wants. It takes a good coach. We have a good coach. This is not something we had in the early years. By all rights, with the players the Spirit traded this year, they had no business making the playoffs....but they did. This is what the first phase of a true rebuild looks like. Trust me when I tell you this, the future is very bright.
Reload: This is where a team tries to add a piece here or there to try and make the team a little better. Enough better to make it into the middle rounds of the playoffs. This is financially of good move because playoff games mean money. Most teams run their budgets based on the regular season. They do this because you can't count on playoff income. It's like extra money. The extra money is important because it helps keep the team here. The big problem with "Reloading" is that it doesn't get you to the promised land. Teams like London, Kitchener, Guelph and the Soo can get away with reloading because of the solid fan base. It's easier to get players to come to your city when the arena is full every night. Reloading takes the highs and lows out of the mix, but does not work that well for teams like Saginaw. Saginaw has always been a "Reloading" team. If you remember, they tried the "London" model. Problem is, it takes a large, hard core fan base for that to work. It also helps if the team is in Canada. Like it or not, the pool of players who prefer to play in Canada is larger than the pool of players who are willing to play anywhere. I think you are going to find that the "Rebuilding" model is going to produce better results than the "Reloading" model did. That's why I am excited for the future of Spirit hockey and why I don't care about winning in this year's playoffs.
"Going for it". This years Greyhound team is a classic example of going for it. They emptied the cupboards and brought in a lot of high end talent. I has produced one of the strongest teams I have seen in the OHL for some time. They should easily win the OHL Championship. All the focus is on Connor McDavid, but great teams beat teams with great players all of the time. This year will be no exception. Make no mistake, this young Spirit team is going to learn a lot playing against this Soo team. They are going to clearly understand where they are and where they need to be. They are going to learn what they need to do to get where the Soo is this year. The transformation of this team over the next two years is going to be nothing short of amazing. Team management is setting this team up to be successful. Next year, the Spirit will win the division. The Soo is going to suck, Flint is going to suck, Windsor is going to suck and Sarnia is going to finish second. What happens this week will not matter. What I saw in the Soo Saturday night was a Spirit team that totally dominated by a bigger, older, much more talented team and the young Spirit team never stopped playing. Even at the end of the game when the outcome was already determined they never stopped playing. These guys are playing right now to secure spots for next year. There will be no place on that team for quitters. Yes my friends, I am very excited for the future of this team. I for one, plan on enjoying the ride.
|
|
|
Post by spiritfan8 on Mar 30, 2015 20:05:54 GMT -5
donjohnson--I have to believe the counter restarts for the playoffs--Brown knows he has 10 fights, and I don't think there is any way he starts that one if he thinks he is going to miss a game. (Did he play in Game 2?)
|
|
|
Post by ohlhcky on Mar 30, 2015 20:16:48 GMT -5
bpfox.....you said it very well. Good times a head 2017 is the year.
|
|
|
Post by kingpin794 on Mar 30, 2015 20:46:16 GMT -5
Well put BP. But I will say that I think it's Sarnia's division next year. We'll keep close for a time but I think they're gonna be a tad more talented than us. Just by a little though.
|
|
|
Post by bpfox on Mar 30, 2015 21:07:59 GMT -5
I think you and I are thinking the same thing. You are just a little more open minded than I am. It's the blind fan in me that makes me think Saginaw. I'm going with the fact that Gilbert gets more with less. So the fact that Sarnia might be a better team on paper, Saginaw will be the better team on the ice.
|
|
|
Post by malarkey on Mar 31, 2015 10:00:49 GMT -5
"Going for it". This years Greyhound team is a classic example of going for it. They emptied the cupboards and brought in a lot of high end talent. I has produced one of the strongest teams I have seen in the OHL for some time. Team management is setting this team up to be successful. Next year, the Spirit will win the division. The Soo is going to suck, While the Hounds won't look like the Hounds of the second half come the 2015-2016 season, I don't believe they will "suck". We have a nucleus of returning players who have their own strengths and who have learned a ton playing with high end talent. The scouts and GM and coaches have become very adept at spotting late bloomers who turn out to be steals in the lower rounds of the draft or who the Hounds pick up via free agency. And while we dealt away a lot of draft picks at the trade deadline, the cupboard isn't exactly bare thanks to Dubas stockpiling....and we didn't give up a lot of players to get the 4. As well, many of the draft picks dealt away were acquired picks and they are spread out over several years which gives lots of time to get some back. Jan. 8 SSM Charley Graaskamp to SBY for Osh's 4th Rnd '16 and 4th Rnd '18 (cond.) Jan. 8 SSM Anthony Salinitri + Wsr's 2nd Rnd '15 + 2nd Rnd '17 + 4th Rnd '18 for SAR Anthony DeAngelo Jan. 7 SSM Kyle Jenkins + Ply's 2nd Rnd '15 + 3rd Rnd '17 + 2nd Rnd '19 + 2nd Rnd '20 for PBO Nick Ritchie + Connor Boland Jan. 6 SSM David Miller + 2nd Rnd '16 + Ply's 3rd Rnd '15 + 2nd Rnd '18 +3rd Rnd '18 (Cond.) for KIT Justin Bailey I don't think the Western Conference is going to have any hugely dominant teams next season, rather there will be a number of very good clubs. I sincerely hope that Sheldon Keefe is still behind our bench next season and that the NHL poachers leave him alone for AT LEAST that long. I would imagine it is only a matter of time before those same poachers are looking at your very good coach...again I hope not for awhile...I look forward to a lot more exciting tight games next season between our two teams.
|
|