This is where I might get taken to task by the cheerleaders in this forum.
The excuse-making by Mark Constantine the other day in the paper is magic.
This was from his column back in late-September.
"The Spirit aren't going to be matched when it comes to work ethic. The coaching staff won't stand for it. They'll give maximum effort every game. That's why this team won't be fun to play against".
Just the other day, some revisionist history after only one win in our last five games.
"The problem is the Spirit will have to outwork teams to win and the effort just won't be there every night. That's just human nature, and when you throw in three-in-threes, that third game becomes a test of mind over matter."
So now the effort "just won't be there every night"
Some of you who called last year's team out for lacking effort on certain occasions now will have to eat those words, since they nearly collapsed in the 3rd period Saturday and didn't give near the effort, from watching online, in the Soo, that they did the first time they went up there.
Don't get me wrong, there's a lot to like about this team. I'd been pegging Combs to emerge for a long time, if anything he should have played more last season. Ryan McDonough was been very impressive and may be turning into a "complete" hockey player. And Asselin has been excellent. I can't understand the Euro-bashing. Zaborsky and Mursak have a combined 19 points in 18 games, and understand that they're playing with LOTS less talent usually than they were last season when the likes of Pyatt, Haskins, McNeill, Bass were still around.
Our team isn't a contender this year. I wish they were but I'm a realist. An awesome achievement would be to surpass last year's team and get out of the 1st round, but I think they have almost no chance to go further than that. So I have no issue with them selling off parts before or at the deadline.
I mentioned the players definitely not back next year:
Mursak
Zaborsky
Asselin
Sinfield
Daniels
Asselin
Williams
Chappell (not good enough to be an overager)
and the possible losses
Combs or McDonough or VanBuskirk (obviously they'd need an AHL or ECHL contract, but that's not impossible. Geoff Platt had no problem getting one and neither did Ryan Garlock.)
So that's potential 5-7 of their best forwards, 2 of their best 3 defensemen, and probably both goalies. Eech.
And I know BP Fox isn't a big fan of overage goalies, and neither am I unless they can help you win a division and next year, there's zero chance of that.
So likely they're starting fresh with overagers, Euros, and yes, goalies!
So they need picks for this year and young 89 and 90 players. I liked a lot of Mancini's moves but whether you blame him or Dan Haliburton -- the 89 draft class was and is a disaster! Chris Breen's the only one left and his skills are marginal. He's not a Top 4 D-man, and yes, guys like Murovich and J McDonough are good depth players but neither are future 1st liners or guys you'd ever put out there in the last minute of a game.
Windsor and Sarnia are probably going to better next season and both have looked good, even Sarnia has after starting slowly. They both lose a lot less talent to graduation than we do. Plymouth and London and Kitchener will likely reload and keep getting players that no one else can get. So, again, cover your ears if you don't like it - but the Spirit could really get knocked around next year like it's 2003, without moving some value before the deadline.
Again - not doom and gloom, but this team has about 8 weeks to decide what to sell and how much for, and if they don't move some assets to build for when they can actually win something, it's a big mistake and if they end up winning a handful of games in the 08-09 season, you can say I was actually right about something! Having said that, they do work hard and have been impressive. Seeing only 2 home games and only one or two on the internet on the road, I will say they have more points than I thought they would at this point. Keep it up! Then make some trades for some picks and some 89s and 90s!
Some of you who called last year's team out for lacking effort on certain occasions now will have to eat those words, since they nearly collapsed in the 3rd period Saturday and didn't give near the effort, from watching online, in the Soo, that they did the first time they went up there. 