David Franke certainly could have said that more tactfully.
So could some of the bloggers who said THE EXACT SAME THING FOR MOST OF THE SEASON. Some of you are being hypocritical about the whole situation considering how you cried about how the Komets needed a heavyweight, someone bigger to take on Goulet and some of the rest. All year Stayzer wasn't good enough or Mac wasn't big enough or whatever for you. Now you're getting exactly what you wanted, and some of the same people are still crying.
Pretty bush all the way around.
God love you, Mac for giving it everything you had every night. The next guy has a lot to live up to.
Comments
I always thought it was unique how we'll dissect some poor fool who's supposed to be a tough guy 10 times more than we will any goaltender or captain or center who are probably a lot more important to the overall team's ability to win. I wonder if it's a little intimidating coming to a team that has already had such classic characters as Fletcher, Madigan, MacMillan, Kaminski, Bawa, Gagnon, Purinton, etc. At least they know for the most part they'll be appreciated.
Blake, your correct; but I think it has more to do with how the Marketing Machine builds some of these guys up before they ever play a game in a K's uniform more so than the fans need to dissect a tough guy, IMO... Sometimes the Machine gets a lil carried away with itself and players, rivalries, or individual games cannot possibly live up to that amount of hype...
That is because we love FIGHTS :)
so fight-fight-fight :)
There are plenty of other live hockey and televised hockey options. The Komets don't have a monopoly. Or a little scottie dog to hop around the board and land on "free parking". ;)
mightbite- I don't think it is all "we" (frenchmen). I enjoy a good fight from time to time as most hockey fans do. But I think the game is much more than fight, fight fight. A team sure needs to have a enforcer to protect the skilled players. Having said that, it is the skilled players who win the game.
Mightbite, this fella would be a veteran. I'm confused about two things. First thing. Are we sacrificing a nice, high scoring forward to spend the rest of the cap and the last veteran spot on a veteran "tough guy" when the Franke's have said over and over again that there are a lot of players looking for jobs? Second thing. Since you keep giving links to "tough guys" who may be available are we all done with the Franke vs. Mac rant that got out of hand on this blog?
Yea, we need a "tough guy". No doubt about it. We also need a sniper and a goaltender.
You win games by scoring goals and also by stopping the puck before it enters your net.
Come on people ...to win another cup we need another sniper and a good goalie to help Nick. I think the toughness we have already with Cescon Schrock Rodgers etc. We dont NEED a heavyweight champion of the world on the team. The days of "Slapshot"hockey are gone. Let us move on. Sorry Mitebite!
Mightbite, looking at that guys stats, there is NO POSSIBLE WAY the Komets could bring him in. Do you know how much cash those guys make in the KHL? It's well into the 6 figures. No player takes that kinda paycut, I'm sorry. Guys aren't desperate enough to come to play in the Fort for that kinda sacrifice. I agree with Blake on this....Why is everyone so hung up on a big heavy weight fighter? What did Legault do to help the K's win the first 2 cups? Oh, he was in the stands, I forgot. Macker could play a regular shift at least. It's not easy to find a big heavy weight that can skate a regular shift and acutally HELP the team with more than just his fists. A lot of those guys are in the AHL. Alan, I appreciate what you say about Haun, but the fact is, it wasn't about money. There is a reason they didn't want him back. That's all I'm gonna say. But I will say this: in real life, you may not like your boss or co-workers, but in hockey, you can only dislike your boss (or coach). The team has to be together. If enough guys on a team don't like someone, then the writing is on the wall for that guy. This is not an office, people. The room has to be together and you don't have to love a guy, but you have to not dislike him. There was enough dislike in that room, at least according to 3 of the players I spoke to....
QUESTION=Why did Wayne Gretzky have McSorley follow him to every team he played on except St.Louis Blues,who had Tony Twist .
I understand people saying we need a goalie (yeah, duh, we only have 1 right now) and a sniper (always handy), but I'm not going to dismiss the importance of a heavyweight either. Skill usually overcomes toughness, but that doesn't keep the team full of skill players from being knocked from one end of the boards to the other all night long. You have to have somoene who can stand up to the other teams' toughest guys if needs be. Maybe they won't be needed, but if the fantastic sniper you just signed is taking questionable hits or the amazing goalie you brought in is getting run the moment the first puck drops, you'll be glad they are there. And yeah, I know they have some real "pound you into a little greasy spot on the ice" goons in the CHL. Cedric Bernier was one of them.
Wendy, what other live hockey is there around here? Please dont tell me high school hockey (no offense Blueline). That was a good option when I was a teenager and had friends playing to go watch...
And watching live hockey is ALOT different than watching televised hockey. When your there your not depending on the producer of the game to make sure you catch all the action... Not the same by a long shot...
Anyone remember the build-up on Ken Boone?
Warren Rychel was also used to protect Gretsky.
Warren Rychel is a middleweight, he is from Windsor Ont.,he is GM for the Spitfires, he almost signed with the Komets :)
JR: There are many ECHL teams, AHL, and even NHL teams within driving distance of the Fort Wayne area. For some, these cities are just as close as Fort Wayne is. In fact, quite a few posters on these blogs have attended games in the leagues I've mentioned from time to time. And if you live in Fort Wayne and can't afford even a short road trip, there is high school hockey, which needs and always appreciates the support. Or one can always get some friends together, grab a stick and lace 'em up yourself.
Televised, I understand that this new-fangled HD stuff is revolutionizing the way people see and appreciate the game. No, you don't see all of the ice all the time, but since when do you see everything that happens in a live game? I'm often looking the wrong way when something significant happens. Either I'm watching something behind the play when a goal is scored or I'm watching the play when someone goes down behind the play. You can't win. Not to mention the endless parade of people coming and going or standing up in front of me to block my view. I'm short, so even if I stand up too, I can't see. All things considered, I actually see a lot more in a televised game. What you do miss is the atmosphere, but it's up for debate how much of a loss that is. It's nice to be there in person, but it's also nice NOT to be there in person.
Plus, you can watch select NHL games for free via the internet. :)
Steve, I have your disc ready. Are you going to the post office again anytime soon? LOL.
Is there an AHL or ECHL team closer than two hours to Fort Wayne?
I wonder how many people who attend Ks games regularly live an hour or so away? If you did, that'd mean leaving your house by 6:00 PM, getting to the Fort around 7:00, sitting on Coliseum in traffic for 20 mins, then rushing to your seats for the drop of the puck at 7:30. This does not include any time for dinner, so plan on Coliseum food (watch the ESPN special on the foovd provider the Coliseum uses if you havent seen it). Watch the game until 10:00 or so, sit in the parking lot for 10 minutes, then get home at 11:30 (conservative estimate).
Several bloggers on here do this? I guess it's possible, but far from ideal.
Also, nothing against the GOW crew, you do a good job, but I wouldn't compare watching the games on tv to being there.
None that I'm aware of, but 2 hours is a reasonable drive. A person probably couldn't take in as many games that way, but it's enough. I think BLB took in as many live games in other leagues last year as I normally would just going to Komets games alone. And yes, I've seen it stated by a few people on the blogs before that they live about as close to Cincinnati, Kalamazoo or Toledo as they do to Fort Wayne. Maybe they're retired. Beats me how they do it. But I guess they just live in rural Indiana or Ohio and want to see live hockey like you do.
GOW? No argument there. Although the way Randy groans and says, "Take the body!" all the time, it's probably more like a live game than other hockey broadcasts. Now if Tim would just yell, "Shoot!" every few seconds and spill beer on the camera, it would be perfect.
Just for the record: I am very thankful for the GOW as I enjoy being able to see the games again. I think Tim, Randy, and Otto do a great job and would miss them if they decided to quit broadcasting.
Just for the record: To Andy Sherman, yes I know that in an ideal world we would like to have everyone in the locker room get along with each other. Chemistry is important. Still there are teams like the old Oakland A's who fought in the locker room but when on the field dominated their opponents. A question. Are these three players you reference still with the K's? The fact remains that whether it is attitude, money, or whatever, Tim haun will not be part of this next team. Ya' know what? I don't care. Let's get Nolan in here.
Just for the record, I'm dissing the live experience more so than the GOW, which could be better, but it is what it is.
Wendy you appearence makes the GOW that much better. I know it's hard work finding people to be your guest, but don't quit.
I'm a die hard. I've missed one game the last three seasons, and the was for the birth of my son. I can honestly say that I've only watched 1 GOW broadcast. I guess if I've been to them all, there's no need... Its just not appealing to me, I can barely stand B2 for road games. I hope the CHL-TV is better than we've gotten with B2.
Wendy, loved the "pound you into a little greasy spot on the ice" comment. As far as the disk goes, I think I haven't been back to the Post Office since I ran into you there :-)
Contact Blake and he can give you my email address and we'll work something out if that's OK. If the PO is a regular thing for you then I can meet you there or I'm open to any suggestions. What ever is best and the least trouble for you.
RK, my brother lives just north of Angola, he's a STH and makes most games unless the driving gets really bad. I know two other couples who live there and make it also (1 STH, 1 not). The couple that sits behind me are STHs from Warsaw. The husband has a co-worker who is also a STH from there. They also know one other couple who come regularly.
Next game when you walk through the parking lot if you look you'll see a lot of tags from Ohio. Use to be when the county identifier was part of the tag number you would see bunches of cars from Adams, Wells, and Whitley counties also. I'd bet a lot of those people are still coming.
I don't know the percentage, I'm sure it's not real high, but there are a reasonable number of people who travel to Fort Wayne to see the Komets. The Komet office might be able to give you some idea of the number or percentage of STHs who are from out of town but they probably have more important things to do then figure it out.
Now that I think about it, Tim Hoke comes in from Angola also.
OK, the point was that you can have a dislike or a differance in opinions as far as the Frankes go and still attend Komets games. Its the only live professional hockey in this area.
Most people do not consider a 2hr drive a reasonable drive for a few hours of entertainment. High School hockey is not a good enough substitute for professional hockey, IMO. Its a good filler if your team is out of town; but cant replace it. So as far as professional hockey goes the Frankes have the market cornered in Ft Wayne...
Is there a way to get the GOW over the internet?
I do not live in the fort anymore.
http://www.centralhockeyleague.com/pressroom/news/index.html?article_id=4797
Another great fighter retires :(
Aw, thanks Dennis. Now Burgee will say you are sucking up to me! :D Quit? It's hard to quit when you've already been sacked. LOL. Seriously though, it's just as well. I didn't belong. I am too old. Too old to begin the training...
That was easy, i don't have to say a thing Wendy did it for me! Smooooooccccccchhhh! You know what i'm talking about Schebig!
Burgee-Wendy--I was being "Polite" something Burgee would know very little or nothing about. Who woke you up anyway? Go back to the pool! Hockey begins in 8 weeks.
No Rob Nolan :(