I went back and looked and he did say he was leaving because he wanted to make Toronto his off season home and because it would help him get his coaching career started.
He is of course allowed to change his mind.
My comments are nothing against Chaulk as a person. I am not questioning his talent level and I believe his contributions to the Komets are those of someone who should have his jersey raised to the rafters. I just don't see his return being a solution to the problem
Mike in Toronto
Tue, 12/21/2010 - 9:55pm
Great points folks. Snuff, if this happens, it can be said that mistakes were made on both sides that led to Colin's departure. I can't get into specifics.
The situation in Italy was to further his goal of staying in the game after retirement. The Canlan situation would have provided some of what Colin needed but it was untenable until about a week after everything was finalized.
As for style of play, Colin was also keyed on quite a bit. So he gave back the clutch and grab. It's a two way street. If the refs call that stuff, great. I think Colin still has great wheels and will adapt. As for youth, where do you find it?
JM. To your point, with only a few years left to play, Colin was looking for the next step. There were two sides to this.
So I don't understand where there is a "forgive" in this. It's business at this level. The Frankes played a part in his departure. Things haven't worked out and rumour has it they are talking.
Bottom line, folks, the team is not performing. I don't think any one player can fix a situation by themselves. But I do believe that a player can impart a message, a story, be a leader and can change other players attitudes. By his work ethic alone Colin will make this better. It may be too late to cure. But better.
Mike in Toronto
Tue, 12/21/2010 - 9:57pm
That is, if this all happens.
Jared R.
Tue, 12/21/2010 - 10:07pm
You forget that these guys don't make as much as it may seem. For many of the veterans with families - yes, even guys like Chaulk, their "secondary" jobs are just as important to get the bills paid. Playing hockey only gets you paid for 6 months...8 at most. What would your finances be like if you took 4-6 months off each year?
mr. snufflupugus
Tue, 12/21/2010 - 10:11pm
Mike no doubt if it happens it can't hurt this years team. He will most likely be an upgrade over whoever he replaces. And with all being said I do have trust in David Franke to do whatever he can to fix this mess.
His fault in this as I see it is allowing Sims too much control/trust in personel decisions. I also see him being too loyal to guys like Guy who should have been nudged into retirement. At this point I hope David takes more control over the player decisions and gets the best talent in here that he can.
I think we can trade some of our vets (Curd for starters and one of our goalies for seconds) for youth. Curd is not by any means old but his head is obviously elsewhere because bad system or not he isn't doing the little things.
An old coach of mine once said
"The difference between winning and losing is doing things nearly right and doing it exactly right"
Right now they aren't even near doing things right. If Chaulk comes back I hope he doesn't put pressure on himself to try and save this team because #1 he can't and #2 that weight shouldn't be on him anyway. I hope you are right about his ability to adapt. One thing for sure, I want him going out with his head up and our last memories of him being the first class player that he was both on and off the ice. I don't want him falling into the same trap as others have this year.
komets123
Tue, 12/21/2010 - 10:39pm
keep seeing how the Komets need to get younger.. bunch of old slow guys.. we have 3 players 30+ ... Bloomington 3 players 30+.. Dayton 2.. Rapid City 3.. Colorado 4...Arizona 3... Tulsa 4....
Ok.. done with looking up teams after that many.. obviously we are WWAAAAAYYYYY older than everyone....... well wait.. no.. we seem to be pretty much on par huh?
So, I think the age thing is kind of a weak argument to bringing in other players.. Old guys, young guys, middle aged... I do not think it matter. Bring in who can lead and play.. Chaulk might fit the bill.. He always has before.. 30+ years old or not.
komets123
Tue, 12/21/2010 - 10:43pm
Oh, and 1 more stat.. I heard a rumor of a pretty good team in hockey.. a team called "Detroit Red Wings"??? I looked at their roster and for the life of me can not figure it out.. 12 players over 30!!!!!!! 12!!!!! they should suck right? I mean look at the age of those guys!
Figured they would be a bunch of washed up retreads at that age.
mr. snufflupugus
Tue, 12/21/2010 - 11:09pm
different class of athletes. Comparing apples and oranges. Those guys are paid hockey players 12 months out of the year, not working summer jobs.
And time will tell how well the Wings do come playoff time. They are already slumping a bit. Legs get tired much quicker in your late 30's, a fact I can very much attest to.
In this case part of the "old" has to do with actual age and part of it has to do with guys who have been hearing the same message and may have lost a step of motivation having seen banners raised to the rafters over the last 3 years. I want to see guys here who have something to prove and the hunger and motivation to impress Columbus. Pretty much once you hit 25-26 those chances become few and far between.
komets123
Tue, 12/21/2010 - 11:25pm
You can not disregard the Red Wings stat and say "we will see what happens in playoffs" in the same argument. You either deem it irrelevant or you consider it to hold water and will make your point on age if they flop out of playoffs... trying to use it both ways is foolish..
If you choose to point a finger at me at playoffs when they get knocked out i will throw you the stats of 30 more NHL teams that all have their fair share of "old guys"..
Age is a non-factor. These are athletes. We are right in line with every other single team in this league. If you think we need a changing of the guard b/c too many of our players are becoming complacent that is fine.. leave it at that.. But enough with the age pointing already. That argument is flat out false.
komets123
Tue, 12/21/2010 - 11:28pm
oh, and btw.. I realize it was apples to oranges with the Red Wings. That is why I had it in a completely separate post.. In fact... Yes fact... the NHL is much older than our league. Seems age vs skill doesn't lean the way some think.. Don't give me this outrageous argument of NHL'ers go for 12 months.. these people are only part timers.. These "part timers" are professional athletes and many aspire to be in the show one day...
mr. snufflupugus
Tue, 12/21/2010 - 11:51pm
Sorry but you are off base. Every (ok almost every) one of these guys over 26 knows they aren't going to be anything but at best AHL bench dead weight. NHL teams aren't looking for guys in their late 20s trolling around AA hockey teams.
Fact:
Most AA players are 6 month hockey players and 6 month insurance reps or other occupations.
NHL players do not have summer jobs.
When you condition yourself at a high level 12 months out of the year you can play at a higher level longer. Sure some of these guys do. Others (take Huckalo for example) showed up to camp overweight more than once and had to bust tail to get in shape.
Comparing NHL to AA you might as well compare the Komets to a mens league team at Canlan.
mr. snufflupugus
Tue, 12/21/2010 - 11:54pm
And for the record.... I never said the Komets as a roster were too old but some others have. I have said Guy and PC are too old and their play this year backs my statement. I have said I wanted to get younger and stop reaching out to 30+ year olds. Simply put..if we are going to make changes I want to go with young and hungry guys. So you may want to take your argument up with the others who think the Komets are all together too old.
komets123
Wed, 12/22/2010 - 12:33am
every sport at every level has guys come into camp overweight. Doesn't make them any less of a professional. Nothing wrong with 30+ y/o ...You are generalizing to a point were you handcuff your options IMO...
Most people agree we need leaders. Good luck finding a 19y/o leader. Crosby has been spoken for.. Well by your standards maybe he is too old now. but still..
This age argument is stupid. Many many many many professional athletes are 30+ .. in fact a large portion are in their prime around that age...
This whole "Komets too old" and "NO more over 30" nonsense is about the dumbest debate I have wrapped myself up in... so many examples to lend support to my theory/defense. In OUR league.. In other hockey leagues. In other amateur sports.. In other professional sports. However no matter how i try to point it out you will simply apply a blanket statement to reassure you position...
komets123
Wed, 12/22/2010 - 1:01am
Snuff - My arguement wasn't meant to be taken up with you and you alone.. Is why I started my original post with: "I keep seeing how Komets need to get younger":.. as in, I have viewed many posts recently...
You took up the opposition side for yourself. I am willing to debate it with whoever wanted to take on the other side of it.. Happened to be you.
Bottom line I think the komets need a 30+ vocal leader.. someone who can get a handle on egos and locker room trouble. I DO NOT see a 19-24y/o filling those shoes.
mightbite
Wed, 12/22/2010 - 5:41am
Playoffs ????? you're talking Playoffs????
Sorry,but I love that by Jim Mora :)
JungleMonkey
Wed, 12/22/2010 - 9:14am
An "overweight" Hukalo showed more grit and hustle than anyone on this current team. I'd take a roster full of 20 David Hukalo's.
No-Touch Icing
Wed, 12/22/2010 - 12:33pm
Age is a factor during the length of a season. Not every athlete is the same. For instance if two players trained the exact same way and are the exact same age, say 35+, that doesn't mean that they are both going to stay fresh at the end of the season. There are some athletes that can accomplish this, but if age wasn't a factor then you would see a ton of 35+ guys playing instead of a ton of 20+ guys. The fact remains age does have something to do with it, but it's not everything. Like I said, there are athletes that can compete at that age, but it can't be a blanket statement.
I think that there are actual playmakers on this team. They just haven't made any. They made them last year. So what's the difference? It's a different league with different rules. I would imagine it would take some time to get used to, but not this long.
There might be some misfits in the locker room and it takes a coach to call them out and communicate that to management. Communication seems to be an issue with this club. I'm sure they know who the bad seed or seeds are and I'm sure the ownership group would want them gone.
I would say Sims' track record speaks for itself. You cannot just throw everything together and say it's all the same. AAA, AA, NHL, is not all the same coaching. It's just not. Hockey is hockey yes, but the levels are not the same, period. The leagues are not the same. The CHL and ECHL are not the same leagues. They're the same level, not the same league and have different syle of playing.
This team is underperforming by miles. They will continue to do so throughout the year and will probably miss the playoffs. This stems from the team that was put together. It's going to be hard to disassemle it and reassemble it during the season. The only way I see a way out is through trading, lots of trading. Maybe then, this can be salvaged.
Comments
I went back and looked and he did say he was leaving because he wanted to make Toronto his off season home and because it would help him get his coaching career started.
He is of course allowed to change his mind.
My comments are nothing against Chaulk as a person. I am not questioning his talent level and I believe his contributions to the Komets are those of someone who should have his jersey raised to the rafters. I just don't see his return being a solution to the problem
Great points folks. Snuff, if this happens, it can be said that mistakes were made on both sides that led to Colin's departure. I can't get into specifics.
The situation in Italy was to further his goal of staying in the game after retirement. The Canlan situation would have provided some of what Colin needed but it was untenable until about a week after everything was finalized.
As for style of play, Colin was also keyed on quite a bit. So he gave back the clutch and grab. It's a two way street. If the refs call that stuff, great. I think Colin still has great wheels and will adapt. As for youth, where do you find it?
JM. To your point, with only a few years left to play, Colin was looking for the next step. There were two sides to this.
So I don't understand where there is a "forgive" in this. It's business at this level. The Frankes played a part in his departure. Things haven't worked out and rumour has it they are talking.
Bottom line, folks, the team is not performing. I don't think any one player can fix a situation by themselves. But I do believe that a player can impart a message, a story, be a leader and can change other players attitudes. By his work ethic alone Colin will make this better. It may be too late to cure. But better.
That is, if this all happens.
You forget that these guys don't make as much as it may seem. For many of the veterans with families - yes, even guys like Chaulk, their "secondary" jobs are just as important to get the bills paid. Playing hockey only gets you paid for 6 months...8 at most. What would your finances be like if you took 4-6 months off each year?
Mike no doubt if it happens it can't hurt this years team. He will most likely be an upgrade over whoever he replaces. And with all being said I do have trust in David Franke to do whatever he can to fix this mess.
His fault in this as I see it is allowing Sims too much control/trust in personel decisions. I also see him being too loyal to guys like Guy who should have been nudged into retirement. At this point I hope David takes more control over the player decisions and gets the best talent in here that he can.
I think we can trade some of our vets (Curd for starters and one of our goalies for seconds) for youth. Curd is not by any means old but his head is obviously elsewhere because bad system or not he isn't doing the little things.
An old coach of mine once said
"The difference between winning and losing is doing things nearly right and doing it exactly right"
Right now they aren't even near doing things right. If Chaulk comes back I hope he doesn't put pressure on himself to try and save this team because #1 he can't and #2 that weight shouldn't be on him anyway. I hope you are right about his ability to adapt. One thing for sure, I want him going out with his head up and our last memories of him being the first class player that he was both on and off the ice. I don't want him falling into the same trap as others have this year.
keep seeing how the Komets need to get younger.. bunch of old slow guys.. we have 3 players 30+ ... Bloomington 3 players 30+.. Dayton 2.. Rapid City 3.. Colorado 4...Arizona 3... Tulsa 4....
Ok.. done with looking up teams after that many.. obviously we are WWAAAAAYYYYY older than everyone....... well wait.. no.. we seem to be pretty much on par huh?
So, I think the age thing is kind of a weak argument to bringing in other players.. Old guys, young guys, middle aged... I do not think it matter. Bring in who can lead and play.. Chaulk might fit the bill.. He always has before.. 30+ years old or not.
Oh, and 1 more stat.. I heard a rumor of a pretty good team in hockey.. a team called "Detroit Red Wings"??? I looked at their roster and for the life of me can not figure it out.. 12 players over 30!!!!!!! 12!!!!! they should suck right? I mean look at the age of those guys!
Figured they would be a bunch of washed up retreads at that age.
different class of athletes. Comparing apples and oranges. Those guys are paid hockey players 12 months out of the year, not working summer jobs.
And time will tell how well the Wings do come playoff time. They are already slumping a bit. Legs get tired much quicker in your late 30's, a fact I can very much attest to.
In this case part of the "old" has to do with actual age and part of it has to do with guys who have been hearing the same message and may have lost a step of motivation having seen banners raised to the rafters over the last 3 years. I want to see guys here who have something to prove and the hunger and motivation to impress Columbus. Pretty much once you hit 25-26 those chances become few and far between.
You can not disregard the Red Wings stat and say "we will see what happens in playoffs" in the same argument. You either deem it irrelevant or you consider it to hold water and will make your point on age if they flop out of playoffs... trying to use it both ways is foolish..
If you choose to point a finger at me at playoffs when they get knocked out i will throw you the stats of 30 more NHL teams that all have their fair share of "old guys"..
Age is a non-factor. These are athletes. We are right in line with every other single team in this league. If you think we need a changing of the guard b/c too many of our players are becoming complacent that is fine.. leave it at that.. But enough with the age pointing already. That argument is flat out false.
oh, and btw.. I realize it was apples to oranges with the Red Wings. That is why I had it in a completely separate post.. In fact... Yes fact... the NHL is much older than our league. Seems age vs skill doesn't lean the way some think.. Don't give me this outrageous argument of NHL'ers go for 12 months.. these people are only part timers.. These "part timers" are professional athletes and many aspire to be in the show one day...
Sorry but you are off base. Every (ok almost every) one of these guys over 26 knows they aren't going to be anything but at best AHL bench dead weight. NHL teams aren't looking for guys in their late 20s trolling around AA hockey teams.
Fact:
Most AA players are 6 month hockey players and 6 month insurance reps or other occupations.
NHL players do not have summer jobs.
When you condition yourself at a high level 12 months out of the year you can play at a higher level longer. Sure some of these guys do. Others (take Huckalo for example) showed up to camp overweight more than once and had to bust tail to get in shape.
Comparing NHL to AA you might as well compare the Komets to a mens league team at Canlan.
And for the record.... I never said the Komets as a roster were too old but some others have. I have said Guy and PC are too old and their play this year backs my statement. I have said I wanted to get younger and stop reaching out to 30+ year olds. Simply put..if we are going to make changes I want to go with young and hungry guys. So you may want to take your argument up with the others who think the Komets are all together too old.
every sport at every level has guys come into camp overweight. Doesn't make them any less of a professional. Nothing wrong with 30+ y/o ...You are generalizing to a point were you handcuff your options IMO...
Most people agree we need leaders. Good luck finding a 19y/o leader. Crosby has been spoken for.. Well by your standards maybe he is too old now. but still..
This age argument is stupid. Many many many many professional athletes are 30+ .. in fact a large portion are in their prime around that age...
This whole "Komets too old" and "NO more over 30" nonsense is about the dumbest debate I have wrapped myself up in... so many examples to lend support to my theory/defense. In OUR league.. In other hockey leagues. In other amateur sports.. In other professional sports. However no matter how i try to point it out you will simply apply a blanket statement to reassure you position...
Snuff - My arguement wasn't meant to be taken up with you and you alone.. Is why I started my original post with: "I keep seeing how Komets need to get younger":.. as in, I have viewed many posts recently...
You took up the opposition side for yourself. I am willing to debate it with whoever wanted to take on the other side of it.. Happened to be you.
Bottom line I think the komets need a 30+ vocal leader.. someone who can get a handle on egos and locker room trouble. I DO NOT see a 19-24y/o filling those shoes.
Playoffs ????? you're talking Playoffs????
Sorry,but I love that by Jim Mora :)
An "overweight" Hukalo showed more grit and hustle than anyone on this current team. I'd take a roster full of 20 David Hukalo's.
Age is a factor during the length of a season. Not every athlete is the same. For instance if two players trained the exact same way and are the exact same age, say 35+, that doesn't mean that they are both going to stay fresh at the end of the season. There are some athletes that can accomplish this, but if age wasn't a factor then you would see a ton of 35+ guys playing instead of a ton of 20+ guys. The fact remains age does have something to do with it, but it's not everything. Like I said, there are athletes that can compete at that age, but it can't be a blanket statement.
I think that there are actual playmakers on this team. They just haven't made any. They made them last year. So what's the difference? It's a different league with different rules. I would imagine it would take some time to get used to, but not this long.
There might be some misfits in the locker room and it takes a coach to call them out and communicate that to management. Communication seems to be an issue with this club. I'm sure they know who the bad seed or seeds are and I'm sure the ownership group would want them gone.
I would say Sims' track record speaks for itself. You cannot just throw everything together and say it's all the same. AAA, AA, NHL, is not all the same coaching. It's just not. Hockey is hockey yes, but the levels are not the same, period. The leagues are not the same. The CHL and ECHL are not the same leagues. They're the same level, not the same league and have different syle of playing.
This team is underperforming by miles. They will continue to do so throughout the year and will probably miss the playoffs. This stems from the team that was put together. It's going to be hard to disassemle it and reassemble it during the season. The only way I see a way out is through trading, lots of trading. Maybe then, this can be salvaged.