Giants could be one stale team come Memorial Cup time

[N.W. Bruin]

They could be looking at a five week break from playing in any hockey games if they go out early (game four or five in the second round). And that is starting to look very possible. They maybe able to have a mini-training camp and play intersquad games of eleven or twelve players per team but that is all. And that isn't going to cut it. If they go out that early in the playoffs the team likely will go their separate ways for maybe three weeks and than come back and try and get ready.

[Swando]

You voice my same concern. The way they played tonight who says they'll get into the second round? The management sure blew it this time (who would have guessed it) I would rather have the team that played while the 4 guys were away at the WJs.

[Knuckles Muldoon]

Far too early to hit the panic button. There are still abot 20 games left to prepare the team for the playoffs. i am encouraged the way the team played in the past week. Sure, we were up against a string of lesser teams, but the Giants got back to playing the proper style, the style they can ultimately win with. The loss in Kelowna doesn't bother me too much because for the most part did a lot of things well and badly outshot Kelowna. Agreed, giving up 11 PP opportunities isn't good, but we're at a work-in-progress here. There are a number of factors to feel good about here.
1. We do have the on-ice personnel to get the job done.
2. We have the coach who can pull it all together.
3. We have an immediate challenge in front of us (finishing ahead of Kamloops) to help keep the team focused, as opposed to having an otherwise meaningless string of games to round out the regular season.

I thought it was a good week, all in all, compared to some of the crap that was happening during most of January. Just hoping that we can put together another solid week here against PG/Kam/Kel.

[Swando]

I think that we (or) Joey and Bill overrate this stat. I have been watching our shots and we do get a lot of softy types on net ie: a winger breaking in off the wing and lets go a wrist shot that the goalie easily catches and holds on or does not give up a rebound. At this level any goalie can stop that type. If it were screened shots getting thru or point shots that would be a different story. Do you think this why we "always" run into a hot goalie that ends up being a star of the game?? Take note how often this happens.
I do like our effort but not the results. I think in part to this whole slump is a combo of "new guys that can't grasp the character of our former team" and the other teams getting pumped to play us becuse it is a measuring stick and knowing we can be beat. Heck look at Kelowna --they had a better power play that us with 1/2 the talent. Ray won tons of faceoffs.
What does it tell you when they play a D man at forward last night. Hay is obviously looking for a spark.
If we have trouble with Kelowna ( no disrespect) I think we do have a problem and the panic button should be ready ...PG game Wednesday will be the tell tale sign!

[Knuckles Muldoon]

Swando, sure sometimes the Giants generate a lot of shots from the outside that inflate the total. But to me, what it really means is that the Giants are spending more time in the opponents end than in their own, which tends to indicate that we're working the forecheck, the strongest and most telling part of the Giants game. If the Giants don't get on the forecheck, they won't go far in the playoffs, period. It all hinges on the forecheck. The pressure stays off our mobile, but generally un-physical defense and young goalie.

[dondo]

The problem is that our shot stats are over-blown as there are times we just shoot it without a real scoring chance, and although its always a good idea to get it on the net there's a lot of shots we take that aren't followed up with players crashing the net, or scrambling for the rebound.

the problems as I see them right now:

- problems with sloppy play in our own end-- too many times lately the Giants have coughed up the puck or out and out passed it to an opposing player in the slot -- this has got to stop. also have a very hard time clearing our zone for some reason.

- lack of confidence, the boys don't believe they can win every night and no longer have that surety that they are a team of destiny.

- lack of effort, and that means fighting for every puck, fighting through the hooks and holds, and getting to the front of the net - its happening but nowhere nearly enough (imo).

- an anemic PP, we change our style for the PP and fail to have any kind of traffic in front of the net. our passing along the points is slow and sloppy (where it used to be quick and snappy), and when we work down low we are no longer quickly getting it to the point for those one-timers, when their D collapses to the net. D-men also not playing on their off-wing to enable them to get off a better one-timer.

- lack of chemistry -- the team right now either has yet to find their rhythm or we lost the chemistry we had when we dealt the good in the room guys for the "skill" guys.

- earlier in the season this team absolutely HATED to lose (esp Don Hay who read them the riot act when they took a loss), now they don't seem to care and put forth -- the effort they put forward versus Kelowna both nights and the effort they put together when playing elite teams is frankly sub-par.

- the really big one I've noticed though is that if they don't get the first goal they seem pretty damn fragile and that just simply has to stop.

- concerned about the goaltending as well, there always seems to be one weak goal a night and that could kill us down the stretch.

This team has the horses to get the job done, but are lacking a player who when they decide enough is enough have the ability to take a game over and change the out-come.

Although we have a big defense, we don't have as physical one as some of the other teams we come up against.

We also don't have anyone in top 20 scoring in the league where-as a team like Everett has two ad the Blazers have four (Milan Lucic comes in at 33rd in the league, and Tim Kraus next up at 44th).

The upshot is that even with the skill we acquired at the trade deadline we still are not a team that is going to win simply by out-scoring, we are still a lunch-bucket team that will win by pure effort, every shift, every game, every night, every player. Without that cohesiveness through the line-up we will be hard pressed to make it to the second round. I'm not saying that we aren't a team capable of playing that way, but it'll take everyone pulling the same direction.

[Sput]

While I haven't seen the Giants for some time now, but reading on here, and with all the Vancouver based (or was that biased) media we get up here, I see a trend of what happened to your team.

Dondo made some good points in his last post here.

lack of chemistry -- the team right now either has yet to find their rhythm or we lost the chemistry we had when we dealt the good in the room guys for the "skill" guys.
This one is huge. Your management did what Cougars brass did at the begining of the season. Make some big changes, sent some good 'team' guys away, and now the players all have to learn how each other plays. The new arrivals also have to adopt the Giants hate to lose attitude. They didn't bring that with them from their old teams.


when we work down low we are no longer quickly getting it to the point for those one-timers, when their D collapses to the net. D-men also not playing on their off-wing to enable them to get off a better one-timer.

I haven't looked down your roster to see what hand everyone shoots, but looking at our roster, we only have two or three right hand shots in the lineup. This makes it tough to set that guy up for a one timer when you don't have anyone that can play their off wing.


concerned about the goaltending as well, there always seems to be one weak goal a night and that could kill us down the stretch.

I think Salde walking hurt the team more than anyone wants to admit. I've read some of the interviews with Sexsmith, and how Slade used to talk down to him, belittle him, and generally piss the guy off. Maybe that unseen pressure made Sexsmith a better goalie becasue he worked harder to prove Slade wrong, that he IS a good goalie. With that negative voice gone, the pressure is gone with it and Sexsmith hasn't had to work as hard as he did, there by affecting his game.

These are just some of my observations as a neutral observer of your team.

[rinkrat]

I've read some of the interviews with Sexsmith, and how Slade used to talk down to him, belittle him, and generally piss the guy off.
Sput,could you post a link?
I keep hearing about this but until I read it for myself I think it is BS.
Sounds like something Giants mgt would plant in the media to justify their goaltending screw up.
Lets see a quote in a newspaper.

[Sput]

Sput,could you post a link?
I keep hearing about this but until I read it for myself I think it is BS.
Sounds like something Giants mgt would plant in the media to justify their goaltending screw up.
Lets see a quote in a newspaper.

I can't remember where it was I read this. I thought it was on here someplace but I can't find it now. I'll keep looking though. I might come across it. If anyone else finds the interview I'm refering to with Sexsmith....PLEASE post a link.

[rinkrat]

I can't remember where it was I read this. I thought it was on here someplace but I can't find it now. I'll keep looking though. I might come across it. If anyone else finds the interview I'm refering to with Sexsmith....PLEASE post a link.
Thanks Sput.Thats what I keep hearing,people saying they are sure they read it,but no one can find it.Maybe it was said on a Shaw broadcast.
Either way,I can't believe Sexsmith would say those things and if he did,I have zero respect for him.Thats the stuff that stays behind closed doors.Unless of course he wants his teammates airing out his dirty laundry in public.We can always start with him getting mono last year and trying to hide it from his teammates and mgt.(like they wouldn't notice :spineyes: )

[GF71]

Sput,could you post a link?
I keep hearing about this but until I read it for myself I think it is BS.
Sounds like something Giants mgt would plant in the media to justify their goaltending screw up.
Lets see a quote in a newspaper.

I have heard this from SEVERAL players, all of whom refused to go on the record with it for obvious reasons. Tyson and Dustin did NOT get along at all, even last year they were very much like oil and water. Tyson is not innocent here either, but Dustin was less then friendly towards him to say the least.

[Sput]

Thanks GF71. I'm sure I read this somewhere, maybe on this board some place, maybe another board or news media source. I honestly can't remember. It wouldn't be the first time a player spoke out against a former teammate after one was traded.

[Kassian]

I've also mentioned this before. They had a segment during one of the Shaw games about this. Of course Slade wasn't interviewed at the time to speak his side of the story, but both Sexsmith and Bonner were interviewed and commented on it. Either way I understand some people questioning whether or not it's true but I saw it with my own eyes. What would I have to gain by making it up?

[Sput]

FOUND IT!!!!!!!! I'll post the message, and the link to it.




I apologize if this has already been posted, but I just got the latest Hockey News in yesterdays mail, and in the WHL Section, there's some very interesting quotes by Sexsmith about the whole Slade situation ...

"He'd try to say things to try to get me off my game so he could get the upper edge on me, but it never really worked, " Sexsmith said. "I'm a mentally tough kid and it takes a lot to break me." .... "You could tell things just wern't going right for him, " said Sexsmith, "Then with the news we got, it wasn't that much of a shock for me".

Being a Philly guy, I've always had a soft spot for Dustin, because he reminds me of Hextall a bit .... but this really disappoints me. I recall a debate on the forums here a while back where a few of you were arguing about what a great team guy Slade was ... these quotes really prove that to be false in a big way. I'm pretty shocked to see that a player would try and hurt the team so blatantly, just to get his minutes. We all know that goalies are a different breed, as they usually either fement on the bench or play, but this is over the line, IMO.

For all of you that think he's coming back, I doubt that if this is true that Hay would let him back in. Is there a trade for a true #1 in the works, or are the G-Men going to ride Sexsmith all the way ?
http://www.network54.com/Forum/40684/message/1166716798/More+Slade+...
I tried to find it on The Hockey News web site but couldn't locate this artical.

[rinkrat]

FOUND IT!!!!!!!! I'll post the message, and the link to it.




http://www.network54.com/Forum/40684/message/1166716798/More+Slade+...
I tried to find it on The Hockey News web site but couldn't locate this artical.

Cmon Sput,thats not a link! Thats a link to something an Everett fan made up(as far as I know)
Show me where the Hockey News published this article.(I read the Hockey News)
Please people,show me this story in a legitimate article.Otherwise its heresay.
If so,then fine,like GF71 stated,its something he heard.

[IceMan]

Don't make the mistake of lumping me in with "those typical Tips fans" ...

I sat here with my Hockey News next to the keyboard and typed it directly in. For those of you that get THN delivered, it was in that little WHL Section that they have near the end of it (where they have the WHL, OHL, QMJHL little articles). It was the mid-december issue, I think. I tossed it, so I don't have it anymore, and the THN website doesn't seem to have archives anywhere -- you can buy them to view online, but I don't want to make my argument THAT badly ;)

Anyway, that's where it is, for those of you that keep those old issues lying around, look it up for yourselves.

[scamperdog]

FOUND IT!!!!!!!! I'll post the message, and the link to it.




http://www.network54.com/Forum/40684/message/1166716798/More+Slade+...
I tried to find it on The Hockey News web site but couldn't locate this artical.
that sounds like what Sexsmith said when they talked to him and Bonner on a shaw broadcast back in December, if i remember right it was between the second and third periods, when they showed the interview, and in a game a week or two before christmas

[rinkrat]

that sounds like what Sexsmith said when they talked to him and Bonner on a shaw broadcast back in December,

So Tyson and Bonner,(Scott or Craig) were sitting there together slinging mud at Slade?
Another hard hitting Rintoul interview?
Time to turn in my tickets if thats the case. :skeptical

[scamperdog]

So Tyson and Bonner,(Scott or Craig) were sitting there together slinging mud at Slade?
Another hard hitting Rintoul interview?
Time to turn in my tickets if thats the case. :skeptical
if i remember right, it wasnt slinging mud but more the fact that there was no love loss between the two goalies, and they didn't exactly hang out together,
It would be great to get a copy of that game so you could see it, and decide from that. bottem line is that its to bad politics, agents and to many others that know best get in the way of the kids developing and playing the game

[Kassian]

Bingo. At least someone else saw this from one of the Shaw telecasts.

[BruinsFan19]

Here's a different one...

http://mckeenshockey.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=626680

[rinkrat]

Here's a different one...

http://mckeenshockey.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=626680

Now I'm pissing myself laughing! Adam Dunfee? C'mon...
He is a teenage kid taking journalism at Langara college,please.My son plays street hockey with this kid.Mckeens,my ass!
Not only that,read the quote.

[BruinsFan19]

Hey I don't know anything about the source. That's just what came up when I googled the situation.

[Redwic]

Cmon Sput,thats not a link! Thats a link to something an Everett fan made up(as far as I know)
Show me where the Hockey News published this article.(I read the Hockey News)
Please people,show me this story in a legitimate article.Otherwise its heresay.
If so,then fine,like GF71 stated,its something he heard.

He's not what you might consider a typical Silvertips fan... He actually knows the rules of hockey, and plays it. I also believe that he saw that article in Hockey News.

Oh, well. It's no shock that Sexsmith did not get along with Slade. Did anyone? lol :laugh:

[Sput]

Cmon Sput,thats not a link! Thats a link to something an Everett fan made up(as far as I know)
Show me where the Hockey News published this article.(I read the Hockey News)
Please people,show me this story in a legitimate article.Otherwise its heresay.
If so,then fine,like GF71 stated,its something he heard.

You asked me to find where I read it, I did, posted it and the link. Sorry if it isn't up to your unsrupulous credentials, but I think there are enough other posters that read THN, and saw the Shaw broadcasts to verify what I said.

Now with this hopefully cleared up......can we get back to the origional topic of why the Giants have tailed off the way they have? :skeptical

[rinkrat]

I heard a guy at the bus stop this morning telling his buddy that he heard from a guy who knows a player on the Giants who said he overheard Bonners wife saying that she was taking Dan Bertrams Mother out for lunch.

DAN BERTRAM IS COMING TO THE GIANTS. :D












Or was it on a message board I read?

[dondo]

give it a rest rinkrat :p :wave:

I think its pretty sad that Slade was feeling so threatened by a 17yr old goalie that he lost all perspective on the situation. Instead of being a good tandem it seems that Dustin was not the team player we once thought he was. Its a huge shame too, because they could have been the example of sharing the goaltending duties which works, but instead it really has taxed the team which has lost a step because of the drama, not necessarily because of the personnel lost.

I like what Sput said about the baiting by Slade pushing Tyson to be better and I think there's some truth to this. Slade's an emotional guy (you can see it in the way he plays) and not the sharpest knife in the drawer either. Combine those two aspects and you get volatility, but this particular volatility actually seemed to motivate both Tyson and Dustin -- without that competition the Giants definitely lost a step between the pipes.

Its a curious situation, but not really something that should be our focus in a Memorial Cup year. As much as we think its behind us as fans I feel its haunting us and the team in a subliminal manner.

[rinkrat]

give it a rest rinkrat .

Unless you want this board to become the "National Enquirer" of hockey,then links should be provided to LEGITIMATE newspapers or hockey publications.Especially when discussing things of a personal nature regarding a players character.
Thats all I'm saying.If you can't understand the negative effects of not providing quotes,then perhaps you may like the puck bunny board.Lotsa gossip over there.

[dondo]

lol-- you know I was j/k right? -- well sorta :p

but in the end I agree -- the hearsay around this subject has been extreme, taking the "he said, he said" thing to whole other level.

[byrdman25]

I love it, were we really debating about journalistic integrity and credibility. These are journalists people, they get paid for the amount of sensationalism they can put out that sells papers. As long as they are partly correct, or have 1 fact then they have upheld standards. If the rest of the story is made up or hearsay they do not care, as these debates only further their personal agendas of being read, written about and thus have ammunition to charge higher fees to whoever buys their articles of scandal. Yes some are honest and straight forward but they usually write for academia, where you have standards and are reviewed.

The Giants will come back together and win it all, a slip now is better than in April

GoGiants

[Adam D]

"He'd try to say things to try and get me off my game so he could get that upper edge on me, but it never really worked," Sexsmith said. "I'm a mentally tough kid and it takes a lot to break me."

The Hockey News December 12, 2006 Edition, page 30

[Soundy]

They could be looking at a five week break from playing in any hockey games if they go out early (game four or five in the second round). And that is starting to look very possible. They maybe able to have a mini-training camp and play intersquad games of eleven or twelve players per team but that is all. And that isn't going to cut it. If they go out that early in the playoffs the team likely will go their separate ways for maybe three weeks and than come back and try and get ready.

I guess this has been pretty much put to rest then, hmm?

[C.F]

I guess this has been pretty much put to rest then, hmm?
Well in all fairness, hignsight is 20/20. There was a legitimate reason for concern at one point in the season. I think it's fair to say everything has fallen into place quite nicely over the past two months.