Feels a lot like 2004-05!!!

[RaidersWin]

The 2004-05 Prince Albert Raiders finished the regular season with a record of 31-32-5-4. When the play-offs rolled around they found themselves in an opening Eastern Conference match-up against the Saskatoon Blades who were 37-23-6-6. (This is the match-up that looks to be shaping up this year) The Raiders were able to defeat the Blades in 4 straight games. All through out that playoff run which seen the boys take out the Tigers in 6 and eventually being ousted in 7 against the Brandon WheatKings, the Raiders lost only ONE game at home that entire playoff run.

I look at our team this year, and see the success they are having at home. Maybe, just maybe, if they make it into the Playoffs, which I am positive they will, we could see the boys make a good run again. By the looks of it, Saskatoon may be the 1st round opponent, and EVERYONE knows they don't have a good play-off team, never have. So what do you guys think? Should we start planning our trips to Saskatoon, Brandon, and where ever else we are going to travel to?

[wango tango]

The 2004-05 Prince Albert Raiders finished the regular season with a record of 31-32-5-4. When the play-offs rolled around they found themselves in an opening Eastern Conference match-up against the Saskatoon Blades who were 37-23-6-6. (This is the match-up that looks to be shaping up this year) The Raiders were able to defeat the Blades in 4 straight games. All through out that playoff run which seen the boys take out the Tigers in 6 and eventually being ousted in 7 against the Brandon WheatKings, the Raiders lost only ONE game at home that entire playoff run.

I look at our team this year, and see the success they are having at home. Maybe, just maybe, if they make it into the Playoffs, which I am positive they will, we could see the boys make a good run again. By the looks of it, Saskatoon may be the 1st round opponent, and EVERYONE knows they don't have a good play-off team, never have. So what do you guys think? Should we start planning our trips to Saskatoon, Brandon, and where ever else we are going to travel to?

chickens and eggs. don't start counting yet. i'm not convinced both saskatoon and prince albert are going to finish where they are right now.

then it was the divisional playoff format, now it's top 8 in the conference. since the league adopted the conference format, upsets are a rarity.

with the turnover in players and coaches it's hard to draw comparisons.

[Dwight Schrute]

pa ran over the blades and tigers with hard hitting gritty solid defense. then lost to the stripes in round 3. unfortunatly the grit and solid defense arent really the same. ever since that year mollekin has tried to emulate what beat him with gritty guys (tidball drafting inglis, klotz etc...)

[EOK1]

pa ran over the blades and tigers with hard hitting gritty solid defense. then lost to the stripes in round 3. unfortunatly the grit and solid defense arent really the same. ever since that year mollekin has tried to emulate what beat him with gritty guys (tidball drafting inglis, klotz etc...)

I like how you stated when you finally lost in that year during the playoffs, it was the stripes' fault. Is that the excuse the Raiders always use when they lose?

[EOK1]

really , do you get sick of trolling other teams threads ? Because it gets pretty old reading your negative post when a poster tries to bring something worth while to the forum

I really think you need to calm down and quit worrying about whatever anyone says. It's a message board and I can post wherever. If you can't handle what is said on a message board, you then are really sensitive to the matter and can't handle it. Maybe if you didn't blame this, that and every other thing for your losses, than you wouldn't have to come in and save the day all the time. I bet you 30 years down the line, you'll still bring up the Wiebe hit on Zemlak. Get over things.

[westbeach55]

I really think you need to calm down and quit worrying about whatever anyone says. It's a message board and I can post wherever. If you can't handle what is said on a message board, you then are really sensitive to the matter and can't handle it. Maybe if you didn't blame this, that and every other thing for your losses, than you wouldn't have to come in and save the day all the time. I bet you 30 years down the line, you'll still bring up the Wiebe hit on Zemlak. Get over things.

your the one that needs to calm down, this should be a discussion form for raider fans. everyone can have the opinions but your just on here starting stuff. spend more of your energy supporting your team

[Dwight Schrute]

the game i saw in brandon was probably the worst reffed game i ever saw that year. fehr hauled down schlenker and went in on a breakaway and scored the game winner. courchene taking 2 handed hacks at chipchuras achilles, stones stick spent more time in peoples ribs then on the puck. the crap webb and later pulled was unreal. it was the height, of kelly mcrimmon having his way with officials.
oh and btw the raiders were issued a apology from the leagues officiating head over that game. in the next round things were called tighter after steven later charged the kelowna goalie finishing his season. they had to borrow everetts goalie to be their back up for the memorial cup

[SaskHockeyFan]

I like the Raiders chances if they end up meeting Saskatoon in the first round. It will be a great Stanford / Zemlack showdown and the Raiders have played well against the Blades this year. Raiders may be peaking at the right time and the Blades, as usual, seem to be headed the other direction. And by the way, I remember the atmosphere in the Art Hauser during that playoff run. Now that was a community behind the team and the team played an old fashioned type of hockey. The Blades simply got pushed around that year and the next year the Blades started trying to get bigger players. I don't think the Raiders of this year will beat anyone up or push them around but they playing well right now.

[Raider Believer]

The 2004-05 Prince Albert Raiders finished the regular season with a record of 31-32-5-4. When the play-offs rolled around they found themselves in an opening Eastern Conference match-up against the Saskatoon Blades who were 37-23-6-6. (This is the match-up that looks to be shaping up this year) The Raiders were able to defeat the Blades in 4 straight games. All through out that playoff run which seen the boys take out the Tigers in 6 and eventually being ousted in 7 against the Brandon WheatKings, the Raiders lost only ONE game at home that entire playoff run.

I look at our team this year, and see the success they are having at home. Maybe, just maybe, if they make it into the Playoffs, which I am positive they will, we could see the boys make a good run again. By the looks of it, Saskatoon may be the 1st round opponent, and EVERYONE knows they don't have a good play-off team, never have. So what do you guys think? Should we start planning our trips to Saskatoon, Brandon, and where ever else we are going to travel to?

;)You're right, this season is very reminiscent of the '04-'05 season. Lucky for us. Thanks to the boys for leaving it all on the ice. And to Bruno and his staff for cobbling together a very competitive team that promises to be exciting not just this season but in the future.:groovy:

[Raider Believer]

Hmmm... maybe we were a little premature in our positive prognostications for this year's post season. It ain't looking so good right now.

[Chipchura_Fan]

Hmmm... maybe we were a little premature in our positive prognostications for this year's post season. It ain't looking so good right now.


sure isn`t and it`s not an easy schedule to finish the season... We just have to let the boys play and believe!

[dagley]

Anybody but Regina

[In The Crease]

You know guys/gals, if there is still a chance and this comes down to a tie for the last playoff spot like last year, then the only difference I see from last year is how good our team was at home this year.I do not want to be negative but that win at home, lose on the road stat(s) really bothers me. What the reasons are I'm sure bothers all of us. Sure, you should win more in your barn but the difference here is huge.. I'm sorry but just off the top it strikes me, the better teams make few trades and this team has made a lot over the past two or three and maybe more years. I just haven't read back that far. I know there is a huge difference in your Calgary's, Vancouver, Kelowna and the small market teams where the Eric Lindros type players openly propose they are going - Brule.
but Swift and Brandon always seem stable. Makes one wonder and there is so much to consider when all aspects of players, management and the game are looked at. One thing I am certain of, those good young players who[/COLOR] want to stay and play, have to play and be developed. I believe Kelly McCrimmon has some secrets in being able to do this, I do not believe for a minute that it is just he has all of Manitoba and part of Sask. where youngsters want to be a Wheat King but that doesn't hurt.
I am not looking to open up all the cans of ......, it is just the way it strikes me.

[Section Eight]

Kelly has a brass set of ..... He has a kid tell him that he wont play in Brandon if he gets drafted there. (Schenn) . So Kelly says good ! you can sit on our protected list then. The same thing we should have done with Brule.

The real story is; it was actually Luke Schenn, who was playing for the Rockets at the time, who gave the Wheat Kings a good report and recommended little brother report to Brandon.

[Section Eight]

Kelly has a brass set of ..... He has a kid tell him that he wont play in Brandon if he gets drafted there. (Schenn) . So Kelly says good ! you can sit on our protected list then. The same thing we should have done with Brule.

The real story is; it was actually Luke Schenn, who was playing for the Rockets at the time, who gave the Wheat Kings a good report and recommended little brother report to Brandon.

There's no question that part of Brandon's success can be attributed to his Manitoba, small town Sask, preference for players but, if you ask anybody who's ever played for him, they'll tell you two things; Kelly M. runs the franchise like a business ("it's how I make my living") and no individual player comes before the team.

The players respect him, maybe fear him a bit, but he's extremely loyal and puts in a lot of extra work to get players placed after they're finished with the Wheaties.

I think this whole bit about Kelly bullying the ref.'s and opposing teams is overblown.

[Section Eight]

Kelly has a brass set of ..... He has a kid tell him that he wont play in Brandon if he gets drafted there. (Schenn) . So Kelly says good ! you can sit on our protected list then. The same thing we should have done with Brule.

The real story is; it was actually Luke Schenn, who was playing for the Rockets at the time, who gave the Wheat Kings a good report and recommended little brother report to Brandon.

[tuffguy]

Kelly has a brass set of ..... He has a kid tell him that he wont play in Brandon if he gets drafted there. (Schenn) . So Kelly says good ! you can sit on our protected list then. The same thing we should have done with Brule.

Different taking Schenn, who is from Saskatoon with a brother playing in the WHL, than Brule from North Vancouver with no connection to the WHL. Plus Van was pickin 2 and 3 telling Brule to snub PA so they could take him. And remember, that was Donn Clarks first draft. He answers to the board. They'd have been looking at him cross eyed if #1 overall doesn't report. Kelly McCrimmon answers to Kelly McCrimmon.

[Dwight Schrute]

Different taking Schenn, who is from Saskatoon with a brother playing in the WHL, than Brule from North Vancouver with no connection to the WHL. Plus Van was pickin 2 and 3 telling Brule to snub PA so they could take him. And remember, that was Donn Clarks first draft. He answers to the board. They'd have been looking at him cross eyed if #1 overall doesn't report. Kelly McCrimmon answers to Kelly McCrimmon.

didnt clark draft chipchura ?

[tuffguy]

vallette wasn't it?

[Raider Believer]

Different taking Schenn, who is from Saskatoon with a brother playing in the WHL, than Brule from North Vancouver with no connection to the WHL. Plus Van was pickin 2 and 3 telling Brule to snub PA so they could take him. And remember, that was Donn Clarks first draft. He answers to the board. They'd have been looking at him cross eyed if #1 overall doesn't report. Kelly McCrimmon answers to Kelly McCrimmon.

It would be a rare exception for a surefire talent (prospective NHL talent) to turn their backs on the WHL long term. Maybe they'd play a year in Jr A, but everyone knows that the quickest and best route to the 'show' is thru the dub. Eventually, most of these holdouts would report. I'd pick em and let them sit in their own juices. Once you make a statement like that then you don't have as many issues in the future.

[tuffguy]

It would be a rare exception for a surefire talent (prospective NHL talent) to turn their backs on the WHL long term. Maybe they'd play a year in Jr A, but everyone knows that the quickest and best route to the 'show' is thru the dub. Eventually, most of these holdouts would report. I'd pick em and let them sit in their own juices. Once you make a statement like that then you don't have as many issues in the future.

Once you make a statement like that......give me a break. If your job was on the line you would take the guy who is coming. The Raiders were allot better off with Gauthier than Brule if Brule had gone NCAA. When Gauthier was 15/16 I thought he was a surefire pick in the 1st/2nd round of NHL draft. Very similar to a young Teubert. Not sure where he went sideways. Was it him, the team, or Anholt?

Jon Toews didn't report to TriCity. Worked out ok for him. It is almost tougher to take the best guy at 1 if he is a college risk, because the kid is probably good enough to play pro no matter what way he goes.

[Raider Believer]

I'm somewhat persuaded that you might be right :o
However, I think a team (GM) has to be careful not to become known as being easily manipulated.

[tuffguy]

touche

[Raider Believer]

Hmmm... seems this team has some holes to fill before it tries to match 2004-5!!
So guys ... who gets dumped and who stays. Who fills the holes. I'm not saying we have a total rebuild happening, but I'm thinking some extensive renos.

I'm thinking we need to get a lot tougher. We need to drive and crash the opponents net a lot more. Overall just way greasier.

[EOK1]

Overall just way greasier.

Well, PA is the right place for greasy...lol

[brandonboy]

Well, PA is the right place for greasy...lol

Not trying to be critical of you here, but you really love to stir the pot dont you? Im guessing you've taken a few beatings in school havnt you????? And be honest...lol:D

[EOK1]

Not trying to be critical of you here, but you really love to stir the pot dont you? Im guessing you've taken a few beatings in school havnt you????? And be honest...lol:D

Honestly, that was never the case and in fact, I gave out a few beatings. I'm just outspoken and I say whatever. But truth be told, before my family and I moved out here, I used to live in PA, so I'll imagine that most of the Raider fans would agree that a certain half of the city is pretty greasy.

[brandonboy]

Honestly, that was never the case and in fact, I gave out a few beatings. I'm just outspoken and I say whatever. But truth be told, before my family and I moved out here, I used to live in PA, so I'll imagine that most of the Raider fans would agree that a certain half of the city is pretty greasy.

Man you dont know what greasy is till you've been to winnipeg! I think its why its called the armpit of canada....:clap: