Yikes

[TooLoud]

I know it is only 3 games in, but i am starting to get that familiar feeling. I am getting an icy chill doen the back of my neck. I can't help it, but I think that what I saw tonight was very reminicent of the past few years. A team walked in here tonight and absolutely OWNED us. Make no mistake, we were never even in this one. Is Edmonton a good team? I submit that they are better than good, they will be the class of the WHL this season. I would hope, however, that having better teams in our barn would bring the level of our game up. There is nothing that happened tonight to show that we even belonged in the same rink with this team. The beat down was that substantial, and that obvious. In fact, if it wasn't for the Ty Rimmer travelling road show, this would have been an absolutely horrendous, perhaps double digit, blowout. I recant, we did do one thing better, our goaltending was absolutely stellar. I had heard that this kid was good, and the three times that I have seen him play has confirmed it. I honestly think that tonight was the finest display of goaltending I have ever witnessed in this city. But, really, should we be allowing 60 shots on net? I dont care how good a team is, 60 shots indicates an absolute systems breakdown. I hope that the coaching staff can prepare the boys better for future games, and I am curious to see how they repond on Saturday. I want to believe, I really want to believe, show me that there is something to believe in....

[mjw22]

[QUOTE=TooLoud;183251]the Ty Rimmer travelling road show,

After four games he's seen 30 more shots than the next guy and has a .918 sv % . If he keeps it up you'll have an asset to move at the deadline.

[huracan]

[QUOTE=mjw22;183369]

the Ty Rimmer travelling road show,

After four games he's seen 30 more shots than the next guy and has a .918 sv % . If he keeps it up you'll have an asset to move at the deadline.

If he keeps it up we might make the playoffs!...barring we can score a goal or two..

[HURRICANE'S ROCK]

Man this site is quiet as far as Canes chat goes. I know there is some pretty good back and forth chat on the Pat S blog. There seems to be only 3 or 4 people posting there though. To try to stir things up a bit I will ask the following.
Is Jay Merkley done as a top tier type player or not? Was he the wrong choice over Klimchuk or Rienhart or almost everyone else in that draft? Did the Rich Preston School of brutal coaching ruin him? Did his own goings on make him appear to be a complete bust? Is he a total Dud or does the Merkley we have seen in the last 2 games prove he was worth the 3rd overall pick? Jay has no points in about his last 20 games. I mean those are some ugly numbers. How long is it until we hear that he wants out of Lethbridge, like so many other players?
That should be enough to stir some conversation.

[moon]

The last couple of years I have been angry with the mismangement of this team both on and off the ice. Now I am just done with the team.

They have shown repeatedly that they have no care about the fans, no care about winning and no care at all about creating a quality organization.

As many people in the media say the worst thing is when people become apathetic because at least angry people care and are still paying attention. But it is sure hard to care with the way the board has treated fans the past ~3 years.

As for Merkeley my guess is like most things it is a combination. Drafting guys that young is a crap shoot and putting him in a bad environment with a bad coach and hockey department is likely not a good way to develop a kid. That doesn't necessarily excuse him from any of the blame that he may have had in his development with his attitude but I think it likely is a combo of coaching/Merkely/bad luck.

[Derek Sutton]

^^^^ agree 100%

No forward will not become a top tier player under Preston, they come with promiss and thanks to him they regress. Maxwell has gone backwards from his first year, Merkley, Watson have not beenn given the chance and it seems have had the hockey coached out of them. Duke has not improved upon from what he showed last year. How many players have been drafted to the NHL in the last 3 yrs???? Not only is the team playing awful, but the players are not developing, not a good mixture. What makes it worse is that the young players are all talked up by the media and Preston, yet he cannot turn them around. Players (and Parents) will start turning Lethbridge down and who could blame them?

PRESTON IS NOT DEVELOPING THE PLAYERS!!! and I don't know how "the people who matter" cannot see this or do they simply not care? Bring in Kris Knoblauch