First time Bettman hasn't been booed at the ceremony He'll probably keep the fans away for good now

"Not as difficult to win a Cup when there’s no road games, no travel. Still a difficult thing to win it all. Tampa gave lots of sweat and blood to make this happen. But let’s not compare bubble hockey with the real thing."
- Fakepartofme

I hesitate to even dignify this crap with a response, but if it's easier because there are no road games, isn't it also harder because there are no home games?

Shockingly, Damien Cox thinks it wasn’t as hard.

Barclay Goodrow tells him to (frank) off.

https://twitter.com/bgood.../1310911959160614912?s=12
- Canada Cup

Saw that earlier. Always like it when these morons get called out.

Best one ever was Jose calling out Simmons.

https://twitter.com/JoeyB...status/517179902215585792

For those of you looking to do an assessment of your predictions from the start of the year, here you go:

https://hockeybuzz.com/bo...read.php?thread_id=162083
- Atomic Wedgie

A. Matthews, C - scores 50
F. Gauthier, C - plays 50
J. Spezza, C - looks 50

from mine..

Guy is such a twat. He blocked me years ago because I called him glitter dome, which is hilarious, because I'm as bald as he is.

He is definitely part of the problem of entitled washed-up hack media personalities still finding employment for some reason. Him and Simmons, two of a kind.
- gravyface

I imagine the NHL is watching this closely ...

At the Super Cup in Budapest last week, UEFA successfully tested COVID-19 crowd-control technology that could pave the way for the return of fans at international games next month. Twenty-two thermal scanning lines automatically checked the temperature of all 15,500 spectators at the Puskas Arena where Bayern Munich overcame Sevilla in extra time on Thursday. The system also automatically checked the wearing of masks, reducing the need for extra stewards and avoiding queues.
- The Law

Not so sure about the whole temperature reliance. They told my wife she had a fever at the airport last week, once realizing she was just warm because she bawled her eyes out saying goodbye to her son they just waved her through. 🤷‍♂️

Assessing Atomic Wedgie's Predictions:

Today's comments in bold.

The Leafs will finish:

3rd in the division. Tampa will lap the field, and I think it will be closer with Boston this year. Coin flip between Boston and Toronto for 2nd, but 50 years of Leafyness has made me a tad pessimistic. Both teams right around 100 points, as the entire division will be better this year - not as many free points.

Not a bad prediction, but don't give me too much credit on this one.

The main reason for this is: defence is better. Melander will hopefully find his form again. But the Atlantic is stacked this year - Montreal, Buffalo and Florida will all be better.

Defence wasn't better, but a lot of that was injuries.

The biggest surprise will be: I don't know - that's what will make it a surprise! OK, OK, it will be that we won't miss Hyman. The next guy up can fill that role.

They did miss Hyman. My bad.

The biggest disappointment will be: Spezza. I don't think he has anything left to give.

I was wrong.

The unsung hero will be: Johnsson. He'll be the best player per dollar on the team.

He wasn't.

The goat will be: Ceci. Yeah, I really wish this wasn't the case. But there you have it.

Once again, don't give me too much credit for being right on this.

People think this guy is good, but he sucks (and the reason is): OK, bare with me here, but I'm going to put Sandin. I don't think he sucks, but I am terribly worried that Leafs Nation will anoint him the next Lidstrom, and then turn on him when he struggles. So I'm getting this out early - he's not nearly as good as fan boys are making him out to be right now. Let's keep it realistic. This has been a public service message by Atomic Wedgie.

People think this guy sucks, but he's not so bad (and the reason is): Hutchinson. He'll be fine - Leafs fans put too much importance on the quality of backup goalie. FFS, he'll be fine.

Nothing to see here. Just keep moving. Keep moving.

The best move Dubas did in the off-season was: getting Colorado to eat salary on Barrie. That's a franking game-changer.

Narrator's voice: it was not a game changer.

If I was GM, I would have: front-loaded Ceci's contract, making him tradeable. If he sucks, he sucks with us for the entire season.

I was right on this.

If you remember nothing else I said, remember I said this about the 2019-20 Leafs: perhaps the best Leafs team of my lifetime, but Tampa Bay may be the best NHL team of the last 30-40 years. Bad timing.

Boom - Wedgie is a genius.

Player Predictions

The Forwards:

A. Matthews, C: this is the year where he steps up and lets the league know he's the second best player in the league. 50 goals.

Close

F. Gauthier, C: FFS, can you just learn to use your body? It's like watching Joe Colborne all over again. I really have no expectations for this guy this year.

J. Spezza, C: nope. I loved this signing for a couple of weeks, before it dawned on me that we weren't getting 2006 Jason Spezza. He may get Marlie'd.

J. Tavares, C: 50 goals is possible, as I'm assuming he'll get a little more ice time. I'm also guessing he gets the C.

Injuries ruined this prediction.

N. Shore, C: say hi to Duke the Dog for me.

Z. Hyman, LW: Leafs Nation over-rates this guy. So does Babcock, unfortunately. I get that Babs wants a grinder to go with two elite players, but you could get just about anybody to do that. My prediction is he will be terrible when he gets back (not his fault, but injuries are a female dog when you miss training camp). Sorry, but he'll be in my dog house.

I am happy to admit I was wrong.

A. Johnsson, LW: Dubas may have overpaid on Marner, but this is a good contract. This kid plays much bigger than his 5'10" frame. I think he continues to improve this year, and Wedgie says nice things about him after games.

D. Timashov, LW: I don't really have a lot to judge this guy on, so let's just say I think he will be meh, should he make the big club and stick.


M. Marchment, LW: let's talk about him next year, because he isn't relevant this year.

K Agostino, LW: He's a good example of how Dubas' strategy of picking up guys for the fourth line while paying peanuts may work. But I don't think he plays for the Leafs unless there are injuries.

M. Marner, RW: He looked pretty damn good in the pre-season. He's overpaid by $1 million, but Leafs Nation needs to get over it and just enjoy him for what he does. matching last year's points totals sounds about right.

Not bad.

J. Bracco, RW: Classic case of not good enough for top 6, not gritty enough for bottom 6. Will only get a sniff if there are major injuries. For his sake, I hope they trade him to a team with less forward depth, so he gets a chance. But the S.S. Leafs has already sailed, and Bracco has been left on the dock.

Nailed it.

T. Moore, RW: I hope he can help on the PK, but I don't see him in the top 9 once Hyman gets back.

W. Nylander, RW: As much as I want to continue to rip on this greedy bastard, I must put my personal feelings aside and focus on what's best for Leafs Nation - getting Nylander to use his shot more, so that Matthews ultimately gets more goals (as goalie won't know who to cover). He's going to be better than last year - he'd better be! I'm going to say less than a PPG, but still good enough numbers that trolls can't say he's overpaid.

Nailed it.

N. Petan, RW: I thought he looked good in pre-season, but Babs disagreed. May see some Leafy time this year, but he's not a game-changer.

M. Read, RW: I hope you enjoy the Marlies.

K. Kapanen, RW: he's a shocking stat: he's 3 inches taller than Johnsson. That really surprised me when I found that out - he certainly doesn't play bigger than Johnsson. Leafs fans have over-rated this guy, but for the money he's making (peanuts), I'm fine with him. 50 points is his ceiling, and I don't think he will get there. But so much depends on who he gets to play with. His speed is fun, but he needs to get his nose dirty - and I don't think he's capable.

Nailed it.

A. Kerfoot, RW: Still an enigma to me. I didn't watch him too closely in pre-season, but he didn't really stand out. I"m a little scared he may turn out to be a bad contract, although at $3.5 million cap hit, we can always get rid of him. He has 20 games to make me like him - after that, I'm drinking pure Haterade.

Y. Korshkov, RW: Oh FFS, why did we take this guy in the 2nd round?

I. Mikheyev, RW: will probably stick with the big club since he is waiver-exempt. If he can bang the bodies on the boards, Babs may fall in love with him. 30 point ceiling. Prove me wrong.

The Defence:

M. Rielly, D: Forgive me, I'm a Leafs fan. I'm psychologically damaged. So I"m predicting a bit of a drop off from last year, where he was top 10 defencemen in the league. This prediction is based upon nothing but a horrible feeling in my gut, which may be nothing more than me staying up last night and drinking beer while watching football. But there you have it: he'll regress this year a little in both numbers and overall play. Gawd, I hate being a Leafs fan.

Nailed it.

J. Schmaltz, D: Who?

J. Muzzin, D: I'm not nearly as sold on this guy as the rest of youse guys are. Do I think he's good? Yes. Do I think he was worth a 1st rounder? Nope. So my initial thought is I hope we don't sign him past this year, because that will quickly become an albatross of a contract. I still don't think the Leafs have a D-corp to be truly an elite team, and I think Muzzin is a big part of that problem.

I was too negative here.

K. Gravel, D: Who?

B. Harpur, D: Why?


J. Holl, D: Sorry, but your time has run out. He won't get a chance with the Leafs. I hope he gets claimed elsewhere and gets a chance.

Oops.

M. Marincin, D: Why the frank is he still here?


T. Dermott, D: Another guy who Leafs Nation over-rates. I'm going to cut him some slack - he was franking terrible in the playoffs, but that was not his fault - he was clearly still injured. But is he really going to be able to come back from injury in December and be good? I doubt it. I think he's going to be the 6th-7th guy this year.

I stand by this.

C. Ceci, D: I predict he is going to suck. What more do you need here?


T. Barrie, D: Another guy who I know almost nothing about, so let's just hope he can give us all the Gardiner we gave up, with a little less of the Gardinurrr we shipped out. I predict that his point totals will be high, but that will give people a false sense of how good the guy is.

T. Kivihalme, D: I couldn't pick him out of a police lineup.

R. Sandin, D: Please, for the love of God, let's not go all crazy on this kid, calling him the next Lidstrom - pretty please? I know how this works here in Leafstown - praise the hell out of him, then let that pendulum swing and call him a bust - which we can do before Christmas. I think he's going to run hot and cold. I think he's nothing more than a 3rd pairing. I think he has a bright future, but for frank's sakes - let's keep it real. At least until November 1st.

T. Liljegren: I'm really hoping he has a great 2020 training camp.



The Goalies:


F. Andersen, G: I have to be careful here, because my daughter loves him, and she can beat me up. I don't think he's top 10 in the league. I think he is next tier. I think he's good enough to get us to a conference finals, and then we roll the dice. But he lets in too many weak ones.

Nailed it.

M. Hutchinson, G: "Hutch is clutch!" I'm hoping I say that more than "Hutch? Not so much!" this year. I think he's good enough to be our backup this year.

Oops. Like, a really, really, really big oopsie.

K. Kaskisuo, G: Career minor-leaguer.


The League:

Eastern Conference Winners: Tampa Bay. By at least 10 points.
Western Conference Winners: Nashville

Most surprising team: Buffalo
Most disappointing team: St. Louis

Art Ross Winner: Kucherov. Yeah, I know it's a boring pick, but he won by 12 points last year - and I think Tampa will be just as good.
Hart Winner: McDavid should win this, but his team is going to suck soooooo bad. I'm going to say Stamkos
Norris Winner: Giordano
Calder Winner: The 1st overall pick guy in New Jersey
Vezina Winner: Price
Richard Winner: Matthews (if healthy!)

Western Stanley Cup Finalist: San Jose (what the hell)
Eastern Stanley Cup Finalist: Tampa
Stanley Cup Winner: Tampa
Conn Smythe Trophy Winner: Stamkos

I got one right in this section!

A. Matthews, C - scores 50
F. Gauthier, C - plays 50
J. Spezza, C - looks 50

from mine..
- bixll

You were so wrong... Spezza played 50 (thanks Babs) and Gauthier looks 50.

I was # 7815 in th sportsnet playoff pool.

You were so wrong... Spezza played 50 (thanks Babs) and Gauthier looks 50.
- PatC80

I know..

"Not as difficult to win a Cup when there’s no road games, no travel. Still a difficult thing to win it all. Tampa gave lots of sweat and blood to make this happen. But let’s not compare bubble hockey with the real thing."
- Fakepartofme

Yeah also not much family or other support systems. They were essentially on the road the entire time and couldn't even go out. It was at least as difficult this year.

There should be no asterisk, unless of course the Leafs won, then there definitely would have been an asterisk, more than one.

Yeah also not much family or other support systems. They were essentially on the road the entire time and couldn't even go out. It was at least as difficult this year.

There should be no asterisk, unless of course the Leafs won, then there definitely woul have been an asterisk, more than one.
- Aetherial

half of the NHL players don't have family/kids, so let's not suppose it was such a difficult time for these guys..

(there are thousands of regular working people that have to be 2+ months working remote locations before being able to see their wives and kids; NHL players were pampered in hotels and were actually able to concentrate on their jobs. For most of them it was (or at least should have been) a walk in the park).

Yeah also not much family or other support systems. They were essentially on the road the entire time and couldn't even go out. It was at least as difficult this year.

There should be no asterisk, unless of course the Leafs won, then there definitely woul have been an asterisk, more than one.
- Aetherial

The break beforehand obviously did mean they went in without the bumps, bruises, etc so that did help. But it also meant that they had to come together more quickly as a team which some couldn’t quite pull off. Ahem.

Yeah also not much family or other support systems. They were essentially on the road the entire time and couldn't even go out. It was at least as difficult this year.

There should be no asterisk, unless of course the Leafs won, then there definitely woul have been an asterisk, more than one.
- Aetherial

I agree no asterisk, Tampa full value. Conn Smythe could have easily been Point instead of Hedman. I'm glad the Leafs have Snakevares instead of Stamkos.

half of the NHL players don't have family/kids, so let's not suppose it was such a difficult time for these guys..

(there are thousands of regular working people that have to be 2+ months working remote locations before being able to see their wives and kids; NHL players were pampered in hotels and were actually able to concentrate on their jobs. For most of them it was (or at least should have been) a walk in the park).
- MaximusAurelius

Your concern for the working man is noted and touching. I think think the point, Mr Trotsky, was to compare this playoff run to others.

For those of you looking to do an assessment of your predictions from the start of the year, here you go:

https://hockeybuzz.com/bo...read.php?thread_id=162083
- Atomic Wedgie

The biggest disappointment will be: Ander5sen will poop the bed again in the playoffs and special teams will be awful.

If I was GM, I would have: Let Marner sit

If you remember nothing else I said, remember I said this about the 2019-20 Leafs: They still haven't figure out how to win.



Eastern Stanley Cup Finalist: Tampa
Stanley Cup Winner: Tampa
Conn Smythe Trophy Winner: Point (so close)

Oh... and my favourite

People think this guy is good, but he sucks (and the reason is): Barrie, he will be meh on offense and horrible on defense

half of the NHL players don't have family/kids, so let's not suppose it was such a difficult time for these guys..

(there are thousands of regular working people that have to be 2+ months working remote locations before being able to see their wives and kids; NHL players were pampered in hotels and were actually able to concentrate on their jobs. For most of them it was (or at least should have been) a walk in the park).
- MaximusAurelius

oh

half of the NHL players don't have family/kids, so let's not suppose it was such a difficult time for these guys..

(there are thousands of regular working people that have to be 2+ months working remote locations before being able to see their wives and kids; NHL players were pampered in hotels and were actually able to concentrate on their jobs. For most of them it was (or at least should have been) a walk in the park).
- MaximusAurelius

Their parents and relatives, girlfriends/boyfriends aren't family? They don't deserve to see their support system? Harsh bro.

half of the NHL players don't have family/kids, so let's not suppose it was such a difficult time for these guys..

(there are thousands of regular working people that have to be 2+ months working remote locations before being able to see their wives and kids; NHL players were pampered in hotels and were actually able to concentrate on their jobs. For most of them it was (or at least should have been) a walk in the park).
- MaximusAurelius

Holy smokes. You must have talked to many of the players i assume.

I hesitate to even dignify this crap with a response, but if it's easier because there are no road games, isn't it also harder because there are no home games?
- Atomic Wedgie

They were all road games.
Ok, so no "road fans", but also no "home fans" like you pointed out.

The biggest disappointment will be: Ander5sen will poop the bed again in the playoffs and special teams will be awful.

If I was GM, I would have: Let Marner sit

If you remember nothing else I said, remember I said this about the 2019-20 Leafs: They still haven't figure out how to win.



Eastern Stanley Cup Finalist: Tampa
Stanley Cup Winner: Tampa
Conn Smythe Trophy Winner: Point (so close)

Oh... and my favourite

People think this guy is good, but he sucks (and the reason is): Barrie, he will be meh on offense and horrible on defense
- Aetherial

Well done

Holy smokes. You must have talked to many of the players i assume.
- bixll

I don't know who he talked to, but we all know where he is talking from.

Your concern for the working man is noted and touching. I think think the point, Mr Trotsky, was to compare this playoff run to others.
- Canada Cup

yes, and i had already pointed out that due to the break before playoffs, i'm not so sure this was 'the hardest year to win the SC'.
but that's a different argument than the 'being without families' thing, so actually 2 dicussions.

Their parents and relatives, girlfriends/boyfriends aren't family? They don't deserve to see their support system? Harsh bro.
- Aaron_85

'deserve' to see their support systems??

you make this sound like they are some prisoners of war, held against their will and douing forced manual labor in bad circumstances for 15 hours a day..

I hesitate to even dignify this crap with a response, but if it's easier because there are no road games, isn't it also harder because there are no home games?
- Atomic Wedgie

Who knows.
I simply never give sh!t about what Cox or simmonds ever say.