[Cali Panthers Fan]

Originally Posted by Poe969

There, I fixed your post. Now you can put anyone's name in there except Bollig and it'll be just as good!

This isn't to anyone specifically... Ragging on Hamilton is pretty gutless IMO. First off, his salary has nothing to do with anything right now so stop bringing it up. If it makes you feel better, pretend he's getting minimum wage to play the game and that may help with how you view things. Bennett has been average at best but people are giving him a pass because he's young and learning the game but more because he's on an ELC but in the off season a lot of people (myself included) had him in the running for the Calder. I guess since he's on an ELC and not earning much, it doesn't matter. Monahan has been "not the best" but people give him a pass too because his contract isn't bad and he's an original Flames pick. A lot of people were saying that Monahan would get 6-7 mil on his next contract, how would you feel if Monahan was getting 6 mil right now? Would you be as down on him as you are on Hamilton? Hamilton is 22. 22 years old. Sure, he's getting paid a lot right now but that's because of potential, I'm sure the Flames could have got him for a lot less if he was on a shorter term deal but they wanted him longer term and paid more for him. I'm 99% sure that this contract will look better as time goes on. He is still young and learning the game, he's on a new team with new team mates and a new system and everyone else around him has been pretty average-terrible. The team hasn't had quality goaltending at all this year, team defense has been horrawful yet people choose to single out one player and say he's the issue after only 9 games.

This team is still in a rebuild. We all might have got our hopes up after last year but we have to remember that this is still a rebuilding team. I wanted the Flames to do well this year but I think expecting them to is a bit much. The coaching staff is as much to blame as the players. Some players have been terrible and the coaches haven't adapted things to try to improve. Some players have changed the way they're playing from last year, some are trying to be something they're not and everything is going wrong but that's not on one or two players and it's not on the coach. It's on everyone. The entire team from top to bottom starting with the coach and management through the players and into the training staff are all to blame. This team needs to come together and find a way to make things work. It may be too late and they may not make the playoffs but not because of 1 or 2 guys because of the entire team. This is a rebuilding team, it needs time to figure things out and grow.

We all make fun of fans from other teams "drinking the Koolaid" and always thinking their team is good or that "this is their year" but some of you guys are the exact opposite and blame everything on one or two players. Just try to enjoy the game.

This is an excellent post. Well said.