Only 25 more games of poor old Widedog left to go...
I'm counting down every day until the end of the season. Unfortunate for him but he's been a cancer on this team since his incident last season. I can't remember a player that I will be more happy to see leave the organization. I feel the team will be automatically better next season with that dark cloud gone.
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I'm counting down every day until the end of the season. Unfortunate for him but he's been a cancer on this team since his incident last season. I can't remember a player that I will be more happy to see leave the organization. I feel the team will be automatically better next season with that dark cloud gone.
Well sure. You can throw in Bertuzzi in if you like. Neither of those players had near the negative impact on the team. I don't think either were as bad on the ice and the officiating bias has killed this team this season. By the time special teams rounded into form the team was well behind the 8-ball. It's not a conspiracy theory when both TSN and RSN have commented on it. The bias is real as we have seen it with our own eyes and the before and after penalty stats back it up. The officials have flexed their muscles and the only question now is if they will let bygones be bygones next season or will the punishment continue.
The pessimist in me says the punishment will continue forever, or at least until the present generation of referees are all retired. To let up, they would have to admit that they are punishing the Flames, and they can't admit that because it would conflict with their carefully constructed narrative about how all officials are totally unbiased knights in shining armour. So they will keep on giving the team phantom penalties while ignoring blatant infractions against them, and they will believe that it is justified because reasons.
The optimist in me has bugged out and is now hiding in a cave in the mountains somewhere.
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I don't mind it so much because it's Kesler, but does anyone else find some of the things players over-react to are petty and childish? We won the effing game, who gives a crap if he shot the puck into the net?
Suspect that a team wanting to make a run that also has a bit of a shaky defensive bottom pairing would take him -- he's no worse than someone else in that position and could be a lot better because of his experience. What could we get? Not much - likely a late-rounder.....
But he is not totally invaluable - he just has to be in the right position, with the right minutes and the right partner to compensate. Given that, and if there is a team that sees that potential, why not?
His ref issues are probably gone with a move.
I would wager any experience related benefit, which I tend to reject as any kind of significant benefit, would be vastly offset by his deficiencies defensively and now lackluster offensive ability. Combine all this with the fact that there is clearly a bias in regards to the officiating and it's a no win for any team in a position to make a run.
My guess is he's still in a Flames Jersey come April.
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I hate to tell you this, but I’ve just launched an air biscuit
I have learned never to say never when it comes to predicting the end of a player's career because there's always a team out there looking for depth but I wonder if the Wideman effect from having him on your team is going to ensure his career is over. Even if a team feels he can sparingly play in their bottom pairing would have to consider what's happened to the Flames over the past season and if he's worth that risk to their team. In the end the officials could get their revenge here ensuring his career ends earlier than it may have otherwise.
Last edited by Erick Estrada; 02-16-2017 at 11:59 AM.
I don't mind it so much because it's Kesler, but does anyone else find some of the things players over-react to are petty and childish? We won the effing game, who gives a crap if he shot the puck into the net?
What? We lost the game. It's a respect thing, Kesler clearly knew what he was doing. I would be pretty embarrassed as a fan if the team didn't have some sort of reaction to that.
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I have learned never to say never when it comes to predicting the end of a player's career because there's always a team out there looking for depth but I wonder if the Wideman effect from having him on your team is going to ensure his career is over. Even if a team feels he can sparingly play in their bottom pairing would have to consider what's happened to the Flames over the past season and if he's worth that risk to their team. In the end the officials could get their revenge here ensuring his career ends earlier than it may have otherwise.
I think the Flames are being punished more for being vocally behind Wideman, rather than Wideman simply being on the team. Which means (I am afraid) that another team can take him without too much fear, and that our punishment may continue after he is gone (perhaps as long as Burke is in charge, since he was the vocal cheerleader)...
Kind of weird to post a tragic story of a man being completely embarrassed and destroyed by a joke trade before falling into depression and dying and then ending it with "maybe the flame could get that for Wideman!!".
Kind of weird to post a tragic story of a man being completely embarrassed and destroyed by a joke trade before falling into depression and dying and then ending it with "maybe the flame could get that for Wideman!!".
Yeah but he added "and some hockey tape"
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I don't mind it so much because it's Kesler, but does anyone else find some of the things players over-react to are petty and childish? We won the effing game, who gives a crap if he shot the puck into the net?
You've obviously never played hockey before. That's a big no-no and grounds for a beating. You don't shoot the puck into the opposition goal unless the game is being played.
I've never seen a player do it in even in rec hockey because every player understands it's disrespectful. Kesler is a rat and knew what he was doing.
