UPD: NHL announces Scott WILL captain the Pacific team

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

As I have noted elsewhere, my issue here is with the duplicity of the league in stating it would respect the fans' choice before engineering an action that disrespected the fans' choice. Like I said, the NHL had ways of getting out of this before he was named to the game, but they instead chose to go about it in just about the worst way possible.

Who cares how they handled it? The fans who don't even care/like the ASG? Let's be honest, the fans that the NHL have disrespected are a calculated risk and one definitely worth taking.

The NHL isn't losing any fans over this and the overall product of the ASG will be undeniably better. Yes, those who were only going to tune in (for 10 minutes until they got bored) for the gimmick of Scott being there won't tune in. That's ok. They likely gained viewers.

The NHL had zero incentive to do this better, worst way or not. Can you name one tangible repercussion from this?

[kerriffic]

Is this article from this year? Nope it's from 2007. Clearly the NHL learned nothing and between this and the Girgensons vote last year it's very obvious they don't have a clue.

http://www.slate.com/articles/sports.../rorygate.html


"one commentator described Rory-voters as a bunch of "computer geeks." Wayne Gretzky suggested that the league intervene to save the All-Star Game. ESPN's Barry Melrose made an ominous warning about how the league would respond: "If this works, enjoy it," he said, "'cause I gotta think they'll have a trick up their sleeve so it'll never happen again."

[Jacks]

The NHL didn't DO anything. Scott won't be in the AS game because he's not good enough to make an NHL roster. Arizona wanted him off their team and didn't want to pay him to play on their AHL team. Mtl didn't want him either but they had to take him as part of the trade.

I don't get how the league was supposed to somehow handle this better.
Were they supposed to reject the trade?
Should they be forcing Mtl to put him on their roster?

[JiriHrdina]

The theory is the NHL ochestrated this trade.
Allow me to present an alternative. The Coyotes wanted him off the team so they wouldn't suffer the humiliation of their lone representative being the worst player in the NHL.
We don't know that this the NHL's doing, it could be the Yotes.

[Fire of the Phoenix]

Originally Posted by JiriHrdina

The theory is the NHL ochestrated this trade.
Allow me to present an alternative. The Coyotes wanted him off the team so they wouldn't suffer the humiliation of their lone representative being the worst player in the NHL.
We don't know that this the NHL's doing, it could be the Yotes.

This makes the most sense. Doesn't require a tinfoil hat either.

[btimbit]

So who goes instead? And who captains the team?

[Jacks]

Originally Posted by btimbit

So who goes instead?

Probably OEL or Doan.

Originally Posted by btimbit

And who captains the team?

Hopefully Johnny.

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

Who cares how they handled it? The fans who don't even care/like the ASG? Let's be honest, the fans that the NHL have disrespected are a calculated risk and one definitely worth taking.

The NHL isn't losing any fans over this and the overall product of the ASG will be undeniably better. Yes, those who were only going to tune in (for 10 minutes until they got bored) for the gimmick of Scott being there won't tune in. That's ok. They likely gained viewers.

The NHL had zero incentive to do this better, worst way or not. Can you name one tangible repercussion from this?

I think it just erodes trust by fans / any observers of the game. The optics of this is that the powers that be, whether the team or league will engage in dubious actions to tamper and tweak things they don't agree with after the fact.

Personally though, I feel the ASG is such a meaningless, leisurely paced fun game that Scott playing would have had a negligible effect. The last ASG I watched had the tempo of an alumni game. It's possible the 3v3 aspect may have altered that, but who knows. The whole debacle would have been promptly forgotten about the minute the game ended, if not sooner.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by Wormius

I think it just erodes trust by fans / any observers of the game. The optics of this is that the powers that be, whether the team or league will engage in dubious actions to tamper and tweak things they don't agree with after the fact.

This observation seems to be held only by those who were interested in seeing Scott play / weren't interested in the ASG otherwise. I don't see a lot of casual or unbiased observers/fans losing trust in the league.

Most of these conspiracy theories are being trumpeted by that select group anyway, nobody outside of them seems to be suggesting the NHL was even involved.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by Wormius

I think it just erodes trust by fans / any observers of the game. The optics of this is that the powers that be, whether the team or league will engage in dubious actions to tamper and tweak things they don't agree with after the fact.

Personally though, I feel the ASG is such a meaningless, leisurely paced fun game that Scott playing would have had a negligible effect. The last ASG I watched had the tempo of an alumni game. It's possible the 3v3 aspect may have altered that, but who knows. The whole debacle would have been promptly forgotten about the minute the game ended, if not sooner.

This.

It just leaves a bad taste. I'm seeing comments on twitter like "if the NHL can manipulate something like this what else can they fix, the FINAL?" I know that's totally unfair but it's out there. And the argument that the ASG is meaningless doesn't fly. It's an important event to the league that gives them exposure on network television. If they felt threatened enough to change a component of this event, what else in the league could they change?

[Fire of the Phoenix]

This is starting to jump the shark now

[saXon]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

This.

It just leaves a bad taste. I'm seeing comments on twitter like "if the NHL can manipulate something like this what else can they fix, the FINAL?" I know that's totally unfair but it's out there. And the argument that the ASG is meaningless doesn't fly. It's an important event to the league that gives them exposure on network television. If they felt threatened enough to change a component of this event, what else in the league could they change?

?

[Tbull8]

Originally Posted by saXon

?

Sorry Connor, you've been traded to the Coyotes for Tinordi

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by saXon

?

It is beyond preposterous to suggest that the NHL rigged the draft lottery in Edmonton'ts favour. If anything, the fact that Connor McDavid is now an Edmonton Oiler is proof positive that the lottery is above board. The Oilers winning was the absolute worst case scenario for the League.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Tbull8

Sorry Connor, you've been traded to the Coyotes for Tinordi

I believe the only complaints about this bit of manipulation would come from Edmonton. I for one would lustily approve of such an intervention.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by JiriHrdina

The theory is the NHL ochestrated this trade.
Allow me to present an alternative. The Coyotes wanted him off the team so they wouldn't suffer the humiliation of their lone representative being the worst player in the NHL.
We don't know that this the NHL's doing, it could be the Yotes.

Or, it could have just been a hockey trade, plain and simple.

Arizona is right up against the 50 contract limit, so if they were taking on two contracts, they had to move out two. Scott makes league-minimum and was the Coyotes lowest-paid player, and he was contributing nothing to the team in Arizona or in the AHL.


It's crazy to think that this whole three-way trade was pulled off just to bury John Scott in the AHL.

[Gaudfather]

Friedman said on HNIC 2nd intermission that he heard from Maloney that Arizona was initially going to wait until after the ASG to do a deal, but they really wanted Tinordi and felt they had to move sooner. It was not an effort to sewer Scott's participation in the ASG.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

It just leaves a bad taste. I'm seeing comments on twitter like "if the NHL can manipulate something like this what else can they fix, the FINAL?" I know that's totally unfair but it's out there.

Just because something is "out there" doesn't mean it holds value or is even worth the time of day. Some people think the holocaust never happened.

People who believe the NHL was involved with this fit right in on a cognitive level with people who believe the moon landing was fake.

http://time.com/3997033/conspiracy-theories/

[getbak]

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/c...all-star-game/

Don Maloney admits he considered not making the Jarred Tinordi trade until after the All-Star Game, but says there’s “no way” he would intentionally bury John Scott in AHL so he couldn’t go.

“We have (the maximum) 23 players on our roster,” the Coyotes’ general manager said Saturday. “Someone had to go. When you look at our lineup, he made the most sense. To suggest that this was part of us not wanting him in All-Star, or to be working in the NHL…I’m dumbfounded by that.

“We wanted Tinordi, we think our coaching staff can work with him.”

Scott, voted an All-Star captain by the fans, was dealt to Montreal with Victor Bartley in the Tinordi transaction, a trade that also involved Nashville, Stefan Elliott and Stefan Fournier. He’s signed to a one-way contract, so he’s paid his full $575,000 in the AHL. No doubt budget-conscious Arizona wanted to avoid that. Fournier’s AHL salary is in the neighbourhood of $50,000.

What’s interesting is Maloney admitted the Coyotes thought about waiting.

“We did. But, things can change. What if someone else is interested? What if he gets hurt? You can’t take the chance.”

After I spoke to Maloney, two sources indicated there were a couple other teams looking at Tinordi. Montreal GM Marc Bergevin clearly decided it was time to end this standoff.

[JiriHrdina]

Well that should end that. But it won't