Marcel Dionne was 5'8" wide too of mostly muscle. Not really a fair comparison unless you compare Marcel Dionne with MSL.
It is so tough not to be super excited for JG and although I so desperately want him to be the next one. I want Johnny's play to dictate where he plays. If it is on the farm next year so be it, or if it is first line with Monahan/Backlund so be it. It is evident though it takes him a few games to become comfortable in an environment and then look out.
No! I met Dionne in 1975 at age 13 at a one day hockey camp and he wasn't very big at all (tall or heavy) I doubt he was more than 170 at the time. Mickey Redmond was also there and he was a lot bigger and stronger looking.
He may have got bigger later on in his career but he wasn't then in his early 20's.
At this point, there's no way this guy lives up to the hype the citizens of CP are piling on him.
Is this really necessary? Of 200 or so people commenting on him in this thread, maybe 2 or 3 have said something outlandish like "He's going to be the next Kane" or referred to him as a potential generational talent.
Why do people feel the need to take the tiny sample size of outlandish statements and cast it over an entire forum / fanbase?
People are excited in this thread for good reason. It's the correct time and place for it. It's those 2 or 3 people making crazy statements that get noticed and have guys like Oilstain going to other forums saying "Calgary fans are off the rails about this guy".
Those select few should tone it down, but there's no need to be acting like it's everyone here. Couldn't be farther from it.
There are so many impressive things about Gaudreau, and a number of amazing things about this play here. But maybe what I am most impressed by is that this is not a hockey practice; it's not a shinny game, or an all-star promotion. This is a 20-year old who has burned less than two months on his entry level NHL contract, playing in his first high-level international tournament dominated by a global cast of seasoned professional hockey players, who is attempting and finishing ridiculous behind the back and through the opposing defenseman's feet for a goal kind of plays.
...who does that?
Glad he decided to leave school early -- I think he made the right choice.
My summer vacation, by every other college hockey player in the NCAA: lifted weights, did some cardio, probably played some video games.
vs.
My summer vacation, by Johnny Gaudreau: scored first NHL goal, went to Belarus to represent home country, took some Germans to school, ate skittles.
Is this really necessary? Of 200 or so people commenting on him in this thread, maybe 2 or 3 have said something outlandish like "He's going to be the next Kane" or referred to him as a potential generational talent.
Why do people feel the need to take the tiny sample size of outlandish statements and cast it over an entire forum / fanbase?
People are excited in this thread for good reason. It's the correct time and place for it. It's those 2 or 3 people making crazy statements that get noticed and have guys like Oilstain going to other forums saying "Calgary fans are off the rails about this guy".
Those select few should tone it down, but there's no need to be acting like it's everyone here. Couldn't be farther from it.
No one's saying everyone feels that way, I certainly didn't. But the general vibe one gets from reading the consensus of this thread, is one of an excitement level that is approaching dangerous levels.
No one's saying everyone feels that way, I certainly didn't. But the general vibe one gets from reading the consensus of this thread, is one of an excitement level that is approaching dangerous levels.
That's all.
Dangerous?! In what way dangerous?
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Originally Posted by woob
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Dangerous in that many here could be setting themselves up for disappointment. I think I've been pretty clear in my statements.
I prefer to expect less and be blown away by the end result.
Others don't. Personal preference, no need to get defensive about it.
Funny, you seem to be the one getting defensive.
I look at it as a flames thread on a flames forum with people excited about a very exciting prospect. There have been a select few making overboard statements, but that's about it.
Are you suggesting we stop commenting on these exciting videos because you prefer to temper your expectations? There's also a select few of you doing this, and I find it just as dangerous. Dangerous to killing the good vibes here!
Look I think it's warranted, but let's not pretend again that fan expectations don't affect the development of a player
I would agree that they potentially can, but I would disagree that the debilitating effects of such are anything but extremely rare. In Gaudreau's case, I don't see abyy reason for concern. The guy feeds off of big challenges, and I don't see the excitement from a handful of rabid fans managing to derail his own undoubtedly exceedingly high expectations.
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Originally Posted by woob
"...harem warfare? like all your wives dressup and go paintballing?"
Look I think it's warranted, but let's not pretend again that fan expectations don't affect the development of a player
Baertschi is a good, recent example of this. I was as guilty as anyone of falling victim to the hype on that kid. It's not fair the road he's had to travel, he's produced quite well at the NHL level and many fans feel like he's been some kind of disappointment, when in reality, he's one of the better-performing kids the Flames franchise has produced in many years.
If he had never played those 5 games... what a difference it would have made for him.
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Johnny impressed me today, unequivocally. However, Draisaitl impressed me just as much, as he dragged Germany right along with USA on the scoreboard. 2 goals and an assist for a kid who isn't drafted, on the men's world scale is pretty enticing.
As the poll in the Craigs List thread suggests most may not agree with me, but to me, the best outcome would be a line that included both of these studs feeding each other all game long.
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No one's saying everyone feels that way, I certainly didn't. But the general vibe one gets from reading the consensus of this thread, is one of an excitement level that is approaching dangerous levels.
That's all.
B.S.
It's approaching levels that Flames fans aren't used to because it's been a very, very long time since the Flames organization had a player with this much promise.
It's infuriating to see posts like this when what is being talked about as POSSIBLE isn't at all over the top.
If Gaudreau was a Kings prospect the world would be going nuts and nobody here would suggest that there was anything outlandish being said.
Such an inferiority complex we have as a fanbase. It's disgusting.
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Baertschi is a good, recent example of this. I was as guilty as anyone of falling victim to the hype on that kid. It's not fair the road he's had to travel, he's produced quite well at the NHL level and many fans feel like he's been some kind of disappointment, when in reality, he's one of the better-performing kids the Flames franchise has produced in many years.
If he had never played those 5 games... what a difference it would have made for him.
True, but I didn't think anyone needs to change what they feel or how they write about a prospect
I look at it as a flames thread on a flames forum with people excited about a very exciting prospect. There have been a select few making overboard statements, but that's about it.
Are you suggesting we stop commenting on these exciting videos because you prefer to temper your expectations? There's also a select few of you doing this, and I find it just as dangerous. Dangerous to killing the good vibes here!
I don't want to be the Debbie Downer.
I'm as big a fan of Johnny Hockey as anyone. I just want to avoid disappointment if he doesn't make the team next season, doesn't finish top ten in league scoring and doesn't lead his team to a magical playoff run.
I still wanna love you, Johnny!
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I'm as big a fan of Johnny Hockey as anyone. I just want to avoid disappointment if he doesn't make the team next season, doesn't finish top ten in league scoring and doesn't lead his team to a magical playoff run.
I still wanna love you, Johnny!
Reading between the lines it sounds to me like you're wanting everyone to temper down the discussion here for fear you might end up disappointed. Sorry, but you are being a debbie downer. This thread is the right time and place for people to be excited about these highlights. You have the option of not clicking on the thread.
I don't think anyone should be concerned with how someone else expects a prospect to develop. If you think I'm setting myself up for major disappointment, so be it, you shouldn't concern yourself with my steep descent into depression. I made a conscious decision to heavily invest into a prospect on my team and understood the risk factor in doing that, every prospect has a chance to bust, I just prefer to be excited simply because what Johnny is doing right now is truly exciting and I don't want to rob myself of that or numb myself to his success simply to reduce the pain if (and that is a big if, considering what he is doing) he ends up faltering.
Also, considering how many prospects the flames fanbase has put on to a pedestal only to see that same pedestal hit directly with a nuclear weapon, I'm pretty sure we can take a little disappointment.
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I'm as big a fan of Johnny Hockey as anyone. I just want to avoid disappointment if he doesn't make the team next season, doesn't finish top ten in league scoring and doesn't lead his team to a magical playoff run.
I still wanna love you, Johnny!
But you do realize that the only people who are going to be affected one way or the other by their expectations of Johnny are those people themselves right? Are you afraid of a jinx or something?
The way Sven was perceived on CP after his 5 initial games and the way he is perceived now has nothing to do with his how he will end up as a player. The only one who can affect that is the player themselves. If you don't want to set yourself up for potential dissapointement that's fine, but why worry about others personal expectations (or hopes)? Are you legitmately concerned that _Q_ might be sitting in an asylum in a couple years repeating "Johnny Hockey" ad nauseum? Because if not, cutting people excitement down really serves no purpose.
For the record, I think Johnny will be ultimately become one of the better players in the league during his prime and I've thought that since halfway through his 2nd year of school. If I'm wrong, how will that hurt you?
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Last edited by Coach; 05-20-2014 at 03:41 PM.
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Baertschi is a good, recent example of this. I was as guilty as anyone of falling victim to the hype on that kid. It's not fair the road he's had to travel, he's produced quite well at the NHL level and many fans feel like he's been some kind of disappointment, when in reality, he's one of the better-performing kids the Flames franchise has produced in many years.
If he had never played those 5 games... what a difference it would have made for him.
Baertschi is a terrible example. Baertschi never performed any where near this level. Gaudreau is dominating against players the naysayers were certain he would fail against. It's funny, but some of you are just finally waking up to something those of us who have watched a lot of Boston College have known for the past two years. Johnny Gaudreau is a special player with a skill set not seen in years. When people talk about generational talent, Gaudreau's skill set is what they are talking about. The only problem is the size of the package this talent comes in. For our sake, Gretzky was small and skinny too, and he did okay.
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