MalleusMaleficarum: Winter Olympic Hockey

MalleusMaleficarum 01.13.14	played tourney: Gold: Sweden, Silver: Canada, Bronze: Russia simmed tourney (injuries on): Gold: Czechs, Silver: Sweden, Bronze: Switzerland simmed tourney (injuries off): Gold: USA, Silver: Switzerland, Bronze: Finland
MalleusMaleficarum 01.13.14	clearly the simulation engine is FUCKED lol
MalleusMaleficarum 01.13.14	rob ford is our strength & conditioning coach
DominionMM1 01.13.14	USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA
DikkoZinner 01.13.14	Olympic Hockey, doesn't get much better than that.
MalleusMaleficarum 01.13.14	you speak the truth
Kiran 01.13.14	so excited for this! looking forward to: 1. sweden winning gold 2. erik karlsson paired with oliver ekman-larsson? i'm not sure about the defensive philosophy here but the forwards on the ice are strapped in for something crazy 3. seeing a potentially terrifying russian 1st PP unit on the ice (imagine datsyuk, malkin, ovechkin, kovalchuk, markov) 4. team canada in general, stacked 5. seeing nhl speed demons like grabner, hagelin, duchene cruise on bigger ice 6. finland losing 7. the swiss causing an upset disappointed that: 1a) sweden select tallinder over hedman or brodin (do we really need to keep handing out 'leadership/veteran' spots? i think zetterberg, alfredsson, daniel, henrik, landeskog, kronwall, lundqvist, etc can cover that reasonably well) 1b) jimmie ericsson? sorry hörnqvist, that's gotta hurt 2) no st louis, jumbo joe, seabrook or giroux for canada but what can ya do with that selection pool (pick chris kunitz, i guess, is what you do) 3) no bobby ryan for the USA, dumb move
MalleusMaleficarum 01.13.14	When I created the swedish team I made the pairings like this: Kronwall - Karlsson Edler - Hjalmarsson Ericsson - Ekman Larsson i acknowledge it probably wont look like this though because Kronwall doesnt have the optimal mobility but hes the best guy for shutdown purposes I would say
Kiran 01.13.14	well edler can't play the first two games and mårts' comments seem to suggest keeping teammates together at least to start with, while edler is suspended, so apparently itll look like this: karlsson - ekman larsson, kronwall - ericsson, oduya - hjalmarsson. could obviously change before though and likely after with edler back!
MalleusMaleficarum 01.13.14	Petr Nedved for tournament MVP
Ending 01.13.14	How's NHL 14 compare to 13? Anniversary Mode seems appealing but I can't help but wonder if it's one of those things I want just because I don't have it. Amped as hell for that sweet sweet commercial free hockey.
MalleusMaleficarum 01.13.14	i hated NHL 13. 14 kicks ass.
Spec 01.13.14	Live The Life is so fucking glitchy its incredibly frustrating.
Spec 01.13.14	Oh hey you're leading the NHL in goals, assists and plus minus? You play every game with near perfect position scores? AHL for you.
MalleusMaleficarum 01.14.14	i think you just suck because thats never happened to me.
Spec 01.14.14	And I got my speed full then did an off ice challenge where the coach was like "good job not going out past curfew +10 athletics!" Next game I was slow as fuck, checked my speed bar and it had dropped down to 40. Like wtf. Now I have to earn it all back.
MalleusMaleficarum 01.14.14	Sucks to be you bro. my left winger Frankie Shroeder Played a full season in the OHL for the Kitchener Rangers recording 57 goals and 78 assists in 68 games before being drafted 1st overall by the Edmonton Oilers. yeah thats right, they got yet another first round pick. so now Shroeder plays on a line with Nugent-Hopkins and Yakupov. through 34 games he has 10 goals and 30 assists for 40 points. oh and im playing on hardcore superstar difficulty with adjusted sliders to reduce puck control and pass accuracy. the Oilers still suck tho.
Spec 01.14.14	I got drafted by the senators and didn't want that so I said I hated their city and everyone in it or somethig and got sent to the penguins. Playing with Crosby Malkin and Neil is a lot of fun.
Spec 01.14.14	But I got put on the first defensive line and before I could play my first game on that line it was like LOL NOPE YOURE BEING SENT DOWN FGGT. Like what the hell.
MalleusMaleficarum 01.14.14	prolly cuz they know ur guy is a douchebag who demands trades as a rookie n shit
Spec 01.14.14	Where the fuck is my blimp.
Spec 01.14.14	It's cool though cause I already A+ all my nhl season expectations anyways.
MalleusMaleficarum 01.14.14	i hope ottawa wins the stanley cup
Spec 01.14.14	No man Sabres got it this year.
MalleusMaleficarum 01.14.14	Zemgus Girgensons for mvp
Spec 01.14.14	They should make an M rated version so you can score cocaine and go to strip clubs and shit. Just like the real nhl. If you're theo fleury.
Spec 01.14.14	But no seriously I love the guy and wish his comeback actually happened. The Flames need all the help they can get this year.
MalleusMaleficarum 01.14.14	"The guys have decided to blow some snow. Will you join them?"
Spec 01.14.14	You answered yes. Management is impressed. +10 aggressiveness, strength and stamina.
Skoj 01.14.14	NOBODY CIRCLES THE WAGON LIKE THE BUFFALO SABRES
Spec 01.14.14	Their team is a form of comic relief this season.
MalleusMaleficarum 01.14.14	-95 poise -1 year career longevity
MalleusMaleficarum 01.14.14	all the glory is in Anaheim this year apparently. but my teams are still Colorado and St Louis, as far as Western Conference goes.
Spec 01.14.14	I like Colorado and I like Roy behind the bench.
MalleusMaleficarum 01.14.14	me too. oldschool fireball. reminds me of marc crawford combined with pat burns. no one matches burnsy though. rip.
Spec 01.14.14	What about the torterella/brooksie feud when he was in New York.
MalleusMaleficarum 01.14.14	comedy gold
Spec 01.14.14	"Johnny McLean? Well why don't you ask him."
PitchforkArms 01.14.14	Really annoyed Giroux wasn't taken to Canada, he's proved himself to be worthy. Also, usa's D is horrid and they should've taken Ryan and Okposo
PitchforkArms 01.14.14	Like how does USA pick Orpik, Martin and Fowler, when Johnson and YANDLE are available, ughhh.
Spec 01.14.14	Czech Republic completely ignored Jiri Hudler which is a dumbass move.
DominionMM1 01.14.14	i'm assuming mckinnon didn't make the cut for canada (haven't really looked at the rosters)
Days of Future Passed 01.14.14	Fowler's decent. I haven't seen Orpik or Martin play lately so I can't comment on them. But def should've taken Yandle. If Stammer doesn't make it then I think Giroux will take his place. Also 1 has slowly become my favourite album.
MalleusMaleficarum 01.14.14	thats because its the best album. i agree with Orpik being a bad choice for USA, especially on the olympic ice surface he could be badly exposed or maybe not even play at all, but the American defense is far from "horrid". Fowler was chosen over Johnson because of his incredible skating. McDonagh is underappreciated. Ryan Suter. Martin is a smart player and good skater, just not an overly offensive guy.
MalleusMaleficarum 01.14.14	I wouldve left Jeff Carter off the team in favor of either Marty St Louis or Giroux or even Couture. shrug.
omnipanzer 01.14.14	can'tfuckingwait!
MalleusMaleficarum 01.14.14	WORD
KjSwantko 01.14.14	I can't fucking believe some of the roster choices on U.S. and Canada.........Carter, Kunitz and Nash over St. Louis/Thornton/Neal is literally laughable. And as far as Bobby Ryan, sure he is a one trick pony, but the U.S. is going to need scoring and putting Brown and Stepan over him is laughable as well. Andy Greene and Keith Yandle not making it on the backend is silly too. It's all politics. Paul Martin and Orpik are fucking scrubs now compared to the aforementioned two. And Jimmy Howard over Bishop? C'mon man. Euro teams are gonna wreck the N. American teams.
MalleusMaleficarum 01.14.14	dude, youre not realising how much emphasis these selection committies have been on GOOD SKATERS. Joe Thornton is fucking SLOW, and he would look even slower on the olympic surface. kinda sounds like youre trapped in the past to be honest. you must be disappointed that Canada didnt select Mario Lemieux.
MalleusMaleficarum 01.14.14	oh fuck im actually having a legitimate laugh at you suggesting the european teams will have an advantage over canada because they didnt select the players you like lmao canada could send 2 rosters to sochi and win 2 medals oh and guess what joe thornton would be on neither of those teams
MalleusMaleficarum 01.14.14	Andy Greene... lmao
KjSwantko 01.14.14	Do you watch Andy Greene play at all or are you just someone who says, "doesn't put up huge numbers, isn't a marquee name......must suck." He's one of the most reliable U.S. defensemen, hence why he got a quite a bit of attention as a snub. If you remember the playoffs from a couple seasons ago you'd remember Andy Greene was maybe the best player for NJ in their run and even Pierre Maguire stroking his chode on the air. Further yet, the North American teams always get worked over by the Euro teams on the bigger ice. Is it guaranteed to happen this year, no, but it's going by past history its likely. But as an omniscient know-it-all, I'm sure you already knew that. Next, Joe Thornton leads the entire LEAGUE in assists. He's still arguably the best play maker in the game. And if the the selection committees were looking for speed, how do you explain Derek Stepan and Dustin Brown making the roster when they're having extremely poor years and are slower than molasses? Having opinions is fine, but goddamn, at least use some logic to form them.
MalleusMaleficarum 01.14.14	yes ive watched Andy Greene play and hes about as solid as Paul Martin, whats your point? i dont look at stats strictly, if that was the case i wouldnt have been supporting the selections of guys like Paul Martin. you dont agree with my logic because you seemingly cant even understand it.
MalleusMaleficarum 01.14.14	i love joe thornton, however i wasnt expecting him to make team canada because im not an idiot.
MalleusMaleficarum 01.14.14	its just funny that you would accuse me of using stats as my only criteria and then you conveniently talk about Thorntons assists. it doesnt matter. Nash is having a bad statistical season but management is able to identify that he belongs on the team because of his past international successes and chemistry with guys like Ryan Getzlaf.
MalleusMaleficarum 01.14.14	oh but I forgot that Team Canada has no chance against the likes of Tuomo Ruutu and Jussi Jokinen.
KjSwantko 01.14.14	Of Canada has a chance - in fact, I'm sure they'll be the favorite. What I was saying is that history tells us that the N. American teams don't do well on the bigger ice surface because it requires different strategies and has strange nuances that they're not used to. The Canada roster is still very good--as is the U.S. roster--but both could have been significantly better, I believe. That was the underlying point of my post. Frankly, I hope either the U.S. or Canada manages the Gold. And lastly, it seems like we're arguing over mostly dumb miniscule shit and my guess is we would probably agree on a lot.
MalleusMaleficarum 01.14.14	Ironically enough, Canadas past failures on the european ice is the exact reason why guys like Thornton and Neal arent on the team
JWT155 01.14.14	Neal being left off team Canada probably has more to do with his recent suspension and cheap blow on Marchand then his performance on the ice.
MalleusMaleficarum 01.14.14	his slow feet played a pretty big factor
JWT155 01.14.14	Olympic ice is big but Neal could def handle it. He's not on the team simply enough because with the talent Canada has, it's not worth putting a guy on it who many now consider a cheap player to represent their country and the fact that if he pulls a similar stunt in the Olympics he'll be packing. The team was chosen to handle the big ice but is also PR image of all of Canada.
MalleusMaleficarum 01.14.14	youre right, politics tends to creep in and im not sure James Neal is well-liked around the league
DominionMM1 01.14.14	"And Jimmy Howard over Bishop?" why not? first of all, we're talking about usa's 3rd goalie, so it's not like there are any plans to play him in any game that matters. and second, howard has postseason experience, which is probably the reason they chose him.
MalleusMaleficarum 01.14.14	"riding the hot hand" is rarely the gameplan for these olympic selection committees. for the most part theyre thinking more along the lines of experience, international success and athletic explosiveness.
KjSwantko 01.14.14	It's more a matter of philosophy I suppose. While history and credentials are obviously important, I think the here-and-now should be weighted just as much, potentially even slightly more. Bishop has been excellent while Howard has been mediocre; don't get me wrong though, Howard is a decent goalie.
MalleusMaleficarum 01.14.14	the Olympics only come around once every 4 years and I think most would agree that Howard has done enough over the past several seasons to earn that spot over an unproven Bishop.
PitchforkArms 01.14.14	martin didnt even make his NHL team last year. he was healthy scratched from lots of games the past few years. Also, if we're talking about people over the past 4 years than why is Luongo playing? he has been nothing but inconsistent
MalleusMaleficarum 01.14.14	when it comes down to two players who have basically the same amount of hockey sense and stick skills, the skating ability will be the deciding factor. Paul Martin > Andy Greene Who would you choose over Roberto Luongo? his record in Olympic play is 6-1 with a .930% sv. if you leave him off the team youre officially retarted and fired. But lets talk about Mike Smith though.