Making Mountains Out Of Mole Hills!!!
Thanks to Zanstorm an issue has been brought to my attention. There is still a backlash going around about The Bruins trading Boyes and Jurcina. This time, however, it is not coming from an individual's blog but rather from a supposed knowledgeable reporter. Stephen Harris from "The Boston Herald" is now reporting on Boston's mistake in trading these players and that they were to be a big part of our future.
I would like to, because of this article, finally offer my opinion on this issue.
First off let me remind people that these were not blockbuster trades involving players like Crosby and Lidstrom. The players traded were Boyes and Jurcina - no big deal (not superstars now nor will they be).
First off lets look at Jurcina. In 112 NHL games he has recorded 21 points and was a BIG liability on defense. I know we never got anything for him but when you give up nothing you get nothing in return.
Next we have Boyes. I personally do not see what all the commotion was about when he got traded. At the time of the trade he had 34 points in 62 games and he was billed as an offensive weapon. He played most of the season with either Savard or Bergeron on his line and he still only had (I repeat) 34 points in 62 games. His offense was sucking and no one would ever accuse Boyes of being a defensive player as he wasn't even sure where his own end was located (an impressive -17 at the time of the trade)!
People were outraged at him being traded as he was just having an off year. Truth be told when last year, as a rookie, he recorded 69 points he was actually having a career year as even in the AHL he not once averaged a point a game for a season. Why do people think his average would be that or better in the bigs?
I would like to ask Mr. Harris why he thought these two players were a big part of our future? Does he want to see the Bruins' future as dismal or does he not really watch hockey and just report opinion instead of looking at the facts. I only brought this up because of the source it came from. I never attacked any blogs that said the same thing but they are just blogs. Mr. Harris writes for "The Boson Herald" and should have better sense than to print such garbage!
I would like to thank Zanstorm for bringing this to my attention and would recommend his site for reading to any true hockey fan.
Also as I am pimping sites I would like to inform everyone that #4 Bobby Orr now has his own Bruins' blog (he has been a long time commentator on this site and writes on facts and knowledge rather than emotion and falsities). I highly recommend his site!
I would like to, because of this article, finally offer my opinion on this issue.
First off let me remind people that these were not blockbuster trades involving players like Crosby and Lidstrom. The players traded were Boyes and Jurcina - no big deal (not superstars now nor will they be).
First off lets look at Jurcina. In 112 NHL games he has recorded 21 points and was a BIG liability on defense. I know we never got anything for him but when you give up nothing you get nothing in return.
Next we have Boyes. I personally do not see what all the commotion was about when he got traded. At the time of the trade he had 34 points in 62 games and he was billed as an offensive weapon. He played most of the season with either Savard or Bergeron on his line and he still only had (I repeat) 34 points in 62 games. His offense was sucking and no one would ever accuse Boyes of being a defensive player as he wasn't even sure where his own end was located (an impressive -17 at the time of the trade)!
People were outraged at him being traded as he was just having an off year. Truth be told when last year, as a rookie, he recorded 69 points he was actually having a career year as even in the AHL he not once averaged a point a game for a season. Why do people think his average would be that or better in the bigs?
I would like to ask Mr. Harris why he thought these two players were a big part of our future? Does he want to see the Bruins' future as dismal or does he not really watch hockey and just report opinion instead of looking at the facts. I only brought this up because of the source it came from. I never attacked any blogs that said the same thing but they are just blogs. Mr. Harris writes for "The Boson Herald" and should have better sense than to print such garbage!
I would like to thank Zanstorm for bringing this to my attention and would recommend his site for reading to any true hockey fan.
Also as I am pimping sites I would like to inform everyone that #4 Bobby Orr now has his own Bruins' blog (he has been a long time commentator on this site and writes on facts and knowledge rather than emotion and falsities). I highly recommend his site!
Labels: Bitching, Brad Boyes, Trade, Transactions
posted by jimbuff at Tuesday, March 20, 2007
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11 Comments:
I thought his article was justified. Jurcina was traded because Lewis refused to play him, now he's averaging 20+ mins in Washington. Jurcina was a strong player in a 5-6 role last year under Sullivan, this year Lewis refused to play him.
Boyes had a great year last, then this season ran into some slumps, was bounced around the lineup, and hit the proverbial sophomore slump. So he was dumped for a suspect defenseman who has done nothing to help the team, and in fact has hurt them. And if you want to talk points, let's look at Boyes and Bergeron's even strength scoring this season -
Bergeron 29pts even strength
Boyes 33pts even strength
Those are reasons why Harris wrote the article. And I agree with him wholeheartedly.
you may need a little lesson in new england media here jimbuff. while the boston globe is the regions most respected paper, it is accused of being to the left. perhaps you could say it has an nbc type of image. in response we have the herald. the burger king to the globes mcdonalds.
the herald would be the more likely to run blood, guts and anti-gore on its cover. picture a fox news.
it should be little surprise to most new englanders that the herald would encourage its reporters to pick fights and play dirty.
that said - the globes kpd single handely might have held "jumbo joes" hand as he cried his way out of town. it is not unusual for the reporters around here to find something they find a fault and ride it.
russ- i have one problem using boyes and bergies stats side by side. they played together most of the year at even strength, of course they are going to have similar points.
I hear ya neb. My putting the stats side by side was to point (get it? point? HAHAHA I'll be here all week, try the veal) out that save for Bergy's extended PP time, they put up nearly identical numbers. But Boyes is pointed to as having a blah season, which is why he was traded. And Bergeron wears an A. So to me, there's a big discrepancy as to how both players are viewed.
Also, when you look at the two trade deadline deals, you have an offensive d-man traded for a stay at home guy (a deal I'm liking, BTW) because the team needed to solidify the D. But then you trade a decent young forward, for a DEFENSIVELY CHALLENGED offensive defenseman. That's what doesn't make sense to me. I mean, if there was a big salary gap between Mara and Ward, fine. But there's not, so you can't point to cost savings with that deal. Just for "defensive purposes", then you turn around and trade for a d-man who's horrific in his own end.
And I agree with you on the Herald description, BTW. I only hit the sports pages there, as their "news" is more fit for the National Enquirer it seems most times.
Like you, I was really appalled by that article. I was going to write something about it but you saved me the trouble. It's one thing for some fan to go off on a rant, but a journalist should know better.
What he did was take his own suspicions and biases and present them as facts. That's not journalism! Even in the arena of opinion. Even for a rag.
One of the key phrases is the one russ repeated: "...Lewis refused to play him." There are many possible reasons why he didn't get the ice time. An article in the Globe bluntly pointed out that Jurcina had the worst plus-minus on the team, for instance, and suggested that Jurcina had had his chance but failed to make the most of it. I'm personally of the opinion that he simply didn't fit in with the team and system that Lewis is trying to make happen.
Ok, fine, those are all opinions. But when someone says, "Lewis refused the play him" they are angrily indicting Lewis and if they are going to do that, then they ought to stand up and make a case for such an indictment rather than simply make snide childish remarks presented as if they are the truth.
As for his "suspicions" that these trades came about via pressure from Jacobs, ditto. Any 12-year-old could write that. A journalist should back it up with facts!
Now that I'm done ranting, (deep breaths, deep breaths) thanks jumbuff for mentioning my blog!
Russ - I was in no way saying who won or lost the trades. We probably did not get equal value in these trades. What I was trying to point out was the uproar caused by 2 mediocre players being traded. These two players gone do not set our team back 20 years - they were NOT the corner stones to this organization.
neb - thanks for the lesson in New England media. I will keep this in mind when reading.
Earlier this season I had filed Harris in my mind in the same section I keep Eklund and a few other bloggers - not a nice place!
I hear ya on those two being "cornerstones" - they probably WEREN'T, perhaps Boyes in another few years will be a solid 50-60 point guy. No one expected them to be supastahs. But there's been a prevailing feeling about the Bruins not being able to develop and keep young talent, and the "trade to win now, barely" mentality that the B's have had since the lockout. I guess it's really that you and I are reading different things into the article, that's all. It's tough to see someone like Jurcina who seemed to progress under Sullivan, regress under Lewis (as have almost all the players on the Bruins) and get traded away for next to nothing (and if Stuart doesn't sign in Calgary, then it IS nothing).
And, wow. Eklund is in a category of his own. I don't think there's anyone else as bad as him :-)
Number 4 said: "But when someone says, "Lewis refused the play him" they are angrily indicting Lewis and if they are going to do that, then they ought to stand up and make a case for such an indictment rather than simply make snide childish remarks presented as if they are the truth."
I like that point, however, isn't it pretty common for reporters and columnists to run their mouth like that? There isn't that much of a moral code is there?
Wow, good conversation here!
russ - you are right; eklund is in his own catagory - I should never compare anyone to him no matter how bad they are.
I only have a couple of beefs with this article aside from some ill-advised terms like "nonsensical" and his referral that the team is "slightly-over-.500". Even though they get one point for those OT losses, they're still losses in my book. A 34-33-5 record translates to 34 wins and 38 losses.
I don't live in Boston, but I can't imagine that this article was intended to be handled as a shock piece. Since this wasn't a game day recap, it was basically an opinion piece in which the reporter gave his own personal state-of-the-union address. (note: kudos to Neb for the "blood, guts and anti-gore" comment)
I don't agree with everything he said, but do agree on some points, such as the Boyes-Wideman trade. Boyes may have been slumping in Boston, but he's a former 1st rounder who's since put up 8 points in 8 games with his new team (with a 3-assist effort coming last Monday night). Trading him for Wideman was a reach. I don't think that Wideman's all that great and, if the Bruins were seriously looking for a defenseman, they could have gotten more in return. If not, they'd have been better off just holding on to him.
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