Rumours & Offseason Nonsense 2018/19

jimmy snels

Well-Known Member
ive tried it and still think as a roster both were tougher wannabe. we were far better but not tougher imo. as i said before, if your winning it doesnt matter, im just commenting on a post.

as a roster for next season i would like us to carry an extra tough player but i will wait and see what off season brings.
 

Jones72

Active Member
Changing the topic for a moment...anyone considered that Thommo might be on his way from the Steelers?

The announcement of the raft of “not returning” players might’ve been him doing them a favour by releasing them early so they have maximum time in the marketplace to find a new team...knowing that with a new incoming coach likely to want to rebuild, there would be no guarantees for any of them?

Just a thought.


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Ocko

Well-Known Member
Try this
Jim Vandermeer. Tyson Strachan.
Kevin Raine. Andrew Hotham.
Jarret Cole. Matt Pope.
Ryan Martinelli. Mark Louis.
John Kurtz. Justin Faryna.
Blair Riley. Josh Batch.

No bullying by Belfast there, they may have put it about a bit more than us, but tougher no way, and Lordo ain’t even in that line up, and he was easily Martinelli equal in there fight. We may have been a bit more contained, but if we needed to be, we were as tough as anyone.
Only Hotham and possibly Louis are taking those fights.
 

Ocko

Well-Known Member
Changing the topic for a moment...anyone considered that Thommo might be on his way from the Steelers?

The announcement of the raft of “not returning” players might’ve been him doing them a favour by releasing them early so they have maximum time in the marketplace to find a new team...knowing that with a new incoming coach likely to want to rebuild, there would be no guarantees for any of them?

Just a thought.


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Not a chance. Thompson will be the Steelers coach next season without question.
 

Devil_Abroad

Well-Known Member
Only Hotham and possibly Louis are taking those fights.
[emoji23][emoji23][emoji23] seriously?

Faryna took on Gagnon twice this year who in most fans eyes is the toughest player in the league this season

Batch takes on anyone and everyone.




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Ocko

Well-Known Member
Yes, seriously.

Batch lost to Kurtz earlier in the year and I'd say Riley is much tougher than Kurtz. Whilst Batch is tough Riley is a career tough guy with over 100 fights, Batch has had just 21.

And Faryna, whilst very game, does lose to the majority of heavyweights he fights. His fight card says as much - and Kurtz is very tough.

Maybe try looking without thinking everything Devils is wonderful and everything to do with other teams isn't as good as us.
 
I can't believe we've won the league twice in a row, took the challenge Cup last year and the playoffs this year, and won the conference trophy both years... And people are still saying we need a tough guy?!? The game is changing - move with the times, folks. We are dominating without an out-and-out tough guy. Other teams are trying to keep up with what we are doing, why go backwards by wasting an import slot on an enforcer type guy?!

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James

Administrator
OK fair point, but such things become academic at the point we win. I dont want to see us bossed around the ice. For years Belfast came over here and did what the hell they wanted to and we had nothing to respond with. I cant remember a game this year we've been bullied like that. Even if there was a game or 2 that we were, Id take that for a table full of cups
 

Wannabe2

Well-Known Member
Yes, seriously.

Batch lost to Kurtz earlier in the year and I'd say Riley is much tougher than Kurtz. Whilst Batch is tough Riley is a career tough guy with over 100 fights, Batch has had just 21.

And Faryna, whilst very game, does lose to the majority of heavyweights he fights. His fight card says as much - and Kurtz is very tough.

Maybe try looking without thinking everything Devils is wonderful and everything to do with other teams isn't as good as us.
I also think Riley is tougher than Kurtz, although Kurtz won their only encounter, my reply wasn’t that we were tougher than Giants/ Storm, but that we wouldn’t get bullied if push went to shove. Having said that, I would love us to sign a clone of Mike MacWilliam. Great season though, just look forward to the rumours now, and to see who signs who.
 

Gazr76

Active Member
My two pence for what is worth. Just before the season I was a little bit worried that without a pure enforcer out there, Cardiff Devils would get bossed about on some occassions. However the way they played this year, it just simpy didn't happen.
The game is changing. For sure. When the opposition did try and get physical, tried to knock the boys about, the devils just seemed to keep calm and roll with the hits, the checks, the punches.
They focused on the scoreboard not the fight card this year and it worked. For most of the season a number of other teams tried the intimidation piece. A couple of things happened. Within the devils team, certain individuals stepped up and got just enough physical back at them (players which the other team didn't necessarily expect to provide this back, aka Joey Martin in that game against Sheffield). The 2nd thing which happened was Cardiff just didn't stop playing tic tac toe, fast, past it into space hockey. They didn't let it affect them and they put numbers on the board.
It was simply too late in the season for other teams to figure this out and adjust. Sheffield Steerlers in particular just didn't know how to stop Cardiff. Thommo couldn't figure out the Devils all season. He just stood there with a vacant look on a his face, scratching his head. Sure, last night in the NHL, Boston beat Toronto. Because Toronto let a tougher, more physical team intimidate them. Cardiff Devils didn't let that happen all year long. This was Lord's plan from the off. Leave emotion at the door and get our own back when we score. It worked. Like I said the game is changing.
 
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If I was a coach playing a game against a team whose powerplay was running around 30% I'd not be telling my players to get out there and rough them up. I'd be screaming at them to stay out of the box all game. Devils for me had a perfect balance this year, Faryna 25 goals in 50 games Bordeleau 5 goals in 49 games last year. I know which player a would take.
 

Oz25

New Member
My two pence for what is worth. Just before the season I was a little bit worried that without a pure enforcer out there, Cardiff Devils would get bossed about on some occassions. However the way they played this year, it just simpy didn't happen.
The game is changing. For sure. When the opposition did try and get physical, tried to knock the boys about, the devils just seemed to keep calm and roll with the hits, the checks, the punches.
They focused on the scoreboard not the fight card this year and it worked. For most of the season a number of other teams tried the intimidation piece. A couple of things happened. Within the devils team, certain individuals stepped up and got just enough physical back at them (players which the other team didn't necessarily expect to provide this back, aka Joey Martin in that game against Sheffield). The 2nd thing which happened was Cardiff just didn't stop playing tic tac toe, fast, past it into space hockey. They didn't let it affect them and they put numbers on the board.
It was simply too late in the season for other teams to figure this out and adjust. Sheffield Steerlers in particular just didn't know how to stop Cardiff. Thommo couldn't figure out the Devils all season. He just stood there with a vacant look on a his face, scratching his head. Sure, last night in the NHL, Boston beat Toronto. Because Toronto let a tougher, more physical team intimidate them. Cardiff Devils didn't let that happen all year long. This was Lord's plan from the off. Leave emotion at the door and get our own back when we score. It worked. Like I said the game is changing.
I agree with what you've said but did you notice that in the last few games before the playoffs Devils started hitting harder. They did it against coventry, Batch in particular seemed to be going for it.
 
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