Phil Kessel

[Omallley]

You're saying his shot dips?  Like a slider?

Sometimes a little, yes. More than I expect.

cw, who was that guy we heard about years ago whose slapshot defied physics in every conceivable way and actually accelerated after release (or so we were told...)?  ;D

lol  ;D

I remember that post but don't recall the poster or player.

What, are you saying that's unpossible? 

Anyway, getting back to dipshots (so to speak) do you guys remember Nieuwy's 2 goals on Lalime in the first period of that game 7 a few years back?  I have a distinct (although perhaps mistaken) recollection that both them dipped and then went, immortally, 5-hole on Mr. Intensity.  I can't remember if they were half-slappers or what.

OTOH I also remember Sundin's 500th, the shorty in OT against Kiprusoff -- that was a half-slapper taken in stride IIRC and it just blew by Kipper.

Those Nieuwendyk goals definitely dipped...that's my memory of it as well, at least...

 

[Zee]

You're saying his shot dips?  Like a slider?

Sometimes a little, yes. More than I expect.

cw, who was that guy we heard about years ago whose slapshot defied physics in every conceivable way and actually accelerated after release (or so we were told...)?  ;D

lol  ;D

I remember that post but don't recall the poster or player.

What, are you saying that's unpossible? 

Anyway, getting back to dipshots (so to speak) do you guys remember Nieuwy's 2 goals on Lalime in the first period of that game 7 a few years back?  I have a distinct (although perhaps mistaken) recollection that both them dipped and then went, immortally, 5-hole on Mr. Intensity.  I can't remember if they were half-slappers or what.

OTOH I also remember Sundin's 500th, the shorty in OT against Kiprusoff -- that was a half-slapper taken in stride IIRC and it just blew by Kipper.

Those Nieuwendyk goals definitely dipped...that's my memory of it as well, at least...

I remember every single Luca Caputi goal on the Leafs and they were exactly like this.

 

[cw]

You're saying his shot dips?  Like a slider?

Sometimes a little, yes. More than I expect.

cw, who was that guy we heard about years ago whose slapshot defied physics in every conceivable way and actually accelerated after release (or so we were told...)?  ;D

lol  ;D

I remember that post but don't recall the poster or player.

What, are you saying that's unpossible? 

Anyway, getting back to dipshots (so to speak) do you guys remember Nieuwy's 2 goals on Lalime in the first period of that game 7 a few years back?  I have a distinct (although perhaps mistaken) recollection that both them dipped and then went, immortally, 5-hole on Mr. Intensity.  I can't remember if they were half-slappers or what.

Yep
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfuBxEfFWvM

OTOH I also remember Sundin's 500th, the shorty in OT against Kiprusoff -- that was a half-slapper taken in stride IIRC and it just blew by Kipper.

He got a pretty good wind up
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDKsrlVFqR0
and caught all of it

loved that goal.

 

[Heroic Shrimp]

You're saying his shot dips?  Like a slider?

Sometimes a little, yes. More than I expect.

cw, who was that guy we heard about years ago whose slapshot defied physics in every conceivable way and actually accelerated after release (or so we were told...)?  ;D

lol  ;D

I remember that post but don't recall the poster or player.

Please tell me it was Brendl.

I can tell you that Philadelphia was relevant to the discussion...

 

[ZBBM]

Yep
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfuBxEfFWvM

OTOH I also remember Sundin's 500th, the shorty in OT against Kiprusoff -- that was a half-slapper taken in stride IIRC and it just blew by Kipper.

He got a pretty good wind up
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDKsrlVFqR0
and caught all of it

loved that goal.

Thanks for those links -- great memories!

 

[Zee]

While we're reminiscing about playoff goals, this one nearly brings me to tears every time I watch it.  The Bowen call is incredible:

http://video.mapleleafs.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=70126

 

[Corn Flake]

This year, the player he is reminding me of the most is Martin St. Louis.

I thought about St. Louis too but with St. Louis being a fair bit more diminutive, I stayed away from the comparison.

I think size isn't really that important a factor in comparing player to player, certainly not one that dismisses the comparison. All the other more important attributes are quite similar. 

St. Louis is small, but Kessel isn't huge.  Also, Kessel skates and moves in kind of a compact way which helps him able to do a lot of the things he does. 

 

[maplesyrup]

This year, the player he is reminding me of the most is Martin St. Louis.

I thought about St. Louis too but with St. Louis being a fair bit more diminutive, I stayed away from the comparison.

I think size isn't really that important a factor in comparing player to player, certainly not one that dismisses the comparison. All the other more important attributes are quite similar. 

St. Louis is small, but Kessel isn't huge.  Also, Kessel skates and moves in kind of a compact way which helps him able to do a lot of the things he does.

Don't get me wrong, I didn't dismiss the comparison. I considered it to be my pick before Gartner entered my mind.

 

[rdowdall]

A pretty fair comparison.  While no player is going to be a perfect equivalent, and Gartner may hold up as the best, the one minor distinction between Kessel and Gartner (and probably almost any other premier scorer) is that Kessel virtually never takes a slapshot.

That's a good point.

With Kessel's snap shot (if that's the term the kids are using today) I think I'd be pretty angry with Kessel for trying too many slappers.

Too often in golf, we see a guy win a major. And then their coach gets a hold of them and tries to 'improve' them ... that often leads to them falling  back. Arnold Palmer said it took him two years to get used to moving the position of his thumb on the shaft.

I wouldn't change a thing right now. He's scoring at a clip few ever experience.

His shot has something to do with his success, obviously. But I've wondered for sometime if it's just what is commonly observed. No question the quick release has bunches to do with it.

Compared with many of Gartner's early years, the goaltenders and equipment are bigger and better. In my opinion, we don't see as many slapshots scored by a winger blazing down the wing as we used to. A slapshot travels in the straightest trajectory using max speed and power to blow it by the goalie. A thing I've notice a few times is sometimes Kessel's shot dips more than a slapshot, maybe a little like an off speed pitch (though not as much). It stands to reason as it's unlikely to have the same velocity as a slapshot (which is why we don't see snap shots trying to win the hardest (fastest) shot competition at the all star game).

I'm not sure if it's intentional or not. You'd have to ask Kessel - if he'd even discuss it before the end of his career. I realize that he's capable of snapping it to a velocity close to a slapshot or maybe faster than some guys with that whippy flex shaft. But he doesn't seem to always quite get all of it and I've wondered if that has something to do with his success where the trajectory is a little more deceptive than the slapshots many goalies have faced.

Can't say that I could prove the above. But it is something I've wondered about when I've watched him score some of his goals and the goalie misses a shot I thought he should have had. It's happened too many times for me to conclude so many of the NHL goalies give up softies to Kessel.

Just wondered if anyone else has noticed that.

I know you are talking in a general sense, but that goal Kessel scored against Calgary, where he was half falling was a rocket to the top of the net.

Also, on the slapshot comment, I heard that from Kariya and Selanne as well.  Both said they had to re-invent themselves because they weren't able to just skate down the wing and let a rocket go.

 

[hockeyfan1]

A pretty fair comparison.  While no player is going to be a perfect equivalent, and Gartner may hold up as the best, the one minor distinction between Kessel and Gartner (and probably almost any other premier scorer) is that Kessel virtually never takes a slapshot.

That's a good point.

With Kessel's snap shot (if that's the term the kids are using today) I think I'd be pretty angry with Kessel for trying too many slappers.

Too often in golf, we see a guy win a major. And then their coach gets a hold of them and tries to 'improve' them ... that often leads to them falling  back. Arnold Palmer said it took him two years to get used to moving the position of his thumb on the shaft.

I wouldn't change a thing right now. He's scoring at a clip few ever experience.

His shot has something to do with his success, obviously. But I've wondered for sometime if it's just what is commonly observed. No question the quick release has bunches to do with it.

Compared with many of Gartner's early years, the goaltenders and equipment are bigger and better. In my opinion, we don't see as many slapshots scored by a winger blazing down the wing as we used to. A slapshot travels in the straightest trajectory using max speed and power to blow it by the goalie. A thing I've notice a few times is sometimes Kessel's shot dips more than a slapshot, maybe a little like an off speed pitch (though not as much). It stands to reason as it's unlikely to have the same velocity as a slapshot (which is why we don't see snap shots trying to win the hardest (fastest) shot competition at the all star game).

I'm not sure if it's intentional or not. You'd have to ask Kessel - if he'd even discuss it before the end of his career. I realize that he's capable of snapping it to a velocity close to a slapshot or maybe faster than some guys with that whippy flex shaft. But he doesn't seem to always quite get all of it and I've wondered if that has something to do with his success where the trajectory is a little more deceptive than the slapshots many goalies have faced.

Can't say that I could prove the above. But it is something I've wondered about when I've watched him score some of his goals and the goalie misses a shot I thought he should have had. It's happened too many times for me to conclude so many of the NHL goalies give up softies to Kessel.

Just wondered if anyone else has noticed that.

I know you are talking in a general sense, but that goal Kessel scored against Calgary, where he was half falling was a rocket to the top of the net.

Also, on the slapshot comment, I heard that from Kariya and Selanne as well.  Both said they had to re-invent themselves because they weren't able to just skate down the wing and let a rocket go.
 

With that, I couldn't agree more.

 

[Arn]

As I said in the game thread last night, there was a moment on the ice when Kessel just had a real swagger about him. I can't explain it, he just looked *something*

It's great to see a Leafs player playing like that

 

[Zee]

As I said in the game thread last night, there was a moment on the ice when Kessel just had a real swagger about him. I can't explain it, he just looked *something*

It's great to see a Leafs player playing like that

It's the "I'll show you for picking me last in the draft" look.

 

[Arn]

Funny enough, I think I read on nhl.com that currently he would be in the starting lineup for the East. Hope he gets nominated captain and picks Ovechkin last ;-)

 

[cw]

Funny enough, I think I read on nhl.com that currently he would be in the starting lineup for the East. Hope he gets nominated captain and picks Ovechkin last ;-)

Or Phil takes a picture of the All Star team for Alex after Ovechkin's left off the All Star team ...  ;D

Ovechkin currently sits tied for 53rd in NHL scoring among forwards. 16 Left wingers have put up more points. Backstrom deserves the nod from his team before Alex does (based on play this season)

Based on his play so far, he doesn't look like an All Star to me.

 

[maplesyrup]

Top 5 in scoring + yellow skate laces = eccentric.
53rd in scoring + yellow skate laces = wacko.

 

[Optimus Reimer]

Funny enough, I think I read on nhl.com that currently he would be in the starting lineup for the East. Hope he gets nominated captain and picks Ovechkin last ;-)

What I don't like seeing is how turd players can have more votes than anyone else.  Karlson is ranked 1st?  There are 6 Leafs d-men better than him.  And Rat Boy is not capable of carrying Kessel's cup so I don't even know why he has more votes than Kessel.

 

[Bullfrog]

Karlson is ranked 1st?  There are 6 Leafs d-men better than him.

Name them.

 

[maplesyrup]

Karlson is ranked 1st?  There are 6 Leafs d-men better than him.

Name them.

We have a lot of excellent defencemen off all ages throughout our system. Far more then that of Ottawa but with that said, I don't think there isn't one of them I wouldn't trade for Karlson. Take out the cap implications I might say Dion but really, Karlson is going to be a superstar.

 

[Kin]

What I don't like seeing is how turd players can have more votes than anyone else.  Karlson is ranked 1st?  There are 6 Leafs d-men better than him.  And Rat Boy is not capable of carrying Kessel's cup so I don't even know why he has more votes than Kessel.

It's all-star ballot stuffing. It should rank around 1,292,433rd on the list of things you care about between the local politics of the Sidaryo region of Uzbekistan and the hot new releases on the auto-harp scene.

 

[Omallley]

What I don't like seeing is how turd players can have more votes than anyone else.  Karlson is ranked 1st?  There are 6 Leafs d-men better than him.  And Rat Boy is not capable of carrying Kessel's cup so I don't even know why he has more votes than Kessel.

It's all-star ballot stuffing. It should rank around 1,292,433rd on the list of things you care about between the local politics of the Sidaryo region of Uzbekistan and the hot new releases on the auto-harp scene.

Hey! Don't bad mouth the auto harp!