GhostofPotvin29
New member
Optimus Reimer said:or tries to play with a broken stick (Leafs were extremely lucky Phaneuf did not get a penalty for that).
When he tries to do too much that is when a shot breaks his stick unbeknownst to him? It's instinct to clear the puck, the puck hit his stick and broke it, he didn't feel it happen, and he dropped it after he saw. He's not the first player this has happened to (sticks are crazy light now, it's sometimes hard to tell in heat of the moment if you're not taking a shot when it happens) and won't be the last, but it's hardly as a result of trying to do too much.
Optimus Reimer said:Remember how many games Raycrap played when he broke the team record for most wins in a season by a Leaf goalie? Just because he played a lot of games that season, and got a lot of wins did not mean he was a great goalie. Besides, most of those wins were due to the Leafs offense and little to do with Raycraps stellar play while most of the Leafs losses that season were due to defensive and goalie miscues. Just because Phaneuf is playing almost half of each game, and just because he is wearing the C, does not mean he is the best Leafs d-man.
Except with Raycroft you could back up his subpar play with more than "he tries to do too much", or "he's bad in our end" types of comments that are by their nature subjective an will differ depending on the person. I mean, you're commenting in one paragraph about how good the Leafs are defensively this season, while at the same time criticizing the player who plays the most and plays the toughest minutes (some of the toughest of all D in the league).
Raycroft had an .894 SV% that season, 36th among those who qualified for NHL's "save % leader" stat. Lots and lots of people could point to Raycroft's brutal SV% and see that the team made up for his goaltending to get him that many wins.
Only 1 other defenseman in the league has started a lower % of shifts at even-strength (off a face-off) in the offensive zone (Phaneuf starts just 37.5% of his shifts there), and yet he is still in the top 30 in defenseman scoring. He's used in all situations, doesn't take a lot of penalties, plays all the toughest minutes defensively, and still produces top 30 offensively (top 10 last season starting 50% in the offensive zone).
I'm sure I'll get more sarcastic Phaneuf comments directed at me in the GDT's going forward, but I'm doing everything I can to explain it using facts. I don't think he's perfect, I don't think any player is perfect, but I think he's been very good for the Leafs.