Comments on: John Erskine Signs Two-Year, $3.9M Contract Extension

By: Hokaheyhockey

Hokaheyhockey — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 21:14:00 +0000

Interesting that you begin the story with the image of Erskie wailing on Asham, one of the best middle weight enforcers in the NHL. In case anyone has forgotten, intimidation and accountability are important elements to winning in hockey, just as much as stamina and tenacity. In any case, Erskine may have won this bout with Ash. For despite being a D man with only 1 goal per year, Erskie will now be making twice as much as Ash who is a 4th line forward who can put in 6 goals and a dozen assists per year.

By: Hokaheyhockey

Hokaheyhockey — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 20:59:00 +0000

This video just shows that Ovie needs to get his beard back! It goes so well with his hat tricks ; )

By: Peter Hassett

Peter Hassett — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 14:15:00 +0000

I think I pretty much made your point for you when I said this:

Having “sandpaper” or “keeping players honest” is awesome for watching and enjoying a game, but when it comes to planning a team or taking a critical look, they’re about as useful as chicken entrails and eye of newt.

Except without all the mean stuff you said below that.

By: Matt

Matt — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 12:34:00 +0000

Bottom line Peter…Hockey is about motivation, strategic aggressiveness, and good old fashioned team testosterone. “Sensationalism” really, I take it that you would never step foot into a blue color hockey town to see a game then correct? Why do you think spectators go bezerk when the team is on a roll or there is a struggle. A fight is sometimes deemed necessary by the enforcer, to help remind his teammates its time to pull your heads out of your fourth-point-of-contact or to remind the opponent that he has another player’s back. You wouldn’t understand what Chris is saying here because you sit behind the keyboard and analyze old stats and play blog nanny. My bet is that you are one with the house of Schultz. Yeah, let’s talk about overpaid….There’s money well spent for what? http://www.spotrac.com/nhl/washington-capitals/jeff-schultz/

By: Peter Hassett

Peter Hassett — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 05:41:00 +0000

I’m glad you’re so energized about this, but I think you’re missing the point.

Hits correlate negatively to success. What you may see 17 games into a season isn’t going to have the significance of a full season (or multiple seasons)– that’s why a low-possession/high-luck team like ANA is kicking ass.

Further, hits are calculated spuriously and shouldn’t really be trusted anyway.

So much of your argument is based on innuendo and sensationalism that I don’t think we’ve got any shared ground to reach. The good news is that we’re not far apart — I really like Erskine! I just don’t think he’s worth nearly that much money, and the Caps should have dedicated their salary cap space towards players who have a better chance of producing wins in predictable and documented ways.

By: chris

chris — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 05:31:00 +0000

Yes, it is funny.
Chicago is 30th in the NHL in hits. Their record is 15-0-3.
Calgary is 29th in the NHL in hits. Their record is 7-7-3.

Minnesota is 28th in the NHL in hits. Their record is 8-7-2.

Anaheim is 22nd in the NHL in hits. Their record is 13-2-1.
Washington is 23rd in the NHL in hits. Their record is 6-10-1.
Montreal is 8th in the NHL in hits. Their record is 12-4-3.
Pittsburgh is 12th in the NHL in hits. Their record is 13-6-0.
Ottawa is 4th in the NHL in hits. Their record is 12-6-2.

Wait, shouldn’t the Capitals have a better record because they hit less? Shouldn’t the Canadiens, Penguins and Senators record be less because they hit more? The key here is puck possession. The Capitals don’t possess the puck enough. How do you get a takeaway to gain possession? Physical play which leads to hits.

Yes, I said opposing players act differently, not that they cower in fear of John Erskine. They react to how the defense of the Capitals react. Erksine doesn’t back down, he holds his ground. Watch what Jeff Schultz, John Carlson, Karl Alzner or Tomas Kundratek do when the crease is crowded after a save. There is not pushing, there is no clamping down on a stick, there is no getting between the opposing player and the goal tender.

That’s great, use last years stats which mean absolutely nothing. How about this years stats. The stats that show when Alzner is on the ice the Capitals have more Goal Against than Goals For and the opposite when Erskine is on the ice.

Thanks for the website link. Great information there.

By: 28IS(still)GREAT

28IS(still)GREAT — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 00:24:00 +0000

Hey – as a Semin fan I totally hear ya! Case in point – just substitute “toughness” for “lazy” in an otherwise declarative statement regarding said player’s questionable value – and WHAM! – welcome back to probably 90%+ of the anti-Semin arguments you used to hear.

By: Peter Hassett

Peter Hassett — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 00:20:00 +0000

Funny you say that about hits. http://blogs.thescore.com/nhl/2013/02/25/breaking-news-puck-possession-is-important-and-nobody-told-the-cbc/

You did say “opposing players act differently”, not that they are treated differently.

Here’s a bunch of charts that show how playing with Alzner leads to better results: http://stats.hockeyanalysis.com/showplayerwowycharts.php?pid=1046&season=2011-12&sit=f10

Thanks for playing.

By: chris

chris — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 00:15:00 +0000

A good fight can be just as effective as a good check/hit. Then again you might think checking and hitting is pointless. It is all to gain control of momentum in a game or motivate your teammates or stick up for a teammate.

I never said players live in fear of Erskine, he doesn’t skate away from the crease after a save. He pushes, shoves and jaws with opposing players instead of allowing them to crowd the crease.

You have any stats to backup this Alzer claim? I never claimed him to be better than Alzner, only that his role is similar but more physical.

Try reading people’s comments. Cannot wait to see what you whine about in response to Brouwer’s comments about Semin.

By: Ian Oland

Ian Oland — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 22:25:00 +0000

I said this on Twitter, but I’ll repeat it here. I love Ersk and he’s played great this year. But 2 mil a year when u have Schilling, Wey, and Orlov knocking at the door is ridiculous.