Reply With QuoteWow, 4th goal against Huet a dump in off the boards! His confidence is non-existent...
Huet vs Auld 10/17
Huet is practically getting booed out of the building at this point. Fans are giving him backhanded cheers for easy saves now. I am quite glad to be owning Niemi at this point...
On the other end, Auld has looked fantastic. The only goal he gave up was a double screen (Ladd & Woywitka(sp)), and he has stopped several "grade A" chances.
Well, as I type this Auld just got tripped up behind the net and allowed a goal to Toews...not really his fault. Tough call getting a hot Hawks team in ChiTown...
8 Team Roto League (1-year)
Cats: G A +/- PIMs PPP SHP SOG SH% HIT BLK GAA SV% SVS W SO
F: Ovechkin, Stamkos, Giroux, Perry, Tavares, Eriksson, Benn, Jagr, Heatley, Alfredsson, Roy, Hanzal
D: Phaneuf, Del Zotto, Kulikov, I. White, Goligoski, Niskanen
G: M. Smith, Emery
BN: C. Stewart, J. Staal, Read, Brouwer, Ward, Hedberg, Pavelec, Bachman
IR: Letang, Giordano
Wow, 4th goal against Huet a dump in off the boards! His confidence is non-existent...
8 Team Roto League (1-year)
Cats: G A +/- PIMs PPP SHP SOG SH% HIT BLK GAA SV% SVS W SO
F: Ovechkin, Stamkos, Giroux, Perry, Tavares, Eriksson, Benn, Jagr, Heatley, Alfredsson, Roy, Hanzal
D: Phaneuf, Del Zotto, Kulikov, I. White, Goligoski, Niskanen
G: M. Smith, Emery
BN: C. Stewart, J. Staal, Read, Brouwer, Ward, Hedberg, Pavelec, Bachman
IR: Letang, Giordano
What a joke... last year I suffered through Turco and now I suffer through this Huet...
It still feels early to give up on him, but man do I want to. I have limited moves over the season so I need to be careful, but with Niemi, Khabbi and Anderson available, I don't know what I'm waiting for...
Chances are fairly high that if I grab Anderson he doesn't win another game before 2010 with my luck so far. ugh
Limited Keeper - Keep 5
Auction draft with a budget of $600. Whatever is left becomes your acquisition budget for the season. At the end of the season 50% of your budget is carried over to the next year.
Keeper players are taxed +$10 for forwards with over 75 pts. +$5 for forwards under 74pts. +$0 for forwards under 50pts.
D = +$10 for 65pts +$5 for under 64pts +$0 under 40
G = +$10 for 32W +$5 for under 31W & +$0 under 15W
(G) (A) 25, (+/-) 5, (PIM) 3, (PPG) 7.5, (PPA) 5, (SHG) 10, (SHA) 7.5
(SOG) 1 (W) 50, (L) -20, (GA) -5, (SV) 2, (SHO) 50
I'd be very worried if I owned Huet at this point...he looks horrific, and it would be much worse if the rest of the team wasn't playing such great hockey. Niemi is a rather average goalie, but he is getting it done with stopping the average shots (like Toby Petersen's crap goal from the blue line) and making a few timely saves.
8 Team Roto League (1-year)
Cats: G A +/- PIMs PPP SHP SOG SH% HIT BLK GAA SV% SVS W SO
F: Ovechkin, Stamkos, Giroux, Perry, Tavares, Eriksson, Benn, Jagr, Heatley, Alfredsson, Roy, Hanzal
D: Phaneuf, Del Zotto, Kulikov, I. White, Goligoski, Niskanen
G: M. Smith, Emery
BN: C. Stewart, J. Staal, Read, Brouwer, Ward, Hedberg, Pavelec, Bachman
IR: Letang, Giordano
Tomorrow's School of Block discusses some more of the dynamics that exist with a rhythm goalie. Like I said a few days ago, Huet is going to struggle on the Blackhawks because he doesn't face a ton of shots early and doesn't see a lot of action. He is going to have to learn how to be mentally tougher and more focused for 60 minutes. He can no longer rely on his great butterfly or his elite skills...especially since those skills cannot be displayed in these type of games.
Niemi on the other hand has a lot of focus because every game has extreme importance in the sense that he is looking for an opportunity to play more. Looks like he's gonna get it right here, right now.
Huet isn't the only good "rhythm" goalie playing like crap right now ... but you'll get what I'm sayin tomorrow when School of Block goes up!
Sounds good...I'll look forward to it.
Btw, did you see that Toby Petersen goal? During the game they had a "net cam" view of the shot and you could see the puck the entire way and how he flinches awkwardly and misses the puck...completely unacceptable at the NHL level. That goal, along with the dump-in goal off the boards, was the difference between the Hawks losing...going to overtime...and winning.
8 Team Roto League (1-year)
Cats: G A +/- PIMs PPP SHP SOG SH% HIT BLK GAA SV% SVS W SO
F: Ovechkin, Stamkos, Giroux, Perry, Tavares, Eriksson, Benn, Jagr, Heatley, Alfredsson, Roy, Hanzal
D: Phaneuf, Del Zotto, Kulikov, I. White, Goligoski, Niskanen
G: M. Smith, Emery
BN: C. Stewart, J. Staal, Read, Brouwer, Ward, Hedberg, Pavelec, Bachman
IR: Letang, Giordano
I saw a replay of the Peterson goal and it was just a lack of focus. His eyes aren't on the puck a lot of the times. That's what happened on the goal that came from the shot off the glass. It's just a lack of focus. Huet knows how to stop just about anything you throw his way and he has one of the best sets of butterfly mechanics in the game.
The issue is that he hasn't nipped his struggles in the bud yet. If anything matters out of all of this, it's HOW long does it take him to start playing a complete game.
Goalies #1 rule is to focus on the puck. Chris Osgood said that to me once and it is the #1 rule I live by myself. I never take my eyes off the puck. Even when I've made a save and give it to the referee, I watch it go into the faceoff circle, into the stands, in the refs hands...everywhere. The more you're focused on the puck, the more you will be able to read plays effectively and react without "flinching".
Some people would say Huet is fighting the puck. He's not afraid of the puck. He's afraid of fighting himself. Some of his negative reactions after letting in goals are perfect visual display of someone who is not motivated to fix things. He is just backing up and trying to think way too much.
He will be fine. If managers out there want to get rid of him, or fans out there want to point the finger at him, it will only make things harder for him.
That's why you saw headlines about the team rallying around Huet. He is legitimately good...he just has to get the noise and distortments out of his mind and FOCUSSSS!!!
Point is - as long as Huet is losing - and Niemi is winning, there will always be controversy.
I think you are a little soft on Huet Justin
He is a better goalie than Niemi, but he isn't well suited to the current Hawks system - and the main fact is, Chicago don't need him or his massive contract.
I certainly think that they can't ride Niemi to the cup - so they would need to bring someone in if they ever decide to ditch Huet (Which they have plenty of time to decide upon).
They should send Huet to the Minors for a while and let him just play it out and get his game back. The only team that i can see claiming him would be the Leafs - and ditching Toskala. He might excel for the leafs :P
But he would likely pass waviers and get his game back - while Chicago can have a look at Crawford and Niemi.
Sometimes skill just isn't enough.
I really do look forward to your article though. Your insight is phenomenal
Last edited by HyperScythe; October 19, 2009 at 11:48 AM.
Hehe...yes, you can certainly say I'm "soft" on most elite veteran goalies ... because they have been in tough situations before and know how to fix themselves.
Sending Huet to the minors is about the worst thing they can do right now. Playing against AHL talent won't get his game back. However, working harder in practice and removing outside influences like the fans and media from his daily routine will.
I don't disagree with the statements you make about Huet...the patience from just about everyone (even myself at times) is starting to wear thin. He needs to fix his mental issues THIS WEEK...otherwise Niemi is going to play more and more. Then it becomes a slippery slope and becomes even tougher for Huet to regain his form.
You are exactly right - sometimes skill isn't enough. In fact, I'll say it again, goaltending is 90% mental ... and that's where 90% of Huet's problems lie.
Article should be up very soon. It's one of the longest I've written for Dobber, so be prepared LOLOL.
I am about to go read the article now.
But if it was me - I would have just played Huet out and never introduced Niemi in the first place. Whenever Huet has someone matching or bettering him (He normally puts up the goods) but has lost in that battle twice now. Niemi playing like he is, isn't helping the situation. The whole 'might lose again' thing could really be messing with his head.
I would have just dumped him in there for the first 10 games :P
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