angryjay93

Double Correction:: Youand I = Tossed. Boy, Id hate to be that and guy.

Correction: You and I = Tossed.

You and I = Tossed.

Eh, that was more just a day of Bradley not potting his chances, not so much a commentary on the team overall. Pittsburgh is actually a pretty ideal matchup for Tampa, especially if tampa closes off Lemieux in the slot.

Believe me, I love me some Tampa too, god team indeed.

Mighty Ducks of Anaheim Team Overview: It doesn’t take a long look at the roster here to realize that Ducks are essentially void of any legitimate talent. There is a serious lack of speed, shooting, playmaking, hitting, and goaltending on this team. There isn’t a lot that can be done to make this team useable either, so let’s just go through the motions here. Forwards: It doesn’t really matter who you are, when the offense has to be carried by Terry Yake, issues are aplenty. Pathetically enough though, this is the strength of the Ducks roster. Is it NHL ’96 yet?: Semenov-Yake-Loach Anatoli Semenov: 7 weight, 3/3 skating, 3/3 shot, 3 sth & pass, 3/4 aware, Shoots: L There are much worse options out there to ask to play as a support winger, Jeff Odgers anyone? Semenov is nothing more then the definition of an average player. He has the bare minimum skills that I ask for in a player to be a starting option, my only beef is that he’s a little heavy to start with such an average skill set. Semenov has had some glowing reviews though in the GDL and on the Vancouver roster, but I think that’s largely because he isn’t being asked to shoulder the load like he is in Anaheim. Terry Yake: 6 weight, 3/3 skating, 3/4 shot, 3 sth & pass, 4/3 aware, Shoots: R I’m a major Yake supporter, back in the old days of GDL, I was all about the double Yake and it was a fun, innocent time. But let’s face facts, asking Yake to be the #1 option on a team is just plain stupid. Sure, Yake has a nice little shot, and he’s pretty adept at filling the lane for a one-timer. Yake is also fairly light and can take a few body checks from the non super-lightweights, but his speed will always hold him back. There just isn’t that jaw dropping skill there to make him a dominant player like Brian Bradley has. But, I still love the little guy, he is capable of the amazing at times, and that will be needed to help carry the Ducks to a win. Lonnie Loach: 6 weight, 2/3 skating, 2/3 shot, 2 sth & 2 pass, 3/2 aware, Shoots: L Just how bad is Loach you ask? He doesn’t even show up on the GDL draft radar, but he starts on the Ducks, if this doesn’t illustrate the wretchedness of the Ducks, I don’t know what does. Loach’s main assets are his weight and speed. He can take advantage of some of the bigger forwards in the league with a nice check and he isn’t a complete mess on his skates. On offense, Loach can occasionally set up in a spot by the goaltender and put a slam dunk home, but that is the extent of his skills there. Against fast teams though, this guy will be left in the dust on defense and become an easy target when he has the puck. There is a severe lack of speed here, it is one of the slowest lines in the game and there simply just isn’t enough skill here to put big numbers up in the goal column. The best bet here is hope Yake or Semenov gets hot early and then try to sit on the lead by playing very sound defense. This line is at least fairly light and could hold its own in a slow, grind it out game. Somehow, Bob Sweeney would be an upgrade: Semenov-Yake-Sweeney Tim Sweeney: 5 weight, 2/2 skating, 2/2 shot, 2 sth & 1 pass, 3/2 aware, Shoots: L Weight. Bug. Whores. Unite! It pains me to even mention this guy, look at that skill set. It’s awful! Typically, guys with such a low weight rating are good options to carry the puck up the ice and set up one-timers. Not Sweeney, god no, with such porous skating and passing, he will have enough issues making an accurate pass 5 feet away. But hey, he can hit, provided he gets there, that has to be worth something right? This combo puts even more onus on Yake and Semenov to provide the offense. If Sweeney contributes in any way on offense or defense though, it’s a major coup. Other Options: Ah, what the hell, lets break down some more scrubs. Troy Loney: 10 weight, 2/3 skating, 2/1 shot, 2 sth & 1 acc, 2/3 aware, Shoots: L Looks pretty similar to Sweeney, just a smidge faster with a ton more weight. He is the only other 3 speed option in the forward ranks. Steven King: 7 weight, 2/2 speed, 2/3 shot, 2 sth & 2 pass, 3/2 aware, Shoots: R Looking for a right handed “sniper” to replace an injured Loach? There ya go. Robin Bawa: 11 weight, 2/2 speed, 2/4 shot, 1 sth & 2 pass, 1/1 aware. Shoots: R Yake in the box? Semenov on a stretcher? Loney in the loony bin? Sucker for shot Accuracy? Take some Bawa. Stu Grimson: 11 weight, 1/1 skating, 1/1 shot, 1 sth & pass, 0/2 aware, Shoots: Who Cares? If playing with line changes, double shift Yake. Forwards: 2/10 Defense: Abysmal, yeah, that pretty much covers it. Kasatonov-Hill Alexei Kasatonov: 11 weight, 4/3 skating, 4/1 shot, 4 sth & pass, 2/3 aware, Shoots: L If it weren’t for Kasatonov being such a softie, he’d actually be pretty useful with all those pucks skills he has at his disposal. Alas, they are wasted and Kasatonov is nothing more than a mediocre #3 D-man option, which for Anaheim, isn’t all that bad. But, Kasatonov can have his moments though, he is a very able passer and if there is ever a good breakaway chance to be had, he is more than capable of springing it. Sean Hill: 8 weight, 2/2 skating, 2/1 shot, 2 sth & 1 pass, 2/2 aware, Shoots: R Another starter that doesn’t register on the GDL draft radar, Hill is still somehow an option for the Ducks though. The Ducks have a boatload of 11 weight defenders; Hill’s biggest strength is that he is a non-11 weight defender. Everything else for Hill is a weakness; even playing on his natural side can’t help his passing much. This is bad, real bad. A lack of speed and weight advantage makes checking and chasing down breakaways a futile exercise. Most teams should have a field day against the Ducks top defensive pair. Ladoucer-Kasatonov Randy Ladoucer: 11 weight, 3/3 skating, 1/1 shot, 2 sth & 1 pass, 1/3 aware, Shoots: L Ladoucer is the only other average skater on the Ducks blue line, but his massive weight mitigates any gains realized there. Another horrid passer, Ladoucer can play his natural left side which allows Kastatonov to slide over to the right and hopefully bring his slapper more into play. Ladoucer has no business carrying the puck into the offensive zone as that will only end tragically. Other Options: Again, none of these guys are draft worthy, but I have a word quota to fill. Bill Houlder: 11 weight, 3/2 skating, 2/2 shot, 2 sth & pass, 3/3 aware, Shoots: L Houlder provides a bit more passing then the rest of the Duck defenders, but everything else is pretty crappy. David Williams: 8 weight, 2/2 skating, 2/0 shot, 2 sth & 1 pass, 2/2 aware, Shoots: R A Sean Hill clone, oh joy! Dennis Vial: 11 weight, 1/1 skating, 1/0 shot, 1 sth & pass, 1/ 2 aware, Shoots: L Waive him. Defense Rating: .5/10 Goalie Zone: It’s a good thing goalies don’t get injured, otherwise there might be some serious whiplash for Guy Hebert and Ron Tugnutt. Guy Hebert: 6 weight, 2/3 skating, 3/3 aware, 2 puck control, 2/2/2/2 save Ron Tugnutt: 2 weight, 2/3 skating, 3/3 aware, 1 puck control, 1/1/1/2 Both are porous skaters who have disgustingly bad save ratings. Tugnutt might be a bit easier to use in manual due to his very light weight, but he gives out some extremely juicy rebounds on slappers. No matter what, goals will be conceded. Goalie Rating: 1/10 Bottom Line: The Ducks get my vote for the worst team in the game. They don’t have a skater with 4 speed, the only team in the game that can say such a thing. They lack a legitimate defender and a passable goalie as well which only compounds the problem. There isn’t any real reason to pick this team in the Classic League much less an exhibition match.

Chicago Blackhawks Team Overview: It has been said that playing as Chicago is like logging in as invincible. The truth doesn’t stray far from that, due in large part to the cover boy of NHL ’94, Jeremy Roenick. Ed Belfour and Chris Chelios also play vital roles in supporting JR which help propel the Hawks into being one of the powerhouses of the league. A lack of depth though does provide a chink in the armor for which a skilled opponent can exploit. Forwards: Any forward corps with Roenick is a dangerous one, with that said though; the Hawks don’t have the most dangerous line combination in the league. Steve Larmer is a nice support piece, but he isn’t exactly what Ciccarelli is to Yzerman or Ronning is to Bure. After that though, the forward talent takes a swift nose dive to where a bevy of candidates can fill the 3rd forward role. JR and his Jr.’s: Murphy-Roenick-Larmer Joe Murphy: 7 weight, 4/4 skating, 4/3 shot, 3 sth, 4 pass, 4/3 aware, Shoots: L Here we have candidate #1 for the coveted 3rd forward spot, Murphy’s skill set would seem to lend him a major helping hand in locking the spot down. Alas, Murphy isn’t quite as good as advertised. Ideally, someone riding shotgun with Roenick would either be a speedy mucker who could carry the puck and create or a cold blooded sniper, Murphy provides little of either. On occasion though Murphy does put it together and he can show flashes of brilliance that tantalize, but he never seems to keep it together over long stretches. It’s probably safe to say Roenick’s puck hogging tendencies has a lot to do with this, but the fact remains that Murphy just isn’t a perfect match. Jeremy Roenick: 4 weight, 5/5 skating, 5/5 shot, 5 sth & 5 pass, 4/4 aware, Shoots: R JR is the biggest, baddist, bully in the ’94 schoolyard. Let’s just go down the list here. Speed to burn? Check. A blistering top tier shot? Check. Gobs of dekeing and passing skills? Check. Dome splitting checking ability? Double check. If you’re looking for a weakness in JR’s game, just give up, it can’t be found. He is the defacto #1 all around player. To quantify his skills a bit more, Roenick is capable of consistently taking a C check from any one in open ice. Not even Theo Fleury can knock him on his keyster over and over again. Blessed with Yzerman’s speed, Sandstrom’s shot, Hawerchuk's creativity and Bradley’s resiliency. Roenick merely just takes the top talent of every player in the league and calls it his own. It really is the perfect package, there is no reason he shouldn’t be taken #1 overall in the GDL draft, he turns any team in any user’s hands into a legitimate weapon that needs to be respected. Steve Larmer: 7 weight, 4/4 speed, 4/4 shot, 4 sth & 4 pass, 4/6 aware, Shoots: L Despite his overall rating of 86, Larmer simply isn’t a top forward in the game because he lacks a stand out skill. Larmer still has his uses though, he provides a respectable second option due to his ability to provide a dangerous slap shot from the wing and he is capable of finishing one-timer opportunities created by Roenick. Larmer is a rare forward in that he has 99 defensive awareness every game, because of this he doesn’t set up as well in the offensive zone, but he’s very adept at staying on the defensive side of the puck and being a pain in the ass of the other teams forwards. While not an incredible C Checker, his positioning and skating should give a good head start in his defensive efforts. Each player on this line is fairly dangerous in their own right; they just don’t complement each other extremely well. But if all else fails, going one on five with Roenick can still be a recipe for success. JR and another Jr.: Ruuttu-Roenick-Larmer Christian Ruuttu: 8 weight, 4/4 skating, 3/2 shot, 4 sth & pass, 3/ 4 aware, Shoots: L At first look, Ruuttu seems like a worse fit on the left then Murphy does, but there is something with Ruuttu that leads to more chemistry with Roenick. Despite a pretty iffy shot rating, Ruuttu is a pretty opportunistic scorer who can get on some pretty substantial hot streaks. Also, Ruuttu seems to have a more natural feel to him when it comes to playmaking, and playmaking into a Roenick one-timer is always a very dangerous thing. Lastly, even though a middleweight, Ruuttu is a fairly effective defender, he tends to shade more towards the defensive side of the ice and he can really aid the Hawks in clamping down the opposition in a very effective manner. Like all lines, JR really shoulders the burden here to provide most of the offense. But the line does seem to provide a little more chemistry and defensive tenacity, which is never a bad thing. Are you out of your mind?: Roenick-Goulet-Larmer Michel Goulet: 8 weight, 4/3 speed, 2/5 shot, 3 sth, 1 pass, 3/3 aware, Shoots: L I tend to think Hawerchuk is a very maligned player, but Goulet really takes it to another level, but this time, it is for good reason. But if there is any one place that Goulet could succeed, this is the spot, so it is still worth mentioning. Ignore the horrid passing and the mediocre skating skills and let’s just focus on that pristine shot accuracy. isn’t it beautiful? Man that Goulet is a nice player. In all seriousness this can be an intriguing line, Roenick and Larmer now have the ability to unload rockets from the wings all day long if the defense sags to protect the net. If the defense overplays Roenick or Larmer, then Goulet comes gliding in to pound home some slam dunks from the slot, pretty simple. Yeah, the defense gets a little worse since Goulet is manning the middle, but taking Roenick and going on some rampages doesn’t compromise the team quite as much now. Other Options: As noted before Chicago isn’t blessed with a ton of depth, the guys below should be 10-12th round fodder in the GDL draft, which isn’t saying a whole lot. Dirk Graham: 8 weight, 4/3 skating, 3/2 shot, 3 sth & pass, 3/5 aware, Shoots: R A real meat and potatoes guy, Graham won’t be showing up on a highlight reel anytime soon. What we get is another solid, defensively minded guy who might be able to chip in offensively because he isn’t a disaster with the puck. Brent Sutter: 6 weight, 3/2 skating, 3/3 shot, 4 sth & 3 pass, 4/5 aware, Shoots: L Another forward with a higher defensive awareness than offensive? It’s no wonder all the Hawks did in the early 90’s was defend when Roenick wasn’t on the ice. Again, Sutter should be filling out that 6th forward slot on your GDL depth chart. He’s got some average shooting and puck ratings to go with some crippling skating, but look at that hockey IQ! OMGA! Brian Noonan: 7 weight, 3/3 skating, 4/3 shot, 4 sth & 3 pass, 3/3 aware, Shoots: R Might be worth a look at left wing because of his slapper and non fatness. Also, he isn’t Troy Murray, who by the way has a higher D. aware than O. aware, just in case you cared. JR is really good. In the time it took you to read that sentence, JR just cross checked Pavel Bure into the glass and turned Kirk McLean inside out with some sort of disgusting one-timer, slap deke, floating pass-shot deal. The rest of the forwards are pretty solid for the most part, but they aren’t JR. Forwards: 9.5 (Roenick’s a 13, the rest are a 6) Defense: Chris Chelios is the obvious #1 option, after that though the Hawks are presented with the most classic dilemma in ’94. Take the skilled fatso (Steve Smith) or the human fire hydrant that hits like a Mack truck (Cam Russell). Either way, the Hawks are still going to have a very legitimate defense to help slow down forwards so Roenick can clean up the trash. Chelios-Smith Chris Chelios: 7 weight, 4/4 skating, 5/1 shot, 5 sth & 4 pass, 4/6 aware, Shoots: R When guys are as skilled as Chelios, it doesn’t really matter what side of the ice they play on, so I tend to lean towards playing him on his off side so he can unleash his booming slapper with greater ease. Chelios could very well be the #3 defenseman in the entire league settling in nicely behind Don Sweeney and Petr Svoboda. He is a very swift skater who is able to lead a charge from the back end by weaving through the defense and then releasing a soft pass to an open forward or beating the goalie on his own. Sure, we can nitpick and say Chelios isn’t a bone crushing d-man, but he does his job very effectively, and he is a great find on any blue line. Steve Smith: 11 weight, 4/4 skating, 4/1 shot, 4 sth & 4 pass, 3/ 4 aware, Shoots: L Smith is quite the unique package; he is quite the behemoth out there and is always a target of an onrushing forward. But his skating ability does allow him some ability to get out of some rough situations, but it’s best not to get too brave with him. Because of his weight it is best to use Smith as a steadying force on the backline by pushing attackers to the outside and using the poke check or the occasional C check along the boards. Despite our best efforts though, Smith isn’t always liable to cooperate. He does his fair share of wandering into the offensive zone when the puck is being rushed against his own net which can make him a frustrating player to put out there. But when the puck is on his stick, Smith is very capable of sparking the attack, which makes him so enticing. Chelios is the obvious anchor here; he can really provide Chicago with a different angle of attack and still be a very solid defensive performer. If Smith can stay home, then Chelios gets a longer leash which makes the Hawks a very dangerous team. Chelios-Russell Cam Russell: 5 weight, 3/3 skating, 2/1 shot, 3 sth & 2 pass, 1/3 aware, Shoots: L Russell has a very marginal skill set with passable skating, but what makes him a player is his light weight and checking ability. His checking ability in the right matchup has the ability to change the course of a game or a series. Aside from that though, there isn’t a whole lot to say about Russell, he isn’t a weapon on offense and he isn’t going to make too many pretty plays. Ideally, when he gets the puck, he gets rid of it quickly to the nearest player to help limit his turnovers. This can be a pretty intimidating duo to go up against, as the opponent now has to worry about running into Russell from the front and Roenick in the back. Trading the extra puck mover for an extra checker is one I tend to lean towards with the way Chicago is built. Other options: Brian Marchment: 8 weight, 3/3 skating, 2/1 shot, 2 sth & 1 pass, 2/4 aware, Shoots: L If Marchment is anything more than the 4th defender on a GDL team, then something is wrong. All Marchment is a middleweight with average skating and below average puck skills, use with caution. Defense: 8/10 Goalie Zone: Just like at forward and defense, the Hawks have a top option available to them in net with Ed Belfour. While more and more users are leaning towards taking Patrick Roy first in the GDL draft, Belfour is still a very solid goalie who can steal games. Ed Belfour: 6 Weight, 6/4 skating, 6/6 aware, 5 puck control, 6/6/5/5 save, Catches: L Belfour is a pretty sweet blend of mobility and sturdiness in net due to his ability to withstand the ram tactic. His stick side has the perfect ratings and his glove isn’t too shabby either. His overall is slightly inflated though due to perfect awareness ratings. Goalie: 9/5/10 Bottom Line: JR makes Chicago dangerous in anyone’s hands; because of this whoever has Chicago in classic is almost always a legitimate contender because if JR goes off and Belfour plays up to his ability, then Chicago is a tough out. But, if JR is contained, Chicago could get into some battles that it doesn’t have the depth to win.

I don't know jack about SNES though aside from the real basics. Maybe I could get some outside contributions for SNES?

I'll take it under advisement.

Update I've started writing again which has been long overdue. I have Chicago, Vancouver, and Anaheim almost finalized and ready for posting. I'm going to stagger their realease over the next week or two and continue work on the rest of the teams in the mean time.

Feel free to post any comments on the format I use to write up my team reviews and any changes that I should make it easier or more enjoyable to read. Also, you're more than welcome to suggest future subjects for me to write on once I've completed all the teams.

You can't really compare classic Turgeon to blitz Turgeon because they are 2 totally different players. The blitz version is much more adept at absorbing checks from the smaller and faster players. Turgeon still gets run over by guys like Lindros and Iafrate, but there are far fewer players in Blitz who can dominate him physically than in the classic rom. In the blitz rom, Turgeon is probably in the top 25 among forwards. It could still be argued that the classic elites Roenick, Yzerman, Bure, Selanne are still better than he due to comparable shots and better skating despite being light. And now also players such as Neely, Lemieux, and Lindros are better as well due to having comparable stats to Turgeon and having more of a physical edge in their games. By no means am I bashing Turgeon, he's still extremely useful in both roms, more so in blitz. But its tough to say that in the overall scheme of things, that hes an elite player on either rom.

I like Turgeon a lot myself, but its safe to say he is not elite. Guys like Roenick, Bure, Yzerman, Selanne, etc., those are the real elites of the game. I dont have a list made up, but I'd easily consider him a top 50 forward in the game, and probably in the top 25 for pure goal scorers because of how deadly his one-timers are.

Hey, thank you for reading and enjoying the articles, I really appreciate it. I've just been on unoffical hiatus the last few months with this feature, things have been really hectic in my life the last few months, but i really do hope to finish the rest of the teams out and do some other planned features ive had for a while now.

Plenty of lag and button delay, not much else to say.

http://thepinetree.net/index.php?module=announce&ANN_user_op=view&ANN_id=22850

Yeah, I dont really care to get into a whole episode with you about this, but since you want details. here are details. I work 6 days a week, 11-8 est. I have an hour long commute each way. It takes me half an hour to set up my computer at the location i play, best i can do if i bust my ass is 930 pm est. You werent available that late, oh well. The one day i have off, Sunday, I play two soccer games and i drive over 100 miles for them. Sunday isnt feasible. Today I could have made work, even though i have a soccer game after work. But, there was a fatal accident on my way to work today, Look it up for all i care. Calaveras Pine Tree. I was an hour late to work, hence im staying an hour later and my schedule doesnt allow me to make our game time tonight. Wednesday night, is the one night i have availibility for this week. I recognize its late, and a pain in the ass for you to work with. but it is all i have unless something unexpected happens and another time frame pops up.

I wont be able to make it tonight. We can try for Wednesday after 10 est.

None of those times are attainable for me. Best i can do is monday evening after 9-930 est.

I'm minus a Genesis system, so that just saved me a bunch of time.

Maybe I'll give it a whirl, I just dont like homework assignments though. Anyone know how to record a singe player game on Gens? I could never seem to figure it out on my own.

A great series, can't say I didnt have my chances to sew it up. No shame in losing a series like this to a guy who played as well as Zalex. Good luck to you the rest of the way.

Asstorms are what i get after consuming a bad taco post rapon.

The path of the righteous man (Me, AJ) is beset on all sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men (The rest of you Wackers in the playoffs). Blessed is he (Me again, AJ) who in the name of charity and goodwill shepherds the weak (Nieuwendyk, Ruuttuu, and Zezel) through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children (Musil and Manson). And I (God of NHL 94, or OMGA as I like to call him) will strike down upon thee (Wackers & Jackers) with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord (OMGA) when I lay my vengeance upon thee (Dead Wackers & Jackers).

Dallas is through to the finals in a good series against flasox. Hopefully ice and carse can pound out their series today or tomorrow and ill play the winner sometime before the end of the week.