Uncle Seth

Nonsense. A lot of guys in the next GDL are at a playing high level, including FPB, Zalex, Habs, Zep. And like you said, AJ & Freydey are heavy hitters. And Plabber wants in. Anybody's game.

Heeeey, ya took it all with Montreal. Congrats Broot!!!! They are your type of team for sure. And you played both series' in the same night. Stamina........either you were drinking a lot or not at all to pull that off. Never easy playing against Detroit.

Wow, with conviction. Congratulations AJ! .......And I mean it this time around hahah. You definitely earned it. I agree, the level is very high lately, most guys are upping their game and improving. Makes for great competition. Get yourself in GDL next season.

This video is pure gold. I've been waiting a long time and you didn't disappoint. Hilarious stuff, can't get enough of it.

Yeah it was a high-octane series. I gave AJ his props last night. That game 3 was pivotal and we both knew it. It's always an uphill battle going up against Detroit. But when facing Vancouver against a coach who is comfortable with all that speed, it too is constant assault to defend against. He definitely had to earn it and luck didn't play into the series at all from my perspective. I didn't see penalties or bounces going all to one coach or the other. No major mistakes either, like goalie passes to the opposing team leading to goals. I had one game where I felt I played bad, game 6. He won a string of faceoffs early in that one and got off to a big lead while I was pretty flat. Congrats to Zalex too, for that monumental sweep of Raph. I think those results shocked everyone. Should be an exciting final. Can't wait to watch it. Wish we could view it live.

that video is like 5 years old, you pass shot way more now than then. You aren't even aware you do it nor do you remember anything that happened in any game, even immediately afterwards. Right now, 80% of your goals are slap-dekes.

You are correct, at times. When I'm overdoing it, it's often a cause of major problems or resulting frustration of not playing well. When I'm playing smart it's extremely effective. It basically depends on if I'm playing smart and relaxed or stupid, rusty and frustrated.

rarely my ass

I've never scored an intentional a pass-shot goal.

kingraph master of all that is cb? I don't have many claims to fame here but I will say that I'm on par w/anyone in terms of pure CB skills. Raph uses smarter defensemen who are more defensive-minded and often heavier. I'll use middle and even lightweights to CB with. When he uses a guy like Stevens, Zalapski, Kasatonov etc., those players can CB from behind to nail a guy on a breakaway. It will leave you thinking "what the F____?, I can't escape this, even when I get behind the D". Whereas I'll CB you in an instance you thought you were immune to it, making you pause the game to check my players' weight and also say to yourself "what the ____". Then you got guys like Plabax who claim to only CB 10% of the time, so you anticipate that amount. But when you play them it's more like 50-60%. So another what the blank moment. I know, a bit of a rant. I don't know anyone gets as good some of these coaches are with pass-shot. And I don't know how everyone isn't good at CB, given how simple it is.

read the third bullet dummy

+2

^ True BUT the difference is that Sebe is trying. I see him on asking for games at night, only to find the guys he's looking for are MIA. Whereas BoK just didn't give a s**t so he wouldnt be on much at all.

agree

We should vote on what the tiers should be, because there is a lot of variation in where people think each team stands in terms of strength.

I think this is a great idea.

Agreed, that is how learning occurs, consequences. They have the power to change future behavior. It's the guys who everyone else has been waiting on for many weeks.

^the only ones who should be penalized

I want TK to be forced to use ANA/OTT level at some point

Don't eliminate the low tier teams. If you're good at this game, you can manage with any team. What happens if someone wants to use their favorite team say, SJ, WSH, TAM, we're going to tell them they can't? I agree w/Coach and Ice, whatever is quick and fair for team choosing. I have a couple ideas I want to throw out. Not making any suggestions for what team selection should be like because I trust it will be fair. But other stuff that IMO would make things quicker and smoother. - Instead of playing someone once, play them 2 times in a home & home. The 2nd game the match-up could be is switched. Ex. Game 1: Coach A is TOR home, Coach B is PHI away. Game 2: Coach A is PHI home, Coach B is TOR away. This would cut down on the searching and transition time spent. Waiting for table, scheduling and finding the person you are supposed just to play 1 game is not efficient use of time. If you can knock out 2 games against them it will speed things up. - Another option to speed things up, and also add the adaptability component (that was missing from last KO94) is something like a best of 3 against every opponent you're scheduled to play. What I mean by adaptability is you learning how your opponent plays and being able to adjust to it in games 2 and 3 (if necessary). I'm a big proponent of a series, even if it's just a BO3. Doesn't matter if teams are the same or different each game, just the aspect of playing someone immediately after you just played them presents the opportunity to utilize a key skill....tinkering the following game/games (by changing your style of offense/defense, lineup, or team choice based on your opponents strengths & weaknesses). More efficient use of time means more games can be played.

Agree. I think we can add KG to this mix as well. The guy who won it all on the biggest stage, with no CB or no pass shot. Just weed and a nap.

You're either ignoring or you missed the whole point of what I mentioned earlier about the interplay between weight and agility. This is something YOU taught me. Yes, they are both 4/4, but do you really think Iafrate skates as well as Svoboda?

What I take from this is that you guys are saying Raph is just too good for you. But it can't be because of CB, because I don't have championships and I CB a ton. So Plabs, just play Blitz if it works to your skill-set and preference. That's why there are different leagues out there. Brutus you beat me with Bos vs my Washington, so let's not pretend to forget how Raph and I were left with NJ and Washington. And Zalex never beat me in playoffs, not that he isn't a strong player. I've lost only to the uppermost tier opponents when it wasn't a handicapped draft (like that one classic). Raph, Ice, Plab, Swos & AJ. I can live with that. Maybe I am a bit deranged but I still feel I can beat anyone. Just taking a lot longer than I wanted to try to prove it. If it wasn't for CB Brute, you'd still be standing still in the slot with Hawerchuk, laughing as I try to b-check him unsuccessfully as he toddles, holds onto the puck and I get a penalty. CB took care of that gayness real quick. And how the heck is Raph doing so good with Buffalo in classic now? All those CB'ers must be the reason. Let's list them.....the 2nd defenseman paired with Svoboda is either Bodger, Ledyard, or Smelik. You guys sound like Hockey now, complaining it's no fun, cheats, etc. Speaking of cheats, who else uses "macros" around here besides Plab? Care to explain why you program your keyboard so that one button can be pressed that executes 2 commands? So you can get off that super close one-timer. So sour because the game has changed. Just get better, honestly, that's the only real solution. The same strategies are available to everyone, so draft accordingly. How can either of you even complain when you pass-shot and CB yourselves? Let that sink in for a minute. Adapt or die! Or threaten to quit like I do, lol. We've moved from denial, now we're in the anger/bitter phase. Acceptance comes next.

The trade-off with heavy players (who can CB the largest population of opponents) is slower acceleration, larger turning radius, taking longer to change direction & stop. In other words, all the aspects of agility. Having players with the those (anything but minor) detriments is a trade-off. Playing aggressive and throwing checks results in way more penalties, and it revs up your AI players who continue that trend on their own. Chasing someone (via aggressive D-style) to CB them from distance absolutely opens up ice and lanes. This is all truth. There are facts supported by evidence and our own opinions of how we feel the game should be. I CB just as much as Raph does, probably more. I have zero titles. Clearly there is much more to winning than CB. But because 1 guy won the last GDL who happens to be a heavy CB'er does not mean everyone else is toast. That's crazy. Everyone can do it. The playing field is even. Move the puck quicker, make better plays, be more evasive, get shooters who can score from distance, anticipate and dodge hits. Draft more speed and agility, because the those players are much harder to line up. Of course the game has changed a bit. And not everyone is going to be happy. But that doesn't make it unfair. The pass shots some coaches score are unreal. Completely changes the way you have to play those specific coaches. Seems unfair. Until you accept that everyone can do it. Aggressive CB is a way to counter those pass-shooters who love nothing more than someone who plays a laid back passive D-style, someone who backs up and gives them the space. I was playing TK the other night and beforehand I stated I wasn't going to use CB at all. Over the course of about 5 games, I threw 1 maybe 2 accidental CB checks. The rest were B checks and I was much less aggressive because of it. I kept thinking, "I need to do more of this B-checking & passive style, it's great playing with all 5 of your starters out there at once". I took probably 3-4 penalties total over those 5 games. A dramatic reduction in penalties taken for me who typically takes 1-2 per period.

CB is the great equalizer in my opinion. The final piece in a checks and balances system. Before that, it was a powerless feeling (imo) going up against the low weight, high stickhandling, high agility players. Especially at slower speeds, when a B-check didn't always work when you needed it to against them. And you had to really try to zero in on them for those B-checks at close distance. Extremely difficult sometimes and made it feel like a lost cause to attack those types of players. With CB, they can be annihilated like everyone else, if you use it appropriately. I know, this isn't anything you don't already know. I see everyone doing it, including you, Raph, AJ, Brutus, and many others. I understand you don't like how lethal it can be. But if anyone can adapt and thrive, surely the Plabber can. I used to hate pass shots with a pass-ion. I attempted to try to learn them, but wasn't willing to put in the time and effort it takes. I still don't know how you guys pull them off so well, it's insanity. Very difficult to defend and goaltend against. I remember when Ice threw a hissy fit a while back the first time I played him and went on a CB assault mission. He was furious, "what's this crap". But not soon after that, I saw him on IM and said "hey, you're back". He said "yeah, adapt or die". I think that's what makes this game so amazing, the various strategies out there at one's disposal and the myriad of tactics we have contend with against opponents. As for Raph, there's a lot of things that attribute to his dominant play these days besides CB. Moves the puck fast, uses all types of players successfully, thinks a move in advance, has explosive offense and aggressive D, can pass shot superbly, etc. He's just gotten better. And it was just last year when he told me, after losing in GDL finals to you: "I just can't beat Plabax". Anyhow, get your ass back in the leagues, you know you want to. All the old names are returning. Enough with this learned hopelessness s**t. After all, you are the Premium, Perfect, Pristine, Piston Plabax, so compete! Weren't there 5 P nicknames? Which one did I miss?