The deal with Ryan Smyth
Yeah, everyone still remembers his 39 goal campaign for some reason. Not to mention his linemates were Doug Weight and Bill Guerin, real NHL allstars that commanded bigger salaries as soon as they could get it.
This is the thing to ponder.
When Ryan Smyth was a 39 goal scorer... not a 40 or 50 goal scorer in the NHL... Alexander Ovechkin was a 10 year old kid in Russia, but at the half way point of this year, he's sitting at 32 goals. 7 less than Smyth in 96/97.
OK, well, Smyth had 61 points that year (his third in the NHL). Ovechkin is at 58, three less at the half way point.
I know what you're thinking. "Fuck you RaoulDuke, you're comparing a star to Ryan Smyth". But this is stats at Smyth's third year - his best ever stats... vs. a 20 year old kid...
Who WAS 10 YEARS OLD WHEN SMYTH DID THIS. Think about that. Ovechkin was a child running around playing Pogs or Pokemon or whatever was cool at the time. But when Smyth was last effective, Alexander Ovechkin was 10 years old.
Again, you're second train of thought - "Yeah, well fuck you RaoulDuke, Smyth pumped home 31 goals and 70 points in 2000/2001... Half a decade ago.
OK, Ovechkin was 15. Crosby was 13.
Tell me what he's done lately. Oh yeah, at that time of the hockey card picture... Ovechkin was 9, Sidney Crosby was 7.
posted by RaoulDuke @ 1:28 AM
20 comments
20 Comments:
I must say Raoul -- this is one of your dumbest blog entries yet. WTF is the point of all this? Honestly, it all reeks of downsyndrome. Ryan Smyth is older than Ovechkin (and Crosby). That is true. Much older, even. What the FUCK is your point asshole?!
I don't think any Oiler fan will dispute the fact that Ovechkin is more talented than Smyth either lol! What the fuck dude! Ovechkin is one of the most offensively gifted rookies to play in the NHL since, I don't even know, Teemu Selanne maybe? Ryan Smyth is a gritty, grinding, hard-nosed, hard-working veteran winger. Ovechkin has speed, great hands, and a nice physical edge to boot. Smyth is a hard-working grinder who plays well in all situations and has made a living taking a beating in front of the net. Smyth has never been pegged as a prolific goal scorer. So why compare them? Ovechkin is the next great offensive phenom, while Smyth is the personification of a blue-collar NHLer. WHAT THE FUCK RAOUL?! MAKES NO FUCKING SENSE DIPSHIT!
You said :
I know what you're thinking. "Fuck you RaoulDuke, you're comparing a star to Ryan Smyth".
That's true. I was thinking that. BUT then you didn't explain yourself after? You made a stupid joke about Pokemon, you told us their age difference for the 4th or 5th time, and you went into your second Miss Cleo impression of the post. PLEASE EXPLAIN YOURSELF Damn it! Why did you make the comparison? It's absolutely retarded! WTF!
And what has Smyth done for us lately? Well, I'm not about to check all the stats, but I'm pretty sure he's been among the Oilers leading goal scorers every year since he's been here (probably leading them most years when he's healthy), he's our leading goal scorer this year, he plays in every situation, he's one of the best players in the league in front of the net (Holmstrom is the only guy who might be better), he one of the strongest players in the league along the boards, he's one of the hardest working players I've ever seen, he has great leadership skills, he's consistent, he's solid defensively, he has tremendous toughness, and his hands are actually pretty decent too, etc, etc, etc...
What DOESN'T this guy do well for the Oilers? He doesn't excel at anything really, but he is very good at everything. When Ryan Smyth is on his game he is a 35 goal, PPG type player who will work his ass off for 60 minutes, play in every situation, give us solid defense and give the opposing team and goaltender FITS all night long. FUCK YOU what has he done for us lately. The only thing he hasn't done is score 50G. Therefore he is useless, eh Raoul?
You are not usually this STUPID Raoul. What gives? Smyth vs Ovechkin!? Smyth vs fucking Ovechkin?!?! Again, WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU!? I am truly dumbfounded.
I guess now it's time to cue your usual smart-ass comments and total avoidance of all questions and criticisms with your entry. I look forward to your run-around on this one. Face it man, you fucked up on this one. It just doesn't add up. You've let your hatred for Smyth overpower any chance you had of giving a fair and objective commentary on this guy. You just compared Ryan Smyth to Alexander Fucking Ovechkin. Now YOU think about that.
You just wrote an essay I have no intention on reading. After I got to the first "quote" and then you had to backtrack and be all "Yeah I was thinking that".
Just tells me you're writing on emotion. Like a moron would do.
Thanks for the visit.
PS.
If you don't get the idea of what Ryan Smyth once did vs. what he did now. And only randomly saw an age - and a comparison on talent.
You're a dumb fucking retard. And the exact type of person this post was meant for.
Should I clarify it? Or should you re-read it?
Depends on how stupid you want to feel.
LMAO...Smyth vs Ovechkin. Great comparison numbnuts!
usually like your blog, but I agree largely with Oilertron on this. Smyth, by his own admission in a recent article, said that most of his goals are basically garbage in front of the net - he knows he's no sniper. My guess is that YOU'RE running on emotion on this one. Your posts on the board indicate you've got a hate-on for Smyth, which is fine, but this entry is barking up the wrong tree. Apples and oranges. Ovechkin scores possibly the best goal of the season and you think "oh yeah, this reminds me - Ovechkin is way better than Smyth". True, he's a way better goal scorer, but Smyth is not overpaid and obviously not useless. Maybe complain about someone who makes more money than Smyth on the Oilers...like Peca (but if you do that, don't take the same approach as you did in this entry, i.e. don't compare him, say, to Joe Thornton, the comparison won't fly).
Like Oilertron said for himself, I don't really expect anything but a derogatory response, but this entry was definitely a misstep in my mind.
I think Oilertron is bang on with his comments. At the same time, I think he didn't have to be so blunt with his comments. I think his points would have been more effective had he not used so many F-Bombs. I think the Duke probably realizes his entry was pretty lame after thinking about it for awhile, but he's also got alot of pride, so when some guy comes on here calling him a F*ckin retard, obviously the Duke will fire back in a childish manner and avoid answering the real questions. Pretty natural response from a hot-headed guy like the Duke. At least, that's my take on it.
I must say, I'm a big fan of the Duke's, on the forums and his blog, but I really do think he's a little misguided with this rant. Frankly, it's downright silly. But, I will definitely defend his right to post what he feels, and I hope he doesn't let this one stupid entry prevent him from making more in the future because I enjoy them alot. And I get something out of the majority of them.
I suppose I can expect the Duke to attack me now, but I guess that comes with the territory when you speak out against him. I just felt compelled to let him know that I thought he was way off track here. No hard feelings Duke. Flame away. And keep those entries coming, because most of them are not as silly as this one. Have a nice day.
It's not stupid. It's in how you people read it. With your blind love for all things 94 - you missed the entire point.
It wasn't a comparison of Ovechkin vs. Smyth. It's a comment on how Smyth isn't effective anymore - and the last time he was the best sniper in the NHL was a child.
Re-read it, this time without being idiots.
It was a timeline comment on the last time Smyth was a half decent NHL player. Not a comparison of him against Ovechkin.
Unbelievable.
Your dumb as bricks...last time I'll read...waste of time.
Yet you continually keep checking. Would an autograph make you feel better?
Raoul, with all due respect, how is Ryan Smyth no longer effective? Smyth is our leading goal scorer (19) and 4th in team points (37) this year. And that's having played 5-6 games less than every body else. Plus he's doing everything else he normally does, playing in every situation on the ice. How is he not effective Duke? As mentioned before, he will probably get 35-40 goals and 70-80 points this year - How is that ineffective? I'm sorry, but you're wrong again Duke - Smyth is still a very "half decent" player as you put. He is still one of the best Oilers. He's just starting to share the spotlight a little bit more now with some of our great young talent. He's still leading our team in goals buddy and doing everything else - I don't care who you are, that means he is still pretty damn good. I suggest you just scrap this entry all together because everything you're saying is way off - you just keep digging and digging and digging. It takes a real man to admit he was wrong Duke. You don't always have to put on this front.
I'm not wrong.
anonymous 6:38 hit it on the head. I love your blog, but I think a bit of humilty is required on this one...you suggest that many of us have a 'blind love for all things 94', but at least be forthright that your view is one that reflects a 'blind hate for all things 94'. And given Smyth's stats and his role on the team, your case against him is an uphill battle, which makes any 'blind love' more tenable then your 'blind hate'.
Your approach surely attracts less-than-tactful knee-jerk responses, but there's enough reasonable replies to this entry for you to honestly take it all in and admit - "hey, I was a little off the handle with this one".
I agree...great points buddy. A few of these responses might be a tad abrasive, but I think the overall message is extremely valid and quite clear. Add me to the list of people who thinks the Duke's rant was a little on the ridiculous side. It would be nice to see a little more humility from the Duke, but I won't hold my breath lol. We'll agree to disagree, I suppose. Look forward to your next entry RD!
God Raoul...Why do you even PRETEND to know what you're talking about? Smyth vs Ovechkin, eh? And our leading goal scorer is no longer effective huh? Shut your mouth you little jerk. And why is everybody that left an opinion so worried that you're going to fire back with a personal attack and avoid the questions. Grow up. You are a fuckin joke pal.
Boo fucking hoo faggots. You're nobody.
I can ALMOST empathize with your "boo hoo faggots, you're nobody" when you're responding to people who are swearing at you/calling you an asshole or whatever.
But if that's your response to ALL the criticism on this entry, then you lost some credibility in my mind (I can guess the response though - "so what, you're a nobody"). It's becoming like a broken record, unfortunately:
Criticism -> you're an idiot
Critcism ->you're a dumb fucking retard
Critcism ->you're a faggot.
The thing is, the content of your entries clearly shows you're intelligent enough to not have to resort to those kind of responses in the face of reasonable criticism, and this fact makes your latest remark all the more disappointing.
Once again, I completely agree with Buddy...I've just lost alot of respect for you Duke. Clearly, you are an intelligent guy...but you sure seem to have a history of responding to criticism with arrogant, immature, sarcastic and hot-headed comments. What gives? There have been a few excellent replies and comments to this entry and you still have no other response than to call us all "faggots" and "fucking retards!?" It really shows a total lack of class and maturity on your part and I'm really disappointed in you.
Why do you even bother allowing anonymous people reply to your blog, anyway? I know you can block them. It's pretty obvious that you don't give a shit what anybody says to you, regardless of how valid it might be. So why bother, if you're just going to respond to everything in the same flippant and profane manner? It just seems like a big waste of time and energy for everybody.
There's no point in replying to people with "anonymous" who just step in to kick shit up.
My point is always made in the first entry - the original topic.
I just leave the comments open so people can voice their opinion, not on me such as "I raped your sister" but so they can dispute what I think with their own comments.
Once that happens, I'll reply as such. You have to speak to people on a level they understand.
The problem is that it HAS happened. A lot of people have said relevant things here, but you haven't been interested in giving any meaningful replies.
But let's try again, and I really hope you're willing to read this, because this time I'm really taking time to respond:
First, you've emphasized that this isn't about comparing Smyth with Ovechkin (or Crosby). I've re-read your entry a few times, and for the most part I STILL have trouble interpreting it as a commentary on Smyth's decline rather than as a comparison of the two players. If nothing else, the sheer number or responses on this entry suggest that your intended point in this entry was unclear. But I don't expect you to concede even that.
Nonetheless, to your 'point', i.e. that this is about Smyth, and the fact that he hasn't been effective since he scored 39 goals. I sincerely doubt that ANY NHL coach/gm etc. would say that the 39-goal Smyth is a better player than the 25-30 goal Smyth we've seen in many of the past several seasons. Why? Partly because of this: when he got 39 goals, he was a horrible defensive player and he finished -7. I remember thinking "39 goals but such a bad +/-, what gives? Thing is, 20 of those were on the pp so had no impact on +/- (incidentally his 20 pp goals tied a record held by Gretzky).
So really, he's not a 39 goal player. The problem is that his 39 goal season has been imposed by some as an idea of what he should have been since. I'll take the 25-30 goal Smyth who has a defensive conscience. The first 4 years of his career he was a minus player. Since then, he's been a minus player once in 6 seasons (I admit he's -3 as I write this, however). Nonetheless, the point: he's generally a more well-rounded player, and he's a consistent 25-30 goal scorer. When he plays a full season, he's been a LOCK for 25-30 goals (2003-04 was an exception with 23). I'll take that consistency in a second.
This says nothing of his 'leadership' qualities. Yeah, we all know he's not the brightest guy in terms of eloquence, but winning so much with various Canadian teams isn't just a fluke. He has an extraordinary work ethic, and is the prototypical 'leading by example' player.
Finally, I want to just drag in a couple of other guys you mentioned (while I know you keep saying this is about Smyth, the comparison here is worthwhile). You mentioned a couple other 'real NHL All-Stars', Guerin and Weight. I like them both, and this is not meant to criticize them, but lets consider what they've done lately in terms of points, and for how much:
Games Goals Assists Points Salary
Guerin:
2003-04 82 34 35 69 $8.8 million
2005-06 45 8 16 24 $6.7 million
Weight:
2003-04 75 14 51 65 $8.5 million
2005-06 42 10 29 39 $5.7 million
Smyth:
2003-04 82 23 36 59 $3.45 million
2005-06 40 19 18 37 $3.5million
Again, don't get me wrong, I like Guerin and Weight (even more), but who is the better deal here?
That was a sweet goal Smyth got in the SO last night.
Post a Comment
<< Home