Team Meeting:

I'm not saying that there was a team meeting following last game's poor effort, because there probably wasn't. Mostly because this is still early in the season, and way too early to be either sulking or gloating about standings and win/loss records. Here is my issue: In all of the games we played prior to this past weekend we made an effort. We stayed in the game and we didn't give up, even when down 4-1 to Columbus. The team that I saw, and I'm sure you did too this past weekend, was last year's team. Last night's game was the worst we've played thus far, and the weekend combined had me looking for MacT behind the bench.

That was the excuse, was it not?

Alright, listen, I'm not saying that I don't think that was a major contributor to the problem last year. MacTavish was a grudge holder, from what I could tell, and in sports that can't happen. As a coach you cannot favor a player simply because of who he is, and you certainly can't hate on one. These are the methods of second rate coaches who are too comfortable with their positions, and are likely on their way out the door, or so that has been my experience in my meager time as a hockey and football fan. By holding grudges against a player on a team you're running you could very well be overlooking things that said player does particularly well, and possibly better than the person you've got doing that job. In favoring players you can be blinded to shortfalls and bad habits that need to be dealt with, and that's detrimental to the player itself as well as the team.

What I'm saying is that I was running the streets chanting for MacT's head too, but what the hell happened this past weekend? I understand, the flu has been ripping through the dressing room kicking ass and taking names, and we seemingly have been unable to stop it. But seriously? Some of these guys who had terrible games this past weekend aren't those rumoured to have flu symptoms.

Guys I've heard have the flu and/or symptoms: Gilbert Brule, Dustin Penner, Ales Hemsky, Ladislav Smid, Tom Gilbert, and Mike Comrie.

Guys who were brutal this past weekend: Practically the whole freaking team. Exceptions: Dustin Penner, Ales Hemsky, Khabilulin, Deslauriers, Ladislav Smid, Lubomir Visnovsky. There might be others, but the good performances in losses are rarely those that stand out.

I don't think that flu symptoms can explain away the quality of Gilbert's game, as he has been playing poorly from season's beginning. In fact, though I've never been a fan of his, I don't think I've ever been so frustrated with him. Grebeshkov has been okay, but it seems like the first 10-20 minutes of any given game he forgets how to play hockey. Nilsson, not that I want to beat a dead horse, but Nilsson just is not cut out to play the game. I'm not saying that he can't, because he wouldn't be playing the the NHL right now if that were the case, but he has no drive. A player who is unable to motivate himself when he needs it will not succeed in this league. Plus, if he gave the puck away any more I'd think he was conspiring against us. And I won't even comment on Ethan Moreau, because at this point I'm just too damned biased to discuss his play through a lens that even remotely resembles an objective one.

Please tell me that this was a weekend that sucked because of the flu bug, and not because of some underlying issue...

I still love you guys, but please stay at two meter's length until you're all healthy again, okay? I'm almost at the point where I'm thinking of watching the games in one of those 'SARS' masks...