Official NHL 11 CAG Team - CheapyD All Stars - Hockey Nights Tue @ 10e / Fri @ 8e

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I'll probably be on at 10 PM EST tonight. Went out for dinner and drinks, so yeah, I need a little time to come down, haha. Fortunately, I have no intention of playing goalie tonight.
 
[quote name='Panther1484']I'm pretty sure playoffs start this Wednesday. Is anyone open to paying our first game then?[/QUOTE]

The website shows 3 days and 22 hours left, so that would put the start at Thursday night (around 8 PM EST).

But you guys should really figure out who is going to play and what position you want. Sure, you could always just show up and figure it out, but really, if you want a chance at winning, more thought needs to go into it.

Players who have played this month who were not on last month's playoff roster are as follows: Matt Young, Shady, Destro, Sean, Ltor, and Wpark. Unless one of you really, really wants to play goalie, you should probably just go with 5 guys, since that probably gives you the best shot at winning.

If you want to play in the playoffs, speak up in here, and that way you guys can work out positions and when you can play. That's probably the most sensible way to do it anyway. Right now, the team is in the Pro division, so hopefully that will actually mean something for these playoffs.
 
Well, when it comes to the playoffs, I have no desire to play goal (unless Brandon wants to volunteer some night to play it). I know Destro prefers LW so I would have no problem playing RW is everyone is ok with that. I have the chance to put in a rebound or two during a game and it would be more productive then me playing defense, since all I can do is poke check really. I might try grinding out some games within the next three days to get to my next card. I think I have 15 to go, so if anyone wants to play during the next three days I'm game.

Also did anyone else get a random message about joining up spme guys hockey club? I know I'm locked down for the next couple years to my CAG contract, and why would I want to leave when I get paid in this?

376185350_2e6d4e1594.jpg


SHACK PACK THROW BACK!!!!!
 
Did it come from Shamu's junk?

I can play playoff games Thursday for sure and Friday I know I'll be good till 8 Eastern. After that, not sure. My flight leaves at 6:05 A.M. Saturday morning.
 
well, we should probably play Thursday night then just to get everything locked in.

I'd like to play LW unless anyone has a different feeling on the rosters.

Right now I think it should probably be me, sean, shady up front, matt and I guess one of the regular playoff players taking the last spot. I'm only basing that on the fact that the other two guys haven't played all that much, and with at least one player from the regular "core" group, it would help. I think Gay is gone, so having either Alan or Nate at the point or, Nate at center if Sean wants to play back but I think he likes center so that would be a good way to go too.

I do think having one person in the core back on D would be definitely a good thing. Ltor might want to get in this month though, so I won't speak for him. I know my brother hasn't even mentioned the playoffs so I doubt it's even on his radar, but again, I could be wrong.

In any case, long story short, Thursday is probably the way to go. that will also free up Friday for Club games and/or private matches, I plan on playing at least 8-12 Friday.
 
Well, as I kind of expected, there's an abundance of forwards. Unless somebody volunteers to jump back to Right Defenseman, basing who makes it on games played like Destro said is probably the most fair thing to do. And if anyone does volunteer to play RD, you need to play the position right. Don't puck chase, let guys get behind you for breakaways, or try to lead the offensive attack. You're not doing anyone any favors playing like that.

This is how it breaks down for the players in question. Keep in mind all the private games we played count toward your games this month, but not your club games this month.

LD - Matt Young - 106 club games total - 15 club games this month - 32 games this month

DestroVega - 65 club games total - 2 club games this month - 12 games this month
Seanami - 43 club games total - 18 club games this month - 27 games this month
ShadyMarino - 27 club games total - 18 club games this month - 28 games this month
Ltor - 21 club games total - 21 club games this month - 45 games this month
Wpark - 7 club games total - 6 club games this month - 27 games this month
 
If I may give my unsolicited opinion on what February's playoff lineup should look like:

LD-Matt
RD-Destro
LW-Ltor
C-Sean
RW-Shady

Sean, to my knowledge, is the only one who is setup as a center, and has played enough there. Shady is good at crashing the net looking for rebounds, and Ltor is skilled at setting up his own shot. Matt has the experience to anchor the D and knows what he is doing, and Destro is a pretty solid defensive player on his own.

Take it for what it's worth, just what I've seen while playing with and against you guys.
 
Whatever you guys decide is fine. I trust your judgment. As far as Friday goes, I wasn't ruling out being able to play after 8 Eastern; I just can't say for sure. Starting Thursday would obviously be best if we have enough people available, but if the majority can only play over the weekend, I'll just have to step aside.

Last night I had a friend over playing Rock Band and Black Ops so I had to pass on playing when Rob and Nate sent messages out to the team, but it would certainly be nice to be able to play together over the next few days in preparation for the playoffs.

On a less serious note, I like the typo Destro made with Gary's name, especially since it followed up Gary mentioning "Vanilla SeaWorld pudding". :)
 
Me at D? I'll do that if people think it's for the best. Hopefully the other guys read the thread soon so we can all decide on something.
 
Well, if anybody wants to play tonight, try out some of those positions to see who likes the Gay position the best (haha, there ya go, Matt), I can probably hop on in the next 10-20 minutes.
 
[quote name='moojuice']Regardless of who plays where, best of luck to ya guys. *salutes*[/QUOTE]

Indeed. I just want to tell you guys: good luck. We're all counting on you.
 
Kept just missing you guys tonight, it seemed. I was on for a couple hours doing solo stuff on NBA 2K11 before former TNA X Division Champion Robbie E. messaged me, but everyone else was on other games as well. Then he messaged me back (so did Nate) saying it was game on right after I had joined up with some guys for an online crew game in NBA 2K11. It was actually on the pregame match-up loading screen thing or I would have just switched. I was going to get on NHL after that one game, but each time I finished, you guys were already in the first period of another game. Just unfortunate timing is all... looked like you guys did quite well, though, which is good. :)

That took way too long to type. I'm half asleep... sorry. If anyone knows what time they'll be on tomorrow, let me know. As it stands now, I should be good to go whenever (that's what she said?).
 
[quote name='Matt Young']Kept just missing you guys tonight, it seemed. I was on for a couple hours doing solo stuff on NBA 2K11 before former TNA X Division Champion Robbie E. messaged me, but everyone else was on other games as well. Then he messaged me back (so did Nate) saying it was game on right after I had joined up with some guys for an online crew game in NBA 2K11. It was actually on the pregame match-up loading screen thing or I would have just switched. I was going to get on NHL after that one game, but each time I finished, you guys were already in the first period of another game. Just unfortunate timing is all... looked like you guys did quite well, though, which is good. :)

That took way too long to type. I'm half asleep... sorry. If anyone knows what time they'll be on tomorrow, let me know. As it stands now, I should be good to go whenever (that's what she said?).[/QUOTE]

It's a shame you didn't join us, because you missed my epic top shelf dump goal 10 seconds into a game.
 
I can be on in the next 20-30 minutes probably for anyone who wants to get an early start. Hopefully we can have the February playoff line on and get them some time playing together.
 
I'll be on as soon I as I grab a bite to eat.

By the way- here is the goal I was telling you guys about last night.

[youtube]6a79Ej7WK5Q[/youtube]
 
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[quote name='Chazboski']Just sent a request in, I'd love to join you guys if you've got the room.[/QUOTE]

Be sure to add one of us to your XBL friends so you can have an easier time getting in on games.

[quote name='DarkTower80']I'll be on as soon I as I grab a bite to eat.

By the way- here is the goal I was telling you guys about last night.

[youtube]6a79Ej7WK5Q[/youtube][/QUOTE]

Haha, that's hilarious! Goalie was totally napping there.

Hopping on now.
 
I read in the paper that the goalie in that DU game had a hard time seeing it because the puck blended in with the crowd because of the high clearance, and when it came down, it took a bad bounce on the ice. Tough luck :/
 
Not a bad night last night. I think we went 3-3 in club games with a lot of different people playing, and then had enough for a few private games as well. Last tune up tonight before the playoffs start tomorrow.

We had a new member join us last night: Chazboski. He volunteered to play defenseman, which surprised Brandon and I since not a lot of people want to play defense. For a first night, he didn't do terrible. But there's definitely a lot of improvements to be made. I'm sure his skater isn't leveled up very high, and that can be extremely limiting, but here are some things you can do to make that less noticeable.

Notes for Chaz
1. There were times last night when you were all over the place defensively...getting switched up with the other defenseman and chasing the puck board to board.

Make sure your positioning is good. Your main objective is making sure the opposing team doesn't get easy shots. Don't let them beat you down the ice. If you find yourself struggling to keep up with them, get back earlier. Just keep them in front of you and utilize your poke check.

If you're playing with an AI partner, you can't trust that they'll back you up. You also can't trust that they'll stay on their side. You just have to pay attention and play smart. If you're playing with a human partner, stick to your side unless he gets taken out of the play, gets beaten down the ice, calls for a switch, etc. Work together.

2. There were a few times when you held onto the puck too long...skating it around, dodging defenders, and even trying to carry it into the zone.

On defense, you really have to make quick decisions. The turnover rate for defensemen is just naturally higher than for forwards. Part of this is because most of the time when you touch the puck, it's right near our own goal, and the other team wants to make sure the puck stays there. If you've got pressure on you, just get rid of the puck. Pass it, shoot it, flip it (opposite corner), anything. Just don't let them take it away from you.

Also, while it's good to skate the puck up the ice to draw players to you, if you wait until your forwards are stopped at the blue line to pass it, most likely, we won't be able to do anything with it. Try to either hit us as we're breaking, or just dump it toward a corner so we can go after it.

There are rare occasions where a defenseman is even better off carrying the puck into the zone himself, but this shouldn't be happening every time. For one thing, it confuses the forward line (one guy needs to drop back to cover your spot) and it gives them a good scoring chance if you lose the puck (though the other defenseman SHOULD be backing you up as well). Your aim on passes seemed to be pretty good though, so just work on your timing and it should make things flow better.

Overall though, not bad for a first night. You'll have to forgive us if our expectations are high. Some of us have just been playing NHL together for the past 3 years, so we know the game backward and forward. We're always happy to have to members though. We just want to get people playing the best they possibly can.

Oh, Chaz, I wanted to ask you, I saw your had "Team Punishment" in your XBL bio. Is that a Tito Ortiz reference or a different Team Punishment?
 
[quote name='n8rockerasu']

Also, while it's good to skate the puck up the ice to draw players to you, if you wait until your forwards are stopped at the blue line to pass it, most likely, we won't be able to do anything with it. Try to either hit us as we're breaking, or just dump it toward a corner so we can go after it. [/COLOR]
[/QUOTE]

Also, this sets the forwards up to get clobbered and turn the puck over.
 
[quote name='jza1218']Also, this sets the forwards up to get clobbered and turn the puck over.[/QUOTE]

Absolutely. That was my vague meaning of "won't be able to do anything with it", haha. Basically, if defensemen don't pass the puck by the time we get to the blue line, they should probably just dump it (which is just reiterating a point Alan made months ago).
 
Thanks for the tips guys, and good luck with the play offs tonight. You've got every right and reason to have the high expectations, and I've just got to put some work in to get there. I'm going to have all sorts of free time on my hands in a few months, so I should have plenty of time to learn what the hell I'm doing. Had a blast playing with you guys.


As for the Team Punishment thing, a bunch of people I used to play with back in NC had that as an unofficial banner we played under. I'm not 100% sure, but I have to think that the guy who recommended it took it from Tito.
 
I was at the Kings/Ducks watch party thing that I mentioned when we played last night. What time should I be on tomorrow? As in Thursday, that is.
 
Well, who plans on playing tonight? We still haven't seen or heard from Shaun here or in a game right? We should decide on a time and positions, I'm fine with 8pm est and playing defense if that's how it shakes out. Hope to see some responses throughout the day.
 
[quote name='DestroVega']Well, who plans on playing tonight? We still haven't seen or heard from Shaun here or in a game right? We should decide on a time and positions, I'm fine with 8pm est and playing defense if that's how it shakes out. Hope to see some responses throughout the day.[/QUOTE]

Sean played with us last night. He played center all night, but was kinda vague about his participation tonight. I think he said he "might be on". I guess I'll be on standby if a center is needed. I agree you guys should be deciding on a time and positions though. That was the point of discussing it in the thread. It's up to everyone else to join in.
 
My Madden league draft is scheduled for 10 P.M. Eastern. I would like to participate in that if possible, but I already committed to playing NHL with you guys before that was even scheduled, so I will skip the draft if necessary. That's not a big deal. Whatever works best for everyone so we can get 5 guys playing and have the best team on the ice, ya know? Your left defenseman is here.
 
ok well, let's give it a go for 9. In the event we possibly win 2 games and go for the second half of a banner run, it would go over Matt's draft, but I think in that event he would be happy with the NHL outcomes. if we lose then he can still make his draft.

to be honest, I can probably only play as long as our playoff run goes, tomorrow night I plan on playing all night.

So, let's plan on 9 with the lineup as follows:

LW- Ltor
C- Nate
RW- Shady
LD- Matt
RD- Me

In the event Shady can't get his internet straight, hopefully Darktower is around, if not, we can move a few positions. if Ltor isn't on, I'll play LW in case Gary is around, or we can try to get Stat on...

Sound good? I'll be on shortly before 9.
 
Wife's at a work happy hour, the monkey is in bed, so I'll be on playing something else. You guys need me, and I can switch over. Hopefully you don't though, and take home the banner! Good luck!
 
Works for me. I ended up being on the phone for a billion years finalizing trip plans, but I have a half hour now to decompress, eat pudding, and get my head in the game. As I said about the draft, it's no problem if I miss it in order to play our playoff games.

Also, it looks like I'll be bringing my Xbox with me on the trip. Not sure how much playing time I'll have, but that at least gives me a chance to play in the next 2 weeks instead of going without any ice time.
 
Rough experiment. I would need tons of work on D to attempt that again.

Hopefully I can put more time in at LW and maybe earn a spot on the playoff squad in the future, from here forward the core team should definitely be battling for the banner.

I appreciate the chance though. See you guys tomorrow for a night of pucks. Looking forward to it.
 
WARNING: COMPLETE AND TOTAL DICKHEAD RANT BELOW
Statements may be hurtful, rude, and blunt. But they're also all true.

Well, that's why we decided to choose a playoff line back in September. I'm glad everybody got the "participate in a playoff game" achievement...I just wish I didn't have to be there because that shit was a complete waste of time.

Like it or not, there is a HUGE divide between players on this team. Some of us have put in a tremendous amount of time into making ourselves better players and trying to make the team competitive. We usually play at least 3 nights a week and have learned how to handle the bullshit the game can throw at you from time to time.

Others just show up when they feel like it, enjoy the penis jokes, and bitch about the game when they lose, when really, they just don't know what they're doing. Yes, there are flaws in the game. But other than your goalie allowing 2 goals on 2 shots, none of them are indefensible. When you lose 5-0 to an amateur team with a 7-17 record, you just suck. It's not that the game is broken. It's not that the other team is good. It's that you suck.

The way I see it, the choices are either put in the time to stop sucking or recognize that you only play casually. This was really the purpose of having two teams from the beginning. The problem is, the casual team needs somebody to actually organize nights to play and everyone else has to give a damn about showing up. Those things are easier said than done.

Brandon had the idea of using a second team as almost a minor league team for the CAG team. This would give people a chance to still play competitively, work on their skater, play when they can, and try to become good enough to play with the main club...which I'm sorry, several of you aren't. But again, this would require someone taking charge, organizing nights to play and getting people to show up for those nights.

As it stands now, I don't know what to tell you guys. Sure, playing private lobby games is "fun", but it also gets boring pretty fast since most of us just end up screwing around and nobody plays good hockey. Everyone is more than welcome to try to earn a spot on future playoff rosters, but as Destro said, it's going to take a lot of work.
 
Hopefully no one takes this personally. It's strictly business, for lack of a better term.

As I said before I left the party, I understood why Nate can get as angry and frustrated as he sometimes does. I often get frustrated with games, but rarely do I get angry unelss exploits and cheats are sued, which was not the case tonight. That was a terrible team effort. The whole team played like shit, and I am not excepted from that. Nate said the defense sucked, but I took that to mean the defensive play of the team and not specifically the defensemen. Destro really shouldn't have been playing at that spot, but he seems to realize that. What I didn't understand was why he didn't seem to have a general idea of where to be on the ice. I have only been watching hockey for 3 years or so, but when I've played different positions, I've at least known where to go. Like I've said before, it is hard to adjust at times, but everyone should know the basics even if inexperience at that position means we aren't as good as we would be at our regular spots.

I'm not sure which group I'm being included in since I pretty much play the 3 nights a week (usually for 4-5 hours) that was mentioned except for when I was without a fully functional Xbox, and of course not always making the "official" Friday nights when I'm out at ECHL games. That, and I've played in the playoffs before and didn't need or care about that achievement. I just wanted to win.

Everyone knows I joke around on the headset just as much as anyone on the team, but I always play to win. Even in private games, I get irritated when people start fucking around and constantly trying to fight or getting penalties for hitting guys for no reason when they know they'll get sent to the box. I am not the best player on my team or even the best defenseman, but I know how to play my position for the most part.

I don't have the same attitude as Nate where I am as open about criticizing people. That's why I'm not the kind of person who can lead the team. I usually don't make too many comments on other people's play. The reason I was mostly criticizing Destro during the game was because he was my defensive partner and his mistakes directly affected me more than it did the forwards and because that's the position I know well and have experience with. I was constantly getting left alone without any help on the right side, and he kept going too far up into the offensive zone when we did get there, or going behind the net and crossing over to the left side for no apparent reason. Ltor was the other guy who seemed to not be taking things seriously at all, saying stuff along the lines of "at least I got the achievement" and shit like that. Like I said, all of us played badly as a team, but I felt like Nate, Shady, and I were at least making an effort even if it didn't turn out well.

That was why I made the comment in that previous game about not losing focus. We killed that team 7-0, and near the end of that game, some people were playing out of position and just going out of their way to try to add to their stats at the expense of playing any defense. It basically devolved into what some private matches have become, and it seemed like that attitude carried over to the playoff game even when guys like me, Brandon, and Nate cautioned against taking our opposition too lightly.

The main reason I got offline without saying much was because, for the first time in a long time, I just didn't want to play because I was embarrassed and disgusted. I like you all just fine as people, and I'm not going to claim I'm one of the top players on the team by any means, but everything about that game
just made me want to punch something.
 
[quote name='n8rockerasu']WARNING: COMPLETE AND TOTAL DICKHEAD RANT BELOW
Statements may be hurtful, rude, and blunt. But they're also all true.

Well, that's why we decided to choose a playoff line back in September. I'm glad everybody got the "participate in a playoff game" achievement...I just wish I didn't have to be there because that shit was a complete waste of time.

Like it or not, there is a HUGE divide between players on this team. Some of us have put in a tremendous amount of time into making ourselves better players and trying to make the team competitive. We usually play at least 3 nights a week and have learned how to handle the bullshit the game can throw at you from time to time.

Others just show up when they feel like it, enjoy the penis jokes, and bitch about the game when they lose, when really, they just don't know what they're doing. Yes, there are flaws in the game. But other than your goalie allowing 2 goals on 2 shots, none of them are indefensible. When you lose 5-0 to an amateur team with a 7-17 record, you just suck. It's not that the game is broken. It's not that the other team is good. It's that you suck.

The way I see it, the choices are either put in the time to stop sucking or recognize that you only play casually. This was really the purpose of having two teams from the beginning. The problem is, the casual team needs somebody to actually organize nights to play and everyone else has to give a damn about showing up. Those things are easier said than done.

Brandon had the idea of using a second team as almost a minor league team for the CAG team. This would give people a chance to still play competitively, work on their skater, play when they can, and try to become good enough to play with the main club...which I'm sorry, several of you aren't. But again, this would require someone taking charge, organizing nights to play and getting people to show up for those nights.

As it stands now, I don't know what to tell you guys. Sure, playing private lobby games is "fun", but it also gets boring pretty fast since most of us just end up screwing around and nobody plays good hockey. Everyone is more than welcome to try to earn a spot on future playoff rosters, but as Destro said, it's going to take a lot of work.[/QUOTE]

These are all points well taken. And I can only speak for myself so I will do so a little bit right now.

I feel even though I haven't been able to put as much time into the game, I can definitely play at a high level at LW. That's about it. Whatever that means in the overall participation in the game is what it is. It was suggested I play D for this, I said I would do it, I definitely haven't played it enough.

Is that an excuse? no, I didn't play well enough. But I think if Stat didn't have the game this year, and we had the same batch of other guys on the team, I play well enough with the other 4 I could play on the regular playoff squad. The only reason I'm even saying this is because I've played with the 4 of you and have been able to score, set up goals, and win games at the same rate you do when Stat's in there instead.

Like I said, I'm only "standing-up" for myself a little here, because I think I can play the position well, and the situation just is what it is. At the same time, you are totally right about what you said, there is a reason we went from never good, to very strong in 3 months time. The same 5 guys played a major chunk of time. Which is why I said earlier this week, when you plug one guy into someone's spot it still works, when we do what we tried to do last night, it doesn't. Especially when you have a total novice (me) on D.

Maybe I just should have said hell no to that suggestion, but I was trying to be a team player, which in essence, I guess I wasn't anyway considering the outcome.

[quote name='Matt Young']Nate said the defense sucked, but I took that to mean the defensive play of the team and not specifically the defensemen. Destro really shouldn't have been playing at that spot, but he seems to realize that. What I didn't understand was why he didn't seem to have a general idea of where to be on the ice. I have only been watching hockey for 3 years or so, but when I've played different positions, I've at least known where to go.[/QUOTE]

Matt, I know where to be on the ice, but unless the goal is for me to never once be involved in the play, what am I supposed to do? I played my side and tried to tie up any guys who were open. I got beat on the third goal because the faceoff popped out to the wing on my side after I made a move for the puck after the faceoff and even though I got side-by-side on him by the time he got to the goal, he still got the shot off. I don't think there was ever a time I was totally out of position in the actual playoff game. Again, I probably shouldn't have been back there but like I said, I thought I was "taking one for the team" in this aspect. I could have made it an issue and said I would only play LW and I should get to because I've been playing with you guys for three years, but that's not how I am.

I'll let Nate let me know if I was a total disaster and was a main reason we got crushed. I'd rather him tell me actually, I don't mind the criticism and would rather know his actual thoughts.

I'd rather much he tell me exactly what he thinks cause is the defacto leader and I can take it like a man.
 
[quote name='DestroVega']
Is that an excuse? no, I didn't play well enough. But I think if Stat didn't have the game this year, and we had the same batch of other guys on the team, I play well enough with the other 4 I could play on the regular playoff squad. The only reason I'm even saying this is because I've played with the 4 of you and have been able to score, set up goals, and win games at the same rate you do when Stat's in there instead.

[/QUOTE]

You make it sound like I just showed up and stole your spot. I joined the team and worked to make myself an asset to the team and mesh with everyone. The fact is that since joining the CAG team I've played over 250 club games, plus all the private games and boosting games we've done.

If someone else gets the LW playoff spot next month that's great. That means they played better than me, put in more effort, and showed up 3-4 nights a week.


Nate made a good point last night (at least I think it was Nate) that everyone on this team should be capable of playing multiple positions.
 
Dude, that's not what I meant at all. You are able to play more than me AND obviously you are better, or else they wouldn't choose you to be on what is essentially the first line. All I said was if you weren't on the team at all, I think I can do the job at the position. it wasn't anything directed towards you at all, and please don't take it that way.

I was only pointing out the facts of this situation and how I rate myself. Again, I thought me playing D for this situation was "taking one for the team," I didn't whine that I should play LW like I normally do. But then after I do that, and essentially do what was suggested of me, Matt throws me under the bus and points the finger at me. I don't really think that's cool or what truly went down. That's why I'm asking Nate to chime in.

Maybe I was suggested to play D because my opinion of myself at LW isn't what everyone elses is, I'd like to know that too.

But honestly, Stat, I've said all along, go back and read all my posts, that you 5 are the best players. I don't feel like you "stole" anything, I just think i can hold my own and produce when given the chance there. I hope you get my point.

I threw a lot of it on myself for last night, even more than maybe should have been, and still I was the first thrown under the bus?
 
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