Woody Paige Not On Planet Earth
by Mike @ MHH on Oct 17, 2008 9:09 AM MDT
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PrintToday, sometime Denver Post columnist and ESPN talking head Woody Paige submitted for our approval a 'piece' detailing Andrew Raycroft's first game in net for the Colorado Avalanche. He apparently didn't watch the game of which he writes, because he has officially jumped behind the wheel of the "Let's Ride Raycroft" bandwagon-o-hilarity.
He actually states that:
Raycroft earned another start.
How a 16-of-18 performance with a total of 7 shots on goal in the first and third periods (none at even strength) warrants sitting Budaj so that Raycroft can get shelled in Dallas tomorrow night boggles the mind. Raycroft didn't do anything remotely spectacular in that game, his puckhandling seemed out of sorts, and the Avs finally played like something resembling a cohesive unit at times. Somehow that results in Raycroft being given the reins despite everybody from Pierre Lacroix to the hotdog vendor at Le Can stating that Boots is unequivocally the starter.
Then he joins his mainstream media brethren in throwing Peter Budaj under a large yellow school bus for his performance so far this season stating:
Budaj has been uptight, out of sorts and out of position, and what is telling is that none of his teammates were saying: "We haven't lost confidence in him." Nobody seemed to be saying anything.
This reeks of a writer trying to create a story so that he can have something to write about in the weeks to come. I haven't heard anybody state anything negative about Boots' play or dodge the issue by saying nothing. All I've read from the Avalanche players is that the whole team is having issues and Budaj's play is just another symptom of those problems. Why Woody is hearing, or not hearing, things that nobody else is saying, I don't know. I could be that all that screaming he does for the four-letter has made it difficult to have conversations and actually hear responses. Let me know, am I out to lunch here? Have there been rumblings, or lack of rumblings, to indicate that the Colorado players have shunned Budaj?
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Isnt it funny
how reading Paige’s article can easily sway ppl into thinking the team has already given up on Boods? Had you not been a critical reader, most would just assume the avs are scared when hes in nets. Boods hasnt been good, thats for sure. Hes seemed very shaky and at times overplaying the puck. But thats definitely from the pressure of the early season. I cant EVER remember a time where Boods in this manner. He’ll bounce back, i have no doubt! If the avs are DUMB enough to pull him already, all theyre really saying is that no matter what they say, they have no confidence in anyone. Rookies, goalies, dmen..if youre not an established veteran, youre as good a burnt toast on a day when youve had breakfast already.
Give Boods the start, let him, and Raycroft do their jobs without the microscope on them after every save.
The only thing I’ve read is Terry Frei’s assumption that there is a “crisis of confidence” despite offering nothing to support it. The players are all probably concerned about everything they’re doing on the ice, and know well and good that three one-goal losses are not the sole fault of the goalie. Like those guys don’t know the expectations of their positions and can’t identify when and where they screwed up that led to a goal against.
This is purely a sell-as-many-papers as possible “controversy.”
Go Avs! Let's get some goals!
Numbered list!
It’s true Rayzor doesn’t ‘deserve’ another start, but it would put some more pressure on Budaj. For some reason Budaj needs:
1. A competative backup
2. Consecutive starts
If Rayzor is giving that to Budaj, It’s what’s best for the team
26 Card Jet
Welcome to the Raycroft era!
He stinks, get ready to watch that shot from the circle go over his floppy glove hand six or seven times in his next start.
Pension Plan Puppets*
* Blog contains less than 2% puppet content by weight.
He hasn’t played yet, and the Leafs are like $10m underneath the cap right now.
You’re just mad you didn’t convince Fletcher to pay you $3.5 a year.
Pension Plan Puppets*
* Blog contains less than 2% puppet content by weight.
Has history shown, at any point, that it has been difficult to get Fletcher to overpay? If that’s the only skill you require out of defensemen (ability to fleece Fletcher), then I think every team in the league has 6 or 7 d-men that would fit in Toronto’s system…
Colorado Avalanche: Gellin' and Propellin'!!!
HA!
by my calculations, he already has 50% of the wins he got last year. One more win and he totals his wins from last year…
Doesnt it suck to perhaps see that maybe your team just sucks monkey balls and it wasnt his fault..
HAHAHA
Even though it’s totally true what you’re saying, let’s be nice to Chemmy and his PPP. They’ve provided us some nice feedback during the off-season about their players and they’re running a proper site.
Plus they took a 3.5M cap hit of our hands! I almost love toronto as much as Washington for that
26 Card Jet
My favorite part
was the “puckhandling seemed out of sorts’”.
I wouldn’t be surprised if he was the team leader in giveaways. He single-handedly created 2 or 3 offensive chances for the Flyers with his decision-making with the puck alone.
You know, Patrick Roy wasn’t the best puck-handler, either. Raycroft is the next Roy!!
Go Avs! Let's get some goals!
Roy made up for it most nights…Raycroft made me sick every time he left the net.
Now and then we had the hope that if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be PIRATES.
-Mark Twain-
by Americanario on Oct 17, 2008 12:20 PM MDT up reply actions
See as all he did for long stretches of the game was stop dump-ins behind the net, you must have lost a lot of fluids last night.
Colorado Avalanche: Gellin' and Propellin'!!!
See as all he did for long stretches of the game was stop dump-ins behind the net
and more than half of those he screwed up.
Now and then we had the hope that if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be PIRATES.
-Mark Twain-
by Americanario on Oct 17, 2008 12:27 PM MDT up reply actions
Roy was terrible
with the puck. He was a choose-your-own-adventure type of puck-handler. It was really the only thing I harped on last night because Raycroft was consistently bad at it and he wasn’t really tested with a lot of shots. In a game full of good, the very little bad stuck out quite a bit. On a night when the flow of the game wasn’t being annihilated by constant penalties, I probably wouldn’t have noticed the puck-handling as much.
by A.J. Haefele on Oct 17, 2008 12:30 PM MDT up reply actions
Why do I torture myself
The comments at the Denver Post if fully loaded with the Budaj hate wagon. But the people who think Raycroft looked great out there must have watched the wrong game or something. He was ok, not bad, but not really great either, just ok.
InYoFace Phadouche! InYoFace
I think everyone is overlooking the REALLY sucky presence on the ice last night: Philadelphia.
Go Avs! Let's get some goals!
That and the much improved defensive play. Unlike previous games…the Flyers couldn’t get quality shots in front of Raycroft. The defense was there knocking them down, playing the body, and then if a shot did make it in the crease area the D cleared it out pretty quickly. All things that were missing in the first 3 games.
How many actual scoring chances did Philly have? I know in the first period they had zero scoring chances, so the three shots they had weren’t very good.
Now and then we had the hope that if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be PIRATES.
-Mark Twain-
by Americanario on Oct 17, 2008 12:26 PM MDT up reply actions
A win is a win
…but it was shocking how bad Philly was. Making any judgements about defensive improvement is pretty much irrelevant after facing that team. The Dallas game will give us more of a feel on at least making progress, even if we lose.
paige
Woody Paige is a waste of space and writes his columns on the sensationalistic side. I would really say that the story last night is the Flyers. This was a team that made the Eastern Conference Finals last year and they looked terrible! Granted, it is early but still. I’m not complaining. I’m always happy to see the Flyers lose.
Wow. And I just fanshotted that, just too late lol.
Go Avs!
by Mike, (Avs Fan) on Oct 17, 2008 1:02 PM MDT up reply actions
The Avs are going to get the arses handed to them.
I hope and pray I am wrong but I can see Raycroft getting pulled after the first period.
The Stars got beat up 6-1 last night and will be looking for blood. I think Granato just gave it to them.
Now and then we had the hope that if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be PIRATES.
-Mark Twain-
by Americanario on Oct 17, 2008 1:08 PM MDT up reply actions
All I can say
at least he is not talking about the Broncos right now. Plus he and Kizla and the ignorance with most of the commentors are the reasons I no longer read the post or RMN.
Now I am happy the Avs won, I also have been hard on Budaj, but if he is gonna be the #1 this season he needs to play and get over his or Granatos lack of confidence. Is it me or does the AVs defence play good and bad almost at the same time. I mean they dont allow a lot of shot so far, but the shots they allow are quality shots.
There is a reason Raycroft is #2, I am not gonna let one game sway me into thinking he is better than Budaj. This team is really closer to 4-0 than it is to 1-3
somethings wrong, Trying to conquer these fears i thought were gone. And it's been so long, I'm dying to live in a world i don't belong
by broncfanstuckinsd on Oct 17, 2008 2:05 PM MDT reply actions
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