Don't blame Conklin for Conklin being Conklin
Who's to blame for the hole Conklin can't seem to dig himself out of? Confidence? Babs? Kenny? Conklin? The team? Question marks?Maybe the real answer isn't so simple. Click the jump to continue.
I for one believe that it's a combination of all of the above. I don't have any concrete evidence to show my logic other than the team allowing about 4 more shots per game when Conks is in net. I'm sure there are more stats like that to prove my point, but I'm just too worn out after the extended holiday break, that included carting around a teething 5-month old and his 18 bags of clothes, toys, bottles, bouncers and what-nots to 13 different holiday gatherings, all while looking for a house to buy so my family and I don't end up homeless when we move back to Michigan in 35 days.
So for now I will go from the gut and say that Conklin hasn't played all that bad outside of the 7 goal trouncing that the Capitals handed us earlier in the year. He hasn't been particularly spectacular either, but when you play once every 15 games it's probably hard to get a grove going.
To me it seems that the team has lost all confidence in Conks. They play scared, they hesitate to make the plays they seem so comfortable making with Jimmy in net. It's almost as if they start the game with the play from behind mindset that can create even more mistakes.
Detroit doesn't and hasn't played that style of hockey in years, even when down 2-0 as we saw last night. They have always stayed calm and collected while working their way back into the game.
I don't know how much more I can handle. I know that any game can be won with Jimmy in net. I felt the same way with Osgood, Hasek, and Vernon, but to sit on the edge of my seat and cringe everytime the opposing team breaks into our zone is just not the kind of hockey I want to watch.
Scoring slumps can be broken, losing streaks snapped, but when the psychological aspects of a goalies game are affected, the damage may be too much for him to recover the season.
What needs to happen? Do we ride Howard for 70 games? Do we make a trade and hope for the best? Or should we just ride it out and hope Conklin can turn it all around in short order? It seems to me that the backup goalie is our weakest link, and this may be Lidstrom's swan song. So why would Kenny not jump at every opportunity to help better the team?
The only explanations I can fathom are that nothing worthwhile is available or there are bigger plans in the works.
Maybe I'm just paranoid.
What do you think?
Let's just steal fluery ? Lmao cuz their gonna give him up lmao oh wow. No if anything we need to try and trade conks for nabokov maybe tho his g.a and save percentage are way better then conks so they prolly wouldn't go for it. Other wise we might be stuck
"...but to sit on the edge of my seat and cringe everytime the opposing team breaks into our zone" As much as it pains me to say - I felt the same way the last couple years of Ozzie's tenure. The problem for Conks is - he's not one of the good ol' boys. I was willing to give Osgood a mulligan if he gave up a bad goal, just like when Drapes would skate full speed down the ice, take a slapper and miss entirely.
The 07-08 and 08-09 seasons were like night and day for Ozzie, I did get that feeling in a way, but we knew he would show up in the playoffs. We don't have to rely on Conks for that.
I compare Conks to MacDonald, they may have had a good spurt, but in reality they are just serviceable.@freakazoid0587
Need a trade but to be honest I can't think of anyone worth having besides Nabby that would also be available. But I really wouldn't be prepared to give up much for him as the Wings need most of what they have. And Conks is hardly a good bargaining chip. I would love an Ericsson trade but that went out the window with that ridiculous contract he signed.
I think you're right - we'll be buying a goalie around the trade deadline. I would not be surprised to see a young fwd (or two) be moved and/or #4. Looking at teams currently not in the playoff picture, I could see Giguere, Khabibulin, or Nabokov. I'd prefer in that order, some kind of playoff success would be nice from your backup goalie... but I guess real life isn't quite NHL12 lol
they need to start working with him, hes been on the team long enough, he has potential I think he may get a bit stage freight thinking he has to be like Jimmy just do your best Ty, he can be a good goalie, i think the teams has played very well in front of him, he watches them, its true he doesnt play enough because they know and its sad to say they will lose if he goalies, someone needs to really work with him, if not lets just steal shitsburgs goalie fluery or go find manny legacy he was one heck of a goalie
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I'm thinking that honestly, Conklin might have lost "it." He's a reaction goalie and he simply might not be as quick as he used to be. That's in addition to the above stuff.
@moorecha He does seem really shaky when it comes to playing the puck, but that could be due to what @Jordan_Reis was saying about him playing so infrequently.
then who should we blame Osgood for training him? Get another back up wings come on illitch drop some of them big bucks you have
