Game Thread ..... vs. New Jersey, 3/31/12

[perfectstorm]

Skinner is starting to approach the "Sean Hill Stupid Penalty" category.

[JohnH]

After the suspension, my neighbor offered a theory about Skinner's run of penalties since returning from the concussion: "That boy ain't right in the head."

[KaniacFever]

Originally Posted by SouthernHockeyChick

Ugh, forgot that Clarkson goal was a PPG.

Still, my point remains...the entire team stunk it up.

Yes the whole team stunk it up, but it doesn't help when Skinner's tantrums put you in a quick 2goal deficit. I probably wouldn't have called him out if this was a minor thing, but his tantrums are becoming an every game thing. He's got to get that under control.

[Caniac4life]

A couple or three more tantrums could land us a top 4 draft pick.

[superdave]

Originally Posted by KaniacFever

Yes the whole team stunk it up, but it doesn't help when Skinner's tantrums put you in a quick 2goal deficit. I probably wouldn't have called him out if this was a minor thing, but his tantrums are becoming an every game thing. He's got to get that under control.

Yep. If they could have made it to the locker room at 0-0 after 1, Muller may have been able to shake them out of their collective coma. Skinner's first penalty allowed the ever popular "late period goal" and then his mouth took all of the wind out of the team's sails when he made sure the team would get 2 more minutes of PK time.

What did it for me was the smiling on the bench as the ref was sending him back to detention.

[nccanes]

Originally Posted by superdave

What did it for me was the smiling on the bench as the ref was sending him back to detention.

Yeah - there was something off about the whole thing. Like I said, if he'd been screwed over by the first call, then maybe I'd feel differently.

After he got put in the box a 2nd time, he still sat in there saying "f*cking joke".

Skinner is so talented and young that I presume the rest of the roster gets it, but Muller has used his "meritocracy" on other players lately....we're out of the playoffs...I don't see why Skinner was a complete exception.

Hopefully the pendulum swings back the other direction next season on his in-game behavior.

[StormChaserBH]

Hey anyone with an extra team poster from this game? Asking around, 'cause I entered the contest to be one of the fans in the background and my name got picked, so my wife and son are in the pic, but we couldn't make it to this game Saturday... thought there may be extras layin' around yesterday at the alumni game, but no such luck...

[superdave]

Originally Posted by StormChaserBH

Hey anyone with an extra team poster from this game? Asking around, 'cause I entered the contest to be one of the fans in the background and my name got picked, so my wife and son are in the pic, but we couldn't make it to this game Saturday... thought there may be extras layin' around yesterday at the alumni game, but no such luck...

They will probably have some at the promotions desk for the Thursday game.

[caniac97]

Originally Posted by StormChaserBH

Hey anyone with an extra team poster from this game? Asking around, 'cause I entered the contest to be one of the fans in the background and my name got picked, so my wife and son are in the pic, but we couldn't make it to this game Saturday... thought there may be extras layin' around yesterday at the alumni game, but no such luck...

if you don't find one at Thursdays game let me know, might have one extra or willing to part with mine. The only one I have that matters to me is the one from last year when SuperDave and I were selected.

[StormChaserBH]

We're going Thursday, will check at the promo desk for sure

[CC]

Originally Posted by nccanes

Yeah - there was something off about the whole thing. Like I said, if he'd been screwed over by the first call, then maybe I'd feel differently.

After he got put in the box a 2nd time, he still sat in there saying "f*cking joke".

Skinner is so talented and young that I presume the rest of the roster gets it, but Muller has used his "meritocracy" on other players lately....we're out of the playoffs...I don't see why Skinner was a complete exception.

Hopefully the pendulum swings back the other direction next season on his in-game behavior.

I would not wait. Bench him for the final home game of the season and see is he thinks that is F-ing funny.

[superdave]

Originally Posted by CC

I would not wait. Bench him for the final home game of the season and see is he thinks that is F-ing funny.

I'd scratch him tomorrow night in Ottawa. Justice needs to be swift.

I still think he should have sat next to Cam for the 2nd and 3rd periods.

[andyt]

Originally Posted by superdave

I'd scratch him tomorrow night in Ottawa. Justice needs to be swift.

I still think he should have sat next to Cam for the 2nd and 3rd periods.

Scratching him in Ottawa is too late. If anything was going to come of it, he should have been benched after the rest of the game on Saturday.

[nccanes]

Originally Posted by andyt

Scratching him in Ottawa is too late. If anything was going to come of it, he should have been benched after the rest of the game on Saturday.

Yeah - if it was gonna happen, it was gonna happen then. Tripp seemed to be expecting it (I think he wondered if he'd even play at all in the 2nd) but there were some tweets about Muller talking to the ref at the end of the 1st and the beginning of the 2nd and that led me to believe he blamed the ref, not Skinner.

He's got 3 more games to leave us with a much better impression. I'll be watching!

[CC]

I am ready to change the name(temporarily) on my Skinner Jersey to Whiner for Thursdays game.

[caniac97]

Originally Posted by CC

I am ready to change the name(temporarily) on my Skinner Jersey to Whiner for Thursdays game.

Dude, cut the boy some slack!! He is only 20, most forget that. I know at 20 I was worse than he is about things. Now having said that it is my hope he attends some anger management classes in the off season. If he returns like that next season all bets are off.

[kermelbar]

I believe he's still a month or so shy of 20. I listened to a little bit of the Aftermath the other night -- after we went around our @$$ (u-turn at Whole Foods) to get to our elbow (Harrison Ave) leaving the game -- and there was someone who called in about it being a man's game. Sure, but as John F pointed out, "It's easy to forget that he's only 19," and that a lot of us would probably like to have back a few decisions we made at 19.

Yes, it's a lesson he needs to learn. Yes, it costs his team in the meantime. But God knows I'd be lousy at being the target (hey, I get pissy when the guy in front of me rests his elbow on my knee!) and I'm a whole lot older than him.

[nccanes]

Originally Posted by kermelbar

-- after we went around our @$$ (u-turn at Whole Foods) to get to our elbow (Harrison Ave) leaving the game --

We didn't go on Saturday, but did something similar on Friday night. We got to the arena around 6:45 and couldn't get in the paved lots so around to Carter-Finley from Trinity we went...which was fine.

When we left the lots, they MADE our lane go straight across Trinity and thru that road next to the Fairgrounds (name escaping me). Now the ODD thing was that we got held up for traffic (cars/pedestrians) at the exit and they were allowing traffic to go West on Trinity (towards Edwards Mill). But when it was out turn, they would NOT let us turn right/west - we had to go straight.

Then when we finally made it to Hillsborough, there was actually a cop there that made us turn Right on Hillsborough. Of course, we just went down a bit and made a Uturn, but I must admit that's the most circuitous egress that I've ever experienced!

Oh - but to counter the above, the volume seemed much more tolerable on Friday than when we sat in 130 the previous game. Although intermission is still pretty loud - but it was better. (but my $1 dog was cold! )

[superdave]

Originally Posted by andyt

Scratching him in Ottawa is too late. If anything was going to come of it, he should have been benched after the rest of the game on Saturday.

I said he should have been benched then. After being able to review the tape and think about it, it still isn't too late to scratch him in Ottawa.

[CC]

Originally Posted by caniac97

Dude, cut the boy some slack!! He is only 20, most forget that. I know at 20 I was worse than he is about things. Now having said that it is my hope he attends some anger management classes in the off season. If he returns like that next season all bets are off.

Hell get no slack from me just because of who he is or what he can do on the ice. He dont need no Mamby Pamby anger management class. He needs some accountability for those who act like jackwagons. He's been here for 2 years and does not need the opportunity to dig a bigger hole for himself. I have wondered if he isnt too big for his britches and have not seen anything to change my mind recently. If he aint learned how to behave at 19 he might never do so. Coach does not do something about it and the teammates will.

[SouthernHockeyChick]

^ Couldn't agree less. Does a message need to be sent to him? Absolutely. But that's a character assassination I simply can't agree with.


To me, this is all so startling because it's a total aberration from the behavior we've seen from him most of the time.

If you can't agree that a 19 year old deserves slack simply for being a freaking 19 year old, it makes no difference who he is or what he can do, then we'll just have to agree to disagree.

If you were a fully mature, never did a thing wrong adult at 19 you're different than any other 19 year old I've ever met. Hell, you're different than any 29 year old I've ever met.

[nccanes]

^I agree with SHC on all of the above....EXCEPT, I think his behavior this season has become a trend. It doesn't surprise me anymore.

I'm a little surprised we haven't seen the quiet kid who speaks with his play since his suspension.

[SouthernHockeyChick]

Oh, I totally agree it's become a trend as this year has gone on. I expected a tough year for him but, the last few months he has not dealt well with it.

After a frustrating injury, being a target all year long, not having the same success as last season, and a total let-down in terms of where the team is, I can understand when a 19 year old starts to show the strain. And he's definitely shown it.

For whatever reason, I am still shocked by it, though.

[nccanes]

Trust me, I am amazed at the stupidity of 19 year old boys. Skinner's the first Cane that is younger than my oldest so by and large I'm impressed by everything he does.

The only thing for me is that he's continued on the same path post-suspension.

Then again, we don't know what he's been told in the locker room or by the coaches.

I presume it all gets sorted out before next season.

I probably wouldn't have cared if it had happened on the road as opposed to at home after another OT loss the night before, etc.

[c-girl]

I think he's a young guy who had many things pushed on him in his first year - accolades, fame, all-star game, an award, relative success, prom invitations .

This year, he's no longer flying under the radar like he did for much of last year. Everybody in the league is targeting his head. The refs aren't protecting him (unlike many other stars in the league). I haven't seen many on the team defending him so he's been forced to do it himself. The team went through a bad time and I believe the guys have known for a while they weren't going to the playoffs. Most of the guys on the team have the age, experience and maturity to deal with those things. Skinner's young and I'm not surprised at all at his frustration. He may be in a "man's league" but he is still a kid. Obviously, his hockey skills have thrust him into a place in life that his emotional skills just aren't equipped to handle yet. I just hope he gets some much needed advice over the summer on how to handle this.