No thats not it. I don't hate him. I hate how he plays. I want him to do better, because if he doesn't...we'll have to be stuck with that.

What I don't understand is how many of you like his play.

I don't think you can make excuses for the players he was covering, either. There is a guy like alfy on every team.

He gave up more even strength goals in ONE GAME, than he has scored ALL SEASON.

Calling it an ok game for Vanek would have been a far stretch but calling it a good game is pure ignorance.

Keep trying that argument. It doesn't hold any water.

Plenty of people have been critical of Vanek's play so far this year, myself included. We're just able to give him credit when he does something 'right'.

You can't.

Sure I do, every game day thread i'll point out what he does right, and what he does wrong. He just seems to be doing a lot of wrong.

It just makes me laugh when he puts the puck into the empty net after he's played sloppy for several games and members here are going "OMG TEH VANEK!" and "Omg he's heating up!"

It is pure dude worship.

And the sens game for example... many of the members saying that he had a "good" game?

Simply wrong.

I don't mean to start arguments, but what i'm saying is everyone outside of Sabres Junkie is calling for this guy's head. And as soon as you get on this forum it's pure worship.

Mark, I'm seriously down on Vanek this season. He's sucked pretty hard, worse than any other stretch of his career since the breakout 43 goal season. But I'm still gonna be all OMGZ TEH VANEK when he scores. It's not like I'm gonna bash the guy for pulling the trigger and putting the puck away.

And I haven't seen all of this dude worship you're talking about.

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mechaphil

Vanek has been putting up decent points in a scoring drought for the whole team. The whole top-6 is the problem, and in all honesty, in the recent games Vanek has been one of the better players offensively in that top 6.

I just can't root for a guy that won't help a team.

It is simple math.

He scores 1 goal in a game. He gives up 3 goals that game.

He helped the team lose.

That's how I see it.

How much of the board sees it is "ZOMFG OFFENSE!!!"

Not to mention that many of the grinders on this team have the same amount of 5 on 5 goals, with LESS time played.

But I guess that is another chapter.

Laugh all you want.

Not everyone here is a self professed hockey analyst. Sometimes people just get excited when a guy scores. Let them express that without yelling ZOMGDUDEWORSHIP.

I can't stand Derek Roy, wish he wasn't on this team. But, I'm still going to cheer when he scores.

Sometimes it's more about just enjoying the game, not about critical hockey analysis.

its funny, because i dont think vanek was actually single handedly responsible for any of those goals. its a team sport.

just as well, sometimes, someone scores a goal, and its not a blown defensive assignment. its someone scoring a hell of a goal. you just got beat.

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Even if a player is a minus, that doesn't mean he was singlehandedly responsible for the goal on the ice.

Vanek was a minus on the Ovechkin goal, but was it HIS fault OV scored that goal? In your eyes he was, even though Myers was the one responsible for not stopping that.

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Ok, but i'm asking you to watch those 3 goals. He clearly blew his assignment on all three of them. The "team sport" thing doesn't kick in when you're the only one on your line not covering your guy. On that glove side shot, WHO slashes like that? Take a body, catch up to him damnit. Not to mention the "bitch out from blocking out" play and the "im going to bend over and look like im blocking it but realistically just do it for show" play.

I would AGREE that the ovechkin goal had nothing to do with him. As I have said before +/- isn't a great stat. It goes the other way as well. Vanek will get some + points too because someone has scored while he is on the ice and had nothing to do with it. It applies sometimes, but like with the goal that Alex scored, there is nothing that he could do about it.


There is a huge difference between scoring a lot of goals and helping the team. If you're bad on defense, offense doesn't even matter.

Other elite players in the league can score goals and be complete players. Vanek is way too one sided.

Just hard to see 7 million dollars on the bench with the speed of a beached whale and the heart of a overly fat woman that is ok living in her own poo.

I didn't watch that game since I had to work anyways. I saw the third period and didn't notice Vanek on the ice because he didn't do much.

If you say he blew his assignment, then he blew his assignment and I can't argue with you since you know everything.

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vanek played pretty well tonight i thought.

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Goal and Assist, so he did something right tonight.

I didn't get to watch it, but the team played well in the third.

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He actually looked pretty great...a split-second earlier here, a few inches to the side there and he would have had a hat trick tonight.

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mechaphil

Not because he scored tonight, but I thought his play was solid tonight. Vanek really caught the eye of their D-men. When you're playing against a 40 goal getter ( mighta been from the season before) he knows how to find the back of the net. That fact itself left a lot of guys open around the net because a lot of eyes were on him. I think He's been finding his legs as of late and is slowly getting back into form.

Just keep pluggin along, Thomas! And we'll keep celebrating when you score!

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If it's a tight squeeze, spit on it! - NyI

He's a middling AHL player who had the good fortune of a drunk arbitrator. - The Squanto re: Tim Kennedy

he did have a ton of chances. kid's ready to go on one of his, I'm going to pot 20 goals in 12 games including two hattys tears.

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Proud LGBTQQ Individual

He did but tell that to Markus.

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just call me Brad

Twitter @BUrbanowicz13

No I give credit when it is due. Vanek played pretty well tonight.

Miller, Grier and Vanek all played well.

Vanek looks good lately. Glad he got rewarded with a goal and an assist last night.

Personally I thought Vanek has looked great since Pomminville was moved to his RW. He attacks a lot harder below the net, and his back check has been fan-freaking-tastic. I've said it several times, and I'll say it again, Drew Stafford and Thomas Vanek do not have chemistry. Both players have THRIVED being away from one another. Stafford has looked great with Mac and Connolly, and Vanek with Roy and Pommers has been applying a lot of pressure.

Our Top 6 are starting to put it together finally. It was just a matter of finding the right mix.

Props to Vanek, and I still think he's gonna pop 40+ this year. He'll be our best player the last 20 games of this season...and you can take that to the bank.

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"She's like plan C after an 18 pack"

Squanto 7/27/2010