Stop The Craziness...

[gxc999 7]

So my inline team already had the #1 playoff seed sewed up and we had one, final game in the regular season. The playoffs begin the following night and every team gets a shot! We were playing the league's worst team, who had zero wins before tonight (although for tonight's game, they added one very good and one good player to their lineup, which consists mostly of newer players). Our goalie really wanted to skate out, so we put our weakest player in net as a larf. What really gets me is that our best player, and consistent league MVP, decided to completely screw around the first two periods. He wouldn't shoot the puck and was loafing around on defense. He literally was diving and screwing around. Two of our other best players also gave up on the idea of playing a complete game, or really any game for that matter. I played my ass off while our best players made half hearted third period efforts as we ended up losing 9-7, which seemed to be the idea all along, although nobody told me. I was extremely pissed and let all my teammates know it. I've sat idly by and not said anything when our best players seemed not to care at all through the first two periods because I knew we could come back and win anyway in the third. However this complete phoning it in pushed me over the edge. Previously, I've played through some really painful injuries and a bad case of bronchitis because I didn't wanna miss a game and let my team down and it seems like a smack in the face. It trivializes the efforts of weaker players who take great efforts to improve (me and several others). It also insults the other team by saying we had to basically spot you 6 goals and give up to let you win.

What really bothers me most isn't the losing of the game as much as what it represents. The whole "we have to give every kid who plays little league a trophy now because we don't want to hurt anyone's feelings" movement infuriates me. That mentality is running wild and it sickens me. Do I just need to mellow out and pretend like I haven't passed on jobs and internships so I could spend more time practicing hockey since I only truly began just under a year ago? Have I lost all my marbles or has everyone else?

[Fury of One 6]

If playing against a weaker team, I think it would have been better to focus on a passing game and setting up plays and such. I wouldn't go out there with the let's run up the score attitude but I wouldn't half ass it either.

[The Stranger 0]

That would have been the perfect time to reward second-tier guys like yourself with first line minutes, while giving your top guys a little break for the next game. Instead it seems like a big waste of time. Showboating and tanking are equally disrespectful to your opponent in my opinion.

[Jarick 5]

I agree. I would have worked on some breakout plays, give the grinders more ice time, but play a good game. No need to tank or screw around. It's still ice time.

[Smitty34 0]

I agree, it is disrespectful to throw the game like that. That game could have been a good opportunity to work on things that you guys needed to work on. Giving the guys that don't usually get as much playing time would have been a good move as well.

[5minutesforfighting 0]

We've beat some teams pretty bad before, after about 5 or 6 goals, our coach encourages us to make 3 passes in their end before we shoot, or something along those lines.

[eric42434224 1]

I think changing your game up for different opponents Better and worse) is fine. Letting up, to a certain extent, in later periods is fine too. But to obviously and blatantly play poorly is not cool. If I were on the other team, I would feel disrespected, and any positives or accomplishments in the game would be tainted as not being truly earned.

[armada 0]

Relax. Don't forget it's just a game that you are playing for FUN. If everybody was having a good time on both teams then there is no reason to get your panties up in a bunch over a meaningless game.

[fluggles 0]

Since I was one on the players who filled in on the other team so I thought I might chime in. It was the last game of the regular season and both teams had their respective seeds locked up so it was basicly an exhibition game. The guys on the last place team I was playing with knew that the only reason they won was because of the different goalie in net and certain players not going "all out"; but they all had a really great time regardless and as far as I could tell the players on your team were too. If the situation had been different and you were still trying to move up higher in the standings then I would agree with you on not playing down giving the other team a chance to win.

[pody37 3]

I agree with most of the posters before me. Playing against a weaker team is a chance to iron out plays and stuff that you need to work on. Screwing around really doesnt help anyone...

[gxc999 7]

I agree with most of the posters before me. Playing against a weaker team is a chance to iron out plays and stuff that you need to work on. Screwing around really doesnt help anyone...

That's exactly why I was so pissed off. We basically wasted a game. Why not just give them a win by forfeit? We had a newb in at goalie so if it had been like, "let's all work on playing team defense", then I wouldn't have complained at all. Instead, nobody played defense. The idea of "hey, let's all play a half assed game" really doesn't appeal to me. Once I saw Flugg jump in for the other team, I knew we were in for a fight. He's one of the best players in the league and I was completely fine with us having a challenge instead of a cakewalk. Instead, we just wasted a lot of time. How do you get better by playing worse? Myself and a couple of the other weaker players on the team worked our butts off but got no help. At one point in the third period, we had a few minutes of sustained pressure by cycling the puck, but then nobody shot it.

[gxc999 7]

Accidental double post, sorry.