2005-06: What the Experts Thought
by mf37 on Nov 23, 2010 11:13 AM EST
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PrintFor years, at the beginning of each hockey season and again at the start of the playoffs, my friends and I would put together a spreadsheet that collected all of the predictions from the so-called "experts" to which we'd add our own selections. Once the season/playoffs wrapped, we'd do a compare and contrast to see how we all stacked up. More importantly, we'd also have a written record to determine which one of us should be mocked mercilessly for our wrong, and often dumb, predictions.
A few jobs and many computers later, all but one of those spreadsheets have been lost. The only one I've been able to turn up is from the 2005-06 season.
I thought it would be interesting to re-visit the picks to see how all of our favourite talking heads performed (I love that Don Cherry picked Bochenski for the Calder; any surprise that Maguire went with Jeff Carter?).
This was the first year post-lockout, so we should give these folks plenty of slack for many of their predictions. Looking back, I'm stunned Phoenix posted 38 wins and it's interesting to see the list of teams that missed the post-season. Two of them have since won the Stanley Cup.
2005-06 Season Predictions
East SC West SC Art Ross Calder Miss the Playoffs PHX Ws ACTUAL Carolina Edmonton Thornton Ovechkin VAN, LA, MIN, PHX, CBJ, CHI, STL; TOR, ATL, FLA, NYI, BOS, WSH, PIT 38 Gord Stellick Ottawa Vancouver Forsberg Ovechkin MTL; LA 30 Nick Kypreos Ottawa Vancouver Spezza Crosby ATL; STL 35 Daren Millard Ottawa Vancouver Iginla Crosby STL; NYI 30 John Garret Philly Vancouver Jagr Crosby BUF; WSH 30 Darren Drager Philly Calgary Crosby TOR; STL 28 Bill Watters Ottawa San Jose Iginla Crosby TOR; STL Don Cherry Ottawa Vancouver Spezza Bochenski Bob MacKenzie Ottawa San Jose Iginla Ovechkin Pierre MaGuire Ottawa Calgary Carter Barry Melrose Flyers Calgary John Buccigross Flyers San Jose Terry Frei Ottawa Calgary E.J. Hradek Lightning San Jose Eric Karabell Flyers Vancouver Scott Burnside Lightning Vancouver Joy Russo Lightning Calgary MF37 Ottawa San Jose Naslund Ovechkin TOR; BOS 31
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Wow. So this “Vancouver is a cup favourite” thing isn’t new, eh?
Also I distinctly remember Don Cherry’s love for Brandon Bochenski that year. I remember how he thought the Hawks were so stupid to trade him for Versteeg.
"The only way out is in a body bag. Go Leafs Go." - Blinky
Frivolous Ornamentation
by Karina on Nov 23, 2010 11:20 AM EST reply actions
I can’t believe I thought Naslund would win the Art Ross. He wasn’t even a point-per-game player in 2005-06 (81GP, 79pts).
Bitter Leaf Fan: Skepticism, not cynicism.
haha
"The only way out is in a body bag. Go Leafs Go." - Blinky
Frivolous Ornamentation
by Karina on Nov 23, 2010 11:25 AM EST up reply actions
haha
"The only way out is in a body bag. Go Leafs Go." - Blinky
Frivolous Ornamentation
by Karina on Nov 23, 2010 11:25 AM EST up reply actions
oops
"The only way out is in a body bag. Go Leafs Go." - Blinky
Frivolous Ornamentation
by Karina on Nov 23, 2010 11:25 AM EST up reply actions
Oddly appropriate actually.
This is the place where I felt like the world's tallest self-supporting tower.
by A Lindros Jaw on Nov 23, 2010 9:33 PM EST up reply actions
What a year.
Signing Belfour after the lockout had to be one of the most dumbest signings ever. Mariusz Czerkawski, THE POLISH PRINCE. Eric Lindros. Alex Khavanov. Jeff O’Neill! Kyle Wellwood put up 45 points that year, he and Steen outscoring Jeff Carter and Mike Richards. J.S. Aubin went 9-0-2 in a mad dash towards the postseason. Jason Allison, 60 points in 66 games! Good times, man. Good times.
Mariusz Czerkawski, THE POLISH PRINCE.
Pretty sure I own the only non-game-worn Czerkawski Leaf jersey there is. I had such great expectations…
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by puckurgently on Nov 23, 2010 11:36 AM EST up reply actions
i’m guessing that this is the case.
Be an Optimist Prime, not a Negatron. Certified Grabbo Lover!
Адразу Ліфс Перайсці !
by Sergei Puckizin on Nov 23, 2010 12:00 PM EST up reply actions
i remember that as the year PPP thought Steen would be better than Jeff Carter and I “disagreed” (to put it politely)
˙˙˙buoןɐ sǝɯoɔ ɹǝʇʇǝq buıɥʇǝɯos ןıʇun 'op oʇ ǝʌɐɥ ןןıʍ sıɥʇ
by blurr1974 on Nov 23, 2010 11:48 AM EST up reply actions
I always get way too excited about nobodies, Suglubov, Gamche, Pohl….ugh
Rule #20
by JaredFromLondon on Nov 23, 2010 1:34 PM EST up reply actions
i have a friend who is a noted leaf hater, and also a former pro-hockey player (played in europe for several years), and even HE was convinced the Leafs had a keeper in Wellwood. that fat bastard fooled all of us.
Yesterday is dead, but not my memory.
by daoust on Nov 24, 2010 8:34 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
hahaha
rec’d for fat bastard
"The only way out is in a body bag. Go Leafs Go." - Blinky
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by Karina on Nov 25, 2010 1:13 PM EST up reply actions
Not at all what I wrote
I wrote after that season that Steen’s first year had been comparable to Richards’ and Carter’s first year and that subsequently Maurice’s idiocy had ruined his potential which it did.
Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
Like reading thoughts confined to 140 characters? I'm on Twitter too.
That was the year of the Steve Moore incident though. So, major concussion plus the loss of Naslund’s favourite teammate would’ve been factors.
"The only way out is in a body bag. Go Leafs Go." - Blinky
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by Karina on Nov 23, 2010 11:25 AM EST up reply actions
Haha Grapes!
Also, all the Ottawa love in there is killing me.
Be an Optimist Prime, not a Negatron. Certified Grabbo Lover!
Адразу Ліфс Перайсці !
by Sergei Puckizin on Nov 23, 2010 12:00 PM EST up reply actions
Looks like a HUGE canadian team bias to me…
"The only way out is in a body bag. Go Leafs Go." - Blinky
Frivolous Ornamentation
by Karina on Nov 23, 2010 12:04 PM EST up reply actions
Love the TB/Cal predictions. Because after a year off, a new cap and umpteen rule changes, I totally expect to see a repeat of last year’s finals!!!
Be an Optimist Prime, not a Negatron. Certified Grabbo Lover!
Адразу Ліфс Перайсці !
by Sergei Puckizin on Nov 23, 2010 4:11 PM EST up reply actions
Brandon. Fucking. Bochenski.
Let’s all think about that for a minute.
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Seriously. That’s spectacular.
“Bochenski” is now going to be my reply every time people drool over a prospect I don’t like.
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by puckurgently on Nov 23, 2010 11:29 AM EST up reply actions
NO THANKS
Hockey Blog Adventure: New Post: Game 18 Preview: Kings at Bruins BEAT LA BEAT LA BEAT LA (I'm also on Twitter.) GO BRUINS! (and Wild!)
by Cornelius Hardenbergh on Nov 23, 2010 11:34 AM EST up reply actions
This Post...
makes me stabby.
Sadly Bochenski wasn’t the worst player I drafted in fantasy hockey that year, that honour went to Brett Hull who retired 5 games in. Yep 1 guy in the AHL, 1 guy retired, all I needed was a dead guy and I’d get the trifecta.
Man, myth, internet annoyance
by Dany Heatley Speedwagon on Nov 23, 2010 11:35 AM EST reply actions
Based on a tip from a friend in Finland, I used the last pick in a hockey pool to take Espen Knutsen (1998?)
I was soundly mocked. Knutsen played most of the season with Cincinnati.
Bitter Leaf Fan: Skepticism, not cynicism.
If only your league tracked fans killed by pucks.
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by puckurgently on Nov 23, 2010 11:44 AM EST up reply actions
/slowclap
Brain: The irony of it all, Pinky. Years of trying to take over the world, and all I had to do was say "truculence".
Follow me I'm Boring!
by blindfolded tank driver on Nov 23, 2010 11:56 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
I do play in a league that counts that. 
Would help me out, I’m doing even worse in there than I am in PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPD1
Hockey Blog Adventure: New Post: Game 18 Preview: Kings at Bruins BEAT LA BEAT LA BEAT LA (I'm also on Twitter.) GO BRUINS! (and Wild!)
by Cornelius Hardenbergh on Nov 23, 2010 12:09 PM EST up reply actions
Makes me wish I had all the old spreadsheets. I’ve been doing this since about 2000, it would be interesting to see which experts tend to get it right more often than not.
Bitter Leaf Fan: Skepticism, not cynicism.
Considering how many up there are completely wrong, it would be very interesting.
Hockey Blog Adventure: New Post: Game 18 Preview: Kings at Bruins BEAT LA BEAT LA BEAT LA (I'm also on Twitter.) GO BRUINS! (and Wild!)
by Cornelius Hardenbergh on Nov 23, 2010 12:17 PM EST up reply actions
Most experts always get it wrong, Jonah Leher talks about how poorly experts guess in political races.
The Leafs are my Rushmore
Certified Grabbo Lover and member of the PPPPP
Follow my foray in fancy facial follicles
by Plea From A Cat Named Felix on Nov 23, 2010 2:19 PM EST up reply actions
Why were you guessing how many wins Phoenix would get?
by Leaf in Habland on Nov 23, 2010 10:39 PM EST reply actions
I don’t remember, I think it was inspired by an article at sportsnet.ca and all the experts weighed in so we did too.
I was trying to find older content at sportsnet and TSN today, but I couldn’t find much of anything prior to 2008.
Bitter Leaf Fan: Skepticism, not cynicism.
TSN’s search functionality is terrible. Absolute crap.
by Death_By_Leafs on Nov 24, 2010 10:09 AM EST up reply actions
I picked a Flyers/Flames final, just like Barry Melrose…..
…shoot me now.
Visit my blog at: http://50-mission-cap.blogspot.com/
Leaf fan for life! (No, really. They gave me a no-trade clause when I was born.)
by FiftyMissionCap on Nov 25, 2010 7:10 PM EST reply actions
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