Kesler is Struggling, But it's Not Entirely His Fault

A lot of finger-pointing takes place after a game like last night's, so it was only a matter of time before somebody brought up Ryan Kesler's early struggles. I've heard criticism from a few sources this morning, and it's not entirely undeserved. Kesler has 1 point in his first 6 games, and hasn't looked to be nearly the dominant second-line center we saw last season. He's not creating as many chances as we're used to; he's missing shots; he's not as noticeable. At this point, it's hard to believe this guy has 134 points in his last two seasons. What's his problem?

Well, it might have something to do with the fact that Kesler has been removed from every situation in which he thrives.

The majority of Kesler's success came either on the 2nd line with Mason Raymond (and usually with Mikael Samuelsson), or on the 2nd powerplay unit. This season, he's spent little time with Raymond, and no time whatsoever on that 2nd PP formation. He's freshly shaven Samson.

Last night, the 2nd line consisted of Ryan Kesler between Peter Schaefer and Jannik Hansen, a duo that has combined for zero points this season and will likely improve that number very slowly over the next six months. To wit: they're not 2nd line players. It's hard to even call that unit a second line when two-thirds of it are unmistakably bottom-six guys.

Why is Kesler with them? Despite 50 assists last year saying otherwise, he's never been a particularly effective playmaker, so he's certainly not the right guy to carry the line's offensive load. In fact, most of Kesler's offensive success comes when he's paired with other skilled players. He saw success two years ago with Mats Sundin and Pavol Demitra. He developed an offensive identity last season with burgeoning scorer Mason Raymond (and they worked best when the third guy with them was a playmaker). Kesler's an opportunist, not a generator, and there will be far fewer opportunities than he's used to when he shares the ice with Jannik Hansen and Peter Schaefer.

On the powerplay, Kesler anchored the second unit, camping out near the half-wall, and sniping shots from out above the circle. He scored 12 power play goals last season, a lot of them the same way. He was an effective, consistent threat defensive formations had to respect, and it opened up space for everyone else on the unit. Kesler was the lynchpin of a power play formation, but now he's a fifth option, with Daniel, Henrik, and two point shots all looking for the puck. Even if that first unit has success, it won't be because of Kesler. His goal the other night is evidence he remains an excellent powerplay option. We could use one of those on the second unit. Why waste him on the first?

Secondary scoring was not an issue last season, but with Kesler's struggles, it's become one this year. It's not entirely his fault: Kes has been completely neutered thus far. If you want him to be an offensive option, you need to let him play his game. What does Alain Vigneault expect him to do when all the elements that make him successful are taken away?

I Watched This Game: Canucks at Wild, October 19, 2010

Canucks 2 - 6 Wild

So we watched this game, and when our eyes began to bleed, and we began to shout expletives at John Garrett, we realized that we might have anger management issues. I know I do. I'm still on a lengthy timeout from Settlers of Catan after what happened last time.

The Minnesota Wild bagskated through all of their issues, and may have created an unnecessary goaltending controversy by scoring six goals on a Canucks team that looked as out of sync as 'N Sync without Justin Timberlake. (He was the N. Look it up.) To be frank: the Canucks sucked quite hard tonight. Quite hard indeed. So let's get right into it.

• Rick Rypien is going to get hecka suspended. If you missed the game, here's what happened: After a fight with Brad Staubitz, Rypien tried to fight him again. Not sure why. He tagged Staubitz in the first fight, thereby making his point. When the refs broke up the second fight before it got started, Rypper kind of went insane. He took a cheap shot at Staubitz with the referees between them. Then, as he was being removed from the game, a couple of fans unwisely applauded. This is all they did, but Rypien went berserker on them (video above). The fans were removed for their part in the altercation (removed to other, better seats), but they didn't really do anything. In fact, the guy in the red shirt was just trying to protect his friend; neither guy instigated anything. Rypien has already been suspended indefinitely, pending review by the league. His only hope is that somebody commits a blindside hit to somebody else's head before the night is up, because that will steal all his suspension-thunder.
• Sidenote: suspension thunder is the name of the accessory holding my pants up. And Skeeter's electro-pop side project.
• Did we mention the Canucks were terrible tonight? Because oh my, yes, they were. Incredibly, in a 6-2 rout, only one Canuck was a minus-2. It was Ryan Parent, who looked a little like he should only play in a game when three top six defensemen are injured.
• As the team's official whipping boy, Bieksa is going to get flamed for everything, but he actually did not play poorly this evening. Neither did he play well, but nobody else did either, and it didn't help him that his partner, Ryan Parent, was the worst player on the ice. Bieksa will be especially vilified for his role in the Wild's fourth goal, where it appeared he was puck chasing in the defensive zone. However, he was merely covering up for Ryan Parent, who was floating in the neutral zone like a scoop of ice cream in a mug of root beer. (In this analogy, root beer is neutral, like Switzerland.)
• Skeeter would like to point out that three of the Wild goals came on the powerplay and do not figure in to the plus/minus statistic. The Wild powerplay, by the way, was remarkable. If it weren't so infuriating to watch, it might have been fun to watch.
• Holy smokes. John Garrett has huge ears. Skeeter's wife: "Those ears are 100 years old."
• There wasn't a goaltending controversy before tonight's game, and there probably still shouldn't be, but Roberto Luongo wasn't good tonight. In Vancouver, where the fans only remember the game prior to the one they just watched, Luongo suddenly looks like a zero and Cory Schneider suddenly looks like the hero Bonnie Tyler's been holding out for. It may not be an actual goaltender controversy, but the media is sure as Hell going to cover it like it is.
• Daniel Sedin is still on pace for 82 goals. He is also on pace for 82 games.
• Henrik Sedin is on pace for an assist every time Daniel scores a goal.
• As usual, the Sedins racked up points completely unrelated to what the rest of the team was doing. Henrik looked especially good on this Tanner Glassian spinorama. Is it just me, or is everybody on the Canucks suddenly doing this move? This may be Henrik's influence as captain. If Tanner Glass was captain, suddenly everybody would be unsuitable for the third line.
• Speaking of line combinations, I think it's safe to say that Raymond and the Sedins have run their course. Remember that we hated it from the start. Why a fence has been built between Samuelsson and his proper linemates is beyond us. But perhaps he can conquer it with love? Probably not. Love is just an abstract concept. It can't knock down stuff.
• Also: Peter Schaefer, in an abomination of Biblical proportions, started the game on the second line. Does nobody scroll to the bottom of our posts and read the labels? When will they learn!! Why can't you read the labels?!
• On the bright side tonight: Teletoon aired the Futurama pilot post-game, and it remains as excellent as the day it first aired. It also remains as timely, as its preponderance of suicide booths seem particularly appropriate after tonight's hockey game.

Put Mikael Samuelsson Back with Raymond and Kesler

Sunday night's game versus the Carolina Hurricanes was full of bumped slumps, as Mason Raymond, Mikael Samuelsson, and Ryan Kesler all tallied their first goals of the season. The previous four games had been tough for them, as all three had generated numerous chances, but had not managed to find the back of the net. It was a problem. Though the Sedins tallied at least a point in each game, the secondary scoring--a huge part of the Canucks' success last season--was not coming. As a result, Alain Vigneault switched up the lines. Strangely, however, Mikael Samuelsson, who had success skating with Kesler and Raymond in last year's regular season, did not find his way back to the second line. He was moved to the third, while Mason Raymond headed to the first line.

It may have worked in the short-term, but it's the wrong move: Mikael Samuelsson needs to be reunited with Raymond and Kesler.

We've seen from Raffi Torres and Jannik Hansen's lack of success on the second line that it's difficult to create chemistry with Raymond and Kesler. Samuelsson already has it. Last season, the Raymond-Kesler-Samuelsson unit was one of the top ten lines in the NHL, for much of the season better than the first lines of two-thirds of the NHL.

On Sunday night, Samuelsson connected with Raymond on two goals, despite only skating with him sparingly.

Raymond and Kesler play a uniquely frenzied style defined by hard forechecking, shots and rebounds, and speed to loose pucks. Unlike the Sedins, who create offense with measured plays, sound positional movement, and puck control, Ray and Kes create it by causing chaos in the offensive zone that breaks down defensive systems and opens up space. But it's a delicate balancing act. Too much chaos and it's... well, chaos, which is what you get when you pair them with similarly mucky guys like Hansen and Torres. Raymond and Kesler need somebody to settle them down.

The Sedins don't have this problem. They seem to score consistently, in much the same way each time, and their slumps are typically the result of predictable puck movement. Alex Burrows is the best fit for them primarily because of the mucky, unpredictable way he plays. He keeps things interesting. With two wingers that have a tendency towards an overly patient approach, a guy like Burrows opens up a second way for them to play: loose.

Raymond and Kesler already play loose. 5-on-5 goals from the Ray/Kes pairing are as random as the jukebox in Shaun of the Dead. They need to skate with somebody who will be somewhat predictable, and who will open up the patient side of their game. Samuelsson does that best. He gives Raymond and Kesler more options, time and space. He turns their chaos into organized noise.

He settles them down a little. Kes and Ray are Baloo and Kit Cloudkicker. Samuelsson is Rebecca Cunningham.

We've seen, in his time with the Canucks, that Samuelsson is an the excellent addition to any line. Because of his experience and intelligence, you know he'll be able to learn from and adapt to his linemates, which is why he's been a good fit with the Sedins. However, he fits best with Raymond and Kesler, and they're the ones who need him the most. Put Mikael Samuelsson back on the second line.

Fantasy Hockey Mondays: Week One

As a fantasy hockey aficionado, I often have to restrain myself from bombarding people who don't care about fake hockey teams with updates on how "my" players are doing. It's taken a lot of willpower to refrain from posting constant updates on trade offers, free agent signings, and daily performances on Pass it to Bulis. But I will allow myself the indulgence of a weekly update on how my three fantasy hockey teams are doing. They'll be on Mondays after the conclusion of each head-to-head match-up.

Fair word of warning: I am not a fantasy hockey expert. At all. I get too caught up in my biases and too emotionally involved in hockey for that. Besides, I still have a full-time job, a wife, and an upper-level philosophy course in addition to writing this blog, so I don't have time to spend making sure my fake hockey teams are consistent winners. So feel free to ask me for fantasy hockey advice, but don't expect it to work.

I am in three hockey pools, all run through Yahoo! Sports, an office pool, a Nucks Misconduct pool, and a pool with friends.

Pool One - Office Pool

Team: Aldergrove Awesome

Week One Result: 7-6-0 Loss

Despite my opponent failing to get the requisite number of goaltender appearances and forfeiting all six goaltender categories, I failed to pick up any of the other categories, giving me a 7-6 loss. Brutal. In a strange coincidence, I picked third in every single pool I was in and decided to go with Steven Stamkos each time. He re-paid me by scoring 4 goals and 2 assists in 4 games. Christian Ehrhoff was my stud on defense, with 2 goals, 1 assist, and 12 shots. Mason Raymond, Jason Arnott, Chris Kunitz, and Martin St. Louis were also solid for me, but it wasn't enough as I came 1 goal, 4 assists, and 4 hits short of my opponent, Sea of dRed. The other categories weren't that close.

My goaltenders put on a fine show, as Bryzgalov, Hiller, and Mason (Chris-wise) all posted solid SV% and decent GAA while putting together 6 total wins. It was completely unnecessary as my opponent forfeit all those categories, but it was still nice to see. Hiller has a terrible team in front of him, but he'll at least get his starts and put up a decent SV%.

Worst player of the week was Dan Carcillo by far. Seriously, Carcillo? -3 and only 4 penalty minutes? That's awful. Still, the Awesome are weak in the PIM area, so I kept him around and added David Clarkson from free agency to replace the woeful Blake Wheeler. Clarkson was solid for me last year before getting injured and I'm hopeful he can stay healthy and rack up some goals and PIM.

Pool Two - Nucks Misconduct

Team: I Miss Kyle Wellwood

Week One Result: 5-2-3 Win

This is a much deeper pool with 20 total teams, so the overall talent level is lower. As above, I got excellent production from Steven Stamkos, but no other player on my team scored more than 1 goal except for Tomas Plekanec, who I had on the bench for one of his goals. Ugh. No matter, I lost the category by 11 goals. Every other category was much more respectable. Tobias Enstrom led the way in assists with 3, Stamkos and Dumont both post +3 ratings, Ryan Kesler added 14 penalty minutes, and all 4 of Enstrom's points came on the powerplay, so I managed to win or tie each of those categories.

As for goaltending, my all backup-but-soon-to-be-number-one trio of Chris Mason, Dwayne Roloson, and Jonathan Bernier put up great numbers, defeating the more name-brand duo of Lundqvist and Halak for my opponents, F U Sweden.

No one was out-and-out terrible this week, but a move was necessitated by the news that Vinny Prospal was undergoing knee surgery. Since I already had Alex Burrows on injured reserve, I picked up Blake Comeau from free agency to replace Prospal. Earlier in the week I accepted a trade of Wojtek Wolski for Steve Ott, a move I'm comfortable with because of my strength up the middle in Stamkos, Kesler, and Plekanec.

Pool Three - Friends Pool

Team: Emily Carr Echidnas

Week One Result: 1-8-1 Loss

Ugly. There's no other word for it. Other than Stamkos, Plekanec, and Nathan Horton, no one on my team can score goals, apparently. St. Louis and Enstrom (can you tell I have some biases in my picks) both kicked in some assists, but it wasn't enough. The team was overall a +5, which is often enough to win, but not this week. Penalty minutes, powerplay points, shots on goal...all woeful.

My one win came from my goaltending, who managed one more win than my opponent's trio, but lost or tied in every other category. Kiprusoff was especially bad and, with how the Flames' season is shaping up so far, he won't get much better. As much as I hate to say it, I hope he gets better. Man, I hate cheering for the Flames...

With the brutal loss to start the season, I panicked and dropped Wojtek Wolski in favor of Josh Bailey. Sure Bailey has had a hot start to the season, but he's as likely to continue potting goals as the Maple Leafs are likely to keep winning. Still, he's got both centre and left-wing eligibility and I'll only need to keep him as long as it takes Alex Burrows to get back in the lineup from the IR...unless he keeps scoring, in which case I'll need to make a tough decision.

But not too tough. It is, after all, just fake hockey. Real hockey is far more important.

I Watched This Game: Canucks vs Hurricanes, October 17, 2010

Canucks 5 - 1 Hurricanes

A slump-bumper of snipery proportions. It was very snipe-ish.

Now that, my friends, is much better. I say "my friends," because I know our audience consists largely of close personal friends and select family members. We are, however, just 4 followers short of an even 100 on Twitter, which means some people we don't know must like us because Harrison and I don't have that many friends. Or family members.

In any case, the Canucks played a hockey game and, as per usual, I watched it.

• Alain Vigneault is going to get praise after this game for the success of his line-juggling, and it will be largely undeserved. The Sedins and Raymond were uninspiring as a line, though they did have their moments, such as Raymond's second goal. They still did not control the puck down low like the Sedins are capable of and Daniel had no shots on goal. It's no coincidence that Raymond's other two points on the night came in combination with Mikael Samuelsson. After Raymond, Kesler, and Samuelsson were one of the best lines in the entire NHL last season, it's shocking that AV hasn't put them together yet this year. That said, the Canucks got the breakout of secondary scoring they were looking for, which likely means we'll see these lines again next game.
• Kevin Bieksa is a high-risk, high-reward type of player. Friday night we saw all risk; tonight we saw all reward. He made excellent judgements all game and stepped up offensively when the time was right. One of those judgements led to Mikael Samuelsson's 3-0 goal, which also features likely the finest pass of Tanner Glass's career. It was, dare I say, of a quality usually reserved for third-line players.
• Apparently, Andrew Alberts has good hand-eye coordination. Who knew? He also added 5 hits and 3 blocked shots. Solid night's work from Andrew "Still Took a Minor Penalty" Alberts.
• The second line of Hansen, Kesler, and Tambellini was buzzing throughout the first period, though they weren't able to combine for a goal. Kesler did manage to hit a crossbar on a wide open net, though. Tambo might have earned himself a longer look on the second line, but he took two pretty dumb penalties as well.
• I still don't like having Kesler on the first-unit powerplay with the Sedins because it weakens the second-unit, but you couldn't tell from Mason Raymond's 2-0 goal. Mikael Samuelsson fools everyone by not shooting it immediately, which clearly confuses the Carolina penalty killers. Unsurprisingly, he was just hanging on to the puck so he could shoot it later. Like John McClane's gun, Samuelsson has two modes: shoot now and shoot later.
• Also of note on that goal, Jeff Tambellini's blind, between-the-legs back pass to set up Raymond. If he were Henrik Sedin, I would claim he did it entirely on purpose. Since he is not, I will point out, quite rightly, that he was just trying to get the puck to the front of the net. Either way, it worked and looked pretty.
• Kristin Reid, in the first intermission, referred to the current NHL cause as "Hockey Fights Canada," which would be a stunning heel turn akin to Hulk Hogan joining the NWO.
• Cory Schneider was fantastic in net, making every save look routine with his solid positioning and big body. He made 32 saves and was only beaten by a perfect shot from Patrick "Baby Boy" O'Sullivan.
• I love that Kesler scored (on a beautiful one-timer as seen above) to bump his goal-scoring slump, but I hate that he did it on the powerplay with the Sedins as it seemingly reinforces the idea of having him on the first-unit, which I am against. He and Raymond were brilliant together last year on the second-unit and without him, the second-unit has no identity.
• It appears that AV listened to my suggestion and moved Peter Schaefer to the fourth line. In fact, he played as the fourth-line centre. We might see him and Rypien trade off on that position until Bolduc gets healthy again. I like that we have a useful fourth line, as Schaefer and Glass were both effective in a penalty-killing role, aiding in a perfect 6-for-6 performance.
• The real star on the penalty kill was Manny Malhotra, who used the unorthodox method of getting two consecutive breakaways to help kill off a 5-on-3 powerplay in the third period. He was also a ridiculous 15-for-16 in the faceoff circle. 15-for-16! As the colour commentators are wont to say, holy jumping.
• It looks like Hamhuis and Bieksa are no longer the top defensive pairing, as Ehrhoff and Edler played the big minutes tonight. I am in favour of this. I like both Hammy and Juice a lot, but they played the part of the victims on Friday. Fans are quick to put the blame on Bieksa because he's the one who's most often chasing the puck in the defensive zone, but Hamhuis was also uncharacteristically out of position and unable to tie up opponents sticks last game. I'm much more comfortable with Ehrhoff and Edler as the top pairing.
• Aaron Rome, filling in for the injured Keith Ballard, was completely unnoticeable on the ice, despite playing over 15 minutes. This is a good thing.
• To sum up this game: no one played terribly and, while the Sedins were largely invisible in this game, they still combined for three points. The secondary scoring finally kicked in, with Raymond and Samuelsson picking up 3 points each, and Alberts, Raymond, Samuelsson, and Kesler all picked up their first goals of the year. Hopefully they can take this momentum on the road with them, where they haven't won in two attempts.

I Watched This Game: Canucks at Kings, October 15, 2010

Canucks 1 - Kings 4

Last night started off on a sour note, even before puck drop. I invited Skeeter to come watch the game with me in my new townhouse in Maple Ridge and, at about 8pm, I was beginning to wonder where he was. I found him out in the parking lot, not entirely sure what unit I lived in because I forgot to tell him. He was kinda visibly (understandably) upset. Well, the Canucks had as much trouble finding the net last night as Skeeter had finding my house. The Kings, on the other hand, got a few lucky bounces, and a tight defensive game turned into a 4-1 trouncing. I've only had cable in my place for three days, but the game was so infuriating I nearly snapped at my wife, then called Shaw and canceled their service, like Richard Beech famously did once. Regrettably, Skeeter and I watched this game, and fought back our primal urge to quit watching it because of our faithful reader:

• It goes without saying, but the Canucks might want to try scoring. I've seen Christian stand-up comedy more offensive than this. Ugh. Maybe.
• Daniel Sedin is on pace for 82 goals this season. The rest of the Canucks are on pace for 60. Combined. Jus' sayin'. Daniel's goal was beautiful. I love, in the clip above, how you can see him make the drop pass then just take off across the ice and down the far wing. The camera crew last night had some questionable moments, but this is excellent camera work.
• Speaking of the crew, did the Sportsnet guys forget there was a game last night? Explain to me why the intermission segments were all recycled from the Prospects camp, for goodness sakes. I've seen more original material from Carlos Mencia.
  
• How can you tell I'm in a bad mood? I'm taking cheapshots at bad comedians, as though their lives weren't worthless enough already. The only thing you contribute to society is humour, and you're terrible at it.
  
• As a Canucks fan during the Vigneault era, there is nothing more infuriating than when the team is stinking up the joint and, coming out of the second intermission, Vigneault debuts new lines which are akin to throwing in the towel. It's like throwing rotten tomatoes at the fans. Skeeter was teasing that we'd probably see Tanner Glass on the third line, a very specific pet peeve of mine, but AV went one step further and punched us right in my fansack: Peter Schaefer on the second line? Really? He's done nothing to merit a trip to the scoring lines. That's like rewarding a guy just for existing, and I thought only Glen Sather did that. Earlier in the game, Skeeter noted, "I'm ready to see Peter Schaefer on the fourth line." And I agree. He's a checker who accomplishes very little five-on-five. On the penalty kill, he's excellent, but that's about it. He doesn't create scoring chances, and playing him with a struggling Ryan Kesler is kind of like putting a guy on a sugar-free diet while injecting him with maple syrup.
• Know who does create offense? Kevin Bieksa. I can only speak for myself, as Skeeter is much more reasonable about these things, but... here's the thing. I'm already sick of Bieksa. I know AV likes the offense he creates--problem is, so does the other team. Bieksa was a minus-2 on the night, got beat on the 2-on-2 with Kopitar (who beats Bieksa with such regularity you'd think they were Ike & Tina), and made a number of boneheaded plays and turnovers. I think Bieksa plays for the Canucks too much (and I'm not talking about minutes). It's four games in and it's apparent that the only thing he's got going for him is that, apparently, he creates offense. This despite the fact we're not getting any right now, and that his created offense is available to everybody, like a mother's love. Vigneault on the Kings' third goal: "It was a simple 2-on-2 and two of their good players (Kopitar and Brown) beat our two good defencemen (Bieksa and Hamhuis) and that's going to happen." Fair. But have you noticed how often it happens with Bieksa? He leads the team in giveaways, and while there's really no distance between him and the others in that category, it's still indicative of his overall play that he's already at the top of the list.
  
• Speaking of line juggling, is there some reason Mikael Samuelsson is not allowed to go back on the second line? Is there a rift? Did he say something drastic and profane to Kesler, as he tends to do? Last game I pointed out that Raymond and Kesler are struggling to score and Samuelsson was the best fit for them last season. Tonight, going into the third period, Samuelsson was finally taken off the first line and placed: on the third line. Meanwhile, Mason Raymond was bumped up to the first line. I feel like I follow this team closer than our coach does. Everybody knows Raymond's style does not work with the Sedins. Infuriating.
  
• Also infuriating on a night like tonight: John Garrett, when he's not talking about goaltending. At one point, he suggested Raymond and Kesler just needed to get a few lucky bounces, and then the lucky bounces a regular goal scorer gets would start to come. That's right: you need to get lucky to be lucky.
• I, for one, am tired of the Canucks' slow starts in October. I'm glad, however, that Luongo is playing noticeably well, because now we can see that the problem hasn't been him. It's been that, for some reason, the whole team isn't ready to play come October. That's got to be on coaching, though I'm not calling to fire Vigneault (despite all my basest urges on a bewilderingly bad night like tonight).
  
• What was up with Raffi Torres tonight? A team-low minus-3, and two absolutely boneheaded penalties to sap all possible momentum in the third period. Raffi, I declare you the team's second-string whipping boy. Whip.
• I'm pretty choked, but I urge you all not to panic. If we win the next game, we're 2-2-1, which is the same record Chicago has right now. That means we're the same as Chicago, and they just won the cup so, if we win the next game, we win the cup. Then we can finally tell the smug 1915 Vancouver Millionaires to shut up.
  
• The Beckhams were in the audience. I didn't care. If the earth had opened up and sucked them both into the soul-logged waters of the River Styx, I might have cared. But they managed to stay on the surface of the earth, so I shrug my shoulders at their continued existence.
• I muchly enjoyed the fight between Simmonds and Alberts. Sidebar: it's four games in and we haven't seen Rypien turbofist anybody. This is why we're losing. Rypien fighting is the fastest way to get your team's momentum bar to fill all the way up.
• And finally, as Missy pointed out, it's only October. As the angel Gabriel once said, "Be not afraid.... btw you're pregnant with God's baby."
  

Fabian Brunnstrom has been placed on waivers...

Told you so.

...so can we all now agree that it was ridiculous to bash Mike Gillis and the Aquilini brothers back in 2008 when the Canucks didn't sign him?

I mean, it was ridiculous back then and its level of ridiculousity hasn't changed, but it's level of obviousity has. The Brunnstrom "saga" should teach everyone a lesson on the dangers of hype.

But it won't.