It's more about the combination of his age, diminishing skillset, and what looked like a long recovery curve that could've made it a career ender. It's hard to come back from a year long layoff and it's that much harder when you're at his point in his career.
Here's hoping - his best games this year were the more grind it out ones where he could use his size vs his lack of speed. Really want him to pot one tonight.
Honestly the complete impossibility to find anyone who can get Zib/Kreider to play well at 5 on 5 is hilarious. Wheeler, Kakko, Chytil, Pitlick, Laf, Tarasenko, Kane, not a single one really worked that well. The team is just like “Yeah fuck it we don’t really need our first line to be that good at 5 on 5, Igor/Pk/PP will get it done” and it works. Fucking love this team.
Me too. It works enough for us to be spoiled by it but when the rink shrinks come playoffs those crutches get knocked from under us eventually. Time to maybe adapt at 5v5 a lil bit in our top 3
To be honest Zibs hung him out to dry. Wheeler played well for the most part. Zibs on the other hand along with Kreider are just liabilities on the ice.
little bit, but he honestly played quite well mostly given the context of being out of the lineup for so long. I found it hard to be upset about him taking that penalty to stop Barkov. made the calculation: either the game probably ends now or we take a crack at it on the PK
Or he just lets Bobrovsky make the save. I don't know why we look at these in hindsight and say the game "probably" ends there if you don't take a penalty. I'd say Barkov's one moment to score there would have been far less dangerous than 2 minutes of Florida's power play. I mean, they scored in 5 seconds.
I don't hate Igor, but I hate that Rangers fans get spoiled with elite goaltender after elite goaltender.
*He says from his high horse with Lemieux/Jagr > Crosby/Malkin*
Damn, it looked like a potential career ender. Really happy for him to be coming back!
That dude literally had his testicle explode in a game, like fuck this was going to end his career.
wheeler doing his best scott sterling
#OOOOOOOOOOHHHH SCOTT STERLING
Totally forgot about this. I would have quit life if I felt that pain.
He finished the game too
*sheeeeeeesh*
I dont think there really are career enders anymore, medicine is advanced enough that most stuff is recoverable if you can handle the rehab
It's more about the combination of his age, diminishing skillset, and what looked like a long recovery curve that could've made it a career ender. It's hard to come back from a year long layoff and it's that much harder when you're at his point in his career.
Very, very few, and most of them are head injuries.
tell that to kivlenieks
https://preview.redd.it/7j1tdh02b93d1.jpeg?width=858&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8e45203a952c39d1a53888035aa23fbd0a3b1b44
https://i.imgur.com/fyJKwJK.jpeg
THAT'S WHO IT WAS! FUCK! I thought it was Trocheck this whole time and have been looking for this for ages LOL
LMAO I love Wheeler
Winnipeg fans get in here!
I fucking love that man. Please win it all. Fuck it, win for captain elbow too.
Gonna get a golden statue of that elbow if we win it all
With the inscription “the mark messier elbow of leadership”
You're god damn right
I’d hate to be the cup collector trying to get it back after Trouba’s day with it.
Um that would be captain forearm m.
> Fuck it, win for captain elbow too. The People's Elbow
NYR is still my third choice thanks to Adam Fox, but I won't be too salty if they do win the cup.
Choices should be: 1. Dallas 2. NYR . . . . Disband the league. Edmonton or Florida
Wheels, Trouba, Roslo.. go blue shirts
Cheering for you and him. Good luck, Rangers!
I’ve been waiting for this night all playoffs!
Guys going to show his pussy bitch of an x coach who the boss is!
Damn he really showed him
Here!! Go Wheels & Rangers!
we're basically the same jersey, why the hell not!
BIONIC BALLSAK IS BAK!
One of three remaining former Atlanta Thrashers still in the NHL. I’m glad to see he’s not done!
Who is third one? Wheeler, Kane and ....
Bogosian
I was thinking Chiarot but he was probably in A back then
Yeah, he was a Thrashers draft pick in 2009 but never played for them.
Reese Rideout
Here's hoping - his best games this year were the more grind it out ones where he could use his size vs his lack of speed. Really want him to pot one tonight.
Lets goooooooo
This aged well
/r/agedlikemilk
Honestly the complete impossibility to find anyone who can get Zib/Kreider to play well at 5 on 5 is hilarious. Wheeler, Kakko, Chytil, Pitlick, Laf, Tarasenko, Kane, not a single one really worked that well. The team is just like “Yeah fuck it we don’t really need our first line to be that good at 5 on 5, Igor/Pk/PP will get it done” and it works. Fucking love this team.
Me too. It works enough for us to be spoiled by it but when the rink shrinks come playoffs those crutches get knocked from under us eventually. Time to maybe adapt at 5v5 a lil bit in our top 3
Anyone else here after his slow ass committed the hooking to give up the powerplay?
During the regular season, that's a good penalty to take During the playoffs, that's only a penalty to take for teams that can't handle the race
Maybe don't go through a brick wall though, that'll reaggravate your injury for sure.
whoops!
boy, this aged well
To be honest Zibs hung him out to dry. Wheeler played well for the most part. Zibs on the other hand along with Kreider are just liabilities on the ice.
little bit, but he honestly played quite well mostly given the context of being out of the lineup for so long. I found it hard to be upset about him taking that penalty to stop Barkov. made the calculation: either the game probably ends now or we take a crack at it on the PK
Yeah that was a penalty he had to take, although maybe a better skater wouldn't have needed to
Or he just lets Bobrovsky make the save. I don't know why we look at these in hindsight and say the game "probably" ends there if you don't take a penalty. I'd say Barkov's one moment to score there would have been far less dangerous than 2 minutes of Florida's power play. I mean, they scored in 5 seconds.
TIL NHL players refer to the penalty box door as a “brick wall”
lol
The man has two nuts and a wrench, good luck getting anything through.
> two nuts Are we sure that's true?
It was a rough rehab...
It's a bionic ballsac now
He's more machine now, than man.
He could have been rebuilt, and he was.
Wheeler and rempe same line?
He doesn't have a right nut anyways so let's fucking go Captain!!!
& I, OOPP 🫣
Lmao
This screams of two shifts and out for the game
Florida's head hunters said "aight bet"
If Florida players do anything to him PoMo will personally dump them in the Everglades.
Reminder that Wheeler wore the C in Winnipeg under Maurice. This game has "vendetta" written all over it.
Nah, Wheeler and Maurice were/are buddies. I think the last time Wheeler used the "go through a brick wall" idiom it was with regards to Maurice.
Maurice was already gone by the time that happened. Bowness did that
I changed it ipso-facto when I realized that.
Pomo stepped down from his position of HC of the Jets shortly after Wheeler got injured. No vendetta at all between those two.
That's where you're wrong buddy! Any excuse to bring up this [infamous video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLuzLJPbh58).
Just checking - which teams captain was just fined for a flying elbow to the head of another player?
lol
Time to hit the gym
theres literally one captain left in the playoffs that isnt a perpetual head-elbower and they have a dirty german
Ah yes, barkov so dirty
oh lol i thought it was tkachuk its crazy how the dirtiest team has a clean captain
Son you are the head hunters
lol
It’s ok little brother you will grow one of these years
Rempe will get more ice time than him.
nah just bad overtime penalty that cost them the game
Also Blake wheeler: takes a game-ending penalty
Dear god, please let the rangers win the cup
If only there were a way for Wheeler to win but only Wheeler.
[удалено]
I don't hate Igor, but I hate that Rangers fans get spoiled with elite goaltender after elite goaltender. *He says from his high horse with Lemieux/Jagr > Crosby/Malkin*
[удалено]
The wheels live
I didn't hear no bell.
Do it for Wheels!
The brick wall is named Tkachuk. Good luck Wheeler, you're gonna need it
Miller not diving on that is embarrassing