(Ed. Note: "I Hate My [expletive deleted] Fantasy Team!" is a weekly feature on Puck Daddy in which we vicariously live through two Yahoo! Fantasy Hockey GMs as they provide snarky advice and tales of woe. This week's author is The Rev. Zamboni from The Palm Isle. Enjoy.)
By The Rev. Zamboni
Patience is paying off for the Bad Habitants as we enter the long dark haul of winter, but success through stagnation makes for some stretched writing/reading.
A 2-6 loss in Week 12 dropped the Habitants out of the playoffs for the first time in a month, but losses were recouped with a surprising 8-0 victory in Week 14. Surprising because I didn't really look at the team for a week, what with the holidays and a persistent case of fantasy malaise, broken in part when I logged in Monday morning to see Bad Habitants in 5th place.
But it's a deceiving 5th place. We're three points ahead of 7th, and only eight points ahead of 9th. (But only seven back from the lead. Bettman's parity brigade has entrenched itself in the Federal League.)
I also dropped Gaborik, leaving what might be two or three weeks of return from the IR in the spring for some other fool in the league.
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No question Gaborik is the worst draft pick (taken in the second round) of the past 10 years for me, and may even cross sports -- eclipsing a drunken third-round selection of Martin Gramatica in an NFL league I eventually left. I picked up Bill Guerin in Gaborik's place. You may now take a nap.
Goalies remain the key, as I've had a pretty stellar (by my standards) month from the trio of Price, Huet, and Vokoun, chiming in with .928, .943, and .928 save percentages respectively, and only Vokoun breaking the 2.00 GAA barrier with a 2.33.
Despite all of the "woe is me" weeks in the beginning of the season, this easily is the strongest goaltending crew I've had in four or five years. You can begin typing your admonishing comment now. Remember, I'm an Islanders fan. We have a distorted picture of goaltending worth.
On a related note: I am making it my mission next year to draft a team entirely comprised of ex-Islanders. Luongo, Jokinen, Chara, and I'll make exceptions for would coulda shoulda draftees Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley.
If I don't win the league with this unbeatable strategy, it's because Federal League manager doug_s, manager of the newly christened "Boris Valabiks Balls" (damned 20-character limit), is reading this and plans to steal the idea.
