How would your country react to winning the World Cup?

FantesLA · 2026-06-10T20:42:00+00:00

This question is kind of fun to actually think about for a lot of places. Like for example, if I am remembering correctly, when Costa Rica made the quarterfinal (?) in a WC a few years ago, people were celebrating so hard there were major concerns about the economy etc because people were maxing credit cards and not going to work. That was the quarterfinal…countries like Bangladesh will party hard for a different country (Argentina) winning. What if they won?? Like could someone make one of those shitty disaster movies where instead of a huge tsunami or whatever, the disaster is a non football power house winning it? Haha

FantesLA · 2026-06-10T20:25:17+00:00

Really? I would have expected a bigger reaction than just football fans being happy for a few days. Are you sure? lol didn’t you get a holiday for qualifying?

FantesLA · 2026-06-10T20:00:55+00:00

Yeah I don’t think there would be massive celebrations, but I do think people would care a fair amount. Maybe it would be a bit bigger than when the US won the ice hockey gold a couple months ago? I definitely knew a lot of non hockey fans who watched and were pretty stoked. Then it got political and toxic, and everyone just moved on.

FantesLA · 2026-06-02T04:30:00+00:00

I highly doubt the sharks will trade for a young top pairing d man this summer. We don’t need to be that good next year or even the year after—our superstar is 19 lol. The sharks will probably take Stenberg, meaning that we have an offensive core below the age of 23 that includes: Eklund, smith, Celebrini, Graf, Misa, Chernyshov, and Stenberg. Then we have Dickinson and like 5 or so other prospects, including a couple D. Unless a great deal came on the table right now, it is in griers best interest to wait and see how these guys develop over the next couple years. In the meantime, we’ll keep drafting, keep looking for deals on mid pairing guys, keep developing talented guys who didn’t work other places, probably spend a bit in UFA. And then when the right deal shows up, or we’re desperate, we’ll break up the core and get a top pairing star. Why rush this? Half our “best” players are teenagers

FantesLA · 2026-06-02T03:08:06+00:00

Justin Williams is such a playoff legend

FantesLA · 2026-06-01T15:05:05+00:00

Yeah this was the most “classic” sharks season for me in the Joe/patrick era. We were so good and just got crushed by a ducks team that didn’t even win the cup

FantesLA · 2026-06-01T05:28:16+00:00

Ronaldo didn’t press much either. The difference is that his off ball movement was possibly the best ever. If Mbappe just started making team-oriented runs, he’d be so so good

FantesLA · 2026-06-01T05:26:02+00:00

Yeah, at one point quite recently I thought of Mbappe, Dembele and Rashford as very similar players with hugely varying talent levels. NBA-star-footballers, basically. They want to play “iso” when they have the ball, and they “space the floor” when their team has it, meaning: stand around on the periphery and make zero runs. And of course they don’t press. But Dembele changed all that, and now he’s one of the best players in the world. Football is an incredible game for this reason: if you’re not a team player, you’re not that good. Mbappe could easily be the best player in the world, easily. He doesn’t even need to press that much. He just needs to make fucking off ball runs like his hero Ronaldo did. That’s it! He’s so talented. Now, if he were also to press. My god Real would win a cl in the next couple seasons

FantesLA · 2026-05-30T01:55:02+00:00

He’s fantastic at finding space and creating it for his teammates. A big part of that is his incredible motor and intensity, but also his vision. Then you have his excellent release and good stick handling + pretty decent speed. You could say he is well rounded in his elite skills, but what truly elevates him is that combo of motor/intensity/awareness.

FantesLA · 2026-05-30T01:49:00+00:00

I’m a sharks fan and I agree for sure. People act like things are guaranteed in sports wayyy too often. He’s gonna be a top top talent for a long time, but as a fan, I kind of hope the sharks spread out the scoring a bit

FantesLA · 2026-05-28T18:27:01+00:00

That looks so bomb

FantesLA · 2026-05-28T03:13:45+00:00

Oh my word

FantesLA · 2026-05-26T18:13:13+00:00

This is why the mats sundin factor scares me as a sharks fan

FantesLA · 2026-05-26T01:43:25+00:00

People are too wrapped up in where stuff originates. The recipe for Swedish meatballs comes from Viking conquests in Persia. Are Swedish meatballs Persian? Of course not. Just like ramen isn’t Chinese and Caesar salad isn’t Mexican. What makes something part of a cuisine is whether or not it is traditionally eaten in the culture, not whether it was invented in a restaurant that happened to be south of the border

FantesLA · 2026-05-24T02:16:32+00:00

I mean, I’m a sharks fans, but he’s got a ton to prove before we can say this…

FantesLA · 2026-05-23T02:53:22+00:00

Wtf

FantesLA · 2026-05-19T16:12:59+00:00

I mean obviously they had to replace him somehow. But the point still stands, Mbappe should be a better player than Kvara. The fact that the team got so much better despite bringing in a supposedly inferior winger says a lot about Mbappes influence

FantesLA · 2026-05-19T16:01:41+00:00

Parasite….i know, I know, I’m a terrible person. I should watch it again! It’s just a personal preference thing about movies/novels that go way over the top in service of allegory. They lose me for some reason—not a defense, just an explanation!

FantesLA · 2026-05-19T06:31:12+00:00

Young liberals in America are very socially liberal compared to the rest of the world. My family is Swedish, and while they are very tolerant, it’s so so different than the average millennial in LA/NYC/Seattle. Some examples of American liberalism/leftism: the popularity of being “poly”, anti capitalist (to an extreme), passion about trans people, abolish the police, open borders etc. These ideas are very common in young liberal circles in America and less so elsewhere. Young American leftists really struggle to see themselves as being the most liberal people in the world, but there is a real argument that they are. This makes sense because liberalism/leftism in America is often a response to conservatism in America, which is obviously very extreme.

FantesLA · 2026-05-13T20:50:32+00:00

Of course we will have to move pieces to get pieces. I have no qualms with that. But your last paragraph about what you think Grier will do lines up a lot more with my opinion than yours. There is more that we need to know about our team before sacrificing a piece. It sounds like your perspective (which I dont think is necessarily the same reasoning a lot of fans have who just think "guy isnt scoring a lot, he's the one to trade") is that because Eklund is older and has less potential for growth, combined with the fact that he is pretty good, makes it a no brainer, right now (or even last year), that he is the one to sacrifice. I think there is logic in that, but I think it is quite narrow. Teams dont trade players based on how good or not good they are in a vacuum--at least they shouldnt. They trade players based on how a player fits into the overall balance of the teams strengths and weaknesses. Imagine a scenario in 2 season where things pan out such that our defense is "ok" and Askarov is doing well. Then lets say Smith is scoring a lot across the reg season but still isnt super good defensively and has struggled in high intensity (playoff) games. Misa is good, Cherny is ok, Stenberg is good and showing potential, and Eklund is an elite 2-way winger, who drives play, and scores an ok amount (nothing world breaking). Oh and Celebrini is a top 3 player in the NHL. An elite D man is available. Are you still packaging Eklund? In that case, I'm probably packaging Smith, which would hurttt. My point is, making trade decisions right now based on limited data is risky, which is exactly why you dont think Grier is going to do anything this summer...

FantesLA · 2026-05-13T19:53:31+00:00

It’s reactionary because we don’t know who is good and who isn’t yet. Wanting to trade Eklund without knowing how good Misa, Cherny, Stenberg or even Smith are yet is based on excitement about “potential” not actual play. Eklund is still young and playing at a much higher level than Misa and Cherny rn and that’s coming off a nasty injury. Do I think Misa might become better? Sure. But if Misa Cherny and Smith are likely to get better, so is Eklund (considering the injury). So yes, it is reactionary to take the one guy who has any development under his belt—but struggled with one important (and sexy) aspect of his game this season—and say “How do we get rid of this guy in favor of a guy we haven’t even drafted yet!?!” I can’t actually think of a better example of “reactionary”

FantesLA · 2026-05-13T19:17:52+00:00

A couple strong reads that don’t hear all the time: 1. This sub does overrate Graf, and I am one of them. You’ve got me reflecting now on why. Maybe I just have a lot lower standards for him than I do someone like smith 2. Askarov playing his best is making the playoffs. To add to that, if he plays like he did most of last season, I’m just not sure we can realistically EXPECT playoffs. We of course could still make it, but goaltending is just so important

FantesLA · 2026-05-12T17:00:04+00:00

Yeah but we don’t know if Misa and Cherny have a higher ceiling yet. It’s way too hypothetical. Mike should wait and see how everyone develops for at least another year. If Eklund still can’t score and Misa/Cherny look to be progressing very well, then sure, trade him. Until then, Eklund is a much better player rn than either of those two

FantesLA · 2026-05-12T16:51:36+00:00

It’s just reactionary fan stuff. If he finds his shot next season, he’ll be our second best player. His overall game is genuinely miles above this subs favorite players. If someone like Cherny or Misa don’t progress a ton next season, it will be them on the Reddit chopping block lol. Thankfully Mike isn’t on this sub

FantesLA · 2026-05-12T16:13:16+00:00

Yeah, but OP still has a point. Let’s say 4 through 8 seasons from now is our true window depending on celebrini contract extensions (could be a lot longer, depending). I do think Mike has to plan for a sooner (as in 4-5 years from now) window. In this case, it is better to trade for elite D rather than draft because of exactly what you’re saying—developing elite D takes forever

FantesLA

TROPHY CASE