Aren't champions allowed to have an off year. I suppose it's like a snowball. Each loss it gets bigger and bigger and being pretty much out of the playoff picture it must be hard to get up for the games. If this was a team that consistanly had bad years then yes give em hell. Clean slate next season. Most people talking trash probably can't even play higher than C division Beer league non contact garbage hockey.
I can't and don't even play hockey. The only division I've ever been involved in was the "Jack Daniels / Lazy Boy Double F League". We almost thought about going to the playoffs one year but then we came to and it was August, ah, there's always next year.
There's nothing wrong with armchair critics, we are all fans of hockey. Without the fans and beer swilling critics you basically don't have a league.
Bottom line is you don't have to play hockey to be involved in hockey.
That is all.