“I Might Just Be A Hockey Fan In California” is a feature that will be posted every Saturday here at the View From My Seats. There are plenty of things going on in the hockey world (and even the sports world); and you know everyone has an opinion. This is a place for some quick hits of the week that was.
__________________
I might just be a hockey fan in California, but:
- I haven’t seen a NO-WIN situation like Don Waddell’s situation in Atlanta in a long time. Ownership isn’t going to want to pay him what he would get on the open market, Kovalchuk doesn’t want to sign in a place that has a shaky ownership situation—yet if he trades the Russian sniper, HE will get the blame.
How would you like it if your coach said, "Go pick a fight with that guy that 6'8" guy..."
- There might have been questions on the goaltending situation in Anaheim, but Jonas Hiller has spent the last 2 weeks answering them with his play on the ice.
- Lane Kiffin’s next job (after USC) will be with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
- I think Dave Tippett is pretty ballsy. He was so confident in the Coyotes power play, he figured that it would be best to turn a 5 minute power play into an 8 minute advantage!
- When are people going to learn? You want Nikolai Khabibulin in the LAST year of his contract—not the first.
- It’s funny how Sergei Gonchar can charge and elbow a player with a headshot that is obviously in retaliation (and pre-meditated), yet doesn’t get fined or suspended. Tell me there isn’t a double standard for superstars.
- When both teams fail to score in regulation, then fail to score in overtime and also fail to put a single goal in the net for the first 3 rounds of a shootout—is that good goaltending or terrible offense?
- Scott Niedermayer isn’t going to be traded. It would be nice if everyone stopped trying to insinuate that he is.
- Remember way back in December when John Stevens looked like he was captaining the Titanic? Well, don’t look now but the Flyers are in the 7th spot in the East and have games in hand.
- Going into their game against Anaheim, the Kings had lost 7 of their last 10 games—all of them by 1 goal. It almost seems like they’re just one player away, doesn’t it?
- I see that Chicago Blackhawks President John McDonough was given a contract extension. Thankfully, there were no problems with the fax machine or US Postal Service.
- With the struggles in Edmonton this year, how badly do you think fans want to see Jordan Eberle wearing an Oilers jersey at the start of next season?
- It’s interesting how when your team is playing well, you’re much less interested in the NHL Entry Draft in June. To be honest, I don’t WANT to be interested.
- When your coach makes you go fight and your team is losing 5-2, is that adding injury to insult?
What a bad break for the Ducks (no pun intended)
- Is there an unwritten rule that states that there will be a 1st period fight in EVERY Flames game played in Calgary?
- I wonder if the Columbus Blue Jackets recent bit of (relative) success has saved Ken Hitchcock’s job for the season—or if it was just a brief reprieve from the inevitable.
- It sucks to be Teemu Selanne. After missing 17 games with a broken hand, he returned to the ice for only 3 games before going out with another injury. Of course, he won’t be the one that tells you that it sucks—because he has a broken jaw.
- Is it me, or is there more whining about officiating than ever? I get it when fans are complaining—but when announcers are doing the same every night, the train is officially off the tracks.
- It’s depressing that Versus and DirecTV may come to a resolution because of UFC on Versus. Apparently 4 months of hockey fans losing their product didn’t mean a damn thing.
- Could it be any more difficult to find Florida Panthers news? Seriously.
- Gary Bettman is a pompous little person that needs to be fired for the good of the game.
___________________
So what were your thoughts from the NHL week that was?
Click here for our archive of past editions of our “I Might Just Be A Hockey Fan In California” feature.
Matt Reitz is the Editor-In-Chief here at ViewFromMySeats.com and former NHL Writer for ProHockeyTalk on NBCSports. When he’s not shoving a mic in the face of NHLers or explaining why home teams should wear white, he’s usually trying to figure out what song to play next on his iPod. It’s a never-ending job.
