“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.
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I might just be a hockey fan in California, but:
- It’s a shame that more people in the United States didn’t see the EPIC Gold Medal game between Canada and the United States. If it was as big as the Super Bowl (like in Canada), EVERYONE would know John Carlson’s name.
- I haven’t heard anything about a Jaroslav Halak vs. Carey Price debate in over a week! Yet another sign that the apocalypse is near.
- Yankee Stadium looks like it’s OUT as a possible venue for the 2011 Winter Classic. New York City still wants to have the game and they’re pushing for Citi Field. Doesn’t quite have the same aura as Fenway Park, does it?
Photo courtesy of @CSNFlyer (via All Things Philly Sports)
- I never knew that getting a bill at a restaurant was a negotiation. Next time I get the check at a nice restaurant, I’m going to go Edmonton Oilers on the place and refuse to pay the entire amount. Fail.
- I see that the BCS National Championship game was played on a day the Dallas Stars were off. Probably a smart move—I’m sure they didn’t want to lose all those Longhorn fans that would have chosen an Islanders/Stars game over a college football game.
- Where were these Vancouver Canucks at the beginning of the season? All I know is that they better make sure they are in a decent position before their 6 weeks away from GM Place.
- Would you rather have a team that is wildly inconsistent (and drives you insane) or a team that just plain sucks? Hey, at least you know what you’d getting.
- There’s no question that Rob Schremp has struggled to meet expectations throughout his career. Maybe it’s because he’s been playing the wrong sport.
- I wonder when Daniel and Henrik are going to get the credit they deserve. I guess we can start considering them “elite,” right?
- Doesn’t the Denis Savard era in Chicago feel like it was FOREVER ago? Hard to believe that it was only last season that he was fired.
- The best quote of the week was from Sean Avery. When asked what was different was in the game against Dallas (he had 4 points), he responded, “I was getting paid by two teams.”
People will remember Tyler Myers if he keeps doing things like this...
- Ray Emery’s new mask has nods to former Flyer greats Ron Hextall and Pelle Lindbergh. He just went up a few notches on the Meter-O-Cool.
- I wonder if the Avs are going to be in a playoff spot around March. They got off to the best start in the league, but they’ve been coming back down to Earth lately. Considering the poor crowds at the beginning of the year, I wouldn’t want to see the attendance numbers if they started to suck.
- Alexander Ovechkin is officially the captain of the Washington Capitals. I wonder how many people thought he already was!
- I’m glad that the Hockey Hall of Fame gets it right when they induct players. The Baseball Writers Association should start taking some notes.
- When a General Manager says that he is continuing to negotiate with players on his team that will be free agents over the summer, he really isn’t telling us anything we don’t already know. Of course he’s negotiating! How is that newsworthy?
- I didn’t expect the Oilers to be a playoff team—but I didn’t expect them to be this bad either!
- I feel horrible saying this, but when I hear that Mike Ribeiro was hit in the face with a stick, I don’t believe it until I see it. He WAS hit in the throat and is out for 4-6 weeks. I hope he recovers quickly, but I still think of this (or this).
- Is it possible that 4 of the 5 worst teams in the Eastern Conference play in the Southeast Division? Does the NHL need to move the Maple Leafs to a new division?
- I love that stay-at-home defenseman Tyler Myers is getting some consideration for the Calder Trophy this year. Let’s see if people are still considering him at the end of the season.
- Gary Bettman is a pompous little person that needs to be fired for the good of the game.
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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
Matt Reitz is an NHL Writer for ProHockeyTalk on NBCSports and the Editor-In-Chief here at ViewFromMySeats.com. 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.
