“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:
- I feel a little Old School when I hear that a player turned down trade opportunities at the deadline because he wanted to play his entire career with one team. Thanks Mike Modano.
Look! He's a hockey player who actually plays hockey!
- I’m convinced that you could put Derek Boogaard with Steven Stamkos and Martin St. Louis and he’d score 30 points.
- Proudest moment as a fan this season: Being able to avoid any and all talk about Sidney Crosby’s missing equipment.
- I wonder how many people know that David Booth is an actual hockey player and not just a guy that shows up on YouTube to be hit by Mike Richards.
- Growing pains are part of the learning process for NHL teams. It’s one thing to start out strong, but quite another to play at a high level for the entire 82-game season. The Pens and Blackhawks have recently gone though the process. The Coyotes went through it last year. This year, it looks like the Avalanche might be getting their dose.
- I can’t believe I’m saying this, but there are times that Sidney Crosby is “damned if he does, damned if he don’t.” If he goes on Letterman, then people bitch that he gets too much publicity. If he turns it down, they say he’s a prima donna that isn’t doing what’s best for the sport’s exposure.
- People talk about how great their fans are all the time when they’re winning. If they’re selling tickets when they’re losing—then I’ll listen.
- I can’t believe it’s the middle of March and there’s a real possibility that the Red Wings and Ducks might not make the playoffs.
- Tomas Vokoun might have the hardest job in the NHL. He has a .930 save percentage, 2.35 goals against average, 7 shutouts and he’s still only 1 game over .500. That’s messed up.
- I care way more about the draft when my team sucks. Right now? I couldn’t give a rat’s ass…
- The Sharks have three players who are winning more than 60% of their draws. More interesting, two of them were picked up as free agents in the offseason (Malhotra and Nichol). In an era where puck possession is such an important part of the game, why wasn’t there more demand for either of these guys?
- I mean no disrespect to Tyler Myers or Jimmy Howard, but I don’t know how anyone can watch more than one Avalanche game and not think that Matt Duchene is the rookie of the year. And I say that being a huge Tyler Myers fan.
- Battle of Alberta outdoors next season? I may or may not have put on a jacket just thinking about it.
- With March Madness coming up and the hockey season in the home stretch, I might not sleep again until mid-April.
- I really, really, really hope there are no more hits to the head before the end of the season. How big is that can of worms?
"Steve Downey! Give me a hug if I make you better!"
- Randy Jones should never be on the ice. Well, maybe in the AHL.
- Am I the only one who thinks that a team should travel together for a road game? I know that Larry Brooks of the NY Post wants to attack John Tortorella at every opportunity, but he really should pick his battles more carefully.
- For a team that needed to add some scoring at the Trade Deadline, Wojtek Wolski and Lee Stempniak are fitting in quite nicely in Phoenix. The rest of the Western Conference thanks you Colorado/Toronto.
- How bad is this season going for the Oilers? Even players who aren’t playing are having the worst year of their life.
- If only 100 people show up to a “Fire Sather” rally, does that mean there’s tacit approval of the job he’s doing for the Rangers?
- Gary Bettman is a pompous little person that needs to be fired for the good of the game.
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So what are 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.
