“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:
- That Gold Medal game made my life a little bit better. And I’m American.
- It’s interesting to see how few prospects were traded this year at the deadline. Could the salary cap finally have people building from within?
- As of yesterday, the 4-7 seeds in the Western Conference were: Phoenix Coyotes, Los Angeles Kings, Colorado Avalanche and Nashville Predators. If you had that foursome in Vegas before the season, you could have made some serious cash.
- After the deadline passed on Tuesday, a reporter asked Brian Burke if he would do the Phil Kessel trade over again if given a second chance. How badly do you think he wanted to punch that reporter in the face?
- Before the season, I thought the Islanders were carrying 3 goaltenders so they would have trade bait at the deadline. I now know that they were carrying 3 because one of them is named Rick DiPietro.
Family > Everything else
- I have to give some props to Ray Whitney of the Carolina Hurricanes. He had a no-trade clause, is building a house in the Raleigh area, and sounds like he’s putting his family’s roots down. When push came to shove, he chose his family. You have to respect that.
- Sometimes players just need a change of scenery to take the next step in their development. Keep that in mind, Kings and Coyotes fans, if you see Teddy Purcell and Peter Mueller thriving on their new teams.
- I don’t even think Don Cherry believes what Don Cherry says anymore.
- Ryan Miller should be cheered in 24 NHL cities for the rest of the season.
- Have you seen Kari Lehtonen’s new Dallas Stars mask? That is cool in goaltender mask form.
- I want the Thrashers and Coyotes to make the playoffs this season—mostly because their fans have been shit on for about 12 months straight now.
- Scott Walker had 3 goals all season in Carolina; then he responded with 2 in his first game with Washington. There must be something in the water in DC.
- I’m wrong a lot of the time—but damn I was right about the Oilers. There is absolutely NO method to the madness going on up there. And now they have Ryan Whitney. Seriously, how much more can the fans take?
- Sean Avery’s antics are well-documented. But I’m telling you, I hate him just a little bit less after seeing this on Thursday night. Comedic genius.
- I can’t muster up “Marian Gaborik is hurt” jokes anymore. I’m not saying the well of jokes is dry, but it’s getting there. Who am I kidding? He just wanted to keep Glen Sather company in the press-box while fans hurl insults like San Francisco fans hurl batteries.
We all need to remember how to count properly. The Islanders really only have 2.5 goaltenders...
- Just a few hours after the deadline passed, Michael Leighton gave up 4 goals in just about half a game. For him, that’s perfect timing. For Philly fans, not so much.
- You know what’s amazing? There are three teams in the East right now that have negative goal differentials and are currently in a playoffs spot. Since when can teams give up more goals than they score and make the playoffs? That just doesn’t sound right…
- Predators fans are really going to like Dustin Boyd.
- With each passing day, it’s becoming more likely that DirecTV subscribers (like myself) are going to miss the playoffs because of their pissing contest with Versus. How the hell has it come to this?
- I really like Ray Ferraro, but after hearing him announce this cheap shot by Max Lapierre, I like him just a little bit more.
- 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.
