“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:
- Wasn’t this supposed to be the season when Cody Hodgson was competing for the Calder Trophy? Well, at least he’s in the news, right? Ummm…
- I can’t decide which nickname is better: “The Piece” for Rob Scuderi or “The Unit” for Randy Johnson.
- The fans in Dallas and their tribute to Mike Modano was one of those moments that makes sports great. I’m not even a Stars fan and it might have been getting dusty up in Casa de Matt.
- If the Flames ownership gets the opportunity to hire Steve Yzerman as General Manager, they should hire him on the spot. His first order of business could be to purge every Sutter out of the organization.
- It’s not weird to think that Ryan Miller should win the Vezina, but Ilya Bryzgalov could win the Hart, right?
- I have no dog in the fight, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t rooting for the Rangers on Friday night. I don’t care if the Flyers or Rangers make the playoffs—I just wanted to see the pressure of a one-game playoff atmosphere. Thank you Mr. Gaborik!
One game for the playoffs... thank you.
- I don’t religiously follow college hockey like some people, but I’m a huge fan of the Frozen Four. It’s one of those sporting events where the crowd, passion of play, and atmosphere all mix together to make it a great annual event. But when you put it in a cavernous football field, it loses a lot of its specialness. That’s right, I said it. Ford Field wasn’t a smashing success.
- There are really nice golf courses in Orange County, right? That should be a very nice consolation prize for the Ducks and their fans.
- This is the time of year that injuries are the worst. Not only for the team/fans that watch their players go down, but for NHL fans in general. At this point in the season, I just want to see the best teams play to the best of their abilities with their best players. I’m looking at you Matt Duchene.
- When you see a normal goaltender hit the 70 game mark and watch them predictably wilt under the workload, it just drives home the point of how amazing Martin Brodeur’s career has been.
- Want to know the best argument for visors? Rod Brind’Amour’s face.
- Just a reminder: Marty Turco probably played his last game in Dallas as well.
- Fans in Pittsburgh will miss the Igloo… until they see just how crappy it was when they walk inside their new building.
- It’s amazing how many people still remember Team USA’s dorm room clusterfuck from the 1998 Nagano Olympics. It’s unfortunate that some people are still holding on to that mistake as Keith Tkachuk ties the bow on a great career.
- Apparently, the city of Glendale doesn’t like that their team is called the Phoenix Coyotes. Arizona Diamondbacks, Arizona Cardinals… and now the Arizona Coyotes?
- We’re quick to bash NBC’s coverage of the NHL at every chance. But with the Pro Hockey Talk blog on NBC Sports, they might have gotten it right this time. Brandon Worley, James O’Brien, and Joe Yerdon are doing it right.
- I know that Montreal likes to riot after winning. But if they blow their playoff spot, could they start rioting over a pathetic string of losses as well?
- Jeff Carter played last night’s game in New York on a broken foot. When the Flyers lost, he was visibly pissed off and blew off a dozen reporters. That’s exactly the kind of guy that I’d want on my team. The kind who plays through injuries and gets pissed over a big loss.
- Am I the only person who thinks Alexander Ovechkin could score 2 goals any time he wants? It’s almost like he’s just toying with us.
- A lot of Canucks fans keep calling one of the hockey teams in Alberta the “Calgary Lames.” I think they’re forgetting the F.
- 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
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.
