“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:
- People complaining about Ovechkin skating and stopping in front of a kid before the game need to be VERY careful. Those are the first steps towards creating a No Fun League.
- I’d like to personally call out Andy Sutton. Not because of his (or his team’s) performance against the Pens. Not even because he challenged a writer from an opponent’s newspaper. No, I’m pissed because he was the sole reason that I had to endure a week full of awful “expert” jokes.
Very good goaltender when it's 5-0...
- When people clutter my Twitter stream with talk about jinxing a no-hitter in April, I really wonder about their sanity—and why I follow them. April is hockey season. Period. There will be plenty of time for baseball to bore us to sleep all summer.
- I wonder where Marty Turco ends up next season—mostly because I’m not sure what he’s capable of anymore. Will he be a legitimate #1 for someone? Will he be an expensive back up? Best case scenario is a place were he splits duties, plays about 40 games and proves that he can still stop pucks in the NHL.
- Injuries in the playoffs suck. I doesn’t matter who I’m rooting for in a particular series; I want to see the best players in the biggest games. The playoffs are better with Jeff Carter, Simon Gagne, Shane Doan, Brian Campbell, Milan Hejduk, and Peter Mueller.
- If the worst-case scenario plays out and the Sharks fall in the 1st round, is there any way that both Patrick Marleau and Evgeni Nabokov are re-signed?
- You think the Kings have young talent now? Their AHL affiliate just swept through their 1st round series with mostly young players. What’s my point? There’s more on the way.
- It’s interesting how ESPN cares more about a running back from Clemson or defensive end from TCU than the NHL playoffs.
- When your team is down in the series and plays the, “Let’s see if our other goalie can spark us” card, you might want to start making plans outside of playoff hockey. The end is near.
- Carey Price has all the tell-tale signs of a guy who might need a change of scenery, but will do very well in said scenery.
- Vinny Lecavalier had this to say about his new owner: “He’ll bring stability. He wants to do things the right way, and I think guys are excited about that.” Is he trying to say the prior ownership was unstable and didn’t do things the right way? Who knew?
- The Devils have a few decisions to make this season, but one here’s something that people aren’t talking about as much. Find a back-up goaltender. Maybe playing Brodeur 82 times per season isn’t working.
Norris Trophy Finalist: Mike Green
- Naming Tyler Myers, Matt Duchene, and Jimmy Howard the 3 finalists for the Calder Trophy might have been the easiest decision all season (and I say that as a Tuukka Rask fan).
- After the Devils lost to the Flyers in the 1st round, do they have to re-sign Ilya Kovalchuk to win their trade with the Thrashers?
- Speaking of Kovalchuk, I love watching him play anytime I get a chance. But should players who have never won a playoff series go around guaranteeing playoff victories?
- It really wouldn’t feel like April if people weren’t questioning Joe Thornton’s heart.
- It’s weird to see a list of Norris Trophy finalists and NOT see Lidstrom’s name. The torch may have been passed with Duncan Keith, Drew Doughty, and Mike Green.
- If I were a Sharks fan, a 2-1 come-from-behind victory by Nabokov would be much more impressive than a 5-0 shutout with no pressure.
- I’ve been trying to narrow down the problems that led the Devils to their 1st round exit. Intent to Blow narrowed it down very nicely: “The New Jersey Devils finally managed to shake the defense-first moniker that has dogged them for years by refusing to play any in their first round playoff matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers. They also declined to play any offense…” Ouch.
- Is Pascal Leclaire EVER going to play an entire season without getting hurt?
- 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.
