I used to love the day before the Frenzy. And you know, in my mind I still do love the idea of it. It’s the day that fans for all 30 teams can get excited because they have the opportunity to make themselves better. But in the days leading up to National Free Agency Day, I’ve found myself more annoyed than anything else. It’s funny—after checking out Twitter lately, I had NO IDEA that I followed so many NHL insider experts. Did you notice the sarcasm there, because I laid it on pretty thick.
I realized earlier this week that June 30th has become hockey’s version of New Years Eve, St. Patrick’s Day, and Cinco de Mayo all rolled into one. Everyone from “journalists” on Twitter to bloggers trying to make a name for themselves will present their ideas and stories as fact—when there’s as much factual basis as my theory that Sidney Crosby is Gary Bettman’s biological son.
It’s amateur hour.
When I was younger, I loved going out and hitting up the bars on the drinking holidays. I’d start preparing my body the week of March 17th for the liquid Olympics that I planned to partake in. I’d find out which pubs my friends and I were going to patronize, and do my best to consume my first Irish Car Bomb by 6:01am. Hey, it was college. What were my alternatives? Going to class? Please… I had my priorities.
I have an insider's source: Matthew Lombardi's cousin told me he's totally into the beaches in Orange County. He's going to the Ducks. Done deal.
But that was when I was younger. I had my priorities, but they’re different now. Now on March 17th, I do my best to avoid bars, restaurants, and the roads at all cost. I still have no problem having a few drinks with my friends—just not on St. Patrick’s Day. I’ll leave that to the underage kids looking to get irresponsibly hammered.
Then again, when I was younger, I loved reading every single rumor that was out there. I wanted to hear that the Leafs were going to get every single free agent out there. I was truly excited when I read that the Kings were linked to someone who might actually be interested in coming to Los Angeles on their own free will. But the difference is that 15 years ago the people who were publishing the articles and claimed to have inside sources usually had inside sources. Now—well, reality would ruin all the fun.
The difference was that I knew that it was a rumor and it was never presented as fact. Some people still present rumors—but with social media, it’s like one giant game of telephone and somehow rumors turn into stories.
It’s no secret that the rise of Twitter, etc. has given everyone with a keyboard a voice. With barriers of entry as low as a Twitter account, news travels as fast as people can type or press the RT button. That’s great when it’s a score, an event that just occurred, or news from a legitimate outlet. But when it’s a rumor that’s presented as fact, things can get out of hand in a hurry. It might be one of the uglier downsides to the social media world.
So before you get sucked into the excitement of Free Agent Day, take a step back and set some ground rules for yourself. If you see a report that a free agent was signed, please look to see who is reporting the signing. If it’s Bob McKenzie, Kevin Allen, or Darren Dreger then you can write it in stone. If it’s from Pierre LeBrun or Craig Custance, then it’s equally credible.
But if you see a signing/trade from someone that you’ve never heard of (or have “Buzz” somewhere in their name), then please step back and take the news with an entire shaker of salt.
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.
