“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.
____________________
I might just be a hockey fan in California, but:
- I’m convinced the sole reason the Kings management is around in the off-season is to help drive up the price of free agents before they decide to sign somewhere else.
- Pet Peeve: When (respected) people start throwing out hypothetical trades without even thinking about if they’re possible with the salary cap.
- This might be my favorite quote of all time. Here is Brooks Laich’s description of Alexander Ovechkin’s taste in music: “Nintendo game mixed with club mixed with some Russian talking.”
- Just because an organization has been around for a while doesn’t mean they’re necessarily better. I’ve heard the Toronto Sun compared to Bleacher Report multiple times this week—and agreed every single time. We’ll just trust that good writers will get their due, no matter what their outlet happens to be.
- I don’t care how many rule changes the NHL makes in attempt to provide a more exciting on-ice product for fans; if there’s another work stoppage, none of that stuff will matter. Prioritize your efforts, gentlemen!
- I thought the Kovalchuk thing was no big deal. Just knock off a few years at the end and raise the minimum salary years to a reasonable amount. The only problem with that is that the Devils then have even bigger cap problems than they had with the original contract. Remember, there was a reason they stretched the rules to their limit in the first place.
- College football: God’s gift to people who can’t muster up enough to care about NHL training camps.
- The only Facebook Places feature I’m interested in is the one that shows me how many times Philip Anschutz checks into Staples Center.
- I love the idea that CBC will be broadcasting 10 AHL games this upcoming season. Let’s hope the NHL Network does what they usually do—grab a Canadian feed and call it their own.
- Here’s something that should scare the hell out of every single Blue Jackets fan in North America: “What if two years ago was the fluke and last year was the norm?”
- I understand that Dale Tallon knows Antti Niemi from his days in Chicago, but I also understand that the best player in the entire Panthers organization is their goaltender. They have one of the best back-up goaltenders in the league and one of their best prospects (whom they have been grooming) is also a goaltender. Would Florida even remotely be in the discussion if it weren’t for Tallon? I sincerely doubt it.
- If you’re looking for a guy who could have a break out rookie season, you might want to direct your attention to Buffalo’s Tyler Ennis. He might be as tall as your neighbor’s 8-year-old, but he simply gets it done at every single level.
- It’s interesting to see the rift between casual fans and die-hards regarding the shootout. Have you ever talked to a casual fan who said that shootouts suck? For an entertainment business, that seems like a pretty big deal.
- The Blackhawks signed Fernando Pisani? Somehow I don’t think Kyle Beach or Jack Skille were too pleased with this recent development.
- Forgive me, it’s been a while since I slept through those first period Calculus classes in high school. But after reports of Tom Hicks being close to selling the Stars for $275M – $300M, all I could think was that Jerry Moyes really needed a better agent in Phoenix.
- I keep seeing announcements from the NHL that they are “still investigating contracts” like Marian Hossa and Roberto Luongo’s cap-circumventing deals. Please, just stop. We get it. You’re tough and you’re serious. But you’re not going to do anything—and really there’s nothing you CAN do. So just stop it.
- I sat down earlier this week to make a compelling argument for the Flames to make the playoffs. I sat staring at my cursor for 20 minutes and finally gave up.
- I can honestly say I have no idea what the Coyotes are going to do this season. They lost the best shutdown defensemen when the incredibly underrated Zbynek Michalek signed with Pittsburgh. They lost their #1 center when the underrated Matthew Lombardi signed with Nashville. How many teams can deal with those kind of losses? On the flip side, they’ll probably have 100 points again next year as a giant, metaphoric middle finger to everyone who doubted them.
- I’ve heard plenty of Maple Leafs fans talking about Tomas Kaberle and how much he’s worth. Apparently, the other 29 teams don’t share their beliefs.
- Another week has passed. Another week when Marc Staal, Bobby Ryan, Martin Hanzal, James Neal, Carey Price, etc. have still not signed. We’ll see how long before desperation sets in.
- Gary Bettman is a pompous little person that needs to be fired for the good of the game.
_______________
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.
