“I Might Just Be A Hockey Fan In California” is a feature that is usually posted every Saturday here at the View From My Seats (Note: The Hockey Fan In Cali feature will be on a two-week hiatus, but will return on Sept 25). 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:
- Who else thinks that Arron Asham and Bill Guerin are just screwing with the hearts of fans in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia?
- Wow, I know schedules are planned WAY in advance, but I love how the probation-saddled USC Trojans get to start their season with a trip to Hawaii. That’s a little better than staring a season in, say, Newark, NJ.
- If Pierre-Marc Bouchard can make it back to the line-up next season, Vegas should immediately change their Stanley Cup odds from 70/1 to 65/1. Ok, maybe 68/1.
- Why is it that national writers talk about the Sharks losing Rob Blake like it’s a bad thing? Since the lockout, he was neither a star nor a superstar. Stop acting like this was losing the 1998 version of Rob Blake.
- If Lee Stempniak scores 6 goals next season, fans in Phoenix will be able to hear all of the laughter originating from Toronto.
- Just when you think all of the Kovalchuk crap is over, they pull you back in. If you gave me the choice between a quiet summer and this, I’ll take silence.
- On that note, I’d just like to remind people that “negotiating” implies that the dialogue is a 2-way street. If one side is laying down ultimatums with consequences if they don’t get their way, I’m not sure that’s negotiating.
- Is it me, or has Hurricane Earl received more press in the last 10 days than the Carolina Hurricanes have received in the last 10 years? Yes, I’m including their Stanley Cup.
- Even though legal stuff has been dominating the NHL news front, there was a bright light that was glossed over this week. Finally, NHL Network is going to have a full HD set and is looking to make some series strides to build the outlet. By mid-November, this will profoundly affect the majority of hockey fans!
- When your family owns The Brick and your name is Mr. Hilary Duff, you can afford to sign for the league minimum.
- When you think about your favorite team and a hot shot prospect making the team, just remember that it has to be worth it for all parties involved. If we’re talking about a forward and he’s only going to get 4th line minutes, chances are it’s neither worth the money nor burning a year of the entry level contract. If a highly respected prospect is going to get a shot to make the team, they need to be given a shot to contribute to the team for it to be worthwhile.
- Here’s a clue that it’s still the offseason. The biggest argument I was in all week revolved around the merits of the Blues and Wild 3rd jerseys. Yes, I’m serious.
- Forget team allegiances, I hope Paul Kariya can recover from his post-concussion syndrome. Whenever a guy is going to have to sit out an entire year, that’s scary stuff on a human level.
- Does anyone else think that Miikka Kiprusoff looks at the forwards in front of him and knows he needs to give up 2 goals or fewer if he wants any chance to win?
- Here’s a recent quote from Florida’s superstar goaltending prospect Jacob Markstrom, “I want to play in games and I want to win games. That keeps pushing me to be a better goalie. If they tell me to go to Rochester, that’s how it is. I’ll go there and show them they were wrong.” Holy crap, that’s the kind of guy I want on my team. (thanks to Litter Box Cats for the link)
- I know that the Kovalchuk thing can feel like the end of the summer and signify the beginning of the season. But with the Bruins, Flames, Devils, and Canucks over the cap, there’s still potential for some offseason news. (Notice that despite all of the talk about the Flyers and Hawks cap problems, they’re both done with their purging.)
- The good news is that Paul Kelly is bringing college hockey to light and how the CHL continually tries to poach college commits. The bad news is he’s bringing to light that they’re oftentimes successful.
- Did you hear that Ferrari recalled their new $230,000 sports car? That would be like having a $64 million goalie in British Columbia get recalled.
- It’s hard to believe that Sam Gagner is already signing his second pro contract. It feels like just yesterday Kings fans were whining that the Kings passed on him at the draft. In related news, I’m old.
- The more I think about it, the more I think Tuukka Rask is going to avoid the dreaded Sophomore Slump. What is usually the biggest reason for a 2nd year slump? Probably complacency. With former Vezina Trophy winner Tim Thomas breathing down his neck, I doubt Rask has gotten too comfortable.
- Gary Bettman is a pompous little person that needs to be fired for the good of the game.
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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.
