Thoughts on the Upcoming Season
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Thoughts for the Upcoming Season (written for Hockeyleaks.com)
Thoughts For The Upcoming Season Marc Valeri Hockeyleaks.com September 27, 2007
The 2007-2008 NHL season is upon us, and one can only ask themselves, ‘who cares?’
The Anaheim Ducks, the slight underdog of last year’s playoffs, won the Stanley Cup, knocking off slight favourites in the Ottawa Senators in only five games. Though the Ducks earned their bragging rights in winning The Holy Grail, one has to look at biased facts to see that in fact, this was a no brainer – the Ducks had more Canadians than the Sens; the Ducks played a much more physical game, demanding the puck and physically going after what they wanted; and the Ducks kept the streak alive – no European captain in the history of the NHL has won the Stanley Cup.
On to this season: some things change, and some things stay the same. For one, the Sabres are a new team. Losing Drury and Briere (I called it!) is going to see them likely miss the playoffs. Oh, wait. The Sabres are in the East still? Never mind. They can rely on ridiculously overpaid winger Thomas Vanek to score 69 goals and 96 assists to cover up for his former alternate captains.
Speaking of Mr. Clutch, the Rangers added Chris Drury to an already old and slightly washed-up squad of former superstar NHLers. Drury, however, does not fall into that category, which is why the Rangers will finish just below the Penguins in the Atlantic.
And how about the Penguins? How the hell did Angelo Esposito fall to 20th? Yes, he did have a bad year, but everyone has a few in their professional hockey career. Good move by Pittsburgh to snag him before the late drafting teams did. Does anyone else see the Pens running the NHL?
The Leafs, Red Wings, Blues, Flyers, and Flames are all teams that have added some key players, and all should be looking at a successful campaign.
I don’t know about everyone else, but I have lost interest in hockey since the lockout. I’m not sure why – maybe the rule changes, or the cancelled season – but the NHL just doesn’t have the same pop anymore.
The new jerseys are so very stupid (CAL, CBJ, DET, WAS look great though) and is totally unnecessary. There are problems with people killing dogs, guys breaking necks in life and death situations, record breaking milestones stemming from consistency and hard work, and so on – and Gary Bettman, trying to make the NHL better, decides to change the jerseys to get fans back to the tube to watch The Coolest Game on Earth.
It may be because just about all of my favourite players growing up are gone, or it could be that every other sport is so much better now. Hockey, in my opinion, is at a low point – similar to that of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). What once used to rule the television has taken a spot on the backburner.
Look at the NFL – Brett Favre is becoming the greatest quarterback to have ever thrown a spiral. The NBA is looking at the next David Robinson in Greg Oden, and the next Michael Jordan in LeBron James. The NFL is seeing Tom Brady become one of the greatest playcallers ever. The MLB, other than the steroid scandals, is seeing players coming up who will be the top tier players of the league in the not too distant future. And the NHL – they have the next Gretzky in Sid the Kid, and another average 50/50 player in Ovie.
Either way, sports in its entirety is not cutting it anymore. There are so many problems in this day and age, I don’t know what to believe anymore. The New England Patriots of the NFL were recently busted for spying on the oppositions’ signals. Now, being a huge NFL fan, I thought that Brady and company were set to be one of the greatest NFL dynasties – something to admire, to look up to, to watch as history is being made. The PGA is taking up steroid testing – what happens if Tiger Woods is caught with performance-enhancing drugs? Golf would be finished. People would riot on the streets. What if Roger Federer was busted? Thierry Henry? Mats Sundin?
To be honest, I am not being entirely fair. There are some great spots in pro sports right now. Sidney Crosby IS history. Tom Brady IS a legend. Brett Favre IS football.
But my favourite comes courtesy of Sports Illustrated (Sept 17, 2007) with an article written by one Phil Taylor, entitled, “As Good as it Gets – “If you saw it, remember it, and tell your grandchildren””. In it, he describes the rarity of seeing 3 athletes at the top of their game. Though it is slightly dated, he describes the resounding success of three sports icons – Roger Federer, Alex Rodriguez, and Tiger Woods. Three athletes on top of their game, all at the same time. Right now.
I’m sure if he were to republish the article, he would add one name to that list.
Brett Favre.
