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After seeing the returns on Sean Monahan, the lead up to the deadline seems to clearly be a “seller’s market…. We’ve gone back and forth, but unless an absolutely perfect deal falls into Yzerman’s lap the consensus amongst the commenting voices seems to be an appetite for a call up as opposed to a trade if the need arises. There’s no reason to give up draft picks and go all in if a post season appearance actually comes together for this group. Steps forward are being made, and the team feels like, well, a team.
I’ve returned to Copp’s interview after notching his 100th goal. Not safe for embed but flat out said it didn’t mean “doo-doo…. He was focused on the team getting back into the game. Whatever clicked for the free agent acquisition of 2 years is coming together at the right time. His work ethic and attitude were never an issue. It was the production and seeming lack of confidence. The room has come together this year after the California swing and even a rough outing overseas and it has a completely different feel. Most of us know the phrase “addition by subtraction…, but conversely there can be “subtraction by addition…. A player with all the right numbers and toolset that doesn’t seem to mesh with the group.
The summer will be a different story. Some room will likely be made for prospects and it seems like a couple of readers have Danielson as the potential shock. The player that ends up taking a spot. Sandin-Pellika would still likely benefit from a season in Grand Rapids to adjust. Side note, the NHL participation in the Olympics will see North American ice dimensions in the next two games. Plus the IIHF and IOC are picking up the tab for transportation and insurance. Those are huge wins for the league and players.
So, why hockey? Especially in the U.S. where women’s college basketball is pulling higher ratings than the NHL. The U.S. has nearly 9X the population of Canada (330m vs. 40m) but just a couple of years ago Canada had nearly double the amount of ice rinks (plus weather that makes plenty of natural playing surfaces).
In short, the number of skills someone needs to hone to proficiency to play in the top leagues is mind boggling. The first time you get on those double bladed skates all of a sudden the respect level goes through the roof. Then, learn to handle a stick and a puck to the point where you can focus on the ice. Then, play against opponents who can get to 25 mph or better that have been skating beginning at age 3. All these things come together and at each level up (pee-wee to travel to school, jr, under 18, semi pro, pro etc) sees the herd thin down significantly. Even after draft day there is no guarantee of NHL ice time. At that point you’ve really narrowed down an age group.
Then, there’s the clock. If the time is moving, something is happening. In North American football, teams can “wind down… the clock as part of the strategy. I asked a former broadcaster who had sat in doing play by play for college football, basketball, the NHL and even the MLB how much total action there was in an NFL game. If you cut out the resets, all the stops and starts. “5 minutes or less…. But, people will spend 3 hours watching the NFL religiously. In 60 minutes of hockey, it feels like you get 60 minutes of hockey.