Follow @james_tanner123 Since +/- is the NHL's worst stat, I thought it would make sense to appropriate it and make it useful as we review the best and worst of the past week in the NHL.
MINUS:I'd like to announce a positive reaction to the Coyotes defeating the Ducks, however, it was a) a lucky shootout win, b) a move in the wrong direction of the standings c) a game in which the Ducks really should have won - and because the playoffs are out of the question, I find it hard to get up for favorable results d) It was a painfully boring game in which all the scoring game during one 30 second span.
I know I will be taken to task for my reaction but I don't care if I don't meet the rigid internet guidelines of proper fandom or not - I have chosen to take the long-view because I think it's silly to take a short-term view of winning or losing as I think if you can't at least consider yourself a legit Cup Contender, then picking a franchise player in the draft is the better move.
Sorry if I sound more jaded than a regular viewer of the Latin Grammys but that's just how I feel.
PLUS: To captain Stephen "Eggs" Benedict who gives his name the most delicious dish known to man (non-lobster division) and who's invention of Hollandaise sauce in the 1830's has given meaning to life for generations upon generations of men.
Where it socially acceptable to do so, I would bring some in a thermos everyday to work. God bless you sir.
MINUS: The NHL department of player safety. Willie Mitchell attempted to hit Kris Letang in the head with his helmet and was not suspended or even fined. And yet, I bet you, had he made contact with Letang's head and Letang crumpled to the ice unconscious we would be debating whether or not Willie Mitchell is worse than Marty McSorley or Todd Bertuzzi.
The NHL cannot continue basing punishment on severity of the injury, which should be irrelevant. If the league wants to make the game safe, it should severely punish hits from behind, headshots and stupid things like using equipment as a weapon.
Rewarding offenders for not injuring guys worse is just so backwards it defies belief. Kind of how like if you fail at murdering someone you receive the reward of a lesser sentence. I have never been able to figure out how or why attempted murder isn't the exact same crime as murder, but ironically, I was kicked out of law school for hitting someone with a giant book.
PLUS:To Lou Lameriello for making a bold and interesting coaching decision. I don't know why everyone is so against this, it might work or it might not, but hockey is sometimes just too conservative for its own good. I feel we - hockey fans, media etc - are just way too hard on any outside-the-box thinking.
I'd advise everyone to keep in mind that Lameriello was once an unknown team president who made himself the GM and coach of his team to everyone's shock and surprise. I am told he was chastised harshly for making that decision back in the 80s and guess what: he's in the Hall of Fame. Lameriello has earned the right to do anything he wants and I think people should just shut up and go along with him, since he probably knows better than any of us.
MINUS:To the open and disgusting ageism I witnessed yesterday when this announcement came down. Lou is 72. There's nothing wrong with being 72. Medical science being what it is, he's practically a young man. Being old makes you smarter and more experienced - especially when you're a professional with a track-record of success.
The idea that he's lost it or is making unsound decisions because of his age is, frankly, not only stupid, but offensive.
PLUS: To The Dice Man, I am barely 100 pages in and I can already say this is one of the most interesting and hilarious books I've ever read. If you can handle highly sensitive adult material, I suggest going on Amazon right now and ordering it for ten bucks.
I don't wanna sound like your mom or anything, but you should read more books.
MINUS:To the NHL for scheduling a Saturday - and not just any Saturday, but the one after a painfully long three-day break from NHL action - without a Leaf game. Give me a break.
I find the practice of sticking Leafs games on Sunday to prop up Rogers new Sunday Night Hockey initiative pandery and sad. Is pandery even a word? It is now.
PLUS:The play of Jonathan Bernier. Sure, he's just 8th in the NHL (among goalies with 20 GP) with a save% of .921, but no one ahead of his plays for the Leafs.
The Leafs are in a playoff spot right now because of Bernier. The team is one of the worst possession teams in hockey, they are out-shot constantly, they employ not just Stephane Robidas, but also Korbinian Holzer and Roman Polak, and they have a top line that consists of two of the top wingers in the NHL and yet is a constant possession black hole. They also probably have the NHL's worst and least effective coach.
I don't know how to do it, but if you could adjust the stats to reflect the teams, coaches and defenses in front of them (which I am sure you can) then I suspect Bernier would be the top rated goalie in hockey. Did I mention his team plays Tyler Bozak 20+ minutes per night?
If the season ended today, and if I had a vote, which I should, but don't, I would vote for Bernier for both the Vezina and the Hart.
PLUS: For Christmas I got the new Wilco four cd box-set Alpha Mike Foxtrotwhich contains almost 80 outtakes, demos, b-sides and live songs. It is one of, if not the absolute greatest, completest collections I've ever seen/herd. Wilco is probably the most important American musical act the 21st Century and this set is flawless. It's pricey, but maybe your Dad will buy it for you for Christmas like mine did. I'm seriously blown away - the packaging, the music, the liner notes - it's worth every penny.
Here's the band with the Fleet Foxes covering the Dylan classic "I Shall be Released."
MINUS:To Dave Tippett and anyone who acts like firing him is sacrilegious. He's a great coach and I personally like him, although we've never met. The thing is, who cares about coaches? At a certain point, the team just needs new juice and I think the Coyotes have reached that point.
He's clearly out of ideas since the season is lost and he does almost no experimenting. That ain't his thing though, grinding it out is his thing. But Vermette and Doan on the top line? Erat playing? Reider and Gormley aren't getting enough ice-time considering they're your future. I could go on, but you get the point. Tippett needs to coach a team designed for Dave Tippett style coaches and not one that has a bunch of veterans he's beholden to.
Fact is, they've had a decent run as perennial underdogs who massively overachieve - Doan, Yandle, Smith, Korpikoski, Vermette and Tippett have been an unlikely collection of underappreciated superstar, back-from-the-dead goalie, underrated defensive specialist, whatever you'd call Korpikoski and a coach who almost literally (my new favorite non-sensical phrase) can get blood from a turnip.
The point is, hanging on to the glory days just makes you sad and prevents new growth. Just ask Bruce.
All these guys need to go and they need to make this Ekman-Larsson's team. And this isn't because I'm a bad fan or not dedicated enough or because I lack integrity - do you call Bobby Fisher names when he sacrifices a pawn? I didn't think so.
PLUS:To my brother Eric for not only adopting two cats from a shelter, but for naming them Lonny Bohonos and Cat Stevens.
MINUS: Look, I understand that in order to make the World Junior Tournament a tournament, you have to have more than just three teams. I also get that the teams who can't possibly hope to win still want to be there.
But, unless I seriously misunderstood the theme of Coaches Corner all these years, then I think the Canadian players, fans, media should get a little less obnoxious when they score on or defeat Germany or Slovakia. Maybe it's just me, but I'd rather watch the last hour of the extended edition of Return of the King on repeat for four hours than watch Canada beat the Slovaks.
By the way: Nailed It
How can anyone possible be excited to watch Canada beat Slovakia 8-0? I think I'll watch a movie.
— James Tanner (@James_Tanner123) December 26, 2014MINUS: To the Toronto Raptors for their embarrassing and grammatically sad catch phrase "We the North." What would be wrong with "We are the North"? Maybe I am a stickler for grammar and the way people talk, but this is just horrible to my ears. Also, this catch phrase seems like something a corporation trying to emphasize the urban nature of the sport of basketball would attempt to pass off as "urban language," which is also offensive, or at least should be.
In conclusion, Verbs: kind of necessary.
MINUS: Keys to the Game, Power Rankings and Coyotes' broadcast intermissions.
PLUS:Max Domi's play at the World Juniors so far. I know he's playing against weak competition, but damn, his moves are always so nice. If style got you to the NHL, he'd already be a star. I can't wait to see him in the Show.
MINUS: While I love Don Cherry and he gets a permanent PLUS from me, I do not care for his criticism of the Senators for coming to the arena not dressed up in suits. To me, the suit is the uniform of the Yuppie Fat-Cat. I think wearing a suit and tie to the arena is the -hands down - worst hockey tradition.
Hockey should be a blue collar sport - but it's too expensive for kids to play already and I think we need to get rid of the Fat-Cat attire lest it become the national game of Yuppies.
MINUS:The Christmas trade freeze. There are barely enough trades in the NHL already and it's ridiculous to ban them over the holidays. You make almost a million bucks, even if you're not very good soI think you can handle being traded at Christmas - it's not like anyone would expect you to move out of your apartment Christmas day.
PLUS: I am Groot.