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: My Arizona Coyotes. I suppose you could find a PLUS in the fact that they only lost in a shoot-out, but I don't believe in loser points and I don't think "OK" is a good enough standard to judge an NHL team on.
The Coyotes blew a third period lead. This is not something Dave Tippett teams are supposed to do. The team just doesn't have the commitment to grinding and defense that they used to.
The Wild scored two power-play goals, but entered the game on a 1/44 slump. So, of course they scored two.
The Coyotes have lost five in a row, eight of nine and nine in a row at home. It was a good effort, one of the team's better ones lately, but you know, the Oilers also give a good effort most night.
What's left to say at this point?
PLUS: The Coyotes did finally make a move towards accountability and/or roster management that didn't involve the bottom portion of their roster. They sat out Connor Murphy and Sam Gagner as healthy scratches.
Or wait, should this be a MINUS, since those ARE bottom of the roster guys?
Sam Gagner is fifth in ice-time among forwards. He rarely, if ever, plays with Boedker or any of the team's other top offensive players and is most often employed as the third centre behind Vermette and Hanzal. Instead of scratching him, shouldn't they be seeing if he'd do better on the wing with some players as creative offensively than he is?
Connor Murphy is last on the team in ice-time for defenseman, meaning he's the team's sixth dman. Meaning he is employed less than the constantly waived and demoted and then recalled Dave Schlemko. He is one of the Coyotes' top prospects, so scratching him does matter, but not that much since he barely plays.
So what we have is the scratching of name-brand players who are still basically bottom-of-the-roster players. But Erat is a mainstay on the second line and Reider still averages seven seconds of PP time per game.
PLUS: The Holiday Classic Fred Clause. For my money, the greatest holiday film ever written. Starring Vince Vaughn in the title role, this is pure Christmas gold. PLUS: Just to Christmas in general. I am too cool for a lot of things (fist bumps, saying "bro" non-sarcastically, catch phrases etc.) but I like Christmas, a lot. I don't spend a lot of time searching for the true meaning or anything, I just go full-out non-denominational and I like to concentrate on what's important: Presents.
Now, I know I won't be getting a Wii U, so if I just want to say that if Nintendo wants to send me a free one, I'll mention how great it is in my columns ALL THE TIME. I need to play Earthbound. That is all.
If Christmas ain't your thing, know that I wish you a happy Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Festivus, Generic Holiday Celebration or whatever else you might or might not be down with. Even if you're going to be saluting the Dark Lord this December, I wish you the best.
Toronto is not a small market team.
You owe me one Melky Cabrera, you jerks. Also, my cable bill is too high.
PLUS: To 5pm start times on Sundays. This allows me to watch the game before, during and after dinner and still have time for what you're supposed to do on a Sunday night: watch Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Homeland.
PLUS:To Don Cherry, who, even though he always (justly) complains they don't give him enough time, still takes what time he does have to demonstrate safety to all the kids watching. The danger of hockey is often swept under the rug in a masquerade of toughness, but whether it's about equipment or game-play, Don is the first and loudest voice in safety.
Ironic too since his detractors think he's a neanderthal who's stance on fighting causes injuries.
It may actually prevent them, but obviously it's too nuanced an issue for some to comprehend and I don't feel like getting into it, but Cherry's example of T.J Brodie and not putting yourself directly into the boards with your back to the ice is something every kid who plays hockey should be forced to watch.
MINUS: To Lebron James. As if you needed another reason to dislike Lebron, seeing him give a present to the visiting royal family was disgusting. As was anyone who didn't mock or otherwise comment on this in negative terms. (Unless they ignored, which was the best option, obviously).
The reason there is an America in the first place is because royal families are the worst. The only thing possibly close to as bad is empty celebrity worship, which considering they've never done anything of merit is the only thing these losers have going for them. I was embarrassed for everyone involved, including Sportscentre for not cutting that crap out of the highlight package.
MINUS: Since we're on about Sportscentre (that is the Canadian "RE" version) it drives me nuts that they routinely show the Coyotes highlights last and that their package is usually about half the length of the rest of the games.
PLUS: This:
#ff #Insiders @DarrenDreger @RealKyper @JoshRimerHockey @reporterchris @James_Tanner123 @mirtle @Eric__Smith @Paul__Jones @ShiDavidi
— WE ARE LEGION (@CharleyPride78) December 12, 2014Oh, and conspicuously absent? Jeff O'Neil. Sorry O-Dog!!!
PLUS: Nicklas Backstrom. Nice hat-trick last night for the NHL's most unappreciated super-star.
YOUNG MONEY: 3 W, 2.92 GAA, .903 GAA, 0 SO ATYOURMAMMASHOUSE: 3 W, 2.90 GAA, .904 GAA, 0 SO
Team Young Money just can't buy a break.
PLUS: To The Gunslinger I have lost count of how many times I've quested to the Dark Tower, but I picked the book up the other day during a routine book-shelf reorganization just to look at the pictures and quickly found myself half-way through.
Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, Wheel of Time, Lord of the Rings, even Back to the Future: Nothing comes close to the Dark Tower.
MINUS: Giving the Lou Marsh Award (Canadian Athlete of the Year Award) to a Bobsledder. Granted that I may be extremely ignorant about what it takes to be a bobsledder, but I don't think athlete of the year should go to someone who's sport's main requirement is owning a bobsled. Like, if you are the best at bobsledding, that means you are better than maybe 30 other Bobsledders in your country. Maybe there's more than 30, but you get my point.
I don't consider bobsledding to be any more athletic than race-car driving. If you ride something, the thing you ride is the athlete, not you. But really, who cares? The stupidest thing of all is having a single award that encompasses all sports. I mean, how are you supposed to really decide who's a better athlete between an NHL player and a bobsledder?
PLUS: Not to brag about it or anything, but I'm off until January 5TH baby. (From my real job, not here).
PLUS:I want to end on something positive about the Coyotes. I can't think of anything but their uniforms, which are among the league's best. So, how about this: Max Domi is 3rd in OHL scoring with 58 points in 27 games played.
Thanks for reading.