I don’t have enough depth of insight to post a full write-up of everything I’m thinking today about hockey, but there is enough going on in my head to warrant a notes post. Just some quick thoughts for the day:
Kovalchuk
– Remember when everyone said that this was better than the LeBron situation? If American sports fans cared as much about hockey as you or I, they would probably be laughing at us right now. Is this as bad a LeBron? Sure, but from a different angle. Even without a special, the Kovalchuk camp has done plenty that looks bad to fans of 29 other teams. That’s just business, though, with negotiations and gamesmanship designed to benefit the player. We wait (and now, we wait even longer).
– Lopping off two years and two million dollars from one of the silliest contracts ever submitted – one that so obviously tried to subvert the salary cap – seems like the smallest gesture the Devils could have made. The cap increase from the old contract to the new contract is only 666,000 dollars per year. Thanks for nothing, Lou.
– I know the default position is to be angry with the league, but if it takes one or two days to approve (or dismiss) a fifteen year contract that could have far reaching implications beyond the current CBA, so be it. Instant gratification is wonderful on twitter, but when it comes time to negotiate the next CBA, how the league handles this contract specifically will be used as evidence. This isn’t just about one player anymore.
– Besides, Kovalchuk will get his money. Maybe not every single dollar he thinks he should, and his escrow hit will be enough to easily fund a solid 4th line, but he will get paid. It just shouldn’t cost the Devils nothing against the cap. Signing a star player to a big contract is supposed to have implications to your roster. That’s part of the point of the cap.
The Interwebz Have Gone Crazy:
– Twitter made me look up two things today. The first was what QFT meant (Thanks, @bzarcher), and the other was who Paul Bissonnette is. I don’t really care about this whole BizNasty thing, and nothing would make me happier than to see this all be one big joke. Sure, it’s fun and all that, but in the end, it’s just going to end in tears. And unless he gets his hand slapped, it has nothing to do with hockey. And since he plays in Phoenix, that’s a given.
– The other thing Twitter made me do this week was read Deadspin. I’m not the target audience of Deadspin (I like hockey, don’t care about the other big three sports, and think public figures should be allowed private lives), but they seemed to have the most information on the Mike Wise fake twitter news situation. Wise’s point was that people will pick up just about any report online and run with it. It was not only done better elsewhere (I don’t remember where I saw the hockey blogger who announced that he was making a fake trade tweet, then posted the tweet, and people still picked up on it), but it shouldn’t have been made by a ‘reputable’ source (or at least one hired by a mainstream source). Wise cost himself some credibility, but from what I know about him, he seems more like a sports personality than a reporter, ala Jim Rome. Credibility doesn’t sound like the number one thing he trades on. Unsurprisingly, Wise was suspended by the paper for a month, which seems about right. Will that be the end of it? Oh, hell no.
– If you didn’t know, newspapers and other mainstream media outlets have ethics policies, and they are usually posted on the website of the media outlet. For example, here is the ethics policy for the Denver Post. And if you don’t think this applies to online media such as blogging, this section addresses that specifically. This doesn’t mean that media outlets actually follow these policies, but it does allow them to point to the accountability that independent bloggers are generally accused of lacking. Would you consider adopting and following an ethics policy? It’s a good question, considering how anonymous rumor sites and other outlets that don’t always adhere to the truth are scorned by most of the blogosphere.
– In the interests of unity and fairness, Ian Mendes of Sportsnet.ca posted his thoughts about bloggers being issued press credentials. Even if you are sick of this debate, you should read it. It takes on both sides of the aisle, and is one of the most honest looks at how each side views the other I’ve seen. (I saw this from both Kukla’s Korner and Greg Wyshynski’s twitter feed).
– See that? That’s called an attribution. If you blog, you should do it. Most hockey blogs don’t have sources that didn’t come down the series of tubes we call the internet. My blog and my podcast would be nothing without the hard work done by other people, who gather the news, do the reporting, and do the real work. It would be nothing without other people, and when I use something from them, this is how I show where it came from. Being first doesn’t mean as much as being smart. Attribute where things came from.
Odds and Ends
Khabibulin – Today on XM Home Ice was the first time I heard any mention of Nikolai Khabibulin possibly having travel issues with his DUI conviction. Chances are, no matter what happens in his appeal, the conviction will not be overturned. If I were a judge, I would be pissed that the ruling was challenged after what is essentially the lightest sentence possible being handed down. But Canada is not a fan of having DUI offenders allowed into their country. Look up what a Queen’s Pardon is. Things aren’t going to be easy for the Khabibulin. If this sticks, he earned it.
NHLPA – I know the news of Donald Fehr possibly becoming the NHLPA Executive Director strikes fear into the hearts of hockey fans who are still battling the nightmare of the last work stoppage, but it’s time to relax for a moment. It’s been so long since a real leadership in the NHLPA was around, fans (the hardcore who actually care) don’t remember what it looks like. The ‘partnership’ that was enjoyed by the Player’s Union and even more so by the NHL was nothing more than a face saving tactic. It diffused the anger of the fans, and brought them back with less fury and less of a target to blame for the lockout. This was the most one-sided partnership in history. The players can’t afford to roll over in the next CBA as much as they did in this one. The Fehr nomination is a step in the right direction for the NHLPA to start acting like a negotiation body again. It is a negotiation. Nothing goes 100% in anyone’s favor, but the last CBA sure leaned heavily.
Blatant Self Promotion :
If you made it this far, allow me to tell you about a few things. I set up a ‘support’ page over at The Rink Podcast. I’m not asking you for money, but instead a small amount of time. Please, take a look, and thanks. I’m starting to get the next season in order, and get some guests lined up.
I have been spending too much time on twitter. But if you want to follow me, you are more than welcome. I’d love to hear from you.