You know, I've never been a huge fan of the NCAA's trophies - they kind of bore me, and I wish they'd give something at the Frozen Four that was a bit more unique - but at least the damn thing doesn't fall apart.
(Seriously, you know my take on major junior: different routes are best for different people. I just want everyone to have all the information they need to make the right decision.)
Speaking of championships, I haven't seen a lick of the Stanley Cup Finals so far. I work nights now, and the office doesn't get Versus. Thankfully, with the series moving to NBC tonight, I'll have my eye on things.
The best news so far, from where I sit, is that the ratings are up. Isn't it amazing what happens when the matchup isn't Secondary Canadian Market vs. Warm Weather City Where No One Cares? Seriously, as the Penguins finished off the Flyers in the last game I saw, I couldn't help but think of the sign above the entrance to the Penguins' locker room at Mellon Arena bearing Badger Bob Johnson's immortal "It's a great day for hockey!" quote.
The NHL is clearly getting what it wants here, and if NBC can spend some time with members of Chris Chelios' Malibu Mob - getting past the fact that Scrubs and John C. McGinley are moving to ABC - so much the better.
By the way, the Malibu Mob has to be one of the coolest things I've heard of all year, if only because my favorite movie actor (Cusack) and favorite TV actor (McGinley...although he was also in Office Space, which is awesome) are part of it, and I'm also a big fan of Kid Rock, who appears to be on the verge of joining. I think I officially have something to dream about: get rich, buy a place in Malibu, and join them.
However, on the more immediate - and real - horizon, I'm starting to look at what I'm going to be able to see in person next season. At the moment, I'm working a Thursday-Monday week, so as the schedules come out, I'm looking to see who's playing Tuesday night games that I can get to easily. UMass at RPI, RPI at Harvard, Holy Cross at BU, Providence at BU, Providence at Brown, Harvard at Brown...you get the idea. In other words, if you thought I was an "East Coast tool" or an "East Coast homer" before (holla if you hear me, SiouxSports.com message board), well, it's about to get worse.
Actually, since I plan on keeping up my Hobey Baker blogging with USCHO (among other things), I will probably take the plunge on a sports package to watch the FSN-North and FSN Detroit games (and maybe even the Big Ten Network, although I'm not sure if that's included). Heretofore, I'd never seen the point, because:
1) CSTV was not included in the package.
2) I was never home on game nights anyway.
3) It involved giving more money to Cablevision.
I have serious issues with Cablevision, and while they largely stem from the fact that they don't carry my former employer, I also have more general issues with Jim Dolan, a card-carrying member of the Lucky Sperm Club who has managed to screw up everything he touches, most notably the New York Knicks, although includes the Rangers, which needed the lockout and resulting salary cap to change the organization's philosophy on developing talent. Moreover, I have a feeling that Dolan does untoward things with farm animals, because the only possible explanation I can think of for Isiah Thomas' continued employment is that Zeke has photographs of such activiites taking place.
In fact, I actually considered not getting cable service at all when I moved out of the parents' place, and getting by with online streaming and iTunes and such, but then I realized I was going to be buying Rangers tickets anyway, so it was really kind of a stupid and futile gesture. Besides, as my financial future is no longer tied to a network that Cablevision may or may not choose to carry, I don't really see the point anymore (except for the whole farm animal thing).
Finally, bringing it back to hockey, I bought a copy of the Hockey News' draft preview, and I haven't finished with it yet, but at the moment, I have one main question: when did Steven Stamkos become a Greek god? I thought depth was the big thing this year, not a Crosby or an Ovechkin at the top, and that Stamkos would be a distant No. 2 in this draft if John Tavares had been born a week later. Guess I haven't been paying as close attention as I ought.
On the bright side, there aren't nearly as many disparaging comments about the college track this year as I saw in last year's issue, which may well mean they stopped using the scout who was saying such nasty things, although there is one shot at the USHL in their blurb on John Carlson (and even that had more to do with perception than reality). Nothing really major to report, except that BU's Colin Wilson is ranked No. 7 and Wisconsin's Cody Goloubef is No. 42, those two being the only current collegians in the Top 100.
Oh, and one last thing: Lee Stempniak was listed as the Blues' shrewdest pick of the last 10 years. Hell Yeah!
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Guys Who Aren't Well-Liked
Memo to Chris Simon: Don't let the door hit you in the ass on your way out of the country. Now if only we could find a way to exile Jesse Boulerice and Steve Downie to Siberia as well (and yes, I know that it's actually Avangard Omsk that's in Siberia). I, for one, will still be chanting "Simon sucks" instead of "Potvin sucks" when the whistles start up at the Garden (I've always thought it better to yell about someone who actually did something dirty).
Speaking of the Garden, one of its most controversial denizens - for hockey, anyway - Sean Avery is now in his second week as an intern at Vogue. There have been a few news items about this, although the best comes from a publication that I probably won't ever link to from this blog again - Women's Wear Daily.
Personally, I wonder whether Avery's presence in New York this summer increases his chances of re-signing with the Rangers. Personally, I want him back in blue this fall. I think his presence really helps the Rangers, of course, but you don't have to be a genius to figure that out, just look at the team's record with and without him since the trade.
That said, I think Sean Avery is one of the most fascinating athletes to hit New York in some time. I mean, seriously. He's not just the guy who gets under opponents' skin. He's also the guy who challenges his teammates when they don't hold up their end (see his fight in practice with Marek MaWEAK this season). He's the guy who has significant passions outside sports (like Ricky Williams without the pot). He's the guy who transcends sports into society circles. And yes, he's the guy who takes an internship at Vogue.
In the end, though, Avery is mainly the guy that half the NHL wants to kill, because, by all accounts, he's an ass. Now, I won't deny that, having seen him breeze through a crowd of post-game autograph seekers outside the Garden, when Brendan Shanahan stopped and signed for everyone (I myself have three Shanahan autographs from this season: a ticket, my Rangers hat, and a puck from the '99 All Star Game).
All that said, though, if Sean Avery is an ass, he's like Jennifer Lopez's rear end: always attached to a beautiful woman, usually covered by something from a top designer, impossible to ignore, and a major asset to the complete package.
Ideally, I'd end things there, but I feel as if I'd ought to weigh in on the current issue surrounding Don Lucia. Patrick Reusse of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune isn't drinking the Kool-Aid when it comes to Mike Guentzel's resignation, and implies that Guentzel is gone because someone had to take the fall for Minnesota's disappointing season.
That may well be true. However, like Sean Avery and Jennifer Lopez's backside, I have to throw in a BIG "but(t)" here.
That the Gophers made the NCAA tournament this season may not impress the spoiled folks in the Twin Cities who are used to such things (I'd be thrilled for Dartmouth to have had Minnesota's season if it meant getting into the tournament, which the Big Green hasn't done since Bob Gaudet was in goal)...BUT, when you take into account that Minnesota lost a second-round pick (Ryan Stoa) in the second game of the season, lost Kyle Okposo to the pros over the Christmas break, and was without Mike Carman until after the World Juniors. making the NCAA tournament and losing to the eventual national champion is pretty darn impressive.
Can you blame Lucia for Okposo's departure? I don't think so. I think that Kyle wanted to turn pro last summer, and when he was told that he wasn't ready, he sulked being back at the U, especially with his good buddy Erik Johnson gone. If you take a look at his production in the AHL and in his late season call up to the Islanders, it suggests that Kyle's attitude was better suited to being a pro, and I'm not really sure how much Don could have done to change that.
Now, I'm not a huge Don Lucia guy. If you go back and look at my CSTV columns, you see a lot more of Red Berenson, Jack Parker, Jeff Jackson and George Gwozdecky, unless I'm specifically writing about Minnesota. All of that said, getting the Gophers to the tournament this year - especially when it involved winning a WCHA playoff series on the road - may have been his most impressive coaching job since winning his second national championship in 2003. After all, with the way Lucia is able to recruit, he usually has more difficulty getting his hair to look like that than he does making the NCAA tournament (come on, you know I hade to make a hair joke).
So yeah, maybe something needed to happen after last season - although, Jeff Frazee turning pro was good enough a "something," in my opinion - but to be honest, I really don't think Lucia and his staff did that bad a job last season.
Speaking of the Garden, one of its most controversial denizens - for hockey, anyway - Sean Avery is now in his second week as an intern at Vogue. There have been a few news items about this, although the best comes from a publication that I probably won't ever link to from this blog again - Women's Wear Daily.
Personally, I wonder whether Avery's presence in New York this summer increases his chances of re-signing with the Rangers. Personally, I want him back in blue this fall. I think his presence really helps the Rangers, of course, but you don't have to be a genius to figure that out, just look at the team's record with and without him since the trade.
That said, I think Sean Avery is one of the most fascinating athletes to hit New York in some time. I mean, seriously. He's not just the guy who gets under opponents' skin. He's also the guy who challenges his teammates when they don't hold up their end (see his fight in practice with Marek MaWEAK this season). He's the guy who has significant passions outside sports (like Ricky Williams without the pot). He's the guy who transcends sports into society circles. And yes, he's the guy who takes an internship at Vogue.
In the end, though, Avery is mainly the guy that half the NHL wants to kill, because, by all accounts, he's an ass. Now, I won't deny that, having seen him breeze through a crowd of post-game autograph seekers outside the Garden, when Brendan Shanahan stopped and signed for everyone (I myself have three Shanahan autographs from this season: a ticket, my Rangers hat, and a puck from the '99 All Star Game).
All that said, though, if Sean Avery is an ass, he's like Jennifer Lopez's rear end: always attached to a beautiful woman, usually covered by something from a top designer, impossible to ignore, and a major asset to the complete package.
Ideally, I'd end things there, but I feel as if I'd ought to weigh in on the current issue surrounding Don Lucia. Patrick Reusse of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune isn't drinking the Kool-Aid when it comes to Mike Guentzel's resignation, and implies that Guentzel is gone because someone had to take the fall for Minnesota's disappointing season.
That may well be true. However, like Sean Avery and Jennifer Lopez's backside, I have to throw in a BIG "but(t)" here.
That the Gophers made the NCAA tournament this season may not impress the spoiled folks in the Twin Cities who are used to such things (I'd be thrilled for Dartmouth to have had Minnesota's season if it meant getting into the tournament, which the Big Green hasn't done since Bob Gaudet was in goal)...BUT, when you take into account that Minnesota lost a second-round pick (Ryan Stoa) in the second game of the season, lost Kyle Okposo to the pros over the Christmas break, and was without Mike Carman until after the World Juniors. making the NCAA tournament and losing to the eventual national champion is pretty darn impressive.
Can you blame Lucia for Okposo's departure? I don't think so. I think that Kyle wanted to turn pro last summer, and when he was told that he wasn't ready, he sulked being back at the U, especially with his good buddy Erik Johnson gone. If you take a look at his production in the AHL and in his late season call up to the Islanders, it suggests that Kyle's attitude was better suited to being a pro, and I'm not really sure how much Don could have done to change that.
Now, I'm not a huge Don Lucia guy. If you go back and look at my CSTV columns, you see a lot more of Red Berenson, Jack Parker, Jeff Jackson and George Gwozdecky, unless I'm specifically writing about Minnesota. All of that said, getting the Gophers to the tournament this year - especially when it involved winning a WCHA playoff series on the road - may have been his most impressive coaching job since winning his second national championship in 2003. After all, with the way Lucia is able to recruit, he usually has more difficulty getting his hair to look like that than he does making the NCAA tournament (come on, you know I hade to make a hair joke).
So yeah, maybe something needed to happen after last season - although, Jeff Frazee turning pro was good enough a "something," in my opinion - but to be honest, I really don't think Lucia and his staff did that bad a job last season.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Sioux-ner or Later
The big signing this week isn't one we haven't been expecting, as T.J. Oshie is off to join Lee Stempniak and the Blues (and yes, Lee Stempniak gets top billing from me, deal with it). Of course, Oshie was ready to go, and will bypass Peoria completely and make an instant impact with the Blues
I made a comment in my Rink Rat Rankings last season, inspired by the Soulja Boy parody Crank Dat Kosha Boy that someone needed to do something similar with T.J. and write "Crank Dat Oshie Boy." What I never mentioned was that I had the chorus of such a song kicking around in my head, but didn't like the original enough to write the whole thing. Here it is.
Oshie Boy at North DakOOOOOOta
Skating in to score a goal.
Watch him Crank Dat Oshie Boy
Right to the Frozen FOOOOUR
With the SIOUX!!!
(Crank Dat Oshie Boy)
The SIOUX!!!
(Crank Dat Oshie Boy)
With the SIOUX!!!
(Crank Dat Oshie Boy)
The SIOUX!!!
(Crank Dat Oshie Boy)
Now that he's signed, though, you'd have to change it to something like this...
Oshie Boy from North DakOOOOOOta
Skating in to score a goal.
Watch him Crank Dat Oshie Boy
And thrill St. Louis, MO!
For the BLUUUUUUUUUUUES!!!
(Crank Dat Oshie Boy)
For the BLUUUUUUUUUUUES!!!
(Crank Dat Oshie Boy)
For the BLUUUUUUUUUUUES!!!
(Crank Dat Oshie Boy)
For the BLUUUUUUUUUUUES!!!
(Crank Dat Oshie Boy)
If you're curious, I also had a Counting Crows parody about Miami's Ryan Jones that I can post, and I have the makings of a Barenaked Ladies parody about BU's Colin Wilson. If you're interested, post a comment, and I'll see what I can do.
On a more serious note, Oshie's former linemate, Ryan Duncan - also known as the only non-telemarketer ever to call me "Mr. Olshansky" - is staying at North Dakota for his senior season. Ryan has been a class act as long as I've known him, and I think he's making the right decision for his life, and quite possibly for his hockey career as well.
You can make the argument that Duncan is costing himself money in the short term, but the fact of the matter is that barring some awful injury (G-d forbid...wishes for someone's health are important enough to invoke His name), Ryan won't have much different a pro hockey career based on his decision to play this coming season at North Dakota or in the minor leagues (with respect, he's not going straight to the NHL). With that being equal, Ryan is making the right move, because the long-term value of his UND diploma outweighs the difference between his first pro contract were he to sign it now and when he signs it after the season.
Looking forward to seeing Ryan skate for the Sioux again this seeason.
I made a comment in my Rink Rat Rankings last season, inspired by the Soulja Boy parody Crank Dat Kosha Boy that someone needed to do something similar with T.J. and write "Crank Dat Oshie Boy." What I never mentioned was that I had the chorus of such a song kicking around in my head, but didn't like the original enough to write the whole thing. Here it is.
Oshie Boy at North DakOOOOOOta
Skating in to score a goal.
Watch him Crank Dat Oshie Boy
Right to the Frozen FOOOOUR
With the SIOUX!!!
(Crank Dat Oshie Boy)
The SIOUX!!!
(Crank Dat Oshie Boy)
With the SIOUX!!!
(Crank Dat Oshie Boy)
The SIOUX!!!
(Crank Dat Oshie Boy)
Now that he's signed, though, you'd have to change it to something like this...
Oshie Boy from North DakOOOOOOta
Skating in to score a goal.
Watch him Crank Dat Oshie Boy
And thrill St. Louis, MO!
For the BLUUUUUUUUUUUES!!!
(Crank Dat Oshie Boy)
For the BLUUUUUUUUUUUES!!!
(Crank Dat Oshie Boy)
For the BLUUUUUUUUUUUES!!!
(Crank Dat Oshie Boy)
For the BLUUUUUUUUUUUES!!!
(Crank Dat Oshie Boy)
If you're curious, I also had a Counting Crows parody about Miami's Ryan Jones that I can post, and I have the makings of a Barenaked Ladies parody about BU's Colin Wilson. If you're interested, post a comment, and I'll see what I can do.
On a more serious note, Oshie's former linemate, Ryan Duncan - also known as the only non-telemarketer ever to call me "Mr. Olshansky" - is staying at North Dakota for his senior season. Ryan has been a class act as long as I've known him, and I think he's making the right decision for his life, and quite possibly for his hockey career as well.
You can make the argument that Duncan is costing himself money in the short term, but the fact of the matter is that barring some awful injury (G-d forbid...wishes for someone's health are important enough to invoke His name), Ryan won't have much different a pro hockey career based on his decision to play this coming season at North Dakota or in the minor leagues (with respect, he's not going straight to the NHL). With that being equal, Ryan is making the right move, because the long-term value of his UND diploma outweighs the difference between his first pro contract were he to sign it now and when he signs it after the season.
Looking forward to seeing Ryan skate for the Sioux again this seeason.
Monday, May 12, 2008
How Would a Red Neck Go With Those Suits?
I have to confess that I haven't been watching much of the conference finals, as my new employment at an undisclosed media outlet (sorry folks, them's the rules) keeps me in the office in the evenings (I'm also becoming very well acquainted with the 24-hour New York Sports Club in the MetLife building), and I haven't checked to see if we get Versus at the office (maybe it's all that "No one can find Versus" propaganda emanating from The Mouse, but I'm not optimistic). However, the progression towards a Pittsburgh-Detroit final is cool with me.
What's also cool with me is seeing Don Cherry contributing to the Mouse. While I'm concerned that the wrong combination of suits from Don and Barry Melrose could cause a few TVs to go on the fritz, I love watching and listening to Don. Of course, he made a splash in his first ESPN appearance by calling Detroit a "redneck town" to explain why the current edition of the Red Wings isn't cleaning up at the box office. The comment didn't sit well in some quarters, but I do understand what Cherry was talking about.
I had a conversation a couple years ago with a scout from the Central Hockey League who's a regular at Princeton games. The first time I met him, we talked about Angela Ruggiero playing with her brother in the Central League, and a little bit about women's hockey in general, more specifically, why Angela's home state of Michigan has eight Division I men's programs (down to seven now, sadly) but only one women's program. The explanation given was that where folks in Minnesota appreciated the amateur/international style with its emphasis on speed, creativity, etc., folks in Michigan prefer the grittier, harder-hitting "old NHL" style. Seems to me like Don was saying the exact same thing, except that he used the word "redneck." And he may have a point.
Moving on, word is that Don Waddell has been asked to step down as GM of the Atlanta Thrashers. If this is the case, I'm sorry to see it. Don has been a great supporter of college hockey among NHL executives, with Dany Heatley being the one college player he signed early (and that Calder Trophy makes it look like that was a good move). I don't know who will take over in Atlanta, but I hope that policy is continued, and it'll be interesting to see if Don's reluctance to sign collegians before they graduate is blamed for Atlanta's lack of success. I hope not.
Finally, good luck to Sean Avery, who starts his career in publishing today as an intern at Vogue. I just want to know if he was in Crawford over the weekend, given the rumors linking him to First Daughter Barbara Bush.
What's also cool with me is seeing Don Cherry contributing to the Mouse. While I'm concerned that the wrong combination of suits from Don and Barry Melrose could cause a few TVs to go on the fritz, I love watching and listening to Don. Of course, he made a splash in his first ESPN appearance by calling Detroit a "redneck town" to explain why the current edition of the Red Wings isn't cleaning up at the box office. The comment didn't sit well in some quarters, but I do understand what Cherry was talking about.
I had a conversation a couple years ago with a scout from the Central Hockey League who's a regular at Princeton games. The first time I met him, we talked about Angela Ruggiero playing with her brother in the Central League, and a little bit about women's hockey in general, more specifically, why Angela's home state of Michigan has eight Division I men's programs (down to seven now, sadly) but only one women's program. The explanation given was that where folks in Minnesota appreciated the amateur/international style with its emphasis on speed, creativity, etc., folks in Michigan prefer the grittier, harder-hitting "old NHL" style. Seems to me like Don was saying the exact same thing, except that he used the word "redneck." And he may have a point.
Moving on, word is that Don Waddell has been asked to step down as GM of the Atlanta Thrashers. If this is the case, I'm sorry to see it. Don has been a great supporter of college hockey among NHL executives, with Dany Heatley being the one college player he signed early (and that Calder Trophy makes it look like that was a good move). I don't know who will take over in Atlanta, but I hope that policy is continued, and it'll be interesting to see if Don's reluctance to sign collegians before they graduate is blamed for Atlanta's lack of success. I hope not.
Finally, good luck to Sean Avery, who starts his career in publishing today as an intern at Vogue. I just want to know if he was in Crawford over the weekend, given the rumors linking him to First Daughter Barbara Bush.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Don't Look Back In Anger
No, this isn't a post about the Rangers' season ending, although I suppose I should say a few things about that too...let's make it quick.
- There was a reason I didn't want to see Pittsburgh in the conference semis. Of course, I also thought it would have been great for the NHL to have Pittsburgh play Washington and have Crosby vs. Ovechkin. However, Pittsburgh has an amazing array of talent, and was truly the better team. If Hossa re-signs this summer, that's going to be one scary team for a long time. Of course, that could be what's needed to elevate the level of talent in the Eastern Conference as a whole, to have teams like the Rangers, Canadiens, etc. chasing Pittsburgh. Whether or not Crosby, Malkin, Sykora, Hossa, Staal et al (heh, that rhymes) raise the Cup this year, they're the best team the East has seen in years, and will be chased in a way that no top eastern team has been chased in years. The better team truly did win.
- Now, all of that said, the fatal flaw of this Rangers team is that the best defenseman was a rookie. You could make an argument that Paul Mara was the best defenseman on the team, I suppose, but Staal is going to be a mainstay on the Rangers' blueline for years. That said, he's not quite there yet. The Rangers could really stand to shore up their blueline this offseason, and while there's going to be a spot for Bobby Sanguinetti (adios, Marek MaWeak), the Rangers need an experienced top four defenseman to balance out the youth of Staal, Sanguinetti and Dan Girardi.
- Finally, a quick note on Jarmoir Jagr. I've been very critical of him in the past, and suggested that it took the youthful energies of Sean Avery and Brandon Dubinsky to make him work. In these playoffs, and the tail end of the regular season, Jagr did more than play like an All-Star. He played like a captain, and if he can play like a captain, then I'd be more than happy to see him spend the last two years of his NHL career in New York.
Now, to the real topic of this post. I'm in my second week of my new employment, and I think that it's finally time for me to write a thing or two about my former employer.
CSTV gave me a tremendous opportunity, and you will never, ever hear me say any different. Not many people get their first job out of college as an editor on a website and wind up producing segments for television, getting opportunities as on-air talent, and getting to any number of other things that I wound up doing in three and a half years there.
More than that, though, CSTV was where I really learned to love college hockey. Covering Dartmouth hockey as a student was fun, and Thompson Arena (STUPID WOODEN BOX and all) will always be home, no matter how many Agganis Arenas and Kohl Centers and Lynah Rinks I've worked in.
However, when I was a student covering Dartmouth hockey, I only saw the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the passion and tradition that makes our college hockey community so special. CSTV gave me the chance to see the fish fly at Lynah, feel the KurtCenter pressbox shake during "The Song" at the Beanpot, try to decipher the "Seeya" chant in Yost Arena (I've read it written down, but I never remember it), learn to sing "In Heaven There Is No Beer" (and for the record, it was in Mankato, at a game against Alaska-Anchorage), and
I also got to hear George Gwozdecky come out of left field (no pun intended) to compare Adrian Veideman to Cesar Tovar, Blaise MacDonald realize that he was watching a major sporting event on TV in Hanover for the first time since the 1986 World Series (and see the Patriots lose the Super Bowl to the Giants minutes later), Jack Parker jokingly question Brandon Yip's assessment of "probably, the biggest goal of my career" after Yip scored the overtime winner against BC for the Hockey East Championship, listen to Rick Comley make a snappy comeback after Tim Kennedy unwittingly call him old, and hear Mike Eaves try to find the right words after Wisconsin won the national championship. I even grew to appreciate some of Don Lucia's posturing, insofar as he was sticking up for his players and/or his program, deserved (defending the quality of the program in the wake of Kyle Okposo's departure) or not (calling Jeff Frazee's career save percentage "good" after the Ice Breaker).
Of course, it's really about the players, and I had the opportunity to work with some really extraordinary ones, on and off the ice. Whether it was Nathan Gerbe scoring a hat trick against BU (with two shorthanded goals, no less), Chris Lawrence winning a national championship in his last game of organized hockey, Eric Ehn becoming the first Hobey Baker finalist from a service academy or Nicole Corriero expressing no regrets about choosing her Harvard education over a future with Hockey Canada, John Curry and Matt Gilroy rising from walk-ons to All-Americans or Danny King getting his one chance to play for Denver - and seriously, I could go on for quite a while - I've been privileged to get to know some tremendous players and tremendous people.
I really have two major regrets about my time at CSTV, and they're kind of tied together.
The first real regret is that when the 2007-08 season began, I had set out to see all 59 men's Division I teams. I sat down with the schedules over the summer, looked at who was playing where and when, and submitted a schedule that would allow me to see all 59 teams. Until the end of January, I was basically on pace. There were some crazy things that I was going to have to do (including taking a train to South Bend to see Notre Dame play Ferris State, then stop in Buffalo on the way back to see Canisius play RIT...and wouldn't that have been an interesting game to see?), but I could have done it.
It was also how I intended to end my time at CSTV. I was going to leave after this year anyway, and wound up starting my new job right around the time I had intended to, only that I hadn't intended to be out of work for two months. It's a silly fantasy, but I had this Willy Wonka type fantasy...you know, "I can't go on forever, and I really don't want to try." There was at least one of the students I met along the way who expressed an interest (unsolicited) in doing what I was doing, and I had hoped that he or someone else would pick up where I left off.
Of course, that's not going to happen. CSTV is now CBS College Sports, and the online presence is obviously going to be different going forward (how different, I'm just not sure). But that said, if things were working as they were, this would be a much different blog post.
I suppose it'll sound hokey, but I felt like I had a mission when I was working for CSTV. There's something a lot more personal in college sports, and having covered football, basketball, baseball, gymnastics, field hockey, lacrosse, softball and wrestling in addition to hockey while I was at CSTV, there's a spirit that transcends the individual sports that was very tied in to what I felt CSTV was all about. To me, that spirit was a big part of what drove CSTV, and to the extent that many of the wonderful people I worked with at CSTV are still there now at CBS College Sports, it will continue to be part of the renamed network. Just not in the same way.
Of course, at the end of the day, no matter how many hockey games are or aren't on CBS College Sports, or what's online, or anything else, that spirit belongs to us. And CSTV allowed me to become part of that us; it's the reason you're reading this right now. That's something I don't ever intend to lose, and it's something that CSTV gave me.
That's a lot for me to try to put into words, and I hope you'll understand why it's taken me this long.
- There was a reason I didn't want to see Pittsburgh in the conference semis. Of course, I also thought it would have been great for the NHL to have Pittsburgh play Washington and have Crosby vs. Ovechkin. However, Pittsburgh has an amazing array of talent, and was truly the better team. If Hossa re-signs this summer, that's going to be one scary team for a long time. Of course, that could be what's needed to elevate the level of talent in the Eastern Conference as a whole, to have teams like the Rangers, Canadiens, etc. chasing Pittsburgh. Whether or not Crosby, Malkin, Sykora, Hossa, Staal et al (heh, that rhymes) raise the Cup this year, they're the best team the East has seen in years, and will be chased in a way that no top eastern team has been chased in years. The better team truly did win.
- Now, all of that said, the fatal flaw of this Rangers team is that the best defenseman was a rookie. You could make an argument that Paul Mara was the best defenseman on the team, I suppose, but Staal is going to be a mainstay on the Rangers' blueline for years. That said, he's not quite there yet. The Rangers could really stand to shore up their blueline this offseason, and while there's going to be a spot for Bobby Sanguinetti (adios, Marek MaWeak), the Rangers need an experienced top four defenseman to balance out the youth of Staal, Sanguinetti and Dan Girardi.
- Finally, a quick note on Jarmoir Jagr. I've been very critical of him in the past, and suggested that it took the youthful energies of Sean Avery and Brandon Dubinsky to make him work. In these playoffs, and the tail end of the regular season, Jagr did more than play like an All-Star. He played like a captain, and if he can play like a captain, then I'd be more than happy to see him spend the last two years of his NHL career in New York.
Now, to the real topic of this post. I'm in my second week of my new employment, and I think that it's finally time for me to write a thing or two about my former employer.
CSTV gave me a tremendous opportunity, and you will never, ever hear me say any different. Not many people get their first job out of college as an editor on a website and wind up producing segments for television, getting opportunities as on-air talent, and getting to any number of other things that I wound up doing in three and a half years there.
More than that, though, CSTV was where I really learned to love college hockey. Covering Dartmouth hockey as a student was fun, and Thompson Arena (STUPID WOODEN BOX and all) will always be home, no matter how many Agganis Arenas and Kohl Centers and Lynah Rinks I've worked in.
However, when I was a student covering Dartmouth hockey, I only saw the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the passion and tradition that makes our college hockey community so special. CSTV gave me the chance to see the fish fly at Lynah, feel the KurtCenter pressbox shake during "The Song" at the Beanpot, try to decipher the "Seeya" chant in Yost Arena (I've read it written down, but I never remember it), learn to sing "In Heaven There Is No Beer" (and for the record, it was in Mankato, at a game against Alaska-Anchorage), and
I also got to hear George Gwozdecky come out of left field (no pun intended) to compare Adrian Veideman to Cesar Tovar, Blaise MacDonald realize that he was watching a major sporting event on TV in Hanover for the first time since the 1986 World Series (and see the Patriots lose the Super Bowl to the Giants minutes later), Jack Parker jokingly question Brandon Yip's assessment of "probably, the biggest goal of my career" after Yip scored the overtime winner against BC for the Hockey East Championship, listen to Rick Comley make a snappy comeback after Tim Kennedy unwittingly call him old, and hear Mike Eaves try to find the right words after Wisconsin won the national championship. I even grew to appreciate some of Don Lucia's posturing, insofar as he was sticking up for his players and/or his program, deserved (defending the quality of the program in the wake of Kyle Okposo's departure) or not (calling Jeff Frazee's career save percentage "good" after the Ice Breaker).
Of course, it's really about the players, and I had the opportunity to work with some really extraordinary ones, on and off the ice. Whether it was Nathan Gerbe scoring a hat trick against BU (with two shorthanded goals, no less), Chris Lawrence winning a national championship in his last game of organized hockey, Eric Ehn becoming the first Hobey Baker finalist from a service academy or Nicole Corriero expressing no regrets about choosing her Harvard education over a future with Hockey Canada, John Curry and Matt Gilroy rising from walk-ons to All-Americans or Danny King getting his one chance to play for Denver - and seriously, I could go on for quite a while - I've been privileged to get to know some tremendous players and tremendous people.
I really have two major regrets about my time at CSTV, and they're kind of tied together.
The first real regret is that when the 2007-08 season began, I had set out to see all 59 men's Division I teams. I sat down with the schedules over the summer, looked at who was playing where and when, and submitted a schedule that would allow me to see all 59 teams. Until the end of January, I was basically on pace. There were some crazy things that I was going to have to do (including taking a train to South Bend to see Notre Dame play Ferris State, then stop in Buffalo on the way back to see Canisius play RIT...and wouldn't that have been an interesting game to see?), but I could have done it.
It was also how I intended to end my time at CSTV. I was going to leave after this year anyway, and wound up starting my new job right around the time I had intended to, only that I hadn't intended to be out of work for two months. It's a silly fantasy, but I had this Willy Wonka type fantasy...you know, "I can't go on forever, and I really don't want to try." There was at least one of the students I met along the way who expressed an interest (unsolicited) in doing what I was doing, and I had hoped that he or someone else would pick up where I left off.
Of course, that's not going to happen. CSTV is now CBS College Sports, and the online presence is obviously going to be different going forward (how different, I'm just not sure). But that said, if things were working as they were, this would be a much different blog post.
I suppose it'll sound hokey, but I felt like I had a mission when I was working for CSTV. There's something a lot more personal in college sports, and having covered football, basketball, baseball, gymnastics, field hockey, lacrosse, softball and wrestling in addition to hockey while I was at CSTV, there's a spirit that transcends the individual sports that was very tied in to what I felt CSTV was all about. To me, that spirit was a big part of what drove CSTV, and to the extent that many of the wonderful people I worked with at CSTV are still there now at CBS College Sports, it will continue to be part of the renamed network. Just not in the same way.
Of course, at the end of the day, no matter how many hockey games are or aren't on CBS College Sports, or what's online, or anything else, that spirit belongs to us. And CSTV allowed me to become part of that us; it's the reason you're reading this right now. That's something I don't ever intend to lose, and it's something that CSTV gave me.
That's a lot for me to try to put into words, and I hope you'll understand why it's taken me this long.
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