Kukla's Korner Hockey
Friedman on early-season jitters
by George Malik on 10/18/17 at 11:18 AM ET
Comments (2)
Among Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman's "30 Thoughts":
There’s a GM who has one of the best lines I’ve ever heard about life in sports: “There are only two moods — winning and hell.”
In conversations over the last week, one theme stood out: This league is tense.
“Well, it’s always tense,” one executive laughed. “But even more than normal for this early.”
Various coaches, players, execs and media said they could see it in places like Arizona (winless after some good summer moves), Boston (injuries and a slow start, despite talented young players), Minnesota (injuries and expectation), Montreal (losses and intense local pressure), New York Rangers (roster in transition), Vancouver (attendance), Washington (organizational pressure) and Winnipeg (rough start before three straight wins).
Watching the Rangers’ last two games, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Alain Vigneault look so stressed. Until their young prospects — Lias Andersson and Filip Chytil — are ready, they’ll be thin at centre. And in the Metropolitan division, it’s very hard to win like that as Pittsburgh proved on Tuesday night.
I’m sure it’s similar in other sports, but one of the biggest changes over the years is the decrease in early-season optimism. It used to last 10 games. Not anymore. I’m not one to complain about the stresses of my job; I always think of Hyman Roth in Godfather II: “This is the business we’ve chosen.”
But pro sports takes its toll, and you can already see it.
Friedman continues at length...
Filed in: | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: boston+bruins,
minnesota+wild,
montreal+canadiens,
new+york+rangers,
phoenix+coyotes,
washington+capitals,
winnipeg+jets
Comments
Add a Comment
Please limit embedded image or media size to 575 pixels wide.
Add your own avatar by joining Kukla's Korner, or logging in and uploading one in your member control panel.
Captchas bug you? Join KK or log in and you won't have to bother.
Most Recent Blog Posts
More Patience Requested In Vancouver
Videos- You Make The Call, Tom Wilson Hit On Brandon Carlo
Schedule Set For The IIHF Under-18 Men’s World Championship
Brent Seabrook Announces His Retirement
The Benching Of Mika Zibanejad
About Kukla's Korner Hockey
Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.
From breaking news to in-depth stories around the league, KK Hockey is updated with fresh stories all day long and will bring you the latest news as quickly as possible.
Email Paul anytime at pk@kuklaskorner.com
31, pardner
Posted by The Meal from Firestone, CO on 10/18/17 at 12:03 PM ET