🏒 The Toronto Sun’s veteran columnist Steve Simmons—a narcissistic showboat—recently admitted that he doesn’t care whether people like him or hate him as long as they’re reading him. Over the years, Simmons has built a reputation for cheap shots, personal attacks, and attention-seeking columns designed to generate more clicks. Surely, he must realize that most readers aren’t showing up because they admire the act. They’re showing up for the same reason people slow down to stare at a train wreck. And when it comes to being a decent human being, Simmons is a complete train wreck.
🏒 The Florida Panthers won back-to-back Stanley Cups by applying relentless pressure on opponents. And now, the Carolina Hurricanes have racked up a 12-1 playoff record following the exact same script. Should the Canes defeat the controversial Las Vegas Cheaters in the upcoming finals, look for many in the copycat league to abandon the recent “we need more size” trend for the flavour-of-the-month “we need more speed” trend.
🏒 We continue to laugh every time we hear a writer, talking head, or podcaster described as a “hockey insider.” Just recently, TSN’s Darren Dreger assured his followers that Craig Berube would be back behind the Maple Leafs bench next season. Not true. Not to be outdone, The Athletic’s Chris Johnston reported that Auston Matthews was unhappy and unlikely to return to Toronto in the fall. Also, not true. More recently, hockey insiders and reporters were busy dissecting the Maple Leafs’ alleged interest in former Edmonton coach Jay Woodcroft. One small problem: he wasn’t interviewed and never will be. Several insiders also reported on the Leafs’ negotiations with coaching candidate David Carle (University of Denver), only to later admit that the two sides had never even met. Nor will they. One headline hilariously described the revelation as an “unexpected turn.” Oh, please… stop it! This has nothing to do with journalism and everything to do with being first. In today’s media world, getting a story right is apparently less important than posting it 30 seconds before everyone else. As if any of us would notice. Or even care.
🏒 It seems appropriate that current Montreal Canadiens coach, Martin St. Louis, will one day be announced as the new coach of the St. Louis Blues.
🏒 It didn’t take long for disgruntled Montreal supporters to blame St. Louis for refusing to “get out the blender” and juggle his lineup during Carolina’s total domination of the Canadiens. How times have changed. Back in the days of “Iron Mike” Keenan, line combinations were considered temporary suggestions. If he didn’t like what he saw, the Keenan blender would be fired up before fans had barely settled into their seats.
🏒 Let’s be honest. Who knew that Norway had a national hockey team, let alone one capable of beating a team of Canadian NHLers in Switzerland this past weekend? Who’s next? Jamaica? Iran? Liechtenstein?
🏒 How odd that Carter Hart tends goal for a Las Vegas franchise that is well known for being ruthless and having no heart at all—a fact that makes the John Tortorella hiring totally appropriate.
🏒 Equally odd—and incredibly shocking—is the fact that one of the NHL’s most famous playoff performers, Claude Lemieux, a player who would never quit, opted to quit for good during this year’s playoffs. All one needs to do is watch the vicious highlights from Lemieux’s combative history in the NHL to confirm that Gary Bettman’s self-serving CTE claims need a rethink.
🏒 Truth be told, it was the Montreal Canadiens bottom-six forwards that made all the difference in their lengthy playoff run this spring. Their top guns (Suzuki, Caufield, Hutson, Slafkovsky, Demidov) had their moments but were mostly “meh” And now, all the talk is about strengthening their bottom-six. Huh? Apparently, many believe the team’s top unit will continue to get better and better. Why? What if this as good as they get?
