🏒 Let’s call a spade a spade. The NHL Entry Draft television show was an embarrassment to the sport. It was only fitting that the NHL’s own little elf, Gary Bettman, delivered an on-camera performance that was every bit as cringeworthy. This was a textbook case of, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
We’re now expected to believe that the same NHL teams that throw—and often waste—millions of dollars at players like they’re handing out candy can no longer afford to fly their executives and scouts to the host city. Expansion franchises now sell for several billion dollars, but suddenly hotel rooms and airfare are too expensive?
🏒 Based on the latest acquisitions by the Florida Panthers (Brady Tkachuk, Garnet Hathaway), we can safely assume the NHL does not limit how many idiots an individual team can employ. It should be fun to watch the Tkachuk clowns try to out-stupid each other. While many insist the Panthers are once again a major contender, their overall team speed just got even slower. One thing Papa Tkachuk didn’t spend a lot of money on when his kids were young…was skating lessons.
🏒 Apparently, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have taken over Stan Bowman’s GM duties and installed Mike Babcock as the new bench boss. It doesn’t make the Oilers a better hockey team. But it does upgrade their position on the NHL’s Most Hated Teams list. Significantly.
🏒 The San Jose Sharks selected seven-foot-one, 280-pound defenceman Alexander Karmanov in the seventh round (201st overall) of the NHL Draft on Saturday. We’re a wee bit surprised that the Toronto Maple Leafs opted to pass on this rather tall gamble. If he didn’t pan out, they could have sent him down the hallway to the Raptors’ dressing room.
🏒 Many hockey experts believe the goaltender is the most important player on the team. And yet, they generally get drafted just before the arena’s cleaning crew begins to fold up the chairs. It’s like waiting until the final hour to draft your starting quarterback.
🏒 The Calgary Flames used the 65th-overall selection to select forward Joe Iginla, son of Hall of Famer Jarome Iginla, who spent 16 years with the Flames and is now special adviser to GM Craig Conroy. From Sportsnet: Joe was asked for his dad’s reaction to the pick on Saturday. “The first thing he said was that he had nothing to do with that.”
Um… sure, let’s go with that then.
Not to be outdone, the Vancouver Canucks selected Caleb Malhotra (3rd overall), son of newly hired coach Manny Malhotra. “I’m only wearing my dad’s hat tonight,” said the coach. We’ll know the “dad hat” is off when Mom starts demanding more power-play time for her son.
🏒 Many self-proclaimed hockey experts in the media have already handed the Stanley Cup to the San Jose Sharks for the next decade. Perhaps they should wait until the Sharks have actually played a playoff game? Just a thought.
