Fallout from Sochi

The NHL stopped its season for three weeks to play what ended up being four, count em four good hockey games. It is now back but every team is in some form of disarray. Players are either tired from being in the Olympics or tired from partying on vacation. This last week of NHL game action has been choppy and backup goaltenders were used when they normally would not have been and these games count. They count in the standings which are used for seeding in the Stanley Cup playoffs. The trade deadline in this week and GMs around the league don’t know what kind of teams they have.

The Olympics handed the gold medal to Canada. The Canadians were expected to win and they did. They even brought their own officials to the games. It was like an election in Cuba. The NHL hierarchy is as childish s Russia’s Putin is if the whole reason they screw up their season is to prove Canada’s hockey supremacy.

We were told the Olympics were going to be a showcase for the game’s stars. It wasn’t. Most of the stars were shut down by stifling defensive systems. The bigger ice meant less offense not more. We were told the games were going to be awesome. Only four were. They were supposed to bring new fans. New fans? The games were on at four in the morning. Did the NHL get fans who were watching the Perfect Egg infomercial?

 The NHL played a prime time outdoor game on NBC Saturday and it was never promoted during the gold medal game even though all three goal scorers in that game were playing in the prime time game. If NBC isn’t going to help get the NHL acquire new fans why is the NHL sending its players to the Olympics, so old boy Canadians can pump their chests. It’s not a good enough reason. NHL players got injured in Socci. The NHL’s premier franchise The Detroit Red Wings, 23 straight playoff appearances, lost their Captain Henrik Zetterberg for the season. The best player in the biggest media market, Islanders John Tavares is also now out for the year. The league’s darling team the Pittsburgh Penguins lost their best defensemen Paul Martin for eight weeks after getting injured in Russia. The only team that appears to have benefited from the break is the LA Kings because they were slumping before the break now they’re on fire.  If helping a team in the number two market end a slum is reason for stopping the season for three weeks then the NHL won , I guess.