Yeah, I was similar. Involved in many other sports, especially soccer, in which I excelled. I was generally accustomed to being that kid who was best at most sports among his age group. Not baseball, no sir. I froze like a deer in the headlights. Something about being that lonely kid at the plate with everyone looking…

If you're just a small-time beat writer for a local paper he can shut you out just like politicians do to reporters. If you're not getting quotes maybe your employer decides you're not able to do your job. Getting punched would be better, a la Jim Rome, than just being shut out by an organization. It's obviously on a…

A chance? Certainly. Are they favorites or is it even a pick 'em? No. They are clear underdogs. The Penguins top 3 lines are ridiculous and it's not something you'd expect to see in the cap era. They were already the most blessed team in terms of their top two lines, with Crosby and Malkin as centers — who in turn…

As just an impartial observer I would think losing to an arch-rival is worse. Particularly because the Red Wings are moving East next season so this truly will be the last chapter written in the storied Blackhawks/Red Wings rivalry unless the two ever meet in the Stanley Cup finals.

You think? I was watching the Blackhawks/Red Wings games earlier. There was a great moment after I think the Hawks 2nd goal where it zoomed in on the crowd and a lady issued a very belligerent and enthusiastic "fuck you!" to the Red Wings. I hope Deadspin finds it because it was clear as hell on broadcast TV.

When you think about it, ice hockey must be a hell of a live spectator sport. I kinda wouldn't know as I live nowhere near a professional franchise. But when you think about how little first-hand experience fans who crowd arenas have with actually being on skates and playing a competitive game of ice hockey, it's kind…

Hossa's sweater number is 81 so she had that one correct too. It definitely wasn't a "fuck it" sort of thing. She should have received bonus points.

That was a terrible roughing call. What Keith did was minor and then he turned around and the Red Wings player nearly dumped him on his head with a push from behind. Personally, I think both are just playoff jostling, but to call Keith and not the other guy at that point in the hockey game was criminal on the part of…

You obviously know the situation better than me. I mean, if he creepily belabored the point about kidnapping then I'm entirely with you. I'm just saying that if a girl even jokes about me kidnapping/raping/murdering her when I meet her I'm probably going to become defensive. It's not something I'd easily drop. I…

As probably the lone dude to reply to this thread, I completely get and encourage you trusting your instincts, but a small part of me thinks you kinda started it. He reacted badly(maybe, I don't know the full story) but the date may have been entirely different had you not said it.

It's a special kind of whiner who complains about powerplays that <i>weren't</i> awarded. Did you keep a pen and a pad in hand to document them all? Particularly when that team still had more powerplays than the other team, and blew a 3 goal lead in the final 10 minutes while the other team failed to register a single…

Double post for some reason. I apologize. No idea why. I didn't double click or anything.

Yeah, I have few followers too. Mostly I use it as a news feed although once in a blue moon if I think of something particularly clever it'd be nice to have an audience. I honestly think age is a huge factor in how many followers ordinary people have. For the under 25 crowd most of their friends are on Twitter. If…

So, no one should be allowed to hit a player with the puck if he has his head down — is that what you're suggesting? They should keep their heads down more often, then. Free pass to skate up the ice unimpeded. You speak as though this is the first time anyone's ever heard of something called a "suicide pass". They…

I don't know. When you see that angle at 0:54, which seems pretty damn clear, it doesn't even look like Gryba catches his head. I have no explanation for why Eller didn't protect himself when he hit the ice. I'm sure he had the air completely knocked out of him and probably didn't know up from down he was taken so…

Don't get me wrong, I know Cherry's record and he's almost certainly sexist, but in this case I just don't think he made that leap, that equivocation, of "they don't need to be naked when these interviews happen".

It doesn't have to be a public space when they're in states of undress. That's clearly the solution and why Cherry was wrong. It's what Maclean tried to argue. Have protocol in place so that reporters enter when players are 'decent', as they say. Issue solved. But the modesty argument is no more sexist applied to…

Not necessarily. I have no doubt Don Cherry is sexist, mind you. He tends to be pretty -ist no matter what word precedes it. In this case, however, he was saying opposite gender reporters shouldn't be in either male or female locker rooms. His reasoning was it made players in various states of undress uncomfortable.…

I get your point that she or anyone is entitled to criticize something they may not have experienced personally. In this case, however, he was being coyly asked about it and expected to reply on the spot. Was he supposed to show deference? She wasn't writing about it. She was asking him. Pro athletes never cop to a…

That's a terrible paraphrase, and you're perspective on this is very simplistic. He should hang. He's a trove of information. Not just on a specific plot or who their contacts were, but the psychology of his participation.