The Deadline: A Critique
Greetings all.
As of now it looks like my posts will be on Fridays, for anyone interested. It's the only time that I really have in my schedule, so for most who may be reading they can check out my blog early on Friday and there should be something new. With that point made, let's get into the meat of it for today.
Sean Brown got traded. Todd Simpson got traded. Yannick Lehoux got traded. All of this was deemed important breaking news.
It was trade deadline day in the NHL yesterday, and that means even the most insignificant roster moves got a bare minimum of ten minutes live TV time, and then countless hours of repeat time. Sure it was fun to watch an all-day marathon of coverage with some of our favorite hockey personalities in the mix, but at the end of the day did we need thirteen hours in a row of coverage? Couldn't the recap on SportsCentre or Score Tonight do the job?
As I mentioned last week, I think the deadline is far more hype than substance. There were only two trades of significance (three if you count the Roloson deal), yet networks were breaking news like they had a lead on the whereabouts of Osama Bin Laden. The tale was truly told in Phoenix, where a season's worth of trades were made without one significant alteration to the starting lineup.
I was happy that there were blockbusters out there though, particularly the Theodore trade, which I don't think anyone really thought would happen, no matter how many rumour mills you read. It was just hard to picture the Habs moving him, yet here we are. The Samsonov trade was also a nice capper to the deadline, and while I don't personally feel it's the massive super-trade many networks are suggesting it is, it was a pretty big move - especially in comparison to some of the other ones out there.
Recchi was interesting if a little unsurprising, ditto for Roloson. The Leafs' acquisition of Luke Richardson was a nice touch, but seeing Ken Klee go quickly made up for it. Willie Mitchell and Brendan Witt finally got moved, and with impressive return at that.
Overall I'll admit I was wrong - there was a firestorm of action and I did not anticipate it. However there is absolutely no excitement in watching draft picks or minor-league talent exchanged, so on that front I will say that I am pretty disappointed.
I give the deadline a C+...good, not great. They went for quantity, not quality, and as a result there were many trade junkies who were unimpressed by 3PM EST.
Check 'End to End' at Spector's Hockey on Monday for a more indepth look at the deadline, which will include a 'Good, Bad, and Ugly' for Deadline 2006.
For now I'm off, thanks for reading. The Opinion Blog of Matthew Ryder
As of now it looks like my posts will be on Fridays, for anyone interested. It's the only time that I really have in my schedule, so for most who may be reading they can check out my blog early on Friday and there should be something new. With that point made, let's get into the meat of it for today.
Sean Brown got traded. Todd Simpson got traded. Yannick Lehoux got traded. All of this was deemed important breaking news.
It was trade deadline day in the NHL yesterday, and that means even the most insignificant roster moves got a bare minimum of ten minutes live TV time, and then countless hours of repeat time. Sure it was fun to watch an all-day marathon of coverage with some of our favorite hockey personalities in the mix, but at the end of the day did we need thirteen hours in a row of coverage? Couldn't the recap on SportsCentre or Score Tonight do the job?
As I mentioned last week, I think the deadline is far more hype than substance. There were only two trades of significance (three if you count the Roloson deal), yet networks were breaking news like they had a lead on the whereabouts of Osama Bin Laden. The tale was truly told in Phoenix, where a season's worth of trades were made without one significant alteration to the starting lineup.
I was happy that there were blockbusters out there though, particularly the Theodore trade, which I don't think anyone really thought would happen, no matter how many rumour mills you read. It was just hard to picture the Habs moving him, yet here we are. The Samsonov trade was also a nice capper to the deadline, and while I don't personally feel it's the massive super-trade many networks are suggesting it is, it was a pretty big move - especially in comparison to some of the other ones out there.
Recchi was interesting if a little unsurprising, ditto for Roloson. The Leafs' acquisition of Luke Richardson was a nice touch, but seeing Ken Klee go quickly made up for it. Willie Mitchell and Brendan Witt finally got moved, and with impressive return at that.
Overall I'll admit I was wrong - there was a firestorm of action and I did not anticipate it. However there is absolutely no excitement in watching draft picks or minor-league talent exchanged, so on that front I will say that I am pretty disappointed.
I give the deadline a C+...good, not great. They went for quantity, not quality, and as a result there were many trade junkies who were unimpressed by 3PM EST.
Check 'End to End' at Spector's Hockey on Monday for a more indepth look at the deadline, which will include a 'Good, Bad, and Ugly' for Deadline 2006.
For now I'm off, thanks for reading. The Opinion Blog of Matthew Ryder
posted by Matthew Ryder at 5:43 AM
3 Comments:
I suppose the recap would do the trick, but for true hockey fans its much more exciting hearing the breaking news, and rumors about what might happen.
I really did not have an issue with the deadline.
I thought Samsonov was pretty big, Theodore was huge. Two big deals is fine, then there were many interesting, pretty impact moves as well. Of course there is always going to be the minor ones.
it was definitely quantity not quality.
this many deals this year, imagine how many next yr with gms more familiar with the cap.
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