This NHL Mailbag was compiled on an (observed) holiday, so it’s possible many of the people that posited questions were doubly hung over from New Year’s Eve. In an effort to appease all customers, I have answered every question received, making the effort of the exhausted people on Twitter worth it. Why wasn’t Tom Wilson suspended for murdering John Moore? Will Vegas get an outdoor game? Let’s play 20 Questions. Let’s mailbag.
1. Sticking It
Am I the only person rooting for weather to ruin the Winter Classic to stick it to Bettman?
— Jared Moore (@MrJaredMoore) January 2, 2017
No. Many people do not like Gary Bettman and that sometimes manifests itself in the form of hoping for negative outcomes in his life.
2. Playoffs
https://twitter.com/NefCanuck/status/815981607140081664
The Red Wings aren’t making the playoffs. The Leafs probably aren’t, but they’ve got a real shot. I’d be surprised if Detroit made a run, but not if Toronto got there. They’re good and young.
3. Vegas Heat
https://twitter.com/a_dawson9/status/815981442773684225
No.
Well, no, with one caveat: Do the Blackhawks want to play Vegas in an outdoor game? If yes, then yes.
4. Strong Armed
https://twitter.com/thewall85/status/815975257299386368
Yes. The rink is a great distance from the closest seats, so the hats would not reach the inside of the rink. Even if someone with a very strong arm tried, the weight and physics involved in throwing such a light object would prevent the headwear from reaching the playing surface.
5. Evgeni Mal-scoring-kin-g
Malkin is leading the league in points, can he sustain and finish in the top 5? The way Crosby is playing, doubt any chance of ❤️🏆
— Matt Poirier (@mpoir057) January 2, 2017
Of course. Evgeni Malkin is very good at hockey. Sidney Crosby is better and scoring at a much higher rate, so if each player continues at his current pace, you have to like Crosby’s chances of winning the scoring title. But each player could have fluctuations in scoring. Crosby could miss time with an injury. Life is full of possibilities and Malkin winning the scoring title is one of them.
6. Feeling contented
are articles and posts about fans and fanbases perfect examples of #content?
— WB Yeets (@sgoodspeed19) January 2, 2017
Yes. As Benjamin Franklin once wrote, “We are all content, eligible to be consumed by a mass audience on various platforms with the help of key influencers designed to attract casuals to your base… now where’s my kite?” Your tweet is content. This mailbag is content. We are living in a content world and I am a content… girl. Or boy. Whatever.
7. Cold Bruin
Do the bruins *really* have a chance to make the playoffs and if they do could they escape the 1st round
— Captain St. Patrice (@Bergy_37) January 2, 2017
I think they’re good enough to win two rounds and bad enough to finish just short of the playoffs again. They did this last year, so it’s easy to be nervous, but I think the three best teams in the Atlantic are Montreal, Tampa Bay and Boston, but I also think the three best Friends are Joey, Phoebe and Monica. Maybe I’m wrong. Some people like Ross (Florida Panthers).
8. Prospect Respect
does any team overvalue its homegrown veterans more and it's prospects less than the Red Wings. Diminishing returns since cap era.
— WB Yeets (@sgoodspeed19) January 2, 2017
I have no idea. To answer this, I would need to study the development and managerial strategies for the other 29 teams over the past 10 years or so and draw a conclusion based on the patterns I discovered. But really, I’m writing this in between trips to my toilet because I had some chicken kebab last night that’s tearing me apart like Natalie Portman’s love for Anakin in Revenge of the Sith.
9. What?
https://twitter.com/JulieDiCaro/status/816010771587104771
How did you know I mentioned my uncomfortable bowel movements in the previous questions? Was that too much information? Or was the Star Wars prequel reference incorrect? Look, I’m sorry, OK? Uh oh. My stomach is rumbling again. BRB.
10. People Call Me…
https://twitter.com/allan5oh/status/815973075476955136
Detroit Pistons coach Maurice Cheeks was fired in 2014. Please do your best to stay abreast of current events so we can avoid questions like this in the future. Thank you.
11. Eat This
have you ever had these? They are awesome from the fridge pic.twitter.com/jPArtldu8W
— Dean Weir (@deaninktown) January 2, 2017
This looks great, but it also looks suspiciously Canadian, so I’ll pass. I’ve been burned too many times by subpar Canadian candies that I won’t go through it again. Smarties in Canada are not Smarties in America. Fool me once, shame on Canada. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me three times, Canada apologizes for the misunderstanding.
12. Wherever I Jarome
where does Jarome Iginla finish his career?
— kris knesis (@KrisKnesis) January 2, 2017
In the NHL. I’m confident in this answer. Take it to the bank.
13. Annoying Fan
@davelozo were Red Wings fans as annoying in 97 to 08 as the Blackhawks fans are now?
— Joe Jackson (@joe_in_Durham) January 2, 2017
You won’t believe this, but I did not keep tabs on personalities of Red Wings fans over a 12-year period from 1997 to 2008, nor have I done sociological studies on Blackhawks fans today. And really, my opinion on this, even if I had done the research, would be subjective and thus not worth discussing. If you’d like to fund this project, hit my PayPal account with a million dollars by the close of business this Friday.
14. Outside
https://twitter.com/JoeSalvato/status/815970472668041216
Two — one in Canada, one in the United States, neither involving the Chicago Blackhawks.
15. More Outdoor
https://twitter.com/Edrosenbruins/status/816010735096659969
Neither! Wait, if Florida becomes Quebec, and Quebec gets an outdoor game, does that count as an outdoor game for Florida? If yes, then Florida. This also applies to Florida relocating to Seattle too. I’ll take Florida either way.
16. Devils Details
Can you just write something up to remind some Devils fans that they are in a rebuild and Hynes/Shero/Cory should NOT go
— Mitchell (@mseninsk25) January 2, 2017
John Hynes is good. Cory Schneider is good. Ray Shero is not. And I understand he was left with the roster in shambles after years of Lou Lamoriello’s latter-day ineptitude, but Shero got the Penguins off-track when they were a can’t-miss team, so I’m not going to defend him. The Devils are a long way from being really good again.
17. Fight On
how long and at what level (juniors, intl pro, etc) do you need to have played hockey in order to have an opinion about fighting?
— WWWilliam Rehnquist (@williamrehnquis) January 2, 2017
The rules are simple:
- Play at least one game in a major professional league that has fighting
- Be the first person to say, “Have you ever played the game?” even if you, the asker, have never played the game
Both items give you the high ground to tell someone to spend time in a pro locker room before you say something about banning fighting, even if you yourself have only played in a beer league you take too seriously.
18. Wilson!
Probably biased because it happened right in front of me, but how does Tom Wilson not even get a hearing for the Moore hit?
— Scott Aefsky (@aefskysa) January 2, 2017
If you’re not suspending a hit like that, you may as well disband Player Safety and rebuild it from the ground up. John Moore’s numbers are facing Wilson from the moment he decides to deliver the hit, then he delivers said hit through Moore’s back. There’s nothing “routine” about leaning into a player like that with all your weight.
Wilson didn’t clip Moore’s shoulder while he was turning. He hit him with full force from behind. It’s insane that didn’t result in a one-game suspension, at least.
19. Squad Goalies
https://twitter.com/stilettoedsam/status/816010937282854912
It’s amazing how badly the Islanders screwed up their three-goaltender situation. There were teams that needed goaltending in the offseason and instead went with the untenable three-man rotation before getting zilch in return for Jaroslav Halak, who had value in the summer. The Islanders are a mess. Save John Tavares, someone. Work something out with Dallas. For Halak, not Tavares.
20. In And Out
https://twitter.com/SynonymForWet/status/816010944694337538
Whenever the Blackhawks play an indoor game now, it’s like the scene from Man of Steel when General Zod and his Fighting Zods get their bad CGI masks cracked during an Earth battle and become all disoriented. They need to slowly acclimate to the strange surroundings.
https://youtu.be/JWmIL4cBFyA
OK, that’s it. See ya.