The 2013 NHL Season Thread

[Kramerica Industries]

Lets wrap a bow on this one:

[mcj882000]

Nah, it wasn't fixed. If it was, Phoenix would've gotten the #1 pick.

[Chromatic]

Good for Bryzgalov. The media is mostly filled with guys who have never put on a pair of skates in their life, so it's nice to see them reminded of that every once in a while.

Speaking as a member of the media who has covered (junior A) hockey in the past but hasn't skated for a good 20 years or so ...

Does one need to have been elected to city council to write about what's going on at city hall? Does one need to have taken basic training to write about the military? Does one need to have an MBA to write about business? Does one need to have crawled into a burning building to write about a house fire?

Then why is it different for sports?

I'll grant you that each of those experiences might give reporters a valuable measure of insight into each scenario. I'll also grant you that there are some beat writers, but mostly columnists — and beat writer vs. columnist is an important distinction that I don't think readers make often enough — at major metropolitan daily newspapers who only like to self-aggrandize and stir up, bleating something about being the voice of the common fan, and I have a particular disdain for those writers. But I assure you the vast majority of writers, regardless of whether or not they have ever put on a pair of skates in their life, are basing their stories on facts and careful observation of the game over many years.

Your perspective of everything changes when you've actually done it, especially for sports. I'm not saying their opinion is worthless, but I'd put a lot more weight in the words of someone whose played the game for at least a few years over someone whose written about it for 30 but never laced up a pair of skates.

[Lee.]

I've never played organized hockey, but I know that bryzgalov is an overpaid sieve. The "you never played" card is a facile, impotent argument that needs to be retired.

[Kevin W.]

I've never played organized hockey, but I know that bryzgalov is an overpaid sieve. The "you never played" card is a facile, impotent argument that needs to be retired.

If that argument held water, anyone who had never held elected office wouldn't be allowed to talk about politics. Therefore, it's clear the argument is horse .

[BLUELANDbeliever]

Need a laugh?