players_bio
A few weeks back in this newsletter, the mention of legendary NFL reporter Peter King's new book served as a springboard to reminisce about what many consider the golden era of internet sportswriting in the late 1990s and early 2000s. King's fans will recall that a standout feature of his Monday Morning Quarterback column for Sports Illustrated's website was the '10 Things I Think I Think' segment, where he mixed reporting with opinions and observations on football and beyond. That gimmick, both informative and entertaining, became highly influential in sports media, with numerous writers adopting their own versions over the years.
Now, it's time to borrow a page from King's playbook. There are always a bunch of random thoughts and takes on the sports world swirling around, and putting them down in the newsletter from time to time seems like a fun idea. So here are three things I think:
1. The NHL's player-empowerment era isn't all it's cracked up to be
In today's more player-friendly media landscape, shaming someone for wanting to go elsewhere, contract be damned, is no longer acceptable. However, there's a cost to the recent NBA-ification of the NHL, and right now Canadian fans seem to be the ones mostly footing the bill. Over the past year, American stars Quinn Hughes (Vancouver), Brady Tkachuk (Ottawa), and most recently Connor Hellebuyck (Winnipeg) have triggered trades from their Canadian-based teams by expressing a desire to move on. Each player still had more than a year left on his contract, and Hellebuyck had five. Tkachuk and Hellebuyck negotiated their exits.
Originally reported by players_bio.