Making Sense of the NHL's Supplementary Discipline System
Graphic Comments
March 27 2013 09:28AM
Want to make sense of the NHL's decision making process for handing out suspensions? Start by adjusting your quaint expectations about the application of logic, consistency or fairness.
The NHL is, after all, in the entertainment business. And you wouldn't go into the latest installment of GI Joe and quibble over the contrived plot, right? No, you'll check your senses at the door and enjoy the improbable physics of the action sequences intersperced with wooden dialogue, while stuffing yourself with two days worth of sugar and salt that you paid $15 for.
What does this have to do with the NHL's discipline system? Well, it's pretty clear that the only way to make any sort of sense of it, is to suspend your disbelief and just accept it, no matter how absurd it might actually be seem. As the Wikipedia entry on 'suspension of disbelief' makes clear, the onus is on you to make sense of the decisions, rather than on the NHL to make decisions that make sense:
The phrase "suspension of disbelief" came to be used more loosely in the later 20th century, often used to imply that the burden was on the reader, rather than the writer, to achieve it.
And, if you're not willing to suspend your disbelief, you might as well give up any form of entertainment and spend your time on the internet pointing out the plot holes in movies like Toy Story 3. I'll give you a head start: IT'S A CARTOON, FOR #@$%#'s SAKE!!!
Dead Man Coaching
Graphic Comments
March 16 2013 10:23AM
It's surely only a matter of time.
Sure, the Canucks have managed to string a couple of wins together, but for the fervent miltitude of Canucks fans who seem content only in complaining, Alain Vigneault has got to go. For this angry mob of judge, jury and would-be executioners, Alain Vigneault is the one thing holding this team back from competing for the Cup. I guess I forgot that he played the right side on defense. The fact he hasn't inserted himself in the line-up is just another example of his poor personnel decisions, to go with his poor record on strategic innovation and a poor in-game tactics.
For these heinous crimes against humanity inanity, he sits on death row, waiting for the inevitable day of reckoning. It doesn't help that any time the chants to #fireAV start up, Vigneault can be heard muttering, "Let them eat throat lozenges."
So while Vigneault may have won himself a short reprieve, you can be sure that a full pardon from the Governor won't be coming any time soon. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, just picture Tony Gallagher with an eye patch.
Never Change, NW Division. Never Change.
Graphic Comments
March 05 2013 10:44AM
Wow. There really is no middle ground in the Northwest Division, is there?
Whether it's in the standings, with the Canucks pretty much feasting on the talent starved rest of the division, or in the front offices, where you could never accuse any of the GMs of being underfed, but sometimes it sure seems like they've starved their brains of oxygen.
That's right: it's feast or famine in the Northwest. (Yeah, I went there. Deal with it.)
This last week was no exception...
Was Scott Howson A Bad GM? Well, Is the Pope Catholic?
Graphic Comments
February 15 2013 01:50PM
Looks like there's a couple of struggling organizations looking for new leadership this week.
However, unlike Scott Howson, the Pope wasn't fired but chose to retire voluntarily. Mind you, it would be pretty tough to fire the Pope for cause, what with the whole "Papal infallibility" and all. That's not something you could ever accuse Scott Howson of. His record of abject fallibility is about as long as the Pope's hat is tall. As the headline to @CamCharron's piece over at Puck Daddy put it, "Blue Jackets part ways with GM Scott Howson, probably because of all the losing."
Indeed.
Anyway, all this talk about the Pope got me thinking about how long it's been since I went to confession...
The Worst Lead In Hockey
Graphic Comments
February 04 2013 08:32AM
The good news is the Canucks have had a 2-0 lead in five of their first eight games, and a one goal lead in two others. The bad news is they've given away 8 points to conference opponents in those games.
That being said, the Canucks are off to the best start in years. And so is Luongo. As I said last time, try and remember that the calendar is meaningless. Forget that it's January and just pretend that it's October.
The Canucks' start feels way better now, doesn't it?
Now don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting there is nothing to worry about in Canucksville. In fact, there are always plenty of concerns. The last time I completely gave on my pessimism, they were up 2-0 in the Stanley Cup Final. And we know how that turned out...
