Since +/- is the NHL's worst stat, I thought it would make sense to appropriate it and make it useful as we review the best and worst of the past week in the NHL.
PLUS: A certain DFS site - who shall remain nameless because I don't do free advertising - is letting me "play a contest" on the All-Star game.
So, for $3, I now care about an All-Star game for the first time since I was eight.
Also, 3 on 3 is a pretty cool concept. But an excuse to imbibe on a Sunday? Maybe there is something to this All-Star stuff after all.
PLUS: The Coyotes being in a playoff spot at the All-Star break. I doubt it lasts - it's improbable - but I hope it does. In my third season covering them and I'd love to finally see a Playoff game.
MINUS: You should find a way to watch the interview portion of Real Time with Bill Maher this week. I don't really want to get into the topic and discussion this will entail, so watch it and then if you wanna talk about it, hit me up on Twitter.
Coupled with the return of the X Files I may actually have to become a full-fledged conspiracy theorist.
PLUS: The X-Files. I was trying to find a not-grotesquely sexual metaphor for how much I love the return of my favorite series. I was unsuccessful, so I will just say that it is good and that any bones I got from watching it were from a bet I made regarding the Skinman.
MINUS: No one will stop talking about Steve Stamkos and the Leafs. Steve Stamkos is not going to sign with the Leafs. The management of the Leafs is way too smart to give a max contract to a player who has declined quite significantly since his leg was broken.
They won't do it.
Plus, all signs point to him re-signing in Tampa.
PLUS: The return of Connor McDavid.
Best thing for the NHL.
PLUS: To the best broadcasters/writers/talking heads in the NHL: Pierre McGuire, Kelly Hrudey, Darren Pang, Elliotte Friedman, Travis Yost, Stephen Burtch, Todd Cordell and Dominic Galamini.
MINUS: Patrick Kane leading the league in scoring, possibly winning the Heart trophy. Sure, he's good at hockey, and has been convicted of no crimes, but at best, he's a creepy jerk whose success proves that people who believe in Karma might as well switch to Astrology.
PLUS: I don't like the NFL, I don't like the Super Bowl and likely won't watch it. But Coldplay at the half time show? That is comedy gold.
Like, who would ever want to combine football and Coldplay? Coldplay is to music as the show John Wayne Bobbit is to wangs.
PLUS: "Sweet 90's reference bro."
PLUS: Kanye West. His only musical peers are LCD Soundsystem, Kendrick Lamar, Vampire Weekend and Radiohead. Every time he talks or even Tweets, it is awesome.
Kanye is the best and he has a new record out February 11, depending of course on whether or not the groundhog sees his shadow on the second.
MINUS: The NHL All-Star game doesn't really have any relevance. Since the game of hockey is incredibly dangerous, it's difficult to get people to try in an exhibition game and so basically the league has to resort to gimmicks to get anyone to give a crap about it.
The NHL is, in my opinion, missing a huge opportunity. Professional sports create a grotesque amount of money for their players, teams and owners. Even teams who cry poor and claim to be losing money are a joke.
Everyday people tend to get poorer as the income gap widens. I love that pro sports is one of the only ways for a regular (possibly poor) person to become a millionaire. And I know that players do a lot of charity that they don't advertise.
But it's not enough. When the NHL tries to incentivize their exhibition corporate schmoozefest with money to the winners, it seems somewhat disgusting to me.
I think that the NHL could do more for poor people and actually give their fans an incentive to watch and care by making the All-star game all about fighting hunger. Approximately 20% of our society is poor enough that they either don't eat, miss meals or make terrible food choices based on money. The NHL could do a lot to fight this.
They could give the prize money to charity. Make the whole weekend about fighting poverty. Involve charities, organizations, get people talking etc. It would be a hell of a lot better than what seems to me like a gimmicky greedy cash crab.
And the crazy thing is, if people felt compelled to watch/participate because it would help people, the NHL would still accomplish its profit-based goals for the weekend too.
Pro Sports is a fun distraction from the harsh realities of life. But I really do believe that the leagues themselves could do a lot more to compensate for the disgusting amounts of money and greed that are involved in the games.
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