Sportsnet Elliotte Friedman's " 31 Thoughts " Column ( December 18th - 2019 )

BostonBob

4 Ever The Greatest
Jan 26, 2004
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6,570
Vancouver, BC
First column of the new season and he even managed to squeeze in a few Bruin tidbits:


9. The Boston Globe’s Kevin Paul Dupont reported last week that Jeremy Jacobs signed ownership of the Bruins to his six children. That doesn’t mean his influence will wane. Jacobs remains chairman of the NHL’s Board of Governors.




21. Unrestricted free-agent-to-be Torey Krug on whether he’s concerned about the lack of contract talks with the Bruins: “I wouldn’t say concerned…. would say just interested to see what is going to happen. It’s my future. It’s going to affect my family, where they live. It’s going to affect my kids, where they go to school…. It affects a lot things. Not concerned, just curious to see what is going to happen.”

22. At the recent basketball World Cup tournament in China, Canada’s Melvin Ejim watched via FaceTime as wife Samantha gave birth to their second son. Krug came close to a similar experience during last year’s Stanley Cup Final. Wife Melanie gave birth to the couple’s first child four days after Game 7. What would he have done?
“We had discussed the implications of that,” he laughed. “Being our first child, labour is typically a little longer than normal. She had given me the green light to play in any game if it happened in the morning of the game or something — ‘Go ahead and play and get your ass back here before the baby comes!’ I’m very thankful and glad it worked out the way that it did. Unbelievable experience — leaves you speechless to be honest.”

23. It was noticeable how hard Buffalo and Boston prospects went after Jack Hughes in their rookie games. A preview of what he will deal with this season.



Full column here: www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/31-thoughts-tense-rfa-waiting-game-hits-final-stages/
 

BruinsBtn

Registered User
Dec 24, 2006
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I watched the games, no one was going after Hughes. Before the fight he got bumped into the ref and everyone fell down and the NJ player over-reacted.

It doesn't make sense that anyone would be going after Hughes. Guys were trying to make an impression and get noticed. This isn't 1995, you don't do that by cheap-shooting a star.
 
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SoldiersOfFilth

Hamildone with Neely
Dec 28, 2013
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i think he meant forecheck, backcheck, paycheck
I watched the games, no one was going after Hughes. Before the fight he got bumped into the ref and everyone fell down and the NJ player over-reacted.

It doesn't make sense that anyone would be going after Hughes. Guys were trying to make an impression and get noticed. This isn't 1995, you don't do that by cheap-shooting a star.
 

DKH

The Bergeron of HF
Feb 27, 2002
73,961
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31. Theo Epstein back to the Red Sox. Calling it right here.
Cubs could miss BUT

Theo plan since a young lad was

1. He runs baseball ops
2. Childhood friend Sam Kennedy runs business side

Well there yah go

3. Entire home grown lineup

1B - Chavis/Casas
2B - Hernandez/Chavis
SS - Bogearts
3B - Devers
OF - Benintendi
OF - JBJ
OF - Betts
C - Vazquez

Theo drafted and signed Betts and said last year during WS that was his guy he wanted

He’s also at odds with Cubs business side

I’m in
 
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Fenway

HF Bookie and Bruins Historian
Sponsor
Sep 26, 2007
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Cambridge, MA
Cubs could miss BUT

Theo plan since a young lad was

1. He runs baseball ops
2. Childhood friend Sam Kennedy runs business side

Well there yah go

3. Entire home grown lineup

1B - Chavis/Casas
2B - Hernandez/Chavis
SS - Bogearts
3B - Devers
OF - Benintendi
OF - JBJ
OF - Betts
C - Vazquez

Theo drafted and signed Betts and said last year during WS that was his guy he wanted

He’s also at odds with Cubs business side

I’m in

Theo was not pleased when the Cubs chose Sinclair Broadcasting to run their new channel.
 
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TCB

Registered User
Dec 15, 2017
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Once again there is no Bruin news but it's still a pretty good read: www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/31-thoughts-opening-night-promises-intrigue-fireworks/

I find this rule pretty puzzling, mainly because there will be a lot of Home-Town discounts going on.

26. I have heard coaches complain before that their face-off stats are different than the NHL’s, and for the first time, I understand why. According to the league’s guidebook, a face-off win occurs “when the actions of the centre result in his team gaining possession of the puck following puck-drop, or when the face-off centre clearly causes the puck, with or without retaining possession, to travel in an intended direction.”
So, if Patrice Bergeron cleanly wins a draw, but the opposing winger beats his teammate to it, that still goes down as a win for Bergeron. (It has to be a clean win for this to occur.) Some insider/panelist I am, because I didn’t realize this was the case. There are teams who don’t count it that way, but, to this point, none of them has been able to change the guidelines. If you’re scoring at home, you now know who to give that victory to.
 

RustyBruins72

Registered User
Jul 29, 2005
4,791
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The amount of Leaf love this week is kind of sickening. Friedman even manages to squeeze in a compliment about the Leafs ( " super-smart Tavares " ) when describing a John Carlson goal. And no - there is nothing about the Bruins this week.....again. :thumbd:

www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/31-thoughts-pressure-mounting-toronto-maple-leafs/?shawct=1

Bob. Check out my comments if you can sift through. I asked Elliotte if he ignored the Bruins on purpose. He said the fans don't generate the hits that other teams (he compared us to Jet fans) do so that's why no Bruin news. I called him on that and said, "So Blue Jackets, Panthers and Wild fans click and comment on more stories so you include those teams in your article?" He didn't respond.

I'm the same name on there, RustyBruins72.
 

BostonBob

4 Ever The Greatest
Jan 26, 2004
13,617
6,570
Vancouver, BC
Bob. Check out my comments if you can sift through. I asked Elliotte if he ignored the Bruins on purpose. He said the fans don't generate the hits that other teams (he compared us to Jet fans) do so that's why no Bruin news. I called him on that and said, "So Blue Jackets, Panthers and Wild fans click and comment on more stories so you include those teams in your article?" He didn't respond.

I'm the same name on there, RustyBruins72.

I'll definitely check that out. So it sounds like Friedman is using the same logic as a lot of the Leafs on HFBoards use - we're the most popular team ( you know - Center of the Hockey Universe blah blah blah ) so that's why there are so many threads / posts about the Leafs. :shakehead
 
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BostonBob

4 Ever The Greatest
Jan 26, 2004
13,617
6,570
Vancouver, BC
Bob. Check out my comments if you can sift through. I asked Elliotte if he ignored the Bruins on purpose. He said the fans don't generate the hits that other teams (he compared us to Jet fans) do so that's why no Bruin news. I called him on that and said, "So Blue Jackets, Panthers and Wild fans click and comment on more stories so you include those teams in your article?" He didn't respond.

Finally found your post Rusty .......had to trudge through a lot of crap to find it. :laugh: Anyway - good on you for calling him out on his failure to include some Bruin news in his weekly column. I'll give him credit for responding but his answer was really weak - almost as weak as Matthews and Marner in their own end. :nod:
 

Alberta_OReilly_Fan

Bruin fan since 1975
Nov 26, 2006
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Edmonton Canada
if im an employee of Rodgers... and my job depends on being a popular addition to the Rodgers presentation of hockey and the team they own... id be very leaf's focused in my reporting as well

but if my 'gimmick' was that im a national insider with connections all across the NHL... id also include the most interesting tidbits from around the league

boston is notoriously tight lipped with how it handles its business. weve heard the supposed rumors over the years that we were unhappy with marchand… or we were hot to add some secondary scoring… but honestly, where did those rumors lead to?

most bruin moves happen with no leak at all... even to our best insiders... Jacobs has never given his management people permission to negotiate in the public press. I cant remember the last time Sweeney said something interesting for public consumption. neely is a bit more hot headed but does he actually have enough authority to be a good quote for friedman?

I follow the bruins rabidly... and most weeks im rather bored with the amount of breaking news/gossip I can scrape up on the team. sadly, our guys just go by the books... solidly putting one foot in front of the other... paint by numbers

every single one of us knew the team was looking for a 3rd line center and a scoring depth winger for the second line last year... it didnt take any insider to let us know we were tight against the cap and quite happy with most the team.

we are even tighter against the cap this year/next year. unless we were creative with whatever trade we might make... we arent in position to take on a cap commitment beyond this year. unless we are planning to part company with krug/coyle they will be getting whatever available cap space we have next year

miller... backes… they have to go... but its not because we will get extra money for next year for new players. debrusk/grezlyck need raises. the money is already ear tagged

honestly its not too exciting to report on the bruins right now. we are good... but weve been good for quite awhile. our kids are struggling so no big unknown surprises to report on... the world should already know how good pastrnak/marchand are... rask/halak arent going to play enough games to get into the vezina conversation...

whats to report?

im hoping to see contract news on halak/coyle/krug/debrusk/grezlyck but if no local insider has anything on that... how can we blame friedman for not hearing anything either? Sweeney doesnt leak contract talk to the media

I like friedman… hes my favorite of the various national media people operating in Canada now... if I had to list my top 5 favs id probably go

Elliot friendman… rodgers
Darren dregor… tsn
chris Johnson... rodgers
bob McKenzie... tsn
pierre lebrun… tsn

not necessarily rated for credibility... but in terms of entertainment value these are the guys I will search out and hear their daily hits

the other guys I find a lot of value in to round out my hockey knowledge of whats going on

1/brian burke... love his analysis... by far the most 'entertaining' guy on canadian tv now
2/craig button... I dont agree often with craig but its good to get alternative views
3/john Shannon... more business related but thats important too
4/doug mclean… sadly I think hes taking the year off? miss him horribly
5/pierre mcquire... can grate on me and is repetitive... but is undoubtedly very connected

if mclean isnt coming back... I will throw gord miller in here too. havent seen him doing any hits this year so maybe hes also taking the year off? I thought he was such an awesome partner for andy pertillo on leafs lunch with his common sense old school hockey views contrasted to her girly ideas
 
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