Hello friends!
First off, thanks to everyone for their comments on the JT Interview and the support for the mentorship program! We have some Pride content coming up, but we decided to catch up on everything we missed since it’s been a minute (life got in the way, our bad!) since we gave y’all our thoughts.
A Panthers vs Golden Knights Final AKA how do we make this about Anthony Duclair?
We really thought we’d see at least one Canadian team in the finals, and lol, we were so wrong. To be fair, though, we don’t think anyone could have predicted these finals, including the players. However, in our playoff preview, we were like, if the world was fair, Anthony Duclair would be holding a Stanley Cup and holy shit, it may actually happen.
I (Gaby) don’t want to make a prediction because I refuse to put out anything into the universe right now. I’m just pleased to continue the time-honored tradition of keeping the Stanley Cup out of Canada. For the record, pointing out how many Canadians play on American teams doesn’t count. It’s a win-win situation in my book.
It's one of those finals where I (Perrye) will be happy for either team. I would like to see my fave win it, but it would also be hilarious to see the discourse after witnessing an expansion team lift the cup that fast after only six seasons in the league.
Also, for those accounts publishing random stats about the NHL, can someone tell me if I am right in saying that this year's Stanley Cup Finals has the most Black and Indigenous players playing we ever had in the NHL history?
Jamie Benn, Public Enemy #1
It’s kinda funny that at one point in time, Jamie Benn was a Hockey Twitter Sweetheart. The effervescent bromance established upon Tyler Seguin’s trade created narratives galore. It was a bright, shining moment in a career otherwise marked by “bunch mox” jokes, lmao.
Benn became the villain of the Golden Knights vs Stars series after an unfortunate cross-check on Mark Stone’s face led to a two-game suspension. The cross-check itself was pretty bad, but it was his refusal to speak with the media post-game and the comments made the following day that put the spotlight on him. For some forsaken reason, he decided to say it was an accident and that Stone’s face was the unfortunate landing point. *Cue the cricket sounds*
It probably would have gone over better if he’d left it at just saying it was a heat-of-the-moment thing. His lack of accountability led to people airing out other things he’d done, including the hit on Dylan Larkin that landed him in the hospital and a gnarly recovery period.
The fact that his team went on to win the next two games without him and proceeded to get shut out again in their elimination game when he came back added a cherry on top of the schadenfreude. There’s no profound analysis other than me (Gaby) finding the whole situation hilarious.
Treliving terrorizing Perrye in Toronto
When the news came out that Brad was out as the Flames’ GM, I wasn’t in a state of mind to process the news properly. When I finally did, I realized I didn’t feel as relieved or happy as I thought I would be. Maybe it’s because hockey has been on the back burner for the past few weeks, but it finally clicked in my brain that these men will always be ok. As soon as one of them is available, the online and media discourse automatically becomes which team will hire them next without any honest reflection of their failures. Although I’m interested in what’s next for the Flames, the lack of accountability bothers me more.
I’m not trying to discredit Brad’s character, which has been praised by people who closely dealt with him, but it got me questioning how we judge a GM’s tenure.
Is it by the number of postseason appearances, the number of trophies, or the trades they did over their tenure? How often will we give someone who is mid, at best, another chance at the gig? And I’ll be honest; I don’t have the answers or, at least, socially acceptable solutions. I’m also aware that there’s a lot behind the scenes that we, the public, don’t know about, but there should be more explicit criteria about what makes a good GM beyond being part of the Old Boys Club. One thing I do know is that if the expectations and standards of the fans are a reflection of the management we have, we will forever go in circles.
Quick Notes:
Chicago getting the #1 overall sucked! I, Gaby, thought it would be funny, but no, it was just a reminder of how much the culture sucks. Also, it did not help quell my conspiracy theories, smh.
Kind of surprising, but the NHLPA signed a statement of support for the WGA along with the other major sports league unions, including the NFL and NBA unions. The association does not have a particularly strong record of solidarity, so we’re curious, does this signal some of the changes coming with Marty Walsh’s reign?
Happy Pride!
Perrye & Gaby