This is an open letter to you, the hockey fan. The past eight days or so has seen the hockey world held relatively hostage by one, Ilya Kovalchuk. In that time, these negotiations have tested all of our patience right up to the very last nerve. When MSM such as Pierre LeBrun have had enough, you know its a sign. Now for that letter.
Dear Hockey Fans:
I have followed this story for what feels like eight months. Obviously when Ilya Kovalchuk became a Devil, I was beyond ecstatic. The fact that he was the team’s best player on both sides of the ice was somewhat of a surprise but not that much to me. Yes the first round playoff exit to the hated Flyers hurt like a (um we cannot say that on here). However there comes some times where the pain hurts even worse than you can imagine. This is one of those times.
I will bite on a rare pop culture reference and insert this link from a Katy Perry song here. This may be a song that explains the saga almost as well as our many Sundin 2.0 references. He was a favorite to go to the Kings then on Sunday, the Kings were out and then they were back in before being out again today. Reports now suggest that the Wings may hop in with a 1 year offer for 8.5 million. This is nothing really all that surprising. Eventually someone had to figure the 1 year deal was going to come into play. The problem is next year’s UFA Market is a lot more stacked to be honest.
Detroit is not stupid here. They know that Kovalchuk eyes the year 2014 like a puckbunny stalking their favorite hockey player. Granted the Wings would have to do more cap work than the Devils almost but it could be done. This is another reason why hockey fans are going nuts. You never know when your team is in or out. Yes the Sundin affair really only had one ultimate answer — Vancouver. However, there were so many plot twists that literally drove every “expert” batty. We here think Detroit is not that likely honestly.
Oh if you think that there are not similarities, then you need to read deeper. Kovalchuk is the big fish in this FA pool and he knows it. This is just like Sundin who pretty much was in his year. The difference is Sundin was willing to wait almost three months into the season to play while Ilya Kovalchuk might not be. The age difference of about oh a decade or so notwithstanding of course. Sundin wanted a chance to play for the Stanley Cup and so does Ilya Kovalchuk. That is the cold reality.
We also know that Jay Grossman knows he has the most prized free agent. However, in a year where the worst economic times seem to be coming, is there a chance that Kovalchuk may just have to take a bit less to get more down the road? It is possible I suppose hockey fans but I know you have heard these rumors ad nauseum. It has to be painful. Now to see another potential team added on to the circus makes fans almost wish it would just end already.
To quote my good friend Al Beaton on facebook…he said the following today about ESPN. Tom Mees is literally rolling in his grave err spinning. You know what? He is 110% correct! I remember when hockey coverage was respectable at least on ESPN and it was not ALL about the “NOW” guy. Just imagine if Gary Bettman had swallowed his NUTS and actually stayed with ESPN. Imagine the ratings now boys and girls. Look, ESPN is not perfect and everyone knows that. However, the NHL would be more relevant and maybe just maybe the twitter world would not have to carry the Kovalchuk slack if you will.
I get sick and tired of hearing the same old things over and over again. I really do. But the sentiment is clear, this saga does have more twists than Chubby Checker. The sad reality is imagine the exposure it would have created for the NHL if some pride had been swallowed. That is the real crux of the story. Maybe the hockey MSM, bloggers, and such are tired of this story because of the simple fact is that they have had to skate with the puck so long, so to speak. This has been a hard road for anyone who has followed this story and especially the ones who have followed it from the trade deadline.
To every hockey fan out there, I apologize as a member of the media. We have probably been on pins and needles as much as you and want this to end as soon as possible like you do. Our goal is always to report anything and everything in these situations. Sometimes in this haste to get to the lead, you realize that you went too far as a writer. I believe quite a few of us have with this Kovalchuk story and now there needs to be time to relax a little.
It is time to just let the story unfold and not amongst rumors from all over the place that seem out of left field but just to let it come to us. No mater which team #17 ultimately ends up, we just have to let this run. There is no need to overanalyze anymore nor jump at every potential possibility. We are past a week into the Frenzy and this is where the dog days come. It is just understood. No one likes the dog days of hockey summer but the reality is that time is close at hand.
So when Ilya Kovalchuk does finally sign, I am sure we will heavily cover it. However, I think it may be time hockey fans that we even have a little fun with this for not only our sanity but our psyche as well. Enjoy the rest of the week and may you find whatever hockey on tv, radio, dvd, you can to get through this difficult stretch for us fans. See you on Sunday.
Sincerely,
Chris Wassel
Director Of The Program
