Skip to main content

Somebody get him a tie and clipboard...

Help me understand something here. The resigned today, for a very modest salary of $600,000 plus potential bonuses of another $200,000. The Canucks statement contains the usual blurbs about their excitement at bringing back such a critical part of their team.

But really, has there been a more consistently overrated player in the last 10 years than this guy? His first 8 years in the league, he looked like the consummate power forward, and was a huge part of the Canucks' run to the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals. But since a knee injury in 1996-97, his productivity fell off a cliff; he hasn't scored 20 goals in a season since that time, and has usually been on the negative side of the +/- rating. Sure, he still walks and talks like a top caliber player (and served for a long time as NHLPA President), but shouldn't he behind a bench somewhere by now? 

Popular posts from this blog

Celebrating a milestone month

I've been remiss in providing regular updates on my quest to turn this whole sports-blogging hobby into at least something of a significant side income, if not a career, but good news has a way of prompting action. That, and I've been heads-down busy working on a few different fronts to push things forward...
Read more

Social Media, Internet Marketing, and Real, Paying Customers - it really works!

Applying the basic tenets of internet marketing (SEO best practices and social media network building) have helped me grow the readership and engagement over at On The Forecheck tremendously in recent years, but lately I've been wondering if those same techniques could be applied to small- or medium-sized local businesses, to help them drive real, tangible business results. I'm talking about not just drawing idle hockey fans looking to a blog so they can muse over line combinations, but helping businesses connect with potential customers in ways that otherwise wouldn't occur. Recently, I was able to help make just such a thing happen, and it shows just how great the opportunities are for small, local businesses which may not have the resources or skills available to extend their brand effectively on the internet.
Read more

New directions for OTF

While my writings about the Nashville Predators are being posted over at OnTheForecheck.com, rather than this old site, I thought it might be worth touching base here every now and again to touch on "meta" issues, related to blogging in general. In particular, these days I'm very much interested in how I can turn this time-consuming hobby into a bit of a revenue generator. Since I receive a small stipend from SB Nation to run OTF, I declared that income on my taxes last year, and realized that I should also be recording my expenses (for example, parking fees downtown when I go to cover a practice or press conference, mileage, etc.). It was a bit of a reality slap to see exactly how much I was spending on this endeavor, and with 3 kids heading off to college in 9-10 years, there's a bit of a financial imperative to turn the tables there. So here's a few ideas I'm considering/pursuing: A website devoted to hockey gear and accessories, HockeyGearHQ.com . The idea...
Read more