Elliotte Friedman's 32 Thoughts

[Mr. Guru]

We all know that Elliotte is one of the best in the business and the his 30 thoughts are generally four star worthy but I don't know if it's because these followed an action heavy draft, but this edition is one of the most entertaining and insightful I've ever read.

Go through all 30 and disagree with me. I dare you!

Usually I'll get to about 23 and say "ok it's getting a little boring now" but this time I got all the way to 30 without getting that thought in my head.

[rainydrinkwater]

that is definitely why. more whispers and rumors when all the teams and media are in one place.

Ya, you're right. Still, it's amazing how he perfectly straddles the fine line of knowing just how much to feed "us" for us to feel informed, yet he still gets "them" to trust him and talk.

[metaldude26]

Ya, you're right. Still, it's amazing how he perfectly straddles the fine line of knowing just how much to feed "us" for us to feel informed, yet he still gets "them" to trust him and talk.

There's a real give and take with being an insider. You develop connections because you show willingness to put out there stuff that teams want put out there and in exchange they get inside information to break news early. So long as the reporter doesn't bite the hand that feeds (or vice versa) then trust continues to build and the information pipeline grows stronger.

[Axeman33]

Every time I see this thread light up in my new post feed I think there's a new 30 thoughts. Damn you's!

[Pengwin7]

Just read the last one.
Very good.

I liked the Ron Hextall story about not being able to go anywhere anymore.
So true.

[rainydrinkwater]

We get 44 to end the season.

@FriedgeHNIC: The final 44 Thoughts of the season -- http://t.co/EWcLnBPe8g/s/QUfZ

m.twitter.com/FriedgeHNIC

Per twitter

[newfcollins]

Hockey season is back. Friedman has a new 30 Thoughts.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/3...ia-could-mean/

[rainydrinkwater]

@FriedgeHNIC: 30 Thoughts -- http://t.co/GdLpY0oAtk/s/KZxC

m.twitter.com/FriedgeHNIC

Latest..

[Axeman33]

I guess not many from the league read the thread here on the forums.

14. In a league where people love to rip things anonymously, there wasn’t much hatred for the seven-year, $29 million-ish contract Edmonton gave to 77-game veteran Oscar Klefbom. Rocky Thompson, who spent the last three seasons coaching the defender at AHL Oklahoma City and in Edmonton, liked the move. “Ninety-five per cent of the time, we faced a 2-1-2 or an aggressive 1-2-2 forecheck. Oscar trusted his legs to get back in enough time to make a good breakout pass to the winger, or to make a move allowing him to get the puck to the centre through the middle. His value doesn’t measure in points, but he does things that allow you to get points.” Thompson said Klefbom also doesn’t get enough credit for his ability to recognize when an attacking player stops with the puck at the Edmonton blueline or in the neutral zone to wait for support on a line change. “He knows how to cut off that player and stop the play.”

[LawMan]

Glad to see it back, love the 30 for 30. This tidbit was something I hadn't considered:

It doesn’t sound like we’ll get an expansion announcement at the Board of Governors meeting next week. That will probably wait until December. If this is going to happen, I’ll join the Las Vegas/Quebec City bandwagon (although my liver won’t). The biggest question is what the falling Canadian dollar means for the latter city. As of today, a $500 million (US) expansion fee is almost $675 million (CAN). Then, there’s the question of whether or not Quebec has to pay any kind of territorial fee to Montreal, as was briefly discussed at the original announcement. “Can it work at those numbers?” one governor asked.

[The Comish]

20. He’s never explained to me how his process works, but Tortorella has a way of looking at games through scoring chances. Breaking down how they happen gives him a true picture of what occurred. In a Tampa radio interview, Tortorella said he spent last season trying to learn about analytics. So what did he uncover? “You know what, not much…There are so many red flags going on with analytics. Corsi, Fenwick…(The year he coached in Vancouver), we were 10th in puck possession and finished 25th. Last year, LA was fifth and didn’t make it. It’s so media driven, it’s taken on a life of its own. It’s not Billy Beane, it’s an instinctive sport. It’s who you are playing against, and on a shot anything can happen. You have to be careful not to be controlled by numbers. You can’t sacrifice your beliefs to get along with the norm.”

Haha, f*ck you geeks!!

[rainydrinkwater]

@FriedgeHNIC: 30 Thoughts -- https://t.co/TnJdo7wqHb/s/3_xu

m.twitter.com/FriedgeHNIC

Latest

[Axeman33]

Latest and greatest

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/3...ade-captaincy/

[MarmotKing]

Just finished reading it. Really good start to the season.

[lobo1969]

New for Oct13:

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/3...ment/?shawct=1