Friday Five: Pre-Season Antics

It's another Friday and another gimmick from yours truly. This week, we're going to take a look at the lunacy that is the pre-season....oooo, it's crazy. Like I said earlier this week; not a fan of the pre-season and can't get up for it. Especially now, with people getting hysterical about players performing amazingly in the pre-season-- which leads us to this question:

1. What do you think with some of these rookies tearing up the exhibition games thus far??

Two words: Brandon Bochenski. It's great to hear stories like Magnus Paajarvi (SVENSSON!!) and Matt Hendricks with a hat-trick in their first pre-season game, but at the same time-- it's the pre-season. These kind of hysterics is what makes me hate the pre-season. While it can be a prelude to things to come, but at the same time-- could be a beginning of the end for their 15 minutes of fame.

2. So, does the same go with the likes of Carey Price and Dan Ellis for letting up all those goals??

That's also true, especially in the case of Price. While it could be a backlash to the Habs getting rid of Halak, but he is right to say the fans needed to chill out a bit. As far as Dan Ellis, it could all go back to maybe his focus (or lack thereof). If Ellis's focus is still in question by the end of the pre-season, it could be a long month for him and could get him to lose his spot in one fashion or another, maybe to the lovely city of Norfolk to retool. It's far too soon to throw them under the bus, at least until the first month is over.

3. How about these neutral sites games, like in Winnipeg and Rochester??

The Winnipeg game seems to be tradition and almost is a bit of a tease for those fans who are clamoring for the NHL. With all the speculation, it's something for fans to show how much they'd support NHL hockey. It didn't hurt that they had the Cup champs going there with hometown boy Jonathan Toews there, but still the 14,000+ showed for a meaningless game; they'd be out there to support whomever.

As far as places like Rochester and other minor league cities, that's the perfect display for exhibition games. It's mostly because of the fact that many of these pre-season games have the guys who will play in those cities during the season, but the sprinkle of possible NHLers playing in that game would be an added attraction. If anything, I believe that the pre-season games should be played in the affiliate cities until the last home game in the pre-season schedule so that the home fans can see the roster before the real season starts-- like an advanced screening for a movie or something.

4. Should there be any concern for all the injuries happening??

You're bound to get injuries, but the broken finger for Chris Drury and broken leg for Filip Kuba are a little disheartening, but it gives the chance for other to step up their game and maybe prove their worth to the NHL brass and maybe be the part of the shuttle crew going to and from the NHL this season. The only good thing about injuries is that it gives some other players a chance with the top group, while the downside is that it completely screws up some depth charts and maybe some cap scenarios here and there. That said, once we start seeing a slue of groin and other muscle ailments is when you have to wonder about over and under conditioning issues.

5. The Canadian Hockey League all started this week. How does that make you feel??

Considering that I'm in the same city as the WHL offices and the WHL champion Calgary Hitmen, it's a good time for me. Plus, it's good, affordable hockey for people to go out and enjoy. Plus, it's like a pre-pre-season game, all season, because these are the players of the future and plenty of reason to keep an eye on these youngsters. Especially those who have been drafted, many people can track them as they grow and develop. It's good for everyone to have real hockey action before the NHL starts, just to wet your appetite.

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And that's that for this week. Once again, if you have any questions or recommendations for the F5, email me at will at Scotty.Wazz@Gmail.com and you too can have you name in parenthesis and what not. Plus, you can say-- "I did my part and now I can sit back and reap the rewards."

Twitiocy on Parade

There's a reason why I don't follow many pro athlete's on Twitter...and Dan Ellis proved that to me last night during his debacle last night, which is documented well on the Amazing Greg Wyshynski's page and on Sens Town, who has a very detailed account of what happened.

Long and the short of it, Ellis was referring to Reggie Bush referring to the NFL CBA and Ellis mistakenly decided to parlay that to his own life and career. First off, you can't compare the money coming in from the NFL to the NHL, so that's where Ellis should have just stopped sympathizing since he knows not of the NFL players and junk like that. Second, you KNOW when you're going to talk about losing money in this economy and in your profile; you won't get any slack-- especially after bragging about getting a Jaguar.

All of this comes on the heel of another jobber, Paul Bissonnette, comes back to Twitter in some kind of triumphant, Family Guy/Futurama revival to those who actually follow him. Of course, you know of his forte about leaving Twitter when he made a pretty shaky comment about the Ilya Kovalchuk contract. Since coming back, he's been talking about the homeless and all that other stuff; which-- if you enjoy that with the occasional shock-value humor, by all means enjoy. I'm not down for the fact I don't find him interesting or entertaining; but to each their own.

This display, coupled with the Martin Havlat episode we've seen in the past, is probably the reason why having this kind of access to the players isn't as fancy as it's cracked up to be. Aside from the fact they really don't have too much fascinating to say, gems like Ellis's comes up and really put out some kind of uproar. Sure, there's guys like Mike Commodore and Mike McKenna, who really don't do too much shocking on Twitter, but do provide some decent "tweeting" when they do it; Commodore about horse-racing and other assorted things, while McKenna actually is pretty solid on open-wheel racing and about the goaltending science during his season. They provide some kind of entertainment, without having to try all that hard to do it.

There's many who talk about media training, but you can bet that now social media will be apart of that now, if it isn't already. It should especially be for hockey players, who seem to put themselves out there a lot more and get a lot more heat for doing so in the process. I mean, when's the last time Martin Havlat had a tweet about his goings on?? The answer is February 16th. That shows that either he (a) has nothing to say or (b) doesn't really care too much about putting himself out there. If it's B, then by all means-- don't do it. You aren't going to look any better if you put yourself out there online over putting yourself out there in-person.

Sure, this will soon blow over; but the damage done and the disconnect that has happened because of it will not be soon forgotten, especially by those with long memories and long caring. You have to wonder what kind of heckling (if any) will be done and have kind of damage control that the Tampa PR will have to do in order to get things right; especially if there's people who are up and arms, trying to cancel season tickets to the Bolts due to this. That's the people who you have to mostly feel sorry for, the ones who have to clean up the mess left by someone who thought it was right to say what they did, but forgot that it's being broadcasted to the world.