The Sundin Saga: What We Should Have Learned

Well, Gillis pulled it out of his hat, magically.  Did anyone without bias really believe Sundin would sign with the Canucks? 

Sure, most said the Canucks were a better fit and certainly many of us (including myself) said the Rangers had no business adding another forward when their defense was struggling so badly. 

But did I really think he'd sign with the Canucks?  Honestly, no.

I asked myself—why?  And honestly, I think it was all the blogging, media 'reports', speculation, and rumor.  So, what did I learn from all this?

"Sources" do not exist.

There is no such thing as a 'source' when it comes to major hockey deals.  Anyone close enough to the situation to have inside knowledge of a deal would never let information slip out. 

Bloggers (ahem, Eklund), should start calling these 'sources' what they really are: hockey people with opinions. Bloggers (I'm talking to you, Ek), start calling a spade a spade.  You wouldn't get so much flack if you just called them 'informed opinions' instead of 'sources'.

Nobody knows what anybody else feels inside.

Everyone said Mats' heart was in New York, that he loved the Big Apple and that playing for the Rangers was some kind of hockey 'Holy Grail'.  Well, guess what?  He now claims Vancouver was always his first choice.  How could everyone be so wrong?

There is practically no way to determine who will make the playoffs and who will not.

Search for 08/09 playoff predictions and you will find many putting Vancouver last in the West.  These are probably the same people who have Dallas competing for the Western title. 

Many said Mats wanted to go to a cup contender and would therefore sign with the Canadiens.  I bet no one predicted that 1/3 into the season the Canucks would have the same number of points (give or take) as the Canadiens, and that's without their new shiny Christmas gift.

Will the Canucks make the playoffs?  I think so, but I thought they would last year too.  Oh, and by the way, I picked Dallas to win the conference...

I can tell you, many people in Vancouver are salivating at the thought of rubbing this in the face of those snooty Canadien and Ranger fans (not my words, theirs).  Not only are the Canucks doing well this year, they just landed the most sought-after free agent in years.  And they fancy themselves a cup contender.  But, I digress...

So, in conclusion, I would say I learned that 'insider' hockey sites are more like hockey speculation sites and that I will probably never know about a deal until the GM wants me to.  Does that mean these sites are pointless?  Maybe, but that won't stop me from visiting them.