Hey folks…
I had an idea for something new this season I’d like to try. It would be a semi-regular column called The Contrarian or something similar. You send in a statement that you think is obvious or inarguable, and I’ll try to come up with the contrarian view.
It could be anything: A team that’s definitely good (or bad), a rule that should change, a historical argument… up to you.
Let’s try it out and see where it goes. Send me your sure-thing statement via email at dgbcontrarian@gmail.com.
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The Athletic Hockey Show runs four days a week during the season, and will feature me with Other Sean Gentille on Wednesdays.
Puck Soup is a podcast featuring me and Ryan Lambert. We release one free episode each week during the season, plus mailbags and other bonus episodes for Patreon subscribers.
"Biscuits" was the Vice Sports hockey podcast, hosted by DGB and Dave Lozo. It ran for two seasons; the final episode was in July, 2018. You can find the archives below:
As of the 2018-19 season, my work will appear exclusively at The Athletic.
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My archives from other sites can be found here:
Bedard might have the better career in totality, but his peak will never be as high as mcdavid’s because he doesn’t have the A+ puck carrying speed
ReplyDeleteLeafs will live up to the hype and win the Cup
ReplyDeleteNo and get off here Mitch!
DeleteThe two line pass was a terrible rule and was rightfully gotten rid of.
ReplyDeleteHow about the contrarian to your famous argument: video review for icing, hand passes, and penalties is a terrible idea.
ReplyDeleteGary Bettman is a bad commissioner
ReplyDeleteGary Bettman's 30-year reign demonstrates why term limits are needed for the Commissioner's job.
DeleteEveryone (fans, IIHF, NHL, players, other pro leagues, minor hockey, etc) benefits from regular best-on-best international hockey.
ReplyDeleteHitler did nothing wrong
ReplyDeleteEven as anonymous this is disgraceful
DeleteThe Stanley Cup is the best trophy in sports.
ReplyDelete1. Gordie Howe is a lock top 10 all time
ReplyDelete2. Removing offsides entirely would be a bad idea
The President's Trophy means nothing to anyone.
ReplyDeleteThe bruins deserved to win in 2011
ReplyDeleteSidney Crosby has had the greatest career of any currently active player
ReplyDeleteHockey players are the toughest athletes.
ReplyDeleteThe Canucks are far closer to bottom feeder than Cup contenders.
ReplyDeleteGoaltending is generally better in the NHL now than it was in the 70s and 80s.
ReplyDeleteThe Bruins don’t with the 2011 cup without the Joe Thornton trade.
ReplyDeleteThe Arizona Coyotes have run out of chances to prove the market can support an NHL team.
ReplyDeleteThis is the only logical points system for the NHL standings: 3 points for a regulation win, 2 points for an overtime win, 1 point for a shootout win. 0 points for losers.
ReplyDeleteHockey was improved by adding the forward pass.
ReplyDeleteThe earth is a globe
ReplyDeleteMy dad could beat up your dad
ReplyDeleteGetting rid of the puck in the crease "aka brett hull" rule was a good and necessary change
ReplyDeleteThe current divisional playoff format is stale. We should go back to 1-8 seeding.
ReplyDeleteHigh scoring games are better than low scoring games.
ReplyDeleteTraditionally, 2/3 of teams make the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The NHL would benefit greatly by expanding the playoffs to 20 or 24 teams.
ReplyDeleteThe League's trophies should be named after the game's greatest players, not executives.
ReplyDeleteThis Lester Pearson erasure will not stand, man.
DeleteHockey Night In Canada doesn't feel like Hockey Night In Canada ever since they lost their theme music.
ReplyDeleteThe shootout is a terrible way to end a hockey game
ReplyDeleteAfter whistle scrums are stupid and it would be easy to get rid of them only we're all so used to them that no one ever suggests it.
ReplyDeleteThe NHL regular season is more fun than the playoffs.
ReplyDeleteThe NHL should pause their season to participate in the Olympics
ReplyDeleteJFJ was a bad GM.
ReplyDeleteThe current playoff system is perfect and shouldn’t be changed.
ReplyDeleteA father-son rule should be established allowing teams to claim sons of famous alumni. In exchange for draft picks. Australian Rules Football has this. Now expanded to parent-offspring with the rise of the AFLW.
ReplyDeleteThe trap was bad for the NHL
ReplyDeleteThe professionalization, modern sports science, and training of NHL players to become elite, healthy, and highly skilled athletes has allowed for the best hockey in history.
ReplyDeleteHarold Ballard was a terrible owner.
ReplyDeletePatrice Bergeron is one of the greatest two-way forwards of all time
ReplyDeleteHockey in Vegas has been an overwhelming success.
ReplyDeleteThe key to a successful team in the modern NHL is drafting & development.
ReplyDeleteTom Wilson (or Dale Hunter or take your pick) was a dirty player.
ReplyDeleteInverse of the Vegas one: "Arizona Coyotes have been a mess of a franchise"
ReplyDeleteA hockey team obviously can't thrive in Atlanta.
ReplyDeleteTaro Tsujimoto was fictional and never truly existed.
ReplyDeleteThe Minnesota Wild have been a soul-crushing team that always dashes your hopes and dreams.
ReplyDeleteA solid 3rd line will be more of a determining factor of your ability to win the cup more than elite level
ReplyDeleteUnless you're Vegas, you can't win Cups without star players on entry-level contracts. It's why the Leafs are doomed.
ReplyDeleteNo, Chris Osgood is not a Hall-of-Famer. Come on now. Have some self-respect.
ReplyDeleteMike Milbury and Jim Benning are the best GMs in history.
ReplyDeleteThey should never be called the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.
ReplyDeleteGary Bettman is the worst commissioner in the history of professional sport and has destroyed the game of hockey
ReplyDeleteThe Arizona Coyotes playing in Mullet arena is an embarrassment for the league.
ReplyDeleteWendel Clark was an overrated player.
ReplyDeleteThe Ottawa Senators would have won the Stanley Cup in 2017 if not for Chris Kunitz.
ReplyDeleteBrian Noonan (not Messier) scored the winning goal for the NYR in 1994 game 7 SCF
ReplyDeleteThe 2016 free agent class was the worst in recent memory.
ReplyDeleteGrit and heart are important for a team to have a successful playoff run
ReplyDeleteThe Norris Division in the 80s was one of the worst ever.
ReplyDeleteJohn Scott ASG was the last time it was any good.
ReplyDeleteCanada is the most important country in the history of hockey.
ReplyDeleteThe NHL is inherently biased against big hockey market teams in favor of "growth" teams like Arizona.
ReplyDeleteThe Nordiques unequivocally won the trade sending Lindros to the Flyers.
ReplyDeleteGordie Howe was a really good player who was really durable, but that shouldn't put him on the NHL's Mt. Rushmore.
ReplyDelete3 points for a regulation win makes no sense and is a terrible idea in this era of the loser point. Indeer, 3 points for regulation win, 2 for OT/SO win, 1 for OT/SO loss and 0 for regulation loss is just blatant communism.
ReplyDeleteNorm Green doesn't suck and The Wild should not be renamed the North Stars.
ReplyDeleteWendel Clark is your all time favourite player.
ReplyDeleteWayne Gretzky is the most important player in hockey history.
ReplyDeletePaul Henderson's goal, thrilling as it was, set back hockey in North America by 15 years by sticking with the old ways instead of the superior European game.
ReplyDeleteBrass Bonanza is the greatest goal song of all time.
ReplyDeleteEddie Johnston was rewarded with the Pitt GM job for delivering Francis and Samuelsson from Hartford.
ReplyDeleteThere is a definite East Coast bias against all teams west of that time zone.
ReplyDeleteI should have said an east coast media bias against all teams west of that time zone.
DeleteHis skate was in the crease! Overlooking the blatant obvious fact was a travesty.
ReplyDeleteDale Hunter's hit on Pierre Turgeon was a disgusting display of violent unsportmanship.
ReplyDeleteThe New Jersey Devils ruined hockey in the 90’s with their trapping style of hockey.
ReplyDeleteDominik Hasek is the greatest Goalie of all-time
ReplyDeleteIf Patrick Marleau (most NHL games played) belongs in the Hockey Hall of Fame, so does Kerry Fraser (most NHL games refereed).
ReplyDeleteDollar Bill Wirtz should have televised Blackhawks home games on local tv to grow/maintain the fan base
ReplyDeleteNHL leadership are a bunch of troglodytes, terrified of anything new or exciting that might upset their 70 year old white guy fan base
ReplyDeleteIf he ever retires, JaromÃr Jágr should wait the standard three years before being eligible to enter the Hall of Fame.
ReplyDeleteRecycling Canadian and American coaches and GM's is great for the league's long-term development.
ReplyDeleteBuffalo teams are cursed
ReplyDeleteGary Bettman and the NHL are single-handedly keeping Nickleback in business.
ReplyDelete