Is Olympic hockey still worth watching without the NHL?

I make my living as a hockey writer. I’m also as big a fan of the sport as there is, and I love Olympic hockey.

But now that N.H.L. players won’t represent their countries in the Pyeongchang Games, will I even watch?

For hockey fans, the N.H.L.’s decision to send its players to the Winter Olympics beginning in 1998 was a dream come true. There had been major international tournaments, but never with these sorts of stakes on this big a stage. Finally, fans would get a true best-on-best Olympic tournament played in front of a worldwide audience, with dream rosters and genuine suspense over who would win the gold.

Through five Olympics, fans witnessed some of hockey’s most memorable moments, from Dominik Hasek’s brilliance in Nagano, Japan, to Sidney Crosby’s golden goal in Vancouver.

When the N.H.L. said it would not send players to the 2018 Games, many of us assumed it was a bluff. Surely some sort of last-minute deal would surely be found?

But it wasn’t a bluff. Fans were furious; players were furious. After the anger, the question: Is it worth watching?

>> Read the full post at the New York Times

Good Times

Just a quick update on some site news, before getting back to regular posting by mid-week...

You may have noticed that last week's "The NHL on NBC" promo video also made an appearance on the New York Times' Slap Shot hockey blog. I'm happy to say that wasn't a coincidence -- It's due to new partnership with the Times that will see DGB content featured on nytimes.com.

If you're not familiar with Slap Shots, it features news, scores and analysis, but until recently had been short on Kyle Wellwood fat jokes and Kerry Fraser slander. Now that they've fixed that, the site is well worth a place in your bookmarks or RSS feed.

Meanwhile, I'd like to take a moment to address all of my old journalism school professor who told me I'd never get a byline at a decent publication if all I did was sit around all day making jokes and talking about sports. Who's laughing now, Klaus? Who's laughing now?

(Checks student loan balance.)

Oh right, you are. OK then, carry on.

Wow, I'm famous... wait, WTF?

I'm a few days late on this, but apparently this humble blog was mentioned on nytimes.com. One of their hockey bloggers saw my recent Favre vs. Sundin post, and was kind enough to include a link. Very cool.

But... um... I'm not sure I like the new name they gave me:

I can think of a few things that could mean, and none of them are good

I get a sense there may have been some awfully disappointed visitors around here this week. Even moreso than usual.

Update: Down Goes Brown made another appearance on the Times blog a few days later, and they got the name right this time. Blog author Stu Hackel took the news the typo with good humor and seems like a cool guy. All is forgiven.