Five Thoughts for Friday
Are you thinking what I'm thinking?
Another Friday means another round of thoughts. Because, you see, I really want to feel like I'm Elliotte Friedman. Anyway, here's what's on my mind today.
1. On Eugene Melnyk: Is anyone else really excited to see what's in his book? The guy was pitching it on the radio like a late-night infomercial host. There's no way this thing won't be entertaining, right? That said, I'd feel a bit guilty purchasing it after the Alfredsson fiasco because I'm petty like that.
2. On Stephane Da Costa: I'm going to miss Stephane Da Costa. Not so much as a player, but because of the endless jokes about the size of his head. Did we ever find out the story behind the witch's curse that led to it being shrunk? Fun behind the scenes fact: whenever I do Photoshop work that requires me to put a head on a Senators player, I use Da Costa as the base because it's so easy to put anything normal-sized on top of it.
3. On Erik Condra: Is there a player you get less excited about when there's a 2-on-1 breakout than Erik Condra? I won't even bother to look up when he's on a rush. Last night he passed the puck to Pageau's leg and neutralized a great opportunity. If he could shoot the puck or set up plays a tiny bit better, he'd be a deadly offensive weapon. Instead he's just a deadly defensive weapon. When he actually does score, there's nobody I feel happier for.
4. On Erik Karlsson's mustache: This Movember, when all his teammates are growing facial hair, management should demand Karlsson remove his. He makes Sidney Crosby look like a lumberjack.
5. On two minutes: Stop. With. The. Penalties. After two periods last night the Senators had seven minors. Seven! What happened to discipline? Of those seven, five were by defencemen. Look, everyone takes penalties at some point (except Kyle Wellwood), but if you're a defenceman, try to not take a penalty when another defenceman is already in the box. Gryba...