A recent high school graduate nearing many first exchanges this autumn, I figured I should at least somewhat flesh out a response to this common inquiry—after all, knowing someone’s name, major and hometown can only sustain a conversation for so long. So I thought about it. Giants? Too standard. Niners? Too bandwagon. Sharks? Too obscure. Sabercats? Well let’s be honest, nobody actually watches arena football for the football.
Eleven players were ejected over the course of first week of the NHL postseason—to six during the entire playoffs a year ago—and several have been suspended by league disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan in an attempt to keep hockey from fully turning into “Fight Club on Ice.” But the Stanley Cup Playoffs have resembled just that in the early going, and a sport that has been deeply questioning the role of fighting ever since the death of former enforcer Derek Boogaard at the age of 28 last summer now finds itself mired in one of the roughest postseasons in recent memory.
If you’re a sports fan, there’s a good chance you thought about all the changes you would make to a team if you were in charge. Every year, college kids line up in droves to try and work for every MLB, NFL, NBA and NHL team out there—and if you’re reading this column there’s a good chance you’re among that horde—so I thought I might be able to impart to you, dear reader, a little wisdom from my past experiences.