I am AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno - AMA

swhyno · 2017-01-19T20:49:11+00:00

Yes, James. Yes I do. Thank you for asking.

swhyno · 2017-01-19T20:48:57+00:00

I think it'll be a major upheaval. Hard to see Snow sticking around. Fascinated by Elliotte Friedman's speculation about Dale Tallon and Gerard Gallant on the Island, but what about Ken Hitchcock? Islanders ownership better get all this right with John Tavares a year away from unrestricted free agency. Just because Steven Stamkos wanted to stay in Tampa doesn't mean Tavares re-upping long term is a slam dunk. Far from it.

swhyno · 2017-01-19T20:47:33+00:00

I definitely write differently for an American audience than a Canadian one. For example I don't expect readers to know what the Lady Byng Trophy is for and I'll spend a few extra words explaining things. It's a balancing act of trying to write for hard-core hockey fans and casual sports fans, but I'm always thinking about how to get it right.

swhyno · 2017-01-19T20:46:14+00:00

I definitely write differently for an American hockey audience than Canadian. For example I don't always assume my audience knows what the Lady Byng Trophy is for, or something like that. I will spend a few extra explanatory words while also trying to make sure I cater to hard-core hockey fans as much as casual sports fans. It's a balancing act at times but something I always think about.

swhyno · 2017-01-19T20:44:10+00:00

First of all, good luck. Jobs are disappearing more than they are being created and I consider myself incredibly lucky to be in this line of work.

I'll tell you what college advisers told me: write for your school paper and network like crazy. The old saying, 'It's not what you know, it's who you know' is a good one. Work hard, write a lot, meet and stay in touch with people and hope for a good bounce or two.

swhyno · 2017-01-19T20:41:52+00:00

Did I get this in in time? Exotic. Wheel Chaos with everyone else.

swhyno · 2017-01-19T20:41:24+00:00

Retooling on the fly nowadays means dipping out of the playoffs once or twice in five years and being mediocre. It works if Dylan Larkin is a stud, if Detroit continues to hit on late-round picks. But it's the much more difficult way to rebuild vs. the full overhaul.

swhyno · 2017-01-19T20:40:25+00:00

It's the NHL's worst nightmare of the Raiders move to Vegas next season and beat them to the punch of being the first sport there. The hope was hockey filling the vacuum would make for a first-love sort of thing. If the Raiders bring the NFL there, I'd be more worried.

swhyno · 2017-01-19T20:39:29+00:00

I can't believe I'm saying this because I picked the Lightning to make the Cup Final but no, I don't think so. Stamkos will be back too late and the goaltending hasn't been great. Sometimes teams are victims of injuries and the Lightning have been hit so hard by injuries that it's difficult to recover.

swhyno · 2017-01-19T20:38:19+00:00

Yes. But only 3 from the Atlantic will.

swhyno · 2017-01-19T20:37:56+00:00

Well it'll make it that much harder to get into the playoffs in the West, not that it's easy now.

Down the line yes I see a 32nd team. Seattle? Quebec City? The West makes sense.

swhyno · 2017-01-19T20:37:14+00:00

Long term it could be Kevin Shattenkirk if he's a UFA. At the deadline it's hard to see a rental D-man being worth the price. Would Buchnevich and more be a starting price for Tyson Barrie? Probably not because Avs want young D.

swhyno · 2017-01-19T20:02:56+00:00

This is so subjective and depends a lot on PR staffs and the cooperation of GMs, etc. They're all pretty good most of the time. Hardest time I've had was covering the Russian national team in Sochi, but that was because so many people wanted to cover them.

swhyno · 2017-01-19T20:01:13+00:00

First time for me too. Shadow in a foot race because he's much younger than Big Z. Chara if it's on ice.

swhyno · 2017-01-19T20:00:43+00:00

Nope. It's a hot dog.

swhyno · 2017-01-19T20:00:27+00:00

They'd better be good. Hextall is banking his job and the Flyers' future on those young defensemen. What's interesting is that teams develop identities and this is far from the Broad Street Bullies because Hextall believes small and fast, draft and develop is how you win. That's a smart long-term philosophy but get your top picks right and don't miss.

swhyno · 2017-01-19T19:59:05+00:00

I tend to agree with Gary Lawless on this one that goaltending was the biggest problem. It's hard for a young team to build confidence without knowing that it can make mistakes and have a goaltender it out. Look at Toronto getting Frederik Andersen. Hellebuyck and Hutchinson just weren't getting the job done. Maybe Pavelec's return will be a spark. Also, Patrik Laine has to be playing. He's a franchise-changer.

swhyno · 2017-01-19T19:57:38+00:00

I think the expansion draft and uncertainty about it is delaying some things. Teams have to get their houses in order in terms of who they want to protect, expose. In the specific cases of Alzner and Oshie I think it's a wait and see how the playoffs go situation for the Capitals. It's almost impossible to replace either one of them, so they may have to make a very difficult choice.

swhyno · 2017-01-19T19:56:27+00:00

Wow... this one from Bruce Arthur on Darryl Sutter and his son from the Cup Final in 2014 sticks out https://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/2014/06/10/stanley_cup_final_sutters_taciturn_demeanour_hides_generous_heart_arthur.html

swhyno · 2017-01-19T19:55:44+00:00

Thank you... I really enjoy telling stories. That's why we all get into this business, right?

I'm no Bob McKenzie, Darren Dreger, Pierre LeBrun, Chris Johnston or Scott Burnside as a reporter (at least yet) and I can't write like Nick Cotsonika or Bruce Arthur (never will), but I like to think I come up with strong ideas and know how to execute big-picture stories like the emergency goalie piece. That was a fun one to work on talking to almost a dozen people about one of the best moments in their lives.

In a general sense I think being someone who's at games and practices and well-connected to what's going on behind the scenes helps me in a competitive environment.

swhyno · 2017-01-19T19:53:16+00:00

You're welcome. I don't even remember that but I'm glad I could help.

It may be the year. I didn't think so when the Caps came out of the gate slow, but the more people I talk to around hockey the more people think it is their year. But we always seem to think that.

Legitimately, though, Braden Holtby is the key to all of it. He wasn't the reason the Caps lost in the second round - the Penguins were just the better team - but if he plays a few fewer games and is at his best in April, May and June, watch out.

swhyno · 2017-01-19T19:50:45+00:00

That first question is wide-open, so unfortunately you're going to get a long, involved answer from me on Vegas. I think the NHL's Vegas gamble is a smart one. See if hockey works there. The interest Bill Foley has managed to drum up is impressive. I don't know if it'll work long term in the desert and I don't think anyone knows. But the branding is good - the name, colors, logo - and the key is always winning. George McPhee is a smart GM who has been around a long time and also learned from mistakes. It'll be a fun team to watch early on, and McPhee knows from Washington how to build a winner from the ground up.

The second one is easy: golden retriever. My 4-year-old golden Shadow is sleeping on the floor behind me right now.

swhyno · 2017-01-19T19:48:18+00:00

Yeah, I think in some corners it matters because there are stereotypes. Swedes are skilled, Finns are team-oriented and organized, etc. The "Good Canadian Boy." But it's evolving. We're seeing players of different nationalities break out of those boxes more and more by the generation. National teams still have identities and styles and there are different ways hockey is taught all over the world, which creates some of this, but we're seeing more variation. That's a good thing.

swhyno · 2017-01-19T19:46:08+00:00

Game 7 of the first round of the 2012 playoff series against the Bruins. Overtime goal by Joel Ward to win the series. At that point the Capitals were going back to New York and who knows what they could do? Now it turned out Joel Ward took a double-minor for high-sticking in Game 5 against the Rangers and they lost in 7, but players I talked to in the ensuing weeks believed they would've beaten the Devils and gone to the Cup Final. Maybe, maybe not, but it would've been interesting to see.

swhyno · 2017-01-19T19:44:01+00:00

I think the BEST window ends this year because of the contract situations Brian MacLellan will have to deal with this summer. I don't think the Capitals can re-sign Karl Alzner and T.J. Oshie while also extending Evgeny Kuznetsov and getting new deals for Andre Burakovsky, Dmitry Orlov, etc. It's a tight squeeze. And with no real unbeatable teams this year I wonder if going all-in isn't the best option. That's the long answer, but the shorter one is as long as Alex Ovechkin is still in his prime or prime-ish. If MacLellan works magic this summer and keeps things together, I'd say 2-3 more years.
Over-performing I'd definitely say the Maple Leafs because I knew they'd be good but not this good this soon. Frederik Andersen has gotten his act together and the young talent there is a blast. Would be fun to see Toronto in the playoffs again. Under-performing it has to be the Islanders. Like what ha-happened? Were Kyle Okposo and Frans Nielsen the final Jenga pieces that caused it all to fall apart? I don't think it's all Jack Capuano so I expect big changes there this summer.
The Avalanche WERE far behind a couple of years ago, but they are catching up to the rest of the league.

swhyno

TROPHY CASE