Back in the studio without a guest for the first time in a few episodes, Ken and Jason talk about women, hockey, and leadership. Hosted by Ken Boehlke and Jason Pothier.
- Dealing with Mother’s Day and expectations.
- AHL announcement on the way.
- The actual end goal of the Golden Knights in the early years.
- A lengthy disagreement over leadership and its importance to Vegas.
- What are the Golden Knights looking for in the Expansion Draft.
And much more…
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RJ
Cool to give phisig and me shoutouts!
By the way AHL is one of the top professional hockey leagues in the world. I’m definitely going to take an annual trip to wherever our AHL affiliate is to see our future stars.
When I lived in Connecticut we’d go to Hartford Wolfpack and Providence Bruins all the time. The level of play is very high level; obviously not NHL, but very very good. I love seeing players like Tukka Rask and Artem Anisimov before they were stars.
AHL isn’t for everyone, but give it a shot and you’ll love it.
PhiSig 150
Look at that we’re famous. You and James are my two favorite Sin Binners and I learn a lot from our discussions/debates. I think we all agree that landing Ovechkin is a 100-1 long shot at this point however you brought up some interesting scenarios and should he become available for minimum draft compensation I think you gotta go for it. Yes he has a lot of money owed to him but he brings that star cache that could attract new fans and players. Knights fans are starving for the club to sell us on something and so far it’s not worth the “return on investment” so we’re almost forced to latch on to far out pipe dream flights of fancy. What else is there? Yes there’s a team coming which is exciting but right now the excitement is more of a dull roar than at fever pitch. I know Nehme promised something bigly and I’m assuming it will roll out sometime before the Raiders arrive maybe just maybe if we’re lucky before this next season is over.
Ken said it’s about the name on the front of the jersey (let’s not get into again what a lot of us feel about such said name) but that’s not really true. The Knights haven’t earned that. Teams like the Lakers, Yankess, Pats, and Spurs have earned that to a certain degree by establishing winning traditions. Then there’s the rare team like the Cubs or Browns that are perennial losers but become a family heritage passed down from generation to generation so in a way the fandom earned that for the club. The Knights aren’t anywhere near any of that so yes the names on the back of the jersey do mean a lot. We went apeshit over Reid Duke because what exactly else did the club feed us to get excited? When you’re living off of “crumbs” someone else’s half eaten sandwich looks pretty damn good. At a certain point the Knights gotta to give me a reason to give to my co-workers to come over for beer, bbq and a game. The fun of picking a name, designing jerseys, etc initially enticed me. I found Sin Bin and they did the rest. Now how do I recruit other fans? Getting one of the worlds top players and a sure fire first ballot hall of famer gives me that ammo.
If you can’t deliver a star now then in my opinion you got to sell us on the promise of future stars in the making. That’s where loading up on picks and prospects come into play. We’re the team of the future. Fall in love with team as you watch them grow and develop. We’re the young scrappy underdogs that give it their all each and every night. Or we could go nuclear and goon it up Slap Shot style which would be worth it just to hear Ken cry every other day about it. It’s been too long since we had a good ol’ fashioned dirty team everyone loves to hate like the Bad Boys.
Dustin Brown does nothing to move the needle. Too old. Not a big enough star. Yes I have family and friends that are Kings fans so I know the name but not in the got to have him way more in the why the hell did they pay him so much kind of way. I also give this one a zero. Actually the Dustin Brown Desire Scale should be hockey’s version of the Mendoza Line. Age + Salary Per Year + Skill Set x Intagibles divided by Contract Length =DBD (Dustin Brown Desirability). The Kings podcast reeked of other fans trying to push their garbage on us. Yeah I’m sure he’s a great guy that we would all be ok with our daughters bringing home a guy like him one day but I can find that guy for a hell of a lot cheaper. That contract is your baby. We are not the father so we aint paying for it. I think you threw up that podcast to remind us how good you guys are because the 30 of them in the Hampton Inn conference room were godawful. No one talks about leadership unless you win the championship or you’re team chokes in the playoffs. Who gives a shit who the leader is on a lottery team? Come for Dustin Brown’s words of encouragement stay for the hockey! Although we may just end up drafting Brown so Foley can instill in Vegas his West Point values. Please, please Nehme assure us your big marketing pitch come the fall isn’t going to be the Knights values and morals. Vegas our hockey may be sucktastic but our character is fantastic.
RJ
I agree Dustin Brown is a hard zero, but I also DO think leadership will be important in season one.
No matter what this is going to be a team that loses a lot of games. A TON of games. Finishing the season with 50 points would be acceptable, 60 points a treat, and 70 points beyond my wildest dreams. They are going to need a guy in the locker room to keep everyone’s heads on straight and to remind everyone how to act. I don’t think we should pay a fourth liner $7million a year to do it, but I do hope GM and KMc will target an experienced player who can rally the team to lose with style and a smile.
James
@RJ
‘I don’t think we should pay a fourth liner $7million a year to do it, but I do hope GM and KMc will target an experienced player who can rally the team to lose with style and a smile.’
Cap space is our greatest asset – I wonder how much Foley is willing to spend above the salary floor? We could facilitate three-way trades with contenders strapped for cap space by absorbing bad contracts (Dustin Brown) for picks and prospects … This is pure fantasy. Help facilitate Ilya Kovalchuk to the strapped for cap space Los Angeles Kings
James
@PhiSig 150
‘At a certain point the Knights gotta to give me a reason to give to my co-workers to come over for beer, bbq and a game. The fun of picking a name, designing jerseys, etc initially enticed me. I found Sin Bin and they did the rest. Now how do I recruit other fans?’
The first year feels like a honeymoon stage – I will let you know once I get sick and tired of losing. It’s about the name on the front of the jersey for at least a year. You can sell the opposition star players. It is worth the price of admission to see Connor McDavid. I am looking forward to seeing how the plucky Golden Knights fare against the worlds best. David vs. Goliath – The Toronto Raptors beat Jordan’s 72 wins Bulls in their inaugural season. I can still remember that today. Damon Stoudamire won the Rookie of the Year Award, but Vince Carter was their first superstar.
Phisig150
I see you point but you still need to create some fan favorites at the very least to market around. I think a rough guy like Reaves could be huge out here as could an aging legend like Jagr. A great goalie could go along way too. You got give us a couple of players we can grow attached too.
James
@PhiSig 150
No one talks about leadership unless you win the championship or you’re team chokes in the playoffs. Who gives a shit who the leader is on a lottery team?
Bear in mind that there may not be a rookie or sophomore on the roster, we’re talking about a veteran laden team.
There’s something to be said for creating the right culture. Gerard Gallant? I saw it first-hand, an ageing Jason Kidd had a huge impact on the rudderless Knicks. Jonathan Toews possess the same leadership qualities and hockey IQ. Great leaders are born, not made: Their brains are just wired differently
Phisig150
I’m all for veteran mentors that can teach our young guys the right way to play, how to steer clear of the pitfalls of being a pro athlete, and how to survive the daily grind of being in the NHL. We won’t get a true leader until we get that alpha dog that will take our team to the next level.