COMMENTARY: THE KISS OF DEATH
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Today it’s a lesson in expectations.
The Florida Panthers won 5-2 at New Jersey Tuesday night for their sixth straight win. They’re the #1 team in the NHL right now and it was an historic night. Defenceman Aaron Ekblad became the franchise’s all-time assist leader, and the Panthers now lead the NHL in road wins too.
Cue the parade.
To be honest, I’m not comfortable with the hype the team is generating both inside, and outside, the market.
Just remember last year when the team scraped along all season and waited until the final weekend of the regular season to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Then they caught fire and went all the way to the Final before losing in five games to Vegas. There are those around here who feel had the Panthers been healthier, they’d have actually beaten the Golden Knights in that series.
Nobody expected that run, and that’s what made it special.
Now everyone in South Florida – or at least the hockey fans – are expecting a Stanley Cup or bust for the Cats.
That’s massive expectations.
I got catcalled for predicting Florida to lose to the Devils last night – all signs were pointing that way – but they found a way to win again.
Again with the expectations.
Last year when the Boston Bruins were charging to the best regular season in NHL history and ultimately the Presidents Trophy as regular season champs, RP Show analyst Bernie Nicholls said that was the “Kiss Of Death”.
We all know what happened next.
The Bruins were upset by Florida in a seven game Round 1 series in what was the biggest upset in Stanley Cup Playoff history.
Looking at it the other way, from a Bruins perspective, it was also the biggest choke job in NHL playoff history.
As the trade deadline approaches on Friday, some fans here are pushing GM Bill Zito to add even more while others are imploring him to do exactly what he did last year at this time:
Nothing.
One thing that never changes is that it’s the players on the ice who will decide how this all turns out. And that all depends on where their minds are.
As for expectations, I don’t expect anything from anybody. No one. And guess what?
I’m never disappointed.
That’s today’s Rod Pedersen Commentary
(The Rod Pedersen Show airs daily at 12 pm & 5 pm on Game+TV, WQEE Radio, Podcast & YouTube Live)
“expectations” of people, places, or things are just “resentments” waiting to happen. When the resentments creep in – now that’s gonna be trouble. I don’t have expectations over the teams I follow. Holding people/places/things accountable is a different situation all together. When the boundaries are secured those areas know the line and it is going to be what it is. All we can then do is respond verus react. This is a lesson to the kids out there and the men who suffer in awful marriages married to awful women or hard working men that are brow beaten by life.… Read more »
You use a different name almost every time you post on here. But you constantly complain about women no matter the subject matter of the column. You are a sad misogynistic little man who uses this column to spew your poison.
I for one enjoy the rants. They are hilarious in a dark comedy kind of way. I think there’s more than a little projection going on there
….and you sir believe that if you treat the lil miss sweets of the world like lil princesses you may just end up going from a frog to a prince.
Ain’t gonna happen. They play the role of lil miss sweet, but when an o.g gets ’em alone they get the digits and well….as you’ll never experience it trust me it’s predictable.
How about you just try and treat all people with respect.