Checkers broadcaster Jason Shaya checks in each week with his 10 Thoughts - a series of observations about the team and the hockey world in general.
1) Justin Peters was so good on Saturday’s game that nothing I write here would do his performance justice. Hard to believe there is a better goalie outside the NHL right now anywhere on the planet.
2) Before the game on Saturday in Abbotsford, I saw a few young lads standing by the Checkers tunnel. I asked them if they dreamed about being an American one day. To my surprise, they said no. In their defense, they were six years old. They don’t know any better.
3) Can’t help but think with all the call-ups that the most under-appreciated player this season is the captain, Brett Sutter. You want a kid who plays with guts that can score and is a leader? Here’s your guy. Power play, penalty kill, no problem for him. Teams don’t just wish they had a player like Brett Sutter…they wish they actually had Brett Sutter.
4) Nine of the top 11 scorers for Charlotte are no longer on the roster as of this moment.
5) Bobby Sanguinetti scored his first NHL goal the day after he tailed his first NHL point. The goal was many years in the making. It was the realization of a dream. My only regret was that I wasn’t there to call the goal. Way to go, Bobby.
6) Thanks to those fans that stayed up till the late hours of the night to listen to the games in Abbotsford. Both games ended after midnight Eastern time. I had a bad cold but like any tough radio-guy, I managed to battle through.
7) I said two weeks ago that Lindy Ruff would be the first coach to be fired. Even though firing a coach isn’t a panacea, it’s way easier than trading everyone. Have to believe Peter Laviolette is next.
8) Derek Wilkinson made a great point to me about the Sabres: Once the Sabres got a new owner and he told management they could start spending at salary cap-limit levels, the team started to tank. When they were a budget team, their roster moves were more calculated and strategic. Once they left that mold, things went haywire.
9) A great story: this kid walked 10 miles in the ice and snow in freezing conditions for a $7/hour job. He lost his mom two years ago and takes care of siblings.
The rest of the story is remarkable. He is the personification of willpower.
10) If you read this column two-weeks ago, I told you that Michal Jordan was going to be given a look by the Canes for the big club. Less than three days later, he played his first game for the Hurricanes. I’ll just keep giving you the unvarnished observations. No need to thank me.
11) The Blackhawks are either going to win the Stanley Cup or be out in the first round.
12) Saturday is the birthday of historian and economist Murray Rothbard. I’ve probably read “Anatomy of the State” 10 times. Sheer brilliance from this genius of a man. Rest in Peace, Professor.
