The Goods: Weekly Slapshot Express

01/18/2010 9:45 PM -  Ian Gooding

Contributed by Ian Gooding

Welcome to my new (old) blog, The Goods, where I discuss what needs to be discussed on a fantasy hockey level. The only difference is that this time, I may throw some other things out there that are currently on my mind.

If you’re a fan of our podcasts, you’ll be glad to know that the Weekly Slapshot Podcast is expanding to two nights a week! I’ve decided to call our new weeknight episode the Weekly Slapshot Express, since it will be only a half-hour podcast (kind of like Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express).

You can listen starting this Tuesday January 19 at 9 pm ET (6 pm PT) on Blog Talk Radio. I will be on the first episode, but this will be Mark Haverty and AHL reporter AJ Cich’s show (along with whoever else calls in). If you missed the live show, you can also listen in on fantasyhockey.com. If you have any questions or comments about the show, be sure to email me at ian@fantasyhockey.com. Otherwise, make sure you join in on the fun in our chatroom or just by listening. You can also join our Facebook page.

The hot button topic of the day in the world of hockey is the Patrice Cormier hit, which you can view below.

Patrice Cormier hit (shows at 1:00 mark)

As I’ve been tweeting throughout the day, the QMJHL needs to throw the book at Canada’s World Junior captain. All hockey leagues need to get serious about headshots, whether the player is perceived to have intended to hit or not. After all, if you were speeding and hit a pedestrian or another car, would you be off the hook if you said, “I didn’t mean to”? I know that hockey is a fast game and that collisions occur, but players need to be responsible for their own actions. After all, is it going to take a player dying on the ice for hockey leagues to take the head/neck injury problem seriously?

When Cormier is reinstated, he will likely land in the NHL. Could he turn into a Steve Downie type of player – one who doesn’t possess elite-level talent, but one that plays on the edge? He could be a solid points/penalty minutes option, which is why fantasy owners should monitor this situation.