Player surveys are one of the features of the American media. The largest of these surveys is conducted each year by the NHL union, in which hockey players answer a couple dozen different questions. The other day, The Athletic website surveyed the league’s players; Not all, 55 hockey players spoke to the publication, but the results seem quite representative:
The city where the new NHL team should appear is Houston (10 votes)
League management has said that after Las Vegas and Seattle there are no plans to further expand the NHL, but it’s easy to imagine that interest in this will likely continue. Two newcomer clubs between them paid more than $1 billion in league registration fees, and not a cent of these funds went toward player salaries. However, even if the league does not expand, there is at least one strong candidate for relocation: Arizona, which has been left virtually homeless.
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Unsurprisingly, Quebec came in second after Houston (seven votes), Salt Lake City, Kansas City and… Prague also made the top five. The reason is understandable: the local O2 Arena, which hosted two world championships and a Gagarin Cup final, is one of the largest in Europe (17 thousand spectators), and nightlife in the Czech capital is in full swing. . One of the players even mentioned Hawaii, but it’s unclear if this is a joke or not.
The city with the best party life is Las Vegas (20 votes)
Of course, there is no alternative here. “Amazing restaurants, dazzling shows, the opportunity to play blackjack or simpler card games. In Las Vegas there is a lot of entertainment besides the casino: you can play golf or ride a bike in the canyon,” write the authors of The Athletic. In second place, with a double advantage, is New York, where, in principle, you can also find everything you want.
The city with the worst partisan life is Winnipeg (14 votes)
It’s cold in Winnipeg and that puts a lot of people off. Furthermore, there is simply nothing to do in the city; This was also said by the hockey players who played there. “This is a godforsaken place. You just sit at the hotel when you arrive,” said one of the players, who as expected did not want to reveal his name. But the Jets’ Josh Morrissey says every opponent plays his team in better shape: Few get the chance to party all night.
Winnipeg
Photo: Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images
In second place is Buffalo (six votes), and this can also be explained: the city is part of the so-called “rust belt”, which is somewhat reminiscent of some mono-industrial Russian provincial cities. In third place is Detroit (three votes), and Calgary defenseman Rasmus Andersson gave an unusual reason for choosing him: “I got hit by a car there. I left the casino and woke up in the hospital; “I have no idea what happened.”
Coach you would like to play for: John Cooper (5 votes)
The votes in this nomination were very divided. Respondents named two dozen coaches, including the late Pat Quinn, Wayne Gretzky, who failed as a coach, and Scotty Bowman, who hasn’t worked in the NHL in a long time. Even Mike Babcock, who was recently sadly fired, received a vote. But many hockey players did not even answer this question!
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Here the hockey players again remained anonymous in their comments. “A lot of guys have told me he’s the best coach they’ve ever worked with,” one said of Cooper. “I’ve been told a lot of good things about him,” added another. Second place was shared by Rod Brindamore and Jim Montgomery, and the Carolina coach did not hesitate to praise the Carolina player. “I only played for Rod, but players on other teams often say it would be great to work with him,” Martín Necas said.
John Cooper
Photo: AP/TASS
Favorite non-hockey athlete: Lionel Messi (6 votes)
In the eternal battle between the football elephant and the whale, the Argentine won with a slight advantage, beating Cristiano by one vote. “Hockey players are big football fans, and this doesn’t just apply to players from Europe. It is safe to say that many NHL players would give anything to see Messi’s game live at Inter Miami,” the site’s authors conclude. In third place was also the European Roger Federer, and behind the tennis player come the main American heroes, Michael Jordan and the legendary quarterback Tom Brady.
Player with the toughest strength: Tom Wilson (13 votes)
And again, the undisputed leader, Washington’s enforcer, was almost twice ahead of Ryan Reeves. “I learned to perform power techniques from the age of seven and I always liked it. I grew up watching the NHL in the late ’90s and early ’00s and always wanted to play like the power forwards of that era. I wanted to score goals and play hard, the right way. The guys in the NHL are smaller now and I’m trying to learn the new rules. “I’ve had some not-so-pleasant meetings with the league’s security department and I want to adjust to not having to watch hockey from the stands,” Wilson said.
In addition to the two players mentioned above, Jacob Trouba and Radko Gudas performed well. Of course, the hockey players did not forget about Alexander Ovechkin, who received two votes. “He’s fast and powerful, and you don’t want to get in his way,” Columbus defenseman Adam Boqvist said. Rasmus Sandin, who recently moved to Washington, is happy: “In every game against the Capitals, Ovi hit me at least once. “I’m glad I can now play with him and Tom on the same team, and not against them.”
The main fan of verbal provocations is Brad Marchand (8 votes)
The word “chirper” is difficult to translate into Russian as accurately as possible; here we mean not just a person who likes to chat on the ice, but someone who can translate this as “trash talk.” In this category, as in the case of coaches, there were also more than two dozen nominees. Boston’s newly appointed captain, however, is out of the running; everyone has heard about his abilities.
Second place is shared by Rasmus Andersson, hit by a Detroit car, and the hero of the last Stanley Cup, Matthew Tkachuk. The Swede notes that he approaches his banter with caution: “If someone was transferred to another club without any compensation, I will definitely remind them.” According to Johnny Gaudreau, Andersson does not shut up throughout the game. Third place was shared by Drew Doughty and Ryan Reaves, followed by another Tkachuk: Brady.
