Media Frenzy

Media everywhere, players everywhere, microphones thrown into the bearded faces of players we are used to seeing on the ice, not in suit coats and fancy shoes.

It was a great scene in Detroit’s Cobo Hall where Media Day was held. NHL.com, XM, NHL Network and a few other media types had areas set up where they could do one-on-one interviews.

Most of the players were very open but a few were filled with a little nervous tension.

First the Wings appeared and each player had an area sectioned off for them. Some stood around waiting for interviews, others were kept very busy. Johan Franzen created the biggest media scrum, followed by Holmstrom, Draper and Maltby. Some of the Wings players were brought to the NHL.com area where the crew interviewed them and I was able to participate in the process too.

After the Wings vacated the room where Media Day was being held, the Pittsburgh Penguins entered and basically followed the pattern of the Wings players. After Sidney Crosby spoke to the media in a group setting, which you may have watched via the NHL Network, he simply vanished. Players who drew the most attention from the media were Ryan Malone, Gary Roberts and Georges Laraque.

One sidenote to this day, both the Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe trophies were on display and the players avoided looking at them. I did see Evgeni Malkin get within about five feet of them, then quickly turn his back to them.

It was a great experience for me, especially with this all happening in my home town. I will have more throughout the weekend and hope to improve the quality of the pictures I took that Alanah posted earlier today.

I am a bit tired, but the real fun begins tomorrow. I can’t wait for tomorrow and as Ron MacLean of HNIC told me, “Just drop the puck”. I agree, Ron, and I am sure most hockey fans feel the same way.