Thoughts on the Press Box

roadsidegeorgia.com

After a weekend of shaking hands, nodding and smiling politely, I'm going to take a moment to reflect on what it's like to be on the other side of the velvet rope. No, really. There were velvet ropes! My first time in an actual, real, live press box was more of the fly-on-the-wall variety as opposed to the action at a place like Strokers. That was a billboard advertisement picturing a whole bunch of girls somewhere along I-85 near Atlanta and is quite possibly the biggest sexual innuendo in the history of mankind. The experience was interesting and something I'm glad happened sooner rather than later. It also makes me want to think twice every time I write something bashing someone in the media. It's probably the quickest way to make enemies in there. So I didn't shake took many hands but I did rub a bunch of shoulders, and here's a little free word association of the people that I saw in the ATL.

• David Amber, ESPN - Big enough to kick my ass.

• Barry Melrose - Didn't see him, sadly. Might not of even been there.

• Alyssa Milano - Gorgeous.

• Rick DiPietro and Joe Micheletti - Should go on the road as a comedy tour. Two of the funniest, most enjoyable and outgoing people there. And I swear I'm not saying that because of their ties to the Islanders.

• Doc Emrick - Class act.

• Scott Niedermayer - Definition of professional.

• Dion Phanuef - Already mentioned this, but seemed nervous about talking to me. I would be too.

• Gary Bettman - Sadly not seen standing next to Snoop Dogg. That would have made my year.

• Willie O'Ree - Is there anyone that doesn't know him? Wins the award for best dresser.

• Scott Burnside, ESPN - Has red hair. That's about all I figured out.

• Alex Ovechkin - Funny guy.

• Usher - Sunglasses indoors. Puh-lease.

• Harvey the Hound - Favorite mascot.

Going back to the topic of how relevant/necessary the ASG actually is, I think it's safe to say that the press certainly believes in it. That was evident by the sheer number of media members in attendance. The Phil is a new arena and has an absolutely gigantic press box. It spans two entire levels above the suites in the arena and still, we were put in an auxiliary box elsewhere in the arena because there were so many other pressers in attendance. At about the 120th spot on the totem pole, there was no room to accommodate us in the actual press box. While most of the media in attendance was Canadian, I think this certainly speaks volumes about how important the press feels the event is.

Speaking of press row, I don't have any great stories to weave for you a la a certain AJ Daulerio. My plan from the start was to keep out of trouble and enjoy the free pretzels (they're not only for the blog boxers!). I do have to say that at least from where I was sitting it was more of a holiday than a day at the office for most of my compadres, something I probably should have expected. A quick glance down the row saw crossword puzzles and score sheets decorated with epic drawings. To be fair, most of the people here weren't hockey people, so I can't imagine they were too into the game anyway. But the one moment that stuck in my mind were some people who managed to pick up a pair of puck bunnies that were clearly out of their age bracket. As I learned this weekend, flashing a badge can do a lot of different things for you.

All in all everyone was unbelievably nice and always willing to lend a helping hand. It didn't matter if I was talking to the media, players, NHL staff or Phillips Arena staff, everyone was a pleasure to be around. Maybe that had to do with the badge, but either way it was great. And I have to give some extra props to the arena staff. When wandering around the maze that is The Phil, they always knew where I should be going. The directions might be lengthy, but they were spot on and all smiles. Now if only I could slap the person who designed the layout of the arena. It's a B-E-A-UTIFUL facility, but the layout leaves a lot to be desired. Like a staircase next to the elevators that doesn't stop after one floor. That would help.

An All Star Hangover

I'm pretty sure any thought I ever had ever about the All Star game has been posted and reposted at the FanHouse. A thousand times. I just did six posts in an 48 hour span (would of been more if I could work a tape recorder) which is about what I normally do in 10 days over there. It was fun though and I'm glad I got to do it. The fans in the ATL were great, the facility was great (fun maze!) and the city was great as well. It was all great, if you haven't picked up on that.

Just fair warning that there isn't going to be anything new up over here or at FanHouse Monday morning. I need a few hours to recover from excessive typing. But I should be back Monday night, if not early Tuesday and we'll start the fun all over again.

If you missed it, this was my weekend. Grammatical errors, smiling politely, free over salted pretzels and loving every minute of it. And no YouTubes of Kane from the YoungStars game yet. This is America, right?

Screw It, Just Make Him a Forward

One of the moments that stood out in my mind tonight -- Rick DiPietro going three of four on his shots across the rink. Also on my list of things to post are Patrick Kane's breakaways from the YoungStars game, but those aren't on YouTube yet. So for now, you're going to have to deal with videos of my main man DP.

Superskills/YoungStars News and Notes

Right now I'm sitting up top at the Phil taking in the Superskills and YoungStars competitions. We're almost through it all, having just finished the wildly entertaining YoungStars game. Here are some random thoughts and ideas from what I've seen so far. I'll probably pick one or two of these and focus in on them later in the night at FanHouse.

• The Phil is an absolute maze. There's no other way to describe it. The press elevators are the same two elevators that service four levels of suites on one side of the arena, so they're no use. When you take a staircase, it only goes about one floor before you have to enter the concourse and roam in search of a new staircase that, if you're lucky, will get you to where you want to go.
• I walked past Bryan Murray and Mike Milbury on my way up. I don't know them at all, but they certainly seem like an unlikely couple.
  
• The initial relay competition was a snoozer. Watching the goalies shoot was the highlight, and that wasn't that great. Maybe it should be it's own competition, though.
• The Atlanta crowd is bruuuutal, as they've rode anyone and everyone so far. That's a slap at them, it means they know their stuff. It's just that I would usually expect this out of New Yorkers. They rode Chris Osgood especially hard during YoungStars, chanting "Osgood, you suck" throughout most of it. It didn't help when he let a few straight shots go through during the shootout.
  
• They took place at the end of the ice opposite from where I'm sitting, but the Kane breakaways during YS looked like highlight reel goals.
• YS: best event of the night by far. I'd be very surprised if anything tops it. If you want to know how to sell the shootout, this is how. It was basically a glorified shootout, but way more entertaining.
• The shootout was severely lacking in creativitiy. In the NBA, the slam dunk competition awards points for creativity. Something the NHL should look into for next year, perhaps? (EDIT: and it turns out they have judges.... whoops)
  
• Minor, but pulling Kovalchuk off the fastest skater finals was a joke.
• As I'm typing this, no one is getting juiced by the accurate shot competition.
  

And So It Begins

The vast majority of my All-Star coverage will be posted over at the FanHouse, so I advise you to spend the weekend over there. We can have a big slumber party and toast marshmallows. It will be cozy! If there's anything that falls through the cracks, and I'm sure there will be, you'll be able to find it over here. For example...

Your All-Star Starters