There are few things that infuriate me more than sports analysts ranting about the inferiority of the NHL when they clearly know very little about what they are talking about. Stephen A. Smith’s comments this morning are precisely why I refuse to watch anything hockey-related on ESPN. Smith was asked whose streak was more impressive—the Chicago Blackhawks 22-game point streak or the Miami Heat’s 14-game win streak? He emphatically declared “I don’t even know why this is a question, of course it’s the Miami Heat.”
Ok Mr. Smith, you are entitled to your opinion, but let’s hear your argument: “When it was a 21-game streak, it was really an 8-game streak. There are three ties.” Three TIES? I’m sorry, is it 2004? It’s clearly been a while since he’s caught an overtime hockey game since ties were abolished almost NINE years ago. But he continues….“Not only that: If you go to the overtime you get a point. If you win the game, you get a couple of points. I’m sorry, you want a cookie? Last time I checked, when you take to the ice, it’s to actually win. It’s not to tie. So I don’t get all of this stuff.”
Yes, you’ve made that abundantly clear.