Not a fun day. Despite what some may think about me in my long, long career as a sports writer, I don’t like writing bad things about people.
For much of my career, yes, breaking the news first on Avs-related news was very important to me. Honestly, the thrill of that is mostly gone for me. Yes, scoops do matter in the careers of reporters. There’s a reason Adam Schefter and Adrian Wojnarowsi and other sports newsbreakers have millions of followers and make a lot of money. Customers and media entities reward sports reporters who actually break news, not just take notes and act as stenographers with a press pass. That’s easy. And, for the most part, boring to the reader.
I’m not on either of the aforementioned’s level in that department and never will. But I’ll look back on my career with satisfaction in the breaking news department. That said, things move so fast now that any “scoop” is usually forgotten quickly by everybody, and usually gets pirated with no credit by lousy aggregator sites anyway.
I didn’t enjoy breaking the news of Valeri Nichushkin’s entry into the NHL players’ assistance program, though. It’s not at all a rewarding feeling writing about a person’s real-life struggles. It’s one thing to write about a guy’s bad game, to be critical about their performance. It’s another to write about a guy needing help.
As someone who has needed a lot of help with some issues in my own life, I don’t at all pass judgment on Nichushkin’s issues, or anyone else’s. I’ve had to get back up off the canvas personally and professionally after some really low points and just tried to learn and be better in the future. It wasn’t easy. Still isn’t.
I truly hope Nichushkin will beat whatever his issues are, and I think he will. He’s a marvelous hockey player, in the midst of the best statistical season of his career. He’s also human, and therefore flawed. Just like me, and just like you. Let’s put the game aside here and just hope for the best.
About the game tonight:
Just not good enough tonight. Too many turnovers, too many mistakes at key times, not good enough goaltending from Alexandar Georgiev. A team loss.
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