I thoroughly enjoy watching sports shows. I find it interesting to hear the latest news around the hockey world. However as the draft draws near, there seems to be more rumors then there are truths. And it's getting annoying.
A great example would be the "hiring" of coach John Anderson by the Atlanta Thrashers which GM Don Waddell recently denied. I of course choose not to comment on rumblings of a Malkin trade. But where exactly do these stories come from? Do a group of hockey "experts" sit in a room deciding which story would cause the most buzz? I could sit here and claim "reliable sources" say that Gretzky is coming out of retirement, or Ovechkin is the one entertaining offers from Russia, or Peter Forsberg doesn't really have a foot problem. Maybe Eric Lindros is giving the NHL another go, or Calgary is shopping Jerome Iginla to try and snag a higher draft pick. There are tons of rumors that can easily be spread like wildfire, and for some reason, they hit the newspapers as if they are actually credible.
It's a real shame, as I do believe some hockey analyists out there are legit and want to disclose real hockey stories rather than rating-seeking fabrications. Perhaps the real question is if any of the recent rumors are actually true. A few NHL GM's aren't too pleased with gossip surrounding their teams: http://sports.sympatico.msn.cbc.ca/abc/News/ContentPosting.aspx?isfa=1&feedname=CBC-SPORTS-V2&showbyline=True&newsitemid=gms-medias, but is it because the stories are complete lies, or rather truths that aren't ready to be brought into the light? That remains to be seen.
So how come our favorite sports shows are turning into bad episodes of Entertainment Tonight? Probably because the network big guns believe that sports fan enjoy endulging in a little gossip. Guess what, they don't! There's a reason we pay attention to sports rather than the latest issue of the National Enquierer. Come on hockey fans, don't sit back and watch the sport you love be reduced to beauty parlour chit chat.

Ashley Allen
Cintia Dicker



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I was typing up a quip about National Enquirer writers were freelancing before I even read the last half of your article where you already mentioned the rag. Oh well.....
T Rocks
Mysterious, PA
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