Last weekend I was
kid in a candy store excited. I had scored my first (hopefully not my last) media credential for a NHL game. I was excited about the access, about getting to sit in the press area, getting to see some of the behind the scenes action and having access to the incredible stack of statistics and other team information that the home team produces. More than anything I was excited about having access to the players and coaches after the game.
I like to think of myself as a smart girl capable of asking serious questions. I wanted to ask some questions, a few admittedly girly, that were not related to the Caps game, like:
- Bob, last night we lost to yet another team from the Western Conference. Do you have a plan for helping us win against these disciplined teams before we leave on that West-Coast road trip in February? When will you begin strategizing for those games?
- Hossa, you talk a lot in interviews about Atlantans not recognizing you in public. This season the team is winning and you are on billboards. Are more people spotting you in public?
- Kari, you had a charming interview with Bary Melrose on ESPN. I was especially impressed by your hair, what product do you use to make it stand up like that?
- Ilya, it's been musical centers on your line. Who do you think you have the best chemistry with and would work best centering your line?
- And of course, Glen, would you please explain to JP that I am right, you are having a career season and he should just defer to me on all hockey related matters from now on? And could you do it with the video feed on my digital camera running?
I also had some game related questions:
- Ex, do you think some lingering effects of the mono contributed to that delay of game period you had a minute into overtime?
- Bob, do you think an endurance issue is contributing to our late game collapses?
Did I ask any of these questions? Nope. I wussed out. The one factor I had not anticipated was the mood of the locker room. You hear so many stories from football and baseball where players appear to take a loss lightly--or at least far more lightly than you'd like them to take it as a fan. Hanging your head in devastation is the purview of overzealous fans, right? I can attest that after our loss to the Capitals everyone I saw in that Thrasher's locker room looked like someone had just run over their puppy. Seeing the players so worn down and dejected, there was no way I could bother them with my trifle questions. This was no fault of the Thrasher's press people. To their credit they offered to go get Metro for me to talk to. But I just couldn't do it. I did go to Bob's press conference and ask a question about our penalties...but really the experience was not me at my best. It was me discovering the shortcomings of fandom and learning how hard it must be to be a reporter traveling with the team for a living. If I get the opportunity again I'll jump at it and try to do a better job, even if we don't win.