ESPN's Off-Season rankings put the Lightning at 13th in the East

by John Fontana on Jul 14, 2009 12:37 PM EDT in Media Comment 7 comments

While many of the Eastern Conference playoff teams got a full-on glowing treatment by author and ESPN.com contributor Terry Frei (a football writer) during his off-season rankings, the Tampa Bay Lightning did not get such a versed coverage beyond the stereotypes and pre-draft, pre-free agency easy-target coverage:

13. Tampa Bay Lightning

At least the linesmen have stepped between the owners, Oren Koules and Len Barrie, theoretically leaving Brian Lawton with less to sort out as he goes about his business. Vinny Lecavalier is still here and hasn't been the subject of a new trade rumor for several hours. Steve Stamkos looked to be in way over his head for the first half of the season before somewhat validating management's decision not to send him back to major junior for one more season, and now he'll be able to call Victor Hedman "Kid."

It practically comes off like Terry wrote this before or just after July 1st and phoned it in. He doesn't care about the Lightning, nor expects the readers to have gone that far in the article... That's how it's presented. There is no mention of a revamped defense and the players brought in. It's all the same media narrative nationally about Tampa Bay from the past year: ownership issues (fresh information is available about today), Vincent Lecavalier trade rumors, Steven Stamkos and the known-since-April #2 draft pick Victor Hedman.

What he fails to cover is the change of an AHL caliber defense into one of much higher experience and quality, or a mega-dominant-in-the-Southeast-Division goaltender being signed for chump change.

It's too much to expect the Lightning to be contending for a playoff spot or something at this point, or have a top ranking -- it's July for goodness sake! But then again, any attempt to rank the NHL's Eastern (or Western) Conference in mid-July is entirely futile. Games don't start until October and an off-season isn't complete until camp opens in September. Changes are still afoot for every team out there.

At least try to present the facts, though, for every team. Not the only facts you can think of off the top of your head while your focus is on other subjects.

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Major media

Well, at least they didn’t say we were the worst team in all of professional sports like the last major media company out there. BTW, does SI even cover hockey?

by k_c on Jul 14, 2009 12:55 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Only when bribed ;) n/t

The Raw Charge -- the Tampa Bay Lightning weblog at SB Nation.

by John Fontana on Jul 14, 2009 2:21 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Terry "Freakin' Frei Strikes Again

How ESPN can allow Frei to continue to do these rankings is beyond me. Oh, that’s right! They could care less about the NHL. They have Hradek, LeBrun and Burnside for hockey discussions. Why not use them! This (as you stated) is a football writer struggling to impersonate a hockey analyst. This is the same dope that did an NHL coaches ranking list in August of last year. The results: Jacque Lemaire #2 behind Babcock and Claude Julien #24 of the 27 coaches that were ranked. Proof of his lack of NHL knowledge.

In the new poll, he backs-up his team rankings with a total of two, run on sentences containing exactly zero analysis, for each team..

His Denver Post bio says: Terry Frei writes for The Denver Post and ESPN.com. A writer of eclectic interests, background, and expertise whose books have been about football, he is best known in the journalism world for his long-time coverage of — and fascination with — the National Hockey League.

I have a fascination with brain surgery…does that qualify me as a medical journalist?

Stick to football Terry!

WB Philp

by LightningShout on Jul 14, 2009 1:23 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs

Frei is the regular beat writer for the Avalanche at the Denver Post. So he does know his hockey. The problem is that he only really knows the Western Conference.

Cassie
Raw Charge, an SBN Tampa Bay Lightning Blog. It's what's for dinner.

by Cassie McClellan on Jul 14, 2009 1:26 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

If he has just started covering the NHL, it is going to take him some more time before he can make better assessment. That being said, That list is a joke.
Maple leafs at 8th?? Burke has them set for being dead last in the League. TML are going to fighting with the avs and NYI for the Hall sweepstakes and not the stanley one.
Thrashers at 15 again is a very bad analysis. I doubt that Canadiens will be 9th either.

by SumOil on Jul 15, 2009 9:07 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

The Habs made many more gains than losses

Like I said, he phoned it in. It looked like he looked at the final standings in the east, then conferred with an editor/producer about which teams to hype (Northeast before elsewhere) and then let loose.

Reminds me of 2004 and watching ABC/ESPN always root for the Lightning’s opponent in their coverage, mostly because they had no clue about the Lightning.

The Raw Charge -- the Tampa Bay Lightning weblog at SB Nation.

by John Fontana on Jul 15, 2009 10:28 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs