No, You Bozos. The NHL Does Not Need An Official Summer League
Over the past couple of summers, more and more people have been taking notice of summer leagues like Da Beauty League and the Chicago Pro Hockey League. These leagues feature a ton of NHL talent as well as prospects and college players and just a ridiculous amount of talent. And with more and more people paying attention to these summer leagues, there have been quite a few people out there who are bringing up the idea of having an official NHL summer league kind of like how the NBA has theirs. I’m here right now to tell you that those people are all certified morons.
You see, the thing that makes leagues like the DBL and the CPHL so great is the fact that none of it actually matters. It’s just a bunch of dudes lacing up the skates, heading out on the ice and playing for fun. Granted, they are some of the best players in the world so “playing for fun” may look a little different for them than it does for any ol’ random beer league. But the point here is that these guys are all free to do whatever they want on the ice and not have to worry about some shitbag coach burying them in the lineup because they tried to dangle out of their own zone and ended up turning the puck over. They can make as many moves as they want, they can coast on the backcheck if they’re feeling a little gassed, they can do pretty much whatever without a turnover leading to them watching the next game from the press box and then sent home with a one way ticket to the minors. The moment you start up an official NHL summer league, you’re pretty much just making a preseason to the preseason. Even if you make it 3v3 or 4v4 hockey, you’re still not going to get the same kind of hockey you’re seeing in these summer leagues that already exist. Alex Kovalev agrees.
If you start up an official NHL summer league, then you’re just going to end up with a lot of “try to fuck up as little as possible so I don’t lose my spot on the roster” hockey being played. And nobody wants to watch that. So unless they’re able to start up a league without any actual coaches involved, just let the boys continue playing some true beer league style hockey in the summer. That’s really what this all boils down to. These guys have to get bitched at by coaches all season long, the least you can do is let them play some free hockey in the summer. Selfish bastards.