This Is Why No One Likes You

I completely understand that there's a lack of news in the hockey world in the days immediately following the NHL Entry Draft and the beginning of free agency. Unless someone makes a big trade or does something dramatic with a contract offer, there really isn't anything newsworthy about which sports reporters can write. That includes the headline shown above that was posted on Sportsnet because who cares what number Gavin McKenna wears?

Everyone believes that McKenna will be a game-changer for the Maple Leafs next season, and I'm not here to debate that. He has a unique set of skills and talents that can make the players around him better as we've seen with Medicine Hat and with Penn State, and the Maple Leafs will need to maximize those skills in order for them to be successful. This seems obvious, but it doesn't make it any less true.

Does it matter what number he wears on his back if this happens?

I get that people have already bought Maple Leafs jerseys with McKenna and #72 on the back, and I don't fault those fans for being excited at the thought of Gavin McKenna leading their team to the promised land. Every season, though, there a number changes for players depending on their circumstances, and it pays to wait to see what numbers will be worn once the season starts. There a chance, albeit slimmer than a sheet of paper, that McKenna doesn't make the Maple Leafs out of camp, and that headline would be all for naught.

Again, though, this number change isn't news. It's a social media posting at the very best, and the fact that Sportsnet paid someone to write seven paragraphs and 175 words on the subject is why a lot of people dislike the Toronto-centric coverage we're force-fed in Canada. I didn't see an article about what number Kappo Kahkonen will wear in Montreal or what number Jamie Oleksiak will wear in Vancouver, so why are we dedicating a staff member to write about Gavin McKenna who has yet to take a shift or attend an NHL camp?

Don't think this about McKenna, either. I hope the kid has a big season because hockey is always more fun when Canadian teams do well, and I hope he thrives in his new #92 jersey. Frankly, he could wear any number he wants as long as he shows up to play the way everyone hopes he can, and that number change still won't have any impact on what he's doing to help the Maple Leafs win. If the kid wore a smiley face on the back of his jersey, it would not matter nor would it be news. Why this was given any coverage is baffling.

This is why people dislike Rogers Sportsnet. They have done irreparable damage to the game in Canada with their greed, they have not made the on-screen product better in any way, and their ownership of the Maple Leafs means we'll likely see more news stories posted on their website and covered on their networks that aren't newsworthy. There are ten provinces, three territories, and countless hockey teams across Canada with great stories that can be told, and Rogers Sportsnet inexplicably had someone write up and post a story on Gavin McKenna getting a new number.

This is why no one likes you, Rogers Sportsnet. Get used to it.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!