Monday, October 10, 2011

Why I'm Here

Let me preface this by what I'm sure the three people who will actually read this today are thinking: I don't expect readers on this. I'm not doing this to get hits. I'm doing this to get my thoughts down in one place, and to help me reflect on them in the future.

Now that that's out of the way, let me tell you a little bit about myself. My name is Ryan Schwepfinger and I like hockey. That's it.

I've wanted to work in sports since I knew the definition of the word "career," and I have wanted to work in hockey since the very first time I heard a goal horn. I love the game and I think about it constantly. I currently am a Public Relations intern for the New York Rangers, the first step to what I hope is a career in the game I love. I got the idea to start a blog while at work, from a "career tips" sheet that Madison Square Garden human resources posted on our Facebook site.

Since I tweet about hockey constantly, I thought it was a nice piece of advice. Here, I won't annoy friends who dislike the game, and I won't have character constraints. It's also a nice archive of my thoughts and thought process for how I approach the game and my future career. It's a lot easier to show a GM in a future job interview what I've written than to simply say "I have a passion for this game like no other, so hire me!" I'm hoping what I write here could be a nice supplement to my resume and cover letter one day; almost like a built-in look into my mind so teams know just what they'd be getting by bringing me aboard.

Of course, I dream of a career in hockey operations. I watch games a bit differently than a fan would. I am at the point in my life where I am not a fan anymore. I am a professional in the industry (yes, I know I am just an intern in the industry). Regardless, if you dress for the position you want instead of the one you have, as they say, you have to think the same way. I try to think like a GM, and I'll explain this in my next post (my manifesto of how I approach hockey, of sorts).

For now, to close this introduction, I want to share a piece of writing I penned back when I was 18 years old.

At the time of the 2008 NHL trade deadline, I was an enormous Pittsburgh fan. I didn't really know the intricacies of the salary cap. I didn't know how many NHL games or calendar days could elapse after clearing waivers for a player to become waiver-exempt no longer (among other complex rules that I now have committed to memory). I just wanted the Penguins to improve their team. I expressed as much on this post from February 25, 2008, at a well-known hockey fan site:

"Hello everyone...I'm a first time writer, long time reader. I love the community aspect of this site and I'd like to share some of my thoughts about your Pittsburgh Penguins.

There are tons of rumors out there involving the Penguins. The most prevalent one as of now seems to be Staal and some sort of package going to Chicago for T. Ruutu and Havlat. Some conflicting reports say that the Hawks would want Esposito and not Staal.


If I were Ray Shero, I would hold on to Staal at all costs. I can see a Selke trophy in Staal's future. The value of his contributions is immense: he's long been a PK stalwart and he's also getting some PP time lately. Sure, his points are down, but anyone who watches the Pens on a regular basis can see the measurable impact he has on the game. He should be deemed untouchable.


Optimally, the guy I'd like to see jettisoned is Ryan Whitney. He has value as an offensive defenseman and possibly as a power play quarterback, but his contributions on defense are so shoddy. At least once per game, he will make some type of play that directly leads to the opposition scoring. It's become inevitable. Yesterday vs. San Jose, Cheechoo totally burned him in a pivotal point of the game. That type of play is typical Whitney. I think Pittsburgh has more than enough offensive defensemen (Gonchar, Letang, Goligoski coming up), so Whitney is expendable. He could probably could net us somebody decent as part of a package, maybe involving Armstrong or Christensen and a pick.


I know Shero isn't looking to do anything big. I know we'll probably end up making a minor deal or two, very similar to last year. But I think the time is now for Pittsburgh. The pieces are in place to make a very serious cup run either this year or next if we can get a scoring winger and a stay-at-home defenseman.


My thoughts: look into getting Barret Jackman from St. Louis, and look into making a deal with Chicago involving Esposito for possibly one of Havlat or Ruutu. I would make our first round pick available, because really, how much more young talent do we need?


Either way, I'm excited for tomorrow. I think everybody is" 


Here's the link if you'd like to see the original: http://my.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?user_id=43550&post_id=4468

Why do I find this significant? Let's sum up the key points of my opinion here, keeping in mind I wrote this one day before the NHL trade deadline, 2008:
- Despite rumors, make Jordan Staal untouchable, his defensive contributions and strength down the middle too valuable.
- Look to move Ryan Whitney, he is defensively subpar, and players like Letang and Goligoski in the system who are quantifiably better.
- Look to package Whitney with Christensen, Armstrong, and a pick for a winger.
- Make the first round pick in 2008 available.
- The pieces are in place for Pittsburgh to make a cup run within two years if they acquire a scoring winger and a stay-at-home defensema; contrary to most people's beliefs that the team isn't ready to win.
- Shop Angelo Esposito in any potential deal as a "top prospect."

Let's review what actually occurred for the Penguins after this post:
- The day after this post, 2/26/08, Pittsburgh traded Angelo Esposito, Colby Armstrong, Erik Christensen, and a first-round draft pick to Atlanta for Marian Hossa and Pascal Dupuis. They also acquired Hal Gill from Toronto for two picks.
- Less than a year later, on 1/8/09, Pittsburgh signed Jordan Staal to a four-year extension.
- On 2/26/09, Pittsburgh traded Ryan Whitney to Anaheim for Chris Kunitz and Eric Tangradi.They acquired Bill Guerin a few days later.
- Pittsburgh went to the Stanley Cup final in 08, and won it in 09.

Notice anything? The very players/pieces that I thought Pittsburgh should move were moved. The very players/types of players I thought they should acquire and/or maintain were brought in. And the team got better for it.

It was pretty incredible for me to stumble upon this old post a few months ago and realize how eerily correct I was. Perhaps even more incredible is acknowledging how little I knew about hockey in 2008 compared to now. I've spent the better part of the last three years studying the game, the CBA, the salary cap, etc. I was fascinated by going back and reading this years down the line, and I hope to garner similar fascination from sharing my thoughts here.

Bottom line, this blog is meant to get my thoughts in one place. I hope to be able to use this for reflection, for organization, and above all, enjoyment. I love talking about the game, I love thinking like a GM, and I love sharing my thoughts (at least while I can!).

Next up: the manifesto of how I think about hockey. Stay tuned.

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