“ . . . I wonder if Sakic was maybe a little scared . . .”

What an idoitic statement!  Dater is a paid, journalist, i.e.a professional.  Standards in Denver must really be slipping.

Please beleive me when I tell you I abhor the Avalanche and everything about the organization—except Joe Sakic.  I’ve always thought Sakic to be the consumate professional.  Highly skilled, a little gritty, ferocious competitor, humble leader.  Make more room in the HHOF for Joe.

If Sakic does decide to retire, it certainly won’t be because he was “a little scared”; what a ridiculous comment.

Posted by Jeff OKWingnut from Hockey Netherworld on 05/04/08 at 08:00 AM ET

Agreed.  I doubt he’s scared, but maybe Dater just couldn’t find the right word - what he seems to want to say is that Sakic may have come to the realization that he can’t deny his age anymore and the toll it’s taken on him.

It’s always bittersweet when a talented athlete or musician realizes that he is looking at the younger kids coming into their prime, and he can no longer compete with their energy and talent, and it would be self-delusional to believe so.

When that time comes, it’s the smart man who retires with his dignity intact and no regrets.

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 05/04/08 at 08:24 AM ET

Dater’s sensationalist writing at his blog is nothing more than lame attempts to get more readers, and to draw attention to itself.  Look at how he has baited fans of other teams into coming to the Denver Post’s site.  He is supposed to be a beat reporter, but his blog is anything but. 

While the rest of the journalistic world is complaining about bloggers not being journalistic enough, here is a journalist crossing the line almost every time he writes. 

It’s obvious he gets attention, though.

Posted by Tapeleg on 05/04/08 at 08:35 AM ET

Substitute “uneasy” for “scared” and I think it’s a more accurate assessment.

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 05/04/08 at 08:42 AM ET

Tapeleg, If he is blogging just for the ‘hits’, then there is a more serious issue at the Denver Post.
They may enjoy the added attention, but it sure is making him look like more and more like a ‘entertainment’ writer than a hockey one.

Posted by Paul from Motown Area on 05/04/08 at 09:44 AM ET

Whatever he is blogging for, the distinction between “entertainment” writer and hockey journalist is easy for us to see.  For the masses, who see that a beat reporter is writing under the banner of the Denver Post, they see it as reporting.  But when a “reporter” is yelling at the fans of an opposing team in his blog, or baiting other hockey bloggers, you have to wonder where the line at the Denver Post is drawn. 

I would say that things at the Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News (owned by the same company) are problematic. They are far from stable.

Posted by Tapeleg on 05/04/08 at 10:00 AM ET

I totally agree Tapeleg, although I think Rick Ssdowski at the RMN does a very good job, although I don’t read him on a daily basis.

Posted by Paul from Motown Area on 05/04/08 at 10:10 AM ET

I agree with Dater’s premise that Sakic still has the potential to be an effective--if no longer dominant--offensive forward, and that he shouldn’t retire.  I disagree with Dater’s insinuation that Sakic should retire when he loses that potential.

There’s no dignity in “going out at the top” or retiring in your prime.  It just shows an unwillingness or inability to adapt.  Look at Chris Chelios, Mike Modano, Jeremy Roenick, Gary Roberts, Brendan Shanahan, Sergei Fedorov, or even Derian Hatcher.  None have the energy or ability they did in their prime, but they’ve all found ways to contribute to successful hockey teams by adapting to a new role.  It shows a lot of character.

Posted by Ryan from Toronto on 05/04/08 at 10:36 AM ET

I really want to like Dater, but he blogs like a fan blogger, then hides behind the veil of journalism.  He considers the fan bloggers competition, as evidenced here.  A quote:

If people find mine more interesting and I get the most “clicks”, then yay for me. If somebody else gets more and people like them more, then I’ll be the first to tip my cap to them.
But I’m a tough competitor, and we newspaper guys are fighting for our rice bowls now, a lot harder than we used to anyway.

It’s a confession of legitimacy, and at the same time, it is telling as to how he operates.  I know the newspapers are desperate, but this is what the last resort it?

Posted by Tapeleg on 05/05/08 at 01:48 AM ET