Dose: Hockey for Everyone

More than a few people are beating up on the NHL for suspending Los Angeles Kings defenseman Slava Voynov indefinitely following Monday’s arrest regarding a possible domestic assault incident a season after Colorado Avalanche goalie Semyon Varlamov’s 2013-14 campaign was barely affected (on the ice, at least) by issues that were seemingly similar.

I use the word “seemingly” because a) I don’t know the absolute particulars of either case and b) NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly sent an e-mail to The Hockey News that vaguely discussed the differences in the two matters while also admitting that the NFL’s high-profile crises certainly made an impact on the decision:

“I think the landscape has changed for all of us over the past six months,” Daly said in an email to thn.com. “But that’s not the only reason for the difference in treatment. Circumstances were different in Varlamov. I can’t get more specific than that.”

Anyway, a lot of people chide the NHL for such a reaction - and perhaps a more proactive approach would have indeed been more impressive - but my overall feeling is “Better late than never.” It’s better to take something seriously too late than to continue to bury your head in the sand because of “protocol” or other antiseptic words that aim at distracting from the outrage at hand.

Almost as importantly, the league and the Los Angeles Kings seem like they’re being transparent in ways that Roger Goodell and the bumbling NFL rarely were with Baltimore Ravens RB Ray Rice.

At least … that’s how everything appears at this time. A lot of information is either under investigation, confidential or just flat-out cloudy.

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None of these things make it any easier to stomach what might have happened between Voynov and his alleged anonymous victim.

I’m afraid I don’t have a ton of sage-like takeaways from incidents like these. Even if I did, I’m not sure how welcome they’d be in a column about fantasy hockey, particularly one that leans toward humor more often than not.

While I’d love to think that we, as a society, have come a long way when it comes to fairly treating women and plenty of other groups who have been abused or mistreated in the past, it’s also clear that there’s a lot of room for improvement. There have been enough uncomfortable moments between some of the men and women who make up the most passionate hockey fans on Twitter alone to highlight the notion that we shouldn't be satisfied with whatever progress has been made.

Personally, I’d just like to note the many times I’ve come across women who haven’t just blown everyone else away with their hockey knowledge, but outright changed the way I look at the game.

The early “aughts” mark the time when my interest was waning the most in the sport. Granted, waning most mainly meant “not obsessing over every development as usual,” but still … the “Clutch & Grab Era” started to chisel away at my passion for the game. Then, one day, I stumbled upon word that a fantasy hockey league was starting up on my dorm room floor. It was a truly glorious introduction to picking teams full of random players who you sometimes end up cheering for more heartily than the squad you’ve been passionate about for decades.

Even though I ended up leaving that university for a different one after that school year, I maintained friendships - and developed a few fantasy (hopefully lighthearted) feuds - for years after that fateful night. The best friend of the bunch was someone I’ll refer to as “Dre,” a Pittsburgh Penguins fan with an extensive array of knowledge and a weird thing for bearded, bloodied hockey players.

If it weren’t for Dre, I’m not sure I’d be writing this column or working a hockey gig for years. Sure, the NHL still would have been a passion, yet would I have jumped back into it with the same fervor? I’m not so sure.

Naturally, Dre was far from the only female hockey fan who enriched my love of the game. During my time blogging for free, I came across a wide variety of brilliant women, from the adorable cartoon work of Couch Tarts to the irreverent duo at Puck Huffers to “Hildy Mac” and plenty more. In the past couple years, women like “Jen LC” are rising the ranks among the most influential thinkers, even if they’ve had to deal with meathead mentalities far too frequently.

Of course, the most important hockey fan - male, female or canine - I’ve ever met is my wife. We first laid eyes on each other at the NHL Awards in Las Vegas and went from a long-distance relationship to moving long distances from Nashville, Tennessee to Fredericton, NB. (I’d like to think my impassioned - if allegedly boozy - argument for Eric Lindros’ Hall-of-Fame worthiness during the first night we met had something to do with winning her favor.)

Many of her ideas bleed into this space, and there’s a good chance you’ll hear from her every now and then as the 2014-15 season marches on.

Anyway, the point of all of this is simple yet not enough people heed it: hockey really should be for everyone. Women should feel comfortable in every environment, obviously, but as hockey fans, we have more power to make them feel safe and respected in our own friendly confines.

Beyond the no-brainer about how vile physical violence is - toward anyone, really, unless perhaps you’re both willingly* dropping the gloves on the ice - women are every bit equal hockey fans, reporters and so on. If your instinct is to throw out trivia questions the next time you see a woman in a hockey jersey, do the universe a favor and eat some nachos/fill your mouth to the point where you can’t spew out such imbecilic phrases.

And if you’ve said some dumb things - I’ve been there in a wide variety of ways - follow the NHL’s lead: it’s better to procrastinate when it comes to arriving at the right path than it is to dismiss the process altogether.

Now, if you’re looking for in-depth analysis regarding how the Kings will look without Voynov … how about we let the smoke clear a little bit first, OK?

We may get a better idea of how long he’ll be suspended soon, and the Kings don’t play again until Thursday to begin with. If the suspension remains indefinite as that next game arrives, I’ll discuss the Los Angeles outlook a bit then.

(As far as Voynov specifically goes … I’d drop him. Feel free to do so for whatever reasons you prefer: moral, practical or both.)

QUICK HITS

The Tampa Bay Lightning got Jonathan Drouin in the lineup, but they probably felt a bit somber considering Victor Hedman’s upcoming surgery, which will leave him out an estimated 4-6 weeks. My guess is that he’ll be on IR quickly enough that you can avoid significant reverberations (beyond losing a rising star in fantasy, naturally). May I recommend T.J. Brodie (60 percent owned), Damon Severson (slightly risky long-term, but hot right now and only 36 percent owned) or Sami Vatanen (37 percent) as fill-ins? … The Lightning turn around and face the Calgary Flames on Tuesday. That’s three games in four nights for a squad likely still a little stunned by Hedman’s injury (not to mention Ryan Callahan being banged up, too). Could be a good barometer for both teams, when you really think about it … It looks like Reto Berra could play against Florida tonight while Varlamov could be back for Colorado by Friday. That doesn’t change the fact they’re likely to face a lot of (supposedly low-quality) shots, but it’s better than nothing for the ailing Avs … Keep an eye out for Rotoworld updates regarding Pavel Datsyuk, who might just return tonight or at least fairly soon. Maybe. You never know with the banged-up Red Wings … Could the Hurricanes finally get their first win against the bumbling Jets? Maybe, but I'd still excitedly start Dustin Byfuglien and Winnipeg's other useful fantasy assets ... Red Wings - Canadiens, Devils - Rangers, Sharks - Bruins and Canucks - Stars are all interesting contests as far as judging where some promising and/or puzzling teams are headed.

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* - Looking at you, Ray Emery.