Wednesday, August 01, 2007
The Less Anonymous One
Remember the debacle that was Sportsnet's trade deadline day show? Remember their marquee guest?
In the most authoritative piece I've ever seen on Eklund, Greg Wyshynski (The Fourth Period, AOL Sports Fanhouse) chatted with the (getting less and less) anonymous hockey blogger and asked him the questions we've all been wondering about.
[update: 08/02/2007, 8:43 AM]
Here's something interesting for those who follow Eklund and his many, many Canucks-related trade rumors:
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Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com.
Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks
In the most authoritative piece I've ever seen on Eklund, Greg Wyshynski (The Fourth Period, AOL Sports Fanhouse) chatted with the (getting less and less) anonymous hockey blogger and asked him the questions we've all been wondering about.
Because as Eklund's popularity and influence have grown -- with surging Web traffic, high-profile radio gigs and an on-air role during an NHL trade deadline television special -- so have serious charges about a fraudulent biography, his lack of journalistic ethics and some online behavior that historically has gotten professional reporters fired. During our hour-long conversation, the "anonymous hockey blogger" finally began to answer to them -- with some startling revelations.Much, much more here.
[update: 08/02/2007, 8:43 AM]
Here's something interesting for those who follow Eklund and his many, many Canucks-related trade rumors:
So, In the past I have communicated with Eklund, We have developed what I'd call a "working relationship". However, it makes me want to call him out.Now guess what rumor du jour just popped up on Eklund's site? *sigh*
So, here we go, Today I am sending Eklund this email
"Hey Ek,Just an FYI, I was speaking with my friend in Scouting earlier today, and according to him Nonis has not finished with his 07/08 club building just yet.Something HUGE is coming in the form of a trade, it wouldn't be appropriate for me to mention the names involved on the Canucks side of things. But, apparently the goal is to aquire Olli Jokinen.... interestingly enough though, Brian Allen might be in the big picture as well.... this trade may involve more than 1 current Roster Canuck... I would only be able to speculate as to which Canucks are involved, but I think we both know that it would be for a D man, and a forward and perhaps a first/second round pick"
You already reported some possible jokinen rumours last week, now might be a good time to bring it up again, as this deal is looking immenant. Also, Last week I reported that Linden had re-signed, although this hasn't been announced yet, it is %100 a done deal, Thanks EK!"
Now keep in mind, all I have done in the past with Eklund is send him some stupid BS rumours to laughingly see if he posts them, and I admit, It was indeed me who started the Linden signing rumour. However, I only did that in the first place, to add to my arsenal of shit to point out when I called him out on it.
Eklund thinks that I am a "Senior" person within the Salmon Kings organization..... HAHAHAHA I delayed this message to a degree in timing so that Eklund wouldn't happen to see it before he posts anything about my rumour. However, I there is a chance he may still stumble apon it, but we'll see.
I will however, post the reply in email that he sends me. And I will in the future copy and past most of the other emails that I have had with him.
Enjoy ladies and Gents.
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Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com.
Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks
Labels: Eklund
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Trade Deadline Post-Mortem
First of all, I want to thank everyone who swung by the liveblog today. The stats are enough to tell me that I will most probably do this again in the near future.
It's almost impossible to pick winners and losers after a day like today. Almost all the playoff-bound teams did something to improve for this season's playoffs, and those that sold off players got very good returns for their respective futures.
It just happens that the biggest trade of the day involved a team that is probably sacrificing the rest of the season. The Edmonton Oilers are an okay team with Ryan Smyth in the lineup; I don't know what they'll be like without their heart and soul guy. That said, much like with the Chris Pronger trade, Kevin Lowe did a good job getting something back for Smyth - two top prospects plus a first-round draft pick is pretty good considering the circumstances.
The Sharks' acquisition of Bill Guerin immediately gives San Jose three very good scoring lines and allows them to keep pace with Nashville's earlier acquisition of Peter Forsberg. Ditto Detroit and getting Todd Bertuzzi.
Dallas didn't get a lot of air time today, but I thought they strengthened their defense immensely by trading for Mattias Norstrom. Norstrom will join a group that already includes Sergei Zubov, Philippe Boucher and Daryl Sydor and up-and-comer Trevor Daley.
Buffalo patched up their depleted forward corps by acquiring Danius Zubrus. Even Pittsburgh strengthened their lineup - literally - by adding Gary Roberts and George Laraques.
I mostly watched the TSN telecast as their coverage was far superior to that of Sportsnet. TSN was professional and broke many of the trades. Their panel was able to provide good, instant analysis and their reporters were usually first to interview the players involved.
Sportsnet's telecast was a gong show. For all their pomp and circumstance, I couldn't watch their show for more than 20 seconds at a time. I realize that some folks like the rumor and gossip thing (much like some still subscribe to the National Enquirer), but personally, eight hours of it was a tad too much.
It was excruciatingly painful to hear Sportsnet insist that there was still a chance that Gary Roberts was going to be traded to Toronto after Roberts' agent already confirmed that he had been traded to the Penguins. Likewise when Sportsnet kept reporting that Marty Biron was most likely headed to Florida while TSN was interviewing him because he had already been traded to Philadelphia. And when Sportsnet kept saying that Ryan Smyth had re-signed with the Oilers - contrary to what Bob Mackenzie was saying - only to retract and correct their report after Smyth was, in fact, traded to the Islanders.
If Sportsnet's mandate for the show was to fuel rumors and speculation, they certainly succeeded. Their show was as embarassing and unprofessional a performance as I've seen from a mainstream sports media network. But hey, they had hot chicks, right?
The good thing is, the rumors can end for a while and the postseason is on the horizon. 20 more games then the real fun starts.
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Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com.
Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks
It's almost impossible to pick winners and losers after a day like today. Almost all the playoff-bound teams did something to improve for this season's playoffs, and those that sold off players got very good returns for their respective futures.
It just happens that the biggest trade of the day involved a team that is probably sacrificing the rest of the season. The Edmonton Oilers are an okay team with Ryan Smyth in the lineup; I don't know what they'll be like without their heart and soul guy. That said, much like with the Chris Pronger trade, Kevin Lowe did a good job getting something back for Smyth - two top prospects plus a first-round draft pick is pretty good considering the circumstances.
The Sharks' acquisition of Bill Guerin immediately gives San Jose three very good scoring lines and allows them to keep pace with Nashville's earlier acquisition of Peter Forsberg. Ditto Detroit and getting Todd Bertuzzi.
Dallas didn't get a lot of air time today, but I thought they strengthened their defense immensely by trading for Mattias Norstrom. Norstrom will join a group that already includes Sergei Zubov, Philippe Boucher and Daryl Sydor and up-and-comer Trevor Daley.
Buffalo patched up their depleted forward corps by acquiring Danius Zubrus. Even Pittsburgh strengthened their lineup - literally - by adding Gary Roberts and George Laraques.
I mostly watched the TSN telecast as their coverage was far superior to that of Sportsnet. TSN was professional and broke many of the trades. Their panel was able to provide good, instant analysis and their reporters were usually first to interview the players involved.
Sportsnet's telecast was a gong show. For all their pomp and circumstance, I couldn't watch their show for more than 20 seconds at a time. I realize that some folks like the rumor and gossip thing (much like some still subscribe to the National Enquirer), but personally, eight hours of it was a tad too much.
It was excruciatingly painful to hear Sportsnet insist that there was still a chance that Gary Roberts was going to be traded to Toronto after Roberts' agent already confirmed that he had been traded to the Penguins. Likewise when Sportsnet kept reporting that Marty Biron was most likely headed to Florida while TSN was interviewing him because he had already been traded to Philadelphia. And when Sportsnet kept saying that Ryan Smyth had re-signed with the Oilers - contrary to what Bob Mackenzie was saying - only to retract and correct their report after Smyth was, in fact, traded to the Islanders.
If Sportsnet's mandate for the show was to fuel rumors and speculation, they certainly succeeded. Their show was as embarassing and unprofessional a performance as I've seen from a mainstream sports media network. But hey, they had hot chicks, right?
The good thing is, the rumors can end for a while and the postseason is on the horizon. 20 more games then the real fun starts.
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Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com.
Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks
Thursday, February 15, 2007
The Real Eklund?
On Saturday, I posted about Sportsnet and their seeming willingness to play along with Eklund, his anonymity, and at the same time, perhaps risk their journalistic integrity. I wasn't the only one, of course, as other hockey bloggers have asked the same thing for three years now.
Well, could Sportsnet have finally smartened up? Or was this just an "honest" boo-boo on their part? Taken from HFBoards, here is apparently a snapshot of a preview piece Sportsnet is doing with Eklund - minus the digitized dots.
If they do decide to show the piece unadulterated and unfiltered on trade deadline day, I take back everything I said about Sportsnet and perhaps my faith in the mainstream media can be restored
[postscript#1: 02/16/07, 6:31 PM]
I've decided to respond to some of the comments here so it's a bit more visible where I'm coming from.
Like I mentioned in this blog and in Alanah's thread, I firmly believe that the mainstream media have to be held to a higher standard of accountability. I believe that they have to adhere to certain journalistic guidelines and ethics, and this lends to their credibility. Some of you may be okay with having anonymous persons in the mainstream media, but I'm not. The sooner we allow anonymous journalists and reporters and the like, the sooner we may as well resort to random people giving us the news. This isn't just about Eklund because I would react the same way if another unknown shadow started delivering information on CKNW or CTV or Sportsnet or TSN.
Does showing his face change my perception of Sportsnet's accountability? It does a little. If they show Eklund unadulterated and unfiltered on trade deadline day, it at least gives the perception that they are willing to put a face to the information they are giving. At the very least, it doesn't lend to the idea that they are trying to hide something.
Which brings me to my next point.
Part of why this particular instance caught my attention is because of what I - and others - see as inconsistencies in Eklund's story. Even putting aside the debate on whether or not he has reliable sources, there are some glaring inconsistencies in his bio that make me question Sportsnet's decision to keep him anonymous.
When he first started his site, he claimed to be an NHL Insider. He charged people $10 a head to sign up on his site under that pretense. In fact, here is what his bio said:
Look at what his bio says now:
Spot the difference?
Seeing the two bios gives the impression that Eklund is two different people with two different backgrounds.
That's why it's hard for me to take Sportsnet at their word, that the unseen and unknown Eklund is, in fact, an NHL insider or perhaps some random guy who plays in a band. I'm sure there's an explanation out there somewhere, but I haven't seen it yet.
[postscript#2: 02/16/07, 6:49 PM]
It looks like the HF Boards thread I linked to has magically been deleted for "immature" content. Thanks to Eric for the tip.
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Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com.
Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Eklund
Well, could Sportsnet have finally smartened up? Or was this just an "honest" boo-boo on their part? Taken from HFBoards, here is apparently a snapshot of a preview piece Sportsnet is doing with Eklund - minus the digitized dots.
If they do decide to show the piece unadulterated and unfiltered on trade deadline day, I take back everything I said about Sportsnet and perhaps my faith in the mainstream media can be restored
[postscript#1: 02/16/07, 6:31 PM]
I've decided to respond to some of the comments here so it's a bit more visible where I'm coming from.
Like I mentioned in this blog and in Alanah's thread, I firmly believe that the mainstream media have to be held to a higher standard of accountability. I believe that they have to adhere to certain journalistic guidelines and ethics, and this lends to their credibility. Some of you may be okay with having anonymous persons in the mainstream media, but I'm not. The sooner we allow anonymous journalists and reporters and the like, the sooner we may as well resort to random people giving us the news. This isn't just about Eklund because I would react the same way if another unknown shadow started delivering information on CKNW or CTV or Sportsnet or TSN.
Does showing his face change my perception of Sportsnet's accountability? It does a little. If they show Eklund unadulterated and unfiltered on trade deadline day, it at least gives the perception that they are willing to put a face to the information they are giving. At the very least, it doesn't lend to the idea that they are trying to hide something.
Which brings me to my next point.
Part of why this particular instance caught my attention is because of what I - and others - see as inconsistencies in Eklund's story. Even putting aside the debate on whether or not he has reliable sources, there are some glaring inconsistencies in his bio that make me question Sportsnet's decision to keep him anonymous.
When he first started his site, he claimed to be an NHL Insider. He charged people $10 a head to sign up on his site under that pretense. In fact, here is what his bio said:
Look at what his bio says now:
Spot the difference?
Seeing the two bios gives the impression that Eklund is two different people with two different backgrounds.
That's why it's hard for me to take Sportsnet at their word, that the unseen and unknown Eklund is, in fact, an NHL insider or perhaps some random guy who plays in a band. I'm sure there's an explanation out there somewhere, but I haven't seen it yet.
[postscript#2: 02/16/07, 6:49 PM]
It looks like the HF Boards thread I linked to has magically been deleted for "immature" content. Thanks to Eric for the tip.
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Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com.
Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Eklund
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Sportsnet's New Low
I have to preface this post by saying that I don't care too much about what Eklund writes. I don't care if he writes about legitimate rumors or stuff he pulls out of his ass. I don't care that he's right 0.001 of 0.001% of the time and still manages to charge people real money to read his stuff. I do, however, care that Sportsnet has decided to add him and his anonymous self to their trade deadline show.
I'll admit to logging on to Eklund's site during the lockout and even a short while after. I'll even admit to being somewhat entertained with all the rumors he posted. Like many others, however, I stopped logging in after most of the stuff he posted never materialized and a lot of the crap he made up about himself turned out to be false.
But that's not the point of this post.
For almost two years now, Eklund has hidden behind his pseudonym. Despite being somewhat adopted into the mainstream, no one yet knows his real name nor has seen his face. Locally, he's appeared on Dan Russell's Sportstalk (which, by the way, I've stopped listening to since) and Sportsnet, but has always appeared using the name Eklund and always with something covering his face ala Wilson from Home Improvement.
Why is this important?
It's an issue of accountability and of credibility. The credibility part, I think, is self-explanatory. If we keep giving you bunk, you'll move on and read someone else. And Eklund has given us a lot of bunk.
The accountability part is another issue. Whenever the issue of whether or not bloggers and other independent media types should gain media access, one of the concerns that come up is the fact that, unlike someone who works for a "real" media outlet, we cannot be held accountable for what we say. That's the perception anyway and I agree it's a fair concern. (Of course, a lot of bloggers, myself included, have started working with teams and media outlets and have made some headway quelling this concern, but it still exists nonetheless.)
On this note, I have a few questions for Sportsnet. How do we - Sportsnet's viewing public - hold a member of the Sportsnet panel accountable if we only know him by his internet handle? How does Sportsnet sell to its viewing public that they have hired someone with an unknown identity and a questionable past? (See Kukla's Corner, Off-Wing Opinion and Vancouver Canucks Op Ed for more.) How can the viewing public know for sure that this media panelist who appears behind the digitized dots is, in fact, a legitimate reporter and not Elvis or Maggie the monkey? I, for one, can't imagine Peter Mansbridge or Bill Good reporting the news from behind a curtain, and if they did, I doubt they would be held in as high regard as they are now. Despite the advances bloggers and the internet have made in the last couple of years, the mainstream media, regardless of format, are still held to a higher standard of accountability; Sportsnet's approach comes nowhere close to meeting this standard.
Eklund has always maintained that the reason he stays anonymous is that it's fun - it is just hockey after all - and that it's not hurting anyone, but Sportsnet is giving its viewers a great disservice by playing along. It's one thing for them to give us striped shirts, our granddads' wool jackets and Nick Kypreos; it's another to trot out a reporter or insider who is in no way accountable - or cannot be held accountable - for the information he gives as a member of the mainstream press.
Eklund's exact words in the HF Boards thread that James linked to:
This is only hockey. THIS is supposed to be fun. It will not be a circus, but it will be entertaining. and if you don't want to watch, guess what? We won't be able to feel your finger wagging. (at least I hope not) ( now I just got chills.)I disagree. If TSN and The Score deliver better ratings, you bet your ass Sportsnet will feel our fingers wagging. And then maybe Eklund will finally show his face. Or get off the air.
(PS. Incidentally, unless my work sends me to Winnipeg to do a training session, I will be liveblogging trade deadline day. Stay tuned.)
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Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com.
Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Eklund
