Ste-Flanelle.com

Dans l’imaginaire des internautes fans de hockey, le site Hockeybuzz occupe une place bien particulière. Souvent décrié, régulièrement aimé en cachette, le site est néanmoins consulté par une myriade de pseudo-experts en mal de rumeurs et de spéculations approximatives.

Comme les Prédateurs sont en ville, on a pensé s’entretenir avec un des premiers blogueur a avoir rejoint Eklund sur le site Paul McCann. Un autre blogueur qui s’est trouvé une vraie job grâce à son insistance et sa passion pour le hockey.

Bref, regard sur Nashville, les Prédateurs et Hockeybuzz.

SFC: With all finacial problems/crisis ahead, are the Preds in Nashville to stay?
Paul McCann: This really isn’t a yes or no answer…  the Predators have a passionate base of fans that needs to be grown. In “non-traditional” areas it takes at least a generation to really build a base. The children that started playing hockey when the Predators came here are just now beginning to hit the workplace and buying their own season tickets, if the team can make it here for another 3-5 years, it will be here to stay.  The other wildcare in the mix is the economy. Even with the downturn in the economy, the Predators are showing increases in attendance… just not as large as the new ownership would like to see… 

SFC: Are the Preds popular in Nashville?

P.M.: Yes, the game atmosphere is electric…  

SFC: Which player is the fan favorite? 

P.M.: No question,  Jordin Tootoo

SFC: Who is the Predators best kept secret (a player we should know about)?
 
P.M.: Toss up between Martin Erat and Shea Weber.  Erat is struggling a bit this year, but is showing signs of breaking out of his scoring slump. Shea Weber gets hardly any press and has been the best defenseman in the league this year.  He’s starting to get some attention, but deserves MUCH more.

SFC: Tell us the truth: Rinne or Ellis? 

P.M.: Rinne, Dan Ellis is a great guy and a solid goaltender, but Rinne has the look of a dominant goaltender (see last night’s effort against Toronto). 

SFC: Who’s a better defensive players: Shea Weber or Albert Haynesworth?

P.M.: Are you kidding??  Shea Weber…  hands down… and he hasn’t stepped on anyone with a skate.

SFC: Is there a lot of country music stars at the Preds games?

P.M.: Yes, Garth Brooks, Dolly Parton, Dixie Chicks, Kelly Pickler, Carrie Underwood, Barbara Mandrell all are seen regularly…  along with our most famous country star season ticket holders, Vince Gill and Amy Grant.

SFC: You’ve been blogging on Hockeybuzz since practicly the beginning of it. Some people love, others hate. How do you respond to criticism and does Hockeybuzz has a lot a credibility in the hockey world?

P.M.: I was one of Ek’s first bloggers and quite proud of it. Frankly, HockeyBuzz fills a need. The main stream media (especially in the States) looks down its’ nose at hockey as a sport and really despises bloggers, but HockeyBuzz feeds the hockey fans need for information. HockeyBuzz seems to have a polarizing effect. I know that most of the writers on the HockeyBuzz staff try their best to report factual information. Eklund reports rumors…he puts out almost everything he hears, he makes no claims to anything else. That will always draw criticism, but HockeyBuzz has quickly become one of the most popular hockey websites in the world. My work on HockeyBuzz has given me the opportunity to appear on radio and TV across the US and Canada and has allowed me to get my own radio show started (HockeyBuzz Radio) in Nashville (you can get the podcast at www.hockeybuzzradio.com) …  I’m not sure if I can judge the credibility HockeyBuzz objectively, but I do know that most everyone involved in the NHL reads the site…   

SFC: Finally, is Eklund ugly? 

P.M.: Nah… he and Burt the Dog make quite the couple!  :-)   Only kidding, Ek’s a fine looking human in a hockey mask.