Toronto media fishbowl a challenge for McKenna

penton col. w-o nov 9-26

It might have been better for Gavin McKenna to be drafted in the hinterland of the National Hockey League. Los Angeles, for example, where the Kings and Anaheim Ducks rank well down the list in importance and media coverage to sports fans who follow the Dodgers, Rams, Chargers, Angels, Lakers, Clippers, USC, UCLA and Galaxy.

Instead, the 18-year-old projected hockey phenom went No. 1 to the Maple Leafs, who happen to reside in the No. 1 media market in a country where hockey is more important than religion, personal health or your bank account balance.

It’s a media zoo and McKenna, who grew up in the relative quiet of Whitehorse, Yukon and then played his junior hockey in Medicine Hat, is like the zoo’s new panda bear. Everybody wants to get a look and boy, that panda better perform or the people will want their money back.

Why doesn’t he score three goals a game? When will he start carrying the Leafs to the Stanley Cup? Where’s the constant winning Leafs’ fans were guaranteed?

It’s not that easy. Especially for a soon-to-be 19-year-old who might have the moves, but not the heft; he weighs in at around 170 pounds and battles for pucks against grown men tallier and heavier.

The McKenna hype exploded a few weeks before June’s NHL draft, when the draft lottery was held and the ping pong balls bounced in favour of the Leafs getting the No. 1 pick. There was little doubt that McKenna would be the team’s choice, given his superstar performances since the age of 14. He was runner-up in the WHL in scoring as a 16-year-old, starred in the NCAA at Penn State at 17 and now, at 18, expected to carry the Leafs to the promised land.

But, thud! No points in Game 1 of the regular season. No points in Game 2. As the restless fans started to wonder whether McKenna was overrated, he was held scoreless in Game 3. Slowly, though, the points started to come. He scored his first goal in Game 4 against Nashville and then his second goal in Game 7 against Utah.

In Game 8, however, Leafs’ coach Jim Hiller benched McKenna for the second half of the game, leaving him with 6 minutes, 36 seconds of playing time. The NHL.com site’s story was headlined “McKenna had ‘good talk’ with Maple Leafs coach Hiller after benching.” YouTube ran a feature headlined ‘BENCHED.’ A couple of stories in the Globe and Mail made reference to the media pressure dumped on McKenna: “Gavin McKenna is surviving under the Toronto microscope” and “Maple Leafs waste no time burdening Gavin McKenna with pressure.”

While not burning up the league — the Whitehorse Wonder had 11 points through 16 games, best among NHL rookies — he hasn’t fallen flat on his face. It’s obvious the skill is there and it will develop. If he can swim without drowning in the Toronto media fishbowl, McKenna will have a long and successful career.

• Comedy guy Torben Rolfsen of Vancouver, on Costco selling Ottawa Senators tickets: “Do you have to buy a hundred tickets?

• Super 70s Sports: “Lane Kiffin is like a crazy hot chick who ruins everyone’s life. Nice job ignoring about eight thousand red flags, LSU. You deserve it.”

• Fark.com headline: “Jay-Z chooses himself for Super Bowl halftime show because apparently he can just do that.”

• Cathal Kelly of the Globe and Mail, in a story about fighting in hockey: “Everyone – even the NFLers – acknowledge that hockey players are the toughest, most dentally challenged athletes out there.”

• Kelly again, critical of Connor McDavid playing plus minutes in the first month of the NHL season: “You don’t need this guy to be Mario Lemieux in November. You need him to do it in June.”

• Another one from Super 70s Sports: “Colson Montgomery struck out 227 times this year. Tony Gwynn struck out 222 times from 1989 through 2000.”

• One more from Super 70s Sports: “The Brewers and Rays payrolls combined are $100 million less than the Dodgers. Remember that when a bunch of billionaires lock the players out.”

• Headline at the onion.com: “LeBron Shortens Commute By Having Xfinity Arena Helicoptered To New York Every Morning”

• Headline at fark.com: “In the NFL referee world, lots of terrible calls means you get demoted to the afternoon games.”

• Another fark.com headline: “Cristiano Ronaldo wins the ‘Ballon d’Or of All Time’ award, which is just about as prestigious as the ‘FIFA Peace Prize' award.”

• Mark Bechtel of SI.com: “Brian Schottenheimer of the Cowboys recently said, ‘I know what a great coach I am.’ Sounds like he has himself listed as a reference on his own résumé, which he might need pretty soon.”

Care to comment? Email brucepenton2003@yahoo.ca