Tavares Supposedly in Slump, DP Supposedly in Net

Soooo while stopping by nhl.com I stumbled upon an article written by John Kreiser about John Tavares supposedly being in "the first prolonged slump of his brief NHL career". 

Really Mr. Kreiser? Are you in a writing slump? Seems to me that you are if you have to write about a prolonged (that word use slays me) slump of a 19 year old who has spent oh let's see...under three months in the NHL? Guess there would not be a slump to write about if he didn't score all those goals and if he wasn't, despite this awful PROLONGED slump, leading rookies in points and goals. 

One of the self-imposed guidelines I have for watching/writing about the Isles is that I don't focus a lot on/about team newbies.  Maybe it's a carry over from working with younger athletes as they transition from level to level in sports or watching poor transitions in the NHL (that drives me bonkers considering the resources available in professional sports). Rookies should be treated like the word is defined; mentored and nurtured (yeah even boys need to be nurtured people) and kept protected while they get their footing. It's a subtle process if an athlete is going for longevity in a sport and no matter what rookies expect of themselves, it's not worth burn out. Hey did you know that the change in sounds that surround a player while on ice can influence their performance? Everything matters, to what degree varies from athlete to athlete.  

In this article Tavares explains himself to a point, in my opinion that does more mindset harm than good, Scott Gordon addresses the issue, Kyle Okposo is quoted, good grief even Mike Bossy is quoted. Enough fellas. 

On an article side note - #91 & #21 if you keep calling something a 'grind', that is what it will remain...yeah that goes for you too #39. Try finding another word that authentically speaks to challenge, not pain.

As for Rick DiPietro returning to the net tonight in Dallas? Wait and see. If following his heart means he plays in the NHL, so be it. I would like to request that he stop publicly apologizing for getting hurt/being gone and am putting out an intention that he remains in his body while remaining in net. 

Cough you too cough cough #32 cough stay in body cough cough. 

LET'S GO ISLANDERS!!