The Rover
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During the formative days of competitive ice hockey in Canada, teams consisted of seven players on the ice at the same time. Sans the goalie, the sixth skater was usually known as the "rover". It was, for all consideration, a player who was just there. They had no set position. They just skated. Standing in the abyss while something happens in the distance.
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The Columbus Blue Jackets feel like they're still in a prolonged malaise from the death of Johnny Gaudreau last summer. Granted, they were in the fight for the final playoff spot in the East this previous season, but their vibes still feel off. The same feeling is found near the Belmont Stakes after the Brock Nelson trade. In Raleigh, with a team and a coach that is trying to stretch their window any way they can. In Saint Paul, where oodles of money are being spent by a Tim Curry look-alike trying to get past the first round hump. Inside the west side of Chicago, where a golden child is just trying to even make the postseason.
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However, the rovers were usually considered to be the best skaters on the team. They could both play offense and defense depending on the situation. Some rovers would be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame for their efforts, Hobey Baker being one of them. In a way, rovers were actually pretty important for this period of the game.
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The Florida Panthers have built a potential dynasty around the fact that they're assholes. Tkachuk, Marchand, Verhaeghe, Reinhart... Heck, they just played a preseason game with Tampa Bay that ended with 320 penalty minutes COMBINED. They're dirty, but they can win. That's why most of the league draws its ire towards the team in Sunrise as they try to attempt a third straight date with Lord Stanley. Meanwhile, there's Edmonton. The Oilers were able to swindle Connor McDavid into a 2-year extension, but despite this, the defending Western Conference champions feel like they're Cup or bust. Especially with Stuart Skinner still in that goalie room? Ughh...
But for them, there are a lot of teams on the up-and-up. Utah looks like they can make some noise in the Central, Washington's still riding high from the Ovechkin fracas, Dallas is attempting to make another deep run with a new head coach, Vegas is emboldened after signing Mitch Marner, and the Rangers try to bounce back from a disastrous season. Unfortunately, you can never predict hockey based on vibes, no matter what some person on Twitter with a heavily filtered photo of Macklin Celibrini that roots for 5 teams may tell you. But at the same time, statistics never seem to get it right either.
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With the foundation of the National Hockey Association in 1910, the rover's writing was on the wall. It was included in the 1920 Olympics, but the position was eliminated by the end of the decade. Whatever their skills may have been, they were just seen as slowing down the game. That's the thing about hockey. It's a never-ending contradiction.
It is a sport that has seen growth among youth audiences, but the equipment necessary to play prices many youth out of it. It is a sport that reflects the spirit of "true masculinity", but its style of play is also marginally homoerotic. It is a sport that most people associate with Canada, but 26 of the NHL's teams are in America.
There is nothing truly perfect about this sport, and that's the beauty of it. You can never truly predict what's going to happen.