An open letter (and an invitation) to Pierre McGuire:
Hello Pierre,
On the eve of the 2009 NHL amateur draft in Montreal, I am taking the opportunity to contact you.
First, let me thank you for your analysis and insight on TSN, NBC and the various sports radio stations throughout Canada. You are one of the best in the business on either side of the border. I don’t always agree with you opinions but your game and player instincts are superb and your sources well-informed. Besides, you are entertaining!
I have enjoyed the honour of meeting you in person. You were gracious and generous with your time on each occasion. Although I’m sure you have been asked to see ‘the ring’ a thousand times, you were patient and seemed sincerely proud. But, my admiration grew as I watched you speak with very young hockey players. They, of course, hung on your every word. But, you seemed to thoroughly enjoy the experience and the questions from them. I remember thinking, this guy is truly passionate about hockey.
I am also very fortunate to be in touch with thousands of hockey enthusiasts on a regular basis, who I feel, are equally passionate about the great game of hockey. They are fans, bloggers and users of social media.
As a hockey writer with a focus on the Montreal Canadiens, I have enjoyed being in touch with Habs fans from across the U.S. and Canada. I’ve also been fortunate to communicate and debate with fans of rival teams. Hockey is a passion we share, and we have embraced the chance to discuss it.
To be frank, I am somewhat puzzled by your reaction, Pierre, to bloggers and amateur writers. Your usually positive nature often turns sour when the subject turns to social media. You never fail to take the opportunity to be aggressively critical towards bloggers.
Sometimes the comments are indirect. When you were told that the Lightning were demanding Andrei Markov in a trade for Vincent Lecavalier, you dismissed it as a ridiculous rumor started by a blogger. In truth, the report came from a hockey reporter for the St. Petersburg Times.
In the Spring, when a discussion between you and Picard on the Team 990 turned to the subject of bloggers, you can imagine my surprise to hear the words “unaccountable”, “nameless”, “faceless”, and “gutless” used to describe them. You went on to say that bloggers are just “looking to score a career” and you agreed when Picard said that bloggers are just “30 year old unemployed losers living in their parent’s basement.”
Do they want careers in hockey journalism? Most bloggers do not. They are successfully employed in a variety of fields. Some are married and have children. Some play the game and others are coaches and referees. These are decent, intelligent, hard-working individuals who love hockey.
Are they accountable? Bloggers are accountable to their readers. Most blogs that I follow are thoroughly researched and well-written. I won’t draw any comparisons to the mainstream media but we also know that everyone in print, TV and radio is not a McGuire or McKenzie.
While sports journalists speak *to* hockey fans, bloggers speak *with* them. They facilitate discussion. Bloggers fill an untapped need. They also do an excellent job of promoting the game and bringing new fans to hockey. And they do this for little or no remuneration. In my book, that is true passion.
Perhaps this is simply a case of misunderstanding. It’s always easier to criticize people who are nameless and faceless. But that’s easily remedied.
Hockey fans and bloggers from all over the continent are meeting in Montreal this weekend. They are arriving from Boston, Philadelphia, New York, Toronto, Oakland, Tampa, Calgary… The reason? Because they love hockey and want to share the experience of the NHL amateur draft with their fellow social media users.
On Saturday afternoon (June 27th), they will all meet at Ye Olde Orchard (de la Montagne) to meet and talk hockey.
Pierre, you are most welcome to attend and interact with some of the most interesting hockey fans in Canada and the U.S. They will tell you their names and you will see their faces. You may even meet someone who lives with their parents. But most importantly, it may be a learning experience for all.
In closing, I hope that we can agree on this: Regardless of one’s position or means, all can be equally passionate about the great game of hockey…even bloggers.
Written on behalf of fans and bloggers attending the Montreal draft weekend
The following is an email reply from Pierre McGuire. I think it was a very classy thing for him to do.
Thanks for the well thought out note. I wish I could accept your invitation for the 27th, but at I will be at a family function on that day. I hope you enjoy the draft and that MTL gets the players they need to become more competitive. Based on your writing it is clear to see that you are well thought-out and poised. However when people who write vicious things about people they have never met or do not even know just because they do not like their opinions, that is the problem I have with some bloggers. Have a blast at your party, and stay in touch.
All the best,
Pierre McGuire
Unemployed and living in my mother's basement? Am I that transparent?
The sad thing is that McGuire is in the VAST majority when it comes to mainstream media. Blogs (and bloggers) arent looking to REPLACE traditional media– we're just looking to ADD to the conversation. No matter how good an analyst's views can be on a major network, its a ONE WAY CONVERSATION. Sites like All Habs provide a 2-way conversation that has sorely been lacking for far too long.
Great article though. If Pierre wants to come over and check out my mortgage bill that I just got in the mail today, I'll be happy to let him help out. Housing in Southern California isnt cheap… ;-)
Awesome and if he were to show, the respect level would go through the roof. Monster level of respect then.
As a blogger who does it for the pure enjoyment and to meet and interact with other hockey fans…I could not have said this any better!
I created my own blog simply to reach out and meet other people who are as passionate about hockey as I am. Being from Southern California, hockey fans get lost in the shuffle of other sports in the area…and by having a blog and being on Twitter, I have been able to meet tons of other fans in the area as well as fans from other teams and people from all over the country.
It doesn't matter where I live or what I do for a living…I'm a die hard Anaheim Ducks/NHL fan.
Thank you, for this letter is exactly what it means to be a FAN!
Being transplanted from the NYC metro area where hockey got a ton of coverage compared to where I live now….I have to work that much harder to make sure sources are correct and also what I am writing is accurate.
Look we may not get it right all the time but let me tell you something….there is no way I break some of my stories without the fans…and the fans are the pulse of everything I do because well I, myself (first and foremost), am a fan.
I remember when my blog was so small it was me and 2 of my friends reading it. I never forget that…ever. This letter is excellent and something that should be highlighted everywhere.
BTW…enjoy the draft and thank you.
This was a great letter that applies to those of us unable to go to the draft. I, too, have met many amazing people because we share one thing: a love of hockey.
I am a Ducks fanatic, but also a hockey fan!
Well said, well said!!
Well said…
I totally agree with everything posted. I think he needs to realize that bloggers have a voice and need to be listened too.
The facts remain the hockey public at large have felt ignored for a long time. Not just in this blogging world but I think when the league decided to separate the Original Six and other things.
Bloggers and Social Media allows the fans at large to share ideas, voice their opinions, and realize what works. The league needs to see these things and take the good and bad ideas and find out what works and what does not. Not just ignore them and expect it to just go away.
The problem here is that Pierre does not deserve all the praise you heaped upon him. I and many others (thousands in fact) think he is one of the worst sports anyslist to ever be on TV. I for one am not surprised that he says these things it falls in line with all the other insane useless drivel that comes out of his mouth…
I think it was very classy of responding Pierre.
Some people do write nasty stuff on occasion… that's something I try to stay away from. I just write a bit for fun.. because I LOVE NHL hockey… and the Montreal Canadiens (in particular)..
No, onward to the draft!
Go HABS!
I'll give him mad props for responding, but I do find something in his response that I find funny:
"However when people who write vicious things about people they have never met or do not even know just because they do not like their opinions, that is the problem I have with some bloggers."
Umm… that's kind of rich coming from a guy who was just called out for doing just about the same thing.
When I'm more conscious and coherent (jetlag FTW!), I'll have a more thought out response.
Pierre McGuire is one of my favorites. His knowledge and passion is second to none. There's a reason why teams go after him for General Manager roles and leave the other media types alone.
I actually enjoy listening to him during the hockey season on the team 990 in Montreal more than I enjoy listening to his TV analysis.
Anyway, the problem that traditional mainstream media has today is that it is scared to death of social media. Take a look at tsn, sportsnet, etc. They add components of social media to their sites, but to my count, none use it as it was intended to be used – as a 2-way communication channel. It used to be that only they had a voice. Now everyone has a voice, and it is able to reach just as many ears and eyes as their own.
They are unsure how to participate without losing control of their message or image. Their market is becoming more and more fragmented and it's very easy to point the finger at bloggers who really can say anything they want. The further point of social media is leveraging collective intelligence. The vast majority of hockey fans are intelligent people and are pretty good at sniffing out bs and venom.
To McGuire's claim that bloggers are only trying to forge a career for themselves in sports media. I don't doubt that some people are in it for that. I believe the majority are blogging out of passion of the game. Either way – even if someone is trying to break in to sports media by way of blogging – so what? It just smacks of fear that if one "irresponsible blogger" makes the leap to a career, then the floodgates will open.
The point is, and always will be that the cream rises. People flock to good content. If a blogger publishes better, more credible, more entertaining, more informations, educational, interactive material than traditional media, then frankly they SHOULD supplant the powers that be.
McGuire just echoes the fear that is resonating through the newspaper industry as more and more people choose online news sources. Instead of trying to keep social media and bloggers under the rug, all traditional media should make a concerted effort to try and better understand what's really going on.
Oh, and by the way, I'm a blogger, but my parents are the unemployed ones, and they're living in MY basement! So take that Pierre!
Comments are closed.