As compelling storylines go, I didn't think that anything could top KG and the Celtics winning the NBA title this week -- then Tiger happened. I wouldn't want to compare them, but we will probably look back and recognize both stories as two of the Top 3 of 2008. Maybe Top 5. We'll see. That's the gist of the lead of today's Sporting News column, which also...
Totally reverses course on Joba...
Stays on the Rays bandwagon...
Continues to get ready for the NBA draft...
Rips Charles Barkley on gambling (again)...
Rips the NBA age limit, as compared to the NHL (again)...
Declares my Euro 08 knockout-round rooting interest as Holland...
Laments the demise of Blog Show...
And generally gets ready for the weekend.
There's a lot more, as usual. Check it out here.
I'll be posting over the weekend, as usual.
-- D.S.
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There is a key difference between the NHL and NBA draft. That is one has to declare and enter the draft in the NBA, while in the NHL anyone 18 or older is eligible to be drafted. Unless they have passed through the draft once everyone drafted in the NHL is 18 or 19 years old. However the NHL is not taking players who have not played that higher level hockey and putting them straight into the NHL.
Yes, Steve Stamkos is 18 however he currently plays Major Junior hockey which would be the equivalently of playing college basketball. Further more because he plays Major Junior he has also lived away from home for two years.
Also, If a player is drafted from Europe they are already playing professional hockey.
Further more if a player goes the college route to the NHL the team that drafts him hold their rights through college. If you are drafted you don't lose your right to play college hockey unless you have hired an agent.
On top of all that the NHL like baseball has a minor league system that most players will go through.
So unless you are a top 5 pick you are not going into the NHL as an 18 year old. And even the very few that do enter the league at 18 or 19 they have played elite upper level hockey either in Major Junior or in the case of some US players with the US national Developmental team.
As the two sports have very different systems you can't really compare them. You can make an argument that the NBA should not have a 19 year old age limit however using Hockey as an example isn't a good argument because the way to get to the NHL and the NHL draft is very different than certainly the NFL and NBA and still quite different than baseball.
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