Page 153 of No Line Change

I won’t tell anyone

… Except Kathy but she mostly figured it out on her own

Not surprised

She is a lot smarter than you

But for real she really is

CHAPTER 59

gobblegoals (February 4, 2024): uhhhhh did anyone else see that interview with Sokolov at the all star game?? Jealous much??

“550 goals. American record. 600 goals. 1000 goals. It doesn’t matter. Whatever [Baptiste] gives Everett, I gave him more and I did it first. Two Stanley Cups. I think he will remember those in thirty years, not these trivial things.”

↪ turkeytalk: Oh, I saw. The Storm dropped their last four games before the All Star break, including the one vs the Turkeys. I’d call this “grasping at straws to deflect attention away from Chicago.” Did you see the interview with Everett though??

↪ gobblegoals: link???

Transcript from an interview with Dylan Everett, February 4, 2024.

Interviewer: Dylan, you’ve hit a huge milestone recently. Congratulations.

Dylan Everett: Thank you. I’m honored to be able to keep reaching milestones and climbing that All-Time Goal Leaders List.

I: In the wake of that milestone, there’s been a lot of talk about your career thus far. A name that comes up again and again is Alexei Sokolov. How has it been adjusting to having such a long-time linemate disappear? And how does it feel to get to play with him again at the All-Star Game?

DE: Every season is an adjustment as the roster changes. Some of those are big changes, some of them not. It was obviously a huge loss to the team when Sokolov went to Chicago, but we’ve figured it out. It was nice to maybe relive the glory days a bit in Vancouver, but I’m perfectly happy with my current linemates.

I: You’ve been with Novak for years, but at the end of last season the Turkeys acquired Luc-Henri Baptiste.

DE: He’s been a great addition to the team. Love playing with him. He fits in really well with me and Nover.

I: Everyone’s wondering… Who do you prefer to play with, Baptiste or Sokolov?

DE: Well, one of them is my teammate, and one of them isn’t. And they’re both friends. I don’t want to make anyone upset. It feels like whoever I choose, people are going to read too much into it.

I: But if you could pick either⁠—?

DE: It’s good I don’t have to, then. Sokolov chose to leave. The GM made a great trade to get Baps, and luckily the coaches put him on my line. We play well together and have since he joined the team. I’m fortunate to get to play with him.

I: Do you ever miss playing with Sokolov?

DE: Sure, but we had our run. I don’t think I could see it at the time, but our play was getting stale. That last season or so, we weren’t even on the same line all the time because of that. I was surprised when he left the team, but looking back, I see why he did. We had lightning in a bottle for a few years there, but I think we can all agree that moment has passed. You saw the All-Star Game. We barely connected for any points. The last time we were at an All-Star Game together, I think we got two hat tricks each throughout the weekend. I think that says it all.

I: So it sounds like you would pick Baptiste.

DE: Teenage me would probably pick Sokolov. Grown-up me picks Baps. Not a thing I’d change about my line or my team right now. Not a single thing.

I: The stats do seem to favor⁠—

DE: I’m going to stop you there. I’ve seen a bunch of talented players in this league, some before my time and some I’ve gotten the pleasure of playing with and against. Not everyone gets the records and recognition they deserve for how hard they work and how skilled they are. Like I said, I feel really honored that I’ve been able to play and have success. I’ve been extremely fortunate.

Stats are great shorthand for what we do on the ice, but they only show one piece of the puzzle. Baps is a better center than Sokolov. He has a more intuitive read on the play. He spends more time watching game footage than I ever have. He’s great at controlling the speed of play on the ice to be as slow or as fast as he wants it to be. His face-off numbers, since you guys like numbers so much, are fantastic.

If you want to play around with stats, go ahead. Do that and make your own pick. But you backed me into a corner and told me to pick, so here’s my pick. I choose Luc-Henri Baptiste over Alexei Sokolov. Every. Single. Time.

↪ gobblegoals: omg did he just… did he…?