Andy Strickland, a reporter based in St. Louis, Tweeted that Toronto's Mike Komisarek had given the Maple Leafs his list of 12 teams, signaling that the defenseman was seeking a trade. The report is a fairly believable one as Komisarek has been a regular healthy scratch and has commented in the past that it's frustrating to be watching, not playing.
However, when questioned about Strickland's report, Komisarek responded quite bluntly, stating he was curious as to where Strickland got his information from.
It's always interesting when a player comments on his own trade rumors. Usually the answer is "no comment" and we all move forward. Here, Komisarek actually stood his ground and called out Strickland's Tweet, which you can see below.
Mike Komisarek gave #Leafs a list of 12 teams he'd accept a trade to but I'm told he'd pretty much accept a trade anywhere. Wants to play
— Andy Strickland (@andystrickland) March 2, 2013
What did Komisarek specifically say about Strickland's report? An interview on TSN.ca shows he's questioning Strickland's sources.
"I'm not going to be commenting on what someone in St. Louis said so I don't even know the guy or why he said that," said Komisarek. "So I know the media types will like to say, 'A report, an anonymous report,' I'm curious to see where you guys get your stuff. That's all I can say at this time."
Komisarek later added:
"It must be a slow news day."
If you're unfamiliar with Andy Strickland, he's a radio host for an AM station in St. Louis. He writes for his own site, TrueHockey.com and coaches with the AAA Blues organization. However, he also previously worked with Hockey Buzz, the organization notorious for their phony rumors and fascination with the letter "E" (e5), which has forced readers to question his credibility even though he parted ways with the site a while back.
If you follow Strickland on Twitter, you'll find he's usually full of analysis that's worth reading, mostly centered around the St. Louis Blues. He seems to have put the rumor coverage behind him, and it's been for the better.
This Komisarek situation is an interesting one. It again raises the question hockey fans continually ask – who can you trust on Twitter? It also forces us to once again revisit the question of sources, and how ridiculous it is we live in an age where numerous outlets and publications claim all of their information has originated from "anonymous sources" when it very easily could have been pulled out of thin air, or worse, plagiarized.
Strickland might be accurate in his report. That remains to be seen. However, consider this yet another instance where hockey fans are bombarded with anonymous information and are forced to determine whether it's true or not. Be warned. As we approach the trade deadline, "sources" will probably be the reporter you hear from the most on Twitter. Make sure you do your homework and follow only trusted individuals and outlets for your hockey news.
