Well, we're all of 126 games into Ron Wilson's tenure as Maple Leafs head coach, and he's already turned his thoughts to just what all these media members are doing around all the time.
Radio, TV, internet… even a few of us printies once in a while.
Life is, after all, a little different these days than in his three previous stops through Anaheim, Washington and San Jose.
"Actually, at the end of the day, you guys shouldn't even watch us practice," Wilson offered to the press gathered at yesterday's skate around after his tirade aimed at Phil Kessel came up. "This is the only sport where the media will report what you said to a player on the field of battle - you can't do it in baseball, football or basketball. How many basketball practices have you ever been to? None.
"How many football practices have you ever been to in the NFL? You can't get in. You know what we should do? We should have the same security for airports that they have in the NFL - there wouldn't be any issues, you can't get in to see an NFL practice.
"What I'm saying is… this is our office and it should be off limits. Basically it should be."
So why then, Wilson was asked, did he call out his lone star player given he knew the media's ears were perked all around him?
"Well, we do it here because I'm pissed off," he snapped. "You do need a kick in the rump once in a while. Then we'll see how people respond."
As Shoalts notes today, Wilson's been around the block too long to fly off the handle without a purpose, and with so little else working for his team on the ice, a public tongue lashing was next on his list.
Now all eyes are going to be on how Kessel responds tonight.
Wilson has pulled back from the media a little bit this season, refusing to speak a couple times after practice in the early going. Another move that has cut down on player availability is Wilson's new emphasis on the "optional" part of the Leafs' game-day skates (something likely due to the crazy Olympic year schedule more than anything) - the result being fewer players showing up the morning of a game to do a couple drills and yak with the press.
It'll be interesting if Wilson's latest rant comes with any significant changes for the press at practice or if it was simply idle talk.
Probably the latter.
The Leafs, meanwhile, won't have a game-day skate prior to their tilt tonight in Buffalo, so don't expect any fresh quotes out of the team or the coach this afternoon. If they lay yet another egg against the Sabres, however, things could get interesting in the scrum afterwards.