NHL on SNL

Back in the day when the LA Kings were on top of the world, Wayner was a guest on SNL. I was really young at the time, just shy of 7 years, which confirms my initial thought that I was 6 not 7 when I became a hockey and Kings fan for life. The only sketch that I remember from this episode was the one where Gretzky was at a restaurant and treated the viewers to a lovely rendition of Mona Luckahiki Means Hockey. I think I remember this sketch because my family watched it over and over and over again laughing hysterically at how awesomely horrible he was at singing. I think it's great that he was such a good sport to not only be on SNL but to take on a role in which he would have to sing. I've never thought of Wayne as being a charismatic person onscreen and his acting was terrible throughout the entire episode but Waikiki Hockey is definitely something that any hockey fan should watch.

Which brings me to...

JMFJ should be the next (and only second) NHLer to host SNL. I realize fans would argue that Sidney Crosby or Alexander Ovechkin should be on it since they're currently more popular sports figures, but let me give my argument:

Crosby would be worse than Gretzky because he would probably be so concerned about how his appearance on SNL would affect the NHL's reputation. His onscreen personality isn't that much better than Gretzky's and I'm sure Lemieux would be at every rehearsal and meeting telling the writers what they can and cannot have Crosby do. Overall, it would be BORING!

Ovechkin would be perfect for the show if he could actually speak English. I like to think I'm pretty good at understanding broken English, what with growing up with my non-native English speaking mother, teaching her the correct pronunciation for words like 'odor' and 'ballerina', but it is so difficult for me to understand the kid. I know that he's trying really hard to master the language, so maybe in 5 years he'll be prepared.

The only things standing in the way of JMFJ hosting the SNL are (1) the popularity of the LA Kings and (2) his NHL experience. First, the LA Kings need to get good fast. Once that happens, then all the celebrities in this fake-ass town will show up and start taking notice of the team and really take notice of the hotties (read: JMFJ). He also needs to play a couple more seasons, get in and win more scraps, and knock a couple teeth out of players like Pronger, Tucker, and Perry. JMFJ has the personality, looks, charm, and presence to be a quality SNL host.