You thought that you had caught lightning in the bottle with Jason Arnott in Washington and, boom, down he goes with an injury.
Matt Cooke is giving you penalty minutes and chipping in with some secondary scoring when just like that he is slapped with a 10-game suspension from the National Hockey League.
You waited all season for Alex Ovechkin to get on a decent run and when he finally does get rolling, the Caps pull the plug on him and announce that he'll be out a week to ten days to get healthy for the playoffs.
Such are the frustrations of being a fantasy hockey owner. Though you always claim to be prepared for bad news to strike, there are things that catch you off-guard all the time.
No one really saw Washington's decision to sit Ovechkin coming. It had not been speculated in the media. Caps coach Bruce Boudreau had not discussed it. Then all of a sudden the news comes out yesterday that Ovie will sit and rest a nagging injury for 7-10 days. Smart move by the playoff-bound Capitals. Brutal news for Ovechkin's myriad of fantasy hockey owners.
As for Cooke, his fantasy hockey owners know---just like Mario Lemieux and the Penguins know---that he lives on the edge, and another suspension could always be lurking around the next corner. But still you can't predict and plan for when something like that will happen. So Sunday Cookes throws a flying elbow at the jaw of Ryan McDonagh of the Rangers, and on Monday the league suspends him for the rest of the regular season as well as the first round of the playoffs. And you, Mr. or Ms. Fantasy Hockey Owner, are left holding the bag.
And not only are Cooke's current fantasy hockey owners affected, but those of you who were considering him for your playoff fantasy leagues, well, it's time to reassess.
Of course those of you who might have had Vancouver's Manny Malhotra on your playoff radar have to shift gears, as well. Malhotra suffered an eye injury last week, and yesterday the Canucks announced that he is out for the remainder of the regular season and post-season. While not a big scoring threat, Malhotra was an intriguing possible late round pick in fantasy hockey playoff leagues because he plays on a team many expect to last three or four rounds in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, plus he is a solid plus/minus player and one who can chip in with some timely scoring.
But in the world of fantasy hockey, even the best-laid plans often fall by the wayside due to unforseen circumstances.
So just as you would while skating on the ice, keep your head up and stay focused on the task at hand, and do not be afraid to change course as circumstances dictate.
Send your fantasy hockey questions and comments to Jim at jimcerny@gmail.com.