Everywhere I go, people come up to me and ask me about New York Islanders rookie Mathew Barzal.
Whether I’m in the market buying milk or at the gas station having a gasoline fight with my friends. They ask me, “Mat Barzal?” and I tell them, “no, I’m not Mat Barzal.” I let them know that Mat Barzal can no longer shop in the same market as the rest of us. “He's an NHL superstar,” I explain, “and NHL superstars have their own markets.” And they nod in agreement, these hypothetical people.
They ask me whether the hype is real.