382 replies to this topic

[DropThePuck]

RFN? Right F---ing Now.

In the States, with the newspaper industry in free-fall and reporting staffs being stripped to the bone, the hockey beat is among the first to be sacrificed. Which means that as thin a slice of newspaper space as hockey used to get, it's a whole lot thinner now. In many markets, hockey is a "starter" beat for interns or fresh-from-journalism-school kids, so the level of analysis is understandably superficial, and TV reporting on hockey has to fit into such a tiny hole, it barely scratches the surface.

The newspaper business isn't any healthier here, the difference being that papers in Canada will cut anything BUT hockey coverage, because survey after survey of readership tastes keep coming back with the same results: give us more hockey, we'll live without the rest. And radio and television have all kinds of time, and staff, to devote to hockey.

So if anything, the disparity between the amount of external pressure exerted on an NHL franchise in Canada, compared with its American equivalent, is only growing larger.

Absent the heavy, everyday scrutiny and relentless demand for results, a player can work his way through a slump without being pilloried in the U.S., a coach can survive a losing streak, a smart hockey man can take his time, make a studied plan and stick to it until his team is built.

No such luxuries are available in Canada.

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[DropThePuck]

Introducing NHL GameCenter LIVE

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Streaming TV-quality video of all live game broadcasts.
Inside-the-glass camer aangles for select games.
Multi-game view for up to four games at once.
Complete access to the REPLAY game archive.
Select from nightly NHL GameCenter LIVE League action or unlimited access to the
REPLAY archive 48 hours after any game goes final.

<link>

[Akkil]

anyone know how to get access to the ANaheim ducks radio?

[duckshockey2000]

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Anyone else sick of this "holy than thou" attitude the Canadians have towards the NHL in America. When are they going to realize that although they invented the game, its their national sport, and they're fans are generally more passionate, without the US market there would be no NHL...just like without the US there would be no Canada.

You're welcome, eh.

[DropThePuck]

NHL Game Center free during season opening weekend


{click on image for readable version}

[ladiesandgentlemen]

Phil Esposito is my favorite guy in the world to listen to talking about hockey. Here is a short article that is packed with little golden snippets:

CBCSports.ca: How did you get into hockey?

Esposito: "Three years old, my dad built a rink in the backyard, and he pushed us, I'll never forget because my brother was only 2, he could hardly walk. I was like 11 lbs. 5 ounces when I was born, apparently, it nearly killed my mother, so it took me longer to learn how to walk than my brother because I was bigger and fatter. Geez I'm still like that, too, by the way (laughs).

"But anyway, they pushed us out on the ice, and I remember when I was I think 9 or 10 years old, in those days they used to have guidance counselors that would come around and ask you what you wanted to be when you grew up. Her name was Mrs. Cunningham and I'll never forget her because she was probably 5 foot by 5 foot, and she also whacked me across my rear end with a yardstick when I got in trouble at school. She'd really nail me. In those days, they did those things...

... So we go over to the school and she proceeds to tell him I didn't answer the question, and you know I didn't want to be a lawyer or a doctor...And my dad said, 'What did my son say?' And she said, 'Hockey player.' And he turned to me and said 'Is that what you want to do, son?' I said, 'That's what I want to do, dad,' and he turned to her and said 'What's wrong with that?' My old man went from here, way up. From that moment on, boy, there was nothing my dad could ever do wrong. He stuck up for me, and that's what I wanted to do, and that's what I did. There was nothing else in my mind, and to this day people ask me 'Do you still miss it?' Every day of the week. I wake up every morning thinking I can play again, until I start skating again (laughs). And then I know I can't."...

CBCSports.ca: Who was your funniest teammate, and why?

Esposito: "My funniest? Gerry Cheevers... He was just, on the bus trips for example, because we took the bus a lot, we'd play games before trivial pursuit was even on, we'd play these games where we'd make up movies, also we would pick the all good looking wives team, the all bad team, the all good team. And we were so bored, and Cheevey, without a doubt, he was the funniest dude I ever met. We had the ignorant squad on our team and Gerry was most valuable player (laughs).

CBCSports.ca: Where was the most memorable tournament you ever played, and why?

Esposito: Team Canada '72, without a doubt, because it was the unknown. We had no idea that these guys could play like they did, no idea. In fact, the Toronto Maple Leafs scouts scouted them, and they told us they couldn't do this, couldn't do that. I made a statement saying no wonder the Leafs are in last place, their scouts are stupid... Read more>>

[DropThePuck]

The National Hockey League just completed a record October that saw more fans attend and tune in to games than ever -- while being treated to close games, more scoring and some spectacular individual performances.
...
October Attendance Records
Goal-Scoring on the Rise
Close Games a Staple of October Menu
Ratings Rise
Fans Watching Live Games Online In Record Numbers
More Web Traffic
Consumer Products and Retail
Postcards from Europe
...
Individual Achievement
* Ryan Getzlaf
* Teemu Selanne'

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[DropThePuck]

Some helpful suggestions for the new president

Sometime Tuesday night, a new administration will be chosen to lead the United States. Perhaps the new president needs some advice for cabinet positions that need to be filled.

So, here are my suggestions:

Director of Social Security -- Chris Chelios.

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[DropThePuck]

Cup winners need good starts -- A fast start is no guarantee that a team will win the Stanley Cup. But if the last 12 years are any indication, a slow start makes for a good bet that it won't.
...
Two teams, the 2004 Tampa Bay Lightning and the 2007 Anaheim Ducks, won the Cup after not losing a game in regulation in the season's first month. The Lightning was 6-0-1; the Ducks went 9-0-0-3.
...
Anaheim was 1-5-0 after six games but has won five in a row with a home game against Vancouver on Friday to close out the month. Even if the Ducks win, their October percentage of .583 would be lower than any Cup winner since the 1994 New York Rangers, who played .577 hockey in October.
...
Over glass, into box -- It won't show up in the record books, but Toronto Maple Leafs apparently set some kind of bizarre mark in their game against Tampa Bay on Tuesday. Of the Leafs' five penalties, three were delay of game calls for shooting the puck over the glass and into the crowd -- the most called against a team in one game since the rule was added in 2005-06. Leafs defenseman Mike Van Ryn drew two of the penalties. Tampa Bay's Chris Gratton also was penalized for putting the puck in the seats, meaning that four of the 11 minors called were for delay of game.

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[DropThePuck]

An overview of the 2008 Hockey Hall of Fame Induction on November 10, 2008 at BCE Place above the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)


Anaheim Ducks GM Brian Burke arrives at the 2008 Hall of Fame Induction ceremony on November 10, 2008 at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)


Mike Emrick, the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award winner arrives at the 2008 Hall of Fame Induction ceremony on November 10, 2008 at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

As for Ray Scapinello, he had the line of the day when Stellick asked him where he was when the call came in?

"Nobody called me," he said. "I just showed up."
...
The hockey world came together Monday night in Toronto to induct six new members into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Igor Larionov was a pioneer in the sport, helping lead the wave of Russian players into the NHL and going on to win three Stanley Cups with the Detroit Red Wings. Glenn Anderson was a member of the Edmonton Oilers' dynasty and wound up lifting the Cup six times in his storied career. Ray Scapinello carved out his niche as one of the League's most respected officials and the late Ed Chynoweth helped build our great game through his work in junior hockey and the Western Hockey League.

Along with broadcaster Mike Emrick, the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award winner, and Neil Stevens, who received the Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award, all of Monday's inductees have earned their way into hockey immortality.

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[DropThePuck]

League Warns Players About Blows to the Head

The NHL is trying to crackdown on unnecessary blows to the head.

The NHL's Senior Vice President and Director of Hockey Operations, Colin Campbell, had the following memo, obtained by TSN, posted in every NHL dressing room on Friday.

"Recently, we have had two (2) supplemental discipline incidents involving direct elbow blows to the head. This is a play that we have been trying to remove from our game for a number of years. In one case there was no injury and in the other incident the elbowed Player received a concussion. Both Players delivering the elbows had never before been involved in supplemental discipline.

"We cannot and will not tolerate blows to the head that are deliberate, avoidable and illegal. Furthermore, both the history and status of the offender (first time versus repeat) and the nature of the injury caused (if any) will be taken into consideration as they have been in the past. The length of suspensions for illegal blows to the head will be increased if these incidents persist across the League. Taking steps to maintain the safest on-ice environment possible for the Players remains our most important priority."

[DropThePuck]

NHL and NHLPA welcome Energizer as Official Battery

"Combining the strength of the NHL Shield with the consumer recognition of The Energizer Bunny® and Keep Going® campaigns creates a unique consumer marketing 'power play,'" said Laurel Walzak, the NHL's Director of Business Development. "We look forward to the many opportunities created by aligning all of these strong brands."

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Sooooo ... how many hockey players will be donning the pink bunny ears and beating the drum?

[432j]

Sooooo ... how many hockey players will be donning the pink bunny ears and beating the drum?

I think the campaign should start with Sean Avery in a pink bunny suit, standing in front of a goalie, waiving his arms like a madman. The game could end and he'd still be there waiving. They could zamboni the ice around him and he'd still be there waiving. The lights could go out in the arena and the manager locks up and Avery would still be there ... making a complete arze of himself.

[ducks4adam98]

I think the campaign should start with Sean Avery in a pink bunny suit, standing in front of a goalie, waiving his arms like a madman. The game could end and he'd still be there waiving. They could zamboni the ice around him and he'd still be there waiving. The lights could go out in the arena and the manager locks up and Avery would still be there ... making a complete arze of himself.

Avery is a tool.

[QuacksMeUp]

I think the campaign should start with Sean Avery in a pink bunny suit, standing in front of a goalie, waiving his arms like a madman. The game could end and he'd still be there waiving. They could zamboni the ice around him and he'd still be there waiving. The lights could go out in the arena and the manager locks up and Avery would still be there ... making a complete arze of himself.

You forgot about when he's still standing there and a big earthquake hits and swallows him down into Hades. Or maybe that was just a dream I had?

[DropThePuck]

You forgot about when he's still standing there and a big earthquake hits and swallows him down into Hades. Or maybe that was just a dream I had?

You have dreams with Avery in them???

Perhaps an ad with the Energizer bunny pounding on Avery endlessly would be more entertaining ... Brodeur would probably enjoy being the bunny in that case, or even the rest of the NHLPA ... they could make it a Player's fund contribution to have the honor.

[432j]

Melrose returning to ESPN

"I am very, very excited about coming back home to ESPN where I have had so many great years," Melrose said in an ESPN statement. "I look forward to analyzing people being fired rather than being the guy fired."

ESPN.com article

[432j]

Anaheim not in running for Sundin?

The Canucks are one of several team who still remain in the running for the nine-time All-Star. The New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Chicago Blackhawks and the Montreal Canadiens appear to all be in the running for Sundin. The new general manager of his former club the Maple Leafs appears to have closed the door however on a return to Toronto.

TSN

[TheSniper]

Anaheim not in running for Sundin?


TSN

kind of confirms that his meeting with BB had nothing to do with him playing in anaheim(thank god)...

[Dark Knight]

kind of confirms that his meeting with BB had nothing to do with him playing in anaheim(thank god)...

And if confirmed would constitute tampering. But we all know how that went

[sugarmama]

Drew's brother accuses ref of profanity - TSN

Sabres goalie Ryan Miller on Tuesday accused an NHL referee of using a profanity in response to a question the player asked during Buffalo's 4-3 win at Pittsburgh a night earlier.

The goalie raised the issue after he was asked what he discussed with coach Lindy Ruff at the end of practice.

Miller said he joked with Ruff that the exchange with the official might have played a factor a few minutes later when the Sabres were issued a bench minor penalty for arguing an interference penalty against Thomas Vanek.

The writer obviously has no clue that there's a big difference between on and off the ice.

[ladiesandgentlemen]

Somewhere, Jim Balsillie is wringing his hands in glee:

The other night, the Chicago Blackhawks scored so many goals against the visiting Coyotes that the horn at the United Center ceased to function.

No embarrassment is too great for our hockey team, and these days the story seems to be a growing dire.

Would you miss them if they were gone?

Just as the Coyotes begin to turn a competitive corner, we are inundated with reports of their impending financial doom. Owner Jerry Moyes has lost a king's fortune since investing in this team; Forbes magazine ranked the Coyotes the least-valuable franchise in the NHL, and one of 10 sports teams most likely to relocate; and a Toronto newspaper quotes a former governor of the league saying he wouldn't buy the Coyotes for $1.

If the red ink is as bad as their current reputation, the Coyotes are in real trouble...

LINK

Apparently, they are not too thrilled with Bryz anymore either:

They identified and swiped Ilya Bryzgalov off the waiver wire last season, believing they had found their stalwart goalie. For an encore, Bryzgalov has been bryzutal.

Bryzutal ???

[DropThePuck]

NHL welcomes McDonald's® USA as Official quick-service restaurant

The National Hockey League (NHL) today announced that McDonald's USA has been named the League's official quick-service restaurant (QSR) in the United States. McDonald's is also the NHL's official QSR in Canada, and the company already has local relationships with 14 NHL teams.

[ladiesandgentlemen]

A great article by Adam Proteau @ The Hockey News:

Unless you were a disaster capitalist or Britney Spears’ fired-then-re-hired business manager – which, come to think of it, may be two sides of the same coin after all – you’ll probably agree with me that 2008, in a word and for the most part, sucked. And sucked, in a word and for the most part, large.

I’m talking Opera-palooza-level atrocious. Oprah-palooza awful. I’m talking “18-hour-car-trip-with-only-your-mother-in-law-and-a-stack-of-Johnny-Mathis-CDs” excruciating.

George Carlin, Paul Newman and Jack Falla, each a noble and exemplary legend in his profession, died in 2008.

Luc Bourdon, Alexei Cherepanov, Mickey Renaud, each still blossoming as an athlete and a human being, also died this year, long before they had the chance to best manifest their talents.

But above and beyond those gut-wrenching goodbyes, there just seemed to be something inescapably melancholy in virtually every facet of the hockey world this year...

... In Tampa Bay, new owners Len Barrie and Oren Koules rode to the team’s rescue and promised an adventure for Lightning fans. So far, they’ve done exactly that, only it’s been a Poseidon Adventure they’ve delivered; one featuring bodies flying over the bow with troubling regularity and a speedy sink to the bottom of the standings...

... there was Joe Sakic, who served as a cautionary tale in regard to what happens when brain farts meet rich guys needlessly performing manual labor...

... Of course, no year in the hockey world could be quite as bad as the last few months of 2004 and first few months of 2005, when owners and players collectively bungled up their own affairs, then made the fans and thousands of people who work in the industry pay for their mistakes. That period was ghastly on too many levels to discuss in this column.

That said, 2008 sure comes close...

...2008 was when justice worked in David Frost’s favor, for heaven’s sake. That about sums up this snarling, boil-covered, dirty rotten mother of 365 straight days as well as anything.

So beat it, 2008. And keep your hands where we can see ’em, 2009.

Worth reading the whole thing.

This is hilarious, and what Proteau does best: general observations with humor.

I love the Poseidon Adventure analogy for TBL and their cowboy captains they have steering the ship down there...

[DropThePuck]

This is hilarious, and what Proteau does best: general observations with humor.

I love the Poseidon Adventure analogy for TBL and their cowboy captains they have steering the ship down there...

Thanks for finding and posting this l&g! This is indeed a most classic piece!

I also liked his dig at the short-B:

Commissioner Gary Bettman stood by silently during the snake oil shows put on by Snider and Checketts, but managed to re-discover his voice when it came time to squash Sean Avery into dust or to stop Brian Burke and Kevin Lowe from providing some of the most entertaining GM-on-GM sniping in years.