Olympics and the NHL; End Touch Icing; Shootout Stupidity

What I’m griping about today:

1. NHL players in or out of the next Olympics?

There is no reason the NHL should not send players to the 2014 Olympics. The amount of attention the tournament gets worldwide is nothing but a positive thing for the NHL. Even for teams like Germany Latvia (among others) who were unlikely to win a medal at the games it gives them exposure and a gateway to getting more people interested in the game which results in better teams as the years go on. That is also true for countries that were unable to qualify for the Olympics this time around. The more countries that participate in hockey the better the talent pool, as a result the level of play in the NHL will continue to go up making a better product to market.

Secondly, the amount of people who watched the Gold Medal game in the United States was reportedly close to 30 million. The NHL (and NBC for that matter) is always looking for ways to better market the game in the U.S. and to gain greater viewership across the country. The Olympics (the Gold Medal game in particular) provided that to the NHL as everyone on the ice is currently playing for an NHL team. Not only that but it got people who ordinarily would not care about hockey to tune in; of that group of people—let’s say 5 million don’t care about hockey generally—if even 200,000 people (that’s only 4%) grew an interest in the game that makes it completely worth it for the NHL to participate in the Olympics. That is 200,000 more people to buy tickets and merchandise or possibly compete in hockey tournaments of their own and perhaps expose the game to other people.

Granted, the U.S. team will not always make it to the Gold Medal game, nor will that game consist of all NHL players and there is also the time zone issues when the games are not held in North America. There is also the issue of the NHL gaining no money from these games directly while also having to halt their season for two weeks, sacrifice its own all-star game, and subject NHL players to injury that could cause them to miss regular season time. But in the end the exposure they get is priceless and they do not have to invest a dime to get that. Players are not being paid for their participation in the Olympics –at least not by the NHL—so there is no salary issue for NHL owners. Not to mention the fact that it is only two-weeks once every four years for something that most agree ultimately helps the NHL much more than it hurts if it hurts the league at all. Some have suggested it’s just a bargaining tool by the NHL to use when negotiating the next CBA, no matter the case the NHL players should be in the Olympics so enough nonsense already and let them go.

2. Touch Icing:

For whatever reason there has been a debate for many years about whether to institute automatic icing in the NHL like they do in international and NCAA hockey. It should be a no brainer, END TOUCH ICING. I have given my piece on this before so I won’t say a whole lot. This past week on Coach’s Corner on CBC’s Hockey Night In Canada Don Cherry did a great segment on getting rid of touch icing, go to the following link to see the piece (http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/Sports/CBC%27s_Hockey_Night_in_Canada) , then click on Coach’s Corner (on the left side of the screen) then watch the March 6^th video, it is one of the last things Cherry talks about toward the end of the video and I could not agree with him more.

3. Shootouts, why do home teams always choose to shoot first?:

I will never understand why the home team always decides to shoot first giving the road team the last chance to score. Some say it’s because they want to put pressure on the other team by scoring first. Quite frankly that logic is garbage and inherently flawed. Ask any athlete in any sport and when it comes down to it they want to have the ball in their hands/at their feet, or the puck on their stick with the game on the line witch a chance to win. Consider baseball, the oldest game in America for years and years has always given the home team a marked ADVANTAGE by giving them the last chance to score in the game (i.e. the bottom of the ninth). If any manager went up to the umpire before a game and said “I know we’re the home team but today I’d like to bat first instead and give them the final at-bat in the ninth. Yeah this way we can put pressure on them from the get-go.” he would be fired almost immediately. The only time I can see this logic being reasonable is if your goaltender is your best player, then of course you went to give your greatest asset in the best position possible to win the game for you but 99% of the time that is not the case. I do not profess to know more about hockey than coaches or professional players generally but in this case the decision to shoot first is asinine.

Devils-Canes Series Fallen Upon Blind Eyes

I know the networks in the U.S. want to sell the stars—i.e. Crosby, Ovechkin—to increase ratings but sometimes you have to be confident in the product on the ice no matter who is playing. I am referring to the fact that only ONE game of the New Jersey-Carolina series (of the six played so far) has been on national TV and it has been the most competitive series in the east’s first round. Two games went to overtime with each team winning the contest in the other’s house. Another game ended on a last second shot vaulting the Canes to a 4-3 win with only 0.2 seconds remaining on the clock. Martin Brodeur and Cam Ward have been phenomenal all series long and even managed to make a 1-0 game one of the most exciting contests any sports fan would ever want to see. Granted, not every game can be broadcast nationally but it would be a lot easier if NBC were to step up and televise games on weekdays! *gasp* Either way it’s a shame that such good hockey has gone unnoticed by a lot of hockey fans both serious and casual because it simply hasn’t been on TV unless you have the center ice package. Stop with all the gimmicks and use a little common sense, no matter who is invovled in a particular contest if the quality of the game play is high you better believe people will flock to their television sets. So NBC stop bullying hockey around like it’s the little brother of pro sports and realize it is back and better than ever… if you show the games people WILL watch!

Blue Jackets Success Good for Hockey in the USA?

The Columbus Blue Jackets have registered a point in eight straight games and have won seven of those contests including a four game winning streak. This recent streak, backed by the stellar play of netminder Steve Mason, puts the Blue Jackets in prime position to make the playoffs for the first time in the team’s brief history. Helping Mason lead the Jackets success this season is mister Blue Jacket himself Rick Nash who has been a very bright spot on a team which has had very limited success—that is, until now. Offseason acquisitions Kristian Huselius (Calgary) and R.J Umberger (Philadelphia) have helped make the Jackets a viable contender this year and possibly for years to come. With a core group of relatively young players Columbus will be making plenty of noise on the ice for many years to come.

The success of the Blue Jackets thus far this year is only half the story because what we’re seeing is a potential hockey hotbed in its infancy. Until this year the only hockey presence in Ohio that has had any sustainable success has been via the Ohio State University. Although success at the University level is great the potential for Ohio to blossom in terms of hockey almost certainly requires the success of a major professional team. The significance of the Jackets being in Columbus is that they are the highest level of professional sport in the city which means there is no competition for fan fair from the popularity giant that is the NFL. Success for the Blue Jackets can make them the darlings of the city and would be the first of its kind in the U.S. since other cities tend to have other pro teams in one of the other three major sports. With that in mind, the on ice play of Rick Nash and company is not significant only to the potential of the Blue Jackets and the city of Columbus, but it could also be a major victory for the popularity of the sport of hockey in the U.S. So American hockey fans, if your team happens to fall out of contention throw a cheer the way of the Blue Jackets, their success might help you out more than you realize.

Winter Classic Excitement

The NHL’s second Winter Classic is only two days away and the sports world should be in for a real treat. The Chicago Blackhawks have won 9 straight games and have recorded a point in each of their last ten. Not only is winning nine straight impressive but the Hawks have been putting away some very good teams including at home against Philadelphia and four road games against Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver and Minnesota. Chicago is getting great play from not just their big stars (Kane, Sharp, Toews, Campbell) but also from guys like defensemen Duncan Keith who has 18 points and is a plus 19 for the season. They are a solid team and are finally coming together to create what could be something very special not only in the years to come but this season in particular.

On January 1^st the Blackhawks welcome the Detroit Red Wings to Wrigley Field and rumor has it that the Red Wings are pretty good… Clearly the Red Wings are very good for not only are they the defending Stanley Cup champions but they are second in the West with 50 points trailing only the amazing San Jose Sharks who the Wings recently pummeled 6-0. Complimenting the Wings would take all day so I’ll just let mentioning names like Lindstrom, Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Hossa, and Frazen (among many others) do all the explaining themselves. Not only will the atmosphere be great but the hockey won’t be half bad either. The fans are hyped and the players are excited as face-off approaches. In two days the eyes of the hockey universe will be focused on Chicago, live at 1pm eastern time on NBC in the US and CBC and RDS in Canada. The wait… is almost over.

Exciting Winter Classic Preludes

The second annual Winter Classic (to be held 1/1/2009 at Wrigley Field in Chicago) is fast approaching and if their first two games are any indication the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings are going to put on quite a show. In their first match-up the Blackhawks built-up a 4-2 lead only to see that slip away resulting in a 6-5 shootout win by Detroit. Saturday night the two teams collided again with Detroit taking the early lead only to lose it to Chicago who again earned a 4-2 lead over Detroit. And again, much like the first game, Detroit battled back and ultimately got the best of Chicago in a shootout 5-4. Watching the established stars in Detroit (Zetterberg, Lindstrom, Hossa, etc.) face-off against rising stars like Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane is extremely entertaining; it is kind of a way of looking into the game’s present and while also seeing where it is headed in the future and boy does the future look bright. Having played two close games has only increased the anticipation of the game as the intensity level has taken a major leap as Detroit has frustrated the young Blackhawks who badly want to get over the hump that is the Red Wings—healthy animosity is building. If this all holds up the National audiences in the U.S. and Canada and those watching around the world are in for a real treat.

Roy, Clark Honored; Luongo Injured

Let me start by saying how great the respective ceremonies were honoring Patrick Roy and Wendel Clark. The Canadiens (Roy) and Maple Leafs (Clark) paid tribute quite appropriately to two guys’ who each left different marks on the game but both will have a positive impact on the world of hockey for many years to come. In other news it was a showcase day for the original six teams who were all on TV nationally in Canada on CBC’s Hockey Night In Canada and on the NHL Network in the U.S. with four of the six matching up against each other—Montreal vs. Boston and Chicago vs. Toronto. Both games were extremely entertaining as they each had one team come from behind late in the game to force overtime with the former being decided in a shootout. Although both home-standing teams lost I think it was fitting that two players were honored on a night that ended in a very exciting manner. The rest of the schedule was entertaining with six games being decided by one goal five needing overtime/a shootout to decide a winner. All-in-all it was a great day to be a hockey fan; the one low point however came in Vancouver’s 3-1 win at the Pittsburgh Penguins. In the first period netminder Roberto Luongo left the game with what appeared to be a substantial injury. We may never know what exactly is wrong with him due to the league’s new ridiculous nondisclosure policy but nevertheless it does not look good for one of the league’s best and most exciting goaltenders.

Short Blurbs From Around The League

I want to talk about a number of things in short order so a few blurbs on league wide news:

- Do not let Tuesday’s 7-2 loss fool you, these are not the same Columbus Blue Jackets from years past. People make pre-judgments about the team based on reputation only but they will make you bite your tongue when they beat your team.

- Yes, the Boston Bruins are that good. They may not dazzle you night in and night out but they play very good defense in front of Tim Thomas who is having an incredible start to the season. The Bruins will absolutely be a force throughout the season and I would NOT want to face-off against them in a best 4 of 7 series come playoff time.

- Brian Burke resigned as Anaheim Ducks GM (shocker…). Despite his denials he will most likely end up in Toronto and help their already ahead of schedule rebuilding process. Burke and Ron Wilson may knock heads but it will probably result in victories.

- The Chicago Blackhawks are once again relevant, THANK GOD. Not only is this great for the U.S. since Chicago can be a great hockey town if they have a winner to support but it also serves the league well since the Winter Classic will more than likely be a competitive and intriguing game.

- The Minnesota Wild have played the fewest number of games of all teams in their division and yet they are in first place. Minnesota plays very slow-paced methodical defense that puts teams to sleep, reminds me a lot of the Devils of the mid to late 90s and early part of this decade. All New Jersey did was win 2 cups in a 4 year period and 3 in 8 years; that’s good news for Wild fans.