Charitable Donations: Dave Andreychuk Foundation

HBIC took on a project in the summer of 2008 where I profiled as many charitable organizations as possible. The key to each of these charities is that they are run or have heavy involvement from NHLPA members, and those members use their celebrity to bring recognition and donations to these charities. Today, HBIC is proud to look at another excellent charity that sports the name of a former NHL player and NHLPA member in Dave Andreychuk. The Dave Andreychuk Foundation actually has two branches in that there is a Canadian version of the charity as well as an American version. This will be explained below a little more, so read on about the mission, the work, and the reasons for starting the Dave Andreychuk Foundation.

Mission Statement: Directly from the Dave Andreychuk Foundation, their mission statement states that the Dave Andreychuk Foundation has three goals: "to assist children in need, to support causes for children and families enduring chronic and/or life-threatening illness, and to encourage the investment in youth and amateur sports". The funds raised in each country remain in that country to support the initiatives of the Dave Andreychuk Foundation in that country.

How did the Dave Andreychuk Foundation start?: As you may be aware, Mr. Andreychuk finished off a pretty solid career in Tampa Bay with a Stanley Cup Championship in 2004. While he would play to 2007, Dave Andreychuk became a vital part of the community in Tampa Bay, Florida as much as he was in Hamilton, Ontario.

From the Dave Andreychuk Foundation website, "After retiring from the National Hockey League in 2007, I decided to start the Dave Andreychuk Foundation to give back to the communities that are very important to my family and I.

"Although I refer to the Foundation as one entity, there are actually two. One is based in Canada and one in the United States. Having two Foundations allows me to raise funds for youth hockey in my home town of Hamilton, Ontario and for children and families in need in the Tampa, Florida area."

The Dave Andreychuk Foundation has already contributed to a number of projects and initiatives on both sides of the border over its short history thus far:

• Mr. Andreychuk was the special guest speaker at the 2008 Catholic Youth Organization Celebrity Dinner. You may not know this, but Dave was raised in a devout Catholic household under the watchful eyes of his parents, Julian and Roz Andreychuk.
• The Dave Andreychuk Foundation raised $5000 for the St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital of Tampa, Florida in October 2008.
• The Dave Andreychuk Foundation raised $5260 for the McMaster Children's Hospital of Hamilton, Ontario in December 2008.
• The Dave Andreychuk Foundation has worked with the Moffitt Cancer Center on several occasions to help raise money for cancer research and cancer programs at the hospital. Most recently, Dave Andreychuk presented a cheque for $5000 to the Moffitt Cancer Center on December 21, 2010!
  
• December 5, 2010 saw Dave Andreychuk attend Hamilton Funfest for a fun-filled day at Dave Andreychuk Mountain Arena and Skating Center in Hamilton, Ontario. Proceeds raised from the event went to the Hamilton Minor Hockey Association and the Tim Horton’s Children’s Foundation.

How Can I Help?: Just like the charitable organizations we've seen in the past, donations are certainly welcome and appreciated. However, you need to specify which country you're from so that the funds can be used in that country. If you're Canadian, click here to donate. If you're American, click here to donate. Again, any money donated will be used in the country of the donation you've chosen, so make sure you pick the country you wish to help!

Email is always a good way to get more information, and the Dave Andreychuk Foundation has two email addresses set up so that you can obtain information about the respective branches of the Dave Andreychuk Foundation. If you're in Canada and want some info, please send an email to InfoCanada-at-DaveAndreychukFoundation-dot-com. If you're in the US and want some info, please send an email to InfoUSA-at-DaveAndreychukFoundation-dot-com. If they have email addresses, they also have a place of operations, so you can always send the Dave Andreychuk Foundation some snail mail if that's more your pace. In Canada, send your mail to:

The Dave Andreychuk Foundation
2-558 Upper Gage Avenue
Suite #341
Hamilton, Ontario L8V4J6

If you're in the US, send your mail to:

The Dave Andreychuk Foundation
Dave Andreychuk Foundation Inc.
19046 Bruce B Downs Blvd. #71
Tampa FL 33647-2434

If they have an office, they also have some telephones. That means you can call the Dave Andreychuk Foundation for information if you so desire. You can reach the Canadian branch of the Dave Andreychuk Foundation by dialing (905)385-6783. The American branch of Dave Andreychuk Foundation can be reached by calling (813)301-2504.

They also have some merchandise you can pick up if you want something material in showing your support. The merchandise page has hats and shirts for both men and women, and they look pretty good. Do yourself and your community proud by picking up some Dave Andreychuk Foundation merchandise.

Lastly, there is an option for kids to contact Mr. Andreychuk as well! The Kids Contact page allows children to ask Mr. Andreychuk anything they like. All they have to do is fill out the fields, and they'll be able to send Mr. Andreychuk an email with their questions! How cool is that? You don't see many charitable organizations encouraging young fans to get involved on their sites, so I thought this was a great feature!

The Dave Andreychuk Foundation, the NHLPA, and the foundation's namesake, Mr. Dave Andreychuk, are helping the communities they live in. It's time for us to help them as well.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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First Of His Kind

Once you have hoisted the Stanley Cup after an exhausting 82-game season plus sixteen more wins in the playoffs, is there anything that compares in terms of the magnitude of that win? I'm going to say that there aren't a lot of experiences similar for a hockey player, but former Lightning captain Dave Andreychuk received an extremely high honour last week when it was announced that he will be the first hockey player inducted into the Florida Sports Hall of Fame. There are a vast number of sports icons already in the Flordia Sports Hall of Fame, but Andreychuk is the first hockey player to be inducted - a pretty big accomplishment considering that NHL hockey has been in the state since 1992.

Andreychuk won't be the only athlete inducted this year, though. Joining him will be former MLB outfielder Vince Coleman, former Jacksonville Jaguars offensive lineman Tony Boselli, Derrick Brooks of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, former MLB slugger Fred McGriff, former NCAA quarterback Gino Torretta, surfer Kelly Slater, and University of Florida women’s volleyball coach Mary Wise. That's some pretty elite company!

The induction ceremony happened last Wednesday, and Andreychuk was honoured to be among such an elite class of athletes.

"It came as a surprise really when I received the call and was told I was going to be inducted into the Florida Sports Hall of Fame," Andreychuk told Peter Pupello. "No one would ever quite connect Florida and the sport of hockey together, so for me, it’s quite an honor."

While Andreychuk wasn't the Lightning's most prolific scorer in his four seasons with the club, he did leave his mark on the Lightning. In 278 games, he scored 68 goals, added 61 assists, and was the captain of an emerging young team. During the playoff run to the Stanley Cup championship, Andreychuk scored one goal but had 13 assists in helping the Lightning to the pinnacle of hockey greatness in 2004.

Contributing to his success was his work the the community. Mr. Andreychuk founded the Dave Andreychuk Foundation in 2007, and the organization works to help underprivileged and sick kids realize their goals and dreams. To date, the Dave Andreychuk Foundation has supported St. Joseph's Children's Hospital and the Moffitt Cancer Center in the US and McMaster Children's Hospital and the Hamilton Minor Hockey Council in Canada. Mr. Andreychuk's community work will be featured in an upcoming article as well, so stay tuned!

"Dave made a significant contribution bringing Florida its first and only Stanley Cup and putting hockey on the map in the state," Florida Sports Hall of Fame president Rick Dantzler said. "He has done enormous things within his community and who he is off the ice certainly fit the character component of the selection process."

Clearly, Mr. Andreychuk is deserving of this award as he captained the only Florida-based NHL team to a championship and had graciously given his time and support to various organizations throughout Florida to help children. Mr. Andreychuk's work in the community didn't end when his career ended, though, and his commitment to children's charities across North America is a great indication of the kind of man he is.

Congratulations to Mr. Dave Andreychuk, the first hockey player to be inducted into the Florida Sports Hall of Fame ever!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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Why 82?

I was talking hockey at school today when I was asked a question that I really couldn't answer with any definitive reasoning. It's not that I didn't know the answer, but it was tough to answer simply because the answer always pointed back to the almighty dollar. On one hand, money pays the bills for hockey's owners and players, but, on the other hands, you never want to sound like hockey is being greedy. But when asked why hockey insists on an 82-game schedule, there aren't a lot of good reasons to give outside of "owners need to make enough money to pay the bills". And it's especially difficult to justify 82 games when some teams consistently lose money season after season.

Let's be honest: there are a lot of people on the planet that think that the NHL season is just too long. I might be one of them, in fact, but I do like the intrigue and storylines that some teams experience over the course of an 82-game schedule. From injuries to hot streaks, there are a number of ups and downs that a team can face.

However, the follow-up question made me think a little deeper today: wouldn't it be better for the game as a whole if each game in the season meant a little more? After all, if professional sports' model is the NFL and they only play 16 games, how important is each game to an NFL team? If you lose three of four games in a row, your season is essentially over unless you can turn things around in a hurry.

In hockey, there has to be a happy medium. 82 games, to most people, is more hockey than they may watch in their lifetime. There are, admittedly, games where teams don't play as hard as they should simply because the rigors of the season have caught up to them through injuries and fatigue. As a result, it looks like teams are "going through the motions" in a lacklustre effort.

If we go back to the 1995 season where only 48 games were played, this was an interesting situation because of how short the season actually was. Detroit went 33-11-4 that season to start their tradition of annual Stanley Cup runs in the 1990s. Does anyone remember who finished as the second-best NHL team that year? If you said "Quebec Nordiques", congratulations to you because not many people would have jumped on that answer.

So why 82? Why not 48? Or 60? Who decided on an 82-game schedule as be-all, end-all for NHL scheduling?

Well, for starters, there are six games - three at home and three on the road - against the other teams in its division for a total of 24 games. Teams then play the other non-divisional teams in their conference a total of four times - two at home and two on the road - for 40 more games. Throw in fifteen more games against the other conference's teams, and we're up to 79 games. Three additional games have three of those opposite conference teams playing against your team once more in the opposite arena as the first game, and you get a total of 82 games.

Let's be honest: that's a lot of games, and there are probably a lot of throw-away games in there where teams simply go through the motions in another meaningless game on the schedule. Let's grab the scissors and start cutting this scheduling idea up.

Let's lose one home and road date against divisional opponents. If familiarity breeds contempt, it would be a different story, but the Battles of Alberta, Ontario, and New York have seen very little tenacity or fire in recent memory. If we shave off those two games, we're already down to 16 games from 24. That works for me, but let's keep going.

Let's shave one game from the other conference teams. If you play twice at home in Season A, you'll play once at home in Season B against the non-divisional conference team. That reduces the non-divisional conference games from 40 to 30. Again, that's a manageable number.

Finally, we'll keep the non-conference games. That's 15 guaranteed games, and it allows every team to play every other team once. Toss in four games against select opponents from the opposite conference, and that's 19 more games. Overall, we have a total of 65 games, 17 games less than what we currently have. That translates into nearly one month less of games, meaning that the season could end in early March rather than early April. I'm starting to like this idea.

With 65 games, there are still a few of those games that don't really matter in the standings. Except now they matter a little more than when you were playing 82 games. A loss now counts in the standings a little. Those lost points in the shootout now have a bigger impact at the end of the season. A season-series sweep in a divisional battle could mean the difference between a playoff spot and watching from the outside when the season ends. Laying an egg against a non-playoff team could cost you dearly once the season plays out.

Of course, a shorter schedule should mean a lower cost for season tickets. It should also mean lower salary costs for owners, but there's almost no way that the NHLPA will agree to this. Cutting salaries will never fly, but let's assume that the NHLPA agrees to shorten the schedule and reduce salaries for its members. I think this could actually work in theory.

So I ask you, readers: would you prefer a shorter NHL schedule to increase the drama, or do you like the 82-game schedule as we have it? Do you see faults? Can you improve on this idea, or is the status quo the best we have?

Comments are certainly appreciated and encouraged on this one!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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Today In Hockey History

Today is a fairly significant day in hockey history and NHL history. If you've been circling February 1 on your calendar for nearly two decades, you know one of two things: (1) it's most likely a birthday or anniversary you should remember, or (2) it's the anniversary of the appointment of Gary Bettman as NHL Commissioner. Both could be fairly important to you if you're Mark Recchi, Patrick O'Sullivan, or Tommy Salo as all three men celebrate their birthdays today, but I'm more concerned with the last 18 years in the life of Gary Bruce Bettman on this anniversary of his appointment as NHL Commissioner.

There is a lot that we can pin on Gary Bettman in terms of taking the game to new lows. Let's review some of the problems that the game has seen over the last 18 years. And this list could grow exponentially if we do this review on a market-by-market basis.

• The FoxTrax puck. That debuted in 1996 at the 46th NHL All-Star Game in Boston. Surprisingly, Fox somehow made it last until the first game of the 1998 Stanley Cup Final. I'm pretty sure no hockey fan will let Bettman live this one down.
• After seeing the San Jose Sharks join the NHL for the 1991-92 season, Gary Bettman goes on a tear, allowing expansion franchises to pop up in any major market with a covered arena. Since February 1993, we've seen franchises pop up in Anaheim, Miami, Nashville, Atlanta, Columbus, and Minneapolis. We also saw Minneapolis lose their original team to Dallas, Quebec City lose their team to Denver, Hartford lose their team to Raleigh, and Winnipeg lose their team to Phoenix. Outside of the Wild, are any of those teams making money?
• Fans have endured two work stoppages as the NHL players went on strike for the start of the 1994-95 season, and we saw the entire 2004-05 season wiped out due to the owners locking out the players. And we're staring down the barrel of the guns again as the CBA expires at the conclusion of the 2010-11 season.
• Fans and players were absolutely outraged at the NHL's decision to walk away from ESPN and set up shop on the unheard-of Outdoor Life Network. While OLN transitioned into Versus, NHL coverage in the US is still rarely found on widespread cable television, and the league has been slow to recover any television revenue and television airspace since walking away from the "World Wide Leader".

Again, we could probably spend an hour or six listing all of the problems that the NHL has seen over the last 18 years, but these are, in my view, some of the more glaring problems that the NHL has seen. However, not all is bad, and Gary Bettman and his team have done some absolutely positive things as well.

• The NHL Winter Classic is now the showcase event every year for the NHL in the US. Before the Winter Classic, the NHL had nothing to celebrate in the lower forty-eight, and people had no reason to tune in. The Winter Classic, if nothing else, has brought fans back and attracted new fans to the sport.
• The NHL, unlike the other three major sports, have embraced and endorsed new technology. The NHL has branched out to fans via Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube to give the game more access to the techno-savvy fans, and fans of the game have responded in kind by blogging, tweeting, and Facebooking all sorts of information and photos. Hockey has taken advantage of the social media craze like no other sport.
• The NHL introduced some changes that have opened up the game for offensive stars after watching them suffer for years. No longer is obstruction and interference a way of life, the two-line pass is ancient history, and the shootout allows for more creativity and excitement in the game. If anyone thinks that the game is worse now than before the 2004-05 canceled season, they simply aren't watching the same game I am.
• While moving at a snail's pace, the NHL is slowly gaining on Major League Baseball and the NFL in terms of attracting and retaining fans. While there is no chance that the NHL will ever knock those two sports off the mountain in the US, any gains are certainly positive. Through its agreements with Versus and NBC, the NHL is inching its way back onto the sports landscape in the US. While it's taking a lot longer than promised, Bettman is doing what he was initially hired to do.

Of course, there are still some major issues that the NHL needs to tackle, and they would be well-advised to solve these issues as soon as possible. No sports league on the planet is perfect, of course, but solving these major issues will put the NHL in a very good position to continue to make inroads in the southern US while holding strong in the northern US markets and Canada.

• The NHL needs to find a way to protect players' heads. The debates about head trauma will continue until the end of time until someone finally puts his foot down and says "enough". If the Canadian Hockey League can institute a no-contact rule on checks to the head, and they still produce some of the best players in hockey history, it seems like a no-brainer (excuse the pun) for the NHL to follow suit.
• The NHL needs to continue to work with the players in terms of coming to an equitable agreement for both sides. The NHLPA is unhappy with the escrow amounts while the NHL brags of record profits, so there will have to be some bargaining done on both sides in order for labour peace to continue.
• The NHL needs to continue to make itself available to the fans. The fans love players with personality - Paul Bissonnette ring any bells? The NHL and NHLPA need to keep that connection with the fans. I've always maintained that the NHL players are the most accessible athletes of the four major sports, and there's no reason for this to stop. Maintain and build that relationship with the fans, and they'll reward you for it.
• The NHL needs to continue, if I can continue this trend, to work with its partners. NBC, CBC, HBO, Versus, TSN, and Sirius XM all have major stakes in producing high-quality NHL broadcasts, and these relationships need to continue on all fronts. Spreading the NHL far and wide across many networks means that the game reaches more and more people, and there's no better way to attract new fans than to have them watch the game.

Overall, there have been turbulent times and happy times for the NHL through the 18 years that Gary Bettman has been at the helm of this ship. Going forward, there will be more problems and more joy as the league continues to grow and thrive. I'm not saying that Gary Bettman has been a savior for the NHL in any way, but you have to remember that things could always be worse than what they currently are.

Given those two options, I'll happily stay the course for the time being.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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HBIC YIR - Part Two

We're back for the second half of Hockey Blog In Canada's Year In Review. Champagne, good food, and friends and family should be on the docket tonight, so HBIC will run through some of the highlights from the second half of the year. Yesterday, we took a look at the stories from January to June that attracted some attention, and we'll do the same today as we work through July to December. Happy New Year, everyone, and we'll be back in the normal fashion starting on January 1 with more hockey-related news and stories. Until then, all the best in the new year, and may health and happiness find you no matter where you are!

July Highlights

• July 2: An interesting Sports Illustrated article from 1976 shows that some of rules instituted by the NHL in the last few years are the same ones that players in the 1970s wanted. History does indeed repeat itself, it seems.
• July 5: Hockey loses one of its most feared players as Bob Probert passes away. I always respected Probert as a hockey player because he was the ultimate hybrid of guts and skill. Unfortunatley, his star burned out far too early.
• July 9: The National Film Board of Canada has another video gem in their archives. The Rocket is all about Maurice Richard, and is a fascinating film!
• July 16: The Hartford Whalers. I love the Whale, and I really wish the original Hartford Whalers were still playing. This article brings back some great memories.
• July 26: ESPN runs an interesting column that looks at the cleanliness and overall food quality of arenas and stadiums. A very interesting read for those attending games.
• July 29: Sports Illustrated's 1969 article about how Vancouver was going to become competitive as an expansion team is almost too incredible to believe. Except it happened, and Sports Illustrated ran the story.

August Highlights

• August 4: We get out first glimpses of what the Montreal Canadiens and Calgary Flames will be wearing during the 2011 Heritage Classic. Also included: my comments.
• August 12: HBIC recaps the first-ever Canadian Women's Hockey League draft. There are some good teams being assembled, and I think this league deserves a little recognition.
• August 15: Some incredible WHA news was reported in this 1979 Sports Illustrated article. It's amazing to read some of the interesting stuff that happened in the "Dub".
• August 31: Seventy-four year-old Chris Chelios announces his retirement from hockey. Immediately after, hell freezes over.

September Highlights

• September 4: HBIC's month-long road trip through the midwestern US takes me through Kansas City, Missouri. Lots of good hockey history in that city, and I look at some of it.
• September 5: The following day had me in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Great city, and some solid hockey history there. I really enjoyed my time in the city.
• September 8: Houston's WHA era was interesting, and certainly has some very cool history behind it. The Howes, the flirting with the NHL, and their eventually dissolution are all covered in this piece.
• September 9: Houston's WHA Aeros led to the IHL's Houston Aeros being born in memory of the WHA franchise. Some more excellent hockey history here.
• September 20: San Antonio is a gorgeous city, and I really enjoyed my time there. Because of my visit, I wrote a piece on San Antonio's hockey history.
• September 23: My stop in Des Moines, Iowa was short, but I drove through the city rather than going around it. A lovely little city that has a solid hockey history attached to it.
• September 29: The Whale return! Unfortunately for Hartford, the Whalers continue to not exist while the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack will become the Connecticut Whale. I'm not impressed with these developments.

October Highlights

• October 2: Washington shows off its uniform choice for the Winter Classic. While the jersey choice is highly appropriate, Reebok's lack of effort in recreating the uniform is more than disappointing considering the magnitude of the game.
• October 17: Found some great viral video from France that features a guy showing people what it looks like when a player gets bodychecked into the boards. Hilarious!
• October 29: The Penguins show off their chosen duds for the 2011 Winter Classic. It's kind of a mish-mash of former uniforms, but it gets a pass.

November Highlights

• November 7: Buffalo and Toronto clash in the annual Hockey Hall of Fame game, and Buffalo shows up with some serious problems on their uniforms.
• November 12: The New York Rangers officially unveil their new alternate uniforms just weeks after Sean Avery unveiled them on his website.
• November 13: The Saskatoon Blades donned their "Canadian tuxedo" uniforms to welcome the Professional Bull Riders Association, as well as Gene Simmons and Shannon Tweed.
• November 20: Pat Burns, the legendary NHL coach who won three Jack Adams Awards, succumbed to cancer after a long battle. Burns' contributions to hockey will live on forever, and we lost a great man far too soon.
• November 25: The Columbus Blue Jackets unveil their new alternate jersey, and I express my unhappiness with their choices. This won't be the last time we talk about these uniforms, I assure you.
• November 26: Another day, another alternate unveiling, more unhappiness from Teebz. This time sees the Anaheim Ducks squarely in my cross-hairs.
• November 30: It was a tough November as the hockey world lost another great. Hall of Fame writer Jim Kelley lost his battle with pancreatic cancer, and the world loses one of the most passionate hockey voices on the planet.

December Highlights

• December 2: The Portland Winterhawks unveil a new alternate jersey, but it looks remarkably like a jersey from a team in a different sport. To err is to be human, but this one just makes the team look bad in ripping off another team's idea.
• December 9: The University of Michigan and Michigan State University look to make history as they play an outdoor game in The Big House at Ann Arbor. Lots of cool information here about outdoor games.
• December 13: Remember those Blue Jackets' alternate uniforms? Apparently, the team has decided that superstition will kill them off as Columbus looks to mothball them.
• December 18: Donald Fehr is introduced as the new Executive Director of the NHLPA. Baseball laughs and mocks the NHL over their horrible luck. However, Fehr sounds like he's more interested in making hockey better.
• December 20: The world of Teebz and HBIC are changing. Actually, they already have by this point, but I've now charted a better future for me. Cross your fingers, kids!
• December 23: John MacLean is fired by the New Jersey Devils, and Jacques Lemaire is brought back. I point a finger at the $100M root of all the problems in New Jersey.

So there's another year down in the history of Hockey Blog In Canada. I'm really looking forward to next year already, and it starts with the 2011 Bridgestone Winter Classic tomorrow afternoon evening. Hunker down in front of the old cathode ray tubes, and enjoy some outdoor hockey from Sid the Kid and the Great Eight!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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HBIC YIR - Part One

Time certainly has flown this year as we're two days away from recycling those 2010 calendars hanging on walls and posted on desks. Hockey has seen some great things this year, and we've also lost some icons that made the sport much better with their presence. We've seen players emerge as superstars and we've seen superstars fall to below-average play. All of this is actually a statement about the game - it's fluid, and it's constantly changing and evolving through each shift, each game, and each season. Today, HBIC looks back on the first six months of the year, and the important stories that came from January to the end of June.

January Highlights

• January 1: We start every year off right with the NHL's Winter Classic, and the January 1, 2010 game was certainly memorable as the Philadelphia Flyers visited the Boston Bruins in historic Fenway Park. What a great day of hockey!
• January 2: Switzerland's World Junior Championship team pulls off a massive upset as they defeated Russia 3-2 to beat the Russians for the first time in history at the WJC.
• January 5: The 2010 World Junior Championship is decided in overtime as American John Carlson ends Canada's streak with his goal to give Team USA the gold medal. Great game, and a very impressive showing by America's best young hockey talent.
• January 21: If you've been following this blog, you know I'm a big fan of Frank McClelland's newest equipment invention. January 21 was the first time I was lucky enough to speak to Frank and bring to light what would eventually be his Skate Fenders product. A very interesting story to see how the plastic skate guards got started!
• January 23: I arrive in Minneapolis for the US Pond Hockey Championships, and the weather was very un-winter for the tournament. Strange weather is nothing new on the prairies, but January is rarely a month known for rain. Great uniforms seen at the tournament, and a few great stories!
• January 25: I express my disappointment with the NHL's stance on protecting its players after a major incident in the QMJHL.
• January 29: I bring to light the story of Alton White, the first professional black hockey player to record 20 or more goals in a season as well as the first professional black hockey player to record a hat trick in a professional game. Since it happened in the WHA, no one seems to care that he doesn't get this recognition. But I do.

February Highlights

• February 5: The hockey world stops for a few moments to grieve the loss of Brendan Burke, Brian Burke's son. Brendan worked as student manager for the hockey team while attending the University of Miami (Ohio), but made headlines when he announced to the world that he was a gay man. And I still believe in my words: "Being gay doesn't change who he is or how much respect I have for him. Nor should it change you."
• February 13: Phil Hecken of Uni Watch Blog and I take a look at what each team will be wearing at the Olympics. Some uniforms are good. Others are not.
• February 14: I discuss some of the ways that women's hockey at the Olympics can fix blowouts between the elite teams and the rest of the field. I still feel that getting more women involved from the other countries will make the game stronger.
• February 21: Team USA plays a much more complete game in the round-robin at the Olympics and beats Canada soundly. I'm hard on Canada and praise the Americans. And this will only set up the inevitable.
• February 28: The Goal. Need I say anything more? I take a look at the 2010 Winter Olympics as a whole, and celebrate "The Goal.

March Highlights

• March 4: Frank McClelland returns with some updates on his Skate Fenders. I'm truly a fan of Mr. McClelland's and LSSU's work, and this product is something that players should really look into for their own health.
• March 11: HBIC renews its commitment to the Vancouver Olympics by giving the sport of sledge hockey as much coverage as possible. I really like this sport, and there have been some excellent games as of late as a number of countries have improved in this sport.
• March 18: One of the countries that has improved? Japan. They defeated the heavily-favoured Canadian squad by a 3-1 score in the semi-final to earn a berth in the gold medal final. If you haven't seen a game of sledge hockey in your life, you're missing out.
• March 21: The 2010 Women's Frozen Four wrapped up in style as there were some incredible games played by the NCAA women. Congratulations go out to the University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs who captured their fifth NCAA Championship!
• March 30: The 2010 CIS Men's Hockey Championship wrapped up, and the Canadian collegiate champions are the Saint Mary's Huskies! Canadian collegiate hockey, while not as prolific as NCAA hockey, is certainly one of the places where NHL teams can find some hidden talent. There are lots of good players studying across Canada!

April Highlights

• April 4: The Alberta Pandas, the women's CIS hockey team, pulled off one of the most stunning upsets in the history of the CIS as they defeated the McGill Marlets in the CIS Championship game to be called "Canada's best".
• April 5: Columbus Blue Jackets' forward RJ Umberger calls out the Washington Capitals, and makes a prediction for the playoffs about the Capitals' chances of going all the way. A number of people wrote Umberger off, but read his comments. Hockey players know hockey.
• April 10: The Boston College Eagles defeat the Wisconsin Badgers and capture the 2010 NCAA Men's Hockey Championship. The win was a great effort for a team that many didn't pick to win the championship, but the Eagles captured their fourth championship!
• April 18: I'm fairly harsh towards Hockey Canada and the effort put forth at the World U-18 Championships. I like Canadian hockey, but I hate lack of effort.
• April 27: The NHLPA decides to change the Lester B. Pearson Award to the Ted Lindsay Trophy. More hockey history is being killed, and I'm not happy about it.
• April 30: In the same fashion I criticized Hockey Canada's efforts in the U-18 Tournament, I rip the Washington Capitals for their lack of hard work. Another exit far too early in the playoffs, and the Capitals spend more time on the golf course.

May Highlights

• May 3: The KHL crowns a champion as Ak Bars Kazan won their second KHL Championship in consecutive seasons. While there are still major differences between the NHL and KHL, it appears that Kazan is becoming the "Detroit Red Wings" of the KHL.
• May 7: I found a great article in Popular Science from 1935 about the game of hockey! It's a very good read with lots of pictures, but it goes to show that some magazines were covering hockey before it was popular!
• May 14: A reader by the name of Chelsea sent me a great email about head trauma suffered by hockey players. She makes some excellent points in her email, and there are several NHL players who echo her sentiments.
• May 23: The Czech Republic snaps the Russian's 27-game winning streak at the World Championships, and captured the World Championship title! Jaromir Jagr's reason for winning? "They had stars and we had guys who play in the Czech Republic, but this shows that talent doesn't matter - you have to work hard." Hard work, kids. I can't say it enough.
• May 25: I still have no clue as to what happened to the Charlie Conacher Memorial Trophy that was awarded annually to an NHL player. Any ideas?
• May 28: Damian Cox goes absolutely loopy with his suggestion that the Chicago Blackhawks change their logo because it's offensive. Cox stirring the pot? Nothing new.

June Highlights

• June 1: A fabulous video from the National Film Board of Canada shows off a ton of Quebec Nordiques history. This video is amazing!
• June 7: More videos are posted, this time of the WHA in all its spectacular glory. I really wish I had more WHA video. Note this foreshadowing. It will come in handy next week.
• June 9: The Chicago Blackhawks are your 2010 NHL Stanley Cup Champions. They dispatched the Philadelphia Flyers in six games to capture their first Stanley Cup in 49 years. To the victors go the spoils!
• June 14: The AHL's Hershey Bears stand atop the pile of AHL teams as they capture the 2010 Calder Cup as AHL Champions! The Bears defeated the Texas Stars in six games to capture their second consecutive Calder Cup. Well done, Bears!
• June 22: In what seems like a crime against humanity, the Hockey Hall of Fame finally allowed women to be eligible to be voted into the Hall of Fame. Women's hockey has its detractors, but the pioneers of the sport deserve their kudos as much as the men.
• June 28: More amazing hockey video is found through the National Film Board of Canada's website as we see the UBC Thunderbirds heading to China to help grow the game in the Communist country. This is another amazing video that shows how significantly-different cultures can work together to grow the game.

So there are the highlights from the first six months of HBIC's 2010. I really had a great time writing this year, and the interactions with you, the readers, are what makes this so rewarding. I love reading other opinions and ideas, and I encourage you to continue to email, comment, friend me on Facebook, and whatever else you to do to send me your hockey thoughts.

More tomorrow as we review the year that was from July to December!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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Fear Or Fair?

It is with great interest to the rest of the hockey world that the NHLPA introduced Donald Fehr as their new Executive Director yesterday afternoon. The 62 year-old negotiator put off retirement to join the NHLPA as they prepare for upcoming negotiations in 2011 with the NHL. Fehr previously held the position of MLBPA Executive Director for 24 years, and won several major cases against MLB with regards to collusion and replacement players. And perhaps most infamously for Canadians, Fehr successfully led the MLBPA in a strike that canceled the 1995 World Series when the Montreal Expos were on top of the Major League Baseball standings. Because of this, you'll have to forgive Canadians when they feel a little hesitant towards the appointment of Fehr as the top man in the NHLPA.

I'll be honest: I don't know very much about Donald Fehr simply because I don't really follow baseball as closely as I probably should. I do know that Fehr's name sometimes irks MLB's owners, so there's probably a good reason that hockey owners have a little apprehension over Fehr's appointment.

To introduce Canadians to Mr. Fehr, the CBC, specifically Elliotte Friedman and Ron MacLean, presented an excellent piece this evening on Mr. Fehr, and I was very curious as to how he would come off on this piece. I'll have my thoughts below, but this 13-minute clip should bring to light a little bit of Mr. Fehr's personality for Canadians who may not be as knowledgeable about him as our American neighbours.

Marvin Miller ran the MLBPA from 1966 to 1982, and transformed the MLBPA from an also-ran union into one of the United States' most powerful unions in history. Some of Miller's accomplishments included getting arbitration introduced into baseball, eradicating the "reserve clause" in baseball and introducing full free agency, and getting baseball's minimum salary to increase 1268% from $19,000 to $241,000. Clearly, he was a dynamo, and Fehr worked under him until he took over in 1985. However, under Miller, Fehr also witnessed three strikes that crippled baseball in the early-1980s.

To me, it sounds like Mr. Fehr understands the global game of hockey better than the men who preceded him in the NHLPA. In his interview with MacLean, he addresses the European market where hockey is already being played and is somewhat thriving, he addresses the international game in terms of IIHF's stance on the Olympics and the World Championships, and he gets that there is a large percentage of the NHL that comes from overseas. That's something that I think the NHL is interested in exploring, and it sounds like Mr. Fehr has a grasp of wanting to explore those markets in both a growth role and a financial role.

It also sounds like Mr. Fehr is an advocate for the players, and will keep players informed of what is happening during negotiations. There was some rumbling from players about the lack of transparency at the top of the NHLPA in the last few years, and there was certainly a sense of "traitorism" when Bob Goodenow agreed to the 24% rollback in salaries. Mr. Fehr, without being confrontational, said exactly what the players want to hear: we'll keep you informed as to what is happening in the negotiations, and we'll bring you to the negotiating table if you have questions about what is being put forth. That, to me, sounds like crystal clear transparency, and that has to please the players.

It remains to be seen what Mr. Fehr will accomplish as the top man in the NHLPA as he starts in his role in the NHLPA, but his interview leaves me thinking that he's going into these new CBA negotiations with the players' wants and needs in mind while being respectful of the owners' wishes in order to prevent another work stoppage in the NHL. As a fan, I can honestly say that hearing this sentiment is a relief when negotiations in the past seemed like a shootout at the OK Corral.

While his name is pronounced "fear", I'd say Mr. Fehr is all about fair right now. And for the NHL, NHLPA, and the fans, that's all we want to see in these new negotiations.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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Getting Caught Up

After taking Labor Day off, I think it would be a good time to get caught up on some of the emails that are filling up my inbox. There have been a number of interesting emails sent in the last couple of days, and I'm glad to bring these stories and images to light with hockey season less than one month away. Of course, there are always other things I could write about today, but I need to bring these stories to light. The hockey history of Houston - nice alliteration there! - will come tomorrow, and it is a great look at the old WHA days, the former IHL days, and the current AHL days. Lots of great photos and some interesting stories on-tap for tomorrow, so hit this site up again. Today, however, we have a variety of pictures and stories. Let's go!

• One reader, Bill W., sent me images of the new centre line being painted on at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. As seen earlier this summer, HBIC examined the ads on the boards around the ACC, so it seems appropriate to show off the new paint on the ice. The Maple Leafs are adding maple leaves! The centre line splits the logo down the middle, so there will be maple leaves all over the ice this season. It remains to be seen if the team can duplicate the efforts of the paint on the ice (ZING!). More photos found here!
• Terry Melia sent on an article he wrote on the Upper Deck Blog. Terry wrote a piece on the 2010 NHLPA Rookie Showcase that some of the industry insiders attended, and there are some great photos on the Upper Deck Blog. However, one picture really caught my attention: what's with the TV numbers on Mats Zuccarello Aasen's jersey? You can see it in the picture I posted last week as well. I guess the numbers have to be up much higher to accommodate the sleeve stripes, but it looks horrible.
• The KHL kick off their 2010-11 season tonight with defending champion Ak Bars Kazan traveling to Moscow to play Dynamo Moscow at the Megasport Arena. Updates will come shortly from the first week, but there appears to be a large celebration taking place in conjunction with the first game of the season. Updates shortly!
• The KHL has launched a new website to promote their upcoming exhibition games with the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes and Phoenix Coyotes. SKA St. Petersburg will play host to the Carolina Hurricanes on October 4, while Dinamo Riga will battle the Coyotes on October 6. Visit the new site here, and check out the History links for each club.
• Speaking of SKA St. Petersburg, they unveiled their newest players for the coming season. Denis Grebeshkov and Evgeni Nabokov were introduced by KHL President Alexander Medvedev, and both players took questions from the gathered media. It appears that Grebeshkov will wear #73 this season while Nabokov will wear #20. As he states in the interview, Nabokov's father wore #20 while playing in Russia as well! At the bottom of the article, note that Maxim Afinogenov's status as to being a player with SKA St. Petersburg is also confirmed!
• There were also a couple of notes about teams that would potentially play in the KHL this season. First, Czech-based Hradec Králové hockey club Lev was denied entry into the KHL by the Czech Ice Hockey Federation. The members of the Czech Federation voted unanimously to prevent the hockey club from leaving the Czech League, thus HC Lev will remain as a team in the Czech League.
• Secondly, Budivelnik of Kyiv, the second team that was to join the KHL for the 2010-11 season, announced that they will not be joining the KHL due to their inability to construct a suitable arena for KHL play. The loss of a major team in the Ukraine is a blow to both Ukrainian hockey and to the KHL's pan-European dream. Thus, no expansion for the KHL for this season.

There are your updates for a Tuesday in September. Tomorrow, I'll add some thoughts on Houston's hockey scenario, and I'll have the first of our guest writers up this weekend for some reader-based articles!

Until then, keep your sticks on the ice!

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Back To The Market

It's now official, and Ilya Kovalchuk's seventeen-year contract has been rejected by the arbitrator, Mr. Richard Bloch, due the contract circumventing the salary cap rules. What worries everyone more is that Mr. Bloch also threw the contracts of Marian Hossa, Chris Pronger, Roberto Luongo, and Marc Savard into the mix, saying that these contracts also raise questions in terms of their setups. Obviously, this loophole will be a major point in the next CBA discussions between the NHL and the NHLPA, but, for now, the NHL holds the upper-hand based purely on common sense.

So as it stands, Ilya Kovalchuk is a free agent, the New Jersey Devils are without a bonafide hired gun who can shoot the lights out, and the NHL is back to some sort of sensibility. While I doubt that the contracts of the other men mentioned above will be terminated, it should provide some general managers with a thought when it comes to signing players to crazy terms and money.

While I don't doubt that Kovalchuk and the Devils will still reach a deal, it will just have to fit properly into the NHL's somewhat-defined rules now. As Mr. Bloch stated, "The overall structure of this (contract) reflects not so much the hope that Mr. Kovalchuk will be playing in those advanced years, but rather the expectation that he will not."

The precedent has been set, and now the line is clearly drawn in the sand. We might actually see some common sense become "common" once again.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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Maverick Or Genius?

Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to introduce you to the man that might just be the smartest hockey man on the planet if it weren't for him being in charge of the second-best league on the planet. Alexander Medvedev, pictured to the left, is the head honcho when it comes to the KHL. He calls the shots, he makes the rules, he is "the man". However, Medvedev's offer to free-agent-in-limbo Ilya Kovalchuk today should have a few heads turning as players no longer just laugh off the KHL as some "old-timer league".

While Kovalchuk is still the biggest diamond available on the market, Medvedev decided to drop a bombshell of an offer in trying to lure the Russian sniper back to the Motherland. While the NHL and NHLPA slap each other around in front of an independent arbitrator at some point in the future, it could all be moot if Kovalchuk took Medvedev's offer as seriously as he did Lou Lamoriello's offer.

Medvedev floated this offer across the pond to Ilya Kovalchuk and his agent, Jay Grossman: a seventeen-year contract, and the ability to play where ever he chooses. As for money? Well, Medvedev really isn't hurting when it comes to his financial statement, so I'm quite certain that the $102 million that is up for grabs in the NHL would be delivered by Medvedev to Kovalchuk if he chooses the Russian offer.

Now, let me make something very clear here: Kovalchuk has stated time and again that his interest is playing in the NHL. However, with the contract he signed with the Devils being disputed by the NHL and NHLPA, the financial security that he was searching for may not be there if the arbitrator rules on the NHL's side. So if the arbitrator rules that the 17-year, $102 million is invalid as per the NHL's salary cap rules, there is absolutely no reason why Kovalchuk couldn't accept Medvedev's offer as the highest bidder.

In that scenario, Kovalchuk gets financial security in a relatively tax-free environment, he gets to play at home in Russia, and he is the poster boy for everything KHL. Not a bad deal, I'd say, and one that Kovalchuk may actually consider if the NHL wins the grievance.

The key in all this is that Medvedev would have secured the best player available on the free agent market by simply doing what the NHL wouldn't. If Kovalchuk doesn't sign with the KHL, Medvedev is out nothing and can continue on as if nothing happened.

If the KHL really wants to stick it to the NHL, this is how it can be done. It's savvy, it's intelligent, and it is all within the IIHF-NHL transfer rules since free agents can sign anywhere they like. For all the animosity between the NHL and KHL, this is probably the craziest move that could pay off in a big way that we've seen yet.

Kovalchuk, meanwhile, is in the best win-win situation he could ever hope for as long as he is open to moving back home. If he doesn't get $102 million from the New Jersey Devils, he can get it from the KHL. The NHL loses one of its marquee stars while the KHL secures its "Sidney Crosby"-like player to market and promote their league.

Alexander Medvedev could be just crazy enough for this offer to work. All it will take is selling Kovalchuk on the beauty of the Siberian winter over the New Jersey swamps. $102 million could be the price in that sale.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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Justice Has Prevailed

You had to wonder when the NHL would finally come to its senses regarding these "lifetime" contracts that teams were handing out to superstars who had accomplished nothing. Well, it appears the suits in the Ivory Tower in New York City have finally pulled their collective heads from the sand and noticed that the finances of one contract were completely ridiculous. In pulling their heads from the sand, they replaced it with a very clear line in the sand. Ilya Kovalchuk is still a free agent, the New Jersey Devils need to rework some numbers, and the NHL finally can claim that it has been proactive in preventing another team from committing a "DiPietro".

Just hours after the New Jersey Devils rolled out the red carpet for Russia's free agent wunderkind, the NHL went ahead and ruled that the contract was null and void for the simple fact that Kovalchuk will have long retired before his contract had expired. According to Section 26.3 of this document, Kovalchuk's contract circumvents the rules of the salary cap, and is therefore invalid.

I had suggested yesterday that there was enough reason to cause concern amongst the other twenty-nine owners regarding star players signed to idiotic contracts. We've seen some of them fail miserably - DiPietro on Long Island - while others have been a blessing for the player and team - Ovechkin in Washington.

However, paying a player $3 million over the last seven years of his contract when he'll be between the ages of 37 and 44 is not only insane, but completely and utterly stupid. Because let's face it: Kovalchuk is not Chelios or Howe. He will not play into his forties, and he certainly won't hit 44 in a Devils uniform.

I would like to stand and applaud the men who occupy the NHL Offices in New York City. They didn't wait long to call the Devils' bluff on this one, and now the three parties sit in limbo while the NHLPA decides what it will do for Ilya Kovalchuk. If they file a grievance, the matter moves before an arbitrator who must rule on whether the contract is valid. Until that happens, though, this contract is officially dead in the water.

What makes this harder to understand from the Devils' perspective is that they had Steve Pellegrini work on the financial portion of this deal under his title of VP of Hockey Operations. Before joining the Devils in his VP role, Pellegrini worked for the NHL as their "cap regulator" - the guy who knows all the rules about the salary cap, including all the cap circumvention rules! Couple that with Lou Lamoriello's comments about how he dislikes these types of contracts, and this entire ordeal appears to fall back on a "just get it done by any means necessary" mandate from above. The above? That would be owner Jeff Vanderbeek.

So, to summarize, if the man who knows all the rules of the salary cap is told to break those rules by the guy holding the wad of cash in his hand, and the man who rules all aspects of how the franchise is run is told to endorse the contract by the man who is holding the wad of cash, apparently the puppets are being controlled by the man who is holding the wad of cash. If this is the case, the man holding the wad of cash needs to be punished by the man hired by the thirty men holding wads of cash. Namely, Bettman's salary cap watchdogs told Devils' owner Jeff Vanderbeek, "Do not pass 'Go', do not pay out $102 million".

It's not the first time that the cap watchdogs have gone sniffing around an NHL contract. Chris Pronger's deal with the Flyers, Roberto Luongo's deal with the Canucks, and Marian Hossa's deal with the Blackhawks were all investigated, but all quietly passed the test because they didn't extend well into retirement for these three players. All three men were given the green light to play for their teams, and owners reluctantly shrugged their shoulders and moved on despite seeing bags of money thrown at three players.

What the NHL has done today with Kovalchuk's contract is set a precedent. This new precedent is simple: honour the CBA as it is written, don't be greedy, and stop trying to interpret the rules as you see fit. With today's rejection, the NHL has put a stop to the fifty-year contracts that would eventually happen as I had suggested yesterday. And that's good for the league and its players... even though the NHLPA may not see it as such.

There's no reason that Kovalchuk and the Devils can't still work together to find a solution to this ordeal. In fact, all they have to do is change the terms of the contract. One or both sides may lose a little in changing the terms, but that's life in the NHL - sometimes you have to sacrifice a little to get what you want.

For the first time in a long time, justice has prevailed. I didn't like the contract yesterday, and neither did the NHL. And, if just for once, the NHL decided to act in the correct manner.

What's popular is not always right. And what's right is not always popular. Remember those words, kids. They speak volumes, and they certainly hold true in this case.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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Escaping The Tailspin

HBIC is back with another historical perspective. I'm quite fond of the Sports Illustrated online vault simply due to the overwhelming number of excellent articles produced back when hockey was still relevant to the magazine. Today's look back into SI history takes us to March 20, 1967 where Pete Axthelm looks at how the 1967 Chicago Black Hawks escaped their normal display of falling apart down the stretch had been replaced by a surprising run to the top of the NHL standings. There are a ton of interesting quotes and facts presented by Mr. Axthelm in his examination of the Black Hawks, and it's really a candid look back at how players were more than just teammates and contracts. In fact, I think you could say that this young squad was truly a family in how close their connections were.

Let's take a quick look at how the dust settled in 1967 after this article was written.

While the Black Hawks would not win the Stanley Cup in 1967 - the Toronto Maple Leafs dispatched the Hawks in the semi-finals four games to two - they showed an incredible improvement on previous seasons to win the regular-season standings, capturing the Prince of Wales Trophy. They finished with 94 points in 70 games, 17 points better than second-place Montreal, and racked up a league-high 264 goals-for while posting a league-low 170 goals-against. To put that in perspective, the Hawks scored 52 goals more than Detroit who were second with 212 goals-for, and gave up eighteen less goals that second-place Montreal. This Hawks team? Pretty darn good!

The Hawks would also dominate the accolades scene that year. Stan Mikita tied the NHL record for points in a season with 97, and Bobby Hull scored more than 50 goals for the third time in his career as he finished the season with 52 markers. Mikita would be awarded the Art Ross Trophy for leading the league in scoring, finishing 17 points better than second-place and teammate Bobby Hull. Mikita would also receive the Hart Trophy for being the league's MVP, and would add the Lady Byng for his gentlemanly play. Goaltenders Glenn Hall and Denis DeJordy would capture the Vezina Trophy for being the league's top goaltending tandem. The Black Hawks would finish the season with five players in the top-ten in scoring: Mikita, Hull, Ken Wharram (4th), Phil Esposito (7th), and Doug Mohns (9th).

Adding to the list of accolades, the Black Hawks saw five players named to the NHL All-Star teams that year. Defenceman Pierre Pilote, and forwards Stan Mikita, Ken Wharram, and Bobby Hull were first team NHL All-Stars, while Glenn Hall was named to the second team. These five players would square off in the 1968 NHL All-Star Game against the Toronto Maple Leafs to start the 1968 season. Mikita tied the game at 1-1 on a shorthanded goal at 19:53 of the first period from Hull and Montreal's JC Tremblay. The NHL All-Stars would go up 2-1 just 35-seconds into the second period when Ken Wharram notched a goal off a Stan Mikita pass. However, the All-Stars would eventually fall to the Maple Leafs by a 4-3 score, and Glenn Hall - now a St. Louis Blue in 1968 - would record the loss.

In looking back at the article, there are some amazing quotes that Mr. Axthelm puts forth:

• "Patrick James Stapleton, 26-year-old gentleman farmer, father of five and an outstanding Hawk defenseman". How many 26-year-olds do you know that play in the NHL, are fathers of five children, and work farms in the off-season? It was simply a different era forty years ago.
• "Last year everyone was preoccupied with Bobby Hull's drive toward a record 54 goals". That happened in 1966. Just five years after Hull scored 54, one-time Chicago forward and legendary Boston Bruin Phil Esposito would score 76 in 1971.
• "[T]he mythical Muldoon Jinx—a curse allegedly pronounced by the team's first coach, Pete Muldoon, when he was fired in 1927". Much like the Chicago Cubs, it appeared that the Blackhawks had their own curse as they were only successful in capturing three Stanley Cups in their history before 2010's return to glory.
• "Mikita, the best all-round player in the game, is a cinch to break Hull's record of 97 points". The first SI curse? Mikita would tie the record as he posted 97 points in 1967, but never surpass that scoring mark. He would score 97 points again in 1968-69.
• "'Enjoy this?' he says. 'Are you kidding? I'm around here for one reason and that's the money.'" Goaltender Glenn Hall's speech should make him the idol of some members of the NHLPA.
• "DeJordy can do almost everything Hall does, and since he is younger and more enthusiastic, he will undoubtedly be the goalie the Hawks protect this year in the expansion draft." Mr. Axthelm shows some very good hockey savvy as Hall was exposed in the expansion draft and picked up by the upstart St. Louis Blues. This, however, opened the door for another legendary Black Hawk as the Hawks claimed Tony Esposito on waivers from the Montreal Canadiens in 1969-70. The rest, as they say, is history.
• "A few players declined Esposito's invitation to join him in a pheasant hunt. 'I don't know why,' Esposito said. 'I'm a very good hunter. As soon as something moves I shoot.'" Either Phil Esposito was an early incarnation of Dick Cheney, or he was simply preparing everyone for his future NHL success. If a goaltender moved, Esposito shot the puck at him.

I can't explain how much I love looking back into the NHL's history, but articles like this are exactly why I love these old stories. Mr. Axthelm does an excellent job in capturing the essence of that Black Hawks team, and the candid chatter with the players is something you never hear today. And what journalist gets that kind of inside access to a National Hockey League team?

Kind of makes me wish players were still like the players of yesteryear.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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History Might Be Repeating Itself

I've been thinking about the NHL's Competition Committee and the new rules they have been working to implement. For example, I'm all for reducing the size of goaltending equipment in order to make goalies look more like players rather than sumo wrestlers. I'm also for the committee's recommendation to remove the violent hits that endanger players' livelihoods and to reduce the staged fights. What may surprise you is that this happened in the NHL once before, and the man who spoke in favor of these changes will most likely surprise you.

The NHL is working to reduce the number of dangerous hits, concussions, and injuries that players sustain through checks to the head. This, in my view, is vitally important when it comes to keeping the superstars on the ice. The second major change the NHL has been trying to implement over the last two years is the increase in instigator penalties.

While I feel that fighting does have a role in the NHL today, the fights we normally see in games are reactionary to a hit on a star player. I understand that teams want to protect their stars, but the amount of violence seen after a clean check has sky-rocketed in recent years. By enforcing the instigator penalty, the NHL has stated that this sort of physicality will be reduced, and the game will be a far better place.

Well, we're still waiting on that one.

However, thanks to a Sports Illustrated article from June 21, 1976, there might be some actual value to the NHL's stance on this one.

Everyone in and around the game of hockey has stated that the best NHL hockey was played in the 1980s when players like Gretzky, Bossy, Messier, Coffey, and Trottier were free to skate up and down the ice. Were there fights? Of course there were. But the game was entirely different from the 1970s when the Broad Street Bullies literally beat teams into submission. And it was due to the NHL enforcing rules they already had written into the rulebook.

Sound familiar? It was Bobby Clarke, the president of the Players Association at the time, that spoke in favor of the NHL's new outlook on violence.

From the 1976 article:

"After the new rules were approved last week, Clarke told a group of sportswriters that his only objection was that the NHL had not gone far enough. Clarke felt the rules committee should have heeded the advice of the player representatives, who had voted 16-4 in favor of having all those who take part in any fight ejected from the game, not just the obvious aggressors."

Doesn't that sound like the instigator rule? Any player who takes part in any fight should be ejected, according to Clarke, and that would include those guys who are wrestling in the corner away from the featured heavyweight bout.

Clarke had more to say on the subject.

"'Hockey is good enough on its own that it doesn't need fighting,' said Clarke, 'yet apparently the owners and managers think the threat of violence is necessary to sell the game. But all the brawling hasn't made hockey popular. I know fans in Philadelphia—the best fans in the league now—who have been turned off by the mayhem. We've lost the TV Game of the Week in the States, and crowds are falling off. I think the message is there. I think hockey can be a lot better when you let the talented players perform without fear of getting worked over.'"

I'll say it again: doesn't that sound familiar? The NHL has gushed over the ticket sales figures since the lockout when the major rule changes were made, and attendance is always rising if you believe the NHL's numbers. The violence once seen in the 1990s - when hooking, holding, and interference ruled the ice - has now been replaced by scoring, skating, and entertaining hockey, and, according to the NHL, fans in the United States are returning.

Perhaps the most poignant statement in the entire article was this one: "I don't mind taking my hits in a game," [Clarke] said, "but I don't appreciate it if a guy who scores five goals a season and is six inches taller than I am is beating on my head all night. Now the little guy will get a chance to play hockey again."

It may have taken the NHL thirty-five years, but history is definitely repeating itself. The faster, smaller players like Patrick Kane, Sidney Crosby, and Daniel Briere are leading their teams to the promised lands more often, and we see less monsters on the ice who take the size and shape of an Eric Lindros.

Those who do not know history may be doomed to repeat it. In this case, I'd say the NHL is pretty lucky to have history appear to be repeating itself. After all, it only took five years after the NHL made the changes to clean up the game in the 1970s for the league to pick up some serious steam in terms of its popularity in the 1980s. Who know where the NHL could be in terms of its popularity by 2015?

The little guy is finding a chance to play hockey again, and that's great for the game!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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Holiday Monday Musings

Sometimes I wonder what goes through people's minds before they speak. I often wonder if they simply don't think before speaking, resulting in an awkward quote being captured by reporters and fans. Normally, this quote is clarified or explained by the speaker, and everything is fine after the clarification or explanation is given. However, one former NHL player, known for his scoring prowess and his quotes, has made headlines once again by speaking his mind. Whether he thought about his comment beforehand is questionable considering what he said in context of the question. The "he" is Bobby Hull, and the comment is in the first bullet point below. Let's take a look at the stories happening in hockey.

• "If they ever invited me to drink out of that Cup, I'd jump through the rim of my own butt and hang myself just to get another drink out of it". - Blackhawks' legend Bobby Hull, answering Dan Rosen of NHL.com, on what he'd do if the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup this season. Wow. That tells you how much respect the former players have for the Stanley Cup, and what they'd do to have one more chance.
• EA Sports has confirmed that NHL '11 will have all 60 junior teams from the CHL included in the game. The "Be A Pro" feature will have your player start in the Memorial Cup as a junior hockey player, experience the draft based upon your Memorial Cup performance, work your way through the AHL, and (hopefully) end up in the NHL as a star. With the realism that EA Sports is putting into their franchise, is there any reason to actually put the skates on anymore? (I kid, I kid!)
  
• Speaking of the CHL and the Memorial Cup, congratulations go out to the OHL's Windsor Spitfires as they captured their second consecutive Memorial Cup with a 9-1 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. There's no doubt that this year's version of the Spitfires will go down in Canadian Hockey League history as one of the most dominant teams ever in junior hockey. Congratulations to the Windsor Spitfires franchise on their two years of success, and their work this year in becoming only the eighth team in CHL history to repeat as MasterCard Memorial Cup Champions!
• Congratulations also goes out to Windsor Spitfire Taylor Hall, who became the first player in CHL history to win the Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy as the Memorial Cup MVP in consecutive years. Hall led the tournament in scoring with five goals and four assists, one point ahead of teammate Adam Henrique. Hall showed some amazing talent this week in Brandon, and should be the first overall selection at the draft this season if scouts were watching Hall display his talents this past week.
  
• Speaking of dominant, the Hershey Bears eliminated the Manchester Monarchs in six games to advance to the AHL Calder Cup Final for the second consecutive season. The defending Calder Cup Champions ran roughshod over the AHL this season, and are continuing that dominance in the playoffs. Hershey awaits the winner of the Western Conference Final between the Hamilton Bulldogs and the Texas Stars. Hamilton leads that series 3-2.
• With the Chicago Blackhawks sweeping the San Jose Sharks out of the playoffs yesterday to advance to the Stanley Cup Final, the running joke of the Curse of Hossa continues. Hossa, as you probably know, is a member of the Chicago Blackhawks this season, having lost in the Stanley Cup Final in the previous two seasons with Detroit and Pittsburgh, respectively. Will it be three-for-three in misses, or is the third time a charm for Hossa?
• Charles Wang's dream of relocating having his New York Islanders travel to China next season has been killed by the NHLPA. While no details are given as to why the China trip was canceled in the report filed by ESPN.com's Scott Burnside, the NHLPA reportedly has angered the Islanders' owner. Honestly, Wang has had himself a rough year: no new arena and retail center, and, now, no China trip. Forget Hossa's curse; the Islanders, as a franchise, appeared to be cursed.
• In the story that just won't die, Winnipeg Free Press scribe Gary Lawless has confirmed that True North Sports and Entertainment is the third, "unnamed" buyer in the mix for the Phoenix Coyotes. I have lots of inside information on this, but I've agreed to keep quiet on this for the good of all involved. I will confirm that Lawless has his facts straight in that TNSE does indeed have its house in order to purchase an NHL franchise should one become available. But I want to make this clear: as of right now, the AHL Manitoba Moose are the primary tenants in the MTS Centre this season, and will remain the primary tenants for the foreseeable future.
• In a massive court ruling that will shape the way that all leagues do business, the US Supreme Court has ruled in favour of American Needle, Inc. in their battle with the NFL over an anti-trust allegation. Because of this, the NHL cannot operate as one business entity representing the thirty NHL franchises if a business wants to deal with one or several teams exclusively. Puck Daddy Greg Wyshynski jokes about how video gamers might be affected, but it could mean that we may see a sequel to Electronic Art's 1993 version of NHL hockey.
• If you missed the play in Game Four of the Montreal-Philly series, Josh Gorges had a strap break on his skate guard that resulted in a Philadelphia goal. Gorges is apparently taking the guards off to ensure that his miscue doesn't happen again, but I have a couple of comments on this. First off, Montreal uses counterfeit skate guards, and not the patented Skate Fender design which limits the amount of strap on the outside of the boot. The inventor of the Skate Fenders, Frank McClelland, is aware of the counterfeit models, and is working to have this patent infringement corrected. Secondly, the guards are used to prevent foot injuries while blocking shots. If Gorges wants to risk a foot injury, that's his choice. I, however, will continue to wear my pair, and I will endorse them for all the good they do despite Gorges' bad press for his counterfeit pair.
• Lastly, I'll close this day's musings with a great article from The Onion where they try to decipher why the shark in the logo of the San Jose Sharks is eating a hockey stick. Good satire, and a nice chuckle to finish off your Monday.

Happy Victoria Day, Canadians! Enjoy your day off! I'm going to get back to the Montreal-Philadelphia game, so take it easy and enjoy the game!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

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