NHL FanHouse

'Hawks Likely Have Some Dealing to Do

Bruce Ciskie — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Blackhawks, Western, NHL Economics

Reports began to surface this week regarding some significant moves by the Chicago Blackhawks. Five-year deals are coming for forwards Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, and defenseman Duncan Keith is apparently going to sign a mammoth 13-year deal for less annual money.

This is all being thrown onto a team that is already up against the NHL's salary cap. Even if the cap doesn't fall as much as previously expected for next season, Chicago is facing a harsh reality: in order to get under the cap, it's likely they'll have to make some deals. With that in mind, we thought we'd take a look at what players are in the most danger of being dealt before the 2010-11 season.

While it's possible that Chicago will make some sort of cap-clearing trade before the March trade deadline, a move during the next offseason seems to be a greater likelihood. After all, if this team is truly a Stanley Cup threat, why break them up when you're safely under the cap for this season? It's next season that general manager Stan Bowman has to be more concerned about.

(Cap figures cited are from the ever-popular nhlnumbers.com.)

Brian Campbell, defenseman, $7.14 million

Campbell is the easiest target, thanks to his mammoth cap figure and somewhat underwhelming return. The Blackhawks are also deep on defense, thanks to guys like Keith, Brent Seabrook, and Cam Barker, all of whom are 25 or younger.

Of course, that cap figure and somewhat underwhelming performance are also reasons why Campbell can't be moved. If the goal here is to clear cap space for future seasons, the Blackhawks can't be taking on any big contracts, and there simply aren't a lot of teams who are looking for a $7 million defenseman who doesn't defend well and isn't that big of a factor offensively.

That said, Campbell was highly-sought as a free agent not even two years ago. If the Blackhawks were willing to listen, you would have to think teams like Nashville, St. Louis or Colorado would want to talk at some point. All of them have cap space, cheap guys who could be attractive to Chicago, and they're struggling badly on the power play right now.

Approximate Trade Odds: 50 to 1

Cam Barker, defenseman, $3 million

A guy like Barker is a better bet than Campbell for a number of reasons. For starters, he has a long-term deal for a low amount of money (he's signed for two more years after this season). At just 23, he clearly has a bigger upside than Campbell, and he has similar skills as a power-play quarterback. Because of his lesser salary, he's a more realistic fit on a number of teams who could use a little help on the blue line. While Chicago won't gain as much cap space, they can probably be a bit choosier about his destination, meaning Eastern Conference teams like Carolina, Ottawa, or Buffalo could come into play.

Approximate Trade Odds: 15 to 1

Cristobal Huet, goalie, $5.625 million

Some would consider his cap figure and near-total lack of playoff success to be non-starters. However, Huet has put up respectable numbers so far, and there are plenty of teams who will run into trouble in goal. Once that point comes, they could be willing to take on a veteran who has a lot of game experience in the NHL.

It's hard to identify teams who might be interested in Huet, but you have to wonder if Los Angeles -- with a ton of young players and even more cap room -- might be interested in adding an older goaltender, just in case Jonathan Quick continues his up-and-down play.

Approximate Trade Odds: 12 to 1

Dustin Byfuglien, forward, $3 million

Byfuglien is a valuable player, no doubt. He willingly goes into the tough areas, does a ton of dirty work, and uses his size and toughness to help protect his highly-skilled teammates. Given Brian Burke's philosophy, he'd be a great fit on Team USA for the Winter Olympics.

That said, this is Chicago's deepest position, especially once Marian Hossa returns from his shoulder injury. This will be happening sooner rather than later, by the way.

There should be a slew of teams beating down Bowman's door should he ever show a willingness to trade Byfuglien. Teams like Buffalo, Tampa Bay, and even Atlanta could use a little more grit around the net, and Byfuglien can give them that.

Approximate Trade Odds: 8 to 1

Patrick Sharp, forward, $4 million

While it would be an incredibly difficult decision for Bowman, this is the one that probably makes the most sense. Sharp is 27, so he's likely about to peak as an offensive threat. He is signed through 2011-2012 at a relatively reasonable number. It likely makes him expendable, because the Blackhawks already have big-time scoring threats like Hossa, Kane, and Toews, along with secondary guys Kris Versteeg and Troy Brouwer.

It's not that Sharp is not good enough or that he's not worth keeping. He's easily the best player on this list. However, his skills are not unique on this team, and while you are right to argue that Campbell and Huet would be better guys to trade, Sharp gives them the best combination of two important qualities: "Player they wouldn't miss a ton" and "Player other teams will actually want."

His addition would be huge on teams like Los Angeles, Colorado, or -- if Chicago wants to trade him to the East -- Ottawa.

Approximate Trade Odds: 5 to 1

'Hawks Likely Have Some Dealing to Do originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Alex Ovechkin: The Classic Superstar

Christopher Botta — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:38:00 EST

Filed under: Capitals, NHL Media Watch, NHL Economics

NEW YORK -- As Alex Ovechkin takes the pregame warmup at Madison Square Garden, an hour before scoring in his return game -- a Capitals' 4-2 win -- Rangers fans in blue and white jerseys stand 10-deep behind the glass. In a rarity for this most vocal of fanbases, hardly anyone makes a sound. They mostly just stand and watch and appreciate. Ovechkin is back after a two-week injury and he seems to have been missed not just by Capitals fans.

Bob Hoch attempts to focus on Ovechkin with the Canon 200 he's taken out of his jacket pocket. Hoch has been a Rangers season ticket-holder for five years, but he's an unabashed Ovechkin true believer. "I love Ovechkin and hate Sidney Crosby," Hoch says, as if there has to be a choice. "They're both incredible hockey players, but Crosby takes dives and avoids contact at all times and Ovie is old school. He's the guy you'd kill to have on your team."

While Hoch does what he can with his point-and-shoot, longtime NHL photographer Bruce Bennett has the luxury of a Canon EOS Mark III with a 300 millimeter f/2.8 lens. There are plenty of Ovechkin shifts in which even state-of-the-art technology doesn't cut it.

Bennett, the director of hockey imagery for Getty Images, reviews his work and a few options provided by his associates.

"I'm looking at a lot of frames -- from warmups! -- and in every single one Ovechkin is out of focus. He's so fast, it's ridiculous, but the real challenge is that he's a waterbug. He can't stand still. I think even he doesn't know where he's going all the time. NHL defensemen can't keep up with him and neither can I."

That said, the photographers adore this on-ice artist.

"He's still the favorite of most of us," said Bennett, who has been shooting the NHL for 34 years. "The key to great images is the action, of course, but just as much it's the faces. Ovechkin wears his heart on his sleeve and he has such an expressive face. If you keep up with him, he makes it worthwhile."

Barry Meisel was raised in Brooklyn a Rangers fan and went on to cover the team for the Daily News from 1985 until 1997, including the Stanley Cup year of '93-94. Still True Blue today, he's at the Garden on this Tuesday night as a businessman -- and Alexander Ovechkin is very good for business.

Meisel is the president and COO of The MeiGray Group, a game-worn jersey authenticator and dealer. Among the 14 NHL teams Meisel represents are the Capitals. If a fan or collector wants a game-worn Ovechkin jersey, they have to go through MeiGray. Along with Martin Brodeur of New Jersey, an A.O. jersey is the priciest in the NHL at $7,500 each.

"He's our most requested jersey," said Meisel, who gets to move about 10 Ovechkin game-worns a year. "We hear more from true hockey fans about Alex than anyone else in the league. He's effervescent, he's exciting, he plays like he loves the game. Fans respond to him. Of all the current players, I think Ovechkin is the game's greatest ambassador."

That's why global sports, media and entertainment giant IMG last month signed Ovechkin for exclusive marketing and management. He's why the Capitals' fundraising efforts for charities boom with a signed Ovechkin stick, if not an appearance by the star himself. Washington PR director Nate Ewell said Ovechkin autographed an estimated 5,000 items last season for charity.

Ovechkin is why Stephan and his girlfriend Katherine made the journey from Calgary to New York and watched from center ice in their Capitals No. 8 jerseys. "He's just the greatest player and the most exciting to watch," said Katherine.

Notes from Tuesday's game: Ovechkin scored his 15th goal of the season 15:06 into the first period as Washington won in his return, 4-2 over the Rangers. With just under five minutes left in the third period, Washington forward Matt Bradley -- who needed stitches earlier after a nasty fight with Aaron Voros -- took advantage of a Wade Redden turnover and scored on a breakaway to break a 2-2 tie. Rangers left wing Marian Gaborik scored two goals to tie Ovechkin for the league lead.

After missing two weeks with a strained muscle near his left shoulder, Ovechkin showed no discomfort in blasting a slap shot from just inside the blueline past New York goaltender Henrik Lundqvist. "My first shot of the game," he said with a grin.

Ovechkin said he made it through the game with his health intact. He admitted to being "a little scared to make a hit" early in the game, but once he absorbed a hit he felt more comfortable. Ovechkin was credited with seven hits in 19:23 of icetime. Ovechkin is the reason why youth hockey leagues have sprung up all over the Beltway. He's the reason the Capitals' beat, fading just five years ago, is now a high priority for the Washington Post. "Ever since Alex won the Calder Trophy, the demand for coverage has been constant," said Post reporter Tarik El-Bashir, who has been on the beat since the lockout. "But that's the effect Alex has had on the media everywhere. Whenever the Caps play on the road, there's a lot more press than there used to be."

A dozen reporters dragged themselves out of bed to cover the Capitals' morning skate on Tuesday, nine hours before the opening faceoff between Washington and the Rangers. After the game, even two New York newspaper columnists found their way to the visitors' locker room. Then there was the crew from VERSUS, the NHL's cable network partner which could not contain its joy when Ovechkin made his return on their air Tuesday night.

"On any given shift, he can make the play of the year," said VERSUS coordinating producer Mike Baker. "I've been working hockey on TV since 1980 and I've never seen a player exude such joy. For our purposes, Alex has been a gem. He's never said no, and we've made many requests of him. He understands the importance of bringing in viewers and bringing them closer to the game. And his reactions after goals are priceless."

Sure enough, when Ovechkin scored on a slap shot just 15 minutes into his first game in 15 days, he didn't act like he'd been there before. He shouted. He raised a fist to the air. He bear-hugged his teammates.

As much as the game missed him, Ovechkin missed scoring goals. Most of all, he missed the celebrations.

"That was unbelievable," he said. "That felt good."

Alex Ovechkin: The Classic Superstar originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:38:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Knuckle Puck: What's Wrong With Vaccinating National Treasures?

Kevin Schultz — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 11:30:00 EST

Filed under: Flames, Senators, NHL Fans, NHL Economics

Each and every Saturday this season I'll be taking a look at the random happenings and absurdities that occur in the world of hockey. Feel free to suggest stories, complain or otherwise babble at me via electronic mail.

There's something to be said for Canadians and their level-headedness at least as it compares to us Americans. They always seem so much calmer. But during the past week our neighbors to the North have been in an uproar about Calgary Flames Flu Vaccination Crisis 2009. Sure, they're rightfully up in arms in Alberta that the Flames and their peeps received shots before some of the neediest people in the province but that almost seems like a trivial matter compared to what's going on down here.

While we're duct taping the economy together, bringing machine guns to healthcare debates and desperately trying to figure out if there's a boy in that darned balloon they're worried about flu shots. It must be nice having that as the toughest problem your nation is facing! Now I know, we're kind worried about flu shots too, but it's easily eighth on America's list of Things That Will End the World by 2012 -- right before "zombie apocalypse" and after "iPhones enslave us." So I think the folks up north need to relax a bit. It's like the great Allen Iverson once said, "we're talkin' bout flu shots. Not a plague. Not an epidemic. Flu shots."

And really, what's so wrong with the province of Alberta vaccinating its most precious resource? That's protecting national -- or at least provincial -- interests, I'd say. The chief export of Canada is hockey and vaccinating hockey players is simply insuring and protecting your national treasures. Unless you accidentally give them a super virus that turns them into flesh eating zombies. But ignoring the zombie possibility, I'd say this was a prudent move. Kind of like if we vaccinated some of our national treasures such as the Statue of Liberty, Las Vegas and Tom Cruise. I don't know where we'd be without those three much like Alberta would be in trouble without the Flames or Oilers.

To be fair, it's getting cold and the most at risk in Alberta do need to be vaccinated and that's nothing to joke about. The common flu kills nearly 36,000 people per year in the United States alone. But hey, if you believe the media, Sony Pictures or the Mayans it's all irrelevant because we're screwed anyway.

Famous YouTuber Update of the Week
You've heard all about 5-year old ~~Herb Brooks~~ Josh Sacco but just when you think he's faded out of our consciousness this kid just keeps on bringing it. He's been on Sportscenter, the Ellen DeGeneres Show and is planning on attending the Winter Olympics in a few months. This kid has done more in his fifth year on this planet than most of us do in a lifetime. I, for one, can't wait to see what he has planned for age six.

How to Burn $10,000 in an Hour, Legally
Because actually setting fire to that much money would likely violate any number of laws, the folks at Fenway Park have given us a great solution for when we really just need to get rid of six months' pay really, really fast. Why lose it in a casino or on a super expensive dinner when you can spend it on playing an hour of hockey on the Winter Classic rink at Fenway!

Surprisingly, the folks in charge are claiming that there has been a lot of interest in an hour of ice time that is being sold at rates of $7,500 to $10,000 per hour. Of course most of the interested parties are corporate -- now that's one hell of a holiday party -- so the recession is clearly over if they're spending money on this.

Knuckle Pucker of the Year Nominee

Each week, we'll nominate someone who deserves to be recognized for their outstanding service and commitment to giving me something to write about. By the end of the year I'll come up with some way to declare a winner. Today's nominee is...

... McDonald's Canada! In the midst of a crippling global recession you are on top of your game! Your stock price is at an all time high and you're showing your true colors as apparent Leafs backers by giving this swift kick in the pants to the city of Ottawa: the release of a set of hockey cards that include one Dany Heatley in a Sens sweating declaring him "a hit in Ottawa since joining the team in 2005-06."

Hilariously horrendous timing: I'm lovin' it!

Knuckle Puck: What's Wrong With Vaccinating National Treasures? originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Sat, 07 Nov 2009 11:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Blue Jackets' Struggles Illustrate NHL's Tale of Two Leagues

Christopher Botta — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: NHL Fans, NHL Economics

Thursday's report that the Columbus Blue Jackets are losing $12 million a year is the latest illustration that the National Hockey League is really made up of two leagues.

There are flourishing franchises, the ones that print money or are at least in position to make big dough. Among those on this list are the big market American teams in Manhattan, Boston, Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia and Washington. Also thriving, naturally, are the six Canadian franchises.

While many NHL executives, players and fans live in denial, there are teams like the Blue Jackets battling league and their own economics just to stay in existence. To this list add Atlanta, Florida, Nashville, the Islanders, Phoenix, Tampa Bay. There are several more hurting franchises that haven't yet found the guts to finally say, "Enough is enough" like Columbus did on Thursday.

"Public partnership in arenas and stadiums has been a critical element to ensuring healthy, competitive sports franchises in markets across the country," said Blue Jackets President Mike Priest. "Our priority continues to be to secure long-term financial viability in this great city." Priest said his team's economic model has "significant disadvantages."

What's alarming about the Columbus saga is that the Blue Jackets opened the privately-funded Nationwide Arena in September 2000. The arena is one of the finest in the United States and bars, restaurants, a team store and the hockey team's state-of-the-art practice facility are adjacent. On the outside and the inside, the Nationwide complex -- funded by Nationwide in a deal struck by Blue Jackets founder John H. McConnell, who passed away a year ago -- is the envy of most NHL teams. The city's Arena District has become an NHL version of what Camden Yards meant for Baltimore. The Blue Jackets built it, and people have come from all over Ohio.

Yet the team is still losing huge dollars, which must send shivers down the spines of the owners of the NHL's B-list franchises. True, the dire situation in Columbus differs from the circumstances in Phoenix, Nashville, Atlanta and on Long Island. Dare I say it, but the economic plight of many NHL teams is not unlike what we saw this decade in the Arena Football League. In the AFL, commissioner David Baker and franchise owners worked and worked for years to stabilize operations until the league shut down last year.

No one is saying the NHL would ever fold, not with powerhouse franchises thriving -- in some cases, for generations -- in major American and Canadian cities. For the struggling organizations, commissioner Gary Bettman has maintained his dedication to keep teams where they are and find ways to help them be successful.

The NHL also affords all of its teams a chance to contend for championships. While fans of the Kansas City Royals and Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday might have watched the Yankees win another World Series and had every reason to wonder if their team ever has a chance, the NHL has passed the Stanley Cup in recent years to teams in Carolina, Tampa Bay and, well, Pittsburgh.

The challenge is to make sure those Cup banners stay in their cities. The challenge is make sure the fans supporting building teams like the Blue Jackets, Coyotes and Islanders don't endure the same fate of their brethren in Hartford and Quebec City.

Blue Jackets' Struggles Illustrate NHL's Tale of Two Leagues originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A Look at NHL's October Attendance

Kevin Schultz — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:22:00 EST

Filed under: NHL Fans, NHL Economics

The first month of the NHL season is behind us, and I'm taking a look back at the early returns on attendance numbers for October. According to ESPN, the numbers aren't that peachy for the NHL. Only nine teams had an average attendance higher than their average attendance last season. On the flip side, 18 teams are down, including five which are down more than 10 percent from their 2008-09 averages. Of course, looking at stats for only one month is a small sample size, but I still think these numbers give us a look at some of the early trends around the league.

After the jump are the full numbers for the entire league.

NHL Attendance
Team	'08-09 AVG	OCT '09 AVG	Difference	Difference %
Anaheim	16,990	15,044	-1,946	-11.45
Atlanta	14,626	14,893	+267	+1.83
Boston	17,039	16,958	-81	-0.48
Buffalo	18,531	18,419	-112	-0.60
Calgary	19,289	19,289	0	0
Carolina	16,572	15,525	-1,047	-6.32
Chicago	22,247	20,309	-1,938	-8.71
Colorado	15,429	15,696	+267	+1.73
Columbus	15,543	15,802	+259	+1.67
Dallas	17,680	17,007	-673	-3.81
Detroit	19,865	19,183	-682	-3.43
Edmonton	16,839	16,839	0	0
Florida	15,621	14,890	-731	-4.68
Los Angeles	16,488	15,971	-517	-3.14
Minnesota	18,568	18,176	-392	-2.11
Montreal	21,273	21,273	0	0
Nashville	15,010	13,398	-1,612	-10.74
New Jersey	15,790	15,728	-62	-0.39
NY Islanders	13,773	12,061	-1,712	-12.43
NY Rangers	18,172	18,200	+28	+0.15
Ottawa	18,949	18,371	-578	-3.05
Philadelphia	19,545	19,327	-218	-1.12
Phoenix	14,875	9,999	-4,876	-32.78
Pittsburgh	16,975	17,049	+74	+0.44
San Jose	17,488	17,562	+74	+0.42
St. Louis	18,554	18,771	+217	+1.17
Tampa Bay	16,497	14,329	-2,168	-13.14
Toronto	19,312	19,252	-60	-0.31
Vancouver	18,630	18,810	+180	+0.97
Washington	18,097	18,277	+180	+0.99
Note: All figures used from ESPN

On the whole, it's easy to see that the numbers are down across the NHL and that's likely due to the economic climate in North America. I don't think anyone expected to see many drastic jumps in numbers, if any at all, and these numbers certainly agree with that. But let's take a look at some of the teams putting up some interesting numbers:

Phoenix Coyotes (6 Games, -32.78 percent, -4,876 fans/game): Not surprisingly, the Coyotes have some downright abysmal numbers so far this season. Given what happened over the offseason, these numbers go to show that the team's bankruptcy proceedings helped to destroy the fan base. These numbers are especially awful considering the team claimed a sellout on opening night.

New York Islanders (7 Games, -12.43 percent, -1,712): What's not surprising is to see the Islanders hurting at the box office after a 1-4-5 start to the year. What's more surprising is that the team has put up such poor numbers after drafting John Tavares. A poor start and the bad economy will surely hurt -- one of the team's main demographics is families -- but after Tavares-mania hit Long Island in June it's stunning to see the team failing so badly to cash in on it.

Tampa Bay Lightning (7 games, -13.14 percent, -2,168): The Lightning are off to a decent start, 5-4-4, and Steven Stamkos is starting to look like the real deal. At the gate, the team is struggling. It's hard to say why exactly that is. Perhaps finishing 14th in the conference last year has some carryover to this season. It would help to explain why they and the Islanders (15th last year) are struggling at the box office in the early going.

Colorado Avalanche (4 games, 1.73 percent, 263): Let's take a moment to focus on a team that isn't getting destroyed at the gate. The Avalanche are off to a scorching start, 10-3-2, and currently sit atop the conference. However, they have yet to see the fans come back. The team averaged 15,429 last year, down from 17,612 two years prior. This probably has more to do with small sample size than anything else. The Avs finished dead last in the West last season and got beat up at the gate. They have only played two games at home this year since Oct. 4, playing on the road much of the month. Things will probably turn around this month. Their last home game on Oct. 24, a Saturday night against the Red Wings, drew 17,690 according to the NHL.

Things have been bad in a few other places as well. Anaheim (7 games, -11.45 percent) and Nashville (6 games, -10.74) are seeing some heavy losses early. Anaheim stumbled out of the gate this season (4-7-2) so some of their issues could be attributed to that. However, Nashville has fared better (6-6-1) and is seeing nearly the same losses. It's tough to say what exactly is affecting the gates in those two locales but for a team in the situation of the Preds, it could make for a tough winter.

Another surprise on this list is that Atlanta, which has historically had attendance issues, is up the most of any team in the league at +1.83 percent. Los Angeles is also down slightly after a very hot start (9-4-2, -3.14 percent) but that could easily pick up in the coming months.

It's clear that very few teams (i.e., Canadian teams) are escaping the wrath of the down economy. Take another look at the numbers, let them wash over you and check back at the end of the month when we take a look at November's numbers. Maybe they'll start to pick up a bit for the many teams that need more fans in the seats.

A Look at NHL's October Attendance originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:22:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Does Anybody Really Care About the NHLPA Drama?

Christopher Botta — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:40:00 EST

Filed under: NHL Media Watch, NHL Economics

The National Hockey League Players Association has denied various reports on Friday that it has ceased operations. The union released this statement at 4:00 p.m. ET: "The NHLPA staff continues to work very hard on behalf of the players in all areas of the Association's business and will continue to do so going forward."

The NHLPA did confirm that interim executive director Ian Penny (pictured right) is no longer associated with the union. From the statement: "Ian Penny informed the NHLPA staff and the NHLPA Executive Board earlier today that it is his position he has been constructively dismissed as Interim Executive Director of the NHLPA and can no longer work in the present circumstances. Effective today, Ian Penny is no longer employed by the NHLPA." In other words, get ready for another round of "I was fired," "No, you quit."

Have I lost you yet? About ready to check out Kevin Schultz's list of the top five NHL coaches on the hot seat? Don't blame you one bit.

About all these Players Association shenanigans, I have one simple question: does anybody really care?

Oh sure, there will be a time when a lot of us in the Nation of Hockey care a lot. That's two years from now, when the Collective Bargaining Agreement expires and we may have to manage to get by without the NHL again.

But is anybody on the edge of his or her seat over the latest drama? Does even the Chris Chelios Fan Club give a flying puck how much the future Hall of Fame defenseman is involved behind the scenes?

The hysteria -- the "I got all the latest!" tweets, the passionate blog entries, the deep investigations by the mainstream -- it all pains me for two reasons.

For starters, every time aces like James Mirtle, Elliotte Friedman, Darren Dreger, Pierre Lebrun, Damien Cox, Larry Brooks and our FanHouse staff get distracted by the PA soap opera, that's time they're not more usefully deployed entertaining us with stories of Brian Burke and Mike Gillis. I mean, c'mon fellas: instead of this monotonous union story, try thinking about the rest of us. Is Taylor Hall the second coming? Who's got the edge on the fourth-line center spot on Team Canada? What job is Dave Nonis next in line for?

If hockey fans really wanted coverage of a bunch of charm-free dorks like Ian Penny, us hockey writers could just start writing about ourselves. (Reminds me of what David Lee Roth once said: "The reason music critics love Elvis Costello so much is because they all look like Elvis Costello.")

Besides losing the fun, escapist hockey coverage, I also cringe over NHLPA drama because ... well, I really like most of the union members. While I've been on both sides of the game as a former team PR VP and now a reporter, hockey players have been very gracious to me. The ones I know personally have never let me down. The ones I watch, often in awe, I believe are the most admirable athletes in major professional sports in North America. Individually, the NHL players are generous, sincere, dedicated. It's only when they try to put the collective in Collective Bargaining Agreement that they're a disaster.

Dysfunction in the Players Association is not a new thing. The union has been a fine mess for most of this decade. Even then, their good souls shine through at times. The PA's "Goals & Dreams" fund has raised over $17 million for grassroots hockey programs around the world. That's news worth covering.

But until someone takes charge and everyone falls into line, there's not much for hockey fans to see here. On Oct. 18, the NHLPA held a conference call to discuss the dismissal of former head Paul Kelly and several key issues. Although the call was on a Sunday and no NHL games were on the schedule, representatives from only 23 of the 30 teams participated. Only one, the Canucks, was said to be traveling and unavailable at the time of the call.

If the National Hockey League players don't care enough about their own Association, why should anyone else? Take the next year, boys, to figure it out on your own. Get back to us when you're ready to act like men.

Does Anybody Really Care About the NHLPA Drama? originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Moyes Agrees to Sell Coyotes to NHL

Tom Mantzouranis — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:22:00 EST

Filed under: Coyotes, NHL Economics

We are one step closer to some semblance of finality surrounding the Phoenix Coyotes, after owner Jerry Moyes (pictured right) agreed to sell the franchise to the NHL. The agreement was announced in U.S. Bankruptcy Court Monday, but still must be approved by Judge Redfield T. Baum. Attorneys say the deal is for $128 million.

With no money to cover the franchise's expenses, and the inability to sell to Jim Balsillie after the court nixed that idea, selling the franchise to the league was Moyes' only realistic answer. They'll take control of the day-to-day operations of the franchise while looking to find an independent owner. Of course, after the way this has played out, any prospective owners who would move the team out of Arizona need not apply.

In a Monday statement, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said: "In Phoenix today, a tentative agreement was reached among the parties to amend the NHL's offer to purchase the Coyotes franchise out of bankruptcy, and a proposed order, mutually agreed to by the parties, will be filed with the Court seeking approval of the NHL's amended bid.

"If there is no objection from the parties involved, and subject to any potential objections and a hearing if necessary, the parties hope to close the sale of the Club to the NHL by Monday, November 2.

"It remains the NHL's intention upon taking control of the Club to stabilize the Club's operations and, as quickly as possible, to re-sell the Club to a new owner who is committed to operating the Club in the Glendale/Phoenix market."

Daly confirmed that NHL officials, including commissioner Gary Bettman, met on Monday with representatives of Ice Edge, a group that has said it plans to keep the team in suburban Glendale. Daly said other potential buyers have also expressed interest, but he didn't identify them.

Last month, Baum rejected outright Balsillie's offer to buy the team for $242 million and move it to Canada. The judge also turned down the NHL offer but he left the door open for the league to purchase the franchise if it amended its bid to treat Moyes and Gretzky, the ex-coach, more favorably.

Monday's agreement is essentially the same as the NHL's original bid.

"Clearly, from an understanding, it remains unchanged," Daly said. Given the dire financial circumstances surrounding the club, however, Moyes couldn't afford to sit around for a better offer that clearly wasn't coming, even if accepting this one means taking a loss that is reported to be close to $100 million.

The agreement would provide the nearly $80 million that is owed SOF Investment, the largest secured creditor, and the NHL would get the $37 million it is owed for funding the team since last fall.

Between $9 million and $11 million would be available to be divided between Moyes and Gretzky.

The situation is similar to that of the Montreal Expos, the Major League Baseball team that was purchased and operated by the league, moved to Washington, and sold from the league to the Lerner Enterprises group.

The Coyotes have struggled thus far this season to get fans to come to games. After a rare sellout at their home opener, the team has had a tough time topping 10,000 in attendance per game.

Yet ironically, amidst all the turmoil and uncertainty that has surrounded the Coyotes for months, including a climactic September that saw then-coach and partial owner Wayne Gretzky go MIA while everything was being worked out and eventually resign, the team is doing well. Despite Monday night's 5-2 loss to the Rangers, the Coyotes still have 12 points (6-4-0), good enough for eighth place in the West. For a team under the circumstances the Coyotes are facing, and given their expectations for the year, that sort of start is near miraculous.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.

Moyes Agrees to Sell Coyotes to NHL originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:22:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Coyotes Giving Away Free Tickets ... If They Win

Christopher Botta — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 00:26:00 EST

Filed under: Coyotes, NHL Fans, NHL Economics, FanHouse Exclusive

The Phoenix Coyotes, in need of building up a wounded fan base and putting warm fannies in the seats, have come up with quite the marketing initiative. Branded "Join The Pack!" (their exclamation point) with the kicker "We Win, You Win," the Coyotes will give fans attending any of the following five games a free ticket to a game later in the season if the team wins:

Oct. 24 vs. LA

Nov. 14 vs. Dallas

Dec. 5 vs. Ottawa

Jan. 16 vs. Minnesota

Feb. 13 vs. Dallas

All five are Saturday games, a depressing illustration of the box office challenges facing the Coyotes with the franchise's very existence in question. With Thursday's gate attendance an estimated 5,000 setting the bar, the organization may be waving the towel on weeknight games. Give management credit for being realistic.

The idea to distribute potentially thousands of free tickets if the Coyotes win any or all of the five games was undoubtedly pondered by Phoenix executives for a while. There are many pro and cons -- or, since this is hockey, Pluses and Minuses. Let's analyze:

Minus: Any time you comp or deeply discount your tickets, you're devaluing them. Why would Coyotes fans ever pay full price? Why would they ever buy season tickets?

Plus: Guess that's not really the Coyotes' biggest problem right now!

Minus: If you're a player on the Kings, Stars (twice), Senators or Wild, you have some added motivation. As they put on the foil pre-game, you can just hear the captain saying, "Phoenix thinks we stink so bad, they're giving away free tickets if they beat us!" Or there's the Gipper-esque rallying cry, "If they beat us, they're comping thousands of free tickets and as NHLPA members we lose more of our escrow!"

Plus: The way new head coach Dave Tippett has the Coyotes focused and executing a smart gameplan, they could still beat the psyched up (and psyched out) Kings, Stars, Senators and Wild.

Minus: When you really think about it, these "We Win, You Win" games create stakes that are not far removed from a gambling environment. ("Hey, why did Tippett put Bissonnette, Jovanovski and Vandermeer in the shootout? Did he get a call from upstairs saying the team didn't want to give away any more free tickets?")

Plus: Nah. The Phoenix Coyotes have plenty of good seats available in all sections.

Plus: In the final analysis, Coyotes management is doing the right thing. There are many passionate hockey fans in the Phoenix area. The team has a general manager (Don Maloney) with a plan, an excellent head coach, several skilled young players and a captain in Shane Doan who deserves to be a winner.

With "We Win, You Win!" the Phoenix staff is focused on getting some energy in the stands and reminding people a hockey game is a good night out. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that. You never know -- the Coyotes could stick around a while.

Coyotes Giving Away Free Tickets ... If They Win originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Sat, 17 Oct 2009 00:26:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Georges Laraque Shouldn't Be Sorry in NHL's Hypocritical World

Christopher Botta — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: Canadiens, NHL Media Watch, NHL Economics

Georges Laraque recently appeared in an online commercial for an alcohol-infused energy drink, violating NHL policy. On Tuesday, he apologized for breaking the league rule. He has not stopped apologizing since. He really needs to stop.

The phoniness of our major professional sports leagues is boundless.

Laraque is one of the league's top fighters and a popular player for the storied Montreal Canadiens. The Canadiens play in a hockey palace currently called the Bell Centre, formerly known as the Molson Centre. Back then, you couldn't go anywhere in the rink without a beer logo in sight.

The team was recently sold to the Molson family, which owns Molson Coors. So there's no confusion, Molson Coors does not make tractor equipment, advance technology or save the whales. It makes beer.

The Montreal Canadiens franchise can exist because of a beer company, but one of its players cannot endorse an alcoholic product because the NHL declares it's not the image the league wants to present.

C'mon. Alcohol is everywhere in this league. Teams profit from the sponsorships of adult beverage companies and "pouring rights" in arenas. Beer is as much a part of the hockey brand as Gordie Howe. You play a game and have a beer. You go to a game and have a few beers.

Here's one example of the hockey-and-alcohol culture. There's been a lovely trend in the NHL over the last decade in which teams host "fathers' trips," a nice three or four days when players take their dads on the charter for a pair of road games to see what the NHL life is like. It's a time for bonding. In other words, it's a drinkfest. If you think the dads are playing backgammon while waiting for the games to start ... hey, it's hockey.

To add to the hypocrisy, Laraque's video spot has also sparked some outrage for its depiction of women. "The camera, the eye, is only focusing on certain parts of the body," noted Chantal Isme, whose group fights sexual exploitation, to the Canadian Press. Isme is correct, but the NHL better hope she doesn't surf team websites.

In the PG-13 ad, the Canadiens' left wing takes part in a pick-up game of street hockey against a five woman aggressive forecheck. (He easily stickhandles circles around them, like they were the Maple Leafs).

The ad is lame, cringe-inducing, everything its creators aimed for. As a result, it's a major viral hit. But there isn't anything there you cannot find by logging on to the Dallas Stars website and clicking on "Ice Girls Videos."

The controversy comes at the same time the lovable Laraque was being hailed for becoming an animals' rights activist. He pledged his salary for the commercial to charity.

The Canadiens are not punishing Laraque for his indiscretion. Team spokesman Donald Beauchamp points out that Laraque did not wear a Canadiens jersey in the commercial and there are no references to the franchise. "For us," said Beauchamp, "it is case closed."

The NHL has only acknowledged that Laraque's drink endorsement was in violation of Article 25.A of the CBA, prohibiting players from sponsoring alcoholic beverages. The league says it will not comment on the possibility of a fine for the player.

Laraque made a mistake, but got the NHL's attention. Now the league should put the hypocrisy aside and work with Laraque, not against him.

Georges Laraque Shouldn't Be Sorry in NHL's Hypocritical World originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ticket Demand for Winter Classic Sizzles

Jonathan Berr — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: NHL Fans, NHL Economics

The Winter Classic, the NHL's homage to hockey in its raw, natural outdoor form, is continuing to grow in popularity.

According to the NHL, registrations for tickets to the 2010 New Year's Day game surpassed 307,000. The game will be played at Boston's Fenway Park, which has a capacity of about 40,000 for the game.

Registrations were up 25 percent from last year's contest between the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks in Wrigley Field.

Even so, the game will not come close to the attendance of the first Winter Classic at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, where the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the hometown Buffalo Sabres, 2-1, before a crowd of more than 71,000 in the home of Buffalo Bills.

The '09 contest between the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings drew 40,810 to Wrigley Field and saw the home team fall, 6-4.

The first Winter Classic was a bonanza for NBC Sports, capturing the biggest ratings for an NHL regular-season game in more than a decade., luring 3.75 million viewers. The Winter Classic viewership rose to 4.4 million viewers in 2009 and officials in the NHL are optimistic that the game's popularity will continue to climb.

The ramifications of the Winter Classic may reverberate off the ice as well. In July, the NHL and NBC extended their contract through the 2010-2011 season after having set several ratings milestones. Hockey should benefit from the growing interest in televised sports by people who can't afford other forms of entertainment because of the economy.

Playing the game in Boston seems to be a wise decision.

"Years ago, hockey was hot because of Bobby Orr and (Phil) Esposito," Pat Moscaritolo, head of the Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau, told FanHouse. "That passion for hockey never really disappeared."

Moreover, the long-running rivalry between the Bruins and the Flyers will make fans from both clubs eager to get tickets. The rivalry between the teams dates to at least the 1970s. Moscaritolo has been hit up for tickets from friends, colleagues and family members for months.

Also, there's the venue: Fenway Park is considered by fans to be one of baseball's crown jewels The Red Sox and NHL are going to capitalize on the public affection for the ballpark with a variety of activities being talked about around the Winter Classic, including ice skating, men's and women's college hockey and an old-timers game.

Ticket Demand for Winter Classic Sizzles originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Fri, 09 Oct 2009 15:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Milan Lucic's Contract Extension: Fair Price or Overpayment?

Adam Gretz — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 22:00:00 EST

Filed under: Bruins, NHL Economics

A fan favorite in Boston, and one of the most intimidating players in the NHL, Milan Lucic agreed to a three-year contract extension with the Bruins on Tuesday evening, a deal that will reportedly pay him $12.25 million over the next three seasons for a cap hit of just over $4 million per season.

There's no question that Lucic is an important piece for the Bruins, and he's a very unique player: a power forward, a devastating hitter, a willing fighter, and, at the age of 21, a player that still has room to get better.

Still, four million seems a bit steep at this point, doesn't it? Are the Bruins overpaying Lucic for the short-term?

Just for comparisons sake, and keeping it in Boston, the Bruins re-signed restricted free agent David Krejci to a three-year deal this past offseason, paying him $3.75 million over the next three seasons (or less than what they'll be paying Lucic). At this point in their young careers, Krejci has been the more productive player offensively.

By The Numbers: Krejci vs. Lucic
Player	Games	Points	Points Per Game
David Krejci	144	100	.069
Milan Lucic	149	69	.046

Lucic, of course, is a different player and brings far more to the table than just goals and assists. He's a dominating physical presence (a guy that sends people through glass) and a young player that's drawn comparisons to former Bruins great -- and Hall of Famer -- Cam Neely. That's certainly high praise.

The folks at Hub Hockey feel those factors make Lucic worth his weight in gold.

Since coming to the B's he has been one of the biggest, if not largest, pieces of the puzzle in bringing the team back into the spotlight in a town that demands nothing but success these days. And that alone is worth its weight in gold. But the kid backs it up too and so far has shown no signs of slowing down. The hype on him has been high since day one and it hasn't seemed to phase him at all. Just the fact that a legend like Cam Neely can see himself in Lucic would crumble any other player of that age. But Lucic has pushed forward making a name for himself while carving his own path towards becoming THE elite power forward in the league. So if you ask me if Lucic is worth it? I would say yes. There will always be goal scorers and playmakers out there but finding a diamond in the rough such as Looch is huge. There are not many players that can change the momentum of a game in as many different ways as Lucic can.

Fair points. I guess the question I have is this: is it overpayment in the salary cap era to give $4 million to a player like Lucic when your team is already banging its cranium against the ceiling of the salary cap?

What do you think, hockey fans? Are the Bruins getting Lucic at a fair price, or are they overpaying? And if so, is it OK to pay a guy like Lucic a little more than his "market value" to make sure he's playing for you, as opposed to playing against you?

Milan Lucic's Contract Extension: Fair Price or Overpayment? originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Tue, 06 Oct 2009 22:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Would Seattle Work for the NHL?

Susan Slusser — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 10:30:00 EST

Filed under: NHL Economics, FanHouse Exclusive, Junior Hockey

SEATTLE -- This lovely and affluent city seems on the surface to be natural hockey country. Seattle is about 115 miles from Canada, and it's a two-hour drive to Vancouver; it is a sporty, athletic town where people spend a lot of time indoors because of wet weather; and the only pro team in town during the winter now is the NFL since the NBA departed for Oklahoma City.

Plus, this was the first city in the United States to win the Stanley Cup -- the Seattle Metropolitans beat Montreal three games to one in 1917.

But Seattle, the 15th-largest metro area in the country, seldom gets mentioned as a potential NHL location. And there are plenty of arguments against it.

There is no venue, there are few community ice rinks and next to zilch when it comes to youth hockey, and Phoenix -- the 12th-biggest metro area in the nation and the fifth-largest city overall -- is on the brink of losing its team after losing buckets of money over the years. Long Island and Atlanta have been mentioned as shaky spots in the past week, too.

Those in the existing hockey establishment here, though, say that Seattle would be a fine spot for an NHL franchise.

"I don't see any problems with the NHL surviving here," said former NHL player Doug Soetaert, who is now the general manager of the nearby Everett Silvertips of the Western Hockey League. "It is viable, with a new venue. It's a big market with a vast population, a high income level and lots of corporate sponsors. It is absolutely a market that could support an NHL franchise."

There are also plenty of possible deep-pocket owners and a citizenry that jumps on board with vigor given a good product that elicits community spirit. The Mariners got a beautiful new stadium after capturing the town's imagination with a great playoff run in 1995, and the Seahawks have a sparkling, spiffy new building right next door.

"There's definitely a void here, but there's no grassroots hockey." "I think the NHL would work here, but you'd have to have a long-term plan," said Russ Farwell, who is the general manager of the Western Hockey League's Seattle Thunderbirds, based in nearby Kent. "The NHL would love to have this market. I think it would work. I believe it would work."

The best proof that the NHL might have a good shot to succeed here is the MLS Seattle Sounders soccer team, which has average crowds of more than 30,000 at Quest Field. They have shattered the league's attendance records.

"Look how this city has embraced soccer," Farwell said. "The people here have fallen in love with it. People are using soccer terms they didn't know a year ago, it's the trendy thing to do. They did a great job introducing the sport."

OK, so the Sonics -- a once-great franchise -- couldn't get a new arena here or get funding to update KeyArena, but that venue had been redone all of 12 years earlier, and the Sonics ownership wanted $500 million in public money.

That renovation was done with specific parameters, with former Sonics owner Barry Ackerley bent on preventing any NHL encroachment. The arena was left unsuitable for the NHL and the suitability in general for hockey was so poor, Farwell said, that it eroded the Thunderbirds' fan base, too, before the move to Kent.

The absence, at least for now, of the NBA could be an opening for the NHL.

"There's a large gap for the sports industry," said Soetaert, whose Everett club hosted a preseason NHL game between Tampa Bay and, yes, Phoenix on Sept. 22 that drew 7,300.

"There's definitely a void here," one Seattle sportswriter said. "But there's no grassroots hockey."

That's why Farwell said there needs to be more civic investment in the sport, period. In a metro area of 3.3 million, he said, there are four ice rinks, and none built in the past 11 years. Compare that to an area such as Dallas, which also had no hockey to speak of 15 years ago but which now has more than 20 rinks. Dallas also is producing some talent out of its youth programs: One of Seattle's best players, Farwell said, is Colin Jacobs, a 16-year-old center from Dallas. Farwell has never had a local player on the Thunderbirds.

Soetaert is adamant that the NHL could not work at KeyArena unless the building were drastically rebuilt, but he said that the area near Safeco Field and Qwest Field would be ideal. Seattle's location, meanwhile, would be perfect for a Pacific Division club, unlike, say, Hamilton, Ont.

"Vancouver is right down the road, and what a great rivalry that would be," he said. "And geographically, it just makes sense to have another team on the West Coast. If the NHL looks to expand, Seattle would be great."

Would Seattle Work for the NHL? originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Tue, 06 Oct 2009 10:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ray Shero Talks About Building the Penguins, Defending the Cup

Adam Gretz — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Penguins, NHL Draft, NHL Free Agency, NHL Economics, FanHouse Exclusive

Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Ray Shero was kind enough to spend nearly an hour on the phone with FanHouse's Adam Gretz discussing a variety of topics. This is the third of a three-part series. Wednesday's entry: Ray Shero discusses how the 2009-10 Penguins were built through free agency, trades, the draft, and what he expects from the defending Stanley Cup champions.

NHL FanHouse Season Preview:
Season Predictions | Other Predictions
Hot Seat Coaches | Coaches in Waiting
Ray Shero Discusses Life After the Stanley Cup
The John Tavares Handbook

With their Game 7 win over the Detroit Red Wings on June 12, 2008, the Pittsburgh Penguins ended a 17-year Stanley Cup drought, bringing home the franchise's third championship and starting a weekend-long celebration that took over the Pittsburgh streets and night clubs (actually, as recently as a week ago, it was still taking place in some unusual places).

Such a celebration begs the obvious question: how difficult was it to put the success of the 2008-09 season in the past, and start focusing on a 2009-10 season which would be starting in just a little under four months, with the NHL draft and the start of free agency were already knocking on the door?

"It wasn't too difficult at all," said general manager Ray Shero. "We won on a Friday, we enjoyed the weekend maybe until Monday or Tuesday, but, really, it was right back at it trying to sign our own free agents before July 1, then of course you're also getting ready for the draft. I know from talking to some of the Steelers when they won their Super Bowls, the next day they were back in their office getting ready for the draft. So, it's pretty quick when you have to turn back to business, but it's also a nice problem to have."

The Penguins entered the offseason with a number of potential free agents, including forwards Ruslan Fedotenko, Bill Guerin, and Craig Adams, as well as defensemen Rob Scuderi and Hal Gill. The team not only managed to keep all three forwards, but did so on one-year, cap-friendly deals.

FanHouse Chats With Ray Shero:
Part 1: On His Father, an Icon
Part 2: On the Anatomy of a Trade
Part 3: On Building the Pens, Defending the Cup

The two defensemen, on the other hand, were a different story.

Scuderi, one of the heroes of the Penguins postseason run and an exceptional shot-blocker and penalty-killer, signed a lucrative contract with the up-and-coming Los Angeles Kings, while Gill, a hulking 6-foot-7 stay-at-home-defenseman, inked a two-year deal with the Montreal Canadiens as part of their somewhat drastic offseason overhaul.

Replacing them on the Pittsburgh blueline will be 24-year-old Alex Goligoski, a talented offensive-minded defenseman that is currently one of the organization's top prospects, as well as veteran Jay McKee, who had been bought out by the St. Louis Blues earlier in the offseason. Goligoski played 45 games with the Penguins during the '08-'09 campaign, registering six goals and 14 assists. McKee, entering his 14th season in the NHL, remains a viable top-six defenseman, though one that has been dogged by injuries in recent seasons.

Is it a concern changing a third of the defense with players that have seemingly different skillsets than their predecessors?

"We'll see how it goes," Shero said. "It's difficult, and impossible, to keep everybody with the cap system. Hal (Gill) got a two-year deal in Montreal and Rob (Scuderi) got a four-year deal in Los Angeles, both for a lot of money, and I'm very happy for both of those guys, but that's the system."

"More importantly," he added. "For us, the big thing was we knew internally that Alex Goligoski is ready to play a more prominent role for us. Along with signing Jay McKee as more of a penalty killer and a defensive guy, we like the idea of Alex in our lineup, and (Kris) Letang, and guys like that."

Shero singled out Letang, a former third-round pick from 2005, as a player he expects to have a breakout season after scoring 10 goals to go with 23 assists in 74 games a year ago.

"It's difficult, and impossible, to keep everybody with the cap system. Hal (Gill) got a two-year deal in Montreal and Rob (Scuderi) got a four-year deal in Los Angeles, both for a lot of money, and I'm very happy for both of those guys, but that's the system." "While they are different than Scuderi and Gill, a guy like Goligoski is a really good skater and can move the puck better," Shero said. "He might not be as good defensively as Gill or Scuderi at this point in his career, but he certainly has the upside to get better. So we have two young guys in Goligoski and Letang that have upside to their game, and it's time to give these guys more of a role and an opportunity to move forward."

******

Something the Penguins are hoping to avoid this season are the early season and midseason slumps the team encountered in each of the past two years. In 2007, they started slow out of the gate with an 8-11-2 mark before getting hot in December, while a fast start in 2008 was nearly derailed by a 12-19-2 run between December and February that ultimately cost Michel Therrien his job. The promotion of former Wilkes-Barre/Scranton head coach Dan Bylsma, as well as the in-season additions of Guerin, Chris Kunitz and Adams (and the return of injured defenseman Sergei Gonchar) helped get the season back in the right direction.

Shero believes a full training camp with Bylsma, as well as having Guerin, Kunitz and Gonchar from the start will help the team to avoid those types of slumps.

"We hope so," he said. "A full camp with Dan and some of these veteran players back in and I do believe, at this point, we have a better team on paper than we did last year at this same time, for sure. The majority of these guys have won together."

******

While discussing the makeup of this year's roster, one thing I wanted to focus on was, from my observation, a focus on North American players as opposed to European players. Go back a decade and the Penguins were, essentially, a European All-Star team every season, boasting names like Jaromir Jagr, Alexei Kovalev, Martin Straka, and Robert Lang. The 1999-00 team, for example, didn't have a North American skater among its top-eight point producers. It also wasn't uncommon to hear pundits and critics cite them as being "too European." Whatever that means.

Fast forward to this year, and the only European players on the roster are forwards Evgeni Malkin (Russia) and Ruslan Fedotenko (Ukraine) and defensemen Sergei Gonchar (Russia) and the recently-signed Martin Skoula (Czech Republic).

A look at the Penguins' farm system and their recent draft picks seem to indicate that won't be changing anytime soon. The club's top prospects list at Hockey's Future is nearly devoid of European talent, and in four draft classes under Shero the Penguins have used only three of a possible 24 picks on European players: Viktor Ekbom (seventh round, 2009), Alexander Pechursky (fifth round, 2008), and Timo Seppanen (seventh round, 2006).

Is it an organizational philosophy and preference? Or is it all simply a coincidence?

"I think it's more of a coincidence," Shero said. "For one thing, teams aren't taking as many Russian players now with the lack of a transfer agreement in place, so a lot of teams are shying away from the Russians. From our standpoint, there's been some players we've wanted to take, but they may have been taken right before us so we elected to take a North American and that's just the way it fell for us. There's not an aversion to European players or any specific country. A couple of years ago we took a Russian goaltender in the fifth round, we took a Swedish player this year, so we're not adverse to taking European players at all, that's just the way it fell for us."

This year's draft was dominated early by Swedish prospects, while there's been a noticeable drop in talent from countries that used to be hockey super powers, such the Czech Republic, which was documented in great detail by James Mirtle earlier this summer.

"I think it sometimes just goes in cycles," said Shero. "A number of years ago it was the Swedes that weren't producing the players, or so it seemed. Then they revamped their national program and then in the last eight to 10 years or so, they've produced some pretty decent players. Of course they had (Victor) Hedman drafted second overall this year, and there's some good young players coming into the league, a guy like Oscar Moller comes to mind."

He continued: "Some countries, like Germany for example, are producing decent players for us, but at the same time the German league is so heavily populated with Canadian import players that there hasn't been a lot of room for some of these younger players to play on those teams and develop. So maybe it goes to the national team and their philosophies and so forth. Europe has always been a good pipeline of talent for the NHL and there's going to be some top players coming out again. Like 29 other teams we're going to have our eyes on those players, and from our standpoint, if it's a Swede, or a Russian, or a Czech, or whoever it is that can help the Penguins, we'll certainly pick him."

Ray Shero Talks About Building the Penguins, Defending the Cup originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Coyotes Slash Opening Night Prices

Kevin Schultz — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Coyotes, NHL Economics

The Phoenix Coyotes are, if only for one night, going to try and look like a healthy, happy franchise with a supportive fanbase. Of course, anyone following their plight knows that is not the case. The hockey team from the desert has been in a fierce ownership battle in bankruptcy court and is now missing their owner/coach, who is entangled in the battle. Things got worse when the team drew only a few thousand fans -- depending on who you ask -- to a preseason game last week and received some media scrutiny for it.

With opening night almost two weeks away, the team's PR and marketing departments have awoken from their summer slumber to offer fans an opening night discount that looks like a failing car salesman's last stand. "Come down to Crazy Coyotes Motors! Everything must go! Go! GO! Our prices are low! Low! LOW!"

From the Coyotes' website:

The Coyotes are extending a special ticket offer to the public for the Oct. 10 game. All lower bowl seats are available for just $25 while all upper level seats are on sale for only $15. The tickets go on sale Thursday at 10 a.m. and are only available online at www.phoenixcoyotes.com. The NHL has also offered a 15% discount on merchandise at www.shop.nhl.com that will be included with every ticket order through Sept. 30.

The team is also deeming the game a "WhiteOut" by encouraging all fans to wear white. There are two distinct and different ways to look at it. Either your glass is half full and it's a pep rally with a chance to apply the cardiac defibrillators to a fanbase and team that is flatlining, or, on the other side of the fence, your glass is half empty and this is an empty shill that is trying to desperately fake excitement and attendance on top of the fact that selling front row seats at a deep discount is clearly akin to a 'going out of business' sale.

Take it for what you will.

While it's not really a surprise that the season opener clearly hasn't sold out -- really, could anyone expect it to after the summer? -- you've got to wonder how many tickets actually sold. That number is probably small and the team needs to put some butts in seats to try and convince fans that there's going to be some energy around the team this year. A lackluster home opener could have serious fallout on ticket sales throughout the rest of the season.

It's like a concert that's not selling out. You might like the band, but if you go and the place is empty, not only are you going to have a bad experience but you're going to wonder what happening place everyone else is at. So, to avoid that situation, many times promoters hand out tons of comp tickets to try and get people in the building. Same thing here. How awful a precedent would it set for the team if the Jobing.com Arena was less than half full on the biggest night of the season's first half? Imagine the media's reaction from last week's low attendance 50 times over. And thus the team virtually hands out tickets to try and put butts in seats.

The show must go on in Arizona this year no matter what the future holds. It's a shame the team, city and fanbase has to go through it, but such is business. Maybe they'll end up being one of those furniture stores that going out of business sale ... annually. Hopefully not, but hey, this is Gary Bettman's NHL.

Coyotes Slash Opening Night Prices originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Thu, 24 Sep 2009 09:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NHL's Expansion Follies Started in '66, Writer Says

Kevin Schultz — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: NHL Media Watch, NHL Economics

When people criticize the NHL's move to southern markets, usually the new locales of the 1990s and 2000s are targeted. The expansion to Tampa Bay, Miami, Nashville, Atlanta and the Whalers' relocation to Carolina tend to come to mind. Each has their supporters and detractors and now that the Phoenix Coyotes, who moved to the desert in 1996, are in trouble, the topic comes up for debate more often.

Given this much ammunition, detractors usually keep busy trashing on the likes of Phoenix, Nashville and their southern brethren. But not Frank Deford of NPR. When it comes to trashing the NHL's expansion, he takes it old school. And by 'old school' I mean 'back to the first time the NHL expanded in 1966.'

Mr. Deford -- 43 years after the fact, mind you -- thinks the NHL was better off with only six teams.

Long ago, one evening in 1966, I was in a suite at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto with some folks from the National Hockey League. They were all feeling pretty heady. The league was about to double in size, an incursion into the United States that would take Canada's game as far south as Los Angeles.

Since the NHL was a huge success in all its six franchise cities in Canada and the northern U.S., everybody was certain that great times must lie ahead in the expansion outpost.

Of course, it didn't work out quite that way.

Yeah, those six franchises they added in 1966 were a mistake. The Philadelphia and Pittsburgh franchises never really were able to establish fanbases before folding in 1972 and '76. The two California franchises were swept out to sea during a 1984 earthquake and the Minnesota expansion got lost in a blizzard back in '87. The other franchise in St. Louis, well, they did alright for themselves.

Err... wait. Am I remembering that right? Help me out, Frank.

But the league has pressed on, forever sprinkling franchises into places like Miami and Nashville and Raleigh in a vain effort to be a fully national American television sport. It doesn't seem to do any good. NHL ratings are traditionally woeful, especially down South.

I'll give you Miami, but the teams in Nashville and Raleigh are attracting fans, no? And let's ignore the success stories in places such as Columbus and Dallas while we're doing this. But I digress.

This isn't about the recent expansions and relocations. It's about that pesky bunch that took the NHL from a niche sport in 1966 to slightly less of a niche sport in 1967. That's where all of the league's problems stem from! Forget that the NHL has since turned into a nationally recognized sport in America, albeit not nationally followed, and earned itself enough attention to be nationally televised. Bah! In 1966, they didn't have TVs! Right, Frank? So let's all go back to wood-burning stoves, eight tracks and coal power too!

NHL's Expansion Follies Started in '66, Writer Says originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Wed, 23 Sep 2009 15:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Peace for Bettman, Balsillie Vital for NHL

Christopher Botta — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 15:16:00 EST

Filed under: NHL Fans, NHL Economics

The National Hockey League has plenty of irreverent, delusional, confrontational owners, often found on the edge of scandal. Some of them even end up not going to jail.

Don't you think it's time Jim Balsillie got his shot?

Balsillie is a 48-year Canadian businessman with a dream of bringing an NHL franchise to Hamilton, Ontario. Actually, calling it a dream three years and three teams into his pursuit seems trivial. Balsillie is on a mission.

Although he may not look the part, the Blackberry billionaire has earned a bad-boy reputation around the NHL men's club. He attempted to hijack the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2006 and land them in Southern Ontario. His 2007 takeover of the Predators went so far, he signed up more season ticketholders in Hamilton than the Preds had in Nashville. Both sales blew up spectacularly, with Balsillie alienating power brokers across the league.

Thursday, he's at it again. He's one of two men bidding at an auction for the Phoenix Coyotes. The other is Commissioner Gary Bettman, representing a league that wants to keep the franchise in Phoenix -- and Balsillie out of the league.

If Bettman and Balsillie truly want to act in the best interests of the game, it's time they started working together.

Balsillie has made mistakes, big ones. His Pittsburgh and Nashville coups were at times so mean-spirited and clumsy he embarrassed some of the citizens of Hamilton. From the start of his quest, he should have used his resources and whatever charm he may have to work the room, to convince NHL owners it would be a privilege to be in their club. Pride or not, this is how it's done all over the wide world of pro sports. After all, should Basillie ever succeed in getting a team, those people will be his competitors and his partners -- the latter, especially when this CBA expires in 2011.

Still, if Mike Comrie and the Edmonton Oilers can work it out, isn't it time Balsillie and Bettman gave peace a chance? Sure, he's ticked off lots of people with his renegade act, but on the other hand ...

Balsillie has big, legit money. This has been an issue with some prospective (John Spano) and approved ("Boots" Del Biaggio) owners in the Bettman era.

Balsillie loves hockey. He worships the sport. He plays the game. He's dedicated more than three years to being a part of it, and he likely won't stop if he misses out on the Coyotes. NHL team owners love their name recognition and arena development deals, but how many of them live for the game? Half? That may be generous.

Balsillie reportedly has a heart. A husband and a father, he has donated well in excess of over $100 million to schools and charities. Before he crashed elbows-high into the business of pro hockey, there was no evidence of Balsillie being a bad dude.

He's a Canadian kid who made it big and now wants the toy that will give him the most pleasure. Doesn't sound so bad, does it? If Phoenix can keep its hockey team, good for them. We're not advocating any municipality losing a sports franchise. And let's not shed a tear for the money-printin' Toronto Maple Leafs. In Brian Burke, they're in good hands. The only impact a Hamilton team could have on the Leafs is this: the pressure might be a little more jacked up for them to win their first championship since there were only 12 teams in the league.

This is about the commissioner of a sports league and a passionate, committed, headline-making and league-shaking maverick finding a way to meet in the middle. A major league commissioner is supposed to mediate for the good of the game, isn't he? So what if a bunch of the owners will never respect Balsillie? Many of them already don't like each other.

Hockey's biggest problem, and the NHL's biggest failing, is that not enough people care about this brutal and beautiful game. Then you have a puck-loving billionaire like Jim Balsillie banging on the door of the lodge, and no one will let him in.

Grow up. Grow the league.

Peace for Bettman, Balsillie Vital for NHL originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Thu, 10 Sep 2009 15:16:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hudler's Deal Approved By IIHF; Neighborhood Chooses Rink Over Church

Adam Gretz — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Red Wings, NHL Fans, NHL Free Agency, NHL Videos, NHL Economics

Newsmakers in the NHL: During the regular season it's our daily look at the previous night's action. During the offseason, it's our occasional link dump that looks at some of the storylines and moves taking place around the league. Have a tip or something you want linked? Send it in to nhlfanhouse@gmail.com.

The Jiri Hudler saga came to an end on Wednesday when the IIHF approved his two-year, $10 million pact with Moscow Dynamo of the KHL. The IIHF ruled that even though Hudler's agent filed for salary arbitration in the NHL, it was invalid because Hudler himself never signed the filing notice opening the door for him to take his game to Russia. This, of course, led to George James Malik of Mlive's Snapshots blog going somewhat biblical on the ruling.

From Malik:

What a steaming load of bull crap. The IIHF's endorsed the KHL's actions on the teeniest and tiniest of technicalities, and this press release essentially drives home Fasel's suggestion that the NHL, despite its numerous European-born players, is essentially an "American" league that is, "Not part of the IIHF family." Fine. The next time an NHL team decides to sign a Russian-born player whose contract expires before the age of 28, and has to, per the KHL's rules, automatically re-sign with his team, the NHL can look at this ruling and tell the KHL to get stuffed because even the IIHF refuses to recognize the validity of the restricted free agent status. If the IIHF is truly an "International" ice hockey federation, it should recognize the interests of all its member countries, not simply its European members, and until that time, the NHL should not feel obligated to enter into transfer agreements or abide by any IIHF bylaw, because the de-facto European Ice Hockey Federation is nothing more or less than a joke.

In semi-related news, here's a list of people not on George James Malik's Christmas card list this upcoming year: 1) IIHF.

Neighborhood Chooses Ice Rink Over Church

Township supervisors in Warrendale, Pennsylvania -- a Pittsburgh suburb -- unnamisouly voted on Tuesday to oppose a request made by Grace Community Church that would have taken the Blade Runners Ice Rink and transformed the property into a new church. Fascinating, if not sacrileges. [WPXI]

Loose Pucks

... Here's video of an incredible between-the-legs goal scored by Richard Panik of the Windsor Spitfires during the Ontario Hockey League preseason [H/T Puck Daddy]:

... "I don't think the Blues should rebuild somebody else's franchise." -- St. Louis Blues president John Davidson addressing rumors that his team might be interested in acquiring disgruntled Ottawa Senators forward Dany Heatley. I'll take that to mean he has no interest in making a bid for Heatley's services. [Ottawa Citizen]

... The proposed deal to sell the Florida Panthers has hit a road block, according to the Miami Herald. [Miami Herald]

Hudler's Deal Approved By IIHF; Neighborhood Chooses Rink Over Church originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Thu, 10 Sep 2009 10:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Who Might Be Interested in the Islanders?

Adam Gretz — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: Islanders, NHL Fans, NHL Economics

FanHouse's Chris Botta reported Wednesday morning that at least six municipalities are waiting should the New York Islanders begin searching for a new home on Oct. 4, one day after the deadline owner Charles Wang has set for the Lighthouse Project to be resolved.

It goes without saying that the best solution for the Islanders -- and their fans -- is for the team to remain on Long Island. I think we're all rooting for that, but let's just for a second pretend that the worst case scenario plays out, and on Oct. 4 the Islanders are forced to begin listening to offers from other markets. Who might come calling?

Here are some guesses ranging from the logical and obvious, to perhaps the illogical and not-so-obvious. In other words, we're throwing darts at a map.

Kansas City, Missouri. An obvious choice. Kansas City has a brand new, 19,000-seat state-of-the-art arena that is collecting dust as it currently has no team to play in it. It was a potential landing spot for the Pittsburgh Penguins three years ago, and is scheduled to host an Islanders exhibition game against the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday, Sep. 22 -- the same day as a re-zoning hearing for the Lighthouse Project.

Hamilton, Ontario. In Chris' initial report, he quotes a Jim Balsillie spokesperson as saying "at this juncture, I can confirm Jim's only interest is in purchasing the Phoenix Coyotes and relocating them to Hamilton." But doesn't he have to say that at this point? The bottom line is, until there's a team playing in Hamilton it's going to be mentioned as a possibility -- and will be a possibility -- whenever another market appears even the slightest bit vulnerable. And, let's face it, Jim Balsillie will be a thorn in Gary Bettman's side and will not stop until he gets a team of his own, even if he has to knock on the door of every club in the NHL, one by one. He's already attempted to get Pittsburgh, Nashville and Phoenix. Why not the Islanders at some point, as well?

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Hey, they tried -- and, ultimately, failed -- to land the St. Louis Blues in the early 1980s, and the town of roughly 260,000 is playing host to the Islanders' training camp next week. They also have two preseason games scheduled there this month: Sep. 19 against the Edmonton Oilers and Sep. 20 vs. Calgary Flames. The arena in town -- the Credit Union Centre -- is likely too small for big league hockey (it currently holds 11,300, but is being expanded to nearly 15,000 in time for the 2010 World Junior Championships) so that's an obvious drawback, as is the overall size of the market.

Las Vegas, Nevada. Why not? Sin City has no professional sports teams, but it's dipped its toes in the pool in recent years by hosting the NBA All-Star game and bringing in the NHL awards ceremony this past summer.

Queens, New York. Could this be the next best solution if the Lighthouse Project falls though? Wang was raised in Queens, the borough has showed interest in the past, and it's located on Long Island. The team keeps its name, Wang gets to say he kept the team on Long Island, and everybody is happy. The problem, as is always the case, is a building to play in. Can Queens build a new hockey arena so soon after the construction of the gargantuan Citi Field?

Portland, Oregon. The only part of the United States that doesn't currently house an NHL team is the Pacific Northwest. The NBA's Trailblazers are currently the only game in town, and the Rose Garden is a relatively new building -- which eliminates the problem of finding a place to play, or funding the construction of a new one -- that can hold over 18,000 for hockey. Another possibility might be ...

Seattle, Washington. There's an opening in the Seattle sports schedule since the Sonics bolted for Oklahoma City prior to this season. The problem, as always, is the arena situation, especially since the Sonics used the lack of a new building as an excuse to skip town. Built in 1964 (and renovated in 1994) KeyArena could still be viable for the short-term, but something new would likely be needed for the long-term. Plus, it's not like the Pacific Northwest is unfamiliar with hockey, even though there's not an NHL team in the area. Seattle is currently home to the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League.

Other guesses both in, and out, of New York: Suffolk County, Brooklyn, and the old standbys Hartford and Winnipeg.

Who Might Be Interested in the Islanders? originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Wed, 09 Sep 2009 13:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Coyotes Auction Down to Two

Bruce Ciskie — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 13:05:00 EST

Filed under: Coyotes, Western, NHL Economics

Thursday is a big day for the National Hockey League. As its 30 teams prepare to open training camps, the league and commissioner Gary Bettman continue to fight for the right to handle the Phoenix Coyotes as they see fit.

The bankrupt franchise goes to auction Thursday, and a field of four bids appears to have been whittled down to just two. The league will be up against the original buyer, Canadian businessman Jim Balsillie. While the NHL insists that the franchise be allowed to stay in Phoenix, Balsillie's purchase is contingent on him moving it to Hamilton, Ont., and making it the seventh Canadian franchise in the league.

It was reported late Tuesday that Ice Edge Holdings, a group of businessmen from both the United States and Canada, will no longer be bidding for the team.

Principals with Ice Edge did not respond to requests for comment, and they have not officially withdrawn their bid. The group of Canadian and American investors included team minority owner John Breslow and was working with coach and minority owner Wayne Gretzky.

The league jumped in the fray only after White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf withdrew his bid. The NHL bid is only meant to allow the league the final determination of what happens to the organization. They intend to pursue a local buyer who will keep the club in Arizona. That bid was placed after NHL owners voted 26-0 (there were three abstentions) against Balsillie buying the Coyotes.

While it's purely speculative, Ice Edge may have withdrawn over issues with the club's lease at Jobing.com Arena. The group's decision to bid on the team was contingent on their ability to renegotiate the agreement.

Thursday could be the end of this summer-long fiasco, but maybe it won't be. No matter what, it's hard to imagine anyone allowing the franchise to relocate now, given that there are logistical issues with making such a move when we have only three weeks until the season starts.

Coyotes Auction Down to Two originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Wed, 09 Sep 2009 13:05:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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What Do TSN.ca's Ads Tell Us About Hockey Fans?

Kevin Schultz — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 18:30:00 EST

Filed under: NHL Fans, NHL Media Watch, NHL Economics

Advertisements on television, the radio and internet usually tell us a bit about the group of people that regularly take in a certain program or website. It's a pretty basic fundamental of advertising and marketing -- you try and sell certain products to a certain demographic. That's why it kind of surprised me when I saw an ad for the television show America's Next Top Model on TSN.ca before watching the highlights of Monday's rookie scrimmage between the Leafs and Bruins.

Since the dawn of the internet, advertisers have been trying to find a way to reach consumers. They haven't had a heck of a lot of success. But some of the most common and successful ads today are 30-second spots that air before you watch video clips and television shows online, such as the one on TSN.

That's where I found the spot for America's Next Top Model, which at first glance appears to be a show that would not appeal to most hockey fans. It's wildly successful in pop culture and with fashionistas, but that doesn't mean hockey fans are clamoring for it. Since ads are specifically targeted to certain groups, what made the advertisers for the show choose TSN.ca? More specifically, why the NHL section? Do hockey fans have a soft side that we like to repress or do many of us simply have a secret dream to become a supermodel? Maybe we just like to look at models? That's probably it.

But to make sure I wasn't seeing things, I refreshed the page a few times hoping to get a look at all the different ads TSN airs before these video clips. There were a few others, ones that you would probably expect. Ads for fast food chain Wendy's, an ad for an upcoming NFL game on TSN and one encouraging viewers to play fantasy football on NFLCanada.com. Judging by the ads, hockey fans are also into bacon cheeseburgers and football but those -- especially the latter -- aren't the long-shot connections that ANTM is.

So what's the conclusion here? Do we, as hockey fans, have a soft side or pipe dreams to become famous models? It's hard to say, although I do have some photos of the NHL FanHouse editors in dresses for safekeeping. But that's neither here nor there. I think that, despite our bloodlust that's more than visible every time a couple of enforcers drop the gloves, we hockey fans do have a soft, creamy inside. We love the kiss cam on the scoreboard. Those pink jerseys the Hershey Bears wore last season were just darling and, of course, we're eagerly awaiting the new season of America's Next Top Model.

What Do TSN.ca's Ads Tell Us About Hockey Fans? originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Tue, 08 Sep 2009 18:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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