Blog blast past: Balsillie boarded; the Phoenix Coyotes story few people read

As you know, the bond sale that would keep a NHL hockey team in Glendale, Ariz., has gone awry. Reading back to July 30, 2009, it's not surprising when you realize whose interests the NHL and most politicians are really representing these days.

The NHL really showed Wednesday how as a business, it is a game of TEGWAR, The Exciting Game Without Any Rules.

Jim Balsillie's camp smartly pointed out minutes after he was denied that this had nothing to do with his fitness to be an owner, and that the judge in Arizona said in June that the league would have to show he didn't have the cash. Of course, the nets had already been moved, like a group of kids moving their ball hockey game down the street (which might cheese the judge off, but that is neither here nor there). Bruce Arthur's National Post column pointed out, well, if it wasn't money, then it had be something else, but this is the league that let future felon Boots Del Biaggio into the fold.

Granted, being the person who waits for Canadians to wake up to what Gary Bettman's NHL stands for is like being sent out on a snipe hunt. Please, though, sometime between now and the next labour stoppage, clue in that denying Balsillie, again, really betrays that the NHL always represents its interests to the bitter end. It's just that those interests have nothing to do with the great game of hockey and everything to do with corporate malfeasance that could launch six Naomi Klein screeds and a couple Bruce Cockburn ditties. They won't care you could have three teams in Southern Ontario which would each draw more than the Phoenix Coyotes (with higher ticket prices) until the day when the U.S. economy is really up a creek.

The Coyotes are just a game piece in a scheme where, to quote an alternative weekly said the week Balsillie's bid for the Coyotes became public, a "broke" city is "also trying to line the pockets of some of the wealthiest investment groups in New York City, Saudi Arabia, and Abu Dhabi." (Phoenix New Times, May 14.)

The above link came via Make It Eight, Eh?. From the look of it, a Hamilton, Ont., insurance broker named Craig Ferguson, over the run of this sordid saga, has evolved from a thinking fan's case for the NHL to put more teams into Canada to advocacy for taxpayers in Arizona in the wake of a swindle/boondoggle which is going down in the American southwest. You really should, if you have time, read through it since Ferguson makes it clear why the hell Jerry Reinsdorf wants to own an unprofitable hockey team which has never been about hockey from the day it arrived in the desert.

"The attraction to the Coyotes hockey team has always been an issue of land development opportunites and great deals with government, and the profits that would go along with them. Nobody in their right mind would take this team with the clear math currently in place. As soon as (former owners Jerry) Moyes and (Steve) Ellman broke up the land from the ice, that’s when the 'Coyote' should have chased the Roadrunner out of town.

"Are we to believe, as mentioned by the Reinsdorf camp, and now even by the new Canadian/American mixed coalition represented by Daryl Jones (Research Edge LLC) that trying to share in a little bit of food and parking is going to cut the mustard? 'Little things add up' is the argument? Were we born yesterday? And, if I might add, if Daryl Jones and his group thinks they are going to break into this game with nickel and dime thinking, they had better think again. Like all politics, what would make sense from a genuine, honest angle usually doesn’t win the prize."

In other words: Cha-ching! Ferguson has flipped over a couple other rocks, noting two weeks ago that Jerry Reinsdorf's son is "is a director of a partnering firm, International Facilities Group (IFG), that has a hand in consulting the City of Glendale for the Jobing.com arena, and more."

It is not like this should shock anyone. For the most part this is the way of the world, at least up until Bear Stearns went nips-up last fall. (At this point, one should allow that maybe the NHL would like Balsillie to pay $350-400 million for an expansion team instead of $212.5M for an established team. At some point, though, these guys have to stop playing the Canada card.)

Most sports fans, regardless of background or intelligence, would be like, "Why should I care that the the city of Phoenix is going to hand over $100 million in subsidies in return for 200 public parking spaces at a time when it can't afford to open public pools? I just want to know if the team is going to relocate or not." Thankfully, no one needs a public pool in a desert during a time of high unemployment). That is just the nature of following a sport, nothing wrong or evil about it.

However, it does seem crazy how few in Canada have really gone to lengths to explain how the Duel in the Desert, so-called, was more than Gary Bettman and Bill Daly delivering a big screw-you to Jim Balsillie. In the grand scheme, this only reaffirms Canadians' Pavlovian slavishness to the NHL. Hockey is a wonderful sport, perhaps the best of the team games, and the NHL is more appealing to watch that it has been at pretty much any point in the Bettman era.

At the same time, to repeat Peter Gent's "every time I say it's a business you call it a game and every time I call it a game you say it's a business" corollary, let's have some clear eyes. At the end of the day, this league Canadians hold so near and dear is run by some not-too-nice people who are only to eager to be part of greater outrages. On a macro level, it does affect the competitive product.

It was nice to speculate for a couple days when that one bid group for the Coyotes talked about playing games in Halifax or Saskatoon and having an AHL team in Thunder Bay. Maybe that was akin to The Simpsons episode when Monty Burns ran for governor: "They're like seals. Toss 'em a couple fish and watch 'em jump."

Point being, smarten up. The next person who says Balsillie needs to learn to play by the NHL's rules should get two minutes for bein' stupid. (Outgoing Montreal Canadiens George Gillett actually accuse of him creating a "distraction" that caused the Habs' season to go downhill was a new low. (Mr. Gillett, I have with me a Mr. Jared Allen who has debunked the myth athletes can be distracted, and he's not above using physical force to make a point.)

Rules? The NHL has but one that it honours, realizing its place as a pipsqueak in the lumbering dinosaur of the American economy, 2009. Balsille, to borrow a line from those Ford ads which have been playing all summer, might "pulled off a game-changer" by moving the Coyotes to Southern Ontario, but there were other interests to defend.

Gary Bettman fits right in with the Boomer mentality where old-economy businesses hide that they are just going around in circles, slowly losing ground before realizing time has run out. The commish is a pipsqueak in the grand scheme of bankrupting America, but like any good CEO, he knows who he works for. That's why they pay him the big bucks.

As previously stated, "It would be silly to use the league's idiotic business practices to justify non-interest in what happens on the ice." However, this has been an exercise in the NHL as usual. It has no rules and when you have no rules, you have less of a game.

Related:
Balsillie vows to press on; BlackBerry billionaire given rough ride by NHL's board of governors as bid for troubled Coyotes rejected (Paul Waldie and David Shoalts, Globe & Mail)
NHL: Anybody but you, Balsillie (Bruce Arthur, National Post)

Confirmation that what you're with isn't 'it' ...

Talk about a clear signal one has passed to the other side of the generation gap.

A purpose of going to the NHL Scouting Combine this past weekend, in the capacity of Buzzing The Net, was to bank a few Q-and-As with some of Canadian Hockey League players that will run, up until the June 25-26 NHL draft in Los Angeles. One question we asked in order to get a window into guys' outside-of-hockey personality was, "Favourite TV show and/or movie?" It's far better to ask that than favourite band, since it preempts the "all kinds of music" answer and journalists having to look up spellings of any acts that have come on the scene since 2003.

Not to give any spoilers, but Two And A Half Men was a pretty popular answer. It is television's No. 1 comedy, plus it's on constantly in syndication. Entourage, Lost and Family Guy popped up a couple times. A few answered Friends, on the premise that anyone who can survive the Wingate and V02 max tests is at no risk of having his dude membership revoked.

On Saturday, two players back-to-back answered Seinfeld. At that point, it came to mind that another TV comedy, the one which still airs in the same time slot it had in the 1990s, hadn't been mentioned once.

"No one's mentioned The Simpsons," I said.

"Yeah, that show's kind of old," one of the Seinfeld aficionados said.

Talk about jarring. You don't need to know what's on Taylor Hall's iPod playlist to know athletes aren't arbiters of cultural tastes. Personally, The Simpsons hasn't been a must-view since 1998 or '99. It doesn't take Chris Turner to know the show defined at least one generation, both those who were teenagers and young adults in the 1990s, along with their parents and younger siblings. (To this day, my 25-year-old brother's family nickname remains "The Boy," Homer's term of endearment for Bart.)

Still, athletes watch a lot of TV, since much of their time is spent in hotel rooms relaxing and resting up for games. There is total recall of feeling validated as a 13-year-old in 1990 after seeing an article in The Hockey News which the New York Rangers' Darren Turcotte listed The Simpsons as his favourite show: "A lot of hockey players like it because of the sarcasm."

(There's a chance I read that while hiding The Hockey News under my desk during French class. The French teacher at my elementary school was named Liz Latourell. Her spouse coaches football, meaning there is actually a high school football coach in Kingston whose last name sounds like "lateral," a football term.)


Not having a single Simpsons lover among 40 or so teenaged players was like Lyndon Johnson saying, "If I've lost Cronkite, I've lost Middle America," during the Vietnam War.

Or it was like the Season 6 episode when Homer is aghast after finding out his kids and their classmates have never heard of his favourite bands. However, cupping a hand to one's face and saying, "For more information on The Simpsons, consult your school library!" would kind of prove the point.

Deju vu all over again...

Obsessive just have to suck the fun out of everything. Puck Daddy posted a clip from the season premiere of How I Met Your Mother, which will air Monday after it wins Emmys for best comedy and best supporting actor in a comedy.

"How I Met Your Mother Season 5 Premiere - Scene at NY Rangers Game @ Yahoo! Video

Of course, the type of person who would make a list of HIMYM's Top 5 sports-related episodes would also remember the series has already had a season premiere with a gag that involved the videoboard at a sporting event. In the second season, Ted Mosby takes a mopey, depressed Marshall to Yankee Stadium to try to cheer him up after he broke up with Lily. A guy about sitting ten rows down proposes to his fiancée on the scoreboard. Seeing this, Marshall snaps and throws his hot dog at them, splatting the poor woman with mustard.

Views from the West

How 'bout those Mike Kelly led Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

First he blows up a team to start the season, then he complains he doesn't have the horses to run an offence. No one will disagree the Bombers need significant help, especially at quarterback, but who brought these guys to town in the first place?

Based on fan reactions, the flat out strange method of calling plays in from the sidelines and the fact the Bombers can't gain yards unless they run the ball — generally a bad sign in a quarterback's league full of pass-happy offences — Kelly will be lucky to start the 2010 season with the club. He hasn't earned any confidence he's been given.


• Speaking of Gong Show reruns, it's interesting to note how the NHL may prefer to expand — yes expand — to Winnipeg rather than to allow for a relocation. There would be more money involved for existing owners doing it that way. Is it also possible the NHL decided to get into the game of purchasing the Phoenix Coyotes from Jerry Moyes to eventually move them back to Winnipeg? If so, they would be moving into the 18th-busiest indoor stadium in the world according to Billboard's 2008 rankings. And for those naysayers, Winnipeg's arena ranks eighth overall when compared to the other 30 NHL venues and third amongst all Canadian teams, trailing only Toronto's ACC and Montreal's Bell Centre.

That's factor can't be dismissed. The reason the Edmonton Oilers now want to build their own downtown arena is so they control the revenues for concerts and other events. The last time Winnipeg had an NHL team, the Jets had no control over those revenues, as that cash went to an Winnipeg Enterprises Corporation, a group initially set up by the City of Winnipeg to run the Winnipeg Arena, so it's understandable why the OIlers would want that cash for themselves to compete with Calgary, whose financial picture is rosier because the Flames control the Saddledome.

Another factor to note? Copps Coliseum ranked 60th overall on the same list, with less than half of Winnipeg's numbers, and sit just behind Jobing.com Arena in Glendale.

• Any talk of NHL expansion has to be met with hearty laughter when several other teams, while not quite as bad off as Phoenix, nevertheless are in bad enough financial shape to consider finding greener pastures. THAT is where Hamilton should focus its efforts, given they will need to work something out with the Maple Leafs somehow. The NHL could also consider contraction to solve those money woes, as Major League Baseball did, though the MLB's plan to contract the Minnesota Twins now seems rather silly given the shiny new ball park set to open next year.

• Could the Saskatchewan Roughriders have gotten a better game on Sunday had they played the University of Saskatchewan Huskies?

• Why was Serena Williams surprised to hear umpires and line judges don't respond well to threats of forcibly placing tennis balls into their esophagus? Would she appreciate alleged death threats thrown her way? If she winds up getting suspended for future Grand Slams, she'd deserve every second of that penalty.

• Has anyone heard news about a new football stadium in Winnipeg? (Insert sound effect of one single cricket)

• The Canadian Hockey League announced on Sunday that the Memorial Cup host Brandon Wheat Kings secured a larger allotment of tournament tickets for their home fans based on one simple fact. They can sell them basically tomorrow.
The increase of 350 ticket packages means up to 3,652 Brandon Wheat Kings season ticket holders will get a chance to buy Memorial Cup packages in the arena that has a capacity of 5,102.

• The new jerseys Canadian Hockey League players will wear this season, using the same technology as the NHL ones introduced a year or so ago have more often than not made a good jersey worse. The Brandon Wheat Kings, with a distinctive wheat sheaf stripe down the arms and bottom of the jersey, now have a plain look that doesn't do anyone justice. A few teams got it right by maintaining the club's tradition, be it the barber poles used in the jerseys of the Ottawa 67's and the Chicoutimi Sagueneens, the old-school look of the Oshawa Generals, Edmonton Oil Kings, Red Deer Rebels, Spokane Chiefs and Portland Winterhawks. Brandon tried to stay close to what they had with the road whites and failed. Most look like failed copies of NHL jerseys, including the several versions of the Washington Capitals uniform in all three of the CHL's leagues. There's room to modernize, but no one liked the white skates of the California Golden Seals and the Cooperall craze that was the 1980s. This was not Reebok's finest hour. But there was one big change of note in the WHL logo department. The Prince George Cougars took a big step forward when they redesigned their primary graphic image.

A rabbi, a monk and Paul Beeston walk into a bar....

While I didn't see the reunion game in Toronto (the Manitoba Senior Baseball League finals were assigned to me), I did see the uniform choice the Jays made.

If the New York Yankees can keep the same uniforms for decades, why can't the Jays go back to their original shirts, or the 1992 vintage? Combine the Friday Blues as a button up and the 1992 whites and you've got a winner.



• Word has it Paul Beeston will have a replacement for himself in 30-60 days. Here's hoping he hires himself.
• The BC Lions have finally figured out exactly how to win a football game. Please don't pass the secret to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers or we won't hear the end of it from Mike Kelly (shout out to Jordie, who seemingly requested my Mike slam. You're welcome).
• Bring back the Jets. Surely they won't require $23 million worth of incentives per year to keep the franchise afloat in Winnipeg. You could put that team in Kamloops, B.C., and not require that. And you'd get better attendance too. That, and in both locations, there's no territorial conflict with the Toronto Maple Leafs, or anyone else in the NHL.
• Red Deer will be reconstructed in Nerf before the NHL changes their minds about Jim Balsille. If you read James Mirtle's blog and the extra documents he posts, you can kind of see their point.
• If Balsille wins the auction for the Coyotes, given the NHL's mistrust of him, would they take the bold step of disbanding the franchise?
• Hank Aaron has asked for the list of steroid users to be released en masse. It may not pass the fourth amendment test, but it would pass the smell test once and for all.
• But here's the thing. If as Jose Cansenco claims 95 per cent of MLB ball players were steriod users, would it really affect the Hall of Fame? Don't people make comparisons amongst other players of the same time period, at least at some level, to determine greatness? Does anyone compare Dave Stewart with Catfish Hunter? I don't. But I would and should compare his record to the one put up by Jack Morris. Same goes for David Cone. The absolute best players of their time should make the cut. Right Tim Raines?
• On Pete Rose, what has a greater effect on the integrity of baseball? Taking a banned substance or gambling on baseball? I'd argue gambling on the game you take part in could have a greater impact, as proven in other sports where point shaving has taken place. That said, if you make a case for Barry Bonds and Ty Cobb, you make a case for Pete Rose. They are a package deal, and take Shoeless Joe Jackson with them.
• Jack Morris has pitched in Winnipeg as a member of the Northern League's St. Paul Saints. (The Saints play in the American Association now.) It didn't go well for him. I was at that game, I believe it was in 1996, in the old ball park/football stadium, now known as CanadInns Stadium, has a gap between two sets of stand that at 7 p.m., sometimes sent a powerful ray of sunlight directly to the pitcher's mound. Jack didn't like this and protested for a delay. As everyone else just played on, he was expected to as well. He didn't last much past the third and gave up on his playing career that year.
• Theo Fleury wants back in the NHL because his stint in senior hockey, which included a season playing with the Steinbach North Stars and an appearace at the 2009 Allan Cup. No doubt, he could play in his day, but there's a lesson Jack Morris displayed all too well in Winnipeg. Cue Kenny Rogers. Know when to fold'em. Everybody now....

It needs to be said: Bring back the Jets

The blood feuding between Jim Balsille, Gary Bettman and now Jerry Moyes has an honourable end. If the NHL won't go to Southern Ontario because of the potential financial damage to the Leafs and Sabres, The Coyotes should just go back where they came from.

They need to go back to Winnipeg.



For all those who believe this idea is full of crap, hear me out.

The arguments against such a move are usually the following:

Winnipeg is too small.

Winnipeg never supported the team with butts in the seats.

There isn't enough corporate support.

The MTS Centre is too small.

The NHL's Salary Cap keeps rising to points where the Jets could not be profitable.

I don't agree. Not anymore, with 13 years of sober second thought.

The Jets left in 1996 because there was no arena suitable for an NHL team. Yet fans still came and made the old barn one of the loudest around.

While no Stanley Cup games were ever won there, there were historic games involving the Winnipeg Jets during a time when they had one of the best teams in the game.

While the MTS Centre would be one of the smallest in the league, it would be one that's filled to capacity now that the NHL's been gone for 13 years, just like in Minnesota. If concert attendance is any indication, I would expect 15,000 paying customers a night and that's better than a lot of existing franchises get. Prior to the recent surge in interest in Boston, were competitive with an Original Six franchise and a couple of others . And it's better than Phoenix actually gets now.

To be fair, there were nights where attendance dipped to around 9,000, when it was -40 C without the wind chill when the franchise's future was in doubt, but I'd bet no less than 90 per cent of those people PAID FULL PRICE for their tickets. Try that in Phoenix 90 per cent of the time.

Any argument that Winnipeg is simply too small to support an NHL team probably needs to look at the example of a pretty successful corporation.

Maybe you've heard of it. Ikea.

Stats Canada says the metro area is 712,000 people as of 2007 and shows slow growth every year since 1991, save for 1997, the year of the Flood of the Century. After years of saying Winnipeg needed 1 million people for a store to be profitable, Ikea has decided to set up shop in the city. That's a pretty significant change of heart for a multinational that makes billions in profits.

They aren't the only ones making such a move.

In Ikea's case, they probably figured out that people in the Canadian prairies will drive longer distances if they want something because they are more accustomed to doing it. People living 90 minutes from city limits will buy season tickets for the Jets. This may not apply in Winnipeg itself, as some people won't drive across the city for a date. But people REALLY love hockey in this neck of the woods.

As for corporate support, I can't argue with economics. Southern Ontario has more corporate dollars. With roughly 12 million people to serve, there will be. But here's another kicker. Car companies are hurting. Steel mills are hurting. Manitoba's economy has not suffered like others. And there's simply enough proof out there that the city can support the team and make money at it. That's better than several other places already on the map.

But logic may not win this argument with Mr Bettman. Arrogance will.

Canucks - Hawks live blog and preview

I'll be live-blogging tonight's Game I clash between the Vancouver Canucks and the Chicago Blackhawks, perhaps with some of the other Out of Left Field staff. The puck will drop at 9:00 p.m. Eastern (6:00 p.m. Pacific). The game will be on CBC in Canada and Versus in the United States. A full preview of the series is after the jump.



How they got here: Vancouver swept St. Louis in four games, but the series was closer than it appeared. Every game was a hard-fought battle and the Blues, the league's hottest team over the last couple of months of the regular season, gave Vancouver a run for their money. Conversely, it took Chicago six games to knock off the Calgary Flames, but Games Five and Six were 5-1 and 4-1 blowouts for the Blackhawks. Chicago's had two full off-days to recuperate, so fatigue shouldn't be too much of an issue for them. Vancouver's been off for nine days, which could make the Canucks a little slow out of the gate tonight. However, the long layoff also means that some key players will be able to return to the Vancouver lineup tonight (Matthew Sekeres, The Globe and Mail), including Mats Sundin, Sami Salo and Taylor Pyatt.

Advantage: Slight edge to Chicago.

The forwards: The Blackhawks have an impressive group of young players up front, including five guys who notched 20 or more goals this season (Jonathan Toews, Martin Havlat, Patrick Sharp,Patrick Kane and Kris Versteeg). Versteeg led the team with seven points in Round I, but Kane and Sharp added six each. Dustin Byfuglien, Andrew Ladd and Dave Bolland also each had 15 goals or more during the regular season. Defensively, their key forward is Sami Pahlsson, who played a crucial role in the Anaheim Ducks' 2007 Stanley Cup victory, but Ben Eager, Troy Brouwer and Adam Burish are also good at the bang-and-crash side of the game.

For the Canucks, the top line of Alex Burrows and Daniel and Henrik Sedin was the key scoring threat this season. Both Sedins put up 82-point seasons (31 goals and 51 assists for Daniel, 22 and 60 for Henrik), while Burrows added 28 goals and 23 assists. Ryan Kesler and Pavol Demitra also had 20-goal campaigns, while Mats Sundin put up a respectable nine goals and 19 assists in 41 games in a second-line role after joining the team midway through the year. Other forwards who can chip in offensively include Steve Bernier (15 goals, 32 points), Kyle Wellwood (18 goals, 27 points) and Mason Raymond (11 goals, 23 points). On the defensive side, Burrows, Kesler and Wellwood have all proven their worth as great two-way players and Ryan Johnson is one of the league's top shot-blockers and defensive forwards.

Most of the previews you'll read for this series give the Blackhawks a substantial edge in forwards, but this year's regular-season stats suggest that the two groups are pretty even. Both teams have solid top lines and excellent scoring depth, as well as several forwards who can backcheck.

Advantage: Push

The defence:
The Canucks' defence corps has an interesting mix of guys who can contribute at both ends of the ice. Kevin Bieksa and Alex Edler provided much of the offence from the blue line this year, notching 43 and 37 points respectively while recording 11 and 10 goals, but both are strong inside their own blue line as well. Mattias Ohlund and Willie Mitchell excel in their own end and contribute offensively from time to time. Sami Salo is notoriously injury-prone, but has one of the hardest shots in the league, while Shane O'Brien and Ossi Vaananen add depth.

The Blackhawks' defence is much younger, but just as impressive. Brian Campbell remains one of the league's elite offensive defencemen. He had a seven-goal, 45-point season and has improved his defensive play as well. Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and Cam Barker are stars in the making and Niklas Hjalmarsson and Matt Walker add depth. Many writers give the Canucks the edge on defence, but these lineups look pretty equivalent to me. Chicago allowed an average of 29.3 shots against per game during the first round, slightly better than Vancouver's 32.8 mark but not a considerable difference. The one advantage the Canucks have going for them on the back end is playoff experience. Chicago's defence performed well for the most part in the first round, but they showed some jitters in Games Three in Calgary where the Blackhawks conceded 4 and 6 goals respectively.

Advantage: Push

Goaltending:
Both teams have strong goaltenders. Roberto Luongo has been consistently outstanding throughout his time in Vancouver and turned in a tremendous performance against St. Louis in Round I, where he put up a .962 save percentage and a 1.15 goals-against average, leading the league in both categories. Khabibulin recorded a .914 save percentage and a 2.52 goals-against average in Round I while facing less shots per game, so he comes up a bit short there. He does have a Stanley Cup on his resume from Tampa Bay's run in 2004, something Luongo can't match. Khabibulin split time with Cristobal Huet during the regular-season, putting up a 25-8-10 record with three shutouts, a .919 save percentage and a 2.33 goals-against average. He's also 0-9-1 in his last 10 games against Vancouver. Luongo put up a 33-13-16 record in 54 regular-season games with a 2.34 GAA and a .920 save percentage, very similar to Khabibulin's numbers and slightly below his usual standards. However, he was fighting through a groin injury for much of the year and appears to be back in dominant form, so the Canucks get the edge here.

Advantage: Edge to Vancouver.

Power play: Both teams had terrific power-play performances in the first round. The Blackhawks converted seven of 24 opportunities for a 29.2 success rate, while Vancouver was four for 18 for a 22.2 percentage. During the regular season, Chicago was 70 for 363 on the power play (19.3%) and Vancouver was 67 for 357 (18.8%). There's not a huge difference here, but the numbers do favour the Blackhawks.

Advantage: Slight edge to Chicago

Penalty kill: During the regular season, both teams were close to the league average on the penalty kill. Vancouver allowed 69 power-play goals on 371 chances for a 81.4 penalty-killing percentage while Chicago allowed 64 goals on 330 power-play opportunities, giving them a 80.6 penalty-killing percentage. In the postseason, both teams have shot up to among the league leaders. Vancouver has only allowed one goal on 24 opportunities for a 95.8 penalty-killing percentage that's second-best in the league (behind only the Boston Bruins, who haven't allowed a goal in the eight power play attempts against them). The Blackhawks have allowed two goals on 18 opportunities for a 88.9 penalty-killing percentage, tied for fourth-best.

Advantage: Slight edge to Vancouver.

The tally: The forward and defence lineups of both teams are quite even, and Vancouver's penalty-killing edge negates Chicago's power-play edge. The Canucks may be slightly hurt by the long layoff, but the goaltending advantage is what makes the difference in this analysis.

The prediction: Vancouver in six.

Other notes: The last time the teams met on March 27, the game erupted into a brawl (Greg Wyshynski, Puck Daddy) that resulted in 12 penalties and at least one accusation of hair-pulling. Expect some of that bad blood to carry over. It should be a good series; the up-and-coming Hawks against the new-look Canucks, with the history between the sides as an added factor to sweeten the pot. Enjoy it, and come join the live blog tonight!

[Cross-posted to Sporting Madness]

The Sky is Falling in Toronto: Media Madness!!

Watch out, Toronto sports fan, the media is presently in all out war for your soul! Well, maybe that is a bit overly dramatic, but they're certainly trying to side with you, both the naysayers and the upbeats optimists.

The spin is in full effect here! Jeff Blair wrote an opinion piece in the Globe and Mail yesterday, chastizing all that is Toronto professional sports for their championship inadequecy. In response, Dave Perkins of the Toronto Star came out today in defence, a clear rebuttal to Blair's attack on sports fans around Hogtown. The only problem is that it appears both have missed the mark - while the effort was there the execution could have used a little bit of polish. And why has this suddenly become a big issue? Beyond the National pasttime of beratting Toronto it's hard to find reasoning behind this debate, although it is kind of funny to watch play out.

In Blair's article he criticizes the recent failures of Toronto's franchises, stating that no significant championships have been won in Toronto since the Blue Jays World Series run of the early 90's, dismissing 3 Grey Cup wins by the Argo's due to the membership size of the CFL:

Since the Jays captured the back-to-back World Series win in 1993, all this city has to show is three Grey Cup titles, and comparing the Argos to the NFL franchises is charitable, as the odds against winning an NFL title are greater.

What can be forgiven here is that this article was merely speaking in terms of the 4 major North American sports (ironically enough in the States it seems that hockey could be debated as the #4 sport, but I digress...). It still stings though, and possibly hurts the loyal fanbase of the Toronto Rock even more (although they seem to brush things off rather well). The Rock won 5 NLL Championships between 1999-2005, that team composed was nothing short of a dynasty within that stretch. The city did get a little more wrapped up in Lacrosse at that point in time, so it can be said to have helped the city's psyche, but apparently not enough for Blair.

It's almost as if this article was written for bashing Toronto and nothing more seeing as how this is one of the oldest schticks there is. Even the few valid points raised (propensity to fire managers by all Toronto sports clubs, less than kind winning percentage across all 4 major sports since the mid 90's, the failures at building clubs by all of the Leafs, Raptors and Jays), are lost when there is nothing proposed to show a turn around beyond citing that some other towns (Boston was mentioned) have done it, so why can't Toronto? Excuse to bash the city duly noted.

And now to the Defence's case: the day following Blair's write-up in comes Dave Perkins to stand up for his town. Admirable yes, but Perkins seems overly optimistic and unreasonable at times as well, leaving the reader with the message that it's worth it to simply wait it out and keep smiling. Sure that may be the answer in some cases (see the Leafs, possibly the Jays waiting to build up the system?), but not nearly a universal (see Raptors and once again the Jays too). While there's a point where one becomes too much of a cynic the same can be said for being overly optimistic as well.

And yes, I do realize this last sentence is written from the person who has time and again this year claimed people should give the Raptors more chances, however I've given my reasons to stay positive on this campaign. And trust me that if the paperwork presently being swaped between Bay St. and South Beach looks good, I likely won't be quite as outnumbered anymore!

Honestly, what is going on here? Overly positive, overly negative, and sadly both of these articles could have included at least some mention to the Upset Fan campaign being organized by angered Maple Leafs fans to make a difference, rather than just spout the same old rhetoric that keeps people going in circles.

$4 dollars will be donated to the SickKids Foundation for every bag and t-shirt set purchased, for every single bag purchased $1 dollar will be donated, for every single T-Shirt, hat, or car flag bought $2 dollars will be donated.

Our intentions for creating this website and these products was to have UPSET FANS like us turn a media frenzy negative, in leaf nation, into, a fun, positive and helpful brand.

Loyal fans like us, want the Toronto Maple Leafs to win a Stanley Cup. In saying that, we feel until that happens, why can't all of us UPSET FANS who support our team, give to good causes along the way?

A picture of fans wearing these paper bags was featured in the Globe and on their website but no expansion beyond that (likely too positive to describe in full, takes away from the article). And Perkins too made no mention, while this is a sign of hope that fans have their heads on straight in troubling times here in Toronto (likely also comes with too negative a critique however).

Both arguments were lacking, but one thing is clear - both sides want your attention, and they'll omit/forget whatever facts to leave you as cozy/disgruntled as possible. Time to get the National Post to step in as mediator and maybe bring some method to this madness, and maybe a level headed approach to the issue.

Just a bunch of losers (Globe and Mail)
Why it's good Toronto teams are so bad (Toronto Star)

Blog blast past: Paul Quarrington, on life boxes and bullet-counters

Toronto author Paul Quarrington died earlier Thursday from lung cancer. One obit remembered him as a "hockey bard." As a small token of appreciation, here is a post from June 3, 2009, when news of his illness went public.

One way to stay positive about the sad news about Toronto author Paul Quarrington is to reflect on something taken from his work.

Quarrington, who has been diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer, has has indulged his sports sweet tooth for a couple of his comic novels. Home Game revolved around baseball, while King Leary traded on hockey.

He also provided two concepts serious sports obsessives probably should have a greater appreciation for, Life Boxes and bullet-counters. The first was from a sports book but covered life its ownself. It was the opposite with the latter, which is in keeping with how it goes with Quarrington. He usually turns it all inside-out to reveal any kind of truth.

LIFE BOXES

Life Boxes comes from Quarrington's Hometown Heroes. The book is kind of obscure. Quarrington hung around with the Canadian national hockey team during the months leading up to the 1988 Calgary Olympics. It's out of print and might not have a ton of appeal to either literary types or sports nuts (Canada doesn't have a national hockey team anymore). It was valuable for Quarrington's theory that the grid of career statistics that sports fans memorized off the back of trading cards in the days before Baseball-Reference.com or hockeyDB should be called Life Boxes.

"I have learnt about Life Boxes.

"No-one else calls them Life Boxes, although the name seems fairly obvious to me. Media people, scouts, creatures of this ilk, make a concerted effort to sum up a man's professional career in a box about yea big:"



"You see enough of these Life Boxes, you learn some things."

Quarrington wasn't the only one to muse how one could infer details about an athlete just from the rows of numbers. Bill James also covered it off in one of his Baseball Abstracts. However, the idea of a Life Box has some appeal. It offers clues about how someone lived, what kind of hopes they woulod have had early in their life, their personal frustrations, the bumps in the road and how it ended.

It reaffirms that pro athletes are blessed. Their Life Boxes are filled out for them. The rest of us are on our own. Most of us, frankly, don't have a screw's clue how to fill in the blanks if your life was laid out in the style of a hockey card.

2001-02 University of King's College ?
2002-03 Portage Daily Graphic ??
2003-04 Portage Daily Graphic ???
2004-05 Simcoe Reformer ????
2005-06 Simcoe Reformer ?????
2006-07 Ottawa Sun ??????
2007-08 Ottawa Sun ???????
2008-09 Ottawa Sun ????????

Thankfully, life isn't broken up into chunks. Don't miss the point, though. The appeal is in wishing it could be that simple.

BULLET-COUNTERS

Bullet-counters speaks to the old saw about never letting the facts get in the way of a good story. It comes up with writing about sports. There are so many statistics and names to that must be correct and every sport attracts it share of knowitalls and the literal-minded, God love 'em, plus a few honest-to-goodness dullards. Screw one detail up and all the blood, sweat and tears which went into capturing the spirit of the thing is null and void.

The way it works is there's no coming back from having all that meticulously crafted prose unravel on a nail thanks to a misspelled last name or writing a 25-yard pass was a 30-yard pass. The person pointing it out, take it from someone who's been on both ends, usually means well. However, the proper huffy response is to receive them as another those-who-can't type, as Quarrington's main character in The Ravine, Phil Quigley, a producer on a TV Western set in the 19th century, explains to an underling.

" 'See, the thing is, Willy, there is magic in television. But no one around here ever trusts the stuff. We don't need to get an actual hundred-and-sixteen-ear-old typewriter. We could shoot a dishwasher and just say it's a hundred-and-sixteen-ear-old typewriter, and everyone — everyone except Ernst Kibble — would believe us. Send it back.'

"Ernst Kibble, in case you are wondering, is a man who lives in, I don't know, a rabbit warren in Northern Ontario. He watches Padre faithfully, but has no interest in the show beyond the spotting and reporting of historical inaccuracies. He's the supreme bullet-counter. You know what I mean, right? For example, in the crowd at the Galaxy Odeon there were at least four kids who, upon commencement of any gunfight in the Old West, would start counting aloud the bullets fired. If there was ever a seventh bullet discharged from a six-shooter these little creatures would howl derisively. Bullet-counters grow up to be accountants, although Ernst Kibble has the syndrome too profoundly to function in society. He once pointed out to us — via an email, a godsend to the insane — that the stars in the night sky were in an alignment that belied our stated time of year. 'That is simply not a November vistage!' "

Bullet-counters seems like a good term for people who get hung up on something tiny and ancillary. They might be right. They're wrong if they can't see the magic that just happened, although the existence of such is usually a function of the writer's ego.

Who knows what fate awaits Paul Quarrington, since the survival rates for people diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer are not overly promising. He made the magic happen, and trying to popularize a couple of his concepts is just a modest way to join the people wishing him well in his fight.

Related:
Quarrington says lung cancer diagnosis 'surreal'; Writer and musician hopes to see some projects through (John Doyle, Globe & Mail; via Quill & Quire)

What would happen if....

Over the course of holiday season, some sports issues have clearly come to light that demand either a question or a response.


First off, did the Czechs feel like the folks Romans used to torture at the colosseum once the score reached 5-0?

How can the NHL justify watching the Phoenix Coyotes lose $35 million IN OPERATIONS ALONE, and not justify another Canadian Franchise? Unless they want to screw the player's union and keep the escrow money?

Why can't that franchise be in Toronto (perhaps somewhere in northern Toronto?), Kitchener-Waterloo or, perhaps Winnipeg?

How can the Baseball Hall of Fame voters justify excluding Tim Raines from the Hall of Fame, yet consider the 'roid ragers that will come up on the ballot in upcoming years?

Why does the Hockey Hall of Fame seemingly let anyone with 1,000 points and a handshake into its hallowed shrine, when Baseball has standards?

How can those standards exclude Tom Cheek from the media wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame?

Why doesn't Bob Cole call curling games, a sport he once played at a high level, instead of hockey, a sport he can clearly not can't keep up with anymore?

How will Bob Cole cover Vancouver Canucks games once Sundin teams up with the Sedin twins?

(editor's note: Probably like this: "There he goes! Whoa Baby, look at him go. What a pass to the Sunnnnnnedin."

Why hasn't Martin Sheen ever played a baseball manager in a movie?

Why didn't Oren Koules stick to making bad horror flicks and mediocre TV shows? Was he expecting to catch lightning in a bottle and settled for aging free agents instead?

Could the B.C. Lions beat the Detroit Lions straight up?

How did the Boston Bruins grab a 10 point lead on the Montreal Canadiens when the Canadiens were the favourites?

Did Rickards deliberately try to find bartenders that look like Bob Gainey for their new ads?

Was Bob Gainey auditioning for a new job in said ads?

If that doesn't work, are Alexander Keith's commercials next? (Willllllllllllsssssssssooooooooooonnnnnn!)

Nashville isn't the NHL's canary in the economic coal mine. Detroit is.

When Stephen Harper caused a constitutional crisis to stay in power, citing the coaliton was undemocratic, did he realize that shutting down Parliament isn't exactly setting the best example?

It may seem to a purist that a dome stadium in Regina for the Saskatchewan Roughriders is a bad idea. But it's not like the fans there had much of a tradition with home playoff games....

Why the Saskadome is a good idea: no CFL stadium currently requires ear protection for games against Hamilton. Health Canada would have to mandate such a law if a dome is built in Regina. Either that, or fans would train in the off season by standing next to jet engines. And unlike the new stadium plans in Winnipeg (which are spiffy, but...) Regina could use the whole stadium year round for public recreation, which isn't such a bad idea in January.

To Paul Beeston: For the love of god, please stay as Jays' head honcho.

To J.P Riccardi: Pulling the pin on the development plan in Year 6 isn't a ringing endorsement. Probably best to redo the resume and hand them out at Wal-Mart. Who knows. That greeting doesn't look too hard, and you might find a decent reliever for your softball team.

The Canadian Football League will survive the NFL's arrival in Toronto ( in Western Canada), but the idea of the NFL coming to the Big Smoke is just as laughable as the Bills playing games at Epcot. Don't believe me? How many tickets did they REALLY sell at Rogers Centre? Not 54,000.

The Continental Cup is an idea that deserves to die, but should be replaced with another, more plausible idea. Games between teams from across the globe can be good for the sport. Skills competitions can work too. Ryder Cup format? Not so much.

Kevin Martin and Glenn Howard may be the present in curling. Winnipeg's Mike McEwen will be the future, not Brad Gushue.

Who in their right mind would pay $2,500, regular price, to watch a regular season baseball game?

Who wouldn't pay $2,500 to see North Carolina light up Duke at the Dean Dome?

How is it possible there's a professional mini-golf circuit? Is there some kind of skill getting past the windmill?

Happy New Year,

Keith the Curling Guy.

Battling for Airtime: oh, what a weekend!

This weekend was made of the stuff that sports fans dream of, the entire weekend was a case study in why sports compels so many!

In Junior Hockey the Canadian squad started off strong in exhibition play all weekend long, providing excitement to the masses eagerly anticipating the start up of the tournament in just a matter of days.

This weekend's Football ticket was nothing short of intriguing, confusing and exciting all at the same time as the playoff picture become nothing short of muddier - the perfect compliment for the action that began the night before. Saturday night, the historic last game played at Texas Stadium, provided both a defensive showdown early with an offensive explosion in the final quarter, coming virtually right down to the wire to decide the outcome and close down the hallowed field.

While on the ice the professional ranks shone on Saturday night with two Canadian teams winning in dramatic fashion in OT, while another played the uncommon role this season of a dominant winning side for a change! There was also some Curling thrown into the mix as well as North America squared off against a World team, which was broadcast throughout the weekend (for those interested, I came back to it from time to time).

And in the world of Footy the FIFA World Club Championship (for those following) came to a close with Manchester United on top while an undermanned Arsenal drew Liverpool, once again giving Chelsea a chance to move atop the EPL - whether they take the bait or not is another issue altogether...

Suffice it to say, it isn't hard to assume that basketball was pushed to the side this weekend by many, even before Friday night's rather embarrassing Raptors loss to the worst team in the Association (well, those with TSN2 had that choice on Friday night anyways).

The Toronto Raptors may not have been the sports fan subject of choice on Saturday night, but if that is the case it's rather unfortunate because if one had been flipping back and forth they would've seen a flawed (yes) but spirited effort on the part of Toronto facing off against perennial giants the San Antonio Spurs. Yes, the holes were still apparent, but the desire was also apparent too - something missing the night before. An effort like that would have earned them a win on Friday night in Oklahoma City. Once again the team continues along on its common theme of the season thus far: hope is rekindled that the team can put it together after a more inspired effort against a top flight team, but then of course that one last point still lingers on - the game was still another loss.

Overall, a sports fan couldn't have asked for a better weekend - well for the most part, of course for the Raptors fans out there things could have been better! As football winds down and hockey picks up twofold it's likely basketball will take a seat over the next little while for many Canadian sports fans. Every once and a while though try and throw some hoops into the mix, you never know you may actually get a good game out of it!

Lynx extinct in Augusta

This isn't good. Although, if you've been paying attention, it's not surprising. There will likely be more stories of pro sports teams folding up the shop before this little economical mess we're in is over.

So, what can one learn from the failure of the ECHL's Augusta Lynx? First, you can probably put to rest the common theory that sports is an recession proof industry. Clearly, it isn't. When the sheriff is dropping by to put boards on your windows, going to watch those crazy Canadians fight at the skating rink isn't priority No. 1.

Not that we needed any further proof of it, but it might also suggest that fallacy of the false hockey market. It's not like the Lynx would have priced themselves out of the market. Even if you can still see through those windows you are probably looking carefully at how you spend you entertainment dollar. Should I go to the ball game with my son, just like my dad did with me? Or, should I check out a game played on ice by people that live in the north?

So long as things don't turn really bad, teams that play games that matter to the people they play them for should be fine. There is some truth to the idea that people will seek out distractions when the world is blowing up around them (This past U.S. Thanksgiving weekend saw the biggest box office take in history). Still, if I were a fan of a southern hockey team (and you know that there is at least one person in Augusta this morning that is devastated by the news that they no longer have a team. We should feel for that person), or any other "minor" pro sport--the NLL, MLS, AFL, etc--I should be a little bit concerned.

Mirtle's Rather Excellent Musings have a brand new home

REM once released an album called Eponymous, so it suited the occasion for James Mirtle to reference a song of theirs as he made a big announcement concerning his eponymous hockey blog.

Great Big Sea covered that tune as well, and you could saw that Mr. Mirtle, who's been a big patron of this site, is diving into a great big sea of sorts. He has signed on as SB Nation's manager of hockey blogs at fromtherink.com.

James has been an inspiration and of course, took the initiative to create The CIS Blog which three of this site's writers maintain. It's always been appreciated.

Related:
It's the end of the blog as we know it (James Mirtle)

The NHL: Shame free since 1917

Playing in the KHL will kill you. Or, at least that's the message many of this country's so-called hockey experts seem intent on conveying following the sudden death of Rangers' prospect Alexei Cherepanov Sunday.

The sad tale of the young player's death is well known. For those unaware, it basically boiled down to a heart that stopped working and a slow response from EMS officials in Russia. Complicating matters was a faulty defibrillator.

Hockey pundits are practically gleeful in telling us that it shouldn't have happened. It shouldn't have. If the kid had a condition that put him at risk he shouldn't have been on the ice and the medical response should have been quicker. A teenager is dead now because not enough was done to protect him.

So, critics are right to point out that. Where they are going, oh, about 10 million times too far is in the not-too-subtle inference that it wouldn't have happened here. The "experts'" joy is barely hidden when they point out that NHL players considering a move to the rival league must "really consider what they are doing." If you are a middling NHLer, or Russian, you best not take the additional money and playing opportunity that the league might provide you. Your life just isn't worth that.

'Cause the Canadian and American medical system is without fault and North American professional sports managers have always shown the utmost concern for the health of their athletes.

The puckheads and their media apologists are petrified of the KHL. They are scared that it might work and, like the bully that tells a girl that he likes her by pulling her hair, they are in full-out insult mode when it comes to the league. It makes sense that they are, shamelessly, using the Cherepanov situation to further their agenda.

However, it would be nice if, for once, hockey's deep thinkers would address a perceived threat positively rather than circling the wagons and getting on the defensive.

Related: Cherepanov death raises questions

Update: The N.Y. Times' Jeffrey Z. Klein has more.

Just a quick suggestion for your bookmarks

Many will know of this resource already, but in this cap world knowing the payroll of your favourite team can be vital to understanding just how strong their position is.

So, it's a good thing HockeyBuzz breaks the current numbers down for us in such a nice, pretty way.

This one is bookmarked here. I suspect it will be looked at often in the lead up to the trading deadline.

Granted, the Leafs prefer the media keep its distance

Talk about your "dammit, why didn't I think of that" moments:

Move the press boxes closer to the ice. Hockey is incredibly fast, but because press boxes are as far from the action as they can possibly be, the game looks slow. Many American writers are new to the game and aren't aware of the speed at which it is played. If they were, they would write in more glowing terms. Since basketball takes this approach, it's surprising that (NHL commissioner Gary) Bettman hasn't mandated it."

-- Al Strachan, "Five Things Bettman needs to change," FOX Sports

There is a FFC of this ever happening, since the NHL will never, ever give up any of those high-priced expensive seats. Great suggestion by Mr. Strachan, but the NHL won't take seats out to accommodate a wider ice surface, which would make for a better game. Besides, Gary Bettman doesn't have that kind of pull -- it's not like he's one of BusinessWeek's 20 most infuential people in sports or something, because he isn't.

The commissioners of the NFL, NBA, Major League Baseball and NASCAR are Nos. 2, 3, 7 and 8. Bettman is 21st, just ahead of L.A. Kings owner Philip Anschutz and his partner Tim Leiweke. With the push to put a team in Kansas City just because Anschutz built a rink there, some would say those spots should be reversed.

A mini-snark break ... why pucks and politics don't mix well

Instant joke: After Saturday night, what will Gov. Sarah Palin, Michael Irvin with a broken neck, Eric Lindros and Santa Claus have in common?

... They will have each been booed in Philadelphia.

No doubt most sports fans could care less that the Flyers' Ayn Rand-adoring owner Ed Snider (right in picture), has invited the "most popular hockey mom in North America" (his words) to drop the puck on Saturday. It's a cheap political stunt and it makes little sense.

After all, David Brooks just called Palin a "fatal cancer" in the Republican Party. The Flyers don't want to be associated with cancer -- they fired a coach for having it!

Philly is the Democrats' turf and sports fans there take a certain pride in booing people. Why subject a candidate to that? Republicans tend to fare better in Western Pennsylvania. By that logic, then, it would make more sense to have Gov. Palin make an appearance at a home game of the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Flyers' hated rivals. Ironically enough, the Penguins part-owner, Ron Burkle, is a big-time Democratic donor, so that's probably not happening.

On some level, this is funny and fairly nonsensical. On another level, it is a classic case of "the right-wing edge of the fundamentalist movement that uses sports to mask a political agenda of creationism, bigotry, environmental catastrophe and deregulation." (Dave Zirin, The Nation, Oct. 7.)

Snider absolutely adores Ayn Rand, who was a great author only to people who never read any other authors. He even helped found the Ayn Rand Institute: The Center for the Advancement of Objectivism, whose Wiki notes that (unlike Palin) it is pro-choice and firmly for the separation of church and state.

Professional sports teams are always going to invite politicians to appear at games. People will always claim they're against mixing politics and sports in general, even though they don't say a peep if they support the politician in question.

It is Snider's hockey team and it is his prerogative to invite whoever he chooses. It bears repeating, though, that the beauty of sport is that you can connect with other people as fans without caring or knowing how or if they voted in the last election. Shame on the Ed Snider for spitting on a sacred truth of sports for the sake of his political agenda. People support the Flyers because they're a successful team, not because of the owner's politics.

Ask and you Schenn receive

No pressure kid. It’s just that every John, Bill and Todd in Oakville, Newmarket and Milton is counting on you. We've been loyal fans after all. We've even subscribed to Leafs TV—Todd sometimes watches those Leafs classic games. There is a great game from ’77 against the North Stars when Sittler gets a hat-trick. Man, it brings back the memories. That was the year for Todd. He convinced Kristin—God, what was her last name again?—to go out with him and, well…good times, good times.

Of course you weren’t yet on the scene in 1977 Luke. A glimmer in your daddy’s eye, so they say. So, try not to concern yourself with the pressure we, Leafs Nation ™ are putting on your 18-year-old shoulders. We’re just kind of desperate here, you know. I mean if Cliff had convinced Mats to come back (at least he's not going to Montreal, eh? That would have been hard to take), or if Tucker we’re still around, then we’d have something more to look forward to.

We know that there are no guarantees in the NHL draft. For every Chris Pronger there is a Luke Richardson (and we’d actually take another Richardson, but we won’t admit that without a few beers in us). But, there has been so little hope to hope for lately that it’s all on you kid.

But, no pressure. We don’t mean to eat you alive. We don’t want to run you out of town—maybe booing you like we did Larry Murphy. We sure don’t want to watch you score an overtime winner against us for Columbus sometime in 2011. ‘Cause that would really suck.

We really do think it’s a great idea to have to stick from camp. To run you out there every night during this 72-point (if we are lucky) season. I’m sure you will learn the craft well on the wrong end of 7-2 losses to Ottawa. We won’t try to blame you. We won’t try to erode your confidence.

But, we can’t make any promises.

We Be-Leaf! Stanley here we come!!

The dream of a 12 goal, 35 point NHL season fuels the nation

The easy thing to do would be to link today's nice little feature on Brett Sutter's attempt to become the latest NHLer from Viking, Albt.

Perhaps add a line or two about how amazing it is that so many players from the same family could make it to the big league. That is a good story. It's a testament to a lot of grit and determination.

Pretty much every Canadian knows the Sutter story. The brothers have long ago been canonized.

So, it would be easy to just make a little note of the story and move on. The only problem is that it's possible that the Sutter boys are quite possibly the worst thing that has ever happened to Canadian hockey (looking nervously over shoulder waiting for CSIS agents to burst in and revoke passport).

Not individually. Each on his own is fine. They are mostly hard working, grinding Prairie boys. Third line types. Sandpaper and all that. No one should have any issue with any single Sutter.

But the collective myth that surrounds them, well that's a different matter. The lesson that every Canuck kid that puts on skates takes from the Sutters is that the quintesential Canadian player is tough, works hard and finishes his checks. All valuable assests. All good qualities. If the Canadian dream continued from this point all would be well. The problem is that we as a nation have fetishized the hard working third liner as the ideal player. Although they wouldn't likely frame it as such, most Canadian players would rather be a hard working grunt with limited talent than a skillful player that always looks for the goal.

Our dream player wins the Selke.

Thankfully, we produce so bloody many players that the odd one slips by that hasn't had every ounce of creatitivity sucked out of him from listening to the old, creepy crank that hangs out at the rink all day yelling "SHOOOOOT" every time he touches the puck. Brett Sutter is likely a good kid. We should wish him well. Let's just, as a nation, aspire to be a little bit more than checking forwards.

Getting ready for a resounding gong show; or, bollocks to wannabe Sam Pollocks

Re-reading Neal Pollack's essay The Cult of the General Manager is one way to feel fortified against the NHL's quote-unquote free agent frenzy.

"If you don't care about buying, selling, and trading, the sports world has much less to offer you these days.

"... My modest GM fantasies begin and end with baseball, where numbers rule and where such obsessions were born. Every other sport has to stay relatively pure in my mind; I've struggled for years to ignore the NBA's arcane salary cap rules, and I'm not about to change now ... I want to see the final product, not hear about how it was made in Santa's workshop.

"As deathly dull as a general manager's machinations may be, there's obviously an audience for it. I think that's warped ... Really, who would you rather be, Tom Brady or the guy who signed Tom Brady to a long-term deal? This may be the age of the general manager. But the quarterback still has more fun."

Who needs any of it? As far as this country boy's concerned, all the myriad hockey insiders in the newspapers, on the Canadian sports networks and among the blogeteriat combined who would have you believe it matters where Sean Avery signs combine to be a resounding gong or a clattering cymbal. (Not all of them, mind you; Mirtle should have outstanding coverage.) There's an element there of knowing everything about hockey except how to enjoy it.

They have not love. (It's in First Corinthians, people!)

(Devil's advocate: Who says hockey is meant to be enjoyed? After all, as any good hockey parent who just plunked down $425 to send little a week at Mike Fisher's hockey school knows, if you're not as serious as a heart attack about hockey from the time you're six years old, you'll have nothing but regret when you become one of the complete and utter failures otherwise known as the 99.5% of Canadian males who don't make the pros and have only themselves to blame.)

Hockey talk is most soothing during the time of year when the game is actually in season (which is a long enough timeframe already). It's OK to talk about the business dealings of certain NHL owners (cough) or possible rules changes during the off-season.

The only interest on this end is whether Mats Sundin will sign with a team that wears blue helmets, which won't be known for a while. Seeing him with a red or black bucket after all these years with the Nordiques, Leafs and Team Sweden would be too weird.

Seriously, though, anyone whose mind is on where Marian Hossa will sign should go a fly a kite on Canada Day. That's not just an expression.

Related:
The Cult of the General Manager; Can We Go Back To Worshipping Athletes Already (Neal Pollack, Slate, Aug. 29, 2005)