Return of the Jets?

I know, I am a terrible, terrible person.  Not really.  The void just swallows this along with everything else, but my point is that I didn't stick to my own promises.

Whether or not everyone else agrees, hockey is a Canadian sport.  It was a Canadian that took hockey down south to the US of A and made it a professional sport.  So why is it that out of thirty NHL teams all but six are American?

It has been made more than clear over the past few years that the sun belt teams (think Tampa Bay, Pheonix, Florida) struggle financially.  It's not surprising.  The market for hockey in the southern states isn't exactly huge, and it's obvious that many of the fans are Canadian snow birds.  So it is time to move some of the struggling teams north of the border?

Even if those teams are left alone, I fully believe that there are several Canadian cities that are fully deserving and capable of supporting professional hockey teams.  Perhaps, instead of folding teams, we could move some back up north, or better yet keep all the current teams and create a few new and Canadian teams.

Hamilton would be a great market for a new franchise.  Some might argue that it is crazy to put another NHL team in such close proximity to Toronto, but I disagree. Hamilton has the capability to support a team in its initial phase, and with its location being so close to Toronto it provides season tickets for fans that would otherwise be waiting their whole life to even get a chance at them.  It works in football, so why not hockey?  It would create another fantastic rivalry in Ontario, one that would be a lot fiercer than the Toronto/Ottawa rivalry- if only because the new franchise would be on the same level as Toronto for its first couple of years.  Just kidding Leafs fans!

Speaking of rivalries, isn't it about time that we have a good old fashioned Quebec rivalry?  Montreal is a great, storied franchise but what about the Nordiques?  Quebec City is another great market, they can and will support the return of their beloved Nordiques, because none of them have forgotten their franchise.  Not to mention their all still bitter about the move to Colorado and the Stanley Cup win the season after.

There are so many other cities that could have NHL teams, what about another BC team?  We could definitely put a team back in Winnipeg, those Manitobans are crazy about their hockey and I would love to see them get their Jets back.  Even Saskatchewan could support a team, as evidenced by the World Juniors held there the other year. 

Come on Mr. Bettman, it's about time you woke up and smelled the roses.  Canada is the birthplace of hockey, give her some teams and no one is going to regret the spike in competition.

Is this Fight Night?

First off, I'd like to make apologies.  I know, apologies that probably go into the big void that is the Internet, but I feel that I've let myself down.  I made a commitment to post on this blog every other day, and I didn't.  In my defense I was sick, and preparing for surgery- which hasn't happened yet, but come the 24th it will take place.

My topic today is fighting in hockey. 

Violence has always, and will always be a part of hockey.  In fact when the first game of hockey was played in Montreal, it was the Kingston Whig-Standard that immediately raised concerns about the violence which was already ingrained into the game.  But where do we draw the line at what is too much?

Fighting has caused injury to many a player, and while it is an exciting part of the game loved by many fans, is it too much? 

I know that in junior hockey rules have been put in place about when the helmet comes off the linesmen have to step in.  I have seen it, and I'm sure it won't be the last time I have seen a player get a concussion.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3t7mqAezL2U&p=5CBDA9B6AC093641&playnext=1&index=41

Some will argue that Francella was out before he hit the ice, regardless of what gave him the concussion it shows the dangers of fighting.  If I remember correctly he was out for the remainder of the season, admittedly not that long considering this is Kingston we are talking about.  He did play the following season but he was never the same.

I believe that there are some reasons for fighting, for instance protecting your goaltender (although not that they all need it) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nAVNvoUp2Y.  Sometimes fights are used to fire the team up.

Reasons aside, do we want our star players fighting?  Are there ever reasons for the stars to fight?

Of course fighting is not the only injury risk in the game, you could easily get a concussion from being on the receiving end of a check, or you could tear a ligament driving hard to the net.  As much as I am a fan of fighting, it is an unnecessary risk run by the players, and it makes me wonder- is it time to crack down on fighting and outlaw it?

No Signal

I count myself as fortunate that I have cable, and therefore I do not miss many games during the NHL season.  However, I can't help but wonder why not all of the games are televised.

As an Ottawa Senators fan, I was disappointed to discover that Thursday's game against the Florida panthers was not televised.  I find this very odd because I live relatively close to Ottawa.  Neither CTV or CBC (Ottawa or otherwise) were showing the game, it was not on Rogers Sportsnet, TSN, or TSN 2.  It wasn't even on the NHL channel to which I subscribe.  Perhaps it was a pay-per-view game- but considering the current state of the Ottawa team I find that hard to believe.  I find the idea of pay-per-view hockey absurd.  You cannot guarantee a good game, whereas with fights and the like it can be almost guaranteed that you will see at least one good match up. 

I know that the NHL has certain contracts with certain channels, but I feel that you should be able to watch your local team.  It frustrates me when I can't see my team on big networks like TSN, but when its not even on a local channel I am beyond angry.  I hate resorting to listening to hockey on the radio- or worse yet refreshing TSN's homepage incessantly.

It has come to my attention that the coverage in the United States is even worse than it can be here in Canada.  Apparently Versus show the majority of the games, but as it is an extra and another cost when it comes to televsion it reaches a fairly small audience.

I'm sure that I'm not alone when I say it's time the NHL got its act together and got the games out there and available to everyone on major networks- and consistently.

Devils: Season from Hell?

Some people might not be surprised that the New Jersey Devils, a primarily defensive team, are having problems winning this season but I am.  They have been a force to be reckoned with since before the lockout, even if they do play a defensive style.  So why is it this season the Devils seem destined for the basement?

Not to pin the blame on the Devils' new coach, but it isn't necessarily wise to have a former player- All-Star status or not- coach.  Obviously MacLean has proven himself in the past, but he's now a rookie coach in the NHL and his team is not performing well. Could this be down to inexperience?  Possibly, but there are other factors, as there always are, to be taken into consideration.

Salary cap problems have plagued and will continue to plague teams.  You cold solve this by abolishing the salary cap, but I think that's a terrible idea because hockey would then become like the vicious worlds of professional soccer and basketball where as long as a team has the money they can stock their rosters with the glittering stars that the sport has to offer.  Five Devils are earning $5 million or more, six Devils are earning $3-4.5 million, four players earn $1-2.9 million and the rest of the roster fall bellow the million dollar mark.  The Devils' are not the most plagued but its clear that they have their issues.  Combine this with the drama surrounding Kovalchuck both on and off the ice and you have a recipe for disaster.

The under performance of the big stars is another major concern, with Kovalchuck being benched for his lack of offence, Brodeur posting just 2 wins in 9 games and other players, like Volchenkov out due to injury.

There are many problems surrounding the Devils', and many want to see MacLean fired.  I disagree.  It's not just down to him.  They need to get their act together, and soon, because otherwise MacLean will lose his job, and we may just see the Devil's getting the number one pick in the 2011 draft.

Head Shot!

It is becoming clear that head shots are becoming a huge problem in hockey.  Already nineteen players in the NHL have missed games due to concussions.  Some of these players, like Laperriere, are suffering from post-concussion syndrome from events that occurred last season, and while Laperriere's concussion was not a result of a dirty hit many of the players out with concussions are out thanks to a check to the head.


I'm pretty sure that most Canadian hockey fans will remember Patrice Cormier, the captain of Canada's junior team in 2010.  It wasn't long after that tournament that Cormier returned to his junior team in the QMJHL and laid out a young player by the name of Michael Tam.  The footage was graphic, and will definitely remain in my mind for a very long time.  Hits like this have been and will be replayed many times, so when should it be the responsibility of the league to step in and protect their players?


The concern of many is that if the league puts in protection rules that the players will stop protecting themselves but I disagree.  I can't even count how many times in a single game, whether its NHL or junior, that I see a player along the boards with his head down.  It's only a matter of time before someone lays them out, perhaps they won't be injured, perhaps they will.  Regardless it is clear that these players are not always protecting themselves, and sometimes the intensity of the situation makes them forget to do so.  The league needs to step in.


In addition to putting protective measures in place, the leagues really need to crack down on the offending players.  Suspensions and fines are great, but the inconsistency with which the NHL, in particular, doles out the punishment makes it difficult for me to take them seriously.  There needs to be a real, harsh, punishment for players who intentionally check another player to the head- and especially when its into the boards.


While I am a fan of the big hits, player safety is very important to me and I think the leagues have to get control of it now, before we see an increase in the number of players who's careers end thanks to a concussion.