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?