A week removed from the all star game, and the real fun begins. The trade rumors are swirling, from the mundane (the recently completed trade of Milan Jurcina from Boston to Washington), to the spectacular (Peter Forseberg to SJ, ATL, MTL, ANA, etc), to the vague (Khabibulin to ANYWHERE). Honestly, what has me most excited so far is Jurcina to Washington. Not a glamorous deal, but it means the trading is beginning. It shows Boston is selling, and Washington is buying. It means more trades are coming (hopefully). There's more fodder for me to talk about, and get excited about. I hope to see more like it. I'd love to see Boston continue the selling- Brad Stuart isn't going to re-sign here, so get what you can for him.
I'd love to see Pittsburgh make a move or two to solidify their playoff run. Forsberg to ATL- I'm fascinated by the idea. On a line with Kovalchuk, on the PP with Hossa, so many possibilities. Where does Khabbibulin end up? Can anyone take on his salary?
Even names like Sundin are being thrown around. If the Leafs throw up the white flag, Mats could be playing south of the border, fast. There's plenty of veteran help to be had in Tkachuk and Guerin from the Blues, Aucoin of the Blackhawks, and maybe even Derian Hatcher.
I'm really looking forward to the next few weeks.
Thursday, February 1, 2007
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Oh, well
So, I was correct in my concerns about Vs. coverage of the Skills Competition, and the Youngstars game. The camerawork made my dizzy half the time, and the announcers had no idea what was going on. Mike Emerick merely cemented his place in my mind as one of the most annoying and overrated announcers of all time. The idea of having Mark Messier in the both was great- except all it did was distract Emerick and Bill Clement. Neither of them did any real announcing or commentating, they both just bumbled around Messier. Eddie Olcyk was the best part of the four of them, though he was still not much better.
No one knew when there was a goal in the youngstars game, which made it difficult to follow since the goals kept coming at a furious pace (though Lehtonen made a few spectacular saves, and didn't seem very interested in much of the game).
Worst of all was the last shootout portion of the night where Crosby and Selanne went head to head for 3 shots, and the announcers couldn't figure out that it was one of the events.
Hopefully tonight's game will be an improvement... I can't imagine it being much worse.
Although there were some technical difficulties, I was impressed with what Dallas did for the All Star celebration. They really seemed to go all out, with a red carpet for the players, and an exciting atmosphere for the fans. The transition between events went smoothly and seamlessly (except for the fastest skater competition, due to the aforementioned technical difficulties). Maybe hosting an event like this will breathe life back into what was once a rabid fan base in Dallas.
No one knew when there was a goal in the youngstars game, which made it difficult to follow since the goals kept coming at a furious pace (though Lehtonen made a few spectacular saves, and didn't seem very interested in much of the game).
Worst of all was the last shootout portion of the night where Crosby and Selanne went head to head for 3 shots, and the announcers couldn't figure out that it was one of the events.
Hopefully tonight's game will be an improvement... I can't imagine it being much worse.
Although there were some technical difficulties, I was impressed with what Dallas did for the All Star celebration. They really seemed to go all out, with a red carpet for the players, and an exciting atmosphere for the fans. The transition between events went smoothly and seamlessly (except for the fastest skater competition, due to the aforementioned technical difficulties). Maybe hosting an event like this will breathe life back into what was once a rabid fan base in Dallas.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Let's hope Versus gets it right
Less than an hour away from the first Youngstars game and Skills Competition in 3 years, and I can't wait. This is such an exciting time for the fans, the players, and the league.
21 first time all stars are participating this year, out of 42 total. And then there is the Youngstars game, players who are all first timers as well. This is a great opportunity to show the charisma and character of hockey's brightest stars. I'm hoping the NHL worked with Versus to make sure the players get lots of face time.
I remember, back in the good old days, when ESPN used to care, the coverage was excellent. Lots of interviews, players miked, and a fun atmosphere. Hopefully this years event can bring back that level of fun.
21 first time all stars are participating this year, out of 42 total. And then there is the Youngstars game, players who are all first timers as well. This is a great opportunity to show the charisma and character of hockey's brightest stars. I'm hoping the NHL worked with Versus to make sure the players get lots of face time.
I remember, back in the good old days, when ESPN used to care, the coverage was excellent. Lots of interviews, players miked, and a fun atmosphere. Hopefully this years event can bring back that level of fun.
Friday, January 19, 2007
Being from the Boston area, I am pre-disposed to being a Bruins fan. My family members are all Bruins fans (my dad grew up during the "Big Bad Bruins" era, and was even at the Garden for one of the Cup victories), my friends are all Bruins fans, and as much as I hate to admit it, deep down, I am a Bruins fan.
My formative hockey years were during the late '80's and early '90's, when the Bruins were one of the most entertaining, exciting and even dominant teams around. Looking back at those teams, it is hard to imagine how they didn't win a Stanley Cup. It's hard to imagine, that is, until you remember the plight of the Bruins: Ownership.
I was barely a teenager during that time period, just being introduced to the sport at the time. I knew most of the players on the team, and understood almost all of the rules. I was certainly no expert. But even at that stage in my hockey watching career, I could tell that they were always missing one piece. They were always one trade, one big name free agent signing away it seemed. And it was frustrating.
Finally, one year, Jacobs finally opened up his wallet (moths flew out, I'm sure) and spent big, on Kevin Stevens. Sure, he was a 50 goal scorer on a line with Lemieux and Jagr. He had to be good. But then again, so wasn't Sean Brown (and I know, you're scratching your head saying "who?"). It didn't work, for a multitude of reasons. And for years after, Jacobs used this as his reasoning for not making any other big splashes.
Now, years later, I actively root against the Bruins, even though at heart I am still a fan. They manage to continually botch chances at greatness (i.e. last year's Joe Thornton trade). As a fan of Phil Kessel, I was horrified when the Bruins drafted him- I didn't want to see him languish in Boston for years, wasting his vast potential.
Last night, watching the Bruins beat the Pens in overtime was bittersweet. I don't want to see Boston succeed, not until Jacobs is gone. But as a Bruins fan, born and raised, it was good to see them come back and win. And no matter what, you can't not root for Phil Kessel. The kid has been through enough already.
My formative hockey years were during the late '80's and early '90's, when the Bruins were one of the most entertaining, exciting and even dominant teams around. Looking back at those teams, it is hard to imagine how they didn't win a Stanley Cup. It's hard to imagine, that is, until you remember the plight of the Bruins: Ownership.
I was barely a teenager during that time period, just being introduced to the sport at the time. I knew most of the players on the team, and understood almost all of the rules. I was certainly no expert. But even at that stage in my hockey watching career, I could tell that they were always missing one piece. They were always one trade, one big name free agent signing away it seemed. And it was frustrating.
Finally, one year, Jacobs finally opened up his wallet (moths flew out, I'm sure) and spent big, on Kevin Stevens. Sure, he was a 50 goal scorer on a line with Lemieux and Jagr. He had to be good. But then again, so wasn't Sean Brown (and I know, you're scratching your head saying "who?"). It didn't work, for a multitude of reasons. And for years after, Jacobs used this as his reasoning for not making any other big splashes.
Now, years later, I actively root against the Bruins, even though at heart I am still a fan. They manage to continually botch chances at greatness (i.e. last year's Joe Thornton trade). As a fan of Phil Kessel, I was horrified when the Bruins drafted him- I didn't want to see him languish in Boston for years, wasting his vast potential.
Last night, watching the Bruins beat the Pens in overtime was bittersweet. I don't want to see Boston succeed, not until Jacobs is gone. But as a Bruins fan, born and raised, it was good to see them come back and win. And no matter what, you can't not root for Phil Kessel. The kid has been through enough already.
Monday, January 8, 2007
Good Luck Rory
Tomorrow morning, we find out the fate of Rory Fitzpatrick's all star hopes. It's been a good ride, thanks to some passionate fans, and the creator of http://www.voteforrory.com/, but going into the last week, he'd dropped to third in the voting.
For those not familiar with the story, Rory Fitzpatrick is a career minor league defenseman, who has played 238 career games over 8 seasons in the NHL. Some fans of Rory started a grassroots effort to get him voted into the Allstar game. He can make it, as long as he is voted in the top 2 defenseman in the western conference (voted as a starter by the fans). If he is not voted as a starter, the league will not invite him.
Honestly, I'm pretty excited about the idea of it. If he makes it, this would be a huge media blitz for the league. The more attention the game gets, the better chance of people tuning in and watching the rest of the all-stars. And I don't think someone can turn on a game with Crosby, Ovechkin, Thornton, and Brodeur, and not get intrigued, at the very least. That, combined with the new ad campaign focusing on how NHL players are real people (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZUTiEdhL30) should work to draw some casual fans.
I am really looking forward to the all star break. New rumors always pop up, the skills competition should be interesting, and the game itself should be great this year.
For those not familiar with the story, Rory Fitzpatrick is a career minor league defenseman, who has played 238 career games over 8 seasons in the NHL. Some fans of Rory started a grassroots effort to get him voted into the Allstar game. He can make it, as long as he is voted in the top 2 defenseman in the western conference (voted as a starter by the fans). If he is not voted as a starter, the league will not invite him.
Honestly, I'm pretty excited about the idea of it. If he makes it, this would be a huge media blitz for the league. The more attention the game gets, the better chance of people tuning in and watching the rest of the all-stars. And I don't think someone can turn on a game with Crosby, Ovechkin, Thornton, and Brodeur, and not get intrigued, at the very least. That, combined with the new ad campaign focusing on how NHL players are real people (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZUTiEdhL30) should work to draw some casual fans.
I am really looking forward to the all star break. New rumors always pop up, the skills competition should be interesting, and the game itself should be great this year.
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