The Devils, Sidney Crosby and the Blackhawks.
Since the inception of Surfeited with Dainties there has been no ice
hockey- and so it has been totally absent from the blog. Coming soon
will be a list of hockey blogs and links. My devotion to this
game (as a fan only) began at a young age in Bloomfield, New Jersey. My
great aunt or my uncle would take me to East Rutherford, New Jersey
which would be entirely inappropriate if it were not for Brendan Byrne
Arena (I STILL refuse to call it by its novel, ugly corporate name.)
I have of course been blessed to be a New Jersey Devils fan for the
duration of the 1990's and up until their last Stanley Cup win. During
this time I was also a fan of Utah Jazz basketball. I'm told I like
"boring, tedious excellence" in my sports teams. So be it. The
first labor stoppage in the NHL that I experienced resulted when the
sport was in its best shape after an epic Conference Finals between the
Devils and the Rangers. The sport never quite recovered.
The cancellation of the 2004-2005 season only intensified my love for
the game. I went out and bought ice skates and began a long but certain
process of learning to play the game. (Essay forthcoming, I swear)
But enough of that.
The big theoretical discussion of hockey fans is where superstar Quebec
kid, Sidney Crosby should play. The most obvious answer is "my team" -
but most hockey fans are thinking of some greater good for the sport.
Sidney Crosby is the most anticipated player since Eric Lindross or
Wayne Gretzky - where he lands is vitally important to the health of
the league. Sidney already has a major endorsement deal with Gatorade
(even though Powerade is officially linked to the NHL) The Net Files has an analysis
on how he would fit in any team - and he seems to recommend the Chicago
Blackhawks. I couldn't agree more. The Chicago Blackhawks, an original
six hockey club in a huge market, have fallen furthest from grace.
Michael Brendan Dougherty
in Hockey
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4 Comments
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Reader Comments (4)
Of course, it will probably be over Betman's cold dead body that he'll ever let a franchise back into Canada or do anything to support the Canadian market which I note is the same number of viewers as in the entire U.S.A. yet we have 10% the population.
Crosby in Minnesota would be interesting. I wouldn't mind it since the Wild's arena is several hours closer to my home town than any of the Canadian franchises. Minnesota gets a lot of old Winnipeg Jets fans like me in their arena every game, so this would be nice for us.
Of the picks made by "Ben", I'd have to say Pittsburgh or Chicago would be better, but I don't know if he could pull those teams up or whether he'd just be wasted since everyone could key on him alone. I'd be ready to hang myself if he goes to Philly or the Rangers since I feel about them the way most people feel about my Leafs. I probably really will hang myself if he goes to the Avalanche.
Overall, I think too much emphasis is being put on one player. What if he ends up being the next Daigle or Lindros (in my opinion Lindros has been a chronic under-achiever)? I'm just glad we'll have hockey back and I hope the cap gives the league more parity and helps it economically the way the N.F.L.'s salary cap has made them a powerhouse.
I think Bettman wasn't malicious towards Canada per se. Look at it this way. U.S. cities tended to be bigger. Bettman was trying to make hockey a national, rather than regional sport in the U.S. - to do that he needed a television contract - to get one he needed hockey teams in the South
Combine that with the fact that teams in Canada -already a smaller market, are faced with more income taxes than all U.S. teams combined and you have a ruinous financial situation for teams in Calgary, Winnipeg, etc.
There is a chance under the new CBA that it will be easier for teams to be profitable- and therefore Canada may get back one or two lost teams.
I think it is a testament to how popular hockey is here by the very fact that any teams can survive here despite the crippling taxes. I think the new C.B.A. will go a long way to making it possible for teams to return to Canada -- the problem is, Bettman will not allow it. Maybe I am just bitter over the Jets being taken away from us, but I really do think that Bettman is malicious towards Canada. I don't think he would allow a team to relocate here no matter how prosperous it might be. There were rumblings at a year or two ago that the Penguins might come here but Bettman stepped in and said he would not allow such a deal despite the fact that we could guarantee a sold-out [brand-new state-of-the-art] arena every game. However, I expect the N.H.L. will outlive Bettman and once he's gone, I think the new C.B.A. (or subsequent C.B.A.s with similar terms) could see a team or two return to Canada.
But enough of my bellyaching. I see what you are saying about trying to make hockey national, I just think the experiment failed and really hurt the league in the process.
Although I think the rule changes about which we hear constant speculation are aimed directly at eliminating the style of play the Devils invented in the 1990s - I hope they are a success in making the game more attractive. Hockey is just a fantastic sport - and yes, if I didn't make it clear - hockey belongs in Winnipeg and Calgary.
What we need in the U.S. is a hockey cable network - and perhaps one of the major networks to come up with an equivalent to Canada's famed "Hockey Night." ESPN and Fox executives were convinced that showing the Rangers even if they were abysmal and playing a meaningless game was better than showing a fascinating game between two smaller markets. That sort of thinking proved disasterous for the ratings and hurt everyone.
Although- a hockey network is a good idea - I'm thinking of getting Sirius radio so that I can listen to the games with better analysis, no silly graphics and significantly less flesh shown between periods.