Sherry's Challenge

I promised Sherry, the brains and beauty behind Scarlett Ice, that I'd make a post about the challenge that she posed to the world. In three words or less, what hockey really needs right now is a...

I came up with three main ideas: fewer teams/teams in markets that actually give a crap about hockey, Commissioner Wayne Gretzky, and especially an ESPN contract.

First off, the NHL is complaining that these teams in markets like Atlanta and Florida really aren't making any money. Hmmm, I wonder why that might be? It's really effing hot in both of those places. The only time people would ever see ice is in an arena. Playing street hockey just isn't the same as ice hockey. Give the teams to places that want them. I hear that they are begging people to take Panthers tickets. Part of the reason Quebec lost their team was timing. The area was going through a recession. Now with the Canadian dollar getting stronger and all, perhaps expansion into Canada is once again feasible. The only concern is what might happed in the financial world by the time the league gets its act together. Things could change completely. The other solution in my eyes would be be to have fewer teams in the league. Keep hockey in places that it does well, and stop losing money for the league by having to baby along the struggling southern franchises. Bringing a team to Portland, Oregon isn't the solution either. I can tell you first hand that almost no one here really knows what hockey is, much less follows it. I will be writing an essay about where I'd like to see NHL franchises for Teebz's essay contest, so I'll be posting those essays once I write them.

Most everyone in the hockey world still listens attentively and with respect when Wayne Gretzky speaks. Thus far he seems reluctant to talk about the state of the game, and I can't decide if that's because he owns/coaches a team (in a struggling market no less), or if he just doesn't want to piss anyone off and lose his godly status. I think he's in greater danger of losing his status if he contines to keep his mouth shut. As fore Bettman, no one listens to him, except to find new reasons to mock him/gather new material for their rude signs that they hold up at games. Fire Bettman! Gretzky for Commissioner! He'll have plenty of lawyers surrounding him and the like to take care of whatever Bettman uses that law degree for. You can't tell me that Bettman has more hockey sense than the Great One. Well, you can try, but I probably won't be listening.

Most Americans couldn't tell you what TSN, Rogers Sports Net, or possibly even CBC are. Fox Sports is sort of making up for the fact that the US does not have a united/good TV contract. In Minnesota they broadcast a ton of Wild games, but what the NHL really needs is ESPN. That network is synonymous with sports in the United States. There is talk that the NHL might be on ESPN2 as early as next season, and that would be a huge leap forward. VS is pretty much ignored by most people that I know, and you have to pay extra to get it. ESPN comes with a basic cable package. More than 85% of Americans have cable or Satalite TV, and that number is expected to rise. This would be tremendous exposure for the "new NHL", and ESPN does some pretty awesome commercials. Exposure on ESPN could lead to the more lengthly articles in Sports Illustrated and ESPN Magazine (and whatever the other major sports magazines are..those are the two I read besides the Hockey News) that the NHL once enjoyed.

Thoughts?

CapsChick's Challenge

So CapsChick posted this on HLOG as an impromptu challenge( and everyone knows I can't resist a challenge...), so I've decided to come up with my own version.



Best one-on-one offensive player: Hard to say for me. Lecavalier strikes me as a solid choice, but so does Joe Sakic. Dude can let his wrister go at any time, he's a great passer, good skater, and if I were a goalie, he is one of the last people I'd ever want to see skating towards me. For this round I'm going to take the crafty veteran over the flashy (sort of) young gun.



Best one-on-one defenceman: Niedermayer with a nod to Lidstrom. Nieds can puckhandle, he can pass, shoot, and if worse comes to worse, he can just plain out-skate your ass.



Assist Man: I will also say Joe Thornton (if only he could step it up at key times like the Olympics, I'd be a happy, happy camper). Andrew Brunette is also a good wingman to have, since he gets and keeps the puck at any cost, but Thornton is currently hard to deny.



Best Pure Goal Scorer: I've heard good things about AO, but I haven't seen him play extensive amounts outside of the WJC, so I'm picking Lecavalier.

Power Play Specialist: Sheldon Souray perhaps? Does he ever score even strength goals? At any rate, he's definitely not my pick for the best one-on-one defenceman. Jarret Stoll was also good on the PP for the Oilers.

Shorthanded Specialist: At one point in time Wes Walz was the SH goal king for the Wild, but sadly no longer. (he had seven or eight one season. *sigh*) I gotta give props to Jordan Staal, cause I looked it up on TSN, and it appears that he had the most shorthanded goals in the league. Due to the stupid NHL schedule I have not really had the chance to see him play much, but those stats aren't lying to me.

Need One Save: Martin Brodeur had kind of a crappy season by his standards, but Marty Turco was the man. Props also to my boy Backstrom since the Wild weren't scoring goals, he was making awesome saves and keeping us in games.

The Guy You've Never Heard Of: I don't know, maybe he has become more famous now, but Pierre-Marc Bouchard is awesome, and usually flies under the radar. In 2006, he made the long list for the Team Canada roster in Torino. The Great One has mentioned him on several occasions, and PMB has even drawn a comparison to him. Mikko Koivu is also a guy most people haven't heard of, but he's really making a name for himself. Awesome.

Biggest Impact on a New Team: Sup Scotty? Scott Niedermayer is my pick, because I refuse to acknowledge the existence of FCP. Niedermayer proved that he really is all that, which had quite unfortunate results for both my western conference teams.

When It Gets Chippy: Derek Boogaard. He's massive, can break people's faces in one punch, skates decently for a huge dude, and wouldn't you knock it off if he gave you a warning glare?

Coach For a Must-Win Game: Gotta agree with CapsChick here. There is no one better than Scotty Bowman. He is abosolutely amazing. I have to say, though, I'm pretty happy with Jacques Lemaire as a coach. He does pretty good things with what he's been given. 2003 playoff run anyone?

Get Under Your Skin Guy: Sean Avery is a pain, but I would imagine Raffi Torres and Chris Neil also qualify. FCP gets under my skin, but I don't know if that counts.

The Home Crowd: The Leafs and Habs both have awesome crowds. I like to think MN fans are that awesome, but in reality they probably aren't.

Most Overrated Player: Can I say Sidney Crosby just because I'm sick of hearing about him? In reality Briere totally gets my vote, and I can't wait until Flyers fans figure this out.

Most Underrated Player: Rob Niedermayer got consideration for this, but he finally got the props he deserves this spring. Mikko Koivu is another one that is finally starting to step out of Big Brother's shadow. Jarret Stoll is another one who is very talented, just doesn't really get the love outside of Edmonton. Being injured doesn't really help that.

Worst Area to Play in as a Visitor: Philly would suck, but I would imagine that all those Habs and Leafs fans could be pretty intimidating also. Canucks are only the worst if you are a visiting fan during the playoffs. They throw things...

Worst Area to Play in as the Home Team: I would think anywhere down south where there are more people in visiting sweaters than home ones. Very demoralizing. Philly too. Rough city.

Project Runway: Are we talking modeling the stuff or designing it? Those would be two differenct answers.