Archive for category NHL

Pro Sports Strong-arming Cities into Stadium Deals Are Flat Out Wrong

Posted by klownboy in MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, sports blogging on April 22, 2012

The Minnesota Vikings stadium deal collapsed earlier in the week.  NFL Commissioner/Warden/Playa-Hata/QB-Lover Roger Goodell and onwer of my beloved Pittsburgh Steelers Art Rooney II flew to Minnesota to speak with its governor and legislature.  There was talk of Goodell throwing around the possibility of the Vikings moving to Los Angeles, where the NFL really REALLY wants to place a team.

A day or two later, the stadium bill was “renewed”.

In Sacramento, an effort to build a new arena in downtown Sacramento for the Kings fell through.  The mayor of Sacramento, former NBA player Kevin Johnson, flew to Las Vegas to meet with the Maloof family (who owns the Kings) in hopes of reviving talks so the team will not move.

We all have seen this movie play out before.

We have seen the NBA move the Hornets from Charlotte to New Orleans, mainly because the city of Charlotte refused to give in to the whims of the former bumbling, cheap-ass, and scandal-ridden owner George Shinn.  Recently the NBA moved the SuperSonics from Seattle to Oklahoma City.

We have seen the NHL move franchises such as the Minnesota North Stars, Hartford Whalers, and Quebec Nordiques to Dallas, Raleigh, NC and Denver respectively.  The same NHL moved the old Winnipeg Jets to Phoenix of all places!  (at least the NHL made things right moving the floundering Atlanta Thrashers to Winnipeg)

We have seen Major League Baseball move the Montreal Expos to Washington, DC.  And to those of us old enough to remember, MLB relocated both Washington Senators franchises to become the Minnesota Twins (in 1961) and Texas Rangers (in 1972).

Even the mighty NFL moved the old Cleveland Browns franchise to Baltimore, as well as the Houston Oilers to Tennessee, and Los Angeles Rams to St. Louis (St. Louis?!).

The point I am making is pro franchise are wrong for strong-arming communities over the years into financing new stadiums and sports arenas with the threat of relocation.

Look, I know that there has to be some community investment with a sports franchise.  The risk is often-times too great for owners of professional teams.  I just think that given what ails our society – poor under-funded schools, lack of jobs, high-ass taxes, sky-rocketing inflation – that communities are better off not committing over 60% of the tab on stadium deals.

And sure, people say new stadiums and arenas will create more jobs and pay for itself over time.

Just don’t tell that to the people of Cincinnati, where it has to endure Bengals owner Mike Brown – the same dude who helped force the mother of all sweetheart deals which helped build Paul Brown Stadium.  Oh, and by the way, all of the ticket proceeds – no matter the event – goes to Brown.

I hate seeing billionaires force communities into further debt in doing something that they should be doing themselves.  Hell as much as I loathe Jerry Jones, at least he footed the majority of the bill for that $1.something billion palace for his Cowboys.

I really, REALLY hate corporate welfare.  Professional sports leagues need to put an end to it.

, , , , , , ,

2 Comments

The NHL Playoffs Is the Best in Sports

Posted by klownboy in NHL, sports blogging on April 12, 2012

It’s April, which means it’s time for the best tournament in all of sports: the NHL Playoffs.

Yeah, I said it.

First of all, football – namely the NFL – is far and away my favorite sport.  I also think – like most Americans – that the NFL is the greatest league on the planet (sorry European soccer fans).

Having said that, the NFL playoffs does not have the intensity the NHL playoffs do.  I mean, a best-of-seven series in EVERY ROUND where it is not uncommon for a top seed to lose a series?  And most of those series go the distance.  You cannot get any more intense than that.

Look, I am not trying to masquerade as a huge hockey buff.  Hell, I wouldn’t begin to preview any of the first-round series (though I will keep an eye on the Penguins-Flyers and Capitals-Bruins series). But I know an intense, slug-it-out tournament when I see one.

And I can honestly say that the Stanley Cup is arguably the only trophy that cannot be bought.  Last I checked, high-payroll teams such as the now local Washington Capitals have not fared well in the playoffs.  Hell, other high-payroll teams such as the Toronto Maple Leafs have not made the playoffs in more than three seasons!

Look, the NCAA men’s basketball tournament is great with it’s “one and done” format – but it’s not as compelling to me as in recent years.  The NBA playoffs, while great in its own right, last too damn long because its first-round series is a month long.

I’d rank the NFL playoffs right up there with the NHL’s.  The only thing that puts the NHL over the top is its best-of-seven grueling, intense series where ANYTHING can happen.  Home-ice does not carry as much weight as home-field and home-court does in the NFL and NBA respectively.

NHL playoffs: it’s truly FAN-tastic.

, , , ,

3 Comments

NHL Poll #1

Posted by klownboy in NHL, sports blogging on December 7, 2011

,

Leave a Comment

Loving the New NHL Realignment

Posted by klownboy in NHL, sports blogging on December 6, 2011

It’s not often that I blog about hockey, but I have to give some love to the National Hockey League over what transpired last night.

The NHL’s Board of Governors agreed to allow commissioner Gary Bettman to realign the teams into four conferences – that’s right, FOUR conferences – for the 2012-2013 NHL season.  Teams in each conference will be realigned based on geography.  There will be two conferences with seven teams apiece, two with eight.

Teams will play each other in their divisions six times, and those from other conferences twice (home and home).  Come playoff time only the top four teams in each conference will make the playoffs, with the first two rounds consisting of solely intraconference matchups.

To see what teams will be grouped together, go here.

This is an awesome idea on a variety of levels.

First of all, this will be a shout to the old days of the NHL before the Eastern and Western Conference alignments (which was the worst idea ever).  Anyone remember the Adams, Patrick, Norris, and Wales Divisions?  It will be a lot like that, especially come playoff time when division opponents have to play each other in opening rounds.

Now if the make the first round a best of five series, then it would be all good.

Second, this would intensify existing rivalries and create new ones.  You gotta love having Pittsburgh, Philly and Washington in the same group.  And Detroit, Chicago and St. Louis in the same group.  And Boston, Toronto, Montreal and Buffalo in the same group.  And Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver in the same group.

You get the point.

However, it will be cool to see how the local Carolina Hurricanes thrive in the Pittsburgh-Philly-Washington grouping.  Ditto for Tampa Bay with Boston, Toronto and Montreal.  Interesting and fun times ahead…

Third, and most important, this will create excitement and buzz the NHL sorely needs.  All of the aforementioned changes should generate more fan interest and bring the old-heads back to the NHL with the old playoff formatting and rekindling of rivalries.

I have to hand it to Commish Bettman – he actually got it right for a change.  Now if he could negotiate a package for more games on NBC and Fox (screw ESPN), then the NHL would really be rolling…

, ,

2 Comments

The Winnipeg Jets Are Back – FINALLY…

Posted by klownboy in NHL, sports blogging on June 25, 2011

The team formerly known as the Atlanta Thrashers announced at the NHL Draft that they will be known as the Winnipeg Jets.  The NHL is finally back in Winnipeg where it belongs.

Talk about righting a wrong.

I know what you all are thinking: why in the hell do you care so much negro?  Whelp, I’ll tell you.

I remember when the original Jets moved to Phoenix, Arizona in 1996.  I didn’t understand how the move was devastating to the folks in Manitoba until I spoke with a couple of good friends of mine in college.  Both ladies grew up in Manitoba and were enraged and saddened by the move.  On a scale from 1 (indifferent) to 10 (very pissed), I’d say they were a “15″.

Couple with all these hockey teams in the Sun Belt region (hockey in Nashville?  Really?), I just thought that Canada was getting a raw deal from the NHL.  I could sort of understand the Quebec Nordiques moving to Denver to become the Colorado Avalanche back in the day.

But leaving Winnipeg for Phoenix?  Again I say, really?  How is that working out Gary Bettman?

Well, at least Winnipeg has its Jets back.  My two college buddies are smiling their asses off as I type…

Leave a Comment

Bring Hockey Back to Winnipeg!

Posted by klownboy in NHL, sports blogging on May 17, 2011

The Winnipeg Jets may be coming to a hockey arena near you!

Word on the street is the Atlanta Thrashers of the NHL is looking to move to Winnipeg, possibly as early as next season.  If that is true, then not only good for Winnipeg, but good for hockey.

First of all, who in the hell thought it was a good idea to place a hockey franchise in Atlanta?  This is the same Atlanta who lost the Flames to Calgary in 1980 when it was very competitive.  After all, if hockey didn’t work down here before why would it work now?

This is also the same Atlanta who is probably the worst sports city in the country.  Anyone check out the attendance at Braves and Hawks games the last few years?  I know the Hawks sucked in the past, but not only have they been playoff-bound the last few seasons, the Hawks have a young nucleus in place that would post around 50+ wins the next few seasons.  Even in their most competitive years, the Braves still do not draw capacity crowds.

But I digress…

It’s time for the NHL to correct two wrongs at the same time: get hockey the hell out of Atlanta and give back Winnipeg’s spot in the NHL.

Having almost the same number of hockey teams in the Deep South (Atlanta, Miami, Tampa, Nashville and Raleigh) as in Canada (Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver) is just flat-out wrong.

Leave a Comment

NHL Playoffs Need More TV Exposure

Posted by klownboy in NHL, sports blogging on April 28, 2011

Will someone please move the 2011 NHL playoffs out of the witness protection program?

What is arguably the best postseason tournament in all of professional sports is hardly seen on mainstream television these days.  Unless you have Versus and CBC, you are missing out on the NHL playoffs.

What is even more baffling is that the NHL re-upped with Versus (along with NBC).

Now what I wish NHL commissioner Gary Bettman will do is have more playoff games televised on NBC.  In fact, more NHL regular season games should be televised on NBC instead this once-in-a-blue-moon crap.

Sports fans are missing out on all those first round games decided in overtime and in Game 7s.  Game 7s and overtimes are “must see TV” in the NHL playoffs because the intensity in those games are ratcheted up by at least 100%.

It’s too bad that casual sports fans are missing out on the NHL playoffs.  It’s reason #1,001 why Bettman should be fired…

Leave a Comment

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 638 other followers