Three Star Search

Ooh they're seething in the press gallery these days. The Montreal Canadiens have teamed with Bell to usurp one of the cherished duties of the Montreal media. The three stars are to be chosen from now by the fans.

Mike Boone says he prefers the old system. Dave Stubbs isn’t quite so straight-ahead, but adds more than a tinge of lament to his article on tradition lost today.

At least Stubbs was civil. Mike Boone, as he often does, repeatedly refers to Canadiens fans as a group encompassing a significant number of “goobers” and “knuckle draggers”. At least he didn’t try to hide his elitism.

I am not altogether opposed to Boone’s position. And, I admit to being elitist enough myself to think that a fan vote in answer to the very inadequate question: “Who do you think will win the three star poll?” will undoubtedly turn up some strange vote leaders.

And the votes are bound to be very strange indeed because the question being asked isn’t the only absurdity. The system is flawed at this stage. The three stars are decided by total votes. Fans are only voting for a single player, so a unanimous choice is bound to be accompanied by some interesting third stars. Unaware, Bell seems, of the advances in online technology that allow for multiple selections.

Then there’s the game-winning goalscorer clause. The Canadiens “reserves the right to award the first star of the game to a player scoring the game-winning goal with less than minute to play in regulation time, in overtime or in a shootout.” A shootout goal? Great. Nothing like automatic selections to stir the pot a bit.

So Boone may well have a point.


But really what’s been lost?

Stubbs notes how this tradition has evolved and tells at length the road it has taken pass from media to fans. Boone again is less the diplomat. He suggests the choice has been stripped from expert hands (given to people who don't know o=hockey as well as he and his brethren). The media he says provide:

Understanding of hockey (people who do, media, people who don’t, fans)
Guaranteed expertise
Guaranteed objectivity

I’ll pause to let you recover your breath.

I think the explosion in blogging and everything else in the Habs new media world might have helped the lesson on media limits to be learned. And, if the fan vote makes the three star voting an irrelevant appendix to the game. I would suggest this continues an established tradition, rather than establishing a new one.

Let’s take last season as a mere glimpse into the guaranteed hockey expertise and objectivity employed by the former three star selectors.

The Molson Cup standing are based on home games only, keep that in mind. Keep in mind also, these results, strange as they may be, all came from media selection, no fan input.

First over the season was Jaroslav Halak, who played in 22 different home games. His statistics at home included 14-6-2, 2.32 GAA and 0.917 Save %. Not shabby. For this he garnered no less than 15 star selections, missing out seven times only.

Carey Price is even more informative. He placed second in Molson Cup standing (we know). He starred in 20 games for the Habs last season in Montreal pulling an unlikely 14 star selections from the hat to go with 6 games in which he missed. His stats were 6-10-3, 2.76 GAA and a 0.904 Save%.

We had Brian Gionta down for 12 game pucks in the regular season to go with 42 domes in 61 games played. He was not in our opinion the 4th best player on the team last season behind both goalies, no less. But then maybe that’s our elitism talking.

It strikes me that maybe their guaranteed objectivity comes only after making sure they select a goalie first. Oh, and they they abide by the OT scorer rule too. Heaven forbid hockey knowledge ever acknowledges a defensive player.


Carey Price will win anyway

Besides, what’s all the fuss about anyway?

Between the ineptly worded question, the formula, the expertise and the objectivity, I think we all know the goalie fetish in Montreal will win all. Last season’s back and forth in the three stars battle of I’m right/you’re wrong choices isn’t evaporated yet. And voters have already proven that a whiff of 0.910 is enough to bring in the votes.

He nearly won last year. With starts and the inevitable increase in wins, he’s bound to pull in votes. The fans have picked the goalie. The press have picked the goalie. Both or either will continue to do so. So let's not pretend this change matters more than it does. If you still long for definitive picks based on individual preferences and whims, then you'll always have our Domes and Game Pucks to satiate your appetite.


As for the press, they actually gain. Now in addition to locker room drivel they will have fan delusion to discuss after games. It’s actually set to be a boon to show their objectivity and expertise. Maybe they’ll see that when they’ve simmered down a bit.

Score Sports FederationThe Press Release

Some news about the blog from the Score. Habs stuff to come following the game.

Score Media Inc. Lauches theScore.com Sports Federation
Launch of network directs fans to the most influential blogs in sports

TORONTO, Nov. 20, 2008 – Score Media Inc. (TSX: SCR) today announced the launch of theScore.com Sports Federation, a network of independent sports websites that empowers fans with a compelling voice to reach a larger audience with the support of a national multi-platform sports network. The Score has selected some of the most influential blogs in sports to be a part of this initiative that puts the hardcore fan front and centre. Score Media is also pleased to announce Bacardi Canada as the official launch partner of the blog network.

Member sites include:


* Down Goes Brown (Toronto Maple Leafs blog) – http://www.downgoesbrown.com
* Canucks Hockey Blog (Vancouver Canucks blog) – http://www.canuckshockeyblog.com
* Five Hole Fanatics (Calgary Flames blog) – http://www.fiveholefanatics.ca
* Sens Chirp (Ottawa Senators blog) – http://www.senschirp.ca
* Black Dog Hates Skunks (Edmonton Oilers blog) – http://www.blackdoghatesskunks.com
* Lions in Winter (Montreal Canadiens blog) – http://www.lionsinwinter.ca
* Fantasy Hockey Scouts (fantasy hockey blog) – http://www.fantasyhockeyscouts.com
* Drunk Jays Fans (Toronto Blue Jays blog) – http://www.drunkjaysfans.com
* Ghostrunner on First (Toronto Blue Jays blog) – http://www.ghostrunneronfirst.com
* RaptorBlog.com (Toronto Raptors blog) – http://www.raptorblog.com
* Dino Nation Blog (Toronto Raptors blog) – http://www.dinonationblog.com
* The CIS Blog (Canadian Interuniversity Sports blog) – http://www.cisblog.ca


Managed by RaptorBlog.com publisher Scott Carefoot, theScore.com Sports Federation gives readers an in-depth look at sports from the true experts themselves, hardcore fans. With a goal of empowering bloggers with the opportunity to have their voice heard by a national audience, the Federation is the first sports-focused network in Canada.

“When I started RaptorBlog.com in 2002, most people didn’t know what a blog was,” says Scott Carefoot, Business Development Manager, Digital Media, Score Media Inc. “With theScore.com Sports Federation, we’re acknowledging the growing influence sports blogs have in reaching people who want an unfiltered medium to express their views and interact with other diehard fans.”

Now taking the lead at bringing a network of blogs to hardcore fans, The Score is helping to generate increased awareness of these influential blogs.

“Our goal with this network is to empower the most compelling, well-informed and entertaining independent voices in sports commentary,” says Jonathan Savage, Vice President, Digital Media, Score Media Inc. “In leading this charge, we are maintaining our focus on being the destination for the hardcore sports fan while giving the sports community a broader medium in which to be heard.”


ABOUT SCORE MEDIA INC.

Score Media is a media company committed to delivering interactive and authentic sports entertainment. Created in 1997 in response to the growing desire for increased participation in the consumption of sports, the Company has now established itself as the home for hardcore sports fans. Score Media’s primary asset, The Score Television Network ("The Score"), is a national specialty television service providing sports news, information, highlights and live event programming in more than 6.4 million homes across Canada. Score Media also operates Hardcore Sports Radio, a satellite radio network available across North America on SIRIUS Satellite Radio, and other interactive assets including theScore.com, Score Mobile, and Score Poker. Growing from a team of 60 in 1997 to over 220 employees in 2008, Score Media is a revolutionizing interactive media company.

Blogging the NHLHabs Inside/Out A Rare Ally Among Mainstream Media

More than a week late on this one, but you'll have to forgive my oversight. A wedding and a wonderful winning streak had come in the way of this article and the blogsite.

As I often try to do when I notice conflict and contrast in hockey and its loyal media, I wanted to write a piece about two recent stories I had come across. The first, and most encouraging, was this one from Habs Inside/Out about adding new bloggers to the site and the second was this one from Puck Daddy about the Oilers losing a blogger.

I'll begin with the latter...

Blogger booted

It was during the Oilers first game of the season that blogger Dave Berry of Covered in Oil was accosted by press (gang) guys and asked to cease his blogging activities from the Oilers pressbox. I won't recount the whole story, but if you want to read the drama, read on at Dave's last entries here and here.


The fact that I neither read nor particularly have any inclination to read live blogs while I'm watching a game is neither here nor there. The fact of the matter is, the Oilers have overstepped the mark on this occasion. Berry was doing nothing to contravene any oath he had taken or any law of society. He merely ticked off the brass, at which point they had to invent a set of rules which they would then go on to impose for all of 24 hours.

Their battle, as has been pointed by many a commentator, is rather futile. Anyone watching on TV, at the game with a blackberry or even still in the pressbox can easily live blog negative thoughts about the team if they want to. Covered in Oil, even, is still up and running, and will probably just replace Dave by someone else at some point.

What's more, even though the content was largely negative, how many people did the Oilers think this material was reaching. Judging by their comments, its probably only in the low thousands.

No, all the Oilers have ended up doing in this mixed up situation is anger a lot of very very vocal people. The story of the incident has been picked up by every hockey blogger under the sun (it must have if I'm in on it too) and every corner of the hockey playing universe. In terms of PR for the organisation, it was a -10 – I didn't read a single article taking the Oilers side here.

For me, as interesting as the saga was, what intrigued me more was who ratted Mr. Berry out in the first place.It must have been:

a) someone reading the blog that night (especially because it emerged the problem was content)

b) someone who doesn't like the idea of live blogging

c) someone who had contact with the Edmonton Oilers press guys


As big and popular as blogging is, I think it's a stretch to believe that anyone to do with the hockey team operation or ownership would be reading snide remarks instead of watching their team. This leads me to believe that it was either another blogger or someone from the traditional media.

Now, I thought that bloggers stuck together. And all the response in this case leads me to believe that is true, even though Berry did try to drag a couple of peers down with him belatedly.

So, that leaves the big bad media. Berry, a member of both fraternities himself, even expressed that were he not blogging he'd have had nothing to do while waiting for his quotes anyway. That throws the "too busy working" alibi right out the window. Yeah, I think the Edmonton media landed a scoring low here.

After all, there is a certain implicit agreement in the "I'll scratch your back, you scratch mine" arrangement between bloggers and media who work together. In the case of the Oilers organisation, it went to the extreme - the blogger was dissing his team and those "scratching his back". They decided to tell Mommy and Daddy.

Gosh, the media really do have their knickers in a twist over this new-fangled blogging thing, don't they...


... Well not all of them actually.

The progressive team @ Habs Inside/Out

Though I don't always agree with their take on matters involving hockey, I have to hand it to the boys from the Gazette and the blog they have nurtured over the past two seasons. I think they deserve acknowledgment for their efforts here.


For one thing the blog is done in the right spirit. It neither takes itself too seriously, nor does it take hockey too seriously. It simply provides an addendum to all the material that is published in its parent publication, the Montreal Gazette. This hasn't stopped the main page and Mike Boone's blog from being the most complete, up-to-date and reliable source for Canadiens material (in English, I should qualify).

The other thing the blog has done right has been to embrace the bloggers. I can't say that I have personally experienced their favour on too many occasions (there was a recent link attributed to another blog), but I still laud them for interacting and even linking with bloggers like Robert L, TC Denault, the Four Habs Fans and others. The step they have taken to formalise this relationship by serialising some of these authors on their Other Wing page, is either ahead of the times or right with them, depending where you're from. And the manner in which they interact with the bloggers does them credit too.

Habs fans should count themselves very lucky to have these guys. And, when you think about it, English Habs fans are the luckiest of all – with probably the most intense and disproportionate amount of coverage of any team in the NHL (given the size of our group).


So, in general, can bloggers and the media get along?
I think they can. Other than Habs Inside/Out, I think that there are countless examples showing that they can. In Long Island they fraternise, and in Washington they get along too. Thankfully Edmonton is one of a few teams who tread a more archaic path.

Personally, I don't think Tobalev or I would have any problem getting along with any of the professional Habs media (though as I said, we would have plenty to debate and disagree about – hockeywise).

Incidentally, I also wonder whether co-habitating is the right approach for everyone at the end of the day. I think the root of blogging and what makes it powerful and compelling is its independent nature. On this occasion, I tend to agree with Matt (the Flames fan) at Battle of Alberta, when he says:

There's a reason I've never attempted to contact the Flames organization, get a press pass, an interview, or the like. Actually, there's two reasons, the first of which is that I like this blog the way it is: it's personal, I don't owe anyone any favours, and I don't have to abide by anyone's rules and guidelines but my own.

It is certainly a dilemma that some lucky bloggers get to deal with. It's still all theoretical to me.

In any case, I am thankful I support Montreal, where the door to the halls of media discussion has been left wide open with a sign saying "Welcome bloggers".