I have to say I am a little sick of hearing that fans will have to do without hockey this fall. It's a pervasive arrogance that would allow player and owner alike to believe that one league equates to an entire sport with worldwide participation.
That said, the NHL is still the unquestioned standard bearer of the sport. The best players in the world ply their trade in NHL arenas (usually) and the game at its highest level is normally found in one of 30 North American cities.
Showing posts with label Hockey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hockey. Show all posts
Friday, September 21, 2012
Monday, May 14, 2012
Jack Todd Getting It Right Today
It doesn't happen very often, but in the wane of aSuper Moon, even Jack Todd can still put together a column that gets my head nodding. As a tribute to the guy I used to buy newspapers for in my younger days, I link his piece here.
Why I think he's right?
The playoffs are boring.
I mean, don't get me wrong, they have exciting moments, such as Brad Richards tying goal with seconds to go. A goal which saved a team from elimination (essentially). But on the whole, the playoffs are very boring indeed.
Why is that? It behoofs the NHL to be asking themselves this question. Is it because there's no fighting? Not in my opinion, though some rumble that it is. I think it's due to the same very things that Todd starts to point out. Shot-blocking, grinding, etc., etc.
He gets it so right when he sums it up:
I could legitimately coach in the NHL right now. There is one strategy, and I know it. Dump, chase hard, grind, block. If you do that, I play you. Hunter made the playoffs because of it, but criminally went out against an opponent there for the taking for his complete lack of adaptability to situational circumstances.
The NHL is literally wasting the careers of some of the most dynamic players seen in a generation. They'll be lucky to get more like these if youngsters grow up adhering to the wisdom of current coaching strategy.
Russians are picked on too much
It's gotten to the point where Russians are being singled out to a ludicrous degree. Read Todd for the synopsis. The criticism is so systematic that it's built into every word that comes out of a commentator's mouth. The default to look for Russian shortcomings and praise grinding heroics.
Kovalchuk has been outstanding and we hear very little indeed. Doesn't fit the script.
Time for a new script to go along with a new game with rule enforcement.
Beckham?
Can't say I agree with Todd about Beckham in full, however.
Never a great soccer player? Perhaps not, but then the list of greats would be pretty concise. During his youth at Manchester United Beckham was never a Ronaldinho ball handler or a Messi mesmerizer, but he was excellent at almost everything else. If you could watch a midfield with Roy Keane, Paul Schole, Ryan Giggs and David Beckham and come away saying any one of them was not great, it was probably a game reffed by NHL officials.
Beckham never delivered England the World Cup he and his generation looked like they could, but his delivery into the World Cup in 2002 was everything that greatness is about. Wouldn't expect Jack Todd to get it completely right, though, would we?
Why I think he's right?
The playoffs are boring.
I mean, don't get me wrong, they have exciting moments, such as Brad Richards tying goal with seconds to go. A goal which saved a team from elimination (essentially). But on the whole, the playoffs are very boring indeed.
Why is that? It behoofs the NHL to be asking themselves this question. Is it because there's no fighting? Not in my opinion, though some rumble that it is. I think it's due to the same very things that Todd starts to point out. Shot-blocking, grinding, etc., etc.
He gets it so right when he sums it up:
"The new NHL was supposed to be all about movement, skating, offence and talent. Right now it’s about obstruction, shot blocking, grinders and boredom."The league's singular inability to enforce their own rules is the biggest culprit in all this. Instead of getting to watch Ovechkin vs. Lundqvist, we see Girardi vs. Beagle. No offense to the latter, but no one fell in love with a game for the skills they provide. That is except the coaches who employ those players solely for those assets and the way they fit into their simplistic game plan.
I could legitimately coach in the NHL right now. There is one strategy, and I know it. Dump, chase hard, grind, block. If you do that, I play you. Hunter made the playoffs because of it, but criminally went out against an opponent there for the taking for his complete lack of adaptability to situational circumstances.
The NHL is literally wasting the careers of some of the most dynamic players seen in a generation. They'll be lucky to get more like these if youngsters grow up adhering to the wisdom of current coaching strategy.
Russians are picked on too much
It's gotten to the point where Russians are being singled out to a ludicrous degree. Read Todd for the synopsis. The criticism is so systematic that it's built into every word that comes out of a commentator's mouth. The default to look for Russian shortcomings and praise grinding heroics.
Kovalchuk has been outstanding and we hear very little indeed. Doesn't fit the script.
Time for a new script to go along with a new game with rule enforcement.
Beckham?
Can't say I agree with Todd about Beckham in full, however.
Never a great soccer player? Perhaps not, but then the list of greats would be pretty concise. During his youth at Manchester United Beckham was never a Ronaldinho ball handler or a Messi mesmerizer, but he was excellent at almost everything else. If you could watch a midfield with Roy Keane, Paul Schole, Ryan Giggs and David Beckham and come away saying any one of them was not great, it was probably a game reffed by NHL officials.
Beckham never delivered England the World Cup he and his generation looked like they could, but his delivery into the World Cup in 2002 was everything that greatness is about. Wouldn't expect Jack Todd to get it completely right, though, would we?
Thursday, September 08, 2011
Tragedy Affects All Hockey Fans
News of yesterday's tragic air disaster in the city of Yaroslavl, Russia hit hard.
A whole team's worth of players, coaches and managers claimed by the incident.
At first, one might have thought Yaroslavl was a far off place in a strange new league. But once we started to look deeper and hear the names that were claimed by the accident, it became clear to everyone that if you knew and loved hockey that someone you knew, many you admired were gone.
Brad McCrimmon was the only Canadian national, but Canadian hockey fans will be mourning the losses of players that excited and enchanted with their play in their local arenas and on their Saturday night broadcasts.
The Habs were not directly affected, but no one is spared. Many of the current Habs had former teammates and friends on that flight.
Erik Cole came up at the same time as Josef Vasicek in Carolina, they made two Cup finals together and were champions in 2006.
Plekanec and Spacek would have known him well from Czech international team duty, and they would know Karel Rachunek and Jan Marek well too.
Peter Budaj played with Ruslan Salei and Karlis Skrastins (the two being traded for one another a few years ago) and would probably have revered Pavol Demitra as a captain, teammate and decorated countryman.
Andrei Kostitsyn lost a national team teammate in Salei, a Belarussian pioneer in the NHL.
Cammalleri played with Pavol Demitra on the west coast.
Gionta played with Rachunek in NJ.
Travis Moen too played with Salei in Anaheim.
Andrei Markov knows many of these young men from his time in Russian hockey and of course with his time spent with the national team. The same would be true of Alexei Emelin.
Bob Gainey and many of the RDS crew from the 1989 Habs will remember McCrimmon, as I do, as a fierce and worthy champion that extraordinary season.
Other connections, I'm sure I've missed. And of course most others would know these men as competitors and rivals.
And the other poor players who perished on the ill-fated flight are hockey players many of us never had a real chance to get to know before now. Some of them very young, and some of them with long distinguished careers in a parallel league and system to the ones we follow.
Such is the size of the web that connects everyone who loves ice hockey.
As commissioner Bettman said, though this was miles away from North America, it was ever so close to home on so many fronts.
Our thoughts are with all the families of the players, coaches and managers who lost their dear ones. Our thoughts are with the former teammates who try to deal with the grief and sorrow of losing so many close friends too soon.
The summer of 2011 has once again shown us how hockey and life can intersect in so many ways not always apparent to us. As the sensible and respectful JT put it:
Important that we remember this as we prepare to embark on another season of thrills and spills.
A whole team's worth of players, coaches and managers claimed by the incident.
At first, one might have thought Yaroslavl was a far off place in a strange new league. But once we started to look deeper and hear the names that were claimed by the accident, it became clear to everyone that if you knew and loved hockey that someone you knew, many you admired were gone.
Brad McCrimmon was the only Canadian national, but Canadian hockey fans will be mourning the losses of players that excited and enchanted with their play in their local arenas and on their Saturday night broadcasts.
The Habs were not directly affected, but no one is spared. Many of the current Habs had former teammates and friends on that flight.
Erik Cole came up at the same time as Josef Vasicek in Carolina, they made two Cup finals together and were champions in 2006.
Plekanec and Spacek would have known him well from Czech international team duty, and they would know Karel Rachunek and Jan Marek well too.
Peter Budaj played with Ruslan Salei and Karlis Skrastins (the two being traded for one another a few years ago) and would probably have revered Pavol Demitra as a captain, teammate and decorated countryman.
Andrei Kostitsyn lost a national team teammate in Salei, a Belarussian pioneer in the NHL.
Cammalleri played with Pavol Demitra on the west coast.
Gionta played with Rachunek in NJ.
Travis Moen too played with Salei in Anaheim.
Andrei Markov knows many of these young men from his time in Russian hockey and of course with his time spent with the national team. The same would be true of Alexei Emelin.
Bob Gainey and many of the RDS crew from the 1989 Habs will remember McCrimmon, as I do, as a fierce and worthy champion that extraordinary season.
Other connections, I'm sure I've missed. And of course most others would know these men as competitors and rivals.
And the other poor players who perished on the ill-fated flight are hockey players many of us never had a real chance to get to know before now. Some of them very young, and some of them with long distinguished careers in a parallel league and system to the ones we follow.
Such is the size of the web that connects everyone who loves ice hockey.
As commissioner Bettman said, though this was miles away from North America, it was ever so close to home on so many fronts.
Our thoughts are with all the families of the players, coaches and managers who lost their dear ones. Our thoughts are with the former teammates who try to deal with the grief and sorrow of losing so many close friends too soon.
The summer of 2011 has once again shown us how hockey and life can intersect in so many ways not always apparent to us. As the sensible and respectful JT put it:
"It comes down to the fact that hockey is entertainment. Sure, we want to win, and Canadiens fans perhaps want to win more than anyone. This summer, however, we have learned we cannot satisfy our vicarious thirst for victory through young men who are all too human. They are people, and through the miserable events of this summer, player and fan are perhaps more understanding of each other than they've ever been."
Important that we remember this as we prepare to embark on another season of thrills and spills.
Friday, December 24, 2010
Merry Christmas Habs Fans
What a great year of hockey 2010 was. And it was nice to have you all aboard commenting and making sure our heads were on straight.
Hope you all have a nice holiday season. And though we'll be posting before New year, just also wanted to wish everyone all the best for 2011.
Merry Christmas.
Hope you all have a nice holiday season. And though we'll be posting before New year, just also wanted to wish everyone all the best for 2011.
Merry Christmas.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Canada Finds Their True Strategy
Forget goaltending. When you have multiple all-star forwards and front-line performers for all their teams, you go for it.
That's the strategy Canada reverted to in the first period of last night's QF, and it worked a treat. It's a strategy they should stick with (obviously). Anytime you can get the best player in the NHL to say this about how he felt to play you, the better:
From the Canadian forwards point of view, it seemed like they decided that they wanted to win this game without having to rely on Luongo. It was probably the right decision. In starting so quickly, they also deflated Russia's own trust in Nabokov and drew them into an open affair early.
This lesson must be remembered as Canada faces down Jaroslav Halak, who uses early saves to build confidence in those around him as his M.O. Get Slovakia down early, and open the game.
The lesson that Russia learned 4 years ago must also be kept in mind. A huge win over a powerful rival means nothing if you end up 4th. Russia had just as rousing a victory as Canada when they defeated the Red Maple Leafs in Turin, only to sag and get shutout in the next elimination game. Slovakia may not be Finland, but they too have beaten Russia and can add a Swedish scalp to their list. Canada must be wary.
That's the strategy Canada reverted to in the first period of last night's QF, and it worked a treat. It's a strategy they should stick with (obviously). Anytime you can get the best player in the NHL to say this about how he felt to play you, the better:
"How we start the game; it's like small kids and big kids play against each other and big kids dominate," Ovechkin told NHL.com. "They got the puck deep, used their power and they scored goals."
From the Canadian forwards point of view, it seemed like they decided that they wanted to win this game without having to rely on Luongo. It was probably the right decision. In starting so quickly, they also deflated Russia's own trust in Nabokov and drew them into an open affair early.
This lesson must be remembered as Canada faces down Jaroslav Halak, who uses early saves to build confidence in those around him as his M.O. Get Slovakia down early, and open the game.
The lesson that Russia learned 4 years ago must also be kept in mind. A huge win over a powerful rival means nothing if you end up 4th. Russia had just as rousing a victory as Canada when they defeated the Red Maple Leafs in Turin, only to sag and get shutout in the next elimination game. Slovakia may not be Finland, but they too have beaten Russia and can add a Swedish scalp to their list. Canada must be wary.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Doing It The Hard Way
An exciting day of hockey yesterday, as all important positions were determined in an afternoon/evening.
Canada lost, of course, but are still very much alive. They merely set themselves a place at the adult table when they could be sitting with the children where the US are now.
Losing to the US was always possible, but it was their clumsy win vs. a Swiss team that needed OT to scrape by Norway that cost us biggest. Had the Canadians won that game, they would now be lying 4th, with a US rematch in the QFs and a tricky, yet winnable QF vs. Finland. Instead, by being under-prepared and over-relaxed (as usual) they have put themselves in a hole. It'll be a playoff vs. Germany, which should be a foregone conclusion (but, hey, you never know), then a QF vs. powerhouse Russia and a need to face Olympic champion Sweden (in all likelihood) for the right to even play for the Gold.
Even if Canada had beaten the US, they'd still face Russian ahead of the final, and they'd have had a tough QF game (though Slovakia is not Sweden), so don't fret about yesterday too much.
Scoreboard watching
Really, it's Sweden who quite uncharacteristically chose the harder road on Sunday.
The organizers truly underestimate the players ability to shape their efforts to shape outcomes. You'd never see staggered group games in a World Cup – they'd all be simultaneous. If European soccer players were gifted these staggered starts, you'd see some crazy own goals and all kinds of other bloopers. I guess not all hockey countries are so Machiavellian in approach. Sweden, though – ask Italian football fans – are.
By the time Sweden and Finland played, the teams knew that losing meant a bye with a QF vs. Czech, but a semi with the US or the Swiss. The winner gets the far less attractive Slovak QF with SF of Russia or Canada. I didn't watch the game, but looking at Finland's shot totals, their final score and knowing that they have the very savvy Saku Koivu at the helm, it seems like they might have played for position in their game. Last Olympics, Sweden tanked to draw the cheaper run and it worked as they were rested to win a Gold. This time, it seems like Finland may have just pipped their rivals in the strategic losing department.
Gold medal favourite
Any team can win from here, and I find it hard to make a prediction.
But I have to say, Canada doesn't look favourite for me anymore. They lie 6th, but of the top 7 teams, they are the only one who has not beaten a worthy opponent.
I have to think that the team on the top side of the draw will now have the slight edge coming into the final, given their finals opponents are likely to have had a few trying games. I still don't like the USA, and don't rate Finnish goaltending or defence anymore, so I have to think the Czechs have a great shot. From the other side, Canada/Sweden/Russia all look set for a photo finish in the next few days. If Canada finds better goaltending, they'll get the ankle transponder over the line first, I think.
Canada vs. Czech in the final could be great. But will a Canada who can't rise to beat the Swiss in regulation or a US team that carries actual 4th line talent really beat Russia, Sweden and Czech in sequence.
Well, if it's dreams of gold in your head, you'd better start believing they can.
Canada lost, of course, but are still very much alive. They merely set themselves a place at the adult table when they could be sitting with the children where the US are now.
Losing to the US was always possible, but it was their clumsy win vs. a Swiss team that needed OT to scrape by Norway that cost us biggest. Had the Canadians won that game, they would now be lying 4th, with a US rematch in the QFs and a tricky, yet winnable QF vs. Finland. Instead, by being under-prepared and over-relaxed (as usual) they have put themselves in a hole. It'll be a playoff vs. Germany, which should be a foregone conclusion (but, hey, you never know), then a QF vs. powerhouse Russia and a need to face Olympic champion Sweden (in all likelihood) for the right to even play for the Gold.
Even if Canada had beaten the US, they'd still face Russian ahead of the final, and they'd have had a tough QF game (though Slovakia is not Sweden), so don't fret about yesterday too much.
Scoreboard watching
Really, it's Sweden who quite uncharacteristically chose the harder road on Sunday.
The organizers truly underestimate the players ability to shape their efforts to shape outcomes. You'd never see staggered group games in a World Cup – they'd all be simultaneous. If European soccer players were gifted these staggered starts, you'd see some crazy own goals and all kinds of other bloopers. I guess not all hockey countries are so Machiavellian in approach. Sweden, though – ask Italian football fans – are.
By the time Sweden and Finland played, the teams knew that losing meant a bye with a QF vs. Czech, but a semi with the US or the Swiss. The winner gets the far less attractive Slovak QF with SF of Russia or Canada. I didn't watch the game, but looking at Finland's shot totals, their final score and knowing that they have the very savvy Saku Koivu at the helm, it seems like they might have played for position in their game. Last Olympics, Sweden tanked to draw the cheaper run and it worked as they were rested to win a Gold. This time, it seems like Finland may have just pipped their rivals in the strategic losing department.
Gold medal favourite
Any team can win from here, and I find it hard to make a prediction.
But I have to say, Canada doesn't look favourite for me anymore. They lie 6th, but of the top 7 teams, they are the only one who has not beaten a worthy opponent.
I have to think that the team on the top side of the draw will now have the slight edge coming into the final, given their finals opponents are likely to have had a few trying games. I still don't like the USA, and don't rate Finnish goaltending or defence anymore, so I have to think the Czechs have a great shot. From the other side, Canada/Sweden/Russia all look set for a photo finish in the next few days. If Canada finds better goaltending, they'll get the ankle transponder over the line first, I think.
Canada vs. Czech in the final could be great. But will a Canada who can't rise to beat the Swiss in regulation or a US team that carries actual 4th line talent really beat Russia, Sweden and Czech in sequence.
Well, if it's dreams of gold in your head, you'd better start believing they can.
Sunday, January 03, 2010
Komisarek To Add Olympian To His Stacked Resume
Has there ever been a player in NHL history less deserving of the resume he carries around with him than Mike Komisarek?
1) $4.5 million a year
2) Starting All-Star
3) Olympian
The previous bout of extreme nepotism that led to Komisarek's All-Star farce was widely criticised by those around the league. At least that was an exhibition game.
Brian Burke's latest manoeuver to include our 4th defenceman on what he must hop will be a 7th place contending team, just about tops it. Burke, you see, is charged with selecting a team to win, not one to skate in Montreal for a gala appearance.
Alternatives
I am no expert in Team USA defencemen, but I have been reading around a bit and have come to the conclusion that Komisarek with his limited use and worse stats than Luke Schenn probably isn't worthy of the Olympic experience with a team that's vying for a medal.
I look at Kukla's Corner and can see a few choices that seem like instant alternatives: Alex Goligoski, Ryan Whitney, Andy Greene. Tyler Myers also comes to mind. Heck, what do we know, maybe playing on the worst defensive team in the NHL gives you some unknown advantage...
USA a sideshow
Besides Komisarek, the USA team selection overall means that the US team will likely be a sideshow at this Olympics. One can talk about a youth movement, but a team that plays 4 games together every four years aren't going to gain much from this Olympics for the next ones in Russia that they couldn't earn in an NHL playoff series. In fact, it's that NHL playoff experience that is sorely lacking in Burke's selections.
How does Burke explain leaving out Jason Pominville? Brian Gionta? He doesn't.
It's a shame that Burke has missed this opportunity to select his most competitive outfit without an ego or two getting in the way. This Olympics plays out in prime time for the US television audience. If the team learns how to play hockey instead of impressing with wins, the opportunity to use this Olympics as a launchpad for NHL popularity in the markets starving for fans will be lost.
The next Olympics, when the games take place on the shores of the Caspian, may well feature a better American team. But tell me, do these casual American fans love their hockey enough to skip work? To get up early to catch a game? Hmm...
Anyway, enough fretting on the Leafs of the Olympics. Well done to Komi on adding another conspicuous line to a CV that looks never to include his goal of "Best NHL defenceman" anytime soon.
1) $4.5 million a year
2) Starting All-Star
3) Olympian
The previous bout of extreme nepotism that led to Komisarek's All-Star farce was widely criticised by those around the league. At least that was an exhibition game.
Brian Burke's latest manoeuver to include our 4th defenceman on what he must hop will be a 7th place contending team, just about tops it. Burke, you see, is charged with selecting a team to win, not one to skate in Montreal for a gala appearance.
Alternatives
I am no expert in Team USA defencemen, but I have been reading around a bit and have come to the conclusion that Komisarek with his limited use and worse stats than Luke Schenn probably isn't worthy of the Olympic experience with a team that's vying for a medal.
I look at Kukla's Corner and can see a few choices that seem like instant alternatives: Alex Goligoski, Ryan Whitney, Andy Greene. Tyler Myers also comes to mind. Heck, what do we know, maybe playing on the worst defensive team in the NHL gives you some unknown advantage...
USA a sideshow
Besides Komisarek, the USA team selection overall means that the US team will likely be a sideshow at this Olympics. One can talk about a youth movement, but a team that plays 4 games together every four years aren't going to gain much from this Olympics for the next ones in Russia that they couldn't earn in an NHL playoff series. In fact, it's that NHL playoff experience that is sorely lacking in Burke's selections.
How does Burke explain leaving out Jason Pominville? Brian Gionta? He doesn't.
It's a shame that Burke has missed this opportunity to select his most competitive outfit without an ego or two getting in the way. This Olympics plays out in prime time for the US television audience. If the team learns how to play hockey instead of impressing with wins, the opportunity to use this Olympics as a launchpad for NHL popularity in the markets starving for fans will be lost.
The next Olympics, when the games take place on the shores of the Caspian, may well feature a better American team. But tell me, do these casual American fans love their hockey enough to skip work? To get up early to catch a game? Hmm...
Anyway, enough fretting on the Leafs of the Olympics. Well done to Komi on adding another conspicuous line to a CV that looks never to include his goal of "Best NHL defenceman" anytime soon.
Friday, December 25, 2009
Merry Christmas To All
Merry Christmas everyone. Tobalev and I wish all of you a wonderful day and a great holiday season.
We hope you got some nice presents, better than this poor guy:
See you next game.
We hope you got some nice presents, better than this poor guy:
See you next game.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
There's No Fooling Montreal
Plotless Habs Movie Likely A Bomb
There's a line of Habs players that will tell you the same: Montrealers are a demanding bunch. We've always known this with regards to our hockey. With a few exceptions loved for their success against the odds (of playing with seemingly no talent whatsoever), all hockey players in this town have been panned mercilessly at one point or another.
What director Sylvain Archambault discovered this week is that the same fans are not about to give him a free pass, just because he doesn't wear skates to work.
The box office numbers for his new film, Pour toujours les Canadiens, play like the attendance for the latter-day Expos, not the present-day Canadiens:
Brendan Kelly of the Gazette reckons that the film is suffering because of an early panning from the test audience a few weeks back. Though his own review certainly can't be helping.
I don;t know about you, but I was thinking of seeing this movie. I think I'll check that thought and spend my money on something more worthwhile, like a beer or two. When I first heard about this film, I thought Saku Koivu, the Habs, this is a movie I can get to grips with. But from reports it's not really got anything to do with the Canadiens at all, at least not in any coherent way. If the review says something like this:
Then why would I want to see it?
It's a lesson, I suppose to people who think they can just ride on the coattails of this religiously followed organization. Be it Guillaume Latendresse or Sylvain Archambault – wearing a CH on your chest does not absolve you of having to produce work with some substance.
In case you still want to see what you're missing, then the screens are listed in this article. Really though, it sounds like this clip might give you as much of a thrill as the whole movie would anyway:
A real sports story
As Kenny said, there is a movie to be made about our hockey-mad culture. It will have to wait. A good surrogate, I found, was a book I read back in University called Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby. Now you'll all know the hopeless adaptation that painted the subtle story from the novel with a sledgehammer's touch that was the Jimmy Fallon Red Sox movie of a few years ago. However, the real thing, I suspect especially when read, painted a much more interesting picture of the love affair between fanatic and team.
The story looked at the life of an Arsenal football fan (really Hornby himself, I suspect) as he stumbled from game to game with life serving as his intermission. It captured the obsession of the fan better than any book I've read before or since. For your pleasure then, imagine this as the game to clinch a playoff berth:
What director Sylvain Archambault discovered this week is that the same fans are not about to give him a free pass, just because he doesn't wear skates to work.
The box office numbers for his new film, Pour toujours les Canadiens, play like the attendance for the latter-day Expos, not the present-day Canadiens:
The much-anticipated Habs 100th-anniversary feature Pour toujours les Canadiens had a disappointing opening weekend, selling only $112,335 in tickets on 90 screens, according to the Montreal box-office tracking firm Cinéac. Only two others films – The Twilight Saga: New Moon and 2012 – were on more screens yet Pour toujours les Canadiens managed to land in only eighth place in the local box-office top 10. The per-screen-average for the Quebec film was $1,248-per-screen, the lowest average of any film in the top 10.
Brendan Kelly of the Gazette reckons that the film is suffering because of an early panning from the test audience a few weeks back. Though his own review certainly can't be helping.
I don;t know about you, but I was thinking of seeing this movie. I think I'll check that thought and spend my money on something more worthwhile, like a beer or two. When I first heard about this film, I thought Saku Koivu, the Habs, this is a movie I can get to grips with. But from reports it's not really got anything to do with the Canadiens at all, at least not in any coherent way. If the review says something like this:
There is a great movie to be made about our hockey-mad culture. Sadly, Pour toujours les Canadiens is not that film.
Then why would I want to see it?
It's a lesson, I suppose to people who think they can just ride on the coattails of this religiously followed organization. Be it Guillaume Latendresse or Sylvain Archambault – wearing a CH on your chest does not absolve you of having to produce work with some substance.
In case you still want to see what you're missing, then the screens are listed in this article. Really though, it sounds like this clip might give you as much of a thrill as the whole movie would anyway:
A real sports story
As Kenny said, there is a movie to be made about our hockey-mad culture. It will have to wait. A good surrogate, I found, was a book I read back in University called Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby. Now you'll all know the hopeless adaptation that painted the subtle story from the novel with a sledgehammer's touch that was the Jimmy Fallon Red Sox movie of a few years ago. However, the real thing, I suspect especially when read, painted a much more interesting picture of the love affair between fanatic and team.
The story looked at the life of an Arsenal football fan (really Hornby himself, I suspect) as he stumbled from game to game with life serving as his intermission. It captured the obsession of the fan better than any book I've read before or since. For your pleasure then, imagine this as the game to clinch a playoff berth:
Thursday, September 10, 2009
The Height Of Sport
Second only to the Canadiens in my personal sporting hierarchy is international football. England is my poison.
Yesterday, I watched as my second team gave a clinic to the 9th ranked team in the world – beating Croatia 5-1 with as many near misses as goals. No matter how exciting rookie's skating backwards in Brossard can be – I'm afraid Habs news took a back seat.
Not only was it exciting, it ended well – something I can't take for granted in watching sports these days. And thank goodness for England; because, if I'm honest, they probably give me more exciting moments than from 15-odd years of Canadiens hockey have. David Beckham's injury-time free kick against Greece in 2001, Michael Owen's run against Colombia, the 5-1 mauling of Germany are moments that stand up with The Kovalev:Koivu:Zednik line clinic against Boston, Theodore's pirouette save and the thrashing of Carolina pre-Gerber pulling.
Hockey still wins 350 nights out of 365, hence the blog. But some nights football can just take over with it's magic.
Last night was one of those nights for me. You see, it's getting down to the wire in qualifying campaigns for next summer's World Cup in South Africa. The first round of the NHL playoffs is the only real equivalent to nights like last night in hockey terms. A night where many teams could qualify, and many could be eliminated. A night where the possibilities for future match-ups create the intrigue and the suspense. A night where I care about every game and every goal because it could affect my team.
40 teams faced off in 20 matches yesterday. A few teams qualified (England – hooray, Paraguay) and several were ousted (Saudi Arabia, Trinidad, Finland, Belarus, Scotland, et al). And the competition tightened with about 50-odd teams vying for the remaining 21 places.
It's an excitement that would be hard to replicate in hockey, to be fair, since rivalries between teams rarely reach the pitch they can when it's countries involved. And quite simply, there just isn't the blanket interest from every region of the world (sans N America, of course) that football can count on. At the very least, the Olympics give us all a chance to cheer for something/someone else than the marathon to the Cup.
The run down
If members of the Canadiens organization and alumni are soccer fans, this is what they would have seen and felt last night:
Jaraoslav Halak: Witnessed his countrymen exact an efficient plan in Belfast to beat Northern Ireland with a 0-2 victory. Any and all Slovaks are probably quite proud of this edition of their national team which is one point away from clinching the first place in any tournament round-robin competition since independence.
Roman Hamrlik, Jaroslav Spacek, Tomas Plekanec: Viewed a lesson in how to come back from the brink. 5th in the group and with a negative goal difference things didn't look good. A couple of good results from the other group members and a romp of 7-0 over tiny San Marino takes them back within reach of a playoff shout. They'll need help from their former countrymen to do it now, so look for the D to be extra nice to Halak.
Brian Gionta, Hal Gill, Paul Mara et al: The Americans again look poised to qualify while their population ignores them. The team on the rise walked over Trinidad and Tobago who won't be making a return to the party this time. Chances that the guys watched? Slim. But like hockey, soccer is a niche sport in the US – sometimes the players come from the same pool (Higgins, for example, starred in both).
Scott Gomez: Scott has double CONCACAF celebrations as his native US have assured themselves that place I mentioned above. and, in handling the thus far impressive Costa Rica, Mexico, the country of his paternal ancestry has now also assured themselves the same breathing room.
Yannick Weber, Robert Mayer: The Swiss got a free ticket into Euro as hosts and didn't avail themselves very well at all, winning a single match. Before last night the Swiss were teetering on the edge of another qualification, but took the lead from their goaltenders rather than their ski team as they crumpled under the pressure. Losing the lead they had gained in the first half, Switzerland only managed a 2-2 draw against footballing minnows Latvia. If Weber and Mayer are keen scoreboard watchers like most soccer fans, they will have had reason to celebrate some, though, as Greece managed to prove once again what a fluke the European championship was as they handed a rare point to Moldova (costing themselves a valuable 2 points). Switzerland still hold the cards, so the young Habs may still be smiling.
Andrei Markov, Alex Kovalev: Russia, with football's version of Scotty Bowman at the helm (Guus Hiddink), again impressed. They have paced Germany all the way and it seems that their match against each other on the 10th of October in Moscow could be a qualifying classic.
Saku Koivu, Petteri Simila: When you get drawn into a group with Russia and Germany in most sports, you're not going to be going home happy many times. Last night, though, the Finland football team showed why how much they miss the leadership that their national hockey team has, as they somehow managed to draw a game with a principality 3 miles across (Liechtenstein). usually Liechtenstein restrict themselves to taking points from Luxembourg.
Brothers Kostitsyn: Not much joy for the Kostitsyns as Belarus' draw vs. Ukraine means they won't go any further. On the bright side, by holding the Yellow and Blue to a point, the lovely Belarussians made my afternoon a lot more enjoyable – as it meant England would only require a single point from a draw for automatic qualification. One less distraction for the brothers won;t be a bad thing – though perhaps they'll turn to Mother Russia?
George Gillett: Watched as his main men Fernando Torres, Dirk Kuyt and Steven Gerrard all flew on qualified teams – Gerrard with 2 exceptional England goals. More joy as Glen Johnson (sounds like a hockey player) showed his worth on the England wing.
Habs bandwagon: The Habs bandwagon will be happy, because the team they supported all along (after Zidane's headbutt) also won on the night and Italy look safe to qualify without a playoff. The first country to be asked to do so as defenders of the crown.
Cristobal Huet, Mike Ribeiro: Hockey sensibilities aside, i am English after all. I had to shoehorn the fact that both France and Portugal may falter this year in somehow. France managed a draw and saw favourable results from their rivals so aren't down and out yet. Portugal is set for a shower of Ronaldo tears as they made their bed long ago. Ask Italy what happens when Sweden and Denmark stand in your way to qualification (I'm sure we won't see that kind of sportsmanship from never-dived before Portugal, though).
Obviously we hope all the Canadiens have a really celebratory June, but if they are soccer fans, at this point it looks like Halak, Johansson, Weber and the American contingent may need the most beer and BBQ meat on hand. I'm already planning for the most exciting month of the quadrennial.
June 11:
World Cup Opener – 11 am
Game 2 – 1:30 pm
Stanley Cup clincher? – 7 pm
A man can dream...
Yesterday, I watched as my second team gave a clinic to the 9th ranked team in the world – beating Croatia 5-1 with as many near misses as goals. No matter how exciting rookie's skating backwards in Brossard can be – I'm afraid Habs news took a back seat.
Not only was it exciting, it ended well – something I can't take for granted in watching sports these days. And thank goodness for England; because, if I'm honest, they probably give me more exciting moments than from 15-odd years of Canadiens hockey have. David Beckham's injury-time free kick against Greece in 2001, Michael Owen's run against Colombia, the 5-1 mauling of Germany are moments that stand up with The Kovalev:Koivu:Zednik line clinic against Boston, Theodore's pirouette save and the thrashing of Carolina pre-Gerber pulling.
Hockey still wins 350 nights out of 365, hence the blog. But some nights football can just take over with it's magic.
Last night was one of those nights for me. You see, it's getting down to the wire in qualifying campaigns for next summer's World Cup in South Africa. The first round of the NHL playoffs is the only real equivalent to nights like last night in hockey terms. A night where many teams could qualify, and many could be eliminated. A night where the possibilities for future match-ups create the intrigue and the suspense. A night where I care about every game and every goal because it could affect my team.
40 teams faced off in 20 matches yesterday. A few teams qualified (England – hooray, Paraguay) and several were ousted (Saudi Arabia, Trinidad, Finland, Belarus, Scotland, et al). And the competition tightened with about 50-odd teams vying for the remaining 21 places.
It's an excitement that would be hard to replicate in hockey, to be fair, since rivalries between teams rarely reach the pitch they can when it's countries involved. And quite simply, there just isn't the blanket interest from every region of the world (sans N America, of course) that football can count on. At the very least, the Olympics give us all a chance to cheer for something/someone else than the marathon to the Cup.
The run down
If members of the Canadiens organization and alumni are soccer fans, this is what they would have seen and felt last night:
Jaraoslav Halak: Witnessed his countrymen exact an efficient plan in Belfast to beat Northern Ireland with a 0-2 victory. Any and all Slovaks are probably quite proud of this edition of their national team which is one point away from clinching the first place in any tournament round-robin competition since independence.
Roman Hamrlik, Jaroslav Spacek, Tomas Plekanec: Viewed a lesson in how to come back from the brink. 5th in the group and with a negative goal difference things didn't look good. A couple of good results from the other group members and a romp of 7-0 over tiny San Marino takes them back within reach of a playoff shout. They'll need help from their former countrymen to do it now, so look for the D to be extra nice to Halak.
Brian Gionta, Hal Gill, Paul Mara et al: The Americans again look poised to qualify while their population ignores them. The team on the rise walked over Trinidad and Tobago who won't be making a return to the party this time. Chances that the guys watched? Slim. But like hockey, soccer is a niche sport in the US – sometimes the players come from the same pool (Higgins, for example, starred in both).
Scott Gomez: Scott has double CONCACAF celebrations as his native US have assured themselves that place I mentioned above. and, in handling the thus far impressive Costa Rica, Mexico, the country of his paternal ancestry has now also assured themselves the same breathing room.
Yannick Weber, Robert Mayer: The Swiss got a free ticket into Euro as hosts and didn't avail themselves very well at all, winning a single match. Before last night the Swiss were teetering on the edge of another qualification, but took the lead from their goaltenders rather than their ski team as they crumpled under the pressure. Losing the lead they had gained in the first half, Switzerland only managed a 2-2 draw against footballing minnows Latvia. If Weber and Mayer are keen scoreboard watchers like most soccer fans, they will have had reason to celebrate some, though, as Greece managed to prove once again what a fluke the European championship was as they handed a rare point to Moldova (costing themselves a valuable 2 points). Switzerland still hold the cards, so the young Habs may still be smiling.
Andrei Markov, Alex Kovalev: Russia, with football's version of Scotty Bowman at the helm (Guus Hiddink), again impressed. They have paced Germany all the way and it seems that their match against each other on the 10th of October in Moscow could be a qualifying classic.
Saku Koivu, Petteri Simila: When you get drawn into a group with Russia and Germany in most sports, you're not going to be going home happy many times. Last night, though, the Finland football team showed why how much they miss the leadership that their national hockey team has, as they somehow managed to draw a game with a principality 3 miles across (Liechtenstein). usually Liechtenstein restrict themselves to taking points from Luxembourg.
Brothers Kostitsyn: Not much joy for the Kostitsyns as Belarus' draw vs. Ukraine means they won't go any further. On the bright side, by holding the Yellow and Blue to a point, the lovely Belarussians made my afternoon a lot more enjoyable – as it meant England would only require a single point from a draw for automatic qualification. One less distraction for the brothers won;t be a bad thing – though perhaps they'll turn to Mother Russia?
George Gillett: Watched as his main men Fernando Torres, Dirk Kuyt and Steven Gerrard all flew on qualified teams – Gerrard with 2 exceptional England goals. More joy as Glen Johnson (sounds like a hockey player) showed his worth on the England wing.
Habs bandwagon: The Habs bandwagon will be happy, because the team they supported all along (after Zidane's headbutt) also won on the night and Italy look safe to qualify without a playoff. The first country to be asked to do so as defenders of the crown.
Cristobal Huet, Mike Ribeiro: Hockey sensibilities aside, i am English after all. I had to shoehorn the fact that both France and Portugal may falter this year in somehow. France managed a draw and saw favourable results from their rivals so aren't down and out yet. Portugal is set for a shower of Ronaldo tears as they made their bed long ago. Ask Italy what happens when Sweden and Denmark stand in your way to qualification (I'm sure we won't see that kind of sportsmanship from never-dived before Portugal, though).
Obviously we hope all the Canadiens have a really celebratory June, but if they are soccer fans, at this point it looks like Halak, Johansson, Weber and the American contingent may need the most beer and BBQ meat on hand. I'm already planning for the most exciting month of the quadrennial.
June 11:
World Cup Opener – 11 am
Game 2 – 1:30 pm
Stanley Cup clincher? – 7 pm
A man can dream...
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
2nd Montrealer Named To NHL GM Post
On Monday, Michel Bergeron ran a piece reminding us all to be very proud of Jacques Lemaire and Mario Tremblay for keeping their jobs in the NHL.
When the news arrived today for me, I dug through a piece on Dale Tallon's failings to learn that Stan Bowman was to be named GM of the Chicago Blackhawks. While, I'm sure Michel's article is well in the works celebrating the Montrealers able to climb the GM rankings, I decided I couldn't wait any longer.
Quebec GMs were going out of style like Russian wingers
When Steve Tambellini took over from Kevin Lowe as the GM for the Oilers, the number of Quebec-born GMs fell to a mere four (Cliff Fletcher, Bryan Murray, Francois Giguere and Dale Tallon; Jacques Martin born in an Ottawa suburb, of course). The news got worse when Fletcher was asked to step aside for a louder alternative and Giguere was let go to be replaced by someone from Scranton, PA – a city more renowned for being mocked as dull on TV sitcoms than for raising hockey masterminds.
The Montreal numbers looked worse, where Cliff Fletcher was the last remnant.
All the while, Ontario was plowing along with 11 GMs; there were an embarrassing (to Montreal anyway) 5 GMs from New England, 5 others from the US and a handful from Western Canada. The way Quebec was faring, you'd have thought Trevor Timmins was the leaguewide consultant on GM hirings.
But in late May, the tides began to turn. Doug Riseborough (a man with good Montreal links himself) was let go. He was replaced by Chuck Fletcher, the son of the aforementioned Silver Fox, who himself was born in Montreal way back when his Dad worked for the Habs in the 1960s.
Today, we get news that one Quebec-born GM will be replaced by another as Rouyn-Noranda's (and Toronto's) Dale Tallon will be replaced by Stan Bowman, the son of Montreal Canadiens legend Scotty. His connection to Montreal is even stronger than Chuck's since his days in town went beyond his third birthday – right from 1973 up until the time Irving Grundman took over from Sam Pollock following the 1979 season.
From no Montreal sons running NHL teams to two in a matter of 2 months. It's quite a turn around and one worth sounding the trumpet for.
Frank Selke's heirs
Geographic origins aside, these two appointments are very interesting for other reasons. Both these GMs are young and both are the sons of men who have shaped the NHL for the past four decades or more.
Scotty Bowman needs no introduction to fans of the Canadiens. He is our legendary coach at the NHL level, of course, winning a number of Cups in the 1970s. However, it is often forgot that he also played the part of prospect, scout and minor league coach for the Habs. His first coaching job was beside Sam Pollock with the 56-57 and 57-58 editions of the Ottawa Junior Canadiens. Next he coached the Petereborough Petes (Montreal-affiliated, of course). Finally, he jumped at the chance to make it in the NHL when the St. Louis Blues came calling following expansion. A few Stanley Cup finals later, he was back in Montreal coaching the Habs and naming his son after the trophies he was winning.
Cliff Fletcher was a Montreal boy as well, though his story is less well known in Canadiens lore (probably because his biggest successes came in winning a Cup in Montreal for the opposition and setting up a Maple Leafs team that would overshadow the Habs for most of the late 1990s). His career, though had strange parallels with Scotty's, though not on the ice where he never attained the top junior ranks. Like Scotty, his first coaching assignment came under the watchful eye of Sam Pollock in the late 1950s (then the overseer of all minor league and junior operations for the Canadiens). His duties expanded over the years to scouting, coaching and other player development tasks. By the time expansion came around, Cliff was mature enough and ready to take on bigger roles. His first step was to go to St. Louis like Scotty. And his first promotion was to become assistant GM to Scotty himself – the Montreal Canadiens tandem to outwork the other expansion franchises in those early years to a significant degree. Unlike Scotty, he never returned to Montreal, but instead took his own GM post with the expansion Atlanta Flames in 1971.
So Chuck and Stan not only trace shallow roots to the city of Montreal (like say Bryan Murray who went to school in Ste. Anne-de-Bellevue), but also back to the Montreal Canadiens themselves. Specifically, these two appointments can trace their hockey know how right back to the greatest GM of all time (Frank Selke) and his greatest rival for the title (Sam Pollock). Both sons of Selke employees and Pollock proteges.
It's an interesting development that comes at a time when the NHL needs new ideas and new minds to spice things up a bit. If they've retained even an iota of the wisdom their fathers must have soaked up from the "How to totally outwork and outperform the other NHL GMs" academy they attended in the 1950s and 60s, they'll be in good stead. One can only hope that their experience goes a little bit smoother than that of the man who in a way laid a path for them and all 30-something aspiring GMs – son of former Canadiens player, John Ferguson, Jr.
As for RDS's version of this piece, trust me I'll eagerly await Bergeron's parallel take on Stan Bowman and Chuck Fletcher. I'm sure he'll say something like he did regarding the coaches.
Oh, what the heck, in case he doesn't. We should all be proud of Chuck and Stan, Quebecois and Montrealais. With the departures of Francois Gigere, Kevin Lowe and Cliff Fletcher from the management reins of NHL teams, it's important that some Quebecers hang on and carry the torch for the rest of us.
And long live the Selke line...
When the news arrived today for me, I dug through a piece on Dale Tallon's failings to learn that Stan Bowman was to be named GM of the Chicago Blackhawks. While, I'm sure Michel's article is well in the works celebrating the Montrealers able to climb the GM rankings, I decided I couldn't wait any longer.
Quebec GMs were going out of style like Russian wingers
When Steve Tambellini took over from Kevin Lowe as the GM for the Oilers, the number of Quebec-born GMs fell to a mere four (Cliff Fletcher, Bryan Murray, Francois Giguere and Dale Tallon; Jacques Martin born in an Ottawa suburb, of course). The news got worse when Fletcher was asked to step aside for a louder alternative and Giguere was let go to be replaced by someone from Scranton, PA – a city more renowned for being mocked as dull on TV sitcoms than for raising hockey masterminds.
The Montreal numbers looked worse, where Cliff Fletcher was the last remnant.
All the while, Ontario was plowing along with 11 GMs; there were an embarrassing (to Montreal anyway) 5 GMs from New England, 5 others from the US and a handful from Western Canada. The way Quebec was faring, you'd have thought Trevor Timmins was the leaguewide consultant on GM hirings.
But in late May, the tides began to turn. Doug Riseborough (a man with good Montreal links himself) was let go. He was replaced by Chuck Fletcher, the son of the aforementioned Silver Fox, who himself was born in Montreal way back when his Dad worked for the Habs in the 1960s.
Today, we get news that one Quebec-born GM will be replaced by another as Rouyn-Noranda's (and Toronto's) Dale Tallon will be replaced by Stan Bowman, the son of Montreal Canadiens legend Scotty. His connection to Montreal is even stronger than Chuck's since his days in town went beyond his third birthday – right from 1973 up until the time Irving Grundman took over from Sam Pollock following the 1979 season.
From no Montreal sons running NHL teams to two in a matter of 2 months. It's quite a turn around and one worth sounding the trumpet for.
Frank Selke's heirs
Geographic origins aside, these two appointments are very interesting for other reasons. Both these GMs are young and both are the sons of men who have shaped the NHL for the past four decades or more.
Scotty Bowman needs no introduction to fans of the Canadiens. He is our legendary coach at the NHL level, of course, winning a number of Cups in the 1970s. However, it is often forgot that he also played the part of prospect, scout and minor league coach for the Habs. His first coaching job was beside Sam Pollock with the 56-57 and 57-58 editions of the Ottawa Junior Canadiens. Next he coached the Petereborough Petes (Montreal-affiliated, of course). Finally, he jumped at the chance to make it in the NHL when the St. Louis Blues came calling following expansion. A few Stanley Cup finals later, he was back in Montreal coaching the Habs and naming his son after the trophies he was winning.
Cliff Fletcher was a Montreal boy as well, though his story is less well known in Canadiens lore (probably because his biggest successes came in winning a Cup in Montreal for the opposition and setting up a Maple Leafs team that would overshadow the Habs for most of the late 1990s). His career, though had strange parallels with Scotty's, though not on the ice where he never attained the top junior ranks. Like Scotty, his first coaching assignment came under the watchful eye of Sam Pollock in the late 1950s (then the overseer of all minor league and junior operations for the Canadiens). His duties expanded over the years to scouting, coaching and other player development tasks. By the time expansion came around, Cliff was mature enough and ready to take on bigger roles. His first step was to go to St. Louis like Scotty. And his first promotion was to become assistant GM to Scotty himself – the Montreal Canadiens tandem to outwork the other expansion franchises in those early years to a significant degree. Unlike Scotty, he never returned to Montreal, but instead took his own GM post with the expansion Atlanta Flames in 1971.
So Chuck and Stan not only trace shallow roots to the city of Montreal (like say Bryan Murray who went to school in Ste. Anne-de-Bellevue), but also back to the Montreal Canadiens themselves. Specifically, these two appointments can trace their hockey know how right back to the greatest GM of all time (Frank Selke) and his greatest rival for the title (Sam Pollock). Both sons of Selke employees and Pollock proteges.
It's an interesting development that comes at a time when the NHL needs new ideas and new minds to spice things up a bit. If they've retained even an iota of the wisdom their fathers must have soaked up from the "How to totally outwork and outperform the other NHL GMs" academy they attended in the 1950s and 60s, they'll be in good stead. One can only hope that their experience goes a little bit smoother than that of the man who in a way laid a path for them and all 30-something aspiring GMs – son of former Canadiens player, John Ferguson, Jr.
As for RDS's version of this piece, trust me I'll eagerly await Bergeron's parallel take on Stan Bowman and Chuck Fletcher. I'm sure he'll say something like he did regarding the coaches.
Oh, what the heck, in case he doesn't. We should all be proud of Chuck and Stan, Quebecois and Montrealais. With the departures of Francois Gigere, Kevin Lowe and Cliff Fletcher from the management reins of NHL teams, it's important that some Quebecers hang on and carry the torch for the rest of us.
And long live the Selke line...
Thursday, July 09, 2009
What Saku Koivu Meant To This Fan
So it has finally happened. The news we'd all been expecting. The news I'd been dreading.
Saku Koivu has left the Montreal Canadiens. Rather the Canadiens have left him.
I haven't felt this way in a very long time. I felt vaguely disgusted when we traded Damphousse for a draft pick. I felt quite a stab when Recchi was downgraded for Dainius Zubrus (particularly since my newly minted Recchi sweater would be vintage before its time). But those times, there was always Koivu.
Now that Saku is gone I am feeling almost bereft. Perhaps that's a tad dramatic, but there is certainly emptiness in this feeling. Emptiness with fear. I have to be honest, I didn't expect I would feel this way. It seems Koivu saved one last surprise for me.
A personal favourite for years
It's been a long time since the Koivu joined the team and even longer since that fateful day in June 1993 when I bought out every West Island card shop of their Saku Koivu Finland Junior cards. A few days later, when he was drafted I felt a real connection with a player for the very first time. A player whose stats I had scoured and decided was certainly good enough to grace my team (despite old NHL myths about size), a player who captured my imagination completely.
Those next years were the genesis of my deeper involvement. Through a desire to find out more about Koivu and his ETA, I learned a lot about prospects, Finnish military service and the dangers of drafting Europeans. As a by-product, I learned more about all the players coming through. I wasn't yet a blogger (no-one was) but a seed was sewn.
What started with a lot of hope developed over time into exhilaration followed by respect and finally total admiration for the player, and indeed the man. My late teens and early adulthood are peppered with memories of Saku Koivu. From his flirtation with the scoring lead in his earliest years, to establishing himself as the Montreal Canadiens offensive engine to his eventual evolution into the player that would do anything, play any position, to help his team, my team. He was an average skater, an effective digger and beyond all a stylish passer. He quickly surpassed the Stanley cup heroes in my lists.
While for many the pinnacle of Saku's days in Montreal will always be the night he returned to the Bell Centre (a night I can happily say I attended and cheered myself hoarse), for me the pinnacles were many. The virtuoso playoff performances against Joe Thornton where he was at once the best playoff scoring threat and the man to shut down the Art Ross pretender were top among them.
I don't think I'm alone in considering Saku Koivu a personal hero. I can safely say that if I were a drafted as a hockey player and Pierre McGuire lined up to ask who I pattern my game on – it would be Saku Koivu. I have never identified with any single player more than I have with Saku. When we are down by two in the third I look down the TV at the bench and can't understand some of what I see, but then I see the captain (usually deep in discussion with a linemate) and I see my hope reflected. His hunger for winning, his strategy for getting there and his willingness to do whatever it might take are all qualities I try to emulate. And I haven't even mentioned his trademark quick no-look backhand pass disguised as stickhandling.
No I'll miss watching him play. I'll miss just knowing he's on our side.
Overcoming the loss
Now don't get me wrong, my head is telling me it's alright. It's telling me that the analysis I and others have done shows the team needed the lift it may (and I stress may) get from replacing Koivu. I can see this team winning as much or more. My left brain can't really see them being any worse than last season.
Those of you that read here a bit will know that I'm well aware of the inverse relationship between a sentimental GM and a great GM. I can talk up a storm about the merits of telling Guy Lafleur to retire to make room for Naslund, for kicking Robinson to the Kings so as to make a new start. I'm really quite cold and calculating when I want to be. At least half of me is.
Still, on Koivu, my heart questions.
As I mentioned there is a certain emptiness now, and there's fear. After all, how will I feel watching Gomez, Gionta and Cammalleri? Will Kostitsyn become my new Koivu? Will my passion for this team fade to academic interest?
There is no honest way to know the answer to those questions. Only when the puck is dropped and play resumes will I know. Only then will I know if I will feel the pull that I've felt for near a decade and a half. Only then will the scariest question be answered:
Will I fall out of love with this team?
I hope not, but I'll have to see. Right now, I'm into the moves. I understand the motives and I'm excited by the potential. But that's my head. Ultimately my heart is the only part of me that will decide if the passion is still in this for me.
I hope not, but I've heard of these sudden awakenings happening before. People who say things like they haven't watched hockey since Bobby Orr retired or that the day the Oilers traded Gretzky was the day they stopped investing their valuable time and thoughts.
Today is the first day without Saku Koivu to look forward to in a very long time. I think for many of us, it will mark the day we lost our innocent and childish optimism, the luxury we took from knowing Koivu would be there, Koivu would be better, Koivu would save us. For all these years Koivu has been the very best quality of the Canadiens to me.
While I don't applaud the loss, it is something I would have had to deal with at some point. Now that he is gone I have a new opportunity. I may not relish it, but I think I'm about to find out what kind of fan I really am.
Saku Koivu has left the Montreal Canadiens. Rather the Canadiens have left him.
I haven't felt this way in a very long time. I felt vaguely disgusted when we traded Damphousse for a draft pick. I felt quite a stab when Recchi was downgraded for Dainius Zubrus (particularly since my newly minted Recchi sweater would be vintage before its time). But those times, there was always Koivu.
Now that Saku is gone I am feeling almost bereft. Perhaps that's a tad dramatic, but there is certainly emptiness in this feeling. Emptiness with fear. I have to be honest, I didn't expect I would feel this way. It seems Koivu saved one last surprise for me.
A personal favourite for years
It's been a long time since the Koivu joined the team and even longer since that fateful day in June 1993 when I bought out every West Island card shop of their Saku Koivu Finland Junior cards. A few days later, when he was drafted I felt a real connection with a player for the very first time. A player whose stats I had scoured and decided was certainly good enough to grace my team (despite old NHL myths about size), a player who captured my imagination completely.
Those next years were the genesis of my deeper involvement. Through a desire to find out more about Koivu and his ETA, I learned a lot about prospects, Finnish military service and the dangers of drafting Europeans. As a by-product, I learned more about all the players coming through. I wasn't yet a blogger (no-one was) but a seed was sewn.
What started with a lot of hope developed over time into exhilaration followed by respect and finally total admiration for the player, and indeed the man. My late teens and early adulthood are peppered with memories of Saku Koivu. From his flirtation with the scoring lead in his earliest years, to establishing himself as the Montreal Canadiens offensive engine to his eventual evolution into the player that would do anything, play any position, to help his team, my team. He was an average skater, an effective digger and beyond all a stylish passer. He quickly surpassed the Stanley cup heroes in my lists.
While for many the pinnacle of Saku's days in Montreal will always be the night he returned to the Bell Centre (a night I can happily say I attended and cheered myself hoarse), for me the pinnacles were many. The virtuoso playoff performances against Joe Thornton where he was at once the best playoff scoring threat and the man to shut down the Art Ross pretender were top among them.
I don't think I'm alone in considering Saku Koivu a personal hero. I can safely say that if I were a drafted as a hockey player and Pierre McGuire lined up to ask who I pattern my game on – it would be Saku Koivu. I have never identified with any single player more than I have with Saku. When we are down by two in the third I look down the TV at the bench and can't understand some of what I see, but then I see the captain (usually deep in discussion with a linemate) and I see my hope reflected. His hunger for winning, his strategy for getting there and his willingness to do whatever it might take are all qualities I try to emulate. And I haven't even mentioned his trademark quick no-look backhand pass disguised as stickhandling.
No I'll miss watching him play. I'll miss just knowing he's on our side.
Overcoming the loss
Now don't get me wrong, my head is telling me it's alright. It's telling me that the analysis I and others have done shows the team needed the lift it may (and I stress may) get from replacing Koivu. I can see this team winning as much or more. My left brain can't really see them being any worse than last season.
Those of you that read here a bit will know that I'm well aware of the inverse relationship between a sentimental GM and a great GM. I can talk up a storm about the merits of telling Guy Lafleur to retire to make room for Naslund, for kicking Robinson to the Kings so as to make a new start. I'm really quite cold and calculating when I want to be. At least half of me is.
Still, on Koivu, my heart questions.
As I mentioned there is a certain emptiness now, and there's fear. After all, how will I feel watching Gomez, Gionta and Cammalleri? Will Kostitsyn become my new Koivu? Will my passion for this team fade to academic interest?
There is no honest way to know the answer to those questions. Only when the puck is dropped and play resumes will I know. Only then will I know if I will feel the pull that I've felt for near a decade and a half. Only then will the scariest question be answered:
Will I fall out of love with this team?
I hope not, but I'll have to see. Right now, I'm into the moves. I understand the motives and I'm excited by the potential. But that's my head. Ultimately my heart is the only part of me that will decide if the passion is still in this for me.
I hope not, but I've heard of these sudden awakenings happening before. People who say things like they haven't watched hockey since Bobby Orr retired or that the day the Oilers traded Gretzky was the day they stopped investing their valuable time and thoughts.
Today is the first day without Saku Koivu to look forward to in a very long time. I think for many of us, it will mark the day we lost our innocent and childish optimism, the luxury we took from knowing Koivu would be there, Koivu would be better, Koivu would save us. For all these years Koivu has been the very best quality of the Canadiens to me.
While I don't applaud the loss, it is something I would have had to deal with at some point. Now that he is gone I have a new opportunity. I may not relish it, but I think I'm about to find out what kind of fan I really am.
Thursday, January 08, 2009
Habs Leafs
Guest Preview
One of the wonderful benefits that the Score Sports Federation provides us with is a natural set of bloggers to argue and share thoughts with about hockey and the NHL in Canada. Ahead of only the second all-Canadian meeting for the Habs since LIW joined the Federation, I spoke with Sean of Down Goes Brown about the Leafs, our rivalry and the game tonight.
I put a few questions to Sean about some obvious topics and some that hopefully are not so obvious. Read on to see his responses.
Sean also put some very creative and cleverly worded questions to me, you can see my answers on his site now.
Q1) We look at your team a foreign fans and think Kaberle, Toskala and Antropov... Can you tell us from a Leafs perspective who the players to look for tonight will be?
Sean: Nik Hagman is just a solid, smart player who can skate and score and play defense. He's been the best of Fletcher's acquisitions. Jonas Frogren is a crazy Nordic viking on the blueline who doesn't score much, but is the sort of guy who likes to block shots with his face. Dominic Moore is having a career year on the checking line - he's got great wheels, and will continue to contribute until he's dealt at the deadline for a second round pick.
Also, this Grabovski kid isn't bad. You've probably never heard of him.
Q2) By the same token, who are the players you as Leafs key on when you think of a match up with the 2008-09 Canadiens (if you recognize anyone on our roster anymore)?
Sean: Well, the main guy we'll be keying on is Tom Kostopoulos. He's going down. You do not want to get into a "hitting-from-behind" battle with a team that employs Ryan Hollweg. Kostopoulos better hope that whichever purse he steals this week has a gun in it.
Other than that, we watch for the usual suspects: Koivu, Kovalev, Lang, and all the various other divers. And of course, we'll try to convince Carey Price it's a playoff game so that he'll completely wet the bed.
Q3) We have an interesting history between our teams. But in all honesty, is this rivalry petering out a bit? Do you hate the Canadiens as much as perhaps you used to?
Sean: The rivalry has been pretty dormant since it's been a while since both teams were good at the same time. But it's still easily the Leafs best rivalry. There have been occasional mini-rivalries like the Senators, but at the end of the day nobody cares about Ottawa. I get more excited for Habs games than any other team, by far.
All that said, here's the weird thing: I don't actually hate the Habs, or their fans. I hate plenty of other teams, but there's a grudging respect for Montreal. The Senators could fold tomorrow and no Leaf fan would care, but the Habs are different. The rivalry still feels like it means something, and I hope it heats up again soon.
Q4) Mats Sundin. Open wound, I know. Would you have taken him back if he turned down Vancouver?
Sean: Leaf fans don't agree on Sundin, but virtually nobody wanted him back. Half of us are too mad at him, and the other half know that this season is about a high draft pick and Sundin would only hurt that. If he had re-signed after the deadline, or even during the summer, we would have welcomed him back. But once he finished taking fishing trips or shilling for gambling web sites and got around to actually thinking about hockey in November, he was dead to me. I look forward to him faking an injury to get out of the Canucks/Leaf game in February.
Q5) If you're not in the playoffs, I'm assuming you hope for a lottery position. Let's say the chips fall for you: Hedman or Tavares?
Sean: After watching the World Juniors, I've been sporting a Tav-erection for two straight weeks. Besides, the Leafs have far more blue-chip defensive prospects than we do forwards. Which is to say, we currently have one blue-chip defensive prospect.
Q6) Will Justin Pogge crack it soon? How bad will the save percentages have to be to pull the trigger on that? It looks to us, the casual observers, like you have a David Aebischer situation on your hands.
Sean: Pogge should play regularly in the NHL when he's ready, and it suits his development path. That's the only criteria. Toskala has been shaky this year, and Joseph has been brutal, but that doesn't matter this year. It's about the future, so if Pogge isn't ready then he should be in the AHL. And that's especially true since he hasn't been all that sharp the past few years, and is starting to look like he may not be the blue-chip prospect we were hoping for.
And if Toskala is traded and Joseph plays so badly the rest of the year that we drop into last place overall, well, that's a risk we'll just have to take. Cough.
Finally, as with the Calgary preview, we had a look at some players, people and places that mean something to either side. I asked both Sean from Down Goes Brown and our own Tobalev to state whatever came to mind (in a word or two) when they read the following list (the answers are good):
a) Shayne Corson
Sean (Leafs): Head-kicker
Tobalev (Habs): Bar fights
b) Jonas Hoglund
Sean (Leafs): Sundin's excuse
Tobalev (Habs): How was he good on the Leafs?
c) Ken Dryden
Sean (Leafs): Stop talking
Tobalev (Habs): Could have been the best ever
d) LA Kings
Sean (Leafs): Kerry Fraser high stick gretzky scores ears bleeding can't stop cutting myself argh i hate you...
Tobalev (Habs): 1993 Finals collapse
e) Conn Smythe
Sean (Leafs): Maple Leaf Gardens
Tobalev (Habs): Patrick Roy
Never one to shy away from controversial statements, apparently. Thanks Sean for taking part. As for you dear readers, Down Goes Brown is a great blog to get the pre-game and post-game analysis from the Leaf perspective and to correct Sean about some of his wild claims regarding the Habs (or just generally mock because he had to mention Dominic Moore in an answer about best players).
I put a few questions to Sean about some obvious topics and some that hopefully are not so obvious. Read on to see his responses.
Sean also put some very creative and cleverly worded questions to me, you can see my answers on his site now.
Q1) We look at your team a foreign fans and think Kaberle, Toskala and Antropov... Can you tell us from a Leafs perspective who the players to look for tonight will be?
Sean: Nik Hagman is just a solid, smart player who can skate and score and play defense. He's been the best of Fletcher's acquisitions. Jonas Frogren is a crazy Nordic viking on the blueline who doesn't score much, but is the sort of guy who likes to block shots with his face. Dominic Moore is having a career year on the checking line - he's got great wheels, and will continue to contribute until he's dealt at the deadline for a second round pick.
Also, this Grabovski kid isn't bad. You've probably never heard of him.
Q2) By the same token, who are the players you as Leafs key on when you think of a match up with the 2008-09 Canadiens (if you recognize anyone on our roster anymore)?
Sean: Well, the main guy we'll be keying on is Tom Kostopoulos. He's going down. You do not want to get into a "hitting-from-behind" battle with a team that employs Ryan Hollweg. Kostopoulos better hope that whichever purse he steals this week has a gun in it.
Other than that, we watch for the usual suspects: Koivu, Kovalev, Lang, and all the various other divers. And of course, we'll try to convince Carey Price it's a playoff game so that he'll completely wet the bed.
Q3) We have an interesting history between our teams. But in all honesty, is this rivalry petering out a bit? Do you hate the Canadiens as much as perhaps you used to?
Sean: The rivalry has been pretty dormant since it's been a while since both teams were good at the same time. But it's still easily the Leafs best rivalry. There have been occasional mini-rivalries like the Senators, but at the end of the day nobody cares about Ottawa. I get more excited for Habs games than any other team, by far.
All that said, here's the weird thing: I don't actually hate the Habs, or their fans. I hate plenty of other teams, but there's a grudging respect for Montreal. The Senators could fold tomorrow and no Leaf fan would care, but the Habs are different. The rivalry still feels like it means something, and I hope it heats up again soon.
Q4) Mats Sundin. Open wound, I know. Would you have taken him back if he turned down Vancouver?
Sean: Leaf fans don't agree on Sundin, but virtually nobody wanted him back. Half of us are too mad at him, and the other half know that this season is about a high draft pick and Sundin would only hurt that. If he had re-signed after the deadline, or even during the summer, we would have welcomed him back. But once he finished taking fishing trips or shilling for gambling web sites and got around to actually thinking about hockey in November, he was dead to me. I look forward to him faking an injury to get out of the Canucks/Leaf game in February.
Q5) If you're not in the playoffs, I'm assuming you hope for a lottery position. Let's say the chips fall for you: Hedman or Tavares?
Sean: After watching the World Juniors, I've been sporting a Tav-erection for two straight weeks. Besides, the Leafs have far more blue-chip defensive prospects than we do forwards. Which is to say, we currently have one blue-chip defensive prospect.
Q6) Will Justin Pogge crack it soon? How bad will the save percentages have to be to pull the trigger on that? It looks to us, the casual observers, like you have a David Aebischer situation on your hands.
Sean: Pogge should play regularly in the NHL when he's ready, and it suits his development path. That's the only criteria. Toskala has been shaky this year, and Joseph has been brutal, but that doesn't matter this year. It's about the future, so if Pogge isn't ready then he should be in the AHL. And that's especially true since he hasn't been all that sharp the past few years, and is starting to look like he may not be the blue-chip prospect we were hoping for.
And if Toskala is traded and Joseph plays so badly the rest of the year that we drop into last place overall, well, that's a risk we'll just have to take. Cough.
Finally, as with the Calgary preview, we had a look at some players, people and places that mean something to either side. I asked both Sean from Down Goes Brown and our own Tobalev to state whatever came to mind (in a word or two) when they read the following list (the answers are good):
a) Shayne Corson
Sean (Leafs): Head-kicker
Tobalev (Habs): Bar fights
b) Jonas Hoglund
Sean (Leafs): Sundin's excuse
Tobalev (Habs): How was he good on the Leafs?
c) Ken Dryden
Sean (Leafs): Stop talking
Tobalev (Habs): Could have been the best ever
d) LA Kings
Sean (Leafs): Kerry Fraser high stick gretzky scores ears bleeding can't stop cutting myself argh i hate you...
Tobalev (Habs): 1993 Finals collapse
e) Conn Smythe
Sean (Leafs): Maple Leaf Gardens
Tobalev (Habs): Patrick Roy
Never one to shy away from controversial statements, apparently. Thanks Sean for taking part. As for you dear readers, Down Goes Brown is a great blog to get the pre-game and post-game analysis from the Leaf perspective and to correct Sean about some of his wild claims regarding the Habs (or just generally mock because he had to mention Dominic Moore in an answer about best players).
Sunday, December 07, 2008
NHL Flaws
Join The Debate
This article I stumbled across on BallHype takes some digs at the NHL – claiming it is not major league.
The list is a bit half-baked and it makes one wonder why the author opted for the top twelve over the more traditional top ten list – when he only had 6 good ideas... But as I contemplated response, I had to admit it made some good points:
You can't underestimate the effect that not being on network TV has on the league's image in the States. After all, consider that they do air. The fact that the league can't then find a place on a sports-only cable network is another PR hit.
We all know that the football tie resolution is a bigger joke (the coin toss), but that doesn't take away from the fact that a shootout is a very odd way to settle something in sports. Playoff hockey provides the perfect solution of course – fight to the death (or first goal).
I also think there are other arguments not examined there that could be used to demean the NHL, but I think that's enough credit for a position I don't really believe.
World Sport
When you slight a league for not being “Major League”, it would be first a good idea to define what you mean by “Major League”. As this was an American-sourced link, I think I can safely make some assumptions about what was meant by the term: Baseball, Basketball, Football. In those terms, you can see how it would be hard for hockey to make it. You have the game of American Dream mythology, the hippest sport and the best marketed by far. An incontrovertible trio really.
In fairness the post hits out at the NHL and not hockey in general, but I get the feeling the
But is that Major League, sealed and delivered – decided by the Americans. It’s not in Canada, here hockey is the only Major League. It’s certainly not in the rest of the world, where soccer, cricket and motor racing boast raw popularity to make the US leagues blush.
According to a few sources (and to no one’s surprise), football is number one – not the type where only one guy uses his foot. Cricket is undisputed number two thanks to huge popularity in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh who outstrip American pop’n by a clean billion. Not hockey, not any of the “Major League” sports look very major next to these two giants.
But it is interesting to look at hockey from a world perspective, particularly because it does have appeal in other countries, unlike American football, say. In addition to full support from Canada, and middling support in the US, ice hockey is very popular in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Czech and Slovakia, Sweden, Finland and the Baltic states (Canada + those countries = 270 million people). Throw in it’s growing popularity in Germany, Austria and Switzerland (who add close to another 100 million citizens). From that perspective, it seems that hockey is major league, even if the NHL is not.
Now that it is more and more possible to follow the NHL from around the world, one could imagine some kind of following growing in Europe for the beleaguered NHL, in the same way that Thailand is hopping mad about the Premiership...
The point, I suppose is that hockey goes well beyond the NHL. In fact, the better players going to Russia for money, while it hurts the NHL will probably help to bolster popularity in the Eastern hemisphere – where growth potential is high.
Debate
I have not responded to the original NHL bash myself as I was half-way there and lost steam. As I said, if the argument is North American major status, and the cut is made at three, hockey doesn't make it. I took up this piece because: a) I thought some of you might be able to better articulate a response and b) to shoehorn in another debate:
"If the NHL is barking up the wrong tree in the US, would more effort put towards formal competition in Europe be useful?"
Just some food for comment...
The list is a bit half-baked and it makes one wonder why the author opted for the top twelve over the more traditional top ten list – when he only had 6 good ideas... But as I contemplated response, I had to admit it made some good points:
11. By the numbers, NASCAR, the XFL, professional poker, bowling, test patterns and "Rosie Live!" all had better ratings
AND
7. The league is currently being shown on a network that seems to exist only to show an eternal churn of "Rocky" movies
You can't underestimate the effect that not being on network TV has on the league's image in the States. After all, consider that they do air. The fact that the league can't then find a place on a sports-only cable network is another PR hit.
3. Tie games are resolved through shootouts, which is roughly akin to having a tied baseball game determined by home run derby, a tied basketball game determined by a free throw contest, a tied football game determined by extra point kicking, or a boxing match determined by chair shots
We all know that the football tie resolution is a bigger joke (the coin toss), but that doesn't take away from the fact that a shootout is a very odd way to settle something in sports. Playoff hockey provides the perfect solution of course – fight to the death (or first goal).
I also think there are other arguments not examined there that could be used to demean the NHL, but I think that's enough credit for a position I don't really believe.
World Sport
When you slight a league for not being “Major League”, it would be first a good idea to define what you mean by “Major League”. As this was an American-sourced link, I think I can safely make some assumptions about what was meant by the term: Baseball, Basketball, Football. In those terms, you can see how it would be hard for hockey to make it. You have the game of American Dream mythology, the hippest sport and the best marketed by far. An incontrovertible trio really.
In fairness the post hits out at the NHL and not hockey in general, but I get the feeling the
But is that Major League, sealed and delivered – decided by the Americans. It’s not in Canada, here hockey is the only Major League. It’s certainly not in the rest of the world, where soccer, cricket and motor racing boast raw popularity to make the US leagues blush.
According to a few sources (and to no one’s surprise), football is number one – not the type where only one guy uses his foot. Cricket is undisputed number two thanks to huge popularity in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh who outstrip American pop’n by a clean billion. Not hockey, not any of the “Major League” sports look very major next to these two giants.
But it is interesting to look at hockey from a world perspective, particularly because it does have appeal in other countries, unlike American football, say. In addition to full support from Canada, and middling support in the US, ice hockey is very popular in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Czech and Slovakia, Sweden, Finland and the Baltic states (Canada + those countries = 270 million people). Throw in it’s growing popularity in Germany, Austria and Switzerland (who add close to another 100 million citizens). From that perspective, it seems that hockey is major league, even if the NHL is not.
Now that it is more and more possible to follow the NHL from around the world, one could imagine some kind of following growing in Europe for the beleaguered NHL, in the same way that Thailand is hopping mad about the Premiership...
The point, I suppose is that hockey goes well beyond the NHL. In fact, the better players going to Russia for money, while it hurts the NHL will probably help to bolster popularity in the Eastern hemisphere – where growth potential is high.
Debate
I have not responded to the original NHL bash myself as I was half-way there and lost steam. As I said, if the argument is North American major status, and the cut is made at three, hockey doesn't make it. I took up this piece because: a) I thought some of you might be able to better articulate a response and b) to shoehorn in another debate:
"If the NHL is barking up the wrong tree in the US, would more effort put towards formal competition in Europe be useful?"
Just some food for comment...
Friday, November 07, 2008
Team Ownership
For Sale Or Not, And Who To Believe
Team Ownership
For Sale Or Not, And Who To Believe
In the build up to the season, through training camp and since, hockey has provided a nice distraction to all the bad news coming out of fund management firms, banks and finance ministers the world round.
And while Canadiens fans have been treated to more good news than most on the ice, behind the scenes in the NHL owners circuit I was starting to get a sneaky feeling that something may be brewing.
So when I awoke this morning and saw this story from RDS about Jim Balsillie and the Montreal Canadiens, I can’t say I was blown away. George Gillett has come out and flatly denied the statements of devious Jim (of Nashville saviour fame). The story is so sensitive in Montreal that RDS has already changed the headline three times in a few hours and have settled on George Gillett’s denial. So, those waking up later will have to rely on my word that this all happened.
So now we have one leaked comment, probably out of context from La Presse. And we have a statement from the guy who should know best, the guy who owns and would have to sell the Canadiens. Most would give the benefit of the doubt to the defender here – the owner.
However, the question about this statement is whether we can take it at face value. George Gillett, for all his likable qualities (and recent PR about them in the North American press) has been speaking out of both sides of his mouth a bit recently. You wouldn’t have to tour the terraces at Anfield (Liverpool FC’s home ground) for very long to find someone with something negative to say about our Georgie Boy. He's admitted his embarrassment at the situation himself, in fact.
The reason: fans feel they have been lied to. George and his partner Tom Hicks (also owner of the Dallas Stars) made three pivotal promises when they took over the club:
1) They would increase the funds available for transfers
2) They would build a new stadium
3) They would not burden the club with their own personal debts
A year and a bit later, it seems they have mostly defaulted on all three promises. The transfer kitty initially jumped but was topped up almost immediately through the sale of players – bringing them back to the starting point and no extra cash layout. The stadium is on hold. And, the Americans have borrowed heavily while using the club profits to pay down the interest – exactly as they promised they wouldn’t. From the Gazette:
Incidentally, Gillett and Hicks also flatly denied claims of selling the club, which juxtaposes with the engagement of Merrill Lynch by the two men. From the Times:
There is obvious concern over broken promises; but, that to me is actually very reasonable given that no one at all, banker, businessman or doomsday merchant, predicted the global banking system to fall down.
No, the biggest concern is the third point – that Gillett operates his companies while carrying a great load of debt. Liverpool FC is in debt. The Canadiens too, are in a massive hole of debt ($240 million, in fact, as per Forbes). Rough calculations of the Habs finances show that although it is some team’s plans to pay down debt (Red Wings anyone), Gillett’s plan is to service the interest and no more.
I don’t want to be alarmist, it is common business practice to run enterprises in this way. The problem is, October showed us that what is known about business is all up in the air now. If banks can go out of business overnight, can’t venture capitalists too? Can people like Gillett continue to operate businesses as they always did without any consequences?
Is it not conceivable that sports leagues will suffer eventually from the credit crunch as well? Wouldn’t it be feasible that individuals who rely on credit to finance upwards of 50% of their empires might also have to re-adjust?
Put those two together and you have George Gillett's predicament, nice guy and brilliant owner that he has been for Montreal
So, in light of all that, should we really be surprised that rumours of selling the Habs should crop up just now?
I, for one, am not surprised. News like this was to be expected, whether true or not. I would be no more surprised if it were true than if it were a fabrication – both scenarios make sense to me.
Nor am I worried. For all the credit we give George Gillett, it is Bob Gainey who takes care of us fans. He will still be as intelligent, calculating and frugal as he is now even under the RIM tycoon. I don’t see the change of ownership as a threat to the viability of the Canadiens over the long term or to their play on the ice.
If as a fellow fan, this interests you as much as it does me, though. I suggest you keep your eyes on the British press in January of next year, as it will be very interested to see how Gillett does in refinancing his massive debt in the UK (due to come up with RBS late January) – a debt that makes the Canadiens $240 million debt looks like a pittance; and one that probably has the potential to knock two pretty big business men down if the bankers are hard on them.
If only for the good of the Canadiens, I hope that January brings good news, whether it be for Gillett or Balsillie…
As a closing thought, I will reflect on the naive days of my youth, when Molson owned the team. At that time, I was a fan who dreamt of being a club owner. I imagined club ownership to be an extension of fandom, with more decision making power. For people who spend form their own pockets to push their team over the top – for pride, for pleasure, for us.
As time has gone by, it has become increasingly clear to me that owners are not in these ventures to make a loss, or even to break even. They are in the business of owning sports franchises for one reason – making money. I don’t hold it against them. Nor will I cry for them when they don’t.
And while Canadiens fans have been treated to more good news than most on the ice, behind the scenes in the NHL owners circuit I was starting to get a sneaky feeling that something may be brewing.
So when I awoke this morning and saw this story from RDS about Jim Balsillie and the Montreal Canadiens, I can’t say I was blown away. George Gillett has come out and flatly denied the statements of devious Jim (of Nashville saviour fame). The story is so sensitive in Montreal that RDS has already changed the headline three times in a few hours and have settled on George Gillett’s denial. So, those waking up later will have to rely on my word that this all happened.
So now we have one leaked comment, probably out of context from La Presse. And we have a statement from the guy who should know best, the guy who owns and would have to sell the Canadiens. Most would give the benefit of the doubt to the defender here – the owner.
However, the question about this statement is whether we can take it at face value. George Gillett, for all his likable qualities (and recent PR about them in the North American press) has been speaking out of both sides of his mouth a bit recently. You wouldn’t have to tour the terraces at Anfield (Liverpool FC’s home ground) for very long to find someone with something negative to say about our Georgie Boy. He's admitted his embarrassment at the situation himself, in fact.
The reason: fans feel they have been lied to. George and his partner Tom Hicks (also owner of the Dallas Stars) made three pivotal promises when they took over the club:
1) They would increase the funds available for transfers
2) They would build a new stadium
3) They would not burden the club with their own personal debts
A year and a bit later, it seems they have mostly defaulted on all three promises. The transfer kitty initially jumped but was topped up almost immediately through the sale of players – bringing them back to the starting point and no extra cash layout. The stadium is on hold. And, the Americans have borrowed heavily while using the club profits to pay down the interest – exactly as they promised they wouldn’t. From the Gazette:
"Liverpool has been saddled with big debt after the takeover by Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr., owner of the Canadiens. But that duo has been hit hard by the credit crunch and plans to build a new stadium have been put off because they haven't been able to raise the money."
Incidentally, Gillett and Hicks also flatly denied claims of selling the club, which juxtaposes with the engagement of Merrill Lynch by the two men. From the Times:
“The American businessman has been at the centre of the turmoil that has engulfed the Anfield club since he and Hicks took control. Plans to build a new stadium in Stanley Park have been shelved while the pair attempt to ride out the global economic crisis although as reported in The Times last month, they have signalled that they are ready to sell their stake at Anfield after engaging Merrill Lynch, the investment bank, to find a buyer for the club.”
There is obvious concern over broken promises; but, that to me is actually very reasonable given that no one at all, banker, businessman or doomsday merchant, predicted the global banking system to fall down.
No, the biggest concern is the third point – that Gillett operates his companies while carrying a great load of debt. Liverpool FC is in debt. The Canadiens too, are in a massive hole of debt ($240 million, in fact, as per Forbes). Rough calculations of the Habs finances show that although it is some team’s plans to pay down debt (Red Wings anyone), Gillett’s plan is to service the interest and no more.
I don’t want to be alarmist, it is common business practice to run enterprises in this way. The problem is, October showed us that what is known about business is all up in the air now. If banks can go out of business overnight, can’t venture capitalists too? Can people like Gillett continue to operate businesses as they always did without any consequences?
Is it not conceivable that sports leagues will suffer eventually from the credit crunch as well? Wouldn’t it be feasible that individuals who rely on credit to finance upwards of 50% of their empires might also have to re-adjust?
Put those two together and you have George Gillett's predicament, nice guy and brilliant owner that he has been for Montreal
So, in light of all that, should we really be surprised that rumours of selling the Habs should crop up just now?
I, for one, am not surprised. News like this was to be expected, whether true or not. I would be no more surprised if it were true than if it were a fabrication – both scenarios make sense to me.
Nor am I worried. For all the credit we give George Gillett, it is Bob Gainey who takes care of us fans. He will still be as intelligent, calculating and frugal as he is now even under the RIM tycoon. I don’t see the change of ownership as a threat to the viability of the Canadiens over the long term or to their play on the ice.
If as a fellow fan, this interests you as much as it does me, though. I suggest you keep your eyes on the British press in January of next year, as it will be very interested to see how Gillett does in refinancing his massive debt in the UK (due to come up with RBS late January) – a debt that makes the Canadiens $240 million debt looks like a pittance; and one that probably has the potential to knock two pretty big business men down if the bankers are hard on them.
If only for the good of the Canadiens, I hope that January brings good news, whether it be for Gillett or Balsillie…
As a closing thought, I will reflect on the naive days of my youth, when Molson owned the team. At that time, I was a fan who dreamt of being a club owner. I imagined club ownership to be an extension of fandom, with more decision making power. For people who spend form their own pockets to push their team over the top – for pride, for pleasure, for us.
As time has gone by, it has become increasingly clear to me that owners are not in these ventures to make a loss, or even to break even. They are in the business of owning sports franchises for one reason – making money. I don’t hold it against them. Nor will I cry for them when they don’t.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Politics And Hockey
Apparently They Mix...
Politics And Hockey
Apparently They Mix...
How many times have I heard the argument ending "Don't mix politics and sports" when trying to make some analogy for my argument.
I understand the sentiment. I do. But even though I would like to keep discussions on this blog of mine apolitical, this story was just too cool to pass up:
Apparently, if you play NHL 09 online, you will be seeing live ads for Barack Obama. Whoa!
I've worked in advertising. Back when I was doing that, we thought it was pretty cool to have an ad on a bus shelter. I've seen the evolution of online marketing – some I like, some I detest.
I can't say I really feel one way or the other about whether the ads in my game were preselected Coke and McDonald's ones or real-time Obama ones, but I just think it is a big leap forward in advertising and also in the way online gaming can penetrate into our real lives.
Check out the link, it's a curiosity if nothing else.
Incidentally, for those who weren't aware, NHL 09 is worth buying even if you're not a fan of marketing, the Democratic party or Dion Phaneuf. It has a collection of Canadiens legends that you can use to play against current NHL opposition. I wonder if they all have flat stick blades...
I understand the sentiment. I do. But even though I would like to keep discussions on this blog of mine apolitical, this story was just too cool to pass up:
Apparently, if you play NHL 09 online, you will be seeing live ads for Barack Obama. Whoa!
I've worked in advertising. Back when I was doing that, we thought it was pretty cool to have an ad on a bus shelter. I've seen the evolution of online marketing – some I like, some I detest.
I can't say I really feel one way or the other about whether the ads in my game were preselected Coke and McDonald's ones or real-time Obama ones, but I just think it is a big leap forward in advertising and also in the way online gaming can penetrate into our real lives.
Check out the link, it's a curiosity if nothing else.
Incidentally, for those who weren't aware, NHL 09 is worth buying even if you're not a fan of marketing, the Democratic party or Dion Phaneuf. It has a collection of Canadiens legends that you can use to play against current NHL opposition. I wonder if they all have flat stick blades...
Friday, October 24, 2008
Blogging the NHL
Habs Inside/Out A Rare Ally Among Mainstream Media
Blogging the NHL
Habs 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:
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".
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".
Thursday, August 07, 2008
Out of the Sporting Vacuum
Wow, if you disowned baseball when the Expos skipped town and aren't desperate enough that CFL, or minor tennis/golf tournament news can tide you over for weeks at a time, you will have no doubt noticed (as I have) that mid-summer is a vacuum for sporting excitement.
Enter the Summer Olympics. And for the first time in recent memory, they're actually taking place in the summer!
No matter what your usual sporting flavour is, there should be something to tickle your fancy at the Olympics. There are loads of sports and in excess of 300 different events over a couple of weeks. For the hockey fan, there's lots on offer (take what much of the world calls hockey for one...).
If you are of the ilk that enjoys being lifted out of your seat by a good bout, then excitement is around the corner – the Olympics are home to numerous forms of fighting, from the boxing preferred by Lyle Odelein, the martial arts Jarkko Ruutu practices and the Greco Roman wrestling of about 95% of the other fights on ice.
If fighting is not your thing, maybe speed is. If so, then you have track, cycling, swimming, rowing, canoeing, and every other imaginable way to get from A to B fastest (jumping, vaulting, riding a horse...).
And for those who enjoy the team synergy and the cooperation for a common goal, watch volleyball (the beach variety, if you read Four Habs Fans more than you should), basketball, soccer, baseball (for the last time) and one of my favourites water polo.
I am looking forward to these Olympics. It will be a nice way to get through the doldrums of August without scouring the web for news of Scandinavian hockey holdouts. Of note, I encourage everyone to catch Thomas Hall's canoe races if they can. His heats are on August 18, and he would progress to races on August 20 and then 22 if he performs at his best. Tom's a formidable athlete and a fellow Montrealer.
Athletic excellence
All that brings me round to the point I wanted to make in this piece. Watch the Olympics and records will fall – they always do. Not just national records, but World records. Every Olympics someone runs faster than anyone has run before, someone jumps higher, throws further. Past athletic achievements are laid to waste.
When I think of this, it makes me think of hockey.
In hockey, we are blessed with many experienced and knowledgeable elder statesmen, particularly in the press. Their stories and insights from the past never fail to capture the imagination, stir the emotions. But one thing that has always bothered me about this old guard is the way they cling to the older generations of the game to the point of debasing the current era at times.
Sometimes I want to tell these guys to take a look around. An objective look. Admit that things have changed. Admit that players, tactics, training, coaches, managers and everything else has improved (not devolved).
How can I be sure?
Well, consider the Olympics again. In many (probably most) sports, the average athlete at these Olympics would have been a multi-medalist at any Olympics 30 years ago. In my own sport of swimming, the standards for athletes to make it to the 2008 competition would have claimed all but three gold medals at Montreal and Moscow. Even as recently as 20 years ago, people making the current qualifying times would have been unlucky to walk away without a medal. What this tells me is that between equipment, technique and training methods, athletes in many sports have improved by leaps and bounds over the years.
Is hockey the exception? Not likely.
You only have to watch 10 minutes of hockey from the 1960s, 70s or 80s to realise things are different. Improvement in goaltending has led to less poor quality goals. Improvement in player fitness has led to better defence, tighter games and more advanced tactics. Evolution in sticks and the way players shoot has changed the way (and the speed at which) the puck moves. No, hockey is like many Olympic sports, the champions of old would stand a chance with the athletes of today.
Progress. Not many can resist it. I'm tired of people who continually try to convince me I should. That's why I'll be watching the Olympics, like I watch my hockey – admiring the incredible skill and ability I can hardly believe, right before my eyes...
A curious Habs-related Olympic note
As I was browsing the usual sites, I couldn't help but notice that RDS has a section devoted to the Olympics. It is called Pekin 2008.
Unlike English countries, some countries and their linguists have decided not to evolve their spelling of the Chinese capital's name. In English, the name Peking (the Western version of the name for the metropolis) was gradually removed from documents and maps starting in 1949 – it is all but gone nowadays. The change was due to a change in Chinese government, which led to a decision on their part to spell out the name themselves in our alphabet (Beijing).
Though the French lag in language evolution is not surprising, given their formal approach to such things, I found the possibility of a new name amusing. Given that Peking was spelled out Pekin in French, I think there is little doubt that the adaptation of Beijing into French would be done in the same way – giving me Begin.
Come to think of it, since it would obviously be far too confusing to have a Canadiens player and world city by the same name, I am betting the Office de la langue francaise is just waiting until Steve retires before putting the new name on the books.
Enter the Summer Olympics. And for the first time in recent memory, they're actually taking place in the summer!
No matter what your usual sporting flavour is, there should be something to tickle your fancy at the Olympics. There are loads of sports and in excess of 300 different events over a couple of weeks. For the hockey fan, there's lots on offer (take what much of the world calls hockey for one...).
If you are of the ilk that enjoys being lifted out of your seat by a good bout, then excitement is around the corner – the Olympics are home to numerous forms of fighting, from the boxing preferred by Lyle Odelein, the martial arts Jarkko Ruutu practices and the Greco Roman wrestling of about 95% of the other fights on ice.
If fighting is not your thing, maybe speed is. If so, then you have track, cycling, swimming, rowing, canoeing, and every other imaginable way to get from A to B fastest (jumping, vaulting, riding a horse...).
And for those who enjoy the team synergy and the cooperation for a common goal, watch volleyball (the beach variety, if you read Four Habs Fans more than you should), basketball, soccer, baseball (for the last time) and one of my favourites water polo.
I am looking forward to these Olympics. It will be a nice way to get through the doldrums of August without scouring the web for news of Scandinavian hockey holdouts. Of note, I encourage everyone to catch Thomas Hall's canoe races if they can. His heats are on August 18, and he would progress to races on August 20 and then 22 if he performs at his best. Tom's a formidable athlete and a fellow Montrealer.
Athletic excellence
All that brings me round to the point I wanted to make in this piece. Watch the Olympics and records will fall – they always do. Not just national records, but World records. Every Olympics someone runs faster than anyone has run before, someone jumps higher, throws further. Past athletic achievements are laid to waste.
When I think of this, it makes me think of hockey.
In hockey, we are blessed with many experienced and knowledgeable elder statesmen, particularly in the press. Their stories and insights from the past never fail to capture the imagination, stir the emotions. But one thing that has always bothered me about this old guard is the way they cling to the older generations of the game to the point of debasing the current era at times.
Sometimes I want to tell these guys to take a look around. An objective look. Admit that things have changed. Admit that players, tactics, training, coaches, managers and everything else has improved (not devolved).
How can I be sure?
Well, consider the Olympics again. In many (probably most) sports, the average athlete at these Olympics would have been a multi-medalist at any Olympics 30 years ago. In my own sport of swimming, the standards for athletes to make it to the 2008 competition would have claimed all but three gold medals at Montreal and Moscow. Even as recently as 20 years ago, people making the current qualifying times would have been unlucky to walk away without a medal. What this tells me is that between equipment, technique and training methods, athletes in many sports have improved by leaps and bounds over the years.
Is hockey the exception? Not likely.
You only have to watch 10 minutes of hockey from the 1960s, 70s or 80s to realise things are different. Improvement in goaltending has led to less poor quality goals. Improvement in player fitness has led to better defence, tighter games and more advanced tactics. Evolution in sticks and the way players shoot has changed the way (and the speed at which) the puck moves. No, hockey is like many Olympic sports, the champions of old would stand a chance with the athletes of today.
Progress. Not many can resist it. I'm tired of people who continually try to convince me I should. That's why I'll be watching the Olympics, like I watch my hockey – admiring the incredible skill and ability I can hardly believe, right before my eyes...
A curious Habs-related Olympic note
As I was browsing the usual sites, I couldn't help but notice that RDS has a section devoted to the Olympics. It is called Pekin 2008.
Unlike English countries, some countries and their linguists have decided not to evolve their spelling of the Chinese capital's name. In English, the name Peking (the Western version of the name for the metropolis) was gradually removed from documents and maps starting in 1949 – it is all but gone nowadays. The change was due to a change in Chinese government, which led to a decision on their part to spell out the name themselves in our alphabet (Beijing).
Though the French lag in language evolution is not surprising, given their formal approach to such things, I found the possibility of a new name amusing. Given that Peking was spelled out Pekin in French, I think there is little doubt that the adaptation of Beijing into French would be done in the same way – giving me Begin.
Come to think of it, since it would obviously be far too confusing to have a Canadiens player and world city by the same name, I am betting the Office de la langue francaise is just waiting until Steve retires before putting the new name on the books.
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