Time On Your Hands

No sooner do we get past one headshot in the NHL, someone has to go and do something stupid again. To make matters worse, the incident occurred at the hands of a Philadelphia Flyer again. I've gone over, in great detail, why Steve Downie's hit on Dean McAmmond was a blatent attempt to injure, so I will not get into that debate again. Downie admitted he did wrong, and he will serve his suspension without any objection. Jesse Boulerice, pictured as a Hurricane to the left, will certainly have some time on his hands after his brutal crosscheck to Ryan Kesler's head in last night's game versus Vancouver.

Boulerice is known throughout the league as an enforcer, a guy who would rather throw fists than score goals. In 167 NHL games, Boulerice has totalled a whopping eight goals and two assists while piling up 319 PIMs.

Let's face it: the guy is a goon. In the OHL as a junior, Boulerice never finished below 150 PIMs. His best season in the OHL came as a Plymouth Whaler when he scored 20 goals and 23 assists for 43 points in 53 games while sitting in the sin bin for 170 minutes. The year before that, he scored 10 goals and 14 assists in 33 games for the Detroit Whalers while spending 209 minutes in the penalty box. You read that correctly: the guy played 20 less games and had 40 more PIMs. In fact, during the 1997-98 season, while as a member of the OHL's Plymouth Whalers, Jesse Boulerice swung his stick like a baseball bat and caved in the face of the Guelph Storm's Andrew Long. Boulerice was suspended for the entire next season, his overage season, in the OHL, and pleaded no contest to aggravated assault.

Boulerice's development as an NHL goon hasn't changed much. He led the Flyers in the pre-season this year with 47 PIMs, and already has 15 PIMs in the two games he's played thus far.

Last night, while the Flyers led 7-2 in the third period, Ryan Kesler attempted to throw a big hit on Flyers defenseman Randy Jones, but only connected partially. Jones barely even looked affected by the attempt. As a means of retaliation, Boulerice attempted to hit Kesler, but instead crosschecked him across the face, breaking Boulerice's stick.

"I wanted to give him a hit back," said Boulerice, knowing that he is now at the mercy of the NHL's disciplinarian, Colin Campbell.

"He cross-checked me right in the jaw," said Kesler, through a swollen lip and swollen right jaw. "Obviously, it's a dirty play. You don't like to see that happen to anybody. To have it happen to yourself, obviously, you're pissed off about it, and you shouldn't be in the game.

"I'm just lucky that my jaw's not broken. Hopefully, it's not fractured and we'll go from there."

Flyers head coach, John Stevens, offered his perspective of the play.

"It's unacceptable and it's something we can't have," he said of Boulerice's infraction. "The whole idea is we were telling those guys to just go out and play and let's keep rolling our lines and get the forecheck going.

"We need to be extremely disciplined and we didn't need to get involved with anything really - we had the hockey game in hand. And that was the message on the bench."

From this writer's perspective, this should be another twenty game suspension, if not more. Headshots are going to get someone killed, and they need to be stopped now. Boulerice's crosscheck was deliberate, and he should be forced to sit for twenty, even thirty, games. If Steve Downie was the benchmark for eliminating hits to the head, Boulerice's suspension should set a new standard. A crosscheck is a deliberate hit to the head no matter how you see it.

If Chris Simon can receive a 25-game suspension for using his stick on the head of Ryan Hollweg, Jesse Boulerice can receive the same. The precedent has been set. Now it's up to Colin Campbell to have the nerve to send the NHLPA a message: headshots are unacceptable, and will be punished with extreme prejudice.

Anything less than twenty games, and Colin Campbell will lose the war against headshots. If he loses this war, the NHL will be dealing with this headache for a long, long time.

Until next time, and I mean this seriously, keep your sticks on the ice!

Corporate America Walks Away

In the NHL's battle to attract corporate sponsorship, they've hooked up with some pretty reputable companies to put money in their coffers - Reebok, Mastercard, Mission, and a variety of other sponsors. However, one of the NHL's biggest sponsors is pulling the plug on its hockey venture. Nike has decided that "it was putting on the block its flagging hockey division, known as NikeBauer".

In an era when hockey is supposed to be thriving, according to Gary Bettman, losing one of the biggest corporate entities on the planet cannot be good.

Rick Westhead of the Toronto Star has come across several key points as to Nike's change of heart regarding hockey. His full article is linked, but I'll run down the reasons for Nike deciding that it no longer wants to be involved in hockey:

1) "By 1993-94, some 303,000 amateur players were registered with USA Hockey, the sport's governing body in the U.S., up 55 per cent from 1990-91. The sport had generated such a buzz that media company Walt Disney was even investing in hockey overseas, buying a stake in Russia's famed Central Army team.

"USA Hockey figures show that in 2005-06, the most recent year for which statistics are available, there were 442,077 registered players in the U.S., down from 445,245 in 2004-05 – the second-straight year of decline."

Yes, falling numbers in grassroots hockey is a problem. I'm no marketing wizard here, but why wouldn't the billion-dollar company known as Nike get onboard with USA Hockey and help promote the game, and grow it at the grassroots level? Seems elementary to me, Phil Knight. Grow the game, grow your business.

2) "After buying Canstar, Nike decided to allow the Canadian company to operate independently. While Canstar factories churned out Bauer and Cooper branded skates, facilities in the U.S. and overseas produced a separate Nike line.

"There were immediate setbacks.

"Retailers were returning an inordinate number of skates to Nike because they didn't fit comfortably. The company's top NHL endorsement agent, Detroit Red Wings high-octane star forward Sergei Fedorov, reportedly cut ties with Nike over similar concerns.

"Nike subsequently merged the two hockey divisions. Last year, it combined all of its hockey offerings under the NikeBauer brand."

I'm almost certain that having your most-marketable stars cutting ties with your business will result in lost sales. Hockey skates aren't basketball shoes. It can take weeks to have the skate fit properly when breaking it in. Hockey skates are an extension of the foot, meaning that if they are uncomfortable, one's game will suffer. Nike should know this from all its worldly knowledge on shoes, especially when it comes to sprinters and runners. It appears that Nike was more concerned with dollars and cents than common sense.

3) "Rollerblade president John Hetterick said of Nike's purchase of Canstar: 'Nike will... help us get in-line speed skating and roller hockey into the Olympics. This sport will surpass ice hockey in a few years.'

"That's not what happened.

"Within five years, sales of in-line skates were beginning to slip, and companies were either folding or looking to see off their rollerblade assets. (In 2004, the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association said there were 17 million in-line skaters, compared with 32 million in 1998.)

"'It really went south,' said Jim Rennie, who published Jim Rennie's Sports Letter, a widely read sporting goods newsletter, from 1977 to 2002.

"Skateboarding came on in popularity and they just marketed in-line skating wrong," Rennie said. "They were too focused on the extreme rollerblader who was doing jumps and everything, not the average skater.'"

Not only does Nike not make good skates, they can't even market to the correct demographic they need. The X-Games crowd is hip and cool and all that, but the average in-line skater doesn't care about which bearings will allow for better railslides. In-line skating is still popular, but the marketing has to be done correctly. Marketing in-line skates to 10% of the general population is a great way to lose sales.

4) Firenzo Arcadi, who owns Toronto sporting goods store Toronto Hockey Repair Ltd., has another theory about why the hockey business has swooned.

"'It's the $900 skate,' Arcadi said, referring to NikeBauer's latest offering, a sleek silver, black and blue skate called the Supreme one90 that retails at some stores for $899.

"'These companies like Nike are pricing themselves right out of the market,' said Arcadi, whose store sells about $2.5 million worth of equipment each year, down from $3 million just four years ago.

"'It's at a point where families are having to decide whether they want to pay a $1,100 mortgage or buy skates,' he said."

Take heed, Reebok. You've already raised NHL jersey prices, and you now have the majority of the market in terms of merchandise sales. Over-pricing your merchandise is the best way for your sales to dry up. Nike charged ridiculous prices on hockey equipment and merchandise, and now they're out. You've been warned, Reebok. Nike lasted 14 years in hockey. You could be looking at less.

Looking at Mr. Westhead's article, he has identified the major problem with the growth of hockey in North America: skyrocketing prices. The average fan can barely afford a T-shirt today instead of an NHL jersey. Corporate America, specifically Reebok, should look at making the NHL affordable for everyone before just lobbying to their corporate friends and CEOs with six-figure salaries. At this rate, those are the only people who can afford to be fans.

With Nike out of the picture in terms of competition, Reebok has a definite advantage in making a difference in the game of hockey. Will they do it? It's all up to Reebok. Mr. Westhead, you've written a wonderful article, and I commend you for your work.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Ups And Downs

Hello! It's Monday, and I survived the weekend. It's too bad the Ducks didn't. What has happened to the Anaheim Ducks? The defending Stanley Cup Champions are having a myriad of problems in keeping the puck out of the net, and none of it has to do with Dustin Penner being gone. Ilya Bryzgalov has looked nothing like himself from last season, and youngster Jonas Hiller didn't fare very well against the Penguins. Is Jean-Sebastien Giguere the only player who can save the Ducks now?

Jonas Hiller has Anaheim's only win thus far this season, but is sporting a 3.03 GAA and an .885 save percentage. Anaheim won't get very far with those numbers unless coach Randy Carlyle can tighten up the defensive end of his system significantly. The man who is supposed to be the starter, Ilya Bryzgalov, is 0-2-1 this season, and has a 2.95 GAA and a save percentage of .909.

Anaheim has been anything but the dominant team they were last season. I would guess that with Scott Neidermayer and Teemu Selanne not filing their retirement papers as of yet that Brian Burke will be on the phone soon if this losing trend continues in California. Anaheim's breakout has been non-existant, and both Neidermayer and Selanne can help there. It would also help if Mathieu Schneider could return to play from injury.

As of right now, though, the Ducks have been lacklustre in most facets of their game.

The Opposite End: The defending Eastern Conference Champion Ottawa Senators continue to roll early on in this NHL season, going to 4-0 with their 4-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils this afternoon. Martin Gerber has been solid, and the "big three" of Alfredsson, Heatley, and Spezza have been clicking on all cylinders so far.

Ottawa is the odds-on favourite to win the Eastern Conference by most pundits, and they've not let anyone down so far. They have a big, mobile, tough defensive unit, and their fast, skilled forwards capitalize on mistakes. The Ottawa Senators look hungry thus far, and they might be the beast of the East as this season progresses.

Health Issues: Word out of Toronto today is a sombre one with the announcement that Jason Blake has Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia, a rare form of the disease. It is an uncommon type of cancer of the blood cells, but it is "highly-treatable", according to Blake himself.

"'This morning I shared with my teammates news that I was diagnosed with Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia,' Blake said on the Maple Leafs' website.

"'It is highly-treatable, and I have begun taking a pill on a daily basis that has proven to be very effective in controlling this cancer. The prognosis, and certainly the expectations of my physician, myself and my family, is that I will live a long, full and normal life. This situation will not impact my ability to live my life as I otherwise would, and will not affect my ability to perform at my highest level for the Toronto Maple Leafs. I'm looking forward to my first season with the Leafs and helping our club compete for the Stanley Cup.'"

This is terrible news for the Blakes as Jason's wife, Lauren, was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2001. She had a portion of her thyroid removed, and it was determined that the lump was not cancerous.

I wish Jason Blake and his family all the best, and my wishes and hopes go out to him in that he defeats this disease as soon as possible.

Call Him "Peter": Congratulations go out to Paul Stastny who is showing that he has the sophomore jump rather than the slump. After finishing second to Evgeni Malkin last season in the Calder Trophy voting for Rookie of the Year, Stastny has recorded eight points in three games. In fact, it's only two games since he was kept off the scoresheet against Nashville.

Stastny recorded a hat trick on opening night against Dallas, and the had a five point performace (1G, 4A) against the San Jose Sharks, including scoring the game-winner. He is tied for league-lead in goals, and leads the league in points so far. In fact, Dear Lord Stanley has figured out that Paul Stastny is on pace for a 219 point season. Hockey is part of the genetic code of the Stastny family.

Thanks for bearing with me while I went through the birthday and Canadian Thanksgiving weekend. I'll be writing more often now. Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Big Day

Greetings, faithful readers! I hope you've been enjoying the action in the NHL so far. I was intrigued by the Philadelphia Flyers-Calgary Flames tilt last night, and have thoroughly enjoyed watching the Leaf-Nation struggle to come to terms with the fact that their team is still one-line deep, has a swiss cheese-like defense, and somewhat-below-average goaltending. For all the ideas to increase scoring in the NHL, it appears that everything has gone the wayside as well. Nine games have been decided by one goal, and there has only been one team to score five goals thus far this season: the New York Rangers. However, a pile more teams have their first regular season games tonight, so hockey will be back in full-swing once Saturday night arrives.

This weekend, however, will be spent with me celebrating the old birthday. Today was the day I was born, and I am happy to say that I've made it this far. In doing some research for today, I found out a few things. October 5 is the most-popular birthday in the world. There are more people that celebrate a birthday today than any other day on the calendar. This might be due to the fact that the conception date for a baby born today would be New Year's Eve, but I'll leave that one up to speculation.

In any case, here are a list of semi-famous people who are celebrating a birthday today, along with yours truly:

Kate Winslet - Titanic actress
Bernie Mac - comedian, The Bernie Mac Show
Guy Pearce - Momento actor
Clive Barker - horror novel author
Daniel Baldwin - one of the Baldwin brothers
Nicky Hilton - sister of Paris Hilton, hotel heiress
Jesse Palmer - former NY Giants quarterback, TSN football analyst
Scott Weinger - voiced Aladdin for Disney, starred on Full House
Grant Hill - oft-injured NBA star
Terri Runnels - former WWE valet
Bob Geldof - Irish musician, founder of Live Aid
Steve Miller - frontman of the Steve Miller Band
Barry Switzer - former NFL head coach
Rex Champan - former NBA three-point champion
Michael Andretti - CART racecar driver
Ray Kroc - founder of McDonald's
Bill Wirtz - former owner of the Chicago Blackhawks
Fredrik Olausson - former NHL defenseman
Patrick Roy - former NHL superstar goaltender
Mario Lemieux - former NHL superstar scoring machine

I also did some research as to events that happened on this day. Here a few notable happenings that occurred on October 5:

2004 - Tiger Woods marries Elin Nordegren.
1982 - New Jersey Devils play their first game. The Devils and Pittsburgh Penguins battle to a 3-3 tie.
1970 - PBS becomes a network.
1963 - 17th NHL All-Star Game is played. The Toronto Maple Leafs and the NHL All-Stars play to a 3-3 tie in Toronto.
1962 - The Beatles release their first album "Love Me Do".
1957 - 11th NHL All-Star Game is played. The NHL All-Stars defeat the Montreal Canadiens in Montreal 5-3.
1952 - 6th NHL All-Star Game is played. The First-Team All-Stars and Second-Team All-Stars play to a 1-1 tie in Detroit.

As a sidenote, thank you to everyone who has stopped by and read this blog since early January of 2007. Without you guys, this wouldn't be as fun or as rewarding as it is. I really appreciate all the comments, and encourage you all to check out each and every blog to the right as those people do amazing work as well. Thank you, readers, and I look forward to writing as much as a I can after this birthday weekend is over!

Until then, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Debate Continues

I'm starting to get a little angry at the "experts" who seem to think that headshots in the NHL won't stop now that Steve Downie has been forced to sit for twenty NHL games. I appreciate all the comments on the last two entries from everyone, and I am glad that it has brought about an intelligent discussion in regards to this problem in the NHL. However, I still think the NHL should look at this far more seriously than just handing out twenty games to a player who will now be playing for the AHL's Philadelphia Phantoms. If the NHL and AHL are really in a partnership for the development of players, these twenty games should be enforced by both the NHL and AHL as a way to help Downie's development.

Let me explain that last statement. If the Flyers want Downie to be an effective player in the NHL, he cannot be sitting on the sidelines with a suspension. His development over those twenty games will greatly fuel his desire to play. The AHL would be wise in keeping his on the sideline for that time in order for Downie to learn that a player needs to be on the ice to be effective. Right now, he's useless to the Flyers, and that's why he was demoted. He's also useless to the Phantoms, but that's ok. He's going to hone his craft in the AHL until the Flyers deem him ready.

The management and coaches of both the Flyers and Phantoms should be working with Downie to break him out of this "bad boy" image he has had since his days in the OHL. The hit on McAmmond can be considered an aberration if Downie comes back and works hard at not being a goon with his hits. The NHLPA should also be a part of this as they need to protect their own from their own. Steve Downie can be a contributor to the Flyers, but he has to be on the ice AND using his head at the same time.

After listening to Damian Cox on TSN last night as he played the role of Devil's Advocate on the show That's Hockey, Mr. Cox said that Downie's suspension will do little to deter other players from committing headshots. He went through all the same rhetoric as everyone else, saying Downie was an easy target and he broke all the rules when going for this hit, making the decision for the NHL to suspend Downie an easy one.

My problem with this is that there shouldn't be "rules" when it comes to hitting a guy in the head. Bob McKenzie, on his blog on TSN.ca, even went as far as to outline what criteria Downie violated:

"Targeting or stalking a player? Check.

Launching himself? Check.

Unsuspecting victim? Check.

Late hit? Check.

Causing injury and/or intent to injure? Check."

If these are going to be the criteria for which suspensions are handed out, expect a lot of players to get suspended. If the hit is a headshot, though, twenty games should be the minimum with no questions asked. Precedent has been set. The NHL needs to follow up on it with the same justice that it handed down to Downie.

If they don't, this entire suspension was a lesson in NHL futility.

NHL Openers: Tomorrow is a big TV night for me. The Canadiens play the Hurricanes on RDS, the French TSN, at 7pm ET. The Senators play the Maple Leafs in the "Battle of Ontario" at 7pm ET on TSN. I don't get Versus, but they have a double-header going on with the Ducks and Red Wings at 7pm ET followed by the Stars and Avalanche at 9:30pm ET. I'll probably be tuning into the streaming audio feed found on NHL.com for the late game.

Hockey starts on Wednesday for real! I can't wait!

Important Dates: There are a few NHL dates you should be aware of this season, mostly because they have significance to the game.

November 10 - Hockey Hall of Fame Game (NYR vs. TML).
January 1 - NHL Outdoor Game from Buffalo, NY (PIT vs. BUF).
January 27 - NHL All-Star Game from Atlanta.
February 9 - Hockey Day In Canada on CBC.
February 26 - NHL Trade Deadline Day.
April 9 - NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs begin.
June 9 - last possible day of the Stanley Cup Finals.

As a sidenote, the Toronto Maple Leafs will be mathematically-eliminated from the playoffs some time in November. They haven't picked a precise day yet, but rumours are abound that Mats Sundin is shooting for Remembrance Day in Canada.

I'm kidding, Leafs fans! It's just a joke!

Unimportant Stuff: Compared to hockey, this isn't that important, but I might not be around much this week. As usual, hockey season coincides with my birthday and the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, so things are busy in this writer's life this week. However, I will be posting as much as I can, even if it's through a drunken haze due to birthday drinks.

Man, I love the start of hockey. It's the best time of the year.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!