Sorting Mail

I have come to the conclusion that email, while being a valuable tool, can also be somewhat of a burden if you don't stay on top of it every single day. My biggest problem? I don't sort enough of it to ensure all the junk mail, affectionately known as "spam", goes into the round file. The good email, once the crap is deleted, is then itemized and reviewed by me. Except that I've been falling behind there with the rigors of work and life keeping me from planting myself in front of my monitor! That being said, let's clean out a pile of emails that need some attention.

I received an email from Yvonne Macpherson who wanted to know if she could get a blurb on my blog about an upcoming opportunity for hockey fans. Well, Yvonne, I'm happy to give you a hand, so here goes with that blurb. I took the liberty of cleaning up the message a little in terms of removing abbreviations and such, though. Hope you don't mind!

"I am working with the Vancouver Canucks Alumni Team. The team is going on a charity cruise to Alaska next August to raise money for the Canucks for Kids Fund, and we're having onboard events such as open mic night, meet and mingle parties, etc. We are offering prizes such as signed jerseys, cash, hockey tickets, a private lunch with the team on the ship, plus more. The ship will stop in Victoria for a charity game against the Victoria Police Department which is included for the fans onboard.

"Players such as Kirk McLean and Orland Kurtenbach, plus many more, are coming."

Sounds fairly interesting, so I did a little web-digging to see what I could find out. It turns out that there are some fairly recognizable names on this Canucks Alumni Team, including McLean, Kurtenbach, Dave Babych, Richard Brodeur, Cliff Ronning, Dave "Tiger" Williams, and Greg Adams! Sounds like a great group of players that will be on their way to Alaska!

The best way to get more information on this event, I suggest contacting Yvonne via her Twitter feed about this event. From what I gathered on her Twitter page, cabins on the cruise ship go on sale on November 1, 2011 for the August 2012 cruise. Prices haven't been listed, but if you wanted to hang with some of the Canucks legends for a week, this cruise might be for you!

Secondly, I received an email from a good friend in Jeff S. who wanted to let me know that his step-daughter Sara, who is an outstanding goaltender in her own right, "was chosen to be the ScotiaBank Skater for the Winnipeg Jets Home game on October 22, 2011"! So what does Sara get? How about this shwag:

• 4 tickets to a Jets game. The October 22 game will see Jeff, Sara, her mom, and her brother cheering on the Jets as they battle their Southeast rivals in the Carolina Hurricanes!
• The opportunity to skate out with the home team and line up with them on the blue line for the national anthem! 15000 fans will cheer you on, Sara!
  
• Cool merchandise and a home team jersey! Sara will be able to wear her Jets gear proudly as she stands at ice level with her hometown team!

How cool is that? Once Sara experiences her first pro line-up in the NHL, HBIC will follow-up with her to get her full reaction! Way to go, Sara! If you want to get your Jets fan the opportunity to line-up next to the Jets, make sure you enter here!

Next, I received a quick press release from Isabelle G. regarding Renfrew Tape signing a deal to be the exclusive tape supplier of USA Hockey. I didn't realize that hockey tape was a big issue to the players at the US National Team Development Camp, but I guess I was wrong. The press release reads,

"The iconic hockey tape brand, which is a cornerstone of the Scapa consumer product portfolio (LON:SCPA), will continue to act as the official hockey tape supplier for USA Hockey as well as USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program. Renfrew™ has become synonymous with hockey tape, and it has been in the dressing rooms of every Stanley Cup champion team for over 20 consecutive years.

"'We are delighted to continue our relationship with USA Hockey,' said Michael Muchin, Global Industrial Business Unit Manager for Scapa. 'We are continually focused on maintaining the high standards of Renfrew Hockey Tape, and this partnership is testimony to strength of the product line and of the brand within the ice hockey world'."

For the last twenty years, Renfrew Tape has been in the dressing rooms of every Stanley Cup champion team? I'm guessing they probably have a league-wide deal with the NHL in that case. And now it appears they are furthering their brand by associating themselves with USA Hockey. Congratulations to Renfrew Tape on their new association, and to Scapa for being the "worldwide leading manufacturer of bonding solutions and adhesive components for applications in the Medical, Electronics, Industrial and Transportation markets"!

Finally, I missed this email a few days ago, but the KHL recently spoke of how they are planning to facilitate the re-entry of the Yaroslavl Lokomotiv team into the KHL over the next few seasons.

"I am pleased to announce that fans of hockey will soon witness the return of the Lokomotiv team," said Kontinental Hockey League President Alexander Medvedev. "From December 1st, Lokomotiv will play in the VHL, and in the following season, this team will be the foundation of the team which shall return to the KHL. I am grateful to the leaders of the players' union and of our hockey clubs for the constructive approach and professionalism shown in our work on these provisions. In this tragic situation, when it is impossible to make up for the loss of those who died, all the parties have done everything possible to see that hockey in Yaroslavl will not only continue but also resume a leading position."

Shawn McBride of Ketchum Sports & Entertainment wrote,

"The principal provisions ensuring the participation of Lokomotiv include:

• Lokomotiv’s youth team, Loko, currently playing in the MHL (youth league) will continue to participate in that tournament, and will play previously postponed games during the course of this season. Part of the youth team's roster will take part in the VHL for the Lokomotiv team.
• The Lokomotiv team's participation in the VHL will commence on the 1st of December 2011. From then until the end of the regular VHL season Lokomotiv will play 22 games – one against each team in the league. Lokomotiv will play at home against opponents from the Western Conference, and away against those in the Eastern Conference.
• Lokomotiv's entry in the VHL Western Conference playoffs, and the team's seeding in the playoffs, will be determined not by total points, but by the percentage of points earned by the team from games in the regular season.
• Besides their own players, those appearing for the MHL team and those who are free agents, Lokomotiv may select players born between 1989 and 1994 who have current contracts with clubs in the KHL or VHL, and also those whose contractual status is "in conflict" or "vested rights". KHL clubs have the right to keep two players in the aforementioned age group and who have current contracts.
• The transfer of players will be in the form of a transfer agreement without compensation, taking into account the wishes of the player. The Lokomotiv club will not reduce the benefits or the length of the player’s existing contract.

So it sounds as though the process is to get the junior club back into game action, and slowly round them into being the foundation of a future Yaroslavl Lokomotiv club. Personally, that seems like a good idea to me, and the fact that Lokomotiv wasn't forced into making a patchwork team for the next few seasons is a good sign that some thought into this announcement. Good on the KHL for this move!

Ok, so there are the major emails I had sitting in my inbox waiting for my attention. There will be more, I'm sure, that will miss my immediate reaction, but I'll get to them eventually. Just be patient if you're awaiting a reply - I assure you that you'll get one at some point!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!