Our First Look

Holy cow! Today was a big day in Winnipeg as the Winnipeg Jets held their first open practice at their practice facility, and the place was an absolute zoo! There aren't many teams that can boast about having a sold-out practice facility to watch training camp, but the Jets have that distinction as they opened the doors to a rush of fans wearing all sorts of Jets gear. For the vast majority of those attending today's look at the Jets, it might be the only time they get to see them live as rumours of available tickets per regular season game seems to be dwindling depending on who you talk to and on what day. However, we're not going to worry too much about that today. Instead, it's all about what the Jets did on the ice, and we'll cover a few more headlines as well.

• Lots of applause for newly-signed Zach Bogosian as he inked a two-year, $5 million deal before he hit the ice today. Bogosian looked great out there during the drills. If there's one thing that I noticed more than anything, it's that the Jets are going youthful in their first year. Maybe that's a good thing in that everyone will be hungry for one of those few roster spots available.
• Former Winnipeg Jet Teppo Numminen will be back in the NHL this coming season. Numminen retired after the 2009 season as a member of the Buffalo Sabres, and he will join Lindy Ruff behind the Sabres' bench this season as an assistant coach. It's good to see Teppo doing well after his heart scare, and I think he'll be a great coach for the Sabres' defencemen.
• One guy to keep your eye on if he makes the Jets roster this season? Kevin Clark. The former Moose forward was a crowd favorite in Winnipeg thanks to his toughness and tenacity, but he has great hands and speed that are often overlooked. He looked good out on the ice today, and he is a proud Winnipegger. He won't score 100 points, but he could be one of those key "glue" guys that every team needs. Personally, he could be the Jets' version of Tyler Kennedy.
• Calgary's Jarome Iginla gave fans something to worry about when he cut out of practice just 20 minutes in today. The 34 year-old said it was nothing to worry about, and that it was just for precautionary reasons. That breeze coming from the West? It's the collective city of Calgary breathing a sigh of relief.
• With Bogosian signed and Luke Schenn signing an extension in Toronto, you have to wonder if and when Kings GM Dean Lombardi is going to back down from his stance against Drew Doughty. I'm not saying that Doughty deserves $7 million per season (does anyone deserve that?), but Lombardi is risking a public execution if Doughty doesn't play this season. He's that important to the Kings as one of their cornerstone players.
• Sidney Crosby was cleared for non-contact practice yesterday, and that's a good sign. While he still might be weeks or months away from playing, the fact that he is on skates again means there's hope that he'll return this season. Fans around the NHL can say what they want about Crosby, but there's no denying that all 30 owners want him back, especially if the Penguins are visiting your team's arena.
• First-round pick Mark Scheifele looked incredibly comfortable on the Jets' ice this morning. With former Jet superstar Dale Hawerchuk helping him along the way as a member of the Barrie Colts, you almost get the feeling that this kid could be the second coming of a Hawerchuk-type player. He showed great hands, good hockey sense and awareness, and he can skate.

That's all for today, kids. I got a pile of stuff to get done, and I have little time to waste. The open practice this morning was awesome, and the groundswell for the Jets' exhibition game next week is at epic proportions. Go Jets Go!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

C? It Fits

If you have watched Chris Pronger as he played with the Flyers for the last few seasons, you might have noticed that he wore a letter. He most commonly wore the letter "A" as the alternate captain. However, with the departure of the Flyers' former captain through a trade, there was an obvious hole that needed to be filled. It's no secret that Chris Pronger has captained a few teams, and a number of people thought he was the leader of the Flyers last season despite not wearing the on-ice identification of that leadership. There will be no question this season, however, as the Flyers officially anointed Pronger as their captain for the 2011-12 NHL season.

Chris Pronger has always been a guy that others have looked to since he broke into the NHL with the Hartford Whalers. If you look at his career achievements, he's done a lot to cement himself as one of the best of today's game and possible as one of the all-time greats. In fact, if you ask Pronger himself, he feels this appointment as the 18th captain in Flyers' history is academic.

"It's probably because I've been through everything in my career that a player could possibly go through," Pronger told Mike Brophy of Sportsnet.ca. "I lost in the Stanley Cup final; I won the Cup; I won gold in the Olympics; I lost in the Olympics; I was a young player who got into a little bit of trouble. I've done it all. I think the younger players can come to me with just about anything."

When Pronger was lost in the Stanley Cup Final two years ago to injury, the Blackhawks capitalized. Pronger was a dominating force in the earlier rounds, upsetting the New Jersey Devils and shocking the Boston Bruins after being down 0-3, but you could tell that the injury that was slowing him was limiting his effectiveness. There's no doubt that Pronger is one of the game's best players when he's healthy and determined.

Naming him captain in Philadelphia will endear him to Flyers fans. The fans in Philly love a bruising defenceman, and Pronger can be that. They love a guy who can score a big goal with a booming slapshot, and Pronger certainly has that. But they find themselves enamored with a captain who is the embodiment of his team: tough, physical, and mean. These may not be the Broad Street Bullies of the 1970s, but Chris Pronger plays as skilled and tough as those Flyers did.

Making Chris Pronger the captain of the Flyers seems like an easy choice. When you strip away the layers, though, he has not only earned the "C" through his actions and successes on the ice, but because he's everything that Philly fans love. That's the kind of guy you want to go into battle with every night of the season.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Bankruptcy With A Purpose

It appears that the financial pressures facing current Stars owner Tom Hicks will finally ease with the impending announcement that Hicks will have the team file for bankruptcy and put them up for auction. For all intents and purposes, bazillionaire Tom Gaglardi - chairman and chief executive officer of Sandman Hotels, Inns & Suites - would step up as a leading candidate to buy the franchise and set the Stars on the right path once again. Gaglardi would also assume ownership of 50% of American Airlines Arena, and all would be right in "Big D" once again. But the question needs to be asked: with Atlanta already gone and Phoenix on life support, is Dallas the next non-traditional hockey market to experience reality after a honeymoon hangover phase?

The entire idea behind this bankruptcy filing is so that the proceedings can be sped up through the courts. The NHL, the lenders dealing with the Stars' holdings, and Tom Hicks have all approved of this step in order to get Mr. Gaglardi into the ownership role so that Dallas can begin the season on solid ground.

Tom Hicks fell into the same money problems that a lot of people did when the recession hit. Hicks found himself in dire consequences monetarily, and he was forced to sell off a lot of his assets in order to keep his head above water. He has since sold off several sports teams in his portfolio and looks to continue that trend by disposing of the Stars.

When the team hits the auction block, it's almost a given that Gaglardi will be a bidder for the franchise, but there could be other players involved that might change things dramatically.

Mark Cuban, owner of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks, owns the other 50% of American Airlines Arena, and he may want it all - the arena and both franchises that play in American Airlines Arena. So why not reach out to the man who can bring attention to the team and sport where interest is falling? Why not bring aboard a billionaire who loves being involved as both an owner and a fan?

I'm not saying that Gaglardi shouldn't be involved, but why not bring Gaglardi and Cuban together as a superpower collaboration of ownership? It's not like Cuban hasn't poked around the NHL's ownership group before. There was his interest in the Pittsburgh Penguins when they were for sale. He has poked around the Dallas Stars before, looking at scenarios for buying. It's not like Mark Cuban isn't interested.

Cuban represents what the NHL needs more of: forward-thinking, young Americans who want to drive the game into the next level. Gaglardi is what the NHL owners want more of: a Canadian who loves the sport no matter what. Putting those two together not only gives them complete control over one of the best venues in North America in American Airlines Arena, but it gives the NHL owners two men who could build and grow the game of hockey in Dallas and the state of Texas once again. Much like Tom Hocks did when he acquired an up-and-coming team, Gaglardi and Cuban could resurrect hockey in Dallas once again.

Cuban is all about developing and building a championship team. His work with the Dallas Mavericks was a history of bridemaids and could-have-beens until the Mavericks pulled off a stunning run through the playoffs in winning the NBA Championship. But Mark Cuban figured out that it isn't money that wins team-sport championships and you cannot buy yourself a championship. Instead, he found out that it takes a couple of special players, some key role players, and some magic called chemistry. After years of watching the Kobe Bryants and Tim Duncans oust the Mavericks from the playoffs, Cuban felt the ultimate victory as he built a championship team and watched his team beat those that had bettered him for so long.

Now put Cuban in the driver's seat of the Dallas Stars. The Stars have a few special players already - Brendan Morrow, Loui Eriksson, and Mike Ribeiro - and have added a few key players along the way - Alex Goligoski, Adam Burish, and Jamie Benn. Clearly, though, the Stars have some growing to do, and that's where Cuban comes in as he'd provide the passion and desire from management to push the Stars back to their Stanley Cup form. It would take a few seasons, but Cuban has proven through his work with the Mavericks that he's willing to invest the time in order to get results. That, readers, is the top reason why Mark Cuban should be added to Tom Gaglardi's ownership group.

Or course, there may be a power struggle in that management group as Mark Cuban is very driven to be the best. I'm not saying that Gaglardi and Cuban can't work together, but a power struggle behind the scenes could erupt. Any infinite amount of possibilities could occur, though, so all we're working on at this point is academia.

For a city like Dallas that was once a difficult place to play for opposing teams, it's time that the Stars got back to their winning ways. The fans filled the arena to cheer on Modano, Hull, Lehtinen, Zubov, Hatcher, Belfour, and Turco. Cuban could certainly light that fire in the city again, but the Stars need one thing right now more than anything else: steady, committed ownership. Whether it be Mark Cuban or Tom Gaglardi, a solid owner will certainly go a long way in Dallas.

And with a solid owner, the Stars won't have to worry about moving a long way away from Dallas like the situation that some of their southern brethren are facing.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Book With A Twist

This isn't a normal Teebz's Book Club entry because I'll be honest: I haven't read this book. So as confusing as that may be to you, the reader, let me say that I am looking forward to this book. It sounds as though there are a number of facts and stories on the pages to keep even the most die-hard of hockey fans glued to the writing. But we're not here to speak about Double Overtime or author Stephen Cole because I haven't even touched the book. Instead, we're here to talk about a website launching that is scheduled to coincide with Double Overtime being released and the new hockey season starting. The website, hosted by publisher Simon & Schuster Canada, will bring hockey fans together in a brand-new way, and it could end up being something really special.

I received an email from Anneliese at Simon & Schuster Canada, that had an incredible amount of information in it. Anneliese wrote,

"With hockey season just around the corner, I wanted to let you know about the must have hockey book that Simon & Schuster Canada is publishing this fall called Double Overtime.

Double Overtime tours the wild, weird, and truly wonderful moments from all of your favorite NHL teams. Full of great stories, fun facts, and packed with pictures, this book will definitely surprise even the most hardcore hockey fans. It is authored by Stephen Cole, a true hockey aficionado, who also wrote The Canadian Hockey Atlas, Slapshots and Xtreme Hockey!

To support the release of the book we have created a dedicated webpage that launches on October 1st. On this site people can upload their favorite hockey photos to our Flickr pool, enter our hockey photo caption contest, view a photo excerpt of the book and more!"

Sounds pretty decent, right? HBIC is applying to host the image right here on this site, meaning that you can navigate to HBIC and see a photo of YOU! HBIC loves the grassroots movement, and I'm excited to potentially be a part of Simon & Schuster Canada's idea of having a photo mosaic of hockey fans!

Here's the HBIC disclaimer so I can be upfront with everyone. If I am chosen to help with this innovative idea, I will not solicit or bother anyone in the photos. If you're in a photo, good for you and all that congratulatory stuff. If you want to say "HEY, THAT'S ME" or whatever, you're more than welcome, but I will not contact you unless you want to tell the story of how the photo came about. I respect everyone's personal privacy, and you will not be bothered by me in any way, shape, or form unless you reach out to me.

Obviously, I can't link to the website just yet as it doesn't go live until October 1. However, once the link goes live, I'll carry the website under the "Contests" section to the right. If you want to link a photo, you're more than welcome to do so with Simon & Schuster Canada, and, if HBIC is selected, it will show up here.

Keep your eyes on HBIC in the coming weeks. We'll have more book reviews shortly as Teebz's Book Club continues to grow, but HBIC is proud to partner with Simon & Schuster Canada to show off Canada's love for the game - and literature - of hockey!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Good Ol' PSA Satire

The above site, Benstonium.com, is getting some major billing here on HBIC today because they were kind enough to send me an email about the work they do. HBIC is all about great video work that shows some creativity and hockey, and the Benstonium site is chock full of great creativity. While they don't have as much hockey as I normally would like to see, they have done some absolutely solid video work, and they're getting a full page of HBIC goodness due to my appreciation of the work being done on that site.

"Benson" emailed me with this message:

"Hey dude... I'm with a professional video production operation in Pittsburgh. I just finished this new 1960's-style educational video parody about Sidney Crosby's chances of returning to the ice. I wanted to share it with you and please feel free to use as content. Thanks man!"

The first thing I thought to myself was "when is the last time I got an email that started with 'Hey dude'", but I decided to click over on the link Chris Benson provided to check out the work. I was pretty impressed with the work that went into this and other videos. Here is "Professor Ben Stonium" in "The Sidney Crosby Comeback 101".

I'll be honest: I have no problem with a little fun being made in light of Crosby's injury. There definitely a lot of numbers thrown out in that press conference. If you caught the Jagr references in the video, Benstonium wasn't done there. Check out the "History of the Pens". Jagr gets referenced again.

Oh, and we're not done there with some Jagr bashing. There's another video filmed in an "old-school" style. Check out "Benstonium News: Jagr Arrives At JFK".

Those three videos are great! There are a ton more waiting to be discovered over on the Benstonium website, so I suggest you head over there. There are also videos based on the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Pittsburgh Pirates for all your multi-sport needs! I'm a fan of these videos, and I can't wait to see more! Keep up the great work, Chris Benson and everyone at Benstonium.com!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!