The Hockey Show - Episode Fifty Two

The Hockey Show made it! We've officially hit the one-year mark and we haven't been cancelled! Clearly, GM Jared and program director Mike have been pleased with our additions to the station. Or at least we think it's clear. In any case, we're glad to have you as listeners, and today's program will be a big show!

Beans is off on an adventure and will be unavailable for the show. He may call in, but we'll see how that works out. The Hockey Show, though, will be broadcasting live starting at 1:00pm from The Hub at the University of Manitoba! We've set up a remote there to help those returning to school by providing an opportunity to get to know the Bisons men's and women's hockey teams!

During commercial breaks in regular programming, the DJs will kick it over to me where I'll be promoting all sorts of stuff about the hockey action happening on campus. We'll be giving away a ton of stuff as well: tickets to Bisons hockey games, t-shirts, DVDs, and a boatload of other stuff as The Hockey Show welcomes students back to campus!

I'll be working right into our regular hour of programming where I'm hoping to have a few of the Bisons stick around to talk hockey. Confirmations for some players has already happened, so this should be a good show in getting to know your local CIS team. The Bisons look like they'll have a competitive squad for both the men and women, so this is going to be a great show with a ton of opportunities to win some cool stuff!

Tune in today at 1:00pm on 101.5 UMFM to hear the remote broadcast! And keep it tuned to the station all afternoon as we offer up prizes and tickets to games as we kick off "Back to School" week at the University of Manitoba with some fun!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Chicago Blackhawks - Money City Maniacs

Sloan is a fantastic band from the Canadian maritime city of Halifax, Nova Scotia. They have played a number of indie facilities and headlined rock shows across this great land, and they have a pile of recognizable hits. Perhaps none is more recognizable than their first single from their 1998 album Navy Blues entitled "Money City Maniacs". It appears, though, that one NHL team is trying to acquire that name by handing out massive contracts this week. The Chicago Blackhawks wrapped up another piece of their team long-term today as Niklas Hjalmarsson was signed to a five-year, $20.5 million contract.

Hjalmarsson, at age 26, averages in at $4.1 million per year which isn't too extravagant when you consider he had ten points and a career-high +15 last season en route to the Stanley Cup. But one has to be concerned with the contracts piling up for next season already when you look at the numbers. With Hjalmarsson's and Corey Crawford's new contracts on the books for next season, the Blackhawks have 14 players signed and delivered for 2014-15. If the salary cap goes up - which is expcected - the Blackhawks will have some wiggle room to try and squeeze eight more players under their cap. As it stands, though, they have just over $4.5 million for next season to spend!

No one will argue with the $23.775 million committed to Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa, and Patrick Sharp. Without those four players, that's the vast majority of Chicago's offence gone, and one would be able to justify the salaries paid to these players based upon performance. But do you think the Blackhawks may be regretting the $4 million annual cap hit held by Brandon Bollig? They'll never admit it, but they probably could have signed him for less if they really wanted. For $4 million a season, though, Bollig better be the second-coming of a Cam Neely-esque power forward.

And that leads me back to questioning the $6 million per season Corey Crawford was given based on his one good playoff season. If the cap is to jump to, say, $70 million next year, the Blackhawks have $10 million to play with when it comes to filling eight roster spots. That's not a lot of room to bring in a solid, two-way player for a third line or a rugged defenceman to clear the front of the net. So again, I'm not sure why $6 million annually for Crawford was necessary.

If he signs for $5 million annually, that's more room for better players in front of him. It's this thought that I always struggle with when I see players who get massive contracts. It's not one player who wins a Stanley Cup. Heck, ask Henrik Lundqvist how that's been working out for him. No, it's a team that does, and the best team always seems to have a fairly balanced lineup in terms of their salaries.

In 2008-09, the Pittsburgh Penguins were 14th in average cap hits when they won the Stanley Cup. In 2009-10, Chicago was 13th in overall salary spending. The Bruins bumped that overall spending up to seventh when they won the Stanley Cup a couple of years ago, and Los Angeles followed suit in 2011-12 when they won the Stanley Cup. Chicago's victory last season saw them sitting at fifth overall in spending when they won the Stanley Cup. If we follow the trend, perhaps the idea is to spend more to win?

If that's the case, Chicago may not be the favorite to win this season despite locking up their core. They currently sit tenth in spending, trailing teams such as Montreal, Anaheim, and Edmonton, so maybe spending for the sake of spending isn't what we should be looking at when trying to decipher whether or not Chicago is doing right in handing out all this cash. Teams that are near the bottom of the top-third of teams seemingly do better than those that spend to the cap and those that stay above the ceiling.

If that holds true, Chicago has the pieces of its core in place in order to remain competitive. Credit Stan Bowman for his cap management skills because Chicago could be the new Detroit in terms of long-term success over a sustained period of time.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Annual Publication

The image you see to the left? That's the annual publication of The Hockey News Yearbook sold on the prairies. I buy it every year as it gets me ready for hockey action, but it's a wealth of knowledge when looking back at the older publications as well. The problem? I wasn't aware that Calgary and Edmonton were the only teams on the Canadian prairies. I'm almost certain there was another team that, if I recall, finished higher than both of those teams in the standings that plays its hockey on the frozen prairie tundra. I'll come back to that, but let's break down the latest edition of The Hockey News Yearbook to find the gems inside its covers.

THN goes out on a limb in selecting a number of rookies who should contend for the Calder Trophy early on in the magazine. Nathan MacKinnon, Jonathan Drouin, and Seth Jones are on the list, but Sasha Barkov of the Panthers is given a "darkhorse" nomination. While I believe that Florida will struggle this season, Barkov could have a season in much the same fashion as Jonathan Huberdeau did in Sunrise. I was impressed with THN giving Jacob Trouba and Filip Forsberg a nod as possibilities to win the Calder, but how the heck did they slot Mark Scheifele in as a darkhorse? Especially when Valeri Nichushkin is a favorite? Ryan Kennedy, the author of this piece, seems to throwing darts at a dartboard with players' faces on it.

There are some interesting milestones that can be achieved this season. Funnily enough, the Jets' Olli Jokinen is the featured player as he sits one goal from 300, two assists from 400, and three points from 700! Other notable achievements that we'll probably see this season barring injuries would be Marian Hossa hitting 1000 points (65 away), Vincent Lecavalier and Alexander Ovechkin hitting 400 goals (17 and 29 goals away, respectively), Henrik Lundqvist recording his 300th win (24 away) and his 50th shutout (five away). Lecavalier can also hit 500 assists for his career as he sits just nine shy of that mark. While there aren't any record-breaking milestones in that pile of numbers, there are some impressive totals.

I was reading through the numbers resulting from fan polling over the summer, and there are some interesting results that came in to THN. For example, regarding icing in the NHL, 41% of fans feel the NHL should go to no-touch icing while 40% would like to see some sort of hybrid icing introduced. Only one-in-five fans would like to see the NHL keep icing as it is. That says a lot about how the fans see the game.

In another question about rules, THN asked if the punishment for putting the puck over the glass is too harsh. I would have thought many people would have said yes after how we saw those penalties play out in the playoffs last season, but 56% of those polled said no! Interesting numbers, to say the least.

According to the fans, 13% of those polled feel the Boston Bruins will win the Stanley Cup this season. 11% feel the Chicago Blackhawks will repeat as champions, Pittsburgh comes in with 10% of the vote, and Detroit sits fourth at 9%. I'm almost certain that a vast number of people from Toronto got their votes counted because the Maple Leafs finished fifth at 7%, ahead of the Los Angeles Kings at sixth with 5%. Seriously, the Leafs? Yeah, keep dreaming.

A heavy Canadian polling population pushed the numbers high as THN asked who will win gold in Sochi. 45% of respondents felt Canada would win gold, 25% felt the Americans would capture their first gold medal since 1980 in Lake Placid, and 12% see the Russians standing tall while listening to their anthem play as the medals are awarded. Clearly, those three countries are the favorites, but it's hard to imagine the Swedes not getting more than 12% of the vote, no?

I won't go through the entire Top 50 Players section, but I will point out a couple of highlights. The first goaltender doesn't appear until #13. There are three Penguins in the top-25. There are three Blackhawks in the top-15 and five in the top-50. There are eight goalies on the list. And just to ignite the fire in Toronto, Phil Kessel was rated lower than Jordan Eberle, Taylor Hall, Jason Spezza, and Logan Couture. Much lower in a couple cases.

Honestly, once I got to the articles written by people paid by THN, I found myself disappointed. I'm not sure why THN writers want to cater to those who have never watched one minute of hockey, but I felt like I reading a remedial textbook about hockey. Adam Proteau's and Rory Boylen's 14 Questions & Answers for Sochi 2014 was one of the least informative pieces I have ever read. Any question that required an informed opinion for an answer was met with a pile of information, but no honest conclusions. Why waste the pages if you're not going to provide ANSWERS in an Questions & Answers piece?

Ryan Kennedy's piece on John Tavares was pretty interesting simply due to the fact that most people never hear about Tavares during the season. Sure, he makes highlight reels, but since being drafted by the Islanders, how much do we really know about him? While he doesn't get into what makes him tick ona day-to-day basis, there's a good overview of Tavares that should provide a few reasons why he's a lock for the Canadian Olympic team.

On the flip side, though, Kennedy's piece on Phil Kessel was anything but informative. He recapped Kessel's day at an NHLPA charity ping pong tournament before talking about stuff that everyone already knows - he played well in the playoffs, he'll be re-united with Tyler Bozak, he doesn't talk hockey with sister Amanda, and he thinks "Toronto's a great city". This article just seemed like filler.

It felt the same when I read Pat Hockey's article on Alex Galchenyuk, Kennedy's piece on Martin St. Louis, and Adam Proteau's report on Logan Couture. While I get that they are required to write these articles and have probably edited them down from their initial filings, it feels like the Coles Notes on each of these players rather than delving into their stories and what drives them to be successful. It's as if we, the hockey fans, don't know about these players in the way these articles are written. Granted some people may not know that Couture spent time in the minors to develop as a player, but the rest of the stuff in that article is stuff that a fan with some knowledge would already know.

I made mention of the cover up top, but would it really be so hard to maybe break down these publications into divisional covers? Edmonton and Calgary are terrible teams who aren't selling hope. They're desperate for wins. I better see some Jets information on the front of the THN Yearbook next year. My wallet speaks volumes when I stop buying something.

Finally, the reason I buy this magazine is for the team reports. I love how they give reports on the top-10 prospects in each system as well as statistics about each team's previous season including shootout success. THN has always been a vast wealth of information regarding stats and players in leagues, and they compile all of last season's final standings for all the major professional and top-tier leagues as well. It's an effective tool in my hockey knowledge, and I can assure you that it will be used a lot this season.

As for who they chose as the Stanley Cup Champion? Let's just say that Chicago won't be repeating, but the Stanley Cup will remain in the US midwest.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Gold, Money And Riches

It seems as though there was a plethora of riches handed out today as one team brought home some new pieces of gold while two players struck it rich with new contracts. If Labor Day was all about the everyday, hard-working man getting a break, the three stories today are all about the hard work that went into something bigger. For Team Canada, Corey Crawford, and Ryan O'Byrne, Labor Day was a particularly good day!

Canada Wins Gold

I wrote about this on Saturday, but Canada and Norway were to meet yesterday in the Four Nations Cup in Sochi, Russia for the gold medal after Canada had beaten Russia in one semi-final while Norway downed the Czech Republic in the other. While I anticipated this being a close game between the two sledge hockey powers, it actually turned out to be quite the opposite as Canada hammered Norway by a 5-0 score to win gold!

Kudos go out to the entire team on bringing home yet another gold medal! Greg Westlake had a pair of goals while Adam Dixon, Marc Dorion, and Billy Bridges recorded singles. Corbin Watson had a relatively easy effort in stopping four shots for the shutout win. With this win, Canada should be close to being ready for the 2014 Paralympic Games in Sochi where they will go in as a favorite. Congratulations, men, on an outstanding tournament!

Crawford Gets Paid

From one Olympic team to an Olympic hopeful, things were pretty good on this side of the pond for Corey Crawford today. Crawford signed a six-year, $36 million deal with the Chicago Blackhawks to cement his place in the Chicago crease for the immediate future. After having helped the team to a Stanley Cup parade this summer, the payoff for Crawford was looming although I'm not sure many had him pegged at $6 million per season. I like Corey Crawford, and I have him pegged as the backup goalie for Team Canada in Sochi. His contract, however, follows a worrying trend of awarding massive contracts to players who may or may not be core players. Jonathan Toews? Absolutely. Patrick Kane or Patrick Sharp? Without doubt. But what happened to the last guy who won Chicago a Stanley Cup? Antti Niemi is now toiling for the San Jose Sharks. And he's not the only one.

Outside of Jonathan Quick, the last four goaltenders who won Stanley Cups were Corey Crawford, Tim Thomas, Antti Niemi, and Marc-Andre Fleury. Thomas has his rights traded after taking a year off from the Bruins, Fleury is seeing a sports psychologist to right his head after bombing in recent playoff years, and Niemi was shipped off to San Jose. While Crawford outdueled Quick this past playoff season, is there any reason to think he's part of the core in Chicago? Right now, that answer would be a yes, but the NHL is a "what have you done for me lately" league.

Michael Leighton, who played for Philadelphia in losing to Chicago in 2009, is now in the KHL. Roberto Luongo was nearly run out of town by the Vancouver Canucks over the last two years after helping them to the 2010 Stanley Cup Final. If Chicago falters over the next couple of years, Crawford could just be another footnote alongside Thomas, Niemi, and Fleury. Unless, of course, he continues to win big games and keep Chicago as a contender.

Money may talk, but keep an eye on what Crawford does for Chicago this season under his new contract.

O'Byrne o'the Czech Republic

Former Toronto Maple Leaf and Montreal Canadien Ryan O'Byrne has decided to walk away from another potential two-way deal with the Habs in favor of guaranteed money in the KHL! O'Byrne signed a two-year contract with HC LEV Praha, ensuring that Canada may have another former NHLer ready for play at the Spengler Cup this Christmas. While financial info wasn't disclosed, there's no doubt that it was more than he would have made playing with the AHL's Hamilton Bulldogs.

O'Byrne was never an offensive dynamo, but he was a very serviceable defenceman. He recorded 39 points and 369 penalty minutes in 308 NHL games with with Colorado, Toronto, and Montreal, and was drafted 79th overall by the Canadiens in 2003 out of the NCAA's Cornell University. While he wasn't flashy or a highlight-reel player, O'Byrne was the last man to wear #3 in Montreal before it was retired in honour of Emile "Butch" Bouchard in 2009.

Best of luck in the Czech Republic and the KHL, Ryan! Look forward to seeing you in Davos, Switzerland playing for Canada!

There are a few Labor Day updates for you. It's going to be a busy week for me as The Hockey Show does a remote starting at 1:00pm CT on Thursday from the on-campus pub known as The Hub. I'll be live all afternoon during commercial breaks as we give away a ton of Bisons hockey tickets, a pile of merchandise, and some other hockey gear as we work our way to the regular hour of The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT where we'll feature a number of Bisons players! It should be a good time, so make sure you tune in!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Minnesota Whites

If you want something done right, go to the place where tradition is held sacred. Hockey, as most people know, is a way of life in the hockey-mad state of Minnesota, and the Minnesota Wild did very right with their new road uniform's unveiling at the Minnesota State Fair. As seen above, Josh Harding and Zach Parise look good in their new road sweaters, and this bodes well for the Minnesota franchise. HBIC will break down the new sweater below, but, at first glance, these are going to rate high on my scale.

First off, the Wild went traditional with their hockey look. They incorporated the hem stripes found on all traditional hockey looks. They worked in a shoulder yoke that looks good despite being squared off on the corners. They have good sleeve striping to accentuate the uniform, and they have made use of two colours in white and green that allow the logo to stand out on the chest. If there are any gripes, I'm not a fan of the lace-up collars as it seems every team in the NHL uses them now, and the moon stands out as the brightest colour on the uniform when staring at the logo. But if those are the two biggest complaints I have, the Wild have designed a very good road jersey.

The road jerseys have excellent balance now, and the darker green works well against a white background. The shoulder yoke gives the white jersey a good start, and the green stripes along the hem and on the sleeves break up the all-white look extremely well. The dark green also allows the red on the logo to pop a little more, and it draws the eye to the logo. If there are any advertising students out there, this ability to draw the eye into the center with the use of colour is a skill that is highly underutilized in the sports world. Kudos to the Wild for directing the fans to stare at their brand!

The accoutrements are little different from what we've seen, but still rank high. I like the shoulder patch as it stands out from the green extremely well. The green captaincy designation fits into the overall scheme nicely, but still stands out thanks to the dark-green-on-white colours. While I was questioning the red numbers at first, it actually helps to make the numbers stand out as well when looking at the overall uniform. I know that HBIC has always mandated that players play for the logo on the front and not the name on the back, but the red numbers will really help fans and some TV play-by-play men identify players when on the ice. I see nothing but pluses on these accoutrements!

The back of the uniform offers a comparison between the green and red. The name is spelled out in green, and, like the captaincy designation, stands out in so much that you know who the player is. However, the red numbers below draw your eye to them once again thanks to the use of colour. As I said above, he red numbers will really help fans and some TV play-by-play men identify players when on the ice. The subtleties of using the red in combination with the green highlights and the white background form a fantastic-looking and clean uniform!

The overall look, when combined with the breezers and socks, give the Wild an upgrade over their previous uniforms. I liked the old road uniform, but the new look is excellent. For all the teasing that the Wild did in leading up to this uniform unveiling, it was worth the wait!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!