Spitfire Weekend

I was lucky enough to be asked to coach a women's slo-pitch this weekend in the tournament to decide which teams go to nationals. I have to say that the ladies did well, battling hard in every game to earn victories when it mattered. All in all, the ladies came away with a Provinical Championship after winning a fantastic final game in which they rallied after being down a couple of times. They were led by a pair of dynamic women who could be called "spitfires", most notably my "weekend wife"/bench coach Jill C. and all-star cheerleader/injured reserve Heather D., and got major contributions on the field from Stacey L., Hailey R., Janie D., and weekend MVP Shelby R. Well done, ladies, on your championship!

From one set of spitfires, we move onto another set as the team from Windsor, Ontario decided to update their look for the upcoming 2013-14 season. As seen above, the Spitfires will look a little different than they have over the past five seasons as they have added a pile of color under the armpits and around the shoulder to "freshen up the look".

Comparatively, here's that "stale" look from the last five seasons.

The new dark uniforms will be significantly different in that the base color is now blue rather than red. While the Spitfires won a Memorial Cup while wearing red, apparently the change was necessary. The red underarm colors have been expanded greatly on the new blue uniform while the white has been reduced. There is a historical aspect to the color blue as Windsor used a blue road uniform in the past, so they are hitting their roots in bringing ack the blue. I'm not sure why there is a red swatch that goes from the neckline to the armpit, but I would guess that it's to bring the new underarm colors to some sort of completion point. Honestly, it doesn't work for me. It looks horrible, and really pulls your eyes from the logo which is what should pop on the uniform. Thumbs-down on this execution.

The white uniform will significantly increase the amount of blue under the arms and reduce the red almost altogether. This follows the new color scheme/identity that the team is adopting, but I actually like the red on the old white jersey. This new white uniform, though, finds itself with the same problem as the blue jersey: the added blue shoulder design and increased underarm color actually drown out the logo. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it's the logo the most important part of the team's branding? Why is it competing with an unnecessary design element?

Overall, the apron-style uniforms are alive and well in Windsor this season and going forward. I just don't understand why the Spitfires felt it was necessary to update their look after a mere five seasons in their old uniforms in which they won a Memorial Cup. This seems like change for the sake of change, and I'm not really a fan of that. While I appreciate that fans will want to update their wardrobes with the current version of the uniform and merchandise, it makes little sense to update the old uniforms when the Spitfires had just begun building some good history in them.

While final assessments on this site mean little, hockey aprons have never gone over well. Thumbs-down, Windsor, for the aprons and the need to "freshen up the look" when it was entirely unnecessary.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Buyer Beware

I won't deny that EA Sports has basically dominated the hockey market when it comes to video games. They have been making NHL-based video games since 1992 for all sorts of consoles, and NHL '14 is the next greatest thing to come along in this series. Long regarded as the first close-to-perfect-as-possible NHL game was NHL '94, and this year's edition in the NHL series reportedly features an NHL '94 Anniversary Mode to commemorate the 20th anniversary of NHL '94's release. Gamers everywhere went nuts about this, and were even more excited when it was announced that every team would have updated rosters in the anniversary mode.

There's just one problem with this: it's NOT NHL '94, ladies and gentlemen. Not even close.

Back in 1994, there were six current teams that didn't have rosters, let alone franchises. They are the Carolina Hurricanes, Colorado Avalanche, Columbus Blue Jackets, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, and Phoenix Coyotes. Those six franchises can't have updated rosters because they hadn't been conceived at that point in time. Are you telling me that EA Sports is just going to toss six teams into the NHL '94 world and completely mess up the historical timeline?

The answer to that is "no". And the reason for that "no" is that all EA Sports is doing is giving players a chance to lay NHL '14 in a retro-stylized NHL '94 look. As the information states, "All built within the NHL 14 game engine, NHL 94 Anniversary Mode showcases its hockey video gaming roots through a retro presentation including blue ice, classic star-shaped player indicators, 16-bit arena powerbars, no adboards, and throwback organ music. Relive the glory days of NHL '94 with NHL 94 Anniversary Mode in NHL 14!"

Doesn't quite look like NHL '94 did, does it? Instead, we just get NHL '14 repackaged to look like NHL '94 so that EA Sports honors its roots through this anniversary. While I appreciate EA Sports bringing more attention to a game that I feel is the best of its time by a wide margin, I probably won't be buying NHL '14 because it has a retro-looking NHL '14 game.

I want the real thing. And thankfully, my Sega Genesis works and my copy of NHL '94 is still going strong today! We even hold an NHL '94 tournament at the radio station! Honestly, it's one of the greatest games of all-time, and that's why I have a few of the sprites on my blog today. I absolutely love the game, and it will always stand on its own for its merits.

NHL '14 looks fantastic, but EA Sports shouldn't repackage it in NHL '94's colors. That's just wrong. Caveat emptor, kids.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

He Got What He Wanted

We've seen this image before as Ilya Kovalchuk had suited up for SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL, but who would have thought we would be seeing it again so soon? If the news hasn't sunk in yet, Ilya Kovalchuk has retired from the NHL to return to Russia with his family where he can raise his kids closer to family and his home. The New Jersey Devils will clearly have a major hole in their lineup after this stunning turn of events, but something about Kovalchuk's retirement yesterday just doesn't seem right.

Kovalchuk reportedly has been thinking about this move since the 2004-05 lockout when he spent the year playing in Russia. Understandably, Kovalchuk cited that this was something he had thought about "for a long time going back to the lockout and spending the year in Russia" and that "[Lamoriello] was aware of my desire to go back home and have my family there with me". There were reports that he wished to finish the season with St. Petersburg after the lockout, but that action would have breached his NHL contract. Ultimately, Kovalchuk returned to New Jersey after having a major impact in the KHL, putting up 48 points in 36 games. One has to wonder if this last lockout was the straw that broke the camel's back.

But, again, something just seems off. Why would a man who was just 27 years-old sign a fifteen-year contract that essentially handcuffed Lou Lamoriellos ability to re-sign an impact player like Zach Parise if his ultimate goal was to walk away after just three years? Why would a man at age 30 leave $77 million on the table to head home to Russia?

Again, I respect Kovalchuk's decision to look after his family and move his children closer to where Kovalchuk was born and raised, but one has to wonder if there wasn't something going on behind the scenes where Kovalchuk decided enough was enough. He would do the honorable thing in trying to make this season work, and then call it quits after the season just to show that he honored his contract rather than staying in Russia to play out his days. It appears there is some evidence to that degree.

On January 10, 2013, he told Slava Malamud of the Russian publication Sport Express, "I want to stay in St. Petersburg but I have contractual obligations in the NHL, which will be hard to break." So there's that, but there was also this tweet from Malamud that seemed to indicate that the groundwork may already have been laid before Kovalchuk returned to the NHL: "Kovalchuk added that he will talk with SKA leadership and 'hopefully, everything will be decided then'". While that seemed innocent enough, Malamud then posted this tweet that seemed to tie everything off quite nicely:

Sport-Express reported that Kovalchuk and SKA had the terms of his future deal agreed upon back in January. This was a prearranged move.
— Slava Malamud (@SlavaMalamud) July 12, 2013

While Kovalchuk may have been playing in New Jersey, it seems his heart never left St. Petersburg. His retirement from the NHL is exactly that - he will not return to the NHL in the future in order to play out his career in the KHL. Everything wrapped up fairly nicely for Kovalchuk.

The part that's harder to fathom is that when SKA St. Petersburg signs Kovalchuk to play for them going forward, the rumor is that he'll be paid between $10 million and $20 million per season! If you factor in his age of 30 and figure that he can probably play, barring injury, until he's 40, he'll bank nearly $100 million in tax-free money! If you had the option for a taxed $77 million over twelve years or a tax-free $100 million over ten years, I'm not sure anyone would opt for the former deal over the latter.

The KHL is beginning to look like the WHA in a sense in that they are generally overpaying for players to come play for them while the competition in the league is lower than what is seen in the NHL. In this case, like in the 1970s, the superstar players who opt to make the jump will ultimately win big with the money being thrown at them by KHL teams. The KHL wins by having marquee stars playing in every arena across Europe. NHL teams and NHL fans will lose as they won't be able to see the world's best players in their league any longer and playing for their teams any longer.

In the end, everything worked out nicely for Kovalchuk in terms of moving home with his family and making some immense bank in doing so. Only one question remains now that players know how to escape their long-term deals for greener pastures: who jumps next?

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Hockey Show - Episode Forty-Four

The Hockey Show returns tonight with a pile of new stuff to chat about, and we want to hear from you! Tweet us at @TeebzHBIC and we'll put your questions and comments on the air. Call us at (204) 269-UMFM (8636) and we'll get you on the air! Just because it's July 11 doesn't mean we can't talk about the coolest sport on the planet, right? So call or tweet!

Tonight, Beans and I will be breaking down a few topics. Included at some point along the way tonight will be:

• Alexander Burmistrov leaving the Jets for Kazan.
• Devin Setoguchi and how he'll impact the Jets.
• Four new members inducted into the Hall of Fame. Did voters get it right? Who got snubbed?
• Tyler Seguin's new number, new team, and old Twitter problems.
• Jaromir Jagr as a member of the Habs? Or Hurricanes?!?
• Tuukka Rask and his monstrous contract with the Bruins.
• Anything you want to bring up!

We'll also be talking a little bit about what's going to happen next week as we experiment with a new idea. It'll be fun and interactive, but we want need you to call in! Practice this week by calling in and giving your thoughts on the topics above, or suggest your own so Beans and I can have a take on what's eating at you from the hockey world!

It all happens live on 101.5 UMFM at 5:30pm, so tune in and chat hockey with us!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Tuukka Rich

If the sound of cash registers was heard today, you were probably near Boston. Tuukka Rask, goaltender for the Boston Bruins, just signed an eight-year, $56 million contract to elevate him to the same level of pay as Pekka Rinne. While there could be some debate about which goaltender is better, there is no doubt that the Bruins went all-in on Rask being their guy for what seems like ever.

Rask was on record as saying that he'd like to play for the Bruins "forever", and the Bruins reciprocated those feelings by giving him the longest contract possible under the new CBA rules. The dollar amount isn't that bad either when you consider that Rask will now be the highest-paid goalie alongside Rinne. He will earn more than Stanley Cup champion and Conn Smythe Trophy winner Jonathan Quick ($5.8 million/season), Stanley Cup champion and Conn Smythe Trophy winner Cam Ward ($6.3 million), and three-time Stanley Cup champion Martin Brodeur ($4.5 million). While I'm not saying that Tuukka Rask hasn't exceeded any of these goaltenders in his ability, it seems odd for the Bruins to issue a goaltender with one year of solid NHL netminding a contract with a massive raise and a long term. GM Peter Chiarelli doesn't usually do things like this.

I will admit that goaltending is the backbone of any successful team, and that teams who have solid goaltending tend to do well over the course of many seasons. New Jersey, Los Angeles, Boston, and Chicago are all prime examples of how a solid netminder can carry a team further than any one other player. But you also have to look at some of the long-term signings that haven't worked out so well and wonder if Rask's play may fall off under the weight of this deal.

Ilya Bryzgalov's insane contract earned him a sweet buyout, but the goaltender probably won't play in North America again. Rick DiPietro can probably serve as a backup in some NHL city, but he'll be counting his buyout money from his ridiculous contract until he's 50. While the vast amount of goaltenders earning above the $6 million mark are proving to be solid investments, you wonder if Ryan Miller, Niklas Backstrom, Carey Price, or Henrik Lundqvist will ever hoist a Stanley Cup. The same, at this point, can be said for Tuukka Rask.

I think the upside on Rask is that he's still young and he has a lot of hockey left in him. He can continue to grow with experience, and his netminding skills shouldn't see any sort of deterioration over the length of this contract. There is always risk in signing a contract like this, but the reward will be a healthy Tuukka Rask at the end of this deal with a pile of hardware on his mantle.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!