NHL Game On - But Does Anyone Care?

Professional ice hockey has always been considered the outsider among the big four sports (baseball, football, and basketball being the other three). It has struggled to draw fans to watch games in person, to have a viable TV package, and to gain air time on local and national sports radio and television talks shows. So when a lockout seriously threatened to wipe out the entire 2012-2013 NHL season, the players and management had to know that their game was going to take a serious hit in the public relations department. The two sides agreed over the weekend to the framework for a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), but is it too late? 

The players and management have accepted that their sport, like the others previously mentioned, are a combination of both entertainment and business. But the average sports fan doesn't care about the business side of things. They only want to root their teams on, argue with other fans about who has the better team, and hope that when the season ends, it is their team hoisting the Stanley Cup or Lombardi Trophy, etc. 

Instead what you have is a game that has taken another huge hit to its public perception. There are many sports fans who won't watch hockey simply because of the fighting - which has been reduced considerably over the years - and others who refuse to pay the exorbitant price of tickets. Those that were willing to do so in the past will be less inclined now that the current season is a 50 game microcosm of a normal hockey season. 

The NHL had reached a new height in popularity when the New York Rangers won the Stanley Cup in 1994, something they had not done in 40 years. Every sport benefits when their major market teams are involved in the championship process (baseball is probably the exception due to the lack of a true salary cap) and hockey was on everyone's lips in mid-June when the Rangers won the championship. 

Hockey also benefited from a down turn in professional basketball the same year. The cover of Sports Illustrated's June 20, 1994 issue screamed out, "Why the NHL's Hot and the NBA's Not".¹ A split cover photo showed an overhead shot of Rangers' goalie Mike Richter denying Vancouver's Pavel Bure on a penalty shot in Game 4 of the NHL Finals. It sat atop an overhead shot of Houston Rockets center Hakeem Olajuwon reaching for the basketball over his New York Knicks counterpart Patrick Ewing in the NBA Finals. 

Author E.M. Swift cited among other things, the lack of Michael Jordan in the league (1994 was Jordan's foray into minor league baseball), a 30% drop off in NBA conference TV ratings, and a perception that the NBA had turned to thuggery (implied by the LA Times) and the NHL was the trendier league (according to Sports Licensing International). 

So what did the NHL do with this new found popularity? They clashed over a new CBA of course! The 1994-1995 season was knocked down to 48 games by the time the two sides came to an agreement on the new pact. Fans already bitter from Major League Baseball's shortened/no World Series 1994 season, held up a big foam finger...but the finger was in a different place. The NHL was permanently damaged from that point on both, in popularity and, if you believe management, financially. Things only got worse when the entire 2004-2005 season was wiped out by another CBA clash. 

The 2011-2012 NHL playoffs were exciting on both coasts; the LA Kings would go on to win the first Stanley Cup in their 46-year history. They defeated the New Jersey Devils who had ousted their bitter rivals, the Rangers, in the Eastern Conference finals. There seemed to be a buzz about hockey again, but the need for a new CBA was an albatross that hung around everyone's neck and sure enough it appeared as though the 2004-2005 debacle was being replicated. 

Will the fans return now that there will be a game to return to? I've come across fans on both sides of the spectrum - those who will have nothing to do with the NHL (possibly ever again) and those who are so excited you would think a member of their family was coming home from war. Then there are those of us in between. The group that won't buy tickets to a game, won't spend money on merchandise, but are leaning towards watching the games. 

Why? Because the game is still a sport to me. The ugliness of the business can be left to the players and owners. 


1 - Sports Illustrated, June 20 ,1994

Another Year of Inconsistent Hockey

60 minutes; that's what a regulation hockey game is. At some point, someone needs to inform the NY Rangers or some day, some way, maybe it will set in with them.

Fresh off their surprising opening night win in Buffalo on Friday, the Rangers went out to the Mausoleum in Long Island to play their hated rivals, the New York Islanders, on Monday afternoon.

I only saw the 2nd period of play live. A period in which the Rangers dominated, but gave up a late goal to go into the third period tied 3-3.

The Rangers have had a habit of taking bad penalties the last few seasons and it continued in today's game. Now granted, the first call which led to the game breaking 5 on 3 power play was a questionable one. Ryan Callahan went off for a tripping, a trip that coach John Tortorella said was non-existent. That being said, Marc Staal went off shortly thereafter and the Islanders took advantage, netting a pair of power play goals.

As usual, the Mausoleum crowd was sparse, and in this particular case, was filled with many Rangers fans.

Rick Di Pietro stopped Marian Gaborik on a 1st period penalty shot.

It's The Rangers Victory Song

No, not Texas..they couldn't pull off the sweep tonight, dropping a 6-3 decision.

But another Rangers team, those Broadway Blueshirts who make their living in Madison Square Garden, won their season debut tonight.

The New York Rangers doubled up the Buffalo Sabres by the identical 6-3 score. The most amazing part of the road win? Rookie Derek Stepan became just the 4th rookie in NHL history to score a hat trick in his debut.

Brandon Dubinksy scored a pair of goals, including an empty netter, and King Henrik stopped 33 shots.

Doubleheader Disaster

Sabathia Spanked in Attempt at 20

There was a possibility of the aforementioned "Sportsgasm" tonight. Afterall, CC Sabathia was going for his 20th win in the Yankees-Tampa Bay Rays game and the New York Rangers were opening their NHL season with a road game against the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins.

"Nightmare on Elm Street" was more like it. The team lost both games, though the Rangers at least made a game of it.

Things started out poorly for CC Sabathia and only got worse. He lasted on 2-plus innings and got charged with nine runs, five of which were earned. His night ended by firing his glove into a collection of water bottles on the bench. In CC's first and last starts the season he was 0-2 with a 12.86 ERA. It was also Sabathia's first loss since July 28.

Things started out even worse for the Yankees when fireballer David Price hit Mark Teixeira in the left shoulder during the 1st inning. It was apparently in retaliation for Sabathia hitting Carlos Pena with a pitch on September 7. It ended Pena's season, though he still leads the AL with 39 HRs. (Got a good laugh when it was reported on Twitter that the Rays announcer said it started the Rays downward spiral. The Rays have sucked from the get go gents.)

It was a big night for the Rays' B.J. Upton. He started his night with a fine running catch in center field and then became the first Tampa Bay Ray to hit for the cycle. And he completed teh feat in the 5th inning! Upton started with the hardest hit, a triple, followed by a double, home run, and finally a single. He wasn't done either, adding another single for a 5-5, 6 RBI night.

On the bright side, Juan Miranda hit his first major league home run.

You Hockey Puck

The Rangers had to endure the opening night ceremonies in Pittsburgh, which included raising the championship banner and seeing the Stanley Cup, which has not touched Rangers hands since 1994.

The Pens tallied first on their killer power play, but Chris Drury tied it in the 1st period, off a nice feed from new Ranger Chris Higgins. But the Pens quick strike offense put together two second period goals in just a 1:08 span.

First Sidney Crosby cleaned up a loose puck in front, putting it past Henrik Lundqvist for his first goal of the season. Some sloppy play in front then led to a Tyler Kennedy goal for a 3-1 lead.

The Rangers put pressure on Marc Andre-Fleury in the third period and the Rangers biggest offensive acquisition, Marian Gaborik lit the lamp to cut the lead to 3-2 at 5:56. But that would be it for the night, as the Rangers went 0-4 with the man advantage.

Team		Shots on Goal						Faceoffs				Power Plays
		1st	2nd	3rd	Total			Won	Lost			Converted	Total
NY Rangers		7	12	8	27			28	28			0	4
Pittsburgh		9	12	10	31			28	28			1	2

The Sportsgasm

That is the term coined by the lovely Mrs. MM to describe the overlapping sports seasons. As in, "You're going to have a sportsgasm". With the Yankees heading to the post-season and the Giants off to a 3-0 start in the NFL, she is right as usual. Plus, incredibly, the NHL season opener is just a mere days away.

She first coined the phrase when the Yankees season began and I bounced between the early games and NY Rangers playoff hockey and Boston Celtics playoff basketball.

The sportsgasm is a great feeling, probably the equivalent of a woman eating chocolate. (Unlike women, however, I don't think the sportsgasm is better than sex.) And your partner may not enjoy your sportsgasm with you.

This is NOT Mrs. MM, but it could be during a football or hockey game.

There can be messy clean up with the sportsgasm. Chips, soda, beer, remote controls can often be sent flying in various directions. Actually, the remote control is usually reserved for big, bad moments, such as when the Rangers lost to the Devils in Game 5 of the 1994 conference finals. (Still haven't been able to totally fix that dent on the wall.)

Speaking of remote controls, the sportsgasm cannot be achieved without an excellent working remote control or two. You always need a supply of fresh batteries to be sure you're not stuck on one channel. (God forbid you have to get up and manually change the station.) You also should have a good working knowledge of the "last" and "favorite" buttons on the remote. They are essential in making rapid fire changes from one channel to another.

You should also be familiar with the SAP button, DVR controls, etc... no, not to use them, but how to shut them off if you accidentally hit one of them in the middle of a game.



So there you have it. Enjoy your sports and your sportsgasm. Oh and always practice safety... be sure to use a coaster.

Around the Horn - 12/26

We hope you all enjoyed your Christmas and stuffed yourself like pigs. All part of tradition, ya know? Had the Yankees decided to have the New Year's Day NHL game, you would have seen the time lapse video at the Stadium. Instead, it's Wrigley getting the hockey treatment.



Kevin Mench, apparently tired of sitting on major league benches, has moved on to Japan. The best part about this is no longer hearing Michael Kay talk about the size of Mench's melon every time his team (Rangers, Blue Jays, Brewers) came to town. Hopefully the Yankees don't play the Hanshin Tigers this year.

A nice feature in the NY Times on Seattle's new skipper, Don Wakamatsu.

Rickey Henderson just turned 50, and since he hasn't made a comeback in the last 5 years, he'll soon be elected to Cooperstown. Hopefully, he doesn't pull out the old "I am the greatest" as part of his enshrinement speech.

Around the Horn - 12/26

We hope you all enjoyed your Christmas and stuffed yourself like pigs. All part of tradition, ya know? Had the Yankees decided to have the New Year's Day NHL game, you would have seen the time lapse video at the Stadium. Instead, it's Wrigley getting the hockey treatment.



Kevin Mench, apparently tired of sitting on major league benches, has moved on to Japan. The best part about this is no longer hearing Michael Kay talk about the size of Mench's melon every time his team (Rangers, Blue Jays, Brewers) came to town. Hopefully the Yankees don't play the Hanshin Tigers this year.

A nice feature in the NY Times on Seattle's new skipper, Don Wakamatsu.

Rickey Henderson just turned 50, and since he hasn't made a comeback in the last 5 years, he'll soon be elected to Cooperstown. Hopefully, he doesn't pull out the old "I am the greatest" as part of his enshrinement speech.

Congrats to a Class Act

The Washington Capitals have announced that one of the greatest players in franchise history, and one of our all-time favorite players when he was a member of the New York Rangers, Mike Gartner, will have his number 11 retired in a ceremony on December 28.

Gartner tallied 708 career goals, sixth best in NHL history, and spent 10 years with the Caps. He was screwed out of a Stanley Cup when the Rangers dealt him, because then coach Mike Keenan didn't like him, at the 1994 trade deadline for Glen Anderson. Anderson had one big playoff goal, but his biggest contribution was salmon sandwiches for his teammates.

The honor in Washington is long overdue for a player who was inducted into the NHL Hall of Fame in 2001.

Congratulations to a good guy, Mike Gartner!

Congrats to a Class Act

The Washington Capitals have announced that one of the greatest players in franchise history, and one of our all-time favorite players when he was a member of the New York Rangers, Mike Gartner, will have his number 11 retired in a ceremony on December 28.

Gartner tallied 708 career goals, sixth best in NHL history, and spent 10 years with the Caps. He was screwed out of a Stanley Cup when the Rangers dealt him, because then coach Mike Keenan didn't like him, at the 1994 trade deadline for Glen Anderson. Anderson had one big playoff goal, but his biggest contribution was salmon sandwiches for his teammates.

The honor in Washington is long overdue for a player who was inducted into the NHL Hall of Fame in 2001.

Congratulations to a good guy, Mike Gartner!

One Hump or Two?

Dr. Dre's son was found dead over the weekend.

Someone is suing NYC for a change.

That crazy Kucinich roused up the delegates.

Strahan decided not to pull a Favre.

Jags receiver Dennis Northcutt almost did a Carruth.

A guy from Nigeria in the NHL?

Mix drinks with your Iphone?

Instant replay is coming to MLB on Thursday

One Hump or Two?

Dr. Dre's son was found dead over the weekend.

Someone is suing NYC for a change.

That crazy Kucinich roused up the delegates.

Strahan decided not to pull a Favre.

Jags receiver Dennis Northcutt almost did a Carruth.

A guy from Nigeria in the NHL?

Mix drinks with your Iphone?

Instant replay is coming to MLB on Thursday

Ivy Covered End Boards

The NHL, in conjunction with the Chicago Cubs, announced that this coming season's outdoor game will be played at historic Wrigley Field. The contest will be between long time rivals, the Chicago Black Hawks and the defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings.

Now if they only would would only use the outfield wall as one side of the rink.

Ivy Covered End Boards

The NHL, in conjunction with the Chicago Cubs, announced that this coming season's outdoor game will be played at historic Wrigley Field. The contest will be between long time rivals, the Chicago Black Hawks and the defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings.

Now if they only would would only use the outfield wall as one side of the rink.

Lets Go Rangers!!!

Yankee Stadium is getting closer to having the New York Rangers and the NHL close out the grand old place with an outdoor hockey contest. Spurred on by the popularity of this season's Penguins-Sabres match, the NHL has been working with Yankees officials to try to set something up for the Stadium.

Source - NY Daily News

"It's something we've spoken both to the Yankees and to the city about," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told The News. "But it's not a done deal. There are still other possibilities and a lot of moving pieces."

Most insiders feel that the game should be played against a fellow "Original Six" team - Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadians, Chicago Black Hawks, Detroit Red Wings - to maximize the television ratings.

Lets Go Rangers!!!

Yankee Stadium is getting closer to having the New York Rangers and the NHL close out the grand old place with an outdoor hockey contest. Spurred on by the popularity of this season's Penguins-Sabres match, the NHL has been working with Yankees officials to try to set something up for the Stadium.

Source - NY Daily News

"It's something we've spoken both to the Yankees and to the city about," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told The News. "But it's not a done deal. There are still other possibilities and a lot of moving pieces."

Most insiders feel that the game should be played against a fellow "Original Six" team - Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadians, Chicago Black Hawks, Detroit Red Wings - to maximize the television ratings.