On the Topic Of Alfredsson's Departure

At the end of the day, you cannot blame Daniel Alfredsson.

The emotion of everything that has happened today with the news that Alfredsson is leaving the Ottawa Senators for the Detroit Red Wings; the thing lost in all of this has to be the idea that with the departure of Alfredsson, they actually need to have someone pick up the pieces for contribution. It's a time for Jason Spezza, Milan Michalek, and the other players to step up their game and hopefully find a way to stay healthy in order to contribute more.

Not only that, the void left in the locker room for the Senators is something that won't be as easily replaced as the scoring contribution. For a core of young players, it's a huge hit in trying to turn to someone, but for guys like Erik Karlsson, it will make them grow up a little more and actually learn to become a leader and get the experience by being fed to the fire. Not only that, it'll be a big thing for Paul MacLean to be the motivator that he has shown off to the world with his Jack Adams Trophy campaign this past season.

Yet, the biggest sign this signing to Detroit brings is that Alfredsson doesn't believe himself to be the primary contributor to the Ottawa Senators, as he was being called upon to do. Getting up there with age, it just shows that Alfredsson is at the point of his career where he wants to be able to ride shotgun and let the others actually be the superstars of the team and he can lay back and be the secondary scoring and the leader on the ice by example.

With this, the Red Wings will get some experience they have lost in the past few years with the retirement of Nicklas Lidstrom, Kris Draper, and the like. Alfredsson's voice is something that's respect around the league and is someone who could teach Henrik Zetterberg how to be a leader off the ice, as well as on. Sure, the teaching of that is often futile, but if Zetterberg is willing to learn a thing or two from Alfredsson; it couldn't hurt to get some pointers here and there.

Plus, they get a little bit of consistency out of Alfredsson, who won't bring big goals or assists; but all of his points are very timely and will add more punch to the second power play unit, especially on a big one-timer chance. While it may not completely fill the void and drop-off from Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk's points contribution; Alfredsson could give a shot in the arm to the top-six guys.

Most importantly is what the fans of the Senators will do when they meet their new division rival Red Wings this season. They will be mad, regardless of what Alfredsson says his reasons are for leaving Ottawa. The wounds of this signing is going to be hard to make heal with time or at all. I'm sure long after Alfredsson has retired, he will be welcomed back by the Ottawa faithful as Mr. Senator-- but for now, there's bitterness, tears, and a lost feeling trying to find out what went wrong between the Sens and Alfie.

On the Topic Of Vindictive Reporting

Morning Radio Zoo co-host and part-time sports writer Eric Francis had a gem of a column today when it comes to what he's been able to put together. In his recent piece, Francis said that Flames goalie Miikka Kiprusoff should have been more forthright with the Flames about his impending retirement rather than have the news break thanks to the Finnish media. Also, Kipper should have done more of an exit for the organization, fans, and community.

Of course, Francis forgets that whole thing about Kipper saying he wouldn't show up if moved at the trade deadline, but who needs to remember that to put out a story about how he personally feels let down that Kiprusoff didn't make a bigger exit.

And forget that on April 16th, Eric Francis knew that this was Kiprusoff's last home-stand and on April 17th reviewed Kipper's last game and wrote, "The end is near ­-- one day away in fact. Kiprusoff may not go out with much fanfare, but he seems focused on going out in style -- something he certainly did Wednesday night as the game's shining star."

Yet, it seems that Francis was shocked (SHOCKED) by Kiprusoff not giving a big farewell. Luckily, a Calgary writer named Eric Francis (yes, the same guy) knew that when he wrote on the 16th:

After rounding out the season -- and most likely his career -- on the bench watching Joey MacDonald audition for Kipper's old gig, the bearded Finn will no doubt punctuate garbage-bag day by doing his annual backdoor dash.  

No sayanora (or however you say goodbye in Finnish) news conference thanking the fans, city or organization for embracing him and his family over the years. After years of fishing pucks out of his net with a stunningly calm sweep, swig and stare at the Jumbotron, far be it for Kiprusoff to get all misty-eyed at the prospect of perpetual anonymity, peace and quiet in Finland's remote lake district.  

He'll leave just like he arrived; under the radar.

The fact that Francis thinks that he was let down by Kiprusoff not giving the Flames, their fans, and the media more of a send-off is just another example of writers thinking it's a little more about them and a little less about the facts of the story that have been out there for a while. Even written by Francis himself.

This is one day after Randy J. Miller of the South Jersey Courier-Post went on a Twitter tirade about Ilya Bryzgalov's antics in the locker room were the big thing that got him bought-out by the Flyers and not the media scrutiny that Bryzgalov had implied during the season-closing interviews.

Even with the traditional media bashing the new media of blogging and podcasting as something that is not needed in hockey media; the traditional media themselves may need to take a step back and not make themselves a part of the story as much as referees and linesmen shouldn't make themselves a part of the game with false face-offs and penalty junk.

No player or coach or GM owes writers much of anything. Even if there's something pressing, just because the information isn't put out there doesn't mean the writer has to take it as a personal insult and then try to actually embarrass the organization by airing out their own personal gripes because they didn't get exactly what they wanted. This isn't the toy store and writers don't need throw a tantrum just because the overseer doesn't allow them to get something because the writer thinks they deserve it.

On the Topic Of the Colorado Avalanche 1st Overall Pick

 There's something to be said about the top three prospects in the NHL Draft all playing in the 2013 Memorial Cup Finals, which lead to the Halifax Mooseheads beating the Portland Winterhawks 6-4. Nathan MacKinnon had a hat-trick and two assists, Jonathan Drouin with five assists, and Seth Jones with only a goal to show.

With the joy of Twitter, it made people wonder whether or not the Colorado Avalanche will shy away from what they need most in Seth Jones's defense prowess for Nathan MacKinnon's scoring touch or even Jonathan Drouin's passing ability. Yet, if the Avalanche don't go for Jones-- then maybe they really should look at another rebuild of their front office after a couple of seasons because of it.

There is no denying that MacKinnon and Drouin are going to be studs wherever they land and it looks like it'll be Florida for MacKinnon and Tampa Bay for Drouin. However, when you look at the Draft, it should be more about necessity rather than desire of player to get. Jones is the player that the Avalanche need. They have little to nothing on defense now and they have a stockpile of forwards already. While Adrian Dater of the Denver Post is playing the "Who do you pick??" game with the stats on one game, the broader scope of things should have all signs point to Jones.

Though, with the changes that the Avalanche have made this off-season, bringing back a lot of former legends to make this team a force again-- there's always that off chance that the Avs would go for someone who's much more explosive and will garner a lot more attention than a solid defenseman like Jones. Scoring will always get people talking rather than a solid two-way game, which could sway the Avalanche's thoughts.

Even with all of that-- if the Avalanche don't pick Seth Jones with the #1 Overall Pick, they better make the playoff with MacKinnon in the first year or else they will be kicking themselves for not going with a defensive prospect who wants to play there and who could actually be the keystone to fix their defense.

Colorado will not outscore many teams, so while getting pucks in the net is great in theory-- they'd also have to find a way to keep them out, too. For a team who has let up an average of three goals a game in the past three seasons; it should be clear that the Avalanche need to get someone on that blue line to help out Semyon Varlamov keep the shooters at bay and maybe support in their own end a little bit.

Neither Jones or MacKinnon or Drouin will be the quick fix for the Avalanche. They are long-term project players who will be able to be an asset in time-- some quicker than others. However, if you need defense on your roster and you have a defenseman who is highly touted on the board-- why would you choose otherwise?? Sure, the one-on-one was a bit lopsided, but one game over an eight-month season does not a prospect's worth make.

On the Topic Of Prorating the Shortened Season

As we see teams clinching left and right, the shortened season is showing it's effects to teams that were prepared for this sprint and those who stumbled out of the gates and it cost them. The Islanders and Leafs show the teams who knew the role the short season played and stepped up to take a playoff spot, while the Devils and Predators saw their success from previous seasons fall by the wayside.

While the 48-game season has proven exciting, with some wondering if there should be a short season every few years (or every year); you have to wonder if the panic button of a 48-game season was hit too early for most teams. With little time to adjust or let a slump adjust your team's personality, the coaching staff probably tried to do too much, too soon, with guys who may have not adjusted back to the game if they hadn't been playing elsewhere during the Lockout.

But, is there a way to accurately prorate were a team would be if there were 36 games added to the schedule?? It's a very out there ideal because to adjust the schedule in that extreme and give them more time,  because most of the teams would have done things differently in those extra games in knowing that they were going to have time to make up the ground they lose. Conversely, you could have surprising teams who probably would have dropped off-- like if the Leafs and Islanders hadn't clinched, could they have kept up with the pace of other teams who would get those other games to improve??

There are many out there with their "fancy stats" who could probably break it down a little more with a little more time, trying to make people believe that hockey is in the exact realm of baseball where all the outside influence actually add to a players worth-- but I don't have that kind of time, patience, or care for such a thing.

My basis for things is that when you look towards a middle of the season, which where we'd be at in a normal NHL season, you always have a team who was surprising in the first half get screwed over by the second half and buying into their own hype too much. Not only that, but it would have drastically changed the trade market and what teams would have needed or wanted for their certain situations. To that, you wonder if Marian Gaborik would have accepted a deal to the Blue Jackets if they were in a free fall rather than a rally in the second half of their season.

Part of me would love to be able to get into trends of what could have happened in the season should it be a full 82-game slate, but the circumstances don't allow for that. The ebbs and flows of certain teams and the travel schedule, injury happenings, and general disarray that a longer season would create almost make it impossible to properly predict how some of the teams on the bubble would react to their position and how their mentality would work. But, it's always fun to banter back and forth as we look back at this season.

On the Topic Of Joey MacDonald's Future in Calgary

With the Calgary Flames season in disarray, the look is to the future-- which many think is not looking too much better for the foreseeable future-- especially between the pipes. With the future of Miikka Kiprusoff up in the air with how serious he is when it comes to his retirement threats, what's to come next for the goaltendings.

Enter Joey MacDonald and his audition that has been going in the past two weeks or so. MacDonald has gone 4-1-0 since March 27th in his seven appearances with the Flames and, to me, I think he's at least garnered another contract for at least next season to be in a 1A/B model for the 2013-14 season for the incoming European goalies-- or as a back-up for Kiprusoff should he not stick to his retirement talk.

MacDonald has been a somewhat serviceable back-up or third string goalie, though his numbers tell a different tale. Despite being 7-6-1 overall for the Flames, the fact he has been playing better as the team has been getting somewhat better is a definite good sign for things moving forward. Plus, considering the fact MacDonald has been known to linger on the bench for long stretches at a time-- should Kipper come back, he'd be one of the best choices for a back-up as any of their younger guys or European import.

Taking into account that Kiprusoff won't be back-- what could the Flames do with their prospects coming over for next season. Karri Ramo has been highly regarded by GM Jay Feaster as the best goalie not in the NHL, but while he has done well in the KHL-- it doesn't mean it'll always translate to the NHL game. Same goes for the other European goalie in Reto Berra, who has done well in the Swiss league, but may not be able to thrive in the NHL or North America as a whole.

Already in their system is Danny Taylor, who was signed by the Flames when Kipper went down with an injury. Taylor overtook the starting role in Abbotsford of the AHL from Barry Brust, who was hot for Abbotsford early in the season, but Taylor has taken the NHL experience and stepped his game. So much so that the once promising prospect in Leland Irving has been relegated to third-string in Abbotsford and very much off the radar for the Flames.

With all this uncertainty, it definitely makes a strong case for MacDonald to actually get another shot with the Flames. He's the devil that is known and can actually get the job done on a team that may not know or understand it's new identity. MacDonald is having a strong stretch run and if Feaster just let's MacDonald get away in hopes that the imports without contracts and who have been out of (or not been in) the NHL for a while will be a better option-- then he deserves to be tarred-and-feathered after his firing.

On the Topic Of Keeping Miikka Kiprusoff Starting

Is it possible for Miikka Kiprusoff to start all 48 games for the Calgary Flames this season??

Simple answer is yes.

Long answer is yes, but in doing so; you're not only wearing out your workhorse and maybe not giving your team the best chance to win-- but you're also hurting the development of the young back-up Leland Irving, who won his spot on the bench in training camp.

Yet, at the same time-- Kiprusoff is the Flames guy through thick and thin. Since the lost 2004-05 season, Kiprusoff has played in 524 of the Flames 580 games, coming on in relief for only four of those 524. That shows that Kiprusoff is able to give the outcome the Flames want-- in which he hasn't had lower than 35 wins in those seven seasons-- but also shows that the team probably can't play that well in front of the back-up, for which there has been nine back-ups in the seven season span.

The problem with Kiprusoff being in there all the time this shortened season is the fact that he's just getting warmed up after not playing or practicing much during the work stoppage. His numbers are showing it, too, with a 3.42 GAA and .859 save percentage in his six games this season, very un-Kipper like for him.

Even with all the problems, this sprint of a season is something where Bob Hartley is probably going to live and die with their gamer of a goalie. Odds are, Kiprusoff will not turn down a chance to play when he's asked. That's why at some point, Hartley has to tell Kipper to take a seat and let Irving have a spot. For a young kid like Irving, who has gotten better in the AHL, but being behind Kiprusoff; hasn't been able to make a great NHL splash as of yet. And because of that, Kiprusoff has had to taken the brunt of the starts due to seemingly a lack of confidence in the young back-up.

While he has gotten "better" in some sense of the word, the 1-3-2 record isn't helping the cause for Kiprusoff to keep playing every minute of every game. While his experience is something that has worked well in the past, it may not be the best for the team if his struggles are hurting the team in the long-run. Irving may not be the answer, but with the starter dealing with struggles-- the back-up at least deserves one shot.

On the Topic Of Slow Starts to a Shortened Season

While the shortened season does leave little room for error, the fact that some fans and some teams are hovering their hands over the panic buttons may be a little too premature. Sure, the fact some teams have gotten into slumps in the early five-days for play, you just have to look back into history to see that getting off to a slow start isn't a horrible thing....if you have the right parts, of course.

Looking at the last shortened season in 1995, you just have to look at the Stanley Cup champions of that year to see that as long as you get into the playoffs-- it's perfectly fine and you have a shot at winning the whole thing. In fact, the Devils were the 5th seed in the East, having to defeat the 4th, 3rd, and 2nd seeds in the East to win that conference in a total of 16 games before the Finals.

Yet, the bigger thing is that it wasn't until March 30th (Game 33) when they went over .500 for the season and leading to their 22-18-8 record; in a time where the OT loss didn't account for a point. More over than that, after tying their first game, the Devils went to lose three straight and were 3-5-2 in their first 10 and their longest unbeaten streak was seven games It wasn't a cause for overpanic, but I'm sure it was there after the quick losing streak.

Conversely, the Western Conference representitve that year was the Detroit Red Wings, who won the Presidents' Trophy for best record of the league (33-11-4) and played in 14 games before the Finals, to be swept by the Devils in four games. Comparing the stats for the Red Wings to the Devils, the Wings never dipped below .500 after January 24th in their third game of the year, went 7-3-0 in their first ten games with a long-unbeaten streak of 11 games.

Interestingly enough, both teams went 5-4-1 in their last ten games.

What does it all mean?? Well, it's an issue of conservation and patience. While the beginning may look grim to some fans, owners, GMs, etc.; the fact remains that in the last short-season, it didn't really matter the quick start you got off to or not; just making the playoffs was enough to give a team hope. Of course, with the game changing in conditioning and technology; teams may want to not wait as long as March 30th to finally crack the .500 mark.

On the Topic Of 20-Team Playoffs

With word of the NHL and NHLPA possibly looking at a 20-team playoff when play finally returns leaking out-- the social media people came out in droves and questioned the audacity of such a thing, that this outside the box thinking is something that shouldn't be even considered.

Of course...it was considered since Elliotte Friedman wrote about it December 2011 and then Dave Hodge kept the idea rolling in March 2012, but that wasn't 2013 thinking!!

In any case, the idea is something that Friedman threw out about the 20 teams being grouped into one, then having seeds 13-20 playing in some kind of play-in series or sudden death game in order to join the other ten teams in the march to the Stanley Cup, Whether or not it's like the QMJHL and they do a 1 vs. 16 and say the hell with the conferences is to be decided, I'm sure. Again-- this is just outloud thinking and not set in stone as many would think.

The main ideal is to bring more revenue to the teams, which goes to the league, which then gets shared with the players. When you lose half a season, you have to find a way to get that money that you lost back in some capacity. Plus, when you look at what happened with MLB and their play-in Wild Card games-- it could be something that is right in Donald Fehr's wheelhouse.

When all is said and done, it probably won't happen, but thinking outside the box isn't a horrible thing. The more drama the playoffs bring the better it is for the game and the casual fan. Of course, the "traditionalists" will all be opposed to it, much like they were many other innovations and stuff like that. In a game that has had more changes over the past couple decade in their rules and technology than most any other sport-- the term "traditionalist" has to be in quotes or else those who call themselves that could have checked out of the game years ago.

For me, when you have 30 teams and 66% of the teams get into the playoffs makes the league look more farce-like than the lockout had us believe. The best idea is to either bring in two teams or get rid of two teams and then have four divisions, have the playoffs start with divisional play and then the two divisions in each conference play to win the conference, then to the Stanley Cup-- much like the old days of four divisions. Of course-- when you bring up expansion or even contraction-- people get all into a tizzy.

Nothing can go right for the NHL, especially not in the state they are in now. The fact of the matter is that rather than tinkering with the playoffs-- they need to have a season in order to get to the playoffs. And even after there's games-- make sure you exhaust all your research and tools in order to make sure that 20 teams in the playoffs is a great idea for the game rather than for the revenue it could bring in.

On the Topic Of NHL Contraction

As I've tried to avoid lockout talk, I did see something that should be a discussion point and should have been a discussion point for this lockout-- the idea of contraction, something that hasn't happened since the Cleveland Barons in 1979. Luckily, someone much smarter and more well-known than I has made that a new discussion point-- especially with all that legal wrangling going on right now. Here's what Pierre Lebrun had to say in his latest article:

"I'm not sure the NHL returns with 30 teams on the other side of a lost season. Can the weaker markets truly survive this? That's damage both sides would feel."

Even Forbes has made the argument for contraction, thinking it could be the best hope and saying Western and Southern teams aren't hockey markets and the "fans" are "fans" at all. They know something about money, but I don't know about pleasing the masses.

If that were to happen, it could do much more damage to the revenue stream and how it is divided or proposed to be divided in any projection that comes out. Sure, the lower teams wouldn't bring in much revenue; but any hit would skew the boat one way or another.

Of course, the question becomes-- how many teams do you cut to make the league healthy again?? Is it two, four, 10?? The question will vary depending upon what people believe from their own view. And while the lower market teams would take away some money-- those teams could be the ones bleeding the money, as well-- thus making their elimination something that could keep the league healthy under whomever terms and conditions the NHL and NHLPA agree on.

That said, that's going to hurt the NHLPA as well for the obvious reason of jobs being lost by the players. Even if two teams are gone, that makes 64 players without jobs (based on the 23 players per roster ideal) and you can bet Don Fehr won't like that one bit...which means that Bettman and the Board of Governors could be touting this as a possibility soon.

Which is what makes this whole lockout posturing insane. But we all knew that.

In any case, the idea of contraction is something that could make the league better off than it is right now because it could cut cost of travel, lessen the amount of money lost, and while losing revenue in some sorts; it'll be for the greater health of the league and revenue sharing if something were to happen. Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing a couple teams taken out for the health of the league, but the fans who would suffer would probably revolt as it were-- though when has the NHL thought of the fans, am I right, folks??

Expect this to be the new talking point as this battle goes around and around into possibly the New Year. Unless there's a Christmas or Festivus Miracle, this thing will go on and on with teams, players, and fans hurting-- but maybe some other leagues reaping the benefits-- hockey or otherwise.

On the Topic Of the QMJHL's Player Support Program

On Monday, the QMJHL started their week-long awareness week of their Player Support Program entitled "Let's Talk." The deal is that the QMJHL has representatives to every team and it allows the players to come forth with whatever problems they may be having in their life-- on the ice or off-- and give them the help they need in order to actually get better. The program was started in 2009, but seems to be made public just this week.

(Ed. Note: If it has been brought up before and I missed it, I apologize.)

Such a great idea that is long overdue, especially in Major Junior hockey. For a group of 16-20 year olds to be away from their family and face the rigors of a professional life at a developing age; problems are sure to develop to some, if not the majority, of players. While the WHL and OHL have yet made public their programs of the like, I'm sure they will have some players come forth to get something done.

Though is has come in like a lamb, the idea of this from the QMJHL is fantastic. While the QMJHL is fairly centrally located and the travel not too horrible, the fact these kids now have an outlet to talk about and not have to worry about being outed or shown as overly weak is a good thing and a step in the right direction. Especially with mental health and well-being being at the forefront of hockey in the past few years-- it's pretty solid to have a program like this available.

Granted, most teams and leagues may have such a thing in place already, the fact the QMJHL has made it public puts them to the forefront and puts it at a team-by-team level rather than a broad-stroke availability for the players in the league. This will be more personal for the players and allow them to adapt as they play and not have to get out of a groove or alienate them by having the player leave the team for personal reasons and start up rumors by media and fans alike.

Hopefully, some other leagues will come out publicly with their own outline of their support system-- but if they don't have it already, the QMJHL has laid out a great blueprint for those who want to follow their lead.

On the Topic Of the NHL Lockout

The lockout is coming.

That isn't news to anyone and shouldn't be news to anyone.

While the NHL says they were ready to meet at the All-Star break, the talks didn't start until July. They did meet frequently at least, giving hope to the hopeless-- then dashing those hopes when they had their press conferences when the meetings were over.

The bitterness and vitriol the fans will spew is going to be heightened as the social media movement is one that will ultimately show its worth in this work stoppage. They have began protesting outside the NHL Store in New York and maybe it could spread. And while they do have a right to do it-- it does bring out the worst in people; both attitude wise and in dealing with them when they're steadfast in their opinion and nothing will make them let up from it. Though, the overly pessimistic attitude is something that is a sign of the times in every aspect of life.

You can see the player's side of it-- they don't want to have their money taken away from them, especially since they feel they earned the contracts and shouldn't have it taken away from them. Sure, most of them will have plenty left over and will get a lot for their next contract for playing the game they love-- but it's the principle behind it that makes them fight and gets people on their side. My brother-in-arms Jonny P made a great point about how Fehr was going to be a tough negotiator and there would have been trouble when the NHLPA brought him onboard in the first place.

The owners are always in the wrong and there's few people who will defend them. I, for one, can see their side of it a lot more than I can see it from the player's side of it. The owners want to protect their investment. Sure, them giving insane contract because of "market value" isn't the smartest idea when trying to defend their point, but you have to give your team the best chance to win. Plus, to be in the position the owners are in, they had to take risks and that's how they made their billions and allowed them to actually have the money to own their teams.

Derek Zona wrote a piece about how much the owners are worth. One can assume it's to show that no one should support the owners because they aren't like the common man due to their riches. However, they had to work their way up the ladder in order to be in a position to make the money they did-- and they did a lot of things that maybe the common person would love to do: have financial freedom, be their own boss, own their own sports team. Let's be honest-- how many owners have actually made their fortunes from owning a sports team?? Plus, you can say that the investment in the NHL is a fool's bet-- if it wasn't, the Coyotes would have had an owner three years ago and we wouldn't have the amount of franchises changing owners as we have seen in the past two decades.

On top of that, when you hear many teams would lose less money without a season than with a season-- shows that the economic nature isn't the best in the world. Whether that means new owners are needed, less teams are needed, or whatever-- it seems that some people pass over that point. Not to mention, the owners have their hands in other things as well, which means they'll still make some money while the NHL is locked out.

No one will look good at the end of this. Owners are already hated, regardless of what they do. Players will get plenty of people on their side, but as things wear on-- they could lose some support depending on what they say and do while being locked out. The fans suffer, the arena staff suffers, writers suffer, the industry of the NHL suffers.

The game of hockey will only suffer due to its main league being out. Yet, it will continue to live on that the minor league, junior, and college teams would love for you to spend your entertainment dollar there. That's why I've done my "Better Know A League" series in order to enlighten people who may think the NHL is the only game in town. It'd be great for the health of the game if the lower leagues were supported and when the NHL comes back--maybe fans will be more inclined to go to a minor league game rather than NHL games-- which will really show the owners what you can do with your money and your choice.

And even with the lockout-- it could be a good thing for fans. Buddy Oakes at Preds on the Glass has a spectacular piece about how the lockout could be a good thing for some fans and how the last one was a good one for him personally. That's a kind of story you'll start to see if this lockout drags on for any amount of time. We all want the NHL to come back quickly, but a break from it all may not be the worst for some people out there.

In the end, the NHL will be back. People will go back to it, though it might be a little thinner than it once was. It's times like these where you can really tell that sports isn't about a game anymore-- it's a business.

On the Topic Of....Hockey Cards

Thursday was the final day of the NHLPA's Rookie Showcase, where the newest of NHLPA members get their pictures taken for their first hockey cards, their images put into the latest EA Sports video, sign some memorabilia  and just give some face time to the media.

Merchandising has been a big thing in the past decade or so and you often had to wait until the second set of cards to be released in order to get an action shot of the rookies in the league. However, with days like these, they are able to get in on the first set in their new uniforms rather than just their draft pose.

The cards factor itself got me thinking as to what my own personal favorite were. Of course, Upper Deck was the king of the cards in the late-90s and early-00s, having the exclusive NHL license before Panini America got back into the fold. The first set of Upper Deck, 1990-91, could be my favorite of the entire timeline. The design was simplistic, the wordmark at the bottom was a nice nod to the part of the logo sheet that didn't get much notice, and it was a solid design with an ice look of team colors along the border.

Upper Deck made an off-shoot of their cards, the Collector's Choice, that started in the 1995-96 season. It was more of a collection that had a lot of specialty inserts in it, which made it more unique than the base Upper Deck brand. It was almost an alternative of the regular cards, with different contests and geared to a younger crowd with their packs. Their "You Crash The Game" cards were interactive and gave the collector a chance to redeem them for bigger prizes should the player displayed get a certain achievement on the date stated. While the first run was nice, the 1996-97 set was a personal favorite for the design that they put out there coupled with the crisp shot of each player, as well as little facts on the back from their little mascot "Chippy."

Though, if you want to talk unique cards-- you have to go to Fleer and their set called Power Play, the tall boys of hockey cards. While they were awkward to put into sleeves, the fact Fleer took a different approach to cards was a nice outlook and very kitschy. They already had a solid looking Fleer Ultra set with a marble-esque design at the front; the 1993-94 Power Plays were another outlook to the card, even though it was short lived.

Yet, one timeless hockey card set is the Pro-Set set from the 1990-91 season. Regardless of all the inaccuracies that the line had for that season, the design is something that has been engrained in our memories-- so much so that the AHL's card set for the 2011-12 season almost mimicked the design of the Pro-Set line. Pro-Set also did a helluva job with their Pro-Set Platinum edition of the 1991-92 season, which was one of the first with a full shot of the card-- no borders, no names-- as well as no stats on the back of the card, either. It seemed to be a higher class of card. Not only that-- their Celebrity Captain cards were always aces for Hollywood's......elite??

For me, those are the classics when it comes to NHL cards and those that stand out to me. While I'm sure there's others that are memorable, I had to limit some of them. If you've got any you remember-- leave 'em in the comments and enlighten us.

On the Topic Of....Trade Talks

With the drama of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter now over and the free agency tank not on empty, but running on fumes-- it's now time to focus on who is going to be a tradeable asset. This summer seems to have quite the stock of assets that are just begging to be moved for one reason or another. However, the bigger names that could be traded could not be as desirable as the names who are just as comparable; but may have a little more overall upside than the names.

Case-in-point: Bobby Ryan and Rick Nash. These are two guys who many think will be moved this summer after turmoil with their current club, but which will be a better pick-up?? To be honest, when you look at the numbers-- both are comparable to each other and you'd probably get more out of them if they were surrounded with a better support team (though Ryan has it made with Perry and Getzlaf). But the bottom line coming down to it is whether or not a team has the assets and then want to depart with those assets in order to acquire one of the other. Of course, Ryan's asking price will probably be much lower than Nash and his salary hit will be much less and the contract is shorter. All of those will be a great selling feature with the two right wings pitted against each other.

Granted, Nash is the "sexy" name and will have fans bemoan the fact that they weren't able to get him. Nash, however, seems to be only the name. We haven't seen what he can do when playing with elite level players on the NHL stage, but one can assume that if Nash has a true #1 passing center, he'd reap the benefits. The San Jose Sharks name keep popping up from the attachment that Nash and Joe Thornton have-- but that was seven years ago and who knows if the the chemistry is still there.

Moving from the forwards, the name of Jay Bouwmeester is coming up, mostly because Jay Feaster gave Dennis Wideman an insane amount of money on an insane term; thus seemingly make Bouwmeester expendable. At two years left on his contract and a $6.68M cap hit, there's probably not going to be any teams burning up Feaster's phone lines. If anything, they'll make sure he stays hampered with that contract until the 2014 trade deadline. While Bouwmeester can be a great player when he applies himself, odds are teams wouldn't want to take on his streaky play, especially not in a contract year. Of course, should Feaster just give him away, that'd be attractive to some teams. Another option is for the Flames to bury him in the minors, as he only has a NTC, but very unlikely.

Yet, the biggest name, still, is Roberto Luongo. Since the Canucks playoff run ended, many were speculating on where his next destination would be because of his inability to get past Round One after being the Western Conference representative in the Stanley Cup Finals. Of course, that helped Cory Schneider break out and get a decent re-signing for his effort, but it also shows that the Canucks are willing to let go of Luongo, who has 10 years left on his contract and will have a cap hit of $5.33M for those seasons. Plus, considering he has a wacky NTC though it all-- it makes you wonder if any team would take the flier on him or not, especially when they know he can be great at times and horrible at times.

The biggest upside for Luongo is the lack of decent free agent goalies out there for a team that needs one. Rumor has it that Luongo only wants to go to the Panthers, but whether or not they are willing to give up on Jacob Markstrom just yet is another story. Of course, with the Panthers making the playoffs last year and coming within one goal of advancing to the second round-- Luongo could be the one thing that actually makes the Panthers true contenders in the Eastern Conference. That said-- both Jose Theodore and Scott Clemmensen are under contract next year-- Clemmensen for another year after next. It'd be a hard sell for the Panthers to get yet another goalie.

So, with the summer just starting/ending for free agency, you can bet that trade talks will be heating up sooner or later. Whether or not anyone gets moved is another story and whether it happens this month or closer to training camp is yet another story. At least we'll have something to talk about this summer....I think....other than that whole CBA crap.

On the Topic Of....The World Hockey Championships

While the Stanley Cup playoffs are on-going, another big tournament is happening. While it's not the "Holy Grail" of hockey, the World Championships is something that is often overlooked because it doesn't get too much publicity in the North American side of the globe, but this year's tourney holds a lot of weight to it.

Outside of the fact that there will be some bigger name NHLers there than usual, this tournament is the one that will determine which teams will make it into the Olympics and where they will be seeded in Sochi in 2014. Considering that only the top NINE teams will automatically make it into the Olympics out of the 12 nations playing, that'll leave three teams to battle with other 20 that have declared in order to see if they'll get into the Olympic games.

Of course, the fact that this really the professional equivalent of the the NIT tournament that college basketball has really makes this tournament a little dull for some people. Yet, that's only in North America.

The European fans are really nationalistic when it comes to this tournament. It's a big deal for them and they will come out in droves to support their home nations. A lot of European NHLers see the World Championship right up there with the Stanley Cup because they grew up thinking it was the biggest deal out there. That's why a lot of them really want to play in the Olympics, especially the Russians, because it's a big honor to play for the country, more than what the North Americans see it as.

Even so, it should be an interesting World Championship, even while the old guard of the NHLers-- Teemu Selanne, (maybe) Daniel Alfredsson [scratch that], and (maybe) Nicklas Lidstrom-- what it lacks in memorable names will leave the door open for younger players to get noticed and for some of the more underdog nations (like Slovakia) to jump up and surprise some people with their performance. You'll see a lot of teams with young talent, Canada really leading the way with draft-eligible Ryan Murray invited to camp and John Tavares, PK Subban, and others being on the roster already.

Yet, the question remains on whether the players make the tournament good or the tournament makes the players good. The Olympics busted out the likes of Tore Vikingstad and Mats Zuccarello-Aasan come alive from Norway to not only put their names out there-- but the country of Norway on the map for an emerging hockey nation. This is another place for players to really break out against top-level talent and it could make their stock go up and have them get NHL contracts as a result. That's a selling point to watch right there.

Of course, most people won't be able to watch the action from Finland and Sweden with the games being early in the morning and people working or sleeping will make them miss it, but it's always nice to have if you need some break from your work life and won't get caught if you find a feed of the game somewhere.

It may not be the Stanley Cup and it may remember a Mario Kart trophy, but in the end-- it is a meaningful achievement for some players, especially when it comes to actually representing your country.

On the Topic Of...Jim Hughson's Bias

At one point in time, a lot of people enjoyed Jim Hughson and his call of hockey games. He was the voice of EA's NHL franchise for years and many people noticed him outside of that platform because of it. Even still, his good games outweigh the bad games he has had. Yet, somewhere along the way, people started to hate on him and his bias.

Of course, this is something that is going to be a topic for debate when he is one of the main guys on the main programs of Canadian hockey telecasts. The more and more you hear him, the more and more people will be worn out by him. That said, it seems that more people are upset when Hughson does the Vancouver Canucks games over other games he gets on there.

Yet, you look at where Hughson came from to be on CBC-- it's obvious why he has the bias for the Canucks that he has. You see, Hughson used to be the radio voice of the Canucks and then Rogers Sportsnet's Canucks play-by-play announcer from 1998 until 2005 when he left for CBC. Even at CBC, he was part of the late-game team, which would mean more Canucks games for him to call. Hughson even worked with the Canucks in the early '80s before leaving to be the Toronto Maple Leafs' broadcaster and then to TSN.

It makes you wonder why CBC would do something like that-- getting a specific teams former primary announcer to be part of the telecasts. They had to know that Hughson would still feel some kind of vested interested in the club that helped him get to that point and know that he would almost sound like he was calling a home game rather than a national telecast.

Plus, it's quite the take-off from the Hockey Night in Canada practice, who don't usually have play-by-play guys come from a specific teams. With Hughson rah-rahing the Canucks for the past couple of playoff seasons, you have to wonder if it's fair for him to that heat when he used to be the Canucks' guy for the longest time. If anything, the heat should be on CBC, especially with them knowing that others out there would be able to do the same job, just as well, but with little to no bias. Of course, when they lost Chris Cuthbert to TSN; they had to do something drastic and it seemed that Hughson was the answer.

And while you could make up excuses until the cows come home, the fact remains that CBC, Hockey Night in Canada, and Hughson are going have many fans up in arms with the games they do as one entity. Especially when you have to have nationalistic pride when it comes to Canadian teams on the Canadian broadcaster-- there's a fine line between supporting the team from the country and sounding like a homer.

Even with all of that, I don't expect Hughson to change or for CBC to want him to change. Hughson still is a solid announcer, even with the bias he has. CBC knows they will need someone to be the premier guy and with Hughson's notoriety; he's going to be their guy for years to come. Therefore, if you like CBC's broadcast, but hate Hughson-- there's a couple options: 1. Turn down the TV sound and listen to music, 2. Go to the CBC website and listen to the Punjabi broadcast or 3. Go to the NBC family of networks and hope that you don't get tired of Doc Emrick.  

On the Topic Of European Hockey Fans

As I have been enthralled with the career travels of Marty Turco this year, I've been putting myself in a position to watch more European hockey, mostly Austrian. Thanks to my buddy Anthony Russell over at Banners on the Wall, I've been able to get the streaming feed. While I haven't been able to understand much of what the commentators are saying (proving that those Rosetta Stone programs will do nothing for me); the atmosphere is something that translates all over the place.

The European hockey fans are those who are actually much more into the game than their North American counterpoints. Most of them are standing up during play, the have percussion instruments and organized chants to keep the energy up, they know what to do in order to get their team going and to maybe distract the other teams. I would say they are a combination of European soccer (or football, as they call it) fans and college basketball student sections-- totally into it regardless of the score or who they are playing, as well as to know the sport on a higher level than casual.

When it comes to the North American fan-- the passion is there, you can see it on Twitter and blogs-- but the actual game atmosphere seems to fall short. I don't know what there is about fans and being as reserved as they are; but with the passion many carry for the game, I am surprised about how little that translates to the live experience. Has the game become "too corporate" that the real fans can't be rowdy as they want to be?? Does the music being at an ungodly level during stoppages kill the fans habits?? Or is it just not accepted across the board from their peers that if fans start to do something out of the ordinary-- they'll be shunned and ridiculed?? Hell, even dance teams-- which are universally shunned in NHL arenas-- are very rampant in European arenas. The common defense is that if fans need to be hyped up like that, they shouldn't be there. Well, I haven't heard much hype in NHL arenas, dance team/ice girls or not.

Regardless of the case, the joy of watching European sports is the passion of it all. Most of these cities don't have much else aside from these teams, so the hysteria could be due to a strong hometown pride to it all; but even so-- would you think that many North American fans would be proud of their teams as much?? I know a lot of minor league fans have a stark pride with their area and would defend their team to the death, as well as tracking former players who made it big and taking credit for it-- which in part they should, because they saw them from a younger age and saw them evolve.  That is a case for the European squads, who have their players who are mostly from the country they play in, take to the fans and the pride. Even the North American players who come over get entrenched in the culture and area and embrace the fans and their passion for the team-- hoping not to let them down.

I should say all North American fans are quiet-- as the US College Hockey scene does have the same atmosphere as the basketball or football counterparts at time. The student sections often have a lot of high energy during the game, as well as marching bands there to give things more of an unique feel to the game to their professional counterparts.

In the end, it's not to say that the North American fans are bad in what they do, as there are a bunch of crazies in every arena trying to hype up the rest of the crowd-- sometimes to no avail, but it just seems that the game would be so much more entertaining in the stands if you had a variety of things going on in the stands while paying attention to the game action. It would also give more of a home-ice advantage to the teams if they had their own drum corps there to hype up the crowd and team. More players may want to play in that kind of atmosphere; but it could also shy some away when it came to trades or free agency.

No clue what the point of this whole thing was.....but.....that goes for most of this blog, huh??

On the Topic Of the All-Star Game

So we're at the time of year where the All-Star Game is the next big thing on the NHL schedule. For years, people have been clamoring to see the NHL stars of today on one big stage and for them to play a competitive game with nothing more than pride of their conference on the line.

It was hard to write that without breaking up laughing.

But the ASG is a time-honored tradition that really has no way to actually quit or have a big meaning to it all. The weekend has two gimmicks leading up to the game-- the "Fantasy Draft" and the Skills Competition-- which get a lot more heat than the actual game itself. In fact, the only good things in the past couple of years that the NHL has done with the game is to have fans only pick the top-six rather than 12 and then have the fantasy draft.

If this was a legitimate thing, you'd have to think that four Ottawa Senators-- who are hosting the event this year-- wouldn't be in the starting line-up, in fact; they may not even be starters at all. Hell, four Sens is a stretch when it comes to the game. This just shows how stupid fan voting is. The "starters" of the game are all Eastern Conference players and represent three teams.

Also, if you wanted a true ASG, you wouldn't have to have all 30 teams represented. That's a great idea to have every team recognized in the biggest major event in the NHL schedule, but if there's a team that doesn't warrant it (because there's a few); they don't deserve to be there.

Yet, the All-Star Game format is one that almost needs to happen for a league to have some kind of legitimacy, I suppose. However, I think the concepts that have the best way is MLB, who has the winner get home-field advantage in the World Series, and the MLS, who has their All-Stars play an elite European team and string up interest in their sport that way.

However, the NHL is a league that is going to get their sport out there by promoting the big name stars, even if they don't deserve to be there-- like an Alex Ovechkin type, who isn't having a great year, but is still a big name and will be needed to be used when it comes to hyping the game up because of his recognition in the mainstream. There's probably plenty of guys who are more deserving than Ovechkin, but he'll get their spot because of the fact he's more noticeable.

The game itself is just a glorified pond hockey game with little flow to it and little meaning to it all. There's really no way to fix the game itself and it's meaningless quality because it would be too much of a risk if they were to play in a game against a team from overseas or to make some kind of home-ice situation, because that would make the whole regular season achievements moot and take away from the real thing.

That said, it's not something you can just take out. It's something for the fans and allows another adventure for people to go to that's not the Draft and allows them to see a game, as well. Considering the game is in Ottawa, of course they'll vote four Senators into the starting line-up, because they want to see their guys in their building. Plus, it's a popularity contest, so whoever the fans want-- the fans will see. The NHL will cater to guys, even if it's not technically correct.

For the people bitching about it, I agree to an extent. However, it's a necessary evil for a "major" league to be considered relevant. If you don't like it, don't watch it. Because I know I won't most likely.

On the Topic Of World Juniors Promotions and Relegations

After seeing the scores from Day One of the World Junior Championships and seeing the US demolish Denmark 11-3 and Sweden overtake Latvia 9-4 (the latter being closer until the third period)-- it made me wonder how these more unknown or "developing" hockey countries are able to keep getting into the tournament, only to get trounced in the opening rounds and really only focus on not getting relegated.

Ironically enough, the two teams who did get beat badly were the last two teams who were promoted to the top division of the World Juniors. That also made me wonder about how quick of a turnaround the promoted teams have had after being promoted and if they were only to be relegated that next year. Tracking the last ten tournaments-- here's the results:

2002: Out: France; In: Germany
2003: Out: Germany, Belarus; In: Austria, Ukraine
2004: Out: Austria, Ukraine; In: Germany, Belarus
2005: Out: Germany, Belarus; In: Norway, Latvia
2006: Out: Norway, Latvia; In: Germany, Belarus
2007: Out: Germany, Belarus; In: Denmark, Kazakhstan
2008: Out: Denmark, Switzerland; In: Germany, Latvia
2009: Out: Germany, Kazakhstan; In: Austria, Switzerland
2010: Out: Latvia, Austria; In: Germany, Norway
2011: Out: Germany, Norway; In: Denmark, Latvia

As you can see, the turnover in the nations is something that is alarming in the fact that almost as quick as the teams get into the top division of the WJC, they get out just as quickly. The only exception to the point right now is Switzerland, who seems to have found their stride in their junior program and is on their third straight tournament.

I'm all for the ideal of developing nations getting a chance to be displayed and have their chance to go against the top dogs in order to see what they are made of, but at what point do you wonder if the turnover is too much to deal with??

When you look at these results, you have to wonder if there's an actual quick fix-- because the teams who get relegated are often too good for the Division 1A championships. There doesn't seem to be a middle ground which could be alarming or just happenstance of the system. The IIHF can only do so much with the system they have in place without creating another division which will only persist the middling effect. That, or have some sort of rules that if you do get relegated you have to have a time-set before you can actually be promoted to the higher rank or a if you get promoted, a time-set before you get relegated again. Seems simple enough-- but at the same time; just seems like it would create more of a confusing situation.

Also, you have to wonder if the whole idea of less teams could be better, which would never happen because they seem to have the formula down right now with the amount of teams and the scheduling around it. That, and it'd be another situation like we have now where if one of the teams were relegated outside of the "Big Eight" in hockey, they would dominate in the lower division and be right back up again.

For me, it seems like a bad situation where you have teams going out there and getting embarrassed on the world stage like the WJC has become. Plus, it could be off-putting for the kids at home watching this game in their own countries because while they'll have players here and there come out of their country and make it the pros because of individual skill-- the skill as a whole just isn't there and would dampen some spirits in the process.

On the Topic Of Loyalty and Trade Rumors

Despite having a No-Movement Clause in his contract, rumors of Jarome Iginla being traded out of Calgary continue to be a hot topic the hockey world. While Iginla and GM Jay Feaster said that there's no trade imminent or even being considered-- these things still pop-up.

The biggest argument seems to be the desire for others around the league to see Iginla raise the Stanley Cup in almost a Ray Bourque-esque fashion. Yet, there's a guy across the country that had some questions about his future with the team he's been with his whole career; but it seems that he's been forgotten about when it comes down to it. That person is Daniel Alfredsson.

When you look at the two, there's a lot of similarities between the two:

• Both played with the same team their whole career
• Both the face of their franchise
• Both long-term captains
• Both right wingers
• Both helped their team to the Stanley Cup Finals
• Both won Gold Medals (though Iginla has two)

Though, as Spector's Hockey's Lyle Richardson pointed out on the November 30th FOHS, Iginla seems a little more of a desirable acquisition because of his playing style. He's a gritter player than Alfredsson, willing to go to the dirty areas for a puck, as well as stick up for himself when play gets rough.

Yet, at the same time-- you'd think that Alfredsson's offensive upside is what's needed when it boils down to needs-- especially with their ages coming into effect. Coming into the season, Alfredsson had a 0.97 points-per-game average, while Iginla had only a 0.91 average. Albeit, Alfredsson is older and has played less due to injury, but he knows how to put points on the board when he is healthy. Iginla's age is definitely another nod to his upside for teams looking to put something together that will apparently never happen. That said-- while he's a 35+ contract, Alfredsson doesn't have a No-Movement Clause in his contract; so if he wants to go-- he can be shipped out, but you know the Senators will respect his wishes if he wants to stay or not due to his tenure.

In the end though, neither of these guys are likely to be traded this season. Next season, maybe a different story for Alfredsson, but Iginla controls his own destiny. Plus, as Lyle said during the show, too-- not every player wants to have the Bourque moment and could be fine without winning the Cup, legacy be damned. Most fans and some GMs just like the return and if they don't get the return-- they resent the player and deem them to be selfish. The player is screwed if he wants out, screwed if he wants to stay.

The fact of the matter is that while Iginla is getting all the publicity; it's interesting to see Alfredsson pretty much getting pushed to the side, though they do have parallel careers in length and decent enough upsides-- though Iginla has the grit X-factor going for him. Just food for thought.

On The Topic of Player Rankings

To have Sidney Crosby ranked as the #1 on a Top 50 list is just as asinine as Ian Laperriere winning the Masterton Trophy even though he didn't play a single game in 2010-11.

Sure, it's a crass comparison, but when you look at the fact Crosby hasn't played a game in almost ten months, it's hard for me to believe that TSN is right in naming Crosby the top player in the league. I get that they have to keep the Canadians happy and Canadians love Crosby-- but there's a thing call reality in there. Yes, Crosby's skills are amazing when he's on the ice-- but now, who knows what's going to happen if he gets into traffic or get a solid check again that drops him for another extended time.

That said, while I like Alex Ovechkin, too-- he shouldn't be the second player on that list or first. Ovechkin is coming off a horrible year. He should be judged as such, at least in my world.

This is the problem with lists, they don't have ANYTHING to do with reality. It's just something that deals with a popularity contest-- much like the All-Star voting, where it doesn't matter how hurt someone is, they'll still get voted to the starting line-up because of popularity. The lists are crap and definitely not rational when it comes to proving worth.

It's a slight to guys like Steve Stamkos and the Sedins (Daniel and Henrik) that Ovechkin and Crosby are ranked higher than them. Granted, the dynamics and attention Ovechkin and Crosby get are second-to-none; but that doesn't mean they're effective as the others mentioned above (or others in the league) that have played better than the big two.

In the end, it's all subjective. People will like who they like and there's going to be no moving them from that position. People love Crosby and Ovechkin and will discount their play (or lack thereof) because of their position in promoting the league and being recognizable. It is what it is though, because you can ask fans of all 30 teams and odds are you'll get at least 20 different answers on who the best in the league is. That's just the happenstance of people's opinion.