Friday Five: Reviews, Returns, and Removed

This blog really is turning into a Monday-Tuesday-Friday blog. If I wasn't so lazy or wanting to do something different, I could actually have some staying power. Anyway-- time for the Friday Five, so enjoy the end of the week stuff.

1. The Caps/Pens 24/7 thing premiere with rave reviews from the viewing public. How much staying power does this have for the future??

I've always said that there needs to be some kind of reality show for the NHL because it would be something that could be great. The NFL has NFL Films and have guys always mic'd up, the MLB has had some stuff in the past-- this could be the thing that makes the NHL realize this is a good idea and this could market the league better than anything else.

Plus, it tells the tale of how it is in the Show, which is something that many people may never get close to experience and really get inside the player's lives. Of course, hockey players are the most accessible athletes out there-- but this just extent of that.

2. Dion Phaneuf made his awaited return to Calgary to mixed reviews. Should he (or any player) get heckled for a decision they may have not had a hand in??

There were a lot of Flames fans who had given up on Phaneuf well before he got traded, so if they're bitter-- they have a right to boo. Plus, it depends on what story you believe when the fallout happens after the trade. If you believe it was for the good of a team, then you won't feel so bad; but if you believe he was a mess in the locker room and caused havoc and feel slighted-- boo away.

I don't think that it's particularly right to boo someone unless they ask publicly to be traded for one reason or another-- that's when all fans have a right to be bitter about it because that player is basically saying that your favorite team stinks.

3. There was something on Twitter about Steve Mason being the most frequently pulled goalie since the start of the 2009-10 season. After his rookie campaign was fantastic, the ultimate question is....whahappen??

Mason fell into JonnyP's "Hedberg Effect" method, where a goalie comes out of nowhere to be good, only because shooters haven't seen him and couldn't solved him quick enough. Now, guys know his weakness and he's getting beaten like the Gimp. Mason is still young though and could get some adjustments made in order to get back into form physically. The mental issue could be the thing that could be the hardest for Mason to overcome.

4. The Southeast Division could be one with the sparsest of attendances for most of the teams, but three of them have playoffs spots and Carolina is in the 9th spot. Could this be the time that the Southeast gets its due??

It seems that the Southeast always has these glimmers of hope when it comes to teams being in the playoff and shaking the moniker of being the weakest division in the NHL, but this could be yet another mirage. The Caps seemed like a sure thing, but their seven-game losing streak has halted the runaway season; the Thrashers a great young team, but will they be able to keep the pace they've set?? Tampa Bay will get better with Vincent Lecavalier in the line-up.....if their goaltending holds up and Carolina could be the most bi-polar team out there, so who knows.

That said, I don't know if this moniker will be shaken this year, but it seems to be on the horizon. The talent is too good on these teams to keep them down....if they can stay together for the long haul.

5. There were 23,096 stuffed animals thrown to the ice at the Calgary Hitmen game on Sunday. Is there any better promotion in juniors/minors than the teddy bear toss??

The TBT is a staple for many teams-- Calgary included-- and most people only go to the TBT game to witness and to contribute. I've been to a couple of Calgary's TBTs and it's a sight to see. Just going from the puck in net and just bears all over the place. It's like a toy store exploded--
very awesome to see. If you have the chance, I highly suggest you take in a TBT game. Best part, it won't cost you an arm and a leg like an NHL may cost.

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That's it-- another week in the books. Any suggestion for topics, I'd greatly welcome them-- Scotty.Wazz@Gmail.com is the place to send them and odds are; if you submit something; it'll be put on here.

The Reality of the Reality Situation

It's being reported that HBO is going to put a "Hard Knocks" type of docu-drama (via Wyshynski) together about the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins, leading up to the Winter Classic at Heinz Field on New Year's Day. Shockingly, this may not sit well with some, but others could eat it up.

The thing about the fans of the NHL is that they're a confusing bunch. They want a lot of coverage for the NHL in the mainstream. However, the participants that are picked for the mainstream coverage are overused in sporting what the game is about, thus making fans unhappy. They want their cake and to eat it, as well. The problem is that it's not going to work that way in the real world of entertainment and exposure.

While Puck the Media's Steve Lepore is right in saying that it's an overused narrative that may not create a personality beyond what has been shown to us thus far, the fact remains that it's the NHL being put out to a potential big audience with two of the most recognizable names playing the game today. The NHL wants to market their product to outliers and what better way to do it than to display Ovechkin and Crosby to the mainstream. Sadly, it hasn't been able to catch on using NBC or other avenues, so maybe one last kick in the can with HBO will do it.

More over, you cannot base a series and hour long shows to just Crosby and Ovechkin. That's a given because they are already known up and down by most people. What this does, to me, is give the producers a chance to give more insight to the other players that surround the teams. People can learn more about Evgeni Malkin, Nicklas Backstrom, M-A Fleury, and John Carlson than they every would without doing the research themselves or hope that one of them surpass the other two for popularity. You're going to learn more about the players, the coaches, the drama in the locker room should a team get down, the joy of wins coming from unlikely heroes. You have plenty of story lines, like the Penguins heading into their new digs, the Caps young defense and goaltending, the Penguins new faces and both teams need for depth scoring. While Ovechkin and Crosby will be main-focused, there are going to be other outlets for players to learn about.

And yes, I will admit the Ovechkin/Crosby story line does get stale-- how could it not when the NHL has been running with it, but it's still going to be one of the better rivalries to be out there for this coming season and season's to come-- so you're going to have to get used to it. I'm sure the same would have went with Gretzky and Lemieux had they played in the same Conference when they were in their primes. Which is just it-- the uniqueness of this "feud" is that these teams already have a deep resentment for each other because of the playoff meetings in the 90s with some of more memorable overtime games; but add to it two of the best players in the NHL and it's going to be amped up more. I can't really think of two players of this caliber battling it out and meeting each other in the regular season with this much frequency in the past. I'm sure I'll be corrected, but still.

There's always going to be teams that are going to be overused in trying to promote the game. Why?? Because more often than not, they get the biggest draw because they're more recognizable. The vicious cycle is that other teams that aren't as popular won't get shown, which could get them more popularity. At the same time, this isn't communism, so everyone won't get their fair share of TV time. How many times in the 90's did we have to hear about the Avalanche, Flyers, and Red Wings playing on National Hockey Night?? They brought in the most viewers, which is what the NHL is aiming for. Maybe this series will capture a great feat of one of the opposing teams, which someone will catch while watching and turn them onto that player or team-- it could happen.

There's been a push for a reality series for a while by some and now it seems to be coming true if all falls into place. Sure, it's going to be teams who are pushed to the max now, but it's a start. If this series does well, who knows what doors it could open up to other teams. Love them or hate them, you have to keep an open mind because it's for the greater good of the sport. If you expect hockey to grow out of the niche status (maybe not by much, but still); then people will have to support it when it keeps throwing the same people in the national spotlight time after time. Abandoning the show or games because it's not your team is not the way the sport will grow. Sometimes you just have to grin and bear it.

Is A Hockey Reality Show Needed, Wanted??

While I was surfing the channels on my off-day, I came across a show on Rogers' Sportsnet and there was a show that peaked my interest. No, it wasn't another poker show, which is always fantastic, but it was a show from the MLB Network called "The Pen," which follows the bullpen of the Philadelphia Phillies and their daily lives on and off the field. While I'm not one for baseball, the human aspect of things was what brought about the intrigue.

It also sparked my mind on to whether or not the NHL Network could get onto this racket and make it work. Of course, the NHL Network has the "Day in the Life" show, but that just one day and while it's nice to see how a player preps for game day, a part of me wants to get more on the inside of the organizational happenings and player's lifestyle. Everyone likes to be on the inside of things, and with hockey fans-- you have to believe that this inside look at the happenings goings on will make fans of whatever team salivate for more.

For the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, Comcast SportsNet in Washington were following around the Washington Capitals for the draft weekend and gave the inside wheelings and dealings that surround the Entry Draft weekend (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4). From trying to trade picks to prospects interviews, it was a great watch and make me want more inside like that. I also remember ESPN following around the Detroit Red Wings a few years back, but I can't for the life of me remember the name of it or if it was ESPN, but I know it was the Wings and TV because it was the first taste of Sean Avery to the world by him being on the show going back and forth from the NHL to the AHL. Plus, let's not forget CBC's then Global's "Making the Cut" where players would go and try out for contracts with some teams out there, or at least show their wears to those watching. That created drama and showed the process on how scouts deal with players on a case-by-case basis.

As much as I would like to believe something like this will happen in the near future, the fact of the matter is that some GMs may not be as willing to let cameras delve into their organization in that kind of matter. While, it could create great TV, a whole season, or even half a season could be too much for some teams to deal with and some players to deal with, in terms of cameras being on at all times and having to mind their P's and Q's in all of this, which could throw some guys off their game. Sure, that could be far-fetched, but it's always an option.

Yet, in a time where reality TV is the capavating norm and where people can get drawn into it; this could be the thing that the NHL needs in terms of possibly gathering a wider market than those who are already enthralled with the sport. Granted, what network to put it on and how to market it would be need to be tackled hard, but there needs to be an actual show to take place in order to go for it. Plus, if the NHL markets itself as a league for the fans and wanting to get the fans connected to the sport-- why not have something like this?? The drama of who's going to stay up with the big club, who's moving down to the minors, how a team will bounce back with a big injury or trade that happened-- it just writes itself for the fantasticness that could come from it all.

Of course, with my lack of research and dumb luck-- something like that is already happening and I just feel like the fool now for not knowing more. Ah well-- food for thought.