Category: Hockey

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Why hockey isn’t bigger in the U.S.

Totally stealing this one from J.J.

I am convinced that the only way that hockey is to grow in the U.S. is by instilling a love for the game with the younger crowd. In fact, let me translate this video clip for said folks who live in this said country. She is taking a cue for her, I assume, father that when he says the first name of the player on the Canucks, the little girl responds with the last name of the player. And she’s probably two or three?

Changing rules or scheming marketing plans don’t lure long term fans to a sport, or anything for that matter. Most Canadian fans will tell you that hockey is something they grew up with, and that’s why they are so passionate about it. And even if they’re not living and breathing it, they might still have a fondness for it. And if you think that’s stupid, then ask someone from Mexico as to why anyone would find futbol, aka soccer, interesting.

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Regrouping from NV07, meet ups, and our first year

It’s been a hectic past few days, but I’m getting back into the groove of things. For the most part, I think I’m there. If anything, this post is going to be a bit of online notes to expand from for future posts. You know, once it’s out there, then I’ll have to do something with it. You know what I mean?

First off, thanks so much for your good wishes for our first anniversary. I think I’m still trying to recoup from the entire weekend, even if we did spend it doing a bunch of geeky things. When you do things like that, you start to splurge on other things, like having a beer with your lunch because it’s your anniversary. Sunday was just a string of such events, and it all hit me last night, making it really hard to get out of bed this morning.

By the way, Poncho’s on Deman, here in Vancouver, has some really good Mexican food. I’m not such a big fan of peas in their rice(normally there is much more of an onion taste, not to mention an orange tint versus brownish-white), but the chicken fajitas are almost worth dying for. Been there a few times, but first time with the fajitas, certainly won’t be my last time.

Quick break down of goings on, podcast meetup this past Sunday, the whole Northern Voice 2007 has left me with plenty of thoughts to expand on, and the NHL trade deadline was today. Canucks did some stuff last night in terms of getting some new blood, but the bigger news was Bertuzzi moving to Detroit and Ryan Smyth moving to the Islanders. Mad crazy excitement this morning, and I got completely sucked in.

The other change is in our apartment. I’ve got myself moved around a little bit, but the kitchen/dinning area has been freed from my grip. It might take a little getting used to, but at least we have a clear area to sit and have dinner now. Haven’t checked the change of acoustics for recording any podcasts yet, but it’s not like we have a superb setup, in terms of soundproofing, to begin with.

More to come soon. Need to get my head sitting straight and a handle on my new view. Proving to be difficult today.

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Possible new Canucks jersey?

New Canucks UniformsThis could be completely false information, but it’s worth passing on for the sake of finding out if it is or not. An email came in to The Crazy Canucks about what showed up into this guy’s email. Based on this post by J.J. earlier today, I can’t say that I’m too surprised, and it fits with what I said about the new NHL uniforms coming about next season[post]. Still, are Canucks fans ready for the return of the stink-in-rink and Johnny Canuck?

Rebecca has a take on it, but we’ve been talking it over without really any conclusion of what we feel about it. Alanah put something on Kukla’s as well, so let the jury call the verdict. Is Buzz a victim or bringer of truth? You decide.

Update: Check out the comments in Alanah’s post. It appears that these are some mock ups created by a Canucks fan. Can’t say I blame them, but I figured I’d pass on the rumor for the sake of finding out for sure. Internets, you did your job.

Update – June 4, 2007: The jerseys are going to change.

Update – August 21, 2007: The jerseys are here on August 29, 2007

Update – August 29, 2007: The new jerseys are here!

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The Crazy Canucks #22 – Instigating a fight for the playoffs

Recorded and posted last night.

Rebecca takes a healthy scratch on this episode while the rest of us, even Dave, gather together to take a look at the last four games against Minnesota, Chicago, Colorado, and Anaheim. Things have been looking really good lately, and we all feel incredibly excited at the fact that the playoffs seem more and more in sight.

Record as of this episode: 35-21-4
Northwest Division: 1st
Western Conference: 3rd

With 22 games left in the season and the trade deadline looming, there’s a lot to talk about, but none of us are really too sure as to what we can expect. Something is bound to happen, and we all have our own theories as to who might go or stay. A listener from London checks in with a question about a possible Canucks game next season in the U.K.

A lot of things are going well, but as fans, we know that we have to be careful to not get too far ahead of ourselves. However, listen to our episodes from early this season and the mood was incredibly different. Oh how things can change…

50:45 minutes
The Crazy Canucks

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The unspoken system of checks and balances

There’s a very interesting discussion going on right now in the realm of hockey blogging. I’m a bit of an outsider when it comes to the “mucking and grinding”, but it’s no secret that I’m a hockey fan.

What’s going on right now is a discussion about Eklund, the main guy behind HockeyBuzz.com. I don’t know enough about the guy to say much about him as a blogger, but to know him is to understand that “Eklund” is a pseudonym, he never posts under his real name, and you never see his face. Anonymity is his “thing”.

In the blogosphere, there is an unspoken system of checks and balances that fellow bloggers go to work on in order to verify the integrity of what one person claims through their posts. Now that Eklund is to partner with Sportsnet (a Canadian variation of what FoxSportsnet or ComcastSportsNet is to the U.S.) for the hoopla of the approaching trading deadline for the NHL, various folks are coming forward to address this issue of his method and content.

The discussion seems to be expanding, but you can read what Kukla, Alanah, J.J., Zanstorm, and Eric are saying about this. You can say what you want about blogging, but there is something to be said about journalistic integrity. To me, this is what all this discussion stems down to.

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Wearing glasses under your goalie mask

I got a very interesting email the other day. I thought that this might make a good post for anyone else out there looking for similar info.

I’m not sure how this guy tracked down that I used to play goalie, albeit roller hockey[wiki], but the fact that he had some insight to the fact that I currently wear glasses. I also wear contacts, probably 70% of the time. I need to update my prescription and get new lenses, hopefully in the next three months. I probably played with glasses for the first couple of years because I didn’t even own contacts.

I also did what I could with just my two eyes, but the glasses made obvious sense. If you can see better overall, then you’re going to see the puck a whole lot better. Even though my nearsightedness, or myopia[wiki], isn’t as bad as some, it’s enough that correction makes the movie theatre experience better, have the newspaper headlines appear readable from ten feet away, and bus numbers are viewable from two blocks out.

Catcher MaskWhen I started out playing in front of the net, it was your atypical group of Midwesterners not having a lot of equipment to play, not to mention a good idea as to everything that we needed. We just wanted to play, period. I started out with a catchers mask, of course, with my glasses underneath. If you understand anything about summers in Iowa, it’s hot and humid. Sweat constantly got onto my glasses.

Like anything else, you can learn to adapt. Those little beads of sweat do get into your field of vision, but you can only handle so much until you simply cannot avoid their distraction. A simple shake of the head can help, but avoid wiping with your fingers. That will only lead to smudges in your field of vision, yet another distraction.

Hockey Helmet and Mask/Cage ComboI graduated from the catchers mask to a hockey helmet and mask/cage combo. I didn’t own this wonderful upgrade because I met some friends in college who would lend this to me, and it was those folks that taught me a huge amount about how to play the game, not to mention how to be a better goalie.

That cage allowed for a good amount of room for my glasses, but I realized how important peripheral vision was. When the game picks up pace and one-timers or redirects come into the game, you need that extra vision to pick up subtle locations of where those other guys are, as well as the guy with the puck at the point. On top of that, the helmet would trap heat and fog up my glasses from time to time, giving me no ability to see. Quite frankly, that’s bad for a goalie.

Needless to say, playing with a group of folks like that, in a handful of intramural tournaments in college, I wanted contacts. Continue reading “Wearing glasses under your goalie mask”

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Bettman is sticking around

This is incredibly depressing. I never thought I would find myself to be the type of hockey fan that becomes interested in the realm of the business behind the NHL, but it’s tough to stay outside of something you enjoy so much. The fact that NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman[wiki] is having his contract extended is like nails on a chalkboard.

There is nothing that the guy says that makes you feel safe about the future of the league. He could call me up to say that I have season tickets to all NHL games for life, and I’d still be honked off. Maybe it’s that he’s annoying, but I tend to think it’s some bad business on his end.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Gary Bettman says he isn’t leaving his job as NHL commissioner anytime soon.

“I’ve watched with fascination some of the newspaper reports having me going on sabbatical shortly,” Bettman said Wednesday night. “That isn’t the case, wasn’t the case.

“I think people were somehow under the impression my contract had a year to run and got fixated on that. Those stories were, to say the least, inaccurate.”

Bettman’s contract runs through the 2010-11 season. It runs parallel with the collective bargaining agreement between the NHL and its players union that resolved the labor fight that cost the NHL its 2004-05 season.

There have been reports some owners are losing patience with Bettman. Some others are frustrated with the current U.S. broadcast contract with Versus, a cable network formerly known as the Outdoor Life Network, that is unknown to many people. Others are upset with the current unbalanced NHL schedule, which means some superstars don’t play in certain markets for three years.

In a meeting with reporters, Bettman defended the NHL’s contract with Versus and said the NHL will change when owners can agree on a solution that “makes sense to everybody,” The Canadian Press reported.

The CP reported Bettman said he is confident that Versus can grow hockey in the U.S. over the long haul, noting that the network is now seen in 72 million households, up from 64 million. [espn]

How can you build hockey in the states when you push the games on a network that not very many people have and is new to a lot of people’s vocabulary? How much more on the back burner can you get? Just because the network can be seen, that doesn’t mean people are going to watch.

I had some hopes that the Bettman era was coming to a close. He isn’t the only guy pulling the strings here, but nothing completely changes unless he wants it to. The schedule, rules, and TV coverage. I’m not a genius when it comes to the world of sports business, but it’s not too much of a stretch to say that things have been for the better, especially for hockey in the U.S.

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Get more of Coach’s Corner

I’m going to completely admit it. Before I moved to Vancouver, I had no knowledge of CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada other than its existence. I also had no clue, as a loving hockey fan, how good their coverage is. Of course, I lived my whole life in the U.S. This is Canada. There’s your difference.

To my dear friends who also love hockey and don’t get the coverage that you should, especially in the states, take this information that comes off of Inside the CBC. If you’re not checking out the Don Cherry[wiki], then you’re not getting all the hockey you could be.

CBC.ca will launch a special online version of Coach’s Corner tomorrow with new content, design and features. Enhancements include an improved and larger video picture and an online forum allowing hockey fans to submit their remarks regarding Don’s, uh, “legendary” weekly commentary.

Episodes from the 2006/07 season are available online, and in the coming weeks, a full-screen viewing option and a revamped archive consisting of some of the most memorable Coach’s Corner moments from the past will also be available exclusively on CBC.ca/coach. [insidethecbc]

I was chatting with my buddy, Sushi, back in Iowa about the coverage he gets back there. Even with digital cable, mostly likely the basic package, he hardly gets any hockey on TV. Comcast SportsNet shows Blackhawks games from time to time, and combined with the weekly games on NBC, that’s about it. His cable package doesn’t include OLN (who the NHL has the explicit contract with for broadcasts in the states), and there isn’t an extra package he can buy for the NHL Network, NHL Center Ice, Versus, or an “Ice Pack”.

How’s that for someone living within a four hour drive to Chicago, five hours to Minneapolis, and five hours to St. Louis?

If anyone is complaining about the lack of success that the NHL is experiencing in the U.S., then there’s your reason. Hockey fans can’t get what they want, and there is very little for new fans to get exposed to. If it wasn’t for the NHL on ESPN[wiki] while I was in high school, I don’t think I would have ever come to love the sport. And yes, that was before Fox ever did the glowing puck thing[wiki].

Additional Note

I was just checking out the Coach’s Corner site and had a thought, so let’s see if anyone at the CBC is paying attention to me(which I highly doubt).

Why not publish all this video content to YouTube? Or do Google Video or whatever. The point is, make it so that anyone can embed the video on their website or blog. On top of that, and to sweeten the deal for you guys, tack on a five second ad for CBC programming at the very beginning. Nothing too flashy, but a quick voice over and a slide for a CBC program.

This way, we can share Coach’s Corner with the world, and you CBC folks get to promote your stuff. TV, radio, podcasts, or whatever. Have at it, but just make it simple and to the point. Go beyond five or ten seconds, and I am fast forwarding to the good stuff.

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The Crazy Canucks #19

Recorded and posted tonight.

We’re without Alanah on this episode, but the Internet gods were not on our side. Blame them. On the other hand, the rest of the crew were on hand after a long dry spell without Dave. Three games to talk about this time around; a loss to the Kings, an amazing win over the Sharks, and the Blue Jackets stole a shootout from us last night.

Record as of this episode: 28-19-4
Northwest Division: 2nd
Western Conference: 7th

Also, we address some trade rumors, talk about how Crow is doing in L.A., do a bit of an injury analysis on Kesler and Mitchell, get to some listener feedback/requests, and look at the road ahead towards the playoffs. And believe it or not, Fin is blogging. It’s hard to imagine that we could be thinking about the playoffs with such hope compared to where we were at the beginning of the season, but we are.

51:14 minutes
The Crazy Canucks