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Why voters rejected Islanders arena plan, and whatâ??s next for WangWorld Cup victory ties 2011 U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame class togetherPuck Daddyâ??s Guilty Pleasures: ESPN anchor John BuccigrossPuck Headlines: Sharks extend Burns; Devils waive White, HunterListen to Puck Daddy Radio for â??Best ofâ??: Offseason EditionVersus to be rebranded as â??NBC Sports Groupâ?? on Jan. 2, 2012What We Learned: Get ready for a year of Zach Parise rumorsFuture of the Islanders hangs in the balance of Aug. 1 voteLightning give fans opportunity to â??Be the Ticketâ?? next seasonKings officially file grievance over Ryan Smyth/Colin Fraser deal
Why voters rejected Islanders arena plan, and whatâ??s next for WangWorld Cup victory ties 2011 U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame class togetherPuck Daddyâ??s Guilty Pleasures: ESPN anchor John BuccigrossPuck Headlines: Sharks extend Burns; Devils waive White, HunterListen to Puck Daddy Radio for â??Best ofâ??: Offseason EditionVersus to be rebranded as â??NBC Sports Groupâ?? on Jan. 2, 2012What We Learned: Get ready for a year of Zach Parise rumorsFuture of the Islanders hangs in the balance of Aug. 1 voteLightning give fans opportunity to â??Be the Ticketâ?? next seasonKings officially file grievance over Ryan Smyth/Colin Fraser deal
As if Monday's rejection by Nassau County voters of $400 million in funds for a new arena complex wasn't painful enough, the [New York]e|islanders Islanders had to suffer the indignity of hearing that their months-long public relations campaign resulted in a turnout that was called "abysmal" this afternoon and "very low" in the Associated Press's postmortem on the referendum.
The votes were still being tallied when the AP called it as a "no" but the gap was significant. For all the rallies, all the public pleas, all the dire warning from Charles Wang about the potential loss of both jobs and this hockey franchise without a taxpayer-funded arena, more voters who rejected public funds for the Islanders showed up at the polls than supporters of the project.
From the NY Times:
Check out Leahy's pre-vote rundown of the Islanders' arena issue for context.
This is going to be portrayed as apathy towards the Islanders â?? oh, who are we kidding, it already has been â?? but to quote a certain Big Mac-lovin' ex-President's campaign: It's the economy, stupid. We've just had two weeks of budgetary Armageddon playing out on 24-hour cable news channels, and a several years of economic gloom.
Would the vote had been different if the Islanders hadn't been so inept in the last several years? Would the turnout have been different if there was palpable, not potential, massive fan enthusiasm surrounding a burgeoning contender?
Yes and yes, but different tallies don't necessarily mean a different outcome for a taxpayer-funded arena facility. Not in this economy. Not with those property taxes.
So what does this mean for the Islanders?
Read More »
On Sept. 14, 1996, the United States defeated Canada in the third and deciding game of inaugural World Cup of Hockey at Molson Centre in Montreal. Like the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" team was an influence on the members of '96 U.S. World Cup team, the 2011 U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame inductees -- all connected to that team from 15 years ago -- played a huge part in continuing the growth of American hockey.
The 2011 inductees announced today are NBC broadcaster Mike Emrick, [Philadelphia]e|flyers Flyers owner Ed Snider and former NHLers Chris Chelios (notes) , Gary Suter, and Keith Tkachuk (notes) . Emrick is the first media member to be inducted. A formal ceremony will be held this fall in [Chicago]e|place .
Chelios and Suter manned the U.S. blueline, while Tkachuk potted five goals during '96 tournament. Snider hosted the preliminary round matchup, as well as Game 1 of the championships series between the USA and Canada in 1996 at the Flyers' home at the then-CoreStates Center. Emrick was, of course, behind the mic calling the Americans road to victory.
If you ask any of the great American-born players of the 1980s and '90s, they'll tell you what kind of impact the "Miracle on Ice" had on them as youngsters growing up playing hockey.
"Watching Mike Eruzione scored that goal and see what kind of effect it had on many kids my age coming up playing hockey around the U.S. was huge for me and I fell in love with it," said Tkachuk during a conference call Monday afternoon.
Ask today's generation of American players and they'll tell you how big of a role the U.S. win in '96 played in their hockey development.
By the time the '96 World Cup rolled around, more and more NHLers were American and the talent pool was growing in all levels of USA Hockey. That's why 'Doc' Emrick's call when time ran out in Game 3 against Canada was fitting.
"This is no 'Miracle'...":
Newsday [New York]e|OOD 's headline the next day was "USA over DNA", but since that day 15 years ago, the growth of the game in the U.S. has been huge. It may not match what can be found up north in Canada, but the game is spreading. Looking at the past few NHL Drafts and you'll see birthplaces in nontraditional hockey areas such as California, Florida and [Texas]e|stars .
And it's not just in the professional ranks. TheÂ number of USA Hockey registered participants in 1996 was 428,578. Today, the number is over 580,000.
Tkachuk acknowledged that there's still work to do continue building up the sport in the U.S. and that will happen with more and more success in American hockey. Silver medals at the 2002 and 2010 Olympics will help get more eyeballs and kids in the sport and this generation can pay it forward to future ones like the '80 and '96 teams did.
"I hope with this '96 World Cup team, that attracted more kids to play hockey," said Tkachuk."We gotta keep on growing. Our jobs are not done right now. We have to keep helping out."
(Ed. Note: Our series "Puck Daddy's Guilty Pleasures" features puckheads from all walks of life answering questions about their own hockey-related guilty pleasures. It will run daily during the month of August. Have a suggestion for a "Guilty Pleasures" guest blogger? Hit us on email . Enjoy!)
If you watched the NHL on ESPN in the '90s, you know the name John Buccigross. A puckhead, a teller of tales , soother of mulleted ex-head coaches ,Â and the creator of the "Chicken Parm" nickname for former NHLer Ray Ferraro, Buccigross is best known to hockey fans as host of NHL 2Night .
We asked the SportsCenter anchor nine questions to reveal his inner-most hockey-related guilty pleasures.
Enjoy.
1. The Player You Most Love To Hate
The player I love to hate is the flopper. Especially the 21st Century flopper that flops a "concussion," letting his body go limp to indicate the ceasing of brain function as he crumples, braces himself as he falls to the ice and then peeks up toward Don Van Massenstache to see if he has successfully drawn a penalty. Then by staying down for an extra 10 seconds, he might be able to get a 5-minute intent to injure major. In this era of multiple, high definition cameras, how do these knobs expect to get away with it? And with the concussions being a serious issue, how do they get away with it? #headgames
2. Other Than Your Own, The Team You Can't Help Rooting For
I don't have a favorite team. I love all 30 teams like Antonio Cromartie loves all 30 of his children and Brett Hull loves all of his 30 morning doughnuts. #mmmmmdoughnutsisthereanythingtheycantdo
3. Favorite Fight or Brawl of All-Time
P.J. Stock vs. Stephen Peat. Not only for the non stop action but it might have been Darren Pang's "Holy Jumpin!" coming out party. #fivefingerdeathpunch #everybodypangchungtonight
Read More »
Here are your Puck Headlines: a glorious collection of news and views collected from the greatest blogosphere in sports and the few, the proud, the mainstream hockey media.
â?˘ Puck Buddy Ian W. sends us this fantastic Wayne Gretzky photo from an antiques store in Edmonton he works at. Only $42! Ladies... [ The Old Strathcona Antique Mall ]
â?˘ Brent Burns and the San Jose Sharks have come to an agreement on a 5-year extension. David Pollak of the Mercury News reports that the deal is worth around $28.8 million. [ Sharks ]
â?˘ The New Jersey Devils announced today that they have placed Trent Hunter and Colin White on waivers with the intention of buying them out should they clear. [ Fire & Ice ]
â?˘ A Russian report claims that Alexander Frolov said that former teammate Sean Avery called opponents "black monkeys". As Jesse Spector points out, even with Avery's history, wouldn't something like have gotten out sooner if it really happened? [ NY Daily News ]
â?˘ Shea Weber and the Predators have exchanged briefs in preparation for tomorrow's scheduled arbitration hearing. How would a one or two year deal affect Nashville going forward? [ On the Forecheck ]
â?˘ What's the easiest way to land an NHL coaching gig these days? Sit on the TSN panel. [ Globe & Mail ]
Read More »
It's a "Best of" Monday edition of Puck Daddy Radio -- which, as you know, is now weekly for the summer -- and we'll be replaying these interviews from the busy offseason:
â?˘ Helene Elliott of the LA Times talking about the Mike Richards (notes) to the Kings trade.
â?˘ Drew Remenda, TV analyst for the San Jose Sharks , discussing the Martin Havlat (notes) and Brent Burns (notes) acquisitions.
â?˘ Bucky Gleason of the [Buffalo]e|OOD News on the changes in [Buffalo]e|sabres and their free spending new owner Terry Pegula.
â?˘ Randy Moller, radio play by play man for the Panthers, talks talks about the many new faces in South Florida next season.
Puck Daddy Radio is every Monday in the summer from 1-2 p.m. ET/10-11 a.m. PT on The Score Radio Sirius Channel 158. Calls, tweets, special guests and a ton of hockey goodness every day.
As soon as NBC won the broadcasting rights to the NHL for the next 10 years it was announced that the Versus name would be rebranded into something that would fit within the Peacock family.
Beginning Jan. 2, 2012, say goodbye to Versus and hello to the NBC Sports Network.
From NBC :
The reason for the wait in the launch is that NBC wants to use four of its biggest events of the winter schedule to help promote the change. NBC will air the final Sunday night game of the NFL regular season on New Year's Day night; then the Winter Classic the next afternoon; the following Saturday will be the opening round of the NFL playoffs; and finally, on Sunday, Feb. 5, NBC will be broadcasting Super Bowl XLVI.
Versus/NBC Sports Network has already begun making over their NHL product as we saw at the tail end of last season. So far this summer, NBC has already acquired "Inside the Glass" analyst Pierre McGuire and play-by-play men Dave Strader and Mike Emrick on a full-time basis beginning next season.
Hello, this is a feature that will run through the entire season and aims to recap the weekend's events and boils those events down to one admittedly superficial fact or stupid opinion about each team. Feel free to complain about it.
Let us all hope against hope that Zach Parise and the New Jersey Devils come to an agreement on a deal that would make Ilya Kovalchuk and Alex Ovechkin blush.
And let's hope they do it very, very soon.
Zach Parise signed a one-year deal worth $6 million this weekend to stay in New Jersey. It was a case of another team and player avoiding the acrimonious and unhoped-for arbitration process, seemingly agreeing to work toward a longer-term deal in the meantime.
And what a bargain for New Jersey. The fact is Parise is among the two or three best two-way players in the NHL when healthy. The two seasons before he was injured and missed all but 13 games, he averaged more than 40 goals and well over a point a game, despite facing the toughest competition his opponents had to offer every single night. He's the only player in Devils history to record four consecutive 30-goal seasons and still remained fully cognizant of the defensive zone, as any stereotypical ultra-defensive New Jersey forward would.
In short, he's a dazzling and near-Datsyukian mix of offense and defense, exactly the kind of player everyone in the league should look to build their entire franchise around.
Remember all the talk about Stamkos-and-Richards-to-the-whoever talk of just a few weeks ago? Every website ran what-if offer sheet scenarios for Tampa's goalscoring machine and so hot was the pursuit of Richards that TSN dispatched a reporter outside a suburban office building like he was sending messages back from some ultra-courteous warfront. And with good reason: both are excellent players for what they do.
It's going to get a whole lot worse if Parise and New Jersey don't come to some sort of agreement before the season. If we're terribly unfortunate, and the Devils don't look to be in the playoff hunt, the trade deadline.
Read More »
This is what the new Nassau Coliseum could look like if voters in Nassau County vote "yes" on Monday to a proposed referendum that would see a $350-million redevelopment for a new arena and $50-million for a minor league baseball stadium at nearby Mitchel Field.
From the rendering, you can't see inside the arena, but I would imagine there's plenty of elbow room on the concourses, no leaky roof or broken down chairs that have seen the days of Trottier, Nystrom, Gillies, Smith, and Potvin.
August 1 represents the end of the rope that [New York]e|islanders Islanders owner Charles Wang has been clinging to trying to get a new arena built. Wang says he's lost $230 million in the 11 years he's owned the Islanders and with the continued losses has tried numerous times to find a way to build a new home.
A majority "no" vote on Monday would mean Wang either looking elsewhere -- Queens, Brooklyn or outside of [New York]e|place -- or the potential that he's done losing money and putting the team up for sale.
The most recent idea, the Lighthouse Project , was a grandiose plan that featured condominiums, restaurants, shopping, and hotels was approved -- after a scaling down --through all the levels of Nassau County politics, but stalled over a zoning issue with the Town of Hempstead.
In May, Wang and Nassau County executive Ed Mangano unveiled the latest plan emphasizing job creation revenue creation for the budget-strapped county who's recent unemployment rate was 6.9-percent .
There's been plenty of debate from both sides. The side that's anti-taxpayers paying for stadiums and the side that sees what the None loss of the Islanders would mean to the community.
Read More »
The [Tampa Bay]e|lightning Lightning announced on Saturday a new promotion for the 2011-12 season that would make fans the face of their ticket sales. Literally.
Via their Facebook page , the Lightning introduced the " Be the Ticket " campaign that gives fans the opportunity to upload photos themselves and friends decked out in team swag and win the chance to featured on a game ticket next season.
If other NHL teams want to copy the idea, that could mean fans in Vancouver could see more of The Green Men ; or Dancin' Larry in [New York]e|islanders ; or Carrie Underwood in Nashville; or Cy Clark in [Pittsburgh]e|penguins ; or even SharkBoy in San Jose.
This is just another step in the Lightning's "All In" marketing campaign and given the attendance spike over the past few years once OK Hockey left town and the team turnaround under new owner Jeff Vinik and GM Steve Yzerman, the fanbase is feeding off of these initiatives. Just look at how many fans showed up on a hot Sunday morning to form a human lightning bolt during the Eastern Conference Final.
The New York Giants held a similar contest earlier this summer via their Facebook page selecting 10 fans to appear on each ticket for the upcoming 2011 season. Winning fans were given a tour of the New Meadowlands. Hopefully the Lightning contest winners get first crack at firing off the Tesla coil lightning bolts once the St. Pete Times Forum renovations are done.
Stick-tap RawCharge
When [Los Angeles]e|kings Kings GM Dean Lombardi dealt Ryan Smyth (notes) to the Edmonton Oilers last month , he achieved two goals.
First, he moved a player who no longer wanted to play in LA and instead wanted to return home to Alberta. Second, being able to unload Smyth's $6.25 million cap hit certainly made the acquisition of Mike Richards (notes) from the [Philadelphia]e|flyers Flyers a bit easier.
Of course, the Smyth deal wasn't without complications as Colin Fraser (notes) , who went to the Kings as part of the deal, ended up needing surgery this week on his ankle, a detail that Lombardi claims Oilers GM Steve Tambellini didn't include when the two consummated the deal. Tambellini defended the trade saying that Lombardi knew exactly what he was getting in Fraser and his medical history.
The situation didn't make Lombardi a happy man and after threatening legal action, he officially filed a formal grievance with the NHL on FridayÂ according to Helene Elliott of the LA Times .
Fraser's agent claims that his client will be 100-percent healthy, but a timetable for his return from the ankle surgery is unknown.Â Lombardi's idea was that Fraser and his $825,000 salary to remain on the Oilers' roster until he's fully cleared to play. The NHL tried to get involved after Lombardi publicly commented on things, but it was to no avail.
From the LA Times:
Commissioner Gary Bettman hears and decides on all grievance hearings and nothing is scheduled as of now.
Despite Lombardi's public airing of grievances earlier this month over the deal, the Kings aren't looking to void the deal and return Fraser to Edmonton and bring back Smyth -- even afterÂ the Kings' GM brought up two weeks ago that there was a fallback team should things break down. An earlier version of the deal had Gilbert Brule (notes) heading to [Los Angeles]e|kings instead of Fraser, but that trade was scratched when the Oilers' forward still hadn't been cleared to play after suffering two concussions last season. The Kings had planned to buyout Brule after the deal went through, but per the NHL CBA, injured players cannot be bought out.
If this is how Lombardi is reacting over a bottom of the depth chart forward's health within the Kings' lineup, we'd hate love to see what would happened if an offer sheet was thrown Drew Doughty's (notes) way, what with Deano known for keeping his pimp hand strong .
Photo credit: Getty Images
