As usual, the National Hockey League has its problems. The Phoenix Coyotes are bankrupt and a judge is trying to sort out a mess in which the league is trying to stop the only bidder willing to buy the team, because he wants to move it to Hamilton, Ontario. All of this led to the resignation of Phoenix head coach Wayne Gretzky in the middle of training camp. The players’ union fired its executive director, with a number of players very unhappy with both the firing and its circumstances. There are already some rumblings about another lockout after the 2010-11 season — because the first one was such a success!
Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane and his cousin were arrested for punching a cab driver because their fare was $13.80 and the cab driver didn’t have the 20 cents in change. (They pleaded guilty to non-criminal charges and apologized to the driver.) DirecTV has dropped Versus in a dispute with owner Comcast over the fees charged to carry the network. And the NHL will once again shut down for two weeks to send players to Vancouver for the Winter Olympics (possibly for the last time depending on how those labor/management issues shake out). So the schedule is compressed, with more instances of teams playing three games in four nights, which surely will lead to more injuries than usual.
But put all of that aside for now. The regular season begins Thursday night. As a public service here’s a schedule of the games being nationally televised in the United States this week — though, with the much-improved ratings last season, particularly in the Stanley Cup Finals, perhaps you already have your DVRs programmed. Hey, so the news isn’t all bad!
If you still have Versus, there’s a doubleheader Thursday starting at 7 pm ET. Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals are in Boston, followed by San Jose at Colorado at 10 pm ET. On Friday the network will carry two games being played overseas (although, unlike recent years, the games in Europe aren’t the league’s season openers): Florida vs. Chicago in Helsinki, Finland at noon ET, and Detroit vs. St. Louis at 3 pm ET from Stockholm, Sweden.
Friday evening the NHL Network takes over, with the New York Rangers against Sidney Crosby and the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins at 7:30 pm ET. The NHL Network will have the second Florida-Chicago and Detroit-St. Louis games from Europe starting at noon ET on Saturday, and will once again pick up CBC’s Hockey Night In Canada coverage — including pre- and post-game shows — for US viewers every Saturday night at 6:30 pm ET (this week they’ll carry Toronto at Washington and Calgary at Edmonton).
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that The Hockey News has predicted that the Philadelphia Flyers will win the Stanley Cup this season. I’m not willing to make that prediction, but a boy can dream, can’t he?
on Sep 30th, 2009 at 1:27 am
The Flyers? Dream on.
on Sep 30th, 2009 at 2:46 am
I agree… a boy can dream… with the addition of Avery, the dream becomes a little more vivid….
on Sep 30th, 2009 at 11:25 am
Do you mean Ray Emery? Or maybe Chris Pronger? Those were the two key additions the Flyers made. I don’t want any part of Sean Avery, personally — at least not on the ice.
on Sep 30th, 2009 at 12:57 pm
Sorry, I don’t see the Flyers getting past Pittsburgh, Washington, and/or Boston. (Actually, I’m not sorry. Go Pens!)
on Oct 1st, 2009 at 11:12 am
GO BRUINS…even without the scoring of Phil Kessell…Marco Sturm will pick up the slack
on Oct 2nd, 2009 at 2:09 am
If Ray Emery can play as well as he did in Ottawa (before his ego trip) then I think Philly has a very realistic shot at making a run at Lord Stanley’s Cup.
They have a great core of players and if healthy, can be a definite threat in the Eastern Conference. Their toughness will be able to push past the Washington Capitals… and I think they can beat the Penguins this year - again, providing Emery is solid and Daniel Briere remains healthy.
As for Phoenix Coyotes… while I’m not sure Hamilton is the right answer, I’m confident that Phoenix is isn’t either. They’ve lost money ever since they moved from Winnipeg and while in any other league the team would have been long gone by now, the stubborness of Gary Bettman is keeping this sinking ship above water.
Mark my words - this will be the final season of NHL hockey in Arizona.
on Oct 2nd, 2009 at 1:08 pm
Hey Enigma - Hamilton is clearly the right answer. Independent business studies showed that within one year of operating a franchise located in Hamilton would likely be the 5th most valuable franchise in the league.
As for the only team that 8 million of us in southern Ontario are stuck with for now - the Leafs - some things never change.
The Leafs dominated Montreal for much of the game last night and took a 3-2 lead midway through the third period. I said to my roommate - ‘Here is where they would always blow it the last few years - never able to hold the lead.’ A minute later Craig simpson on the Hockey Night in Canada telecast mentions the same thing.
Need I tell you what happened….. 4-3 Habs in overtime - sigh!
I will give the Leafs credit for a few things though. They will be much tougher this year and will not be pushed around and some of the new additions - especially Viktor Stalberg who can FLY - look look like they are going to be very exciting to watch. The organization knows how to put on a great pre-game ceremony with last night’s opening including usual season opener Scottish Highlander Pipes and Drum marching band on the ice. And a ceremonial face-off dedicated to Canada’s 2010 Olympic team that featured some of Canada’s hockey heroes from previous international hockey tournaments, including Cassie Campbell (from the women’s Gold medal team), Darryl Sittler - who scored the winning goal in one of the Canada Cup tournamnets, Mario Lemieux - who did the same - on an assist from Gretzky (ironically at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton where the Coyotes should be playing now), and Paul Henderson who in 1972 scored the greatest goal in Canadian hockey history in Moscow to win the first summit series. Huge standing ovations for all. And then it was the crowd - 19,000 + who sang O Canada with no anthem singer. GREAT STUFF!
2.5 hours later - sadly - same old - same old. Sigh!
on Oct 3rd, 2009 at 3:11 am
I’d be happy with a team in Hamilton, but I just wonder if a second team in Toronto would be better off in the long run… then again, having a second team in Toronto could almost backfire and alienate that franchise from the rest of Canada who see it as “Toronto getting its way yet again”.
To be honest, I’d love to see Québec City get a franchise again (provided a new arena was built). Winnipeg would be nice from a sentamental point of view but let’s be honest - while the MTS Centre is a beautiful facility, they didn’t build it to hold more than 15,500… which would make it difficult to break even. And I question whether or not the corporate support would be there.
Either way, there’s no doubt in my mind that the Phoenix experiment has failed and that Canada is deserving of another franchise.
on Oct 3rd, 2009 at 11:55 am
Hey Enigma:
I keep hearing about this second team in Toronto versus Hamilton and it makes me wonder - who would be the fan base for a second Toronto team? Hockey fans who live in Toronto - unless they have come from another city and are fans of a team in their old city - they bleed blue and white. Stick a second team in the Air Canada Centre and all of a sudden are 20% of those people suddenly going to be fans of the new team instead of the Leafs? I doubt it.
Whereas put a team in Hamilton - where yes most NHL fans by default still cheer for the Leafs - but with the undercurrent of anti-Toronto sentiment that can be seen at any Argos-TiCats CFL game - or even Marlies - Bulldogs - AHL games - and there is a much more natural base for rabid and loyal fans. I can’t see a second Toronto team capturing that sort of loyalty. They’d be the Clippers of Toronto.
There would be no real reason for somebody to cheer for the other team over the Leafs - not like the North side vs the south that sort of delineates Cubs and White Sox fans.
I grew up in Hamilton - but have lived in Toronto for over 20 years now - yet I honestly could not tell you who I would be cheering for if the Coyotes moved to Hamilton tomorrow and played the Leafs on Monday. If the Coyotes moved to Toronto - I’d without a doubt still be cheering for the Leafs in a Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Toronto Coyotes game.
on Oct 4th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
I think what most people think is that there would be an influx of fans who would go to that other team’s game simply because getting tickets to the Leafs is difficult.
So let’s say a parent decides to take their kid to a hockey game - the Leafs likely won’t happen, so they have a second option and guess what… that kid may then become a Toronto Coyotes fan… and thus, starting a new tradition.