I am at a loss of words. And I am not what you would call an economic genius. I don't know the difference between the CBA and the NBA. But what I am is a hockey fan. A hockey fan who has spent countless amounts of money, energy, and time into watching my team over the past 25 years. That's a quarter of a century I devoted to this team and to this league.
This could possibly be the 3rd lockout in my lifetime. Most sports have had zero in their history. Hockey went almost 80 years without missing one season except for the 1919 flu epidemic. Then in 1994 there was the first lockout. This one lasted a few months and the season was shortened. Gary Bettman and the NHL executives PROMISED us this would never happen again. Well, in 2004 it did. The NHL season was completely cancelled. This was and still is the only time in North American professional sports that an entire season was cancelled due to a labor dispute. They finally agreed and the 2005-06 season went off perfectly. The NHL was is it's prime in my opinion during this time. The media was all over hockey. The revenue was growing to surplus numbers and the TV ratings were higher than ever. The addition of the shootout was a welcoming sight as well.
Now here we are, six years later. Same spot again. This is where I say enough is enough! The fans are what make this sport what it is. It's not Bettman and his goons! I say three strikes and you're out Gary! This is the third time you allowed this to happen during your time as NHL commissioner. Why does he still have a job? I know he's in charge but isn't there some sort of majority rule? If we can try to impeach a president for having an affair we can certainly get rid of this guy for screwing the hockey world over three times!
This is where I say it's time we took action ourselves. We all have the power to do something about this. It could be as little as boycotting NHL.com. Refusing to shop at the NHL store. Protesting out in front of the NHL store in NYC. We all have the power to make a change! I started this blog with the intention of bringing people a look at Devils hockey from a fan's perspective instead of the perspective of someone who gets paid to do it. I chose to start this blog because of how passionate I am about this game. It was never about the money! It was about the love of the game!
Without us there is no hockey! The sooner Gary Bettman and the owners realize that the sooner things will start to run smoother. If this doesn't get fixed we will right back here again in 6 or 7 years. Same problems!
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
In with the old!
I was wondering the other day "who from Devils' past would I love to see back with the team?" There are players who put in the right role would help the team dramatically. Now I'm not talking about players who retired like Stevens, Niedermayer, or Daneyko. I mean players who didn't retire but when to play overseas or players who are currently FAs.
Sergei Brylin- What Devil fan didn't love this guy? He was one of the prime examples of being a great player without being super huge. And guess what? He is a free agent! Yes, Sergei is on the market. There was hope of a return to NJ before the 2012 season but he signed with the KHL before Lou could talk to him. He is the only active player besides Brodeur to play on all three of our Stanley Cup runs. The downside to signing him? He's 38. Age has caught up to him. He did however get 9 points in 41 KHL games last season.
Jeff Friesen- The man who in my opinion got screwed out of the Conn Smythe in 2003. He is a free agent. However he has been one for a couple of seasons now. He's 36 which might seem old for a hockey player but he could sign a 2 or 3 year deal with us. This is the man who had a three point night in game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals, scored the Conference Championship winning goal, and was 4th on the team in scoring behind Elias, Langenbrunner, and Gomez. The only problem is he hasn't played in over a year which might make him coming back into North American hockey a little but of a daunting task.
Colin White- Before you start sending your hate mail, let me explain. Who cares if he was an offensive liability? He's a defenseman, not a scorer! He would hit like a beast sometimes and was willing to use his own body to protect our star players. He was a true Devil in the sense that he focused on protecting Marty and focused on a defensive strategy rather that "Hey let's have all five players crash the net!" strategy. I would love to see #5 back in a Devils jersey again.
Well that's about all I can think of right now. If any more come into my head I'll add them.
Sergei Brylin- What Devil fan didn't love this guy? He was one of the prime examples of being a great player without being super huge. And guess what? He is a free agent! Yes, Sergei is on the market. There was hope of a return to NJ before the 2012 season but he signed with the KHL before Lou could talk to him. He is the only active player besides Brodeur to play on all three of our Stanley Cup runs. The downside to signing him? He's 38. Age has caught up to him. He did however get 9 points in 41 KHL games last season.
Jeff Friesen- The man who in my opinion got screwed out of the Conn Smythe in 2003. He is a free agent. However he has been one for a couple of seasons now. He's 36 which might seem old for a hockey player but he could sign a 2 or 3 year deal with us. This is the man who had a three point night in game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals, scored the Conference Championship winning goal, and was 4th on the team in scoring behind Elias, Langenbrunner, and Gomez. The only problem is he hasn't played in over a year which might make him coming back into North American hockey a little but of a daunting task.
Colin White- Before you start sending your hate mail, let me explain. Who cares if he was an offensive liability? He's a defenseman, not a scorer! He would hit like a beast sometimes and was willing to use his own body to protect our star players. He was a true Devil in the sense that he focused on protecting Marty and focused on a defensive strategy rather that "Hey let's have all five players crash the net!" strategy. I would love to see #5 back in a Devils jersey again.
Well that's about all I can think of right now. If any more come into my head I'll add them.
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Eastern Conference Predictions
I promised an Eastern Conference prediction was coming. Well, here it is. Before I go into it I would like to give my two cents on the lockout situation. Being someone who was never one for economics I will not embarrass myself by not going into the business aspect of it. What I do care about is the loss of hockey in a year I was really excited about. We just came off a huge Conference Championship and now we may have to wait another whole year just to see our favorite team defend that honor. Carlos of http://www.speakingofthedevils.com said it better than I could and I really think you should read what he said if you haven't already. The sadness and flat out boredom will soon turn to anger and frustration if this isn't settled sooner rather than later. But let's just assume for a minute there is no lockout. No greedy men in suits. No ca-ching ca-ching dolla dolla. Just 30 groups of 20 men playing a kids game on ice. What teams in the East will be unstoppable an which ones will die a miserable March/April death. Or in the Islanders case, a November death.
1st- New York Rangers (1st. Yes, I am putting these guys at the top. They deserve it, whether we want to believe it or not. And trust me, I don't want to!)
2nd- Ottawa Senators (8th. Daniel Alfredsson was supposed to retire, but instead decided to come back. That leadership, skill of Karlsson, and Boston's loss of Thomas help the Sens win their division)
3rd- Washington Capitals (7th. There is no reason why the Panthers should repeat as division champs. And now with Oates at the helm the Caps will dominate the SE)
4th- Pittsburgh Penguins (4th. Crosby and Malkin will demand a recount of points and try to get rules changed so they would win the division, but the play of Fleury will still keep them away from the division championship)
5th- New Jersey Devils (6th. I don't think we will drop from losing Zach. We will go up. We have the Flyers number and there is no reason why they should be ahead of us at all. As long as Teddy and Jacob step up, Clarkson keeps up his garbage goal style, Kovy leads, and Marty continues to be Marty we will be perfectly fine)
6th- Carolina Hurricanes (12th. Yes, I think the Canes will make it. Eric and Jordan Staal will step it up more than ever now that they are both on the same squad.
7th- Philadelphia Flyers (5th. I'll be honest I don't see them dominating the East like they tend to do. Will they make the playoffs? Yes of course. Just as long as Laviolette gets his head out of Giroux's behind and coaches his whole team, not just one player. He doesn't even need coaching, he's the best player in the world remember?)
8th- Tampa Bay Lightning (10th. They will get in! They are hungry to get to that '04 mountain once more. And I think although the Rangers will make short work of them, they will make into the playoffs on the finals days of the season)
9th- Buffalo Sabres (9th. For some reason they can't seem to get in when it matters. However these guys were very much in the same spot as NJ was in 2011, down and out at the New Year until a late season push scared other teams into thinking a playoff berth was possible. They came closer than we did. They missed the playoffs by 3 points. I think the same will occur in 2013)
10th- Florida Panthers (3rd. No way can they do it again. The team just isn't good enough and with Oates coaching the Capitals I don't see any team stopping them. Certainly not the Panthers at least)
11th- Winnipeg Jets (11th. They were plagued with injuries last season. Although they will play "better" than last year I don't think they will make enough of an impact to go up in the standings)
12th- Boston Bruins (2nd. Yes, I put them down here. Before you start sending your hate-mail, let me explain. They lost Thomas and Chara is getting old. Plain and simple. Rask may be up to the task (Gotta love my NHL.com style puns) but it doesn't change the fact that they lost a goalie that won them a Cup just 2 years ago)
13th- Toronto Maple Leafs (13th. It actually makes me laugh when people think the Leafs will make the playoffs. I can appreciate supporting your team and trust me, they have more support than any other team except maybe Montreal. But they are terrible. And there is no reason to think this season would be any better)
14th- Montreal Canadiens (15th. It's sad because this team a couple of years ago almost snuck in another Cup into their already record number of championships. The only team in North American professional sport with almost as many championships as the NY Yankees)
15th- New York Islanders (14th. They have not improved at all. Tavares will one day be a star but he still has yet to realize his true power and it won't happen yet. They will struggle early and never catch on. It's a shame but I really believe hockey is coming to an end for Long Island)
1st- New York Rangers (1st. Yes, I am putting these guys at the top. They deserve it, whether we want to believe it or not. And trust me, I don't want to!)
2nd- Ottawa Senators (8th. Daniel Alfredsson was supposed to retire, but instead decided to come back. That leadership, skill of Karlsson, and Boston's loss of Thomas help the Sens win their division)
3rd- Washington Capitals (7th. There is no reason why the Panthers should repeat as division champs. And now with Oates at the helm the Caps will dominate the SE)
4th- Pittsburgh Penguins (4th. Crosby and Malkin will demand a recount of points and try to get rules changed so they would win the division, but the play of Fleury will still keep them away from the division championship)
5th- New Jersey Devils (6th. I don't think we will drop from losing Zach. We will go up. We have the Flyers number and there is no reason why they should be ahead of us at all. As long as Teddy and Jacob step up, Clarkson keeps up his garbage goal style, Kovy leads, and Marty continues to be Marty we will be perfectly fine)
6th- Carolina Hurricanes (12th. Yes, I think the Canes will make it. Eric and Jordan Staal will step it up more than ever now that they are both on the same squad.
7th- Philadelphia Flyers (5th. I'll be honest I don't see them dominating the East like they tend to do. Will they make the playoffs? Yes of course. Just as long as Laviolette gets his head out of Giroux's behind and coaches his whole team, not just one player. He doesn't even need coaching, he's the best player in the world remember?)
8th- Tampa Bay Lightning (10th. They will get in! They are hungry to get to that '04 mountain once more. And I think although the Rangers will make short work of them, they will make into the playoffs on the finals days of the season)
9th- Buffalo Sabres (9th. For some reason they can't seem to get in when it matters. However these guys were very much in the same spot as NJ was in 2011, down and out at the New Year until a late season push scared other teams into thinking a playoff berth was possible. They came closer than we did. They missed the playoffs by 3 points. I think the same will occur in 2013)
10th- Florida Panthers (3rd. No way can they do it again. The team just isn't good enough and with Oates coaching the Capitals I don't see any team stopping them. Certainly not the Panthers at least)
11th- Winnipeg Jets (11th. They were plagued with injuries last season. Although they will play "better" than last year I don't think they will make enough of an impact to go up in the standings)
12th- Boston Bruins (2nd. Yes, I put them down here. Before you start sending your hate-mail, let me explain. They lost Thomas and Chara is getting old. Plain and simple. Rask may be up to the task (Gotta love my NHL.com style puns) but it doesn't change the fact that they lost a goalie that won them a Cup just 2 years ago)
13th- Toronto Maple Leafs (13th. It actually makes me laugh when people think the Leafs will make the playoffs. I can appreciate supporting your team and trust me, they have more support than any other team except maybe Montreal. But they are terrible. And there is no reason to think this season would be any better)
14th- Montreal Canadiens (15th. It's sad because this team a couple of years ago almost snuck in another Cup into their already record number of championships. The only team in North American professional sport with almost as many championships as the NY Yankees)
15th- New York Islanders (14th. They have not improved at all. Tavares will one day be a star but he still has yet to realize his true power and it won't happen yet. They will struggle early and never catch on. It's a shame but I really believe hockey is coming to an end for Long Island)
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