Maybe it is me, maybe it is the result of growing older.  I’m not a kid anymore and I see a lot more of the behind-the-scenes ugly aspects of the league.  Kids today see the same thing as I, so their jaded viewpoint may protect them in the future from having the same change of heart.

The waves of expansion started it all.  Nine teams added in 10 years, only one in Canada.  Four other teams relocated, two from Canada to the US.  Many of the new US franchises provided only better arenas and deep-pocketed owners; actual fans in the building or watching on TV did not materialize or waned after the initial shine wore off.  As many as six expansion franchises and 3 or 4 other US franchises have substantial attendance problems.  According to the NHL, all is good with their business.  In fact, the last 10 years the NHL has lost any ground in gained in the 1990′s in the US.

The past few months have been focused on the bankruptcy of the Phoenix Coyotes and the attempted purchase and relocation of the team to Hamilton by Jim Basillie.  First the NHL took the position that the franchise was not bankrupt, despite the league providing assistance to keep the bills paid this past season.  After the bankruptcy was confirmed the NHL has insisted that the team has a future in Phoenix.  Unwilling to admit to any failure the league has attempted to put a positive spin on their situation and yet it has had no effect anywhere in saving face for the league.  They kind of operation the NHL has allowed in supporting franchises, special deals for owners, and loans between owners would generate the term bush-league anywhere else yet the hockey media is very easy on the league, likely due to the vindictive nature the league would have against anyone who lashed out at it.

The utter refusal of the NHL to consider a franchise move to Canada is amazingly hard to understand.  Ignoring the spin of the league, theories are that the NHL does not want a franchise in Hamilton as it has no drawing power in the US or wishes to put its own expansion franchise in Toronto for a $400 to $500 million fee.  Additional expansion!  They need to contract first.  Only the NFL has more than 30 teams, and it is the most popular sport (in terms of viewership and playing talent) in North America.  There just isn’t enough hockey players to supply the 30 teams that exist now.  As for the drawing power of Hamilton (or Winnipeg or Quebec City for that matter), they have a team in Columbus, Ohio.  Columbus, though the 32nd largest metropolitan area in the US, hardly is a draw in New York or Los Angeles.  For a league with as much trouble as it has, having well attended games anywhere should be a priority, not attempting to place franchises in the largest TV markets.

Additional teams in the south has led to a deteriorating product because of the ice conditions.  The NHL considers this a non-issue, as both teams play on the same ice, and it is consistently bad through most if not almost all the league.  Ignoring the playing surface which directly impacts the level of play is maddening to this fan.  Would the NBA say their courts were fine as both teams play on the same one if the floor was warped and damaged?  Would the NFL say there was no impact to play if all fields were four inches of muddy soup?  But the NHL has to ignore this fact because its only purpose is to make money and it has used expansion to large, warm US markets as its strategy to do so.

The game has suffered.  Increased coverage has not helped the quality of information.  In Canada we are left with a legacy of hours and hours of endless hockey drivel on television and sports radio.  Nothing new is said, the same cliches are spoken over and over and topics rehashed until you just want to never hear about them again.  Their are fewer and fewer characters in the game, and the number of anonymous interchangeable parts on each team increased each year it seems.  Coverage for the sake of filling in hours has taken away the desire for more; now my desire is to shut it off.  Couple that with a season that is too long (a winter sport that is effectively 10 months long!) and the overdose continues.

Hockey, and therefore the NHL as the pinnacle of the profession, is driven in Canada by a national pride associated with our unofficial pass time.  No one stops to question it in the midst of the male bonding and civic pride.  I think the support of the NHL has become more about those factors, along with the prestige of attending/watching an event outside of the normal working man’s realm rather than about getting to see the most skilled hockey players in the world, to see some real talent and be there when something special and memorable happens.  That is what I thought sports was about, but for so many that is secondary to all the other attributes.

This post isn’t going to change anything.  For me the NHL will continue down the spiral.  It will still have strong support in Canada.  In the US, it may implode, there may be an abundance of franchise bankruptcies and movement in the coming years.  Even if the league contracts and expands in Canada, the same direction will be policy and not much will change.  The spiral is impossible to climb up from.  That is why it is called progress.

The following awards were handed out in a ceremony before this broadcast.

2008 Overtime Central NHL Loser Challenge Awards

Best Team Name

The Bourne Loser (2008)
A subtle combination of an old comic strip, an action series and an imdb.com movie listing, this team name is like a decadent desert with many layers I can’t get enough of. I still laugh every time I see it.
I accept this award on behalf of Jim, who was… uhum… unable to be with us tonight.

Best Retro Team Name

Kerri’s Kool Kats
Honourable Mention: Winnipeg Jets

Best Team Name Named After a Dog Breed

TeamHusky

Best Team Name Named After Stuffed Animal Pets

Team Webkinz

Best Team Name Named After a Television Reality Show

The Biggest Loser

Worst “I Think I See a Theme Here” Team Name

LoserJunkie

The Scratch Your Head Team Name Award

Aloha Arlene

The Diamond Dave Award

In honour of Diamond Dave, who finished so far back in a contest one year, we could not find him afterwards.
The Bourne Loser (2008)

Now on to the main part of our program. Please keep your acceptance speeches short.

Most No Valid Team to Pick Days

Tie: Team Dynamite, Kerri’s Kool Kats, The Bourne Loser (2008) and Aloha Arlene (1)

Most Missed Picks (Automatic Picks)

Aloha Arlene (7)
Honourable Mentions: The Biggest Loser (6), Team Dynamite (5)

Biggest Week Award

Team CLM (21 points in Week 9)
Honourable Mention: Aloha Arlene (20 points in Week 7) and Team Dynamite (20 points in Week 9)

Smallest Week Award

Tie: 7 teams had 0 point weeks
Team CLM (Week 1), The Bourne Loser (2008) (Week 3), Loser Junkie (Week 5), Winnipeg Jets (Week 6 and Week 7), TeamHusky (Week 7) and Kerri’s Kool Kats (Week 10)

Shortest “Losing” Streak

The Bourne Loser (2008) (3)

Longest “Losing” Streak

Tie: Team Dynamite and Aloha Arlene (6)
Honourable Mentions: TeamHusky, Kerri’s Kool Kats, The Biggest Loser, Team CLM, Team Dynamite and Aloha Arlene (5)

Fewest “Losing” Streaks Over 3 Games Long

Tie: Loser Junkie and Team Webkinz (1)

Most “Losing” Streaks Over 3 Games Long

Team Dynamite (5)
Honourable Mention: Aloha Arlene (4)

Most Incorrect “Loser” Days (Zero Point Days)

Tie: Team CLM and The Bourne Loser (2008) (17)

Fewest Incorrect “Loser” Days (Zero Point Days)

TeamHusky (11)
Honourable Mention: Team Dynamite (12)

Fewest Correct “Loser” Days

Tie: Team CLM and The Bourne Loser (2008) (13)
Honourable Mention: Team Webkinz (14)

Most Correct “Loser” Days

TeamHusky (19)
Honourable Mention: Team Dynamite (18)

That wraps up another award show. Thanks for coming.

Early battles had Kerri’s Kool Kats and The Biggest Loser battling for first place in the first 3 weeks. The Kool Kats claimed solo possession of first for days 10 and 11 before Team Dynamite wrested it from them for the next 3 days. At the mid-point of the contest, the Winnipeg Jets gave hope to their fans by claiming first for day 15. This was followed by four days of reign by the Kool Kats who were overcome by upstart Aloha Arlene. After four days at the top, the Arlene’s gave way to Team Dynamite who led the rest of the way, after both the Aloha Arlene’s and Team Dynamite forfeited on their last pick when they ran out of valid picks, taking away the last chance the Arlene’s had to tie Team Dynamite and split the first and second place prizes.

It is with pride we announce Team Dynamite have won the inaugural 2008 NHL Loser Challenge. Coaches Noah and Cole take home $70 for their first place finish with 72 points. Finishing in second with 63 points were the Aloha Arlene’s, coached surprisingly by Arlene, who takes home $20. With a strong season, staying in the mix the whole time, Team Husky, coached by Logan, takes home $10 for their third place finish with 59 points.

Awarded the Diamond Dave trophy this contest, and picking up $10 for his last place finish, was The Bourne Loser (2008), coached by Jim. Jim struggled the whole contest with his built-in instincts to pick winners and finished 11 behind ninth place with 21 points.

Account balances have been updated. Thanks to all that played. There will be no playoff hockey contest this year, but we hope to see you all back for more exciting CFL contests this summer.

1. You don’t need to know any players or their stats. Simply pick a team to lose from the teams playing that day.
2. You don’t need to follow the NHL, the team’s records or win/loss streaks. The loser selection page shows up-to-date team standings and streaks, allowing for players without a regular NHL following to play without research.
3. NHL parity (12 points separate the middle 26 teams as of this writing) makes predicting a loser each day no better than guessing.
4. The contest rule allowing each team to be only picked once during the contest evens the playing field between knowledgeable and less knowledgeable players. No advantage to Gord, no matter how many issues of The Hockey News he reads.
5. Random picks for days that you have missed making a pick for means you don’t lose your chance when you forget to make your picks.
6. Scoring streaks and resets after incorrect predictions mean the standings can quickly change in a day and you are always in the hunt.
7. It is a short 10 week, 30 day contest following the NHL All-Star game. Get into the NHL in the last half of the season, leading to the playoffs.
8. It will be lots of fun. Get groups of people to sign up and play against each other.
9. You could win valuable prizes. Beating Gord is it’s own reward.
10. It costs about the same as a couple cups of coffee or theatre admission for one, but provides 10 times the entertainment value. That is something you can afford.

I encourage everyone to check out the full rules and sign up today. Don’t wait until the last minute. The first game day arrives Tuesday, January 29, 2008.

Some tips on this contest and for new Overtime Central visitors.

• Streaks are the key in this contest. The longer your losing streak, the more points you can score for your next correct prediction.
• The NHL team records and winning/losing streaks listed next to teams on the pick page are updated daily every morning. They reflect the current team records so if you are predicting in advance, keep games not played in consideration.
• Near the end of the contest, you may not have any valid teams to select as a loser for a given day if any of your remaining teams are not playing. This lack of a pick will be considered incorrect and break any streak you have. Plan you picks accordingly.
• Sign up for reminder and status updates on a daily or weekly basis as well as pick confirmation emails in the preferences section on your contest home page.
• The entry limit is 3 entries per account.

The contest starts January 29, so sign up today and tell your friends. I expect this new challenge to be a lot of fun.

In other news, the Overtime Central Poll is back. Look for site and contest specific polls starting this week.

Coming in a few days will be the launch of our latest contest, to start January 29. This will be another unique offering by Overtime Central, slightly experimental, but we are sure that it will be a fun and challenging contest for all interest levels. In order to gauge interest, we would like anyone who follows the site to leave a comment if they intend to play (yes, sight unseen). I know many others have gone into hibernation also, so I will have to make the rounds waking people up and getting entries. Thanks and remember to leave a comment and sign up in a few days.

I have not yet added forum rules to the site, but I do have some. First, please keep it clean. This is a family site. Second, please avoid defamation of character, whether it is someone you know, an athlete or anyone else. These forums are for constructive discussion, not anonymous attacks on people. Finally, keep it on topic. As moderator I reserve the right to delete or edit any post which does not meet with with the site standards.

If you think I’ve missed a forum topic that you would like to see, let me know and I will consider adding it.

Reaction to Campbell’s statement had supporters and naysayers. Interestingly, the players who support fighting’s role in hockey as “… ingrained in the roots of hockey” are all enforcers themselves. They cite fighting as keeping the chippyness out of the game and providing protection for the star players. Fedoruk even believes the issue for safety involves allowing fighters to wear padded gloves on their hands like fighters in the United Fighting Championship.

This may have been the case in years past, but these are old arguments that do not stand up to scrutiny today. Fighting does nothing to prevent players from running other players from behind, spearing players or otherwise taking liberties with their opponent’s safety as we have seen in recent incidents and older ones as well. The fact that the offending players were challenged (jumped) afterwards is inconsequential; the players did it anyway and their reactions afterwards were that they knew what was coming. With fighting gone and the large enforcers with it, there would be more room on rosters for skilled players, perhaps smaller ones who would not have had a chance previously. Does this increase the number of violent high-sticking incidents or careless use of the stick? I do not think so. However, what happens if there is a player, an agitator type that takes it too far, goes after a star player, and takes him out of the game? Who is going to enforce then and take the pound of flesh in retribution? I say let the NHL take care of it. The NHL would have to be much tougher, giving long and lifetime suspensions to set the tone as to the type of play they expect, and if you cross the line, your not welcome in the league any more.

It does work in other situations. There is no fighting in international hockey competitions and European leagues. People will say that the Europeans came to North America and brought the stick work with them, which may be true, but Canadian players being produced today appear no different from Europeans.

I am still flipping back and forth on this issue. I was moving towards more restrictions on hockey in and effort to curb it a few years ago, to banning it completely, to allowing it but doing something to take the enforcer fights for fan entertainment out of it, to banning it again. I think it has evolved too far to get it back to a “respectable” part of the game.

On today’s Prime Time Sports with Bob McCown on Sportsnet, the fighting issue was discussed. McCown supported the initiative, but wondered if there was not a better opportunity in the past when the violence could have been curbed and it was not. The example of Dale Hunter’s hit on Pierre Turgeon was brought up, for which Gary Bettman early in his tenure gave Hunter 20 games, which still stands as one of the longest suspensions in NHL history. Bettman, however, received much flak for his discipline from managers in the off-season. Explained that there were mechanisms in place to take care of these incidents and not wanting their own players subject to long or longer suspensions, general managers defended the status quo of the NHL, for this was only a minor check 4-5 seconds after a goal. Bettman got the message and this led to the creation of the NHL Director of Hockey Operations position and transfer of the suspension duties to this role. To conclude the segment on Prime Time Sports, all guests expected hockey to ban fighting, but it to be a slow phase in that would take three years.

Whatever is done, I know that the current enforcers should not be consulted. They, of course, are looking after their jobs. I also do not think the NHLPA’s opinion holds much weight since their mandate is to look after the best interests of their current members. I hope that the managers and executives can see that if fighting is eliminated league wide, everyone is on a level playing field so their should not be an objections on competitive terms. As for worries that the league will be more dangerous, the NHL is in a position to be tough on anything outside the rules to make it as safe as can be. If reckless behaviour by anyone, star or fourth liner, is given only three or four game suspensions, then this will not correct the behaviour.

Finally, what about the fan reaction, will there not be a revolt? I do not think it will be as bad as many expect. Sure, there is the segment that fighting means everything to. These are the barflies that need to express their manhood by celebrating the fights as they get over their third divorce. Fans that live for Sportsnet’s Fight of Night and frequent hockeyfights.com will migrate to fighting championships and hockey gladiator competitions. With the proper exposure the NHL will only grow its fan base amongst a group of alienated people who have found it too violent for them and their families.

Speculation is that Tootoo, after putting a hit on Dallas forward Mike Modano, was expecting retaliation from other Dallas players despite the hit being clean, and in instinct and self-defence, reacted to the first player upon turning around. This is not to justify his gloved-punch, but to raise the issue whether the NHL player code is flawed, requiring players have to protect themselves after clean hits.

This post is here to take your comments on this and other recent incidents.

Notable Trades

• Ryan Smyth from Edmonton to New York Islanders
• Todd Bertuzzi from Florida to Detroit
• Martin Biron from Buffalo to Philadelphia
• Bill Guerin from St. Louis to San Jose
• Gary Roberts from Florida to Pittsburgh
• Keith Tkachuk from St. Louis to Atlanta
• Anson Carter from Columbus to Carolina

Interesting Notes

Smyth was traded today after the Oilers were unable to sign him to a new contract. Tonight, prior to the Edmonton-Phoenix game in Edmonton, Mark Messier’s number 11 jersey will be retired. Unfortunately the cycle in Edmonton keeps continuing, with Gretzky, Messier, Guerin, Comrie, Pronger and now Smyth have all left Edmonton over essentially monetary reasons. While Edmonton may be able to make a play for Smyth in the free agent market this summer, the Islanders likely have numbers to offer him that they think can keep them since they are in more need than just renting him.

Bertuzzi leaves Florida after less than a season for some draft picks and a prospect after giving up Roberto Luongo to get him last summer.

Pittsburgh added some toughness and grit with the acquisition of Georges Laraque and Gary Roberts. This addressed their noted weakness of toughness to protect Crosby and Malkin. They seem serious about taking a run at the Cup this year.

Overall, the NHL has become a rent-a-ringer league, where there will be plenty of trade activity at the deadline, and unrestricted free agents moving for a few months to teams wanting to take a run in the playoffs. These trades will all be players for prospects and draft choices; the days of the star for star trade are long gone. While some fans believe in win at all cost, I believe all fans would enjoy the results of a team built over time over a team that is assembled for the last six weeks of the season and playoffs, then is disbanded during the summer. Some would say the current situation reflects an instant gratification society. I say that just because society is used to instant gratification does not mean they would not enjoy seeing long-term results from their team.

The Coverage

I only caught some Sportsnet coverage during the day and after the deadline and did not see any TSN or The Score coverage. The whole hype around the trade deadline has gone to far. Sportsnet has been advertising their special HockeyCentral edition for a month. Sportsnet offered the Deal or No Deal Canada girls, the Hanson brothers and mascots in the background playing foosball. Their number one source was some blogger named Eklund who named everyone in the NHL in trade rumours. He first reported that Jason Smyth had signed with the Oilers, only to report two hours later he was traded to the Islanders without batting an eye.

While Sportsnet went for the fluff coverage, TSN apparently went for its standard news reporting format. All networks were on the air for six hours discussing the trades as they came in. Back in the day coverage started an hour or two before the deadline and that was plenty to talk about any deals without repeating yourself. Now, with six hours and so many inconsequential trades to discuss, the talking heads come on to repeat their empty comments over and over about each event and speculation. It seems the audience numbers make this one of the biggest days in Canadian sports television and everyone wants the largest piece of it. I would think that after a few years people would be wise to the waste of time watching the coverage would be, but I know better considering hockey rabid fans in Canada.