I’m sure I’m not alone in thinking that the pre-season has become too long.
One of the reasons, is the development of the rookie camps. Places like Penticton, London and Traverse City become key locations for teams to give their younger players a first look.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not discounting the need for these tournaments. But when we start hearing about the rookie camps, then the main camps, I want to see games that mean something by the 25th of September.
And I don’t think I’m alone, most Canadian fans would quite enjoy the NHL Regular Season to start in September and end before the end of May. Unfortunately, it won’t ever happen.
While hockey’s following in Canada would jump on a September start, it just makes no sense for US-based teams. Competition from baseball and three kinds of football (high school, college and pro) make an early start for many American teams impossible.
Don’t laugh. More than once, discussions have taken place at the executive level, to start hockey in November. That was one argument, when the NHL understood the Canadian mentality.
Take a look at the present schedule, where Canadian teams play more home games in October, allowing the U.S teams to have their home games later in the season. With less competition in their markets, it puts a great deal of pressure on the six Canadian teams to have great starts.
And as far as hockey ending in May? Don’t hold your breath.
The business that is the NHL needs U.S. network television, and the only time available is after all the weekly shows end their runs in late May.
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It was great to watch the opening of Pittsburgh’s new arena last Thursday. There are many people who have been integral to the resurgence of hockey in Western Pennsylvania.
Certainly Mario Lemieux and his business partner Ron Burkle deserve credit, as do people like Sydney Crosby and Team President David Morehouse.
One man who has backed away from the public eye, is former team President Ken Sawyer. Sawyer was the former VP of Finance for the NHL, when he took on the challenge of helping a bankrupt Penguins’ hockey team in the mid-90’s.
It was his guidance and day-to-day leadership that allowed the team to survive, then thrive at Mellon Arena. And while hockey has always had a place in the Pittsburgh sports culture, Ken Sawyer has never really received the credit he deserves.
The opening of the new building is a tremendous accomplishment for the franchise. A franchise that would not have had the chance to erect such a building, with out the vision of Ken Sawyer.
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I’ve been getting a lot of questions about escrow the last couple weeks, particularly because some big NHL names and their contracts are now living in the AHL.
Sheldon Souray, Michael Nylander and Wade Reddon are probably at the top of list of players. As part of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, the players get 57% of all Hockey Related Revenue.
In order to ensure, they get 57 per cent and not one penny more, a portion of the players’ salaries is held back as defined as escrow.
This season it’s about 18 per cent of the salary.
And because, Souray, Nylander and Reddon are not playing in the NHL and their one-way contracts are guaranteed, they do not have the 18 per cent deduction from their pay cheques.
Hence, they actually get a raise to play in the American League.
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I read a note last week from Sportsnet’s Dan Murphy (TV’s best dressed reporter!). He noted that the Canucks had just purchased the rights to the Vancouver Millionaires name and trademark.
As trivia buffs will know, the Millionaires represent the only time a team from Vancouver won the Stanley Cup, and that was before the NHL was even a league.
In talking to Mike Gillis about the acquisition, I told him it could prove to be a great move. I could see the Millionaires sweater as part of an outdoor game at some point, or at least part of some celebration of the game on the West Coast.
Truth be told, I liked the logo so much, I actually bought one when I was in Vancouver for the Winter Games.
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And finally, as our game seems to be getting younger and younger (Hall, Seguin, Eberle, Skinner et al), it was great to see 40-year-old Kris Draper play his way onto the Detroit Red Wings.
Make no mistake about it, he is a valuable member of the team, and maybe even the coaching staff!
Last week Ken Holland told me, that Draper epitomizes the "Red Wing Way" in so many ways. After a playoff game in phoenix last April, where Darren Helm lost a last minute face-off to give the Coyotes the winning goal, it was Draper who was giving Helm a Face-off tutorial the next morning at the Wings’ dressing room.
And this past summer, it was Draper rounding up some of the younger players in informal off-ice training sessions. Holland called it "singing from the Red Wing hymnal."
It appears that Kris has made himself a valued member of the organization, on and off the ice.
