There are always going to be arguments about the NHL all-star game, and how to make it better.
After having been in the room for more than a decade of all-star planning, I have full respect for what the NHL is trying to do with the weekend in Raleigh. Brendan Shanahan and Rob Blake have done a lot of consultation about the skills competition and the game itself, before coming up with a new plan.
Their decision to give the players complete ownership of the event might be a gamble, but it certainly shows some creativity.
There is no question the weekend needed a renovation, and hopefully the players will have a better understanding of its importance, and the need to entertain with a larger involvement and commitment.
Quite frankly, the NHL has nothing to lose.
For my money, I would love to see the all-star game as the last exhibition game of the season.
It would have the Stanley Cup Champions raising their banner against the rest of the league.
If it sounds vaguely familiar that’s because that was the way they did it when the NHL was still in black and white.
***
With so much talk this past week in Toronto about Nazem Kadri’s return to the Leafs from the AHL, I decided to talk to some NHL coaches about how to handle teenagers in an adult world.
The answers were rather interesting, and bordered on being a parent, rather than a coach.
"I think the biggest challenge is understanding the amount of lifestyle changes they are going through when they get to the NHL," one coach said. "Not only the money, but being responsible for nutrition, fitness, and the normal things that adults usually learn to deal with more gradually."
Another one told me: "Off the ice, it’s about nutrition and lifestyle choices. On the ice, it’s about building a pro mentality, pushing the boundaries of your comfort zone because everything is bigger and faster."
Another coach: "The toughest thing to teach a teenger? To not get discouraged because they are getting checked so hard. It’s a man’s league, and they get down because there’s no room out there."
The final word on the topic made me smile: "Oh yeah, their music sucks."
***
As we discussed on Hockeycentral Saturday, Mark Cuban is lurking around the Dallas Stars.
He has watched as a few good men from Canada, Bill Gallacher and Tom Gagliardi looked at the books, but have been unable to get anything done.
As one person told me on Saturday," I think he's smart enough to know that this sale would go the way it has. Not to say he'll buy it. He wants a deal like everyone else."
Over the weekend, Cuban responded to the reports of his interest in an e-mail to reporters:
"I've had conversations w/ several folks for the same reason: As always, the arena," Cuban wrote. "And I will talk to anyone who is interested in the Stars, because I would like to get control of the arena."
And we all know how great a market Dallas has been and can be.
This is simply the case of an owner being over-extended during a bad economy. An interesting fact that helps the Cuban-led group is that he and Tom Hicks co-own the American Airlines Center.
Old-timers will remember how Pittsburgh-native Cuban was nosing around the Penguins when they were struggling in the mid-1990’s. I remember doing a radio interview with him in 2001, talking about getting into the NHL ownership club, and he admitted that he would try and do it at some point.
Another key point?
Gary Bettman has always stressed that local ownership is best.
***
There was a time that teams went to Southern California knowing that it was a bit of a lark; maybe a day off in the sun, a trip to Palm Springs, and oh yeah, a game at the Fabulous Forum and two points in the standings.
Don’t look now, but both the Kings and the Ducks have been dominant home teams. It’s shades of being ambushed on the Alberta trail in the ‘80s.
As of this writing, between the two SoCal clubs, they have played 17 home games, with only one regulation loss. They both have very aggressive hard-hitting styles, and have probably been some sort of asset to each other.
Visiting teams going into play games on Interstate 5, are made to play the Ducks and Kings on back-to-back nights 20 times this season. And while, it doesn’t make up for the horrendous travel schedules the two teams have, it truly has become home ice advantage. And while the teams may not admit it publicly, they have really helped each other in the standings.
***
Finally, it was interesting to find out that at the recent general managers’ meeting in Toronto, the hockey operations group spent 45 minutes giving the 30 managers an update on Rule 48 (the dreaded blind-side hit to the head).
After the video and statistical update, not one manager piped-up to disagree with what Colin Campbell and his people are doing.
It was a tremendous endorsement of what the NHL is trying to do with the new rule. Now if only the managers (who voted 30-0 to support the rule) would just publicly state the same thing when their own players are involved in an incident.
I plan on waiting a long time before I hear a GM say: "I agree with hockey operations. My player made a stupid and reckless move. Plays such as this do not belong in the game, and I would have supported a longer suspension."
Okay, the last sentence might have crossed the line, but a guy can dream, can’t he?
