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I’m taking a “break” for two and a bit weeks from here, purely because it’s Exam time at Law School and when you’re pulling massive massive study days, finding time to write a blog (no matter how much you love to do it!) kind of doesn’t happen. So once I’ve sloughed my way through Property, Patent and Trademark, Private International and Evidence law, I’ll be back to continue sharing my random theories and thoughts on this amazing sport. Last summer, I packed my backpack and fled the Australian summer for the North American winter. I saw snow, had a white christmas, got my first excruciating hang over and most of all, completely immersed myself in hockey. I talked General Managing, Team Development and Public Relations with Doug Soetaert and Jon Rosen in Everett, learnt about the in workings of the broadcast media from Drew Remenda, Randy Hahn and the CSN crew in San Jose. In Chicago I talked about fan development with the Hawk’s Annie Camins and Boston saw Don Sweeney take an hour of his day to discuss player development systems. The ultimate though? The 6 weeks I spent observing and being part of the day to day life of the Washington Capitals. A year later, I’d say I’m getting itchy feet again. I’m never one for sitting still, and whilst I have plenty to do in the upcoming university break, 3 1/2 months off seems like the perfect time to learn and in turn, use this knowledge to the benefit of the AIHL and hockey in Australia (as well as adding to my resume for future hockey employment!). So once again, I’ve started writing letters, planning and sending packages out to people and organization I’d love to learn from — ranging from the NHLPA, Goal’s and Dream’s Programs, the League itself to player agency’s and Jr Hockey teams. Let’s see how I go this time? Maybe I need some medicating. Or a really good hobby.
Now, I’m not big fan of the shoot out for one reason and one reason only. As someone who plays goal, the fact that an entire game comes down to the individual performance of a goaltender in a one on one situation, resting an outcome on their shoulders, seems rather cruel punishment to me. In a team sport like hockey, where the team is valued above any individual performance, it seems at odds to institute such a decider that removes that element from the game and turn the outcome into something determined by a skills contest (as Brynna puts it). Whilst Jeff thinks the whole game is a Skills contest (and that’s another enitre argument) on this point he raises a good question. If the shoot out is essentially an extension of the penalty shot, how is a penalty shot any different when it comes to removing a team from a game and placing the pressure on the goalies shoulders? On this point, in my oh so humble opinion I believe, the penalty shot lacks the finality aspect (except in Overtime as he pointed out, by this time I, in an incredible display of maturity, was sticking my tongue out at the screen in frustration) of a shoot out as well as being a result of the team’s actions in that moment. A penalty shot arises from the mistake of a team during a game, whether that be blowing a coverage to allow a one on one, pulling the player down and if converted to a goal, the game continues allowing the team as a unit to atone for their mistakes through further play. Whilst the penalty shot and the shoot out attempt are essentially the same thing, identical in every way of performance, the purpose, that of punishing the offending team or determining a winner or loser are essentially different. However, honestly? The Shootout, as I pointed out to both Brynna and Jeff, and they agreed with me on, isn’t going anywhere. It has become part of our game whether we admit it or not and as long as the NHL believe it adds attraction to the sport and makes their standings life easier it will remain. The shoot out will forever remain one of things that whilst incredibly frustrating to the old school hockey fan is an exercise in futility to complain about. Admittedly, you’d make a lot less of us hate it if, like we have down here in the AIHL, a 3 – 2 – 1 situation was instituted to balance out the value awarded to games that end in pure wins, SO wins and losses. That’s a whole new argument though. P.S. My favourite hockey player is absolute money in the SO, so I don’t mind that part even. P.S.S. Brynna hates the shoot out and would like it gone. In a sport that often lacks real characters, with its very high proportionate of softly spoken and awkwardly shy men from Middle Canadians, when someone steps forward with something that even resembles a bit of spark and a sense of humour that they’re willing to show in front of a television camera, we latch on. Today’s example, and one of my personal favourites of our new/next generation of interview comedians is the irrepressible and down right smart mouthed Stefan Legein. Legein’s most known for being the kid that, when faced with making the jump from the OHL to the AHL, instead chose to walk away from the game, having burn out at barely 20 or so the media kept telling us. With many friends in the CHL, and after seeing what a life of nothing but hockey can actually do to some people I honestly can’t blame the guy at all. Since then, and thankfully, for many of us who are fans of the Oakville forward’s in your face, tear your helmet from your head (as exhibited below) style of play, Legein has returned to the game, and now graces Syracuse, Columbus and a town near you with his wickedly quick sense of humor. Three of my favourite moments of Stefan Legein. Everyone has a take, this is mine
Whilst I fail completely as a feminist and don’t have an issue with the scantily clad women in the advert, ones whom compared to recent Dallas Stars Ice Girls videos, are almost conservatively dressed, the main drama has arisen out of a breach of Article 25.1 of the CBA. As everyone’s now had pointed out to them (and I had pink sharpied in my copy of the CBA) not only do you need to let your team know what you’re up to in regards to endorsements and sponsorship, but you, in accordance with 25.1 you also can’t as part of endorsement or sponsorship be assocaited with an alcoholic beverage, the exception to this being malt based beverages such as beer. On HNIC tonight, Kelly Hrudey suggested that by not allowing players to endorse an alcoholic beverage the NHL is essentially promoting a double standard. This double standard, in his opinion, is evidence by the fact we see arena’s plastered with beer advertising and that a beer company, Molson, even owns an NHL franchise. With all due respect Mr Hrudey as someone with far more knowledge and a far better job than myself, beer advertising is treated differently to alcohol advertising in respect of allowences by the CBA and if the product had been a malt-based beverage as allowed by the CBA, this situation would not have arisen. Though Laraque may not have read his contract beyond the figures of how much he was making, you would expect that every NHL agent should and would have an indepth knowledge of the CBA and how its articles and clauses affect their clients. In this instance, the issue is raised : Why did Laraque’s agent not pick up on the problem arising from such an endorsement? I, as a 20 year old Australian fan (albiet one with 3/4′s of a law degree and a rather working knowledge of the CBA), am aware of such a clause. The main issue however, that this whole debacle brings back to the spotlight is that of the place of alcohol sponsorship in sport. Whilst the NHL already effectively limits sponsorships to that of beer companies, with beer itself being portrayed as essentially an integral and timeless part of the hockey experience (it even got its on page in A Canadian Saturday Night by Andrew Podnieks), should alcohol sponsorship in anyway be allowed, especially due to the prevalance of alcohol related violence? I know here in Australia the issue was raised recently, and when numbers were released, it was clearly evident that without alcohol sponsorship, nearly ever single Australian sport would suffer substantially to the point where the growth and development of sports in the country would inevitably start to regress. Whilst Australian sport is much more dependent in the absence of tv rights and with smaller markets and population, it is hard to believe the effect would not be substantial. A prime example of this is the recent Molson Giver 5 Commercials. It would not be hard to speculate that the cumulative donation total from such a campaign would be enough to fund the Olympic campaigns for several smaller winter sports. In my opinion, junior hockey is where the real issue lies. In a league where, atleast in America, none of the athletes, and in Canada, a large portion of the athletes, are below legal drinking ages alcohol sponsorship is rampant. Whilst there is the possibility that no financial alternative is available, particularly in the current economic climate, questions have to be raised about the wiseness of such advertising choices, particlury with the high number of minds open to this negative influence both on the ice and in the stands. Possibly the most disturbing, and if a fault of the economic climate (due to a lack of alternative options) , saddening examples of this lies in a WHL arena, where no less than 16 ads for alcoholic beverages are present. These ads look down upon on a team of young impressionable boys who last season lost one of their own, a teammate, to alcohol poisoning just two days after his 19th birthday. Where do we draw the line here between the business reality that without sponsorship and the money it brings that enables JR and other leagues to run and the morality argument that the promotion of alcohol through sports advertising contributes to curren social problems caused by underage and exessive drinking as well as alcohol fueled violence? With recent moves in the NCAA to drastically cut back or remove alcohol advertising from venues and sports broadcasts what’s stopping hockey? When I returned from Washington, I was questioning everything I had previously thought, about wanting to work in hockey. Sure I’d had an amazing time, but was working in hockey, having to move half way across the world what i really wanted to do. A lot of I came to the conclusion not long after my return that I could do something better with my life, my time and my brains than working in hockey. Something that wouldn’t require 30 years of fighting to get people to look past my Australianess and boobs. Now, I’m starting to question that outlook. Who am I to say that there was something “better”, more illustrious than this. Who am I to make it sound like, working in hockey was beneath me, because in hindsight that’s what it sounds like. Hockey is my life. As much as my mother wishes it wasn’t and that I didn’t, I live and breath hockey in every way imaginable. The sport of hockey permeates my life, from being on the ice myself to helping develop teams and leagues for others, helping organise league championships, state and national tournaments and promote the sport within our community. Hockey is like a lifeblood to me. I’ve always said I won’t work in hockey because I can do bigger and better things. Maybe, just maybe, hockey is that bigger and better thing. Maybe what I want to do, what I will do will be bigger and better things with the sport of hockey, for the sport of the hockey. Hockey is what I love, what I care about more than just about anything, my passion, my life.. What’s so wrong with using my creativity, my ingenuity and my big ideas to do bigger and better things in it? Nothing, I’ve realised. So I’m Sasky Stewart, your future first female Commissioner of the NHL. Tell Gary B I’m on my way. (I dream big)
Our love affair has been an ongoing one. Besides the Mighty Ducks and Red Wings (loves which occured through accident and peer pressure), you were one of my first hockey loves. You were there for me as a scrawny 15 year old, yelling at the inanimate box score as Philadelphia dispatched you from the playoffs in the second round, in what turns out to be the last time we saw you there. Now Brian Burke’s taken the helm and the HMAS Leafs seems to be finding its way back on course, or so it seemed. The pre-season brought glimpses of hope to Leafs Nation. Several come from behind victories and victories in their own rights, dominating displays of pugnaciousness and truculence as Burke had promised and fans actually started to believe it’d all turn around. Count me as one of those people. This “new” version of the Toronto Maple Leafs had me excited, eager even for the new season. Turns out? Let down. Complete and utter let down and failure. So far atleast. However, being a doomsayer less than 5 games in is totally naff a fact that the TSN staff don’t seem to understand. In fact, the TSN staff were already asking if the Maple leafs defence were overhyped 20 minutes into the first game of the season, and within two games, had already created a full blown goaltending controversey. So you haven’t won a game yet. So you’re sitting in absolute last place in the league. So your fans are already once again alternately calling for a lynch mob or like you, pinning their hopes on a scruffy, monosyllabic painfully shy Wisconsin kid (FYI that’s Phil Kessel if you live under a rock, and haven’t ever witnessed him give an interivew). Find a goalie who can keep it together. Get your defence to remember what defence is. Find some forwards (maybe that College should get a go again). And really? It’ll all be okay Toronto. It’ll all be okay. And if it isn’t? Well… what’s new?
I’ve a tendency to wear my baseball jerseys with cardigans, wide belts and pearls, the same with my hockey shirts, layered under pencil skirts and button ups for a bit of self satisfactions and so on. My latest look is hockey shirts with a ridiculous black layered taffeta ruffle skirt from Supre (it’s french for “slut” is the saying we use for the store ). I’ve a feeling I’ll be rocking this look (regardless of how 80′s it is) for a few weeks, and with a few Heartbreak Hockey shirts, atleast. How do you wear your hockey pride?
I’m not sure where to begin here. Just a quick FYI Pittsburgh Penguins. Taylor Swift premiered the new Nashville 3rd jersey at her concert. Don’t think she’s going to be a fan of you guys anytime soon.
All in all? I’d still take atleast three members of that photo home with me. + 3. |
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Thursday, instead of paying attention to the Private International Law lecture I was in, I got involved in a twitter based debate about the shootout with my favourite HNIC Host Jeff Marek (who has managed to push aside my adoration of PJ Stock by being so damn nice to me on twitter) and good friend Brynna.
It’s been all over the news lately. You can’t miss it. We’re talking about Georges Laraque and the whole Octane 7.0 drama.
the people weren’t as crazy passionate about hockey as I was, and to them, like many people, it was just a really damn cool job.
Dear Toronto Maple Leafs,
I’m always looking for new and improved ways to wear my hockey t-shirts (which make up a massive portion of my wardrobe) in a way without loosing some semblence of style. I admit to being a bit of (understatement there) a clotheshorse some days, and t-shirts with jeans are mostly not my style.
shit together this season and looks like he might actually be living up to the potential I, as a blindly misguided often fangirl believed he had, and looks like he might actually get a shot to center Kessel when he’s right to go later in the season. He’s a player that’s grown up through the Leafs organisation, making the jump straight to them our of juniors, and it’s good to see him finally stepping into a semblance of what they had hoped he could be when they gave him his latest contract.