Archive for October, 2006

It’s been a while since I last talked about the business of the NHL. With many teams now paying more attention to their online presence and aligning themselves with large corporate sponsors and the recent naming rights to the Phoenix Coyotes arena selling to jobing.com, it is evident that there is some interest in the potential marketing power of the National Hockey League.

With that in mind, the NHL has been without a leader in the league office in the area of marketing for several weeks now. However, that all changed today when John Collins was named as Executive Vice President, Corporate Sales and Marketing.

Collins has a background with the National Football League, most recently with the Cleveland Browns. The NFL,known for its intensely patriotic fans, is one of the most well positioned professional sports leagues in the world. Collins hopes to bring an American’s understanding to the marketplace and an new perspective on selling the world’s fastest game to the average American.

Pieces of Collins resume:

Collins came to the Browns from the NFL’s League office where, beginning in 1989, he held several key executive positions. His last role at the NFL was as Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing where he oversaw many aspects of NFL business including advertising and design, database, research, media planning, corporate sponsorship and advertising sales, among others. Collins also was a member of the team that launched the NFL Network.

Ed Horne, President of NHL Enterprises, hopes that Collins’ experience will help the National Hockey League to add value in the corporate community and enable the league to reach new audiences.

Source: NHL.com

I thought I would post a reminder to everyone that the deadline for the First Carnival of Hockey is tomorrow.

This carnival is open to anything related to hockey. If you have an article on the National Hockey League, Minor Hockey, Hockey Business, Fantasy Hockey, Hockey Equipment, College Hockey, Street Hockey, Floor Hockey or even Tonsil Hockey…drop me a line!

If you would like to submit an article to the Carnival of Hockey you can:

1. Fill out the Carnival of Hockey submission form at Blog Carnivals.

2. Submit the link to your article by using the Contact Form at NHL Digest.

3. E-mail the article link to tyler(at)nhldigest.com.

There have been several awesome articles submitted already and the carnival should be a great one!  Please send out the word to your fellow bloggers to get their articles in by tomorrow night (October 31, 2006).

I wrote an article a little while back on the topic of fighting in the “new” National Hockey League in which I asked if the role of the “Hockey Goon” is obsolete.

This weekend, Darren McCarty wrote in the Calgary Flames blog about his fight with Georges Laraque on October 24, 2006. Here is what McCarty had to say about the role that fighting plays in the NHL.

Fighting is not really as big a part of the game as it used to be because the game has changed and the players in the game have changed, but it is still there.

I have pretty much done it all my life. You don’t go looking for it but if it is there, you have to do it.

McCarty has a lot of respect for Laraque and he should, he took a little bit of a beating from him in this fight (See Video Below). However, as McCarty says, he would rather tangle with Georges than have someone else have to do it. For what it’s worth, you can’t fault a guy for having the stones to stand in there against one of the “Heavyweights” in the league.

Here is the video of the fight in question:

I am not sure what would possess someone to think they should take on Derek Boogaard in a fight, but Todd Fedoruk thought of something. Even though Fedoruk is 6′2″ and 231lbs…it’s still Derek Boogaard (6′7″, 250lbs)!

Fedoruk suffered a massive facial injury from Boogaard’s punch and to quote Kurtis Foster “It was disgusting…I can’t believe he got up!”

Thanks Kukla’s Korner for the head’s up!

I set out to write about Bobby Orr as the subject of NHL Digest’s weekend hockey legend, but I then came upon this video that says more than I could ever write and explains exactly the legacy that Bobby Orr left in the National Hockey League.

The video is somewhat long, but it is eight minutes that you won’t regret spending if you are a hockey fan. Enjoy!

Bobby Orr’s offical website is a must view. Make sure you have some time to really check out all that it has to offer.

A great tribute to Bobby Orr can also be found at the Bruin’s Legends Blog.

A lesser know fact is that Bobby Orr also owns ORR Hockey Group, a player agency that represents rising young stars like Rick DiPietro, Jason Spezza and Eric Staal.

Detroit Red Wings Assistant Coach, Paul MacLean, bears a striking resemblance to NHL Digest’s favorite Quaker Oats guy…Mr. Wilford Brimley.

It’s always fun to compare look-a-like celebrity figures.

Here’s a little bio on Paul MacLean courtesy of the Detroit Red Wings.

Paul MacLean enters his second campaign with the Red Wings after spending two seasons as an assistant under Mike Babcock with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. In their first season in the NHL, Babcock and MacLean led the Ducks to their first-ever appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals. Prior to the Ducks, MacLean was head coach of the Quad City Mallards of the United Hockey League from 2000-02. He led the Mallards to a two-season record of 112-27-9 (.787) and the 2001 Colonial Cup Championship.

UPDATE:
There is a great Rod Brind’Amour look-a-like over at Lightning Hockey Central…Priceless! 

If you have any Hockey Look-a-likes, send them on over!  Just send a link using our contact us form.

Have a great weekend.