Archive for April, 2008

Bubba From Canes Country Submits: 

In a recent report written by beat writer Luke DeCock, the at times “absentee” owner of the Carolina Hurricanes, Mr. Peter Karmanos has promised to be more active in the running of his NHL franchise this coming year. Karmanos is reportedly taking a lesser role at Compuware, his number one business interest and will have more time to devote to managing the Canes.

“I plan to come in and actually help work on both those areas myself two or three days a week starting in July,’‘ Karmanos said this week in a telephone interview from his Detroit office. ( he was referring to sales and advertising).

Also from the report….

The Hurricanes could lose as much as $10 million this season because of the absence of playoff revenue, a larger-than-budgeted payroll, reduced NHL revenue-sharing payments and decreased attendance.

As the NHL’s salary cap increases - from $50.3 million this season to an expected $56.3 million in 2008-09 - the Hurricanes need to bring in more money to keep pace.

Beset by injuries last season, they ended up spending about $49 million on salaries - 11th among the NHL’s 30 teams and at least $5 million more than expected.

“We need to put more people in the building,” Karmanos said. ”We need to do a better job of selling advertising. It’s not so much a cap that we put on (general manager) Jimmy (Rutherford). Its the cap we put on ourselves. We’re just not maximizing our revenue streams.”

Because of his Compuware commitments, Karmanos has been somewhat removed from the day-to-day operations of the Hurricanes during their decade in North Carolina. He has often voiced his preference to become more involved and now thinks he has that chance.

It comes at a critical time for the franchise. Because of the fall-off in revenue from the post-Stanley Cup honeymoon season in 2006-07 to last season, the Hurricanes lost a quarter of their NHL revenue-sharing money when they failed to meet the league’s growth benchmarks.

”We quite frankly need to sell more tickets regardless of the CBA or not. I want our building full because I think it adds to the atmosphere and it’s great entertainment. We’re going to work really hard on trying to increase our revenue.”

I agree with Karmanos on all fronts. It must sting like the dickens to be the owner of a team who just barely missed the playoffs, and the millions that would have come with it. But not only does he take that hit, he loses out on 25% of the revenue sharing money because attendance dropped off? Either Jim Rutherford or someone else dropped the ball on this one.

Don’t they realize that all they had to do was to offer some type of package deal like the old Harris Teeter 4 packs, and they probably would have met their goals? Even if they had to discount their tickets, they still would have made up for the loss by taking in the extra revenue sharing. That quite frankly, is not very smart business. No wonder the owner wants to get more involved.

If this blogger could offer some humble suggestions….

1. Start your own blog Mr. Karmanos, and submit articles daily. Let your fans know what you are thinking about regarding the team, regarding advertising, and regarding the fanbase, or anything else that comes to mind. Ask for and respond to feedback. This would generate interest as well as let the fans know that you care about what they think.
2. Enlist the aide of your blogging empire. There are already a couple of teams in the NHL who recognize the value of having well-informed, popular bloggers spreading the word about the team. You could be number 3, or you could even take it to another level.
3. Bring back the old “family packs” and other popular ticket specials. So what if you give away a couple of free hotdogs, you will make that money back 100-fold because of the lost revenue sharing.
4. Get the faces of the team out in the public more often. They are your best advertisement.

I’m sure that other folk have more ideas of their own, and probably better ones. What do you think, does anyone have anything to share?

Personally, I think it’s great that the owner of the franchise cares enough to get more involved. I have wondered myself if the Hurricanes could ever get to the point when they would sell out every home game and what that might be like. Shouldn’t that be the goal? With hard work and creativity, it could be done.

Here at NHL Digest, we are always up for a little humor. Like most hockey fans, a lot of our comedic experience comes at the expense of the officials.

In light of the recent officiating drama in the Playoffs (See Canadiens Vs. Flyers), we thought that a little joke at the expense of a hockey official was in order.

In this case a picture is worth a thousand words…and a few laughs!

Zubov Returns To Dallas

One of the premiere blueliners in the National Hockey League, Defenceman Sergei Zubov, made a triumphant return featuring a picture perfect spinning backhand pass that was remisiscient of his days with the 1994 Stanley Cup champion Rangers. Modano took that perfect pass from Zubov and promptly beat Nabakov with a wrist shot, completing the highlight reel play with style.

Brad Richards also collected four third period points to lift the Dallas Stars to a 5-2 win over the San Jose Sharks Sunday night.  Brad Richards is turning out to be a great addition in Dallas after being acquired from Tampa Bay at the trade deadline.

Here is what Dave Tippett had to say about Zubov’s Spinning Backhand pass:

“That’s ‘shinny’ hockey at its finest, but with Zubie, that’s part of his game,” Tippett said. “That’s pretty special right there, to find a guy right on his tape, spinning around like that, that’s a special play. But we’ve seen that from Zubie around here for a long time.”

Is Price Really Ready?

Many Montreal fans are still shaking thier head a tthe inconsitency shown by their extremely talented goaltender, Carey Price.  Some have even gone so far as to say it was a huge mistake for Carbonneau et. al. to thrust the youngster into the starting role heading into the playoffs.

Jack Todd of the Montreal Gazette has an level headed view of the situation:

Price is still learning his craft. No matter how large his talent

or how bright his future, he is a 20-year-old playing a man’s game.

There will be nights when it all comes together, as it did during Game 7 against the Bruins - and there will be nights like Saturday’s game against the Flyers, when a couple of pucks go in over his left shoulder and the kid goes to work to adjust his position, doing the things he will do automatically as he matures.

 Top Ten Hockey Bloopers Video

As a known Canadiens fan, I am overjoyed at the outcome of Game 1 between the Habs and the Flyers. That said, I will admit that the Canadiens caught a break from the boys in stripes.

No, I am not talking about the goal that Alexei Kovalev scored to tie the game at two. That goal was legitimate and it was proven that the puck was struck by Kovalev’s stick below the crossbar. The following video includes the slow motion replay that proves the goal is legitimate.

An NHL Digest subscriber (and obvious Habs Hater) sent the following quote after watching this video:

“Not only can’t I understand anything in the video… the Habs are pure Euro-rubbish.” 

While he is obviously concerned about Kovalev’s goal, I am more concerned with the questionble kneeing call on Richards when he caught Kovalev cutting to the inside near the blueline.

I will not deny that Richards’ knee was out, but it was that way because he was cutting back to make the hit. I will ask you to focus on the contact between Richards and Kovalev. The following video (about 6-7 seconds in) clearly shows that Richards’ lower arm and hip made contact with Kovalev’s hip.

This penalty sparked the downfall of the Flyers.

Making Kovalev angry is like waking a sleeping giant! Just ask the Boston Bruins, who felt the wrath of a helmet-less and angry Kovalev after being mulled by Chara along the boards.

I expect this series to be a hard fought battle that will last several games. The Flyers should be out for revenge in Game 2 and Carbonneau will have the Canadiens on point with something to prove to the hometown fans!

If you can locate the CBC feed for Game 2, I highly suggest that you watch it - It’s going to be a dandy!

Shane Giroux Breaks Down the Series 

Break out your copy of Tomb Raider, slip on the Doc Martens and crank up the Pearl Jam. That’s right, it’s retro time!

The Colorado Avalanche are set to face the Detroit Red Wings in the Western Conference Semi-finals in the NHL playoffs. And predictably we’ve been subjected to many lame quips - such as the one above - due to the history between these two clubs.

And if you don’t know the history, you might want to pick up Adrian Dater’s book Blood Feud. And I’d also hope that you’re a new fan to the game otherwise I’d ask what rock you’ve been under for the last few years.

History is just that…or is it?
However those days are long past and I much prefer to look to the future than to look to the past. I mean really, what does the series history between these teams mean to this series? Not a hell of a lot in my eyes.

Joe Sakic, however, begs to differ:

“I know the guys who were around for that time, we’re definitely excited. We can feel it. You know the buzz around the whole city is there,” said Sakic.

There are 12 players - 4 for the Avalanche and 8 for the Red Wings - still with a bittersweet taste left in their mouths from the rivalry. Well, Draper certainly still has the taste of something in his mouth still.

So it is entirely possible that the previous feud will ignite a passion in some of the older players that may not have been there if the Avalanche had ended up facing the Sharks and the Wings had to duke it out with the Stars.

Regular season routing
During the regular season, the Red Wings put a beating on the Lake Erie Monsters. The Wings shut them out on three separate occasions and also posted a 4-2 win late in December.

Avalanche fans can take solace in the fact that the squads iced by the Avalanche during those games were far different than the current squad.

Adam Foote, Ruslan Salei and Peter Forsberg were obviously not in an Avalanche uniform for those games, Joe Sakic has not played a game against the Red Wings this season, Paul Stastny and Ryan Smyth have only been in the lineup twice and Karlis Skrastins was in the lineup for all 4 games.

That’s a pretty significant boost. The team is stronger, tougher and more experienced than they were a couple months ago.

But how do they match up against a strong Red Wings team?

Offensive Output
The Avalanche need to fend off the first wave from Datsyuk and Zetterberg while keeping an eye out for the second wave from Hudler and Franzen.

Combine that with Lidstrom and Rafalski on the back end - and Tomas Holmstrom’s back end - and there is plenty of offensive firepower to keep an eye on.

On the flip side, Osgood will need to be wary of crash-and-bang players like Ben Guite, David Jones and Ryan Smyth.

Jordan Leopold and Ruslan Salei have stepped up on the back end for the Avalanche and have provided some much needed points from the point.

Defensive destruction
Deadline day acquisitions Adam Foote and Ruslan Salei have been dynamite for the Avalanche. Foote shut down Gaborik and anchored down a shaky defensive squad. Ruslan Salei plays on the PP and PK and has stepped it up physically. I don’t think I could ask for more from either of those players.

Scott Hannan has become invisible which is exactly the way I like him. If I’m not noticing him that much, then he’s not making mistakes. I invariably expect a defenceman to do his job so when he does, I tend not to make mention of it.

Frankly it’s because I spent so much time being defensively responsible during my hockey playing days that I simply expect it. If I could do it, I think an NHLer should be able to do it.

The Red Wings squad is led by Nik Lidstrom, supported by Brian Rafalski

Goaltending gonads
Yes, I used the word gonads. Mainly because I drew a blank while trying to think of a “G” word to go with goaltending.

Jose Theodore was brilliant down the stretch and turned it up a notch in the playoffs, as he has done in the past.

At the other end, Chris Osgood has taken over the reigns after Hasek let in one too many long shots for coach Mike Babcock’s lightning.

So you’ve got a resurging young goaltender battling it out with a resurging veteran. Can youth trump experience? I like to think so.

And make no bones about it, if the Avalanche are to win this series, they are going to require Jose Theodore to be no less than bloody brilliant in every game.

Coaching quarrel
Mike Babcock is an excellent coach. Joel Quenneville has been an above average coach thus far in the playoffs.

If Q wants to outcoach Babcock, he’s got to stay simple. Don’t screw with the lines after a loss and have your players know their roles.

During the Minnesota series, as soon as Gaborik set foot on the ice, Foote was already up and ready to hop over the boards without being told.

Having your players think on their feet certainly keeps the game interesting, but if they can settle into a routine, that helps them concentrate on their matchup much more effectively.

Oh, and don’t pull a Keenan and yank Theodore while down 4-2 in a game 7. Just don’t.

Stats breakdown
This will be quick and dirty as stats aren’t my forte.

So after one round of playoff action, the basic stats are a draw for these two teams. The special teams game and shots for/against per game show something to keep an eye on.

The Wings are firing off 40 shots per game and the Avalanche are allowing 33. I don’t expect the Wings to be able to get off 40 per game against the Avalanche like they did with Nashville but even 30-35 shots from this team is a lot of rubber for Theodore to be handling every night.

And in a shocking turn of events, the Avalanche powerplay is nearly doubling the output of the Red Wings powerplay. That will even out a bit as the series wears on. You can see that the Wings are killing penalties with over 90% efficiency so don’t expect a 20% effective Avalanche powerplay.

With Tomas Holmstrom in one crease and Ryan Smyth in the other, it should be an interesting special teams battle. Hopefully the ride the Avalanche’s PP squad is on won’t end any time soon.

Final words
I don’t do series predictions but if I had to go with my gut, I would say Wings in 6. If I go with my heart, I would say Avs in 5. You know, one token win so Wings fans don’t feel too bad.

Now go ahead and prove me wrong, Avalanche.