Growing up there was always that one kid you hated playing a sports video game with. You would pop in NHL ’94 and that kid wanted to be the Eastern Conference. Correction, he had to be the Eastern Conference All Stars. You would usually choose the Pittsburgh Penguins because c’mon, they had Lemieux, Jagr, Francis and Stevens. Okay there was a desire to be the Blackhawks to use the overall power of Jeremy Roenick.
While playing as the Penguins versus the clones of Mario and Jaromir, the kid had the audacity to keep playing the most undisciplined hockey. Always checking your Penguins after each whistle, taking slap shots from the blue line, numerous offside penalties, in a nutshell just sucking the fun out of NHL ’94.
What’s the point of this? As we approach the Winter Games in Vancouver the NHL will form their Dream Teams and suck the fun out of international hockey.
Obviously the suits from the individual countries and the equipment makers love this as it allows the ability to market already highly market players, logos and games. Nike will want you to buy their Sidney Crosby jersey over your Penguins Reebok jersey. Better yet get some official Team Canada socks. All over Canada on ponds and public rinks kids will be guarding their legs with not just Jofa, Easton and CCM but also the flag of the leg, Team Canada socks.
I myself have no problem with this repackaging but the games itself suffer along with the spirit of the Olympic Games.
This year marks the thirtieth anniversary of The Miracle on Ice. Twenty college kids were able to overthrow the mighty international dynasty of The USSR. The Penguins beat the Eastern Conference All-Stars. David slays Goliath.
The Nagano Games unveiled the Dream Team, the powerful countries (Canada, U.S.A., Sweden, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Russia) were able to arm themselves to the teeth with established NHL veterans and young superstars to annihilate second tier countries. Japan was fortunate enough to make a solid showing in those games. However, that has yet to be seen in future Olympics.
Kurt Russell as Herb Brooks voices his criticism of the Dream Teams at the end of Miracle, summing up that the wonder and mystery of an upset is unlikely. His opinion is true.
The 1994 Olympics showcased that. Canada was looking to win the gold against a Sweden team most Americans and Canadians had little knowledge of. Canada’s Corey Hirsch was looking to keep the shootout still tied until future NHL star Peter Forsberg deked and scored. His goal, viewed from an overhead shot became a stamp in Sweden and became an iconic image in Olympic hockey (second only to the celebration at Lake Placid). Then it was up to Canadian star Paul Kariya who would be stopped sealing it for Sweden. Those natural images are lost when Olympic veterans such as Nick Lidstrom and Marty Brodeur are featured.
As the NHL’s best square off it’s sad to think about how amazing and wide open the tournament would be if it showcased the best from the juniors and national teams comprised of teenagers looking to get that chance to show scouts all over the world what they have to offer. These aren’t throw away games in Prague or Stockholm against kids destined for second or third tier European leagues. No, these are the Olympic Games where the next fifty goal scorer or Vezina trophy winner will be found.
While jersey sales for little known left wingers playing junior hockey in Alberta won’t sell in America or team photos of the Slovakian national team void of any current All-Stars would be minimal, the spirit of the Olympics would be intact. The Russian dynasty was comprised of players who did not have the chance to defect and play NHL hockey, so they merely became mercenaries of the ice. They created the Summit Series and the Canada Cup to beat heavily publicized Canadian All-Star teams and brawled against NHL teams to prove that amateurs were just as skilled.
As the Olympics get underway next month and NBC airs Team USA’s match up against another set of NHL All-Stars think about the possibility of an unknown from St. Cloud taking the face-off or even a highly touted prospect from Rochester between the pipes. Both players or rather all players looking for that glowing scouting report and a chance to draw high on the NHL draft and achieve the true dream. A dream of playing in the NHL and winning the Stanley Cup. It seems more meaningful than seeing the same team assembled to win a third or fourth gold medal.
ROC SPORTS NET 2009
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Losing The Dream Team
Growing up there was always that one kid you hated playing a sports video game with. You would pop in NHL ’94 and that kid wanted to be the Eastern Conference. Correction, he had to be the Eastern Conference All Stars. You would usually choose the Pittsburgh Penguins because c’mon, they had Lemieux, Jagr, Francis and Stevens. Okay there was a desire to be the Blackhawks to use the overall power of Jeremy Roenick.
While playing as the Penguins versus the clones of Mario and Jaromir, the kid had the audacity to keep playing the most undisciplined hockey. Always checking your Penguins after each whistle, taking slap shots from the blue line, numerous offside penalties, in a nutshell just sucking the fun out of NHL ’94.
What’s the point of this? As we approach the Winter Games in Vancouver the NHL will form their Dream Teams and suck the fun out of international hockey.
Obviously the suits from the individual countries and the equipment makers love this as it allows the ability to market already highly market players, logos and games. Nike will want you to buy their Sidney Crosby jersey over your Penguins Reebok jersey. Better yet get some official Team Canada socks. All over Canada on ponds and public rinks kids will be guarding their legs with not just Jofa, Easton and CCM but also the flag of the leg, Team Canada socks.
I myself have no problem with this repackaging but the games itself suffer along with the spirit of the Olympic Games.
This year marks the thirtieth anniversary of The Miracle on Ice. Twenty college kids were able to overthrow the mighty international dynasty of The USSR. The Penguins beat the Eastern Conference All-Stars. David slays Goliath.
The Nagano Games unveiled the Dream Team, the powerful countries (Canada, U.S.A., Sweden, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Russia) were able to arm themselves to the teeth with established NHL veterans and young superstars to annihilate second tier countries. Japan was fortunate enough to make a solid showing in those games. However, that has yet to be seen in future Olympics.
Kurt Russell as Herb Brooks voices his criticism of the Dream Teams at the end of Miracle, summing up that the wonder and mystery of an upset is unlikely. His opinion is true.
The 1994 Olympics showcased that. Canada was looking to win the gold against a Sweden team most Americans and Canadians had little knowledge of. Canada’s Corey Hirsch was looking to keep the shootout still tied until future NHL star Peter Forsberg deked and scored. His goal, viewed from an overhead shot became a stamp in Sweden and became an iconic image in Olympic hockey (second only to the celebration at Lake Placid). Then it was up to Canadian star Paul Kariya who would be stopped sealing it for Sweden. Those natural images are lost when Olympic veterans such as Nick Lidstrom and Marty Brodeur are featured.
As the NHL’s best square off it’s sad to think about how amazing and wide open the tournament would be if it showcased the best from the juniors and national teams comprised of teenagers looking to get that chance to show scouts all over the world what they have to offer. These aren’t throw away games in Prague or Stockholm against kids destined for second or third tier European leagues. No, these are the Olympic Games where the next fifty goal scorer or Vezina trophy winner will be found.
While jersey sales for little known left wingers playing junior hockey in Alberta won’t sell in America or team photos of the Slovakian national team void of any current All-Stars would be minimal, the spirit of the Olympics would be intact. The Russian dynasty was comprised of players who did not have the chance to defect and play NHL hockey, so they merely became mercenaries of the ice. They created the Summit Series and the Canada Cup to beat heavily publicized Canadian All-Star teams and brawled against NHL teams to prove that amateurs were just as skilled.
As the Olympics get underway next month and NBC airs Team USA’s match up against another set of NHL All-Stars think about the possibility of an unknown from St. Cloud taking the face-off or even a highly touted prospect from Rochester between the pipes. Both players or rather all players looking for that glowing scouting report and a chance to draw high on the NHL draft and achieve the true dream. A dream of playing in the NHL and winning the Stanley Cup. It seems more meaningful than seeing the same team assembled to win a third or fourth gold medal.
ROC SPORTS NET 2009
While playing as the Penguins versus the clones of Mario and Jaromir, the kid had the audacity to keep playing the most undisciplined hockey. Always checking your Penguins after each whistle, taking slap shots from the blue line, numerous offside penalties, in a nutshell just sucking the fun out of NHL ’94.
What’s the point of this? As we approach the Winter Games in Vancouver the NHL will form their Dream Teams and suck the fun out of international hockey.
Obviously the suits from the individual countries and the equipment makers love this as it allows the ability to market already highly market players, logos and games. Nike will want you to buy their Sidney Crosby jersey over your Penguins Reebok jersey. Better yet get some official Team Canada socks. All over Canada on ponds and public rinks kids will be guarding their legs with not just Jofa, Easton and CCM but also the flag of the leg, Team Canada socks.
I myself have no problem with this repackaging but the games itself suffer along with the spirit of the Olympic Games.
This year marks the thirtieth anniversary of The Miracle on Ice. Twenty college kids were able to overthrow the mighty international dynasty of The USSR. The Penguins beat the Eastern Conference All-Stars. David slays Goliath.
The Nagano Games unveiled the Dream Team, the powerful countries (Canada, U.S.A., Sweden, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Russia) were able to arm themselves to the teeth with established NHL veterans and young superstars to annihilate second tier countries. Japan was fortunate enough to make a solid showing in those games. However, that has yet to be seen in future Olympics.
Kurt Russell as Herb Brooks voices his criticism of the Dream Teams at the end of Miracle, summing up that the wonder and mystery of an upset is unlikely. His opinion is true.
The 1994 Olympics showcased that. Canada was looking to win the gold against a Sweden team most Americans and Canadians had little knowledge of. Canada’s Corey Hirsch was looking to keep the shootout still tied until future NHL star Peter Forsberg deked and scored. His goal, viewed from an overhead shot became a stamp in Sweden and became an iconic image in Olympic hockey (second only to the celebration at Lake Placid). Then it was up to Canadian star Paul Kariya who would be stopped sealing it for Sweden. Those natural images are lost when Olympic veterans such as Nick Lidstrom and Marty Brodeur are featured.
As the NHL’s best square off it’s sad to think about how amazing and wide open the tournament would be if it showcased the best from the juniors and national teams comprised of teenagers looking to get that chance to show scouts all over the world what they have to offer. These aren’t throw away games in Prague or Stockholm against kids destined for second or third tier European leagues. No, these are the Olympic Games where the next fifty goal scorer or Vezina trophy winner will be found.
While jersey sales for little known left wingers playing junior hockey in Alberta won’t sell in America or team photos of the Slovakian national team void of any current All-Stars would be minimal, the spirit of the Olympics would be intact. The Russian dynasty was comprised of players who did not have the chance to defect and play NHL hockey, so they merely became mercenaries of the ice. They created the Summit Series and the Canada Cup to beat heavily publicized Canadian All-Star teams and brawled against NHL teams to prove that amateurs were just as skilled.
As the Olympics get underway next month and NBC airs Team USA’s match up against another set of NHL All-Stars think about the possibility of an unknown from St. Cloud taking the face-off or even a highly touted prospect from Rochester between the pipes. Both players or rather all players looking for that glowing scouting report and a chance to draw high on the NHL draft and achieve the true dream. A dream of playing in the NHL and winning the Stanley Cup. It seems more meaningful than seeing the same team assembled to win a third or fourth gold medal.
ROC SPORTS NET 2009
Friday, January 1, 2010
Keeping the Winter Classic... well, Classic
As the Bruins skated to a dramatic overtime win against the Flyers the suits from the NHL must still be beaming with the satisfaction of the Winter Classic. In a holiday tradition that is the best P.R. piece for the league, well, apart from the large silver chalice handed out in June, the league cannot go wrong. Or can it.
You can have too much of a good thing and believe Gary Bettman will find a way to ruin the feel and high magnitude of the Winter Classic. In fact he is already finding a way to dilute the event. He has mentioned that there should be a game in Canada and one in America. Let's take a moment to break that down.
First let's look at how many teams are in each country. Canada has a limited pool of teams that could compete. Canada has six teams, a number drastically dwarfed by the 24 teams that reside in the Union. This obviously brings up the discussion of how many times can we make a Senators-Leafs match up seem so special. The answer is it doesn't.
Having two Winter Classics will siphon the magic and excitement of a glorious event. Only one game needs to be played. Let's not see the game become college football. That's right, it would become the bowl season of hockey. With more bowl games being added to the NCAA postseason schedule the less the games feel special, important, exclusive.
The NHL needs to keep it to one game. But more importantly the league needs to make it a Winter Classic in the surest sense. Southern teams cannot be involved, they just cannot live up to the idea. When I think of Winter Classic, a melting rink in Phoenix or Anaheim is not how I envisioned it.
To go along with the teams being allowed to play, natural rivalry or historically based match ups must be taken into account. Having a Leafs-Canadiens match up is what the Winter Classic is all about. It's a showcase of the best franchises in the NHL's history. This is particularly true since the NHL has the weakest network deal where NBC barely shows game prior to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. You need the best historical franchises to build up viewership in main markets or use it to promote new young stars (like Crosby in the Buffalo Winter Classic).
If the NHL really wanted to use it as a showcase of the game and heritage of hockey they need to use history to their advantage. When they league had the Heritage Classic in Edmonton CBC broadcast the Mega-Stars game. You cannot miss the appeal of a game pitting The Great One, Guy LaFluer and Mark Messier.
I would have loved watching a matinee of a Bruins-Flyers alumni game. Hextall in net against Moog. John LeClair rushing inside on Ray Bourque. Maybe dust off a brawl between some Bullies and some lunch pail gang players. Now imagine if that happened every year, seeing players of yesteryear dust off the axe and blades to spend one more afternoon acting as a child.
The Winter Classic needs to feel like a classic. Let's keep it one game. Let's keep it in the ice and cold and let's keep it a showcase of the heritage and history of hockey. Most importantly let us tap into the feeling of child like wonder and an outdoor game.
ROC SPORTS NET 2009
You can have too much of a good thing and believe Gary Bettman will find a way to ruin the feel and high magnitude of the Winter Classic. In fact he is already finding a way to dilute the event. He has mentioned that there should be a game in Canada and one in America. Let's take a moment to break that down.
First let's look at how many teams are in each country. Canada has a limited pool of teams that could compete. Canada has six teams, a number drastically dwarfed by the 24 teams that reside in the Union. This obviously brings up the discussion of how many times can we make a Senators-Leafs match up seem so special. The answer is it doesn't.
Having two Winter Classics will siphon the magic and excitement of a glorious event. Only one game needs to be played. Let's not see the game become college football. That's right, it would become the bowl season of hockey. With more bowl games being added to the NCAA postseason schedule the less the games feel special, important, exclusive.
The NHL needs to keep it to one game. But more importantly the league needs to make it a Winter Classic in the surest sense. Southern teams cannot be involved, they just cannot live up to the idea. When I think of Winter Classic, a melting rink in Phoenix or Anaheim is not how I envisioned it.
To go along with the teams being allowed to play, natural rivalry or historically based match ups must be taken into account. Having a Leafs-Canadiens match up is what the Winter Classic is all about. It's a showcase of the best franchises in the NHL's history. This is particularly true since the NHL has the weakest network deal where NBC barely shows game prior to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. You need the best historical franchises to build up viewership in main markets or use it to promote new young stars (like Crosby in the Buffalo Winter Classic).
If the NHL really wanted to use it as a showcase of the game and heritage of hockey they need to use history to their advantage. When they league had the Heritage Classic in Edmonton CBC broadcast the Mega-Stars game. You cannot miss the appeal of a game pitting The Great One, Guy LaFluer and Mark Messier.
I would have loved watching a matinee of a Bruins-Flyers alumni game. Hextall in net against Moog. John LeClair rushing inside on Ray Bourque. Maybe dust off a brawl between some Bullies and some lunch pail gang players. Now imagine if that happened every year, seeing players of yesteryear dust off the axe and blades to spend one more afternoon acting as a child.
The Winter Classic needs to feel like a classic. Let's keep it one game. Let's keep it in the ice and cold and let's keep it a showcase of the heritage and history of hockey. Most importantly let us tap into the feeling of child like wonder and an outdoor game.
ROC SPORTS NET 2009
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