If you remember our Too Drunk for Television episode, you'll remember a little thing called "predict something unpredictable" for this upcoming season. Dave said someone would beat Gretzky's record of 50 goals in 39 games, and it would be someone unexpected. I said something a little less crazy: the LA Kings will make the playoffs.
In conversation, I've stood by this prediction, and it has cemented itself in my head, much like my prediction that the Pens would win the '09 cup way back in '01. I've expanded upon that, saying that they will upset someone in the first round, coming as a total surprise, before getting swept. Though this hasn't been on Hockey Week yet (yes, I know, there hasn't been an episode in a while, and I'm slacking on concepts, but how much has their been to talk about recently?), I am holding to that prediction. Rob will be happy if he ever reads this/watches that.
This is not just a post to feed my ego, but rather to say that I'm not the only crazy one. The Sporting News' Craig Custance has just written about which non-playoff teams are the most likely to make it this year. His #1: Los Angeles.
http://www.sportingnews.com/nhl/article/2009-07-28/little-help-kings-finally-have-playoff-look
Definitely something to check out, considering that I said it a while ago.
-John
Another Blog Says Exactly What John Said Last Month
Second Outdoor Game...Still?
There's been a lot of rumor about the Montreal Canadiens hosting the Washington Capitals on November 28th outside in the open air of Olympic Stadium. The game is indeed on the schedule, but there has been nothing official saying that it won't be held at Centre Bell. This would be a celebration of the Canadiens 100th Anniversary as a franchise, which would be wrapping up right around then (it's for all of the calendar year 2009).
Now there's a couple things that can be said about this, which I'm sure we'll cover in our next episode of Hockey Week. The issue I want to discuss here, perhaps to begin some talk, perhaps because it won't get enough talk on the show, is the matchup. The Washington Capitals?! Really?! Sure, it'll be a good game, and Ovechkin will make it fun to watch, but what do the Capitals have to do with the 100th Anniversary? Have they ever been considered a real opponent? A team that Habs fans love to hate? A team that Habs fans even notice?! I really question things here.
There are two possible reasons, that I can think of right now, anyway, as to why the Washington Capitals would be chosen for this special outdoor game: Guaranteed NHL Approval and as a Cash Grab.
The two perhaps go hand in hand, the Canadiens want their outdoor game, they want something special for their anniversary. So instead of waiting for another Winter Classic, which probably wouldn't be held in their territory, they are going to hold their own. To do this, they take the team that NBC snubbed, and that the NHL wanted for this year's game at Fenway, and display them outdoors anyways. How could Bettman refuse?
This ties in directly to the other idea: Cash Grab. How many Capitals fans started saving money to see their team play at Fenway? I bet more than you'd expect. Why spend that money somewhere else? The Habs will welcome Caps fans north of the border for an outdoor game where they can spend money. How many other casual hockey fans will go to see Ovechkin play? Combine those people with those who want to see an outdoor game, and you can't go wrong, they'll pack the house, probably more than they would against a rival that makes more sense.
But wouldn't other teams make more sense? Montreal and Ottawa would be amazing, especially with the throwback sweaters they could use (see concepts for what I think the matchup could be, using Montreal's already announced 100th Anniv sweaters for this season), and with Kovalev in Ottawa now, now it has more clout, as if it didn't already! Seriously, how great could it be?
Not only that, these two sweaters (well, close to them, anyways) saw each other way back in the NHA, before the NHL, I'm a huge fan of "accurate to a certain year" jersey matchups.
How about Toronto? Give them an Arenas throwback to 1917, the first year of the NHL and a year they won the cup. They already used St. Pats jerseys for a game in recent history, that was completely random, now do something like that again. Think of the marketing! Think of how much money the Leafs bring in, now expand that arena to Olympic Stadium. Incredible! Maybe Montreal is scared of being outsold at their home game, but I think that risk would be worth it. Have a game that has some history to it, Canadiens, don't just go for the finances.
It might be too late for any kind of matchup change, but it wouldn't be impossible. The game after the 11/28 game is December 1st, Leafs at Canadiens. The Senators would be a bit tougher, with the closest possibilities being January 16th and October 17th, but the Habs play in Ottawa on December 8th. How tough could it be to get that game moved to Montreal? Make it happen, Habs, have a game against a team that MEANS something.
-John
Flyers-Bruins Winter Classic is Official
The next Winter Classic is official: Philadelphia at Boston at Fenway Park!
Link Here, from the Boston Globe
I'm sure we'll cover this in-depth in the show, as we have been for quite some time, but the part we won't get to in the show is the part I want to discuss here: what will the jerseys be?
Part of this is a repost, some is new.
The Winter Classic is THE place for the NHL to introduce new throwback jerseys. The Pittsburgh Penguins adopted their throwback as a 3rd jersey because it sold so well, even though they only bothered to wear it 10 of the allowed 15 times this season because they played so horribly in it...just like the actual team that wore it. Buffalo brought back an updated version of their throwback logo for copyright reasons. Chicago is adopting their Winter Classic jersey (with the addition of shoulder patches), and Detroit wore their Winter Classic jersey for their last game against Chicago last season, leading me to believe that it might remain an unofficial 3rd jersey for the Wings - which would be a first for them.
The matchup will almost certainly be the Boston Bruins hosting the Philadelphia Flyers after the push NBC made to see them, so the teams are depicted as such. Considering that the Flyers are wearing their orange throwback 3rd jersey as their home jersey this season (something the Islanders weren't allowed to do), this would be the perfect opportunity for them to unveil the white throwback, which could be adopted as their away jersey next season. The big question is what the Bruins will wear. My hypothesis is that they will use a jersey already marketed as a sweater in the CCM Vintage collection just like the Red Wings, Penguins, and Sabres did previously. This jersey was seen from 1949-1955.
What I would love to see, however, is this matchup:
Those sweaters saw each other in 1929, The Philadelphia Quakers were a team that only lasted one season after moving from Pittsburgh; it was wiped out by the Great Depression. This first NHL team in Philly would be perfect outside on the ice at Fenway. On the other side, the sweater worn by greats such as Eddie Shore and Tiny Thompson when the Bruins won their first Stanley Cup in 1929. Since the Bruins have acknowledged that this horrible logo exists with their new updated secondary logo (which is awesome), what better time to use it? I really do hope the Bruins don the brown and gold, but I fear it's just a pipe dream.
What I wouldn't mind seeing, not because it is something good for hockey, or a good idea for Reebok and Bettman to even consider, but because it would be something very different and downright nifty, would be the Bruins jerseys from 1940-48, better known as "the football sweaters". Would it not be interesting to see something completely different without them being radical RBK designs? Will it happen? No. What would the Flyers wear? It wouldn't be worth the effort, but it's an interesting, rather forgotten sweater from a great era in Bruins hockey (after all, Milt Schmidt wore these things!)
Keeping Things Rolling
I hope to put numerous concepts out right away to establish this new section of Hockey Week, and hopefully lead to more hits. If you're reading this, please, leave a comment, let us know what you think, even if it's to say that the whole idea for a jersey concepts section is dumb.
This one was posted on Icethetics some time ago, but was edited quite a bit and forgotten with that website's hiatus. Based on the new popularity of the Penguins 3rd jersey, I created a more conservative look based on those sweaters, primarily because I am completely against the Penguins returning to blue/blue and abandoning black and gold. The idea is to use the large logo on the home sweaters, and the name-ring logo on the away sweaters, similar to how Boston has the BRUINS secondary logo text on the home jerseys and BOSTON on the away. With gold being relegated back to a trim color, it can return to being metallic gold and not the khaki seen on the RBK Edge jerseys. However, following historical precedent, the Pens should definitely not change jerseys after winning the Stanley Cup...that typically is a bad omen for a franchise (See 1992-93).
Without further adieu...
The Times They are a'Changin'
You might notice a bunch of new things here on HockeyWeek.blogspot.com, starting with the link at the top of the posts. It is the first of many changes to this blog, aimed at giving the online arm of the Hockey Week in Review more of a role. You'll also notice that every post now has labels or tags. By clicking one of them at the bottom of a post, you'll find all the other posts in that category. For instance, if you click "rant man" at the bottom of a post, you'll be taken to every post that the rant man is featured in. If you click "written posts", you can read all of our typed ramblings on one page, etc. All of the categories are available in the lower right column of the page.
First off, nothing is leaving the blog. You'll still see all the episodes posted on here shortly after their airing, watchable and downloadable for your viewing pleasure/pain. There'll be plenty of new stuff in all of the categories you're already used to seeing.
But there are some new things, oh yes, there will be new things.
First off, I'd like to formally introduce Christopher Covert to the Hockey Week family. He made an appearance in what was originally a blog-only special, but I figure he needs a full introduction here. He's a Penguins fan, a Junior at Mercyhurst, and a major jersey fanatic like myself. After this year, he will be replacing me in the studio on this show (but I'm sure I'll stay involved in some way). So he is heir apparent to the Hockey Week throne.
This year, he will have a unique role. I have wanted to do this for a while, and finally he is the perfect man for the job. Chris will be paying close attention to the show, laptop in hand, checking all of our facts as we say them, at the end, he will come on camera to correct our errors and maybe throw his two cents in. He will be our "Corrections Officer" (clever, eh?).
There is a reason why I am introducing him now, however. This blog is adding an entire new section. For over a year, I have been posting on Hockey Jersey Concept pages under the name HockeyWeek. After working to gain a respected though often different opinion, I feel it is time to throw our hat into that ring. Hockeyweek.blogspot.com will contain hockey jersey concept art along with everything you've seen previously.
Some of the competition and inspiration:
UniWatchBlog.com has been a constant bulwark in this niche, but owner Paul Lukas has always been about jersey news, and he's a baseball fan, so I'll tip my hat to him and stay out of his way.
Icethetics.info, the former NHL Tournament of Logos that went so far as to be quoted on NHL.com, was the front runner in all things hockey art related for quite some time. Recently, owner Chris has strayed from his roots, adding tournament after tournament, never finishing those, moving towards news rather than concepts, adding unrelated things such as a free-agency tracker, and even shutting down for the entire playoffs. They are slowly returning to the forefront, but not without problems already. I wish them luck, but I fully plan on Hockey Week jumping into that category.
PuckDrawn.com has picked up a lot of icethetics' slack. Owner Johnny Griswold has done a great job of keeping abreast of all things new, and has started some fantastic projects of historical jersey concept art (check out his WWII concepts, they're very nice). However, I have disagreed with most everything he says, especially on the topic of powder blue and traditionalism, and instead of being a constant dissenting opinion over there, I will post things here instead.
What separates me from the previous two websites other than my opinion, is their focus. Both Icethetics and PuckDrawn are run by graphic designers (or at least users of Adobe Illustrator), and therefore focus a lot more on logos. I have never been a logo nut, as fascinating as they may be, rarely do I come up with something completely original for a logo. Instead, I am a jersey man, and as I have said very often, the jersey/sweater is what represents the team, and should be as recognizable as any logo. So these concepts will all be very jersey-oriented.
I want to start out right, so I'm posting two concepts that I think everyone can grasp: The Winter Classic.
First Concepts Post!
The Winter Classic is THE place for the NHL to introduce new throwback jerseys. The Pittsburgh Penguins adopted their throwback as a 3rd jersey because it sold so well, even though they only bothered to wear it 10 of the allowed 15 times this season because they played so horribly in it...just like the actual team that wore it. Buffalo brought back an updated version of their throwback logo for copyright reasons. Chicago is adopting their Winter Classic jersey (with the addition of shoulder patches), and Detroit wore their Winter Classic jersey for their last game against Chicago last season, leading me to believe that it might remain an unofficial 3rd jersey for the Wings - which would be a first for them.
The matchup will almost certainly be the Boston Bruins hosting the Philadelphia Flyers after the push NBC made to see them, so the teams are depicted as such. Considering that the Flyers are wearing their orange throwback 3rd jersey as their home jersey this season (something the Islanders weren't allowed to do), this would be the perfect opportunity for them to unveil the white throwback, which could be adopted as their away jersey next season. The big question is what the Bruins will wear. My hypothesis is that they will use a jersey already marketed as a sweater in the CCM Vintage collection just like the Red Wings, Penguins, and Sabres did previously. This jersey was seen from 1949-1955.
What I would love to see, however, is this matchup:
Those sweaters saw each other in 1929, The Philadelphia Quakers were a team that only lasted one season after moving from Pittsburgh; it was wiped out by the Great Depression. This first NHL team in Philly would be perfect outside on the ice at Fenway. On the other side, the sweater worn by greats such as Eddie Shore and Tiny Thompson when the Bruins won their first Stanley Cup in 1929. Since the Bruins have acknowledged that this horrible logo exists with their new updated secondary logo (which is awesome), what better time to use it? I really do hope the Bruins don the brown and gold, but I fear it's just a pipe dream.
So that starts it off, my biggest post in a while, and hopefully the first of many. You'll see a lot of concepts from Chris Covert as well in the near future. Keep checking back, and you'll have plenty to see.
-John
Steve "Kirby" Faber has done some work with us in the past and was actually in our Season 2 Finale, and he has come through with a nice article for this blog. One of the biggest Pens fans I know, I'm sure he won't disappoint, though I don't know if I agree with him about the smart phones (I'm still in the 20th Century with that). Without further adieu, here's Kirby.
-John
Thoughts on Surviving a Championship Season
By Steve Faber for Hockeyweek.blogspot.com
As I write this article, I am watching the last march of the 2009 Champion Penguins. As I am no slouch in the fan department, I feel it is my duty to help those who didn't grow up eating, sleeping, and breathing sports that I did, so that if by some odd chance we don't repeat(though unlikely), they can survive the long road of the regular season and the even longer road of the playoffs.
The first thing I must stress is: COMPASSION. There is no reason to expect that you aren't going to get booed when you go into another team's arena wearing the away colors. Just like your team probably won't get as many calls on the ice, if you escalate confrontations, you may only get one phone call...to the bail bondsman. So, be nice about the fact that your team will clean the glass with their players' faces.
The next thing to survive is: HYDRATION. Whether it be Pop or Port, Water or Whisky, there is no way that you can survive the season without being hydrated. You can't cheer if you can't breathe, so save up and get that extra $4 for the beer so you can lung-hurl your team to the top.
Bringing me to the next thing, which is: ECONOMIZATION. In the current state of the nation, this is nothing new. There are times when your cheers and jeers just aren't going to be heard, so let the other fans have their fun, and then show them how one voice can shudder the nerves of ten thousand! Usually after whistles, if you get them going early, or when the players come out of the tunnel, if you're close to it.
Fourth and fourthmost is: PERSPIRATION. Your team sweats off a large lake of water so you can get enjoyment. It's only fair that you put forth a little effort as well. Whether that means taking the extra night shift on game 1 so you can buy tickets for game seven, or keeping your AC up in the house so you can freeze the garage for the annual start of the playoffs ice skate and date(a wonderful idea, no?), there is no reason not to work at it.
Moving along, a very important thing is: INFORMATION. If you don't know what you're talking about, sit the hell down until you look it up on your computer or your smartphone (PS-you don't have a smartphone? FTW?) As a fan of some of the best and also some of the worst teams in all of professional sports, I know my history. I also know, because of a certain Sunday where I ran the entire box for the Beer League, it's not that hard to keep hockey stats, or to remember them fondly when the time comes to show up the competition.
Finally, the best thing I can say is: DEDICATION. When everyone says you can't, you must. Whenever anyone says you won't, you do. When people ask you why the hell your beard isn't off, even though you're graduating and should be clean-shaven, just tell them what you tell everyone who looks at you funny...hockey season. They'll understand. And if they don't, just check 'em into the nearest lightpole, they don't warrant an uber-fan like you spending time teaching them.
