Ok, it is NOT about the All-Star Skills competition, so you are all spared that torture. Two huge issues came up this week that may change the perception of the sport of hockey, well, possibly forever. Lets go in the order of importance:
1) (AP article) PHILADELPHIA -- A Philadelphia Flyers minor league enforcer was discharged from a hospital Saturday, a day after having a seizure following a bloody fight -- and weeks after the death of an amateur player who hit his head on the ice while fighting.
Garrett Klotz, a hulking 20-year-old right wing in his first season with the American Hockey League's Philadelphia Phantoms, was taken off the ice on a stretcher Friday night in the opening seconds of a 2-1 victory over Manchester.
Phantoms spokesman Brian Smith said Friday night that Klotz was alert and responsive on the way to the hospital and watched the rest of the game on television.
"It was a scary incident," Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren told Comcast SportsNet. "But we just got word from our doctor that he's clear. There's no facial fracture. They're stitching him up. His jaw is fine and there's no tooth fracture or anything. It's a scary ordeal, but he's going to be fine."
Klotz and Kevin Westgarth -- both 6-foot-5 and Westgarth 12 pounds heavier at 247 -- removed their helmets and squared off immediately after the opening faceoff, with Klotz possibly retaliating for Westgarth's Nov. 7 fight with the Phantoms' Jeff Szwez.
The long fight ended when Westgarth hit Klotz with an uppercut and two more hard punches, dropping him to the ice -- and possibly knocking him out. Klotz appeared to land awkwardly on the boards -- but didn't hit his head -- and convulsed for 30 to 40 seconds. He was on the ice for about 10 minutes before being lifted onto the stretcher.
Klotz, from Regina, Saskatchewan, has one assist and 54 penalty minutes in 30 games for the Phantoms this season. After the Flyers drafted him 66th overall in 2007, he had a goal, three assists and 97 penalty minutes in 52 games last season for Saskatoon in the junior Western Hockey League. In 150 WHL games in three seasons with Red Deer and Saskatoon, he had five goals, five assists and 229 penalty minutes.
Westgarth has a goal, four assists and 109 penalty minutes in 38 games this season for Manchester. The former Princeton forward also played two penalty- and point-free games this season for the Los Angeles Kings.
The seizure followed the Jan. 2 death of Don Anderson, the 21-year-old Whitby Dunlops defenseman who hit his head on the ice after his helmet fell while fighting Dec. 12 in an Ontario Hockey Association game.
Answer from the Rant Man [RM]) Ok, now we have back-to-back incidents where someone has either died or experienced near deadly force causing some head trauma induced seizures. What do you think the message of the sport is becoming now if it weren't already such? "Hockey is a violent sport in all aspects". Yes, this is true in two ways; the playing aspect and the physical toughness aspect. Body checking, scrums in the corner, squaring up at center ice to get the crowd and bench charged up or to come to the defense of a teammate...there are many reasons why hockey is physical. Granted the NHL is trying to appeal to the masses, so Bettman's Funland for kids is becoming a reality with all the subtle changes being made every year. But, if he and the board of governors dare touch fighting in the NHL in anyway (again...see instigator rule), I will watch another tier of the hockey professionalism ladder. Maybe I will go so far as watching some Russian KHL action and retool my Russian language skills again (Sorry Father Simon, I didn't keep up with the vocab like you consistently suggested).
My issue is that two incidents don't make a mandate for change. Last year, the league didn't react to the Richard Zednik corroded artery incident with sudden change for neck guards. It was the second time such an incident occurred with a skate (but I will say, there have been hundreds of close calls). I think that unless it becomes an epidemic, don't change anything with the fighting. This has come up numerous times in the past decade, but fighting is a piece of hockey tradition. If you're removing it because of the possible lethal consequences, then show me statistics on how often and likely it is going to end up deadly. Maybe after that I'll understand and accept it. But so long as there is UFC/MMA, bare knuckle fighting (and then some), if those guys (and gals) can go at it with minimum protection on their bodies, then fighting in hockey should remain. It seems laughable to remove fighting in hockey with the continuing existence of Mixed Martial Arts and Ultimate Fighting Competitions. Think of what all the followers on that side would think if fighting were removed. Certain words come to mind, and I will not publish them here.
2) NHL Moves Awards Ceremony to Las Vegas (Scott Burnside - ESPN) The NHL will indeed be taking their annual awards ceremony from downtown Toronto to the Las Vegas Strip.
A league source tells ESPN.com that plans are now coming into focus for the awards show to make its first visit to Las Vegas on June 18, shortly after the end of the Stanley Cup playoffs and before the NHL draft in Montreal.
The ceremony is expected to be hosted by the Palms Casino and Resort.
Along with the show itself, former NHL greats Pat LaFontaine and Luc Robitaille will put together teams for a celebrity charity hockey game.
The NHL Players' Association will also hold its annual North American summer meetings in Las Vegas around the awards show as the league tries to turn it into a marquee event.
The NHL has long been rumored to be interested in exploring the idea of a franchise in the gambling mecca. Perhaps moving the awards show there will give a sense of what draw the sport might have in Vegas.
One NHL executive told ESPN.com there is no downside to moving the show to the gaming center. "It's all up-side," he said.
Answer from RM) What the hell? Are you serious? Did Bettman just figuratively flip off Canada? Is Rick Tocchet going to revisit his gambling problems during the awards ceremony? Are people delusional in the idea that sand and ice mix perfectly well (ie. Phoenix Coyotes and now the awards ceremony)?
Those were all questions, and not answers, I know. This topic will receive my full, uh attention and effort, for the next show coming up this week. Don't miss it.
~Rant Man~
Two Issues: What Grinds a Rant Man's Gears
The 2nd Annual Hockey Weekend Across America
To better get the word out about hockey in the United States, the second annual 'Hockey Weekend Across America' is on. February 13-15 is the weekend this year. Watch the video below for more details.
Hockey Week Season 2: Episode 2 (01/21/09): All Star Talk and Recent Headlines
Download Show 2
It's a discussion on the All-Star Game, helmets in fights at the OHA level, and various player issues.
Check it out!
Questions, comments, concerns, and, of course, complaints can be sent to HockeyWeek@hotmail.com
Hockey Week Season 2: Episode 1 (01/12/09): The New Beginning
We're baaaack! With a little help too. Well, not saying that we need any help here with the show, but the more people the merrier! Welcome aboard, Robert Kelley! We'll post an exaggerated biography later. Anyway, we found a splendid way of posting the entire show to the blog page and to itunes! Isn't that just the best news next to Barry Melrose coaching again? Oh, wait... Yeah, you get the point.
Tons of stuff going on in this show. Apologies on the audio issues with patching me (the Rant Man) through. We're still working out all the kinks. Oh, I'm in Washington, DC, by the way. Tune in to experience all the mayhem!
Show one of the second season of Hockey Week in Review is on! Click the link below to download it now, or subscribe to the feed on iTunes to have all upcoming episodes automatically downloaded to your computation machines!
Download Season Two: Show 1
Ok, Maybe Not
Ok, so we made a miscalculation. Ever make one? We did. We've tried just about every solution to produce a show from two webcams onto any kind of dvd with the technology we have at our homes. So, with the mass failure of our mid-summer special, we're simply going to wait until the Mercyhurst school year begins, so that John can have access to the studio, and Dave can be properly channeled into our switchboards. That sounded ghostbusters-esque, didn't it? Sweet. Dave, the Ranting Ghost. hehe.
Back to business. There WILL be a new addition to the on-screen team at the Hockey Week in Review. I've talked to him, things seem finalized, but I'm not going to announce it yet, just yet. So get ready for some new material, look back here at the end of August, and all the way through the season. There'll be some surprises along the way, some kinks to work out, and I hope you'll be there for their entire ride.
Here's to a great season,
John "Yotco" Baranowski
HWIR: The Return is Near
Hello all you hockey obsessives,
This is the good old Rant Man here with a little information that I thought you'd all like. Some good news to pass along to the faithful followers who oddly enough continue to download our old podcasts off the page...thanks? Haha. Well, it may be old news, but you're still tuning in, which leads us to think that this is good and you want more of us. So, a simulcast or pre-recorded broadcast of a remote linked show will be done in the coming weeks. We will be recapping the moves made on free agency and take a look at all the teams with their subtractions and additions, then make a final grade on whether or not they get off-season approval on making strides for a better next season. Stayed tuned for this very special web-based reunion. We may even find a way to get our technical directors on board, too...or maybe not.
But...
I, of course, am no longer regionally friendly to the Erie, PA corridor of the U.S. and John, well, he's in Pittsburgh. What I'm getting at is the fact that I have a new home. Washington, DC is now the new setting for my current career (yes, I say current because stranger things have happened and I still have hope that the strange things will result in a hockey broadcasting related job one day).
So, in the fall season, John will be Erie based, and I will be, of course, in DC. We will find a way to keep this partnership of love/hate, Sabres/Penguins, unbiased/biased, and clean-shaved/Amazonian-bearded together. If we find that it can't work out in having a split screen fancy setup or whatever we may plan, I'll still have a segment aired at the end of each show or something of the like, and we'll have plenty of podcasts to go around. Yay! Rejoice one and all!
And there you have it, the state of the show is good! Just thought I'd give you this update, and tell you that we are A-Okay! Just spoke with the furry big guy on the phone about 20 minutes ago for a long hour conversation on how we are going to save hockey (the sport in general) and the show, as well. We have a plan! We will move forward and achieve victory!!! Ok, that's a bit to militant, but stay vigilant in downloading and tune in for the next edition of the Hockey Week in Review!
~Rant Man~
The Finals: post 1
I miss the studio. Otherwise this would be a nice little finals preview show. But alas, since I don't have a webcam, I just wanted to make a post to make sure people know we're alive. I hope, that sometime soon, we will return with a video. Until then, sit tight.
We've made it to the Stanley Cup Finals. So far, I'm only two games off (one in each series), so I'm rather satisfied.
Detroit vs Pittsburgh
I picked this matchup, so we will see how well my pick weathers. I want it here, in electronic print, just for verification. RantMan, since I know you'll be reading this, I expect you to revise your pick, with the tiny explanation like I'm doing.
this won't be an easy series for the penguins. detroit seems like the perfect team. the only possible flaw being osgood. possible. and he doesn't see enough shots to even be a risk. the red wings are scary. plain and simple.
if it goes to 7 games, i see wear and tear hurting the penguins. can fleury handle that many games? that much pressure? the detroit freaking red wings?
that said, i think the penguins handle teams like detroit very well. the style of play that they prefer, that finesse passing combined with pure refined skill...they're the goliaths of the nhl...and all it takes is a young group of davids to take them down.
Pens in 6.
There are other things going around the league that I really want to discuss in a podcast. This stuff might be big enough to send to HurstTV in Erie. Versus? Glowpuck? Say it ain't so!!! More to come, stay tuned!
Post-Game Show: 04/25/08 Game 1 Round 2
Rant Man and Johnny B talk post-game reactions from the first three games of round two, and preview the Sharks and Stars.
Download Post Game Review
Musings of a Rant Man: Sharks-Dallas Semi-Finals
Thought I'd verbally have a discussion on the Dallas Stars and San Jose Sharks matchup. Here's some little known facts, and also why I think a particular team will walk away with a win in this series.
~The Rant Man~
P.S. - When talking about the interview with Turco part (referencing John on this week's show), I accidentally said 'Craig' Simpson, not 'Christine' Simpson! Whoops! Yeah, sorry, had a better TV network on the brain (like CBC, not Versus).
Download The Rant Man's Musing
SNAFU stands for: Situation: NHL's All Fouled Up
Thought I was going to say what the F in SNAFU really means? Shame on you, this is a family show. Anyways, SNAFU actually is a military term that means Situation Normal: All F***** Up, and that's exactly what the NHL front office is right now.
If you've been paying attention to our show, which is now updated on HurstTV 19 in Erie (we're working on getting it online, going from DVD to .Mov is proving harder than we thought), I mentioned that the NHL has just OK'ed a t-shirt (seen left) mocking the rule changes caused by Sean Avery's antics involving Marty Brodeur. That was correct, but now Gary Bettman has officially contradicted the rest of the office and denied the t-shirt, according to the New York Post.
Now many of you are probably expecting me to say that Bettman did a good job. Wrong! Bettman has further cheapened the NHL's image by being hypocritical in its stance on hypocracy.
"The commissioner and his chief lieutenant did not see the humor in it, though they may have been able to recognize the hypocrisy of capitalizing on the persona of Avery, a player the NHL can barely tolerate," says the Post. Though I agree with them, to have released the idea in the first place completely violates that, and sends a very mixed signal.
Furthering the military references, I harken back to the great WWII movie U-571, where a rookie captain is scolded for saying "I don't know." Leadership is essential in any operation, and showing indecision can kill the morale of a crew. Furthermore, approving something and then taking it back shows something far worse: dissention. While dissention in the Bettman camp is something I want, I am also far from confident that he'll be fired anytime soon. Therefore, the NHL's image should be the most important thing, for without respect, how can the fanbase grow, the ratings grow, and how can the NHL ever get back to ESPN and mainstream media?
Tounge-in-cheek things are fine, I make fun of myself quite a bit and I firmly believe that people should have thick skins, but suddenly putting the kibosh on this shows that not only is the NHL not able to make fun of itself, but it is embarrassed to do so. I remember the days where NHL commercials were actually funny. Adam Oates going "offsides" while hitting on a woman, Hockey Falls where a 1972 Bruins autographed jacket gets ruined, out of work goalies in other jobs, or the bubble hockey players talking about Wayne Gretzky. Now all we have is "I am victory, I am defeat, I am victory, I am defeat, I am victory" with a goal lamp that's shown every commercial break. Charting the NHL's popularity from then to now...maybe the league should go back to humor. Maybe championing the bafoonery of this wanna-be-goon IS what the league needs.
No...what the league needs is stability, from the inside out. This is just another example of changing minds. This t-shirt represents every change made and unmade: eliminating tag-up offsides, moving the nets 2 feet closer to the bluelines, FoxTraxx glow puck, and hopefully soon, moving to Versus and expanding to Sunrise, Florida and Nashville, Tennessee.
Sorry Gary, no praise for you here. How about we fix the wrecked car instead of just applying touch-up paint?
P.S. Has anyone else seen the irony in that if the NHL profited from this shirt, the players would receive some of it through Revenue Sharing, including Martin Brodeur who suffered through Avery's antics which led to this new rule.
Sources:
Orginally: http://www.nypost.com/seven/04232008/sports/rangers/cashing_in_on_avery_punk_act_107662.htm
Repeal: http://www.nypost.com/seven/04242008/sports/rangers/bettman_kos_avery_shirt_107814.htm
