Category Archives: NHL

NHL Honors Canadian Soldiers

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By Ellen Chlumecky

October 22nd, 2014 is a date that will now live in infamy in the hearts of all Canadians. At 9:52 a.m. when Michael Zehaf-Bibeau entered the Canadian National War Memorial, everything changed. Zehaf-Bibeau fatally shot Corporal Nathan Cirillo and then attacked the members of the Canadian Parliament. Two days before, a terrorist attack occurred in Quebec which resulted in the killing of another Canadian soldier. This tragic week has hit Canada like a wrecking ball. Citizens of Canada’s lives were put on hold while they tried to absorb what happened. During this time, everyone tried to put activities on hold until people could grasp what had happened, notably they cancelled the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs game.

This Saturday, October 25th the same week of the tragic shootings, Canada held a commemorative night honoring the fallen soldiers at the Ottawa Senators and New Jersey Devils game.  In combined efforts with the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Ottawa Senators and the New Jersey Devils organized the game at Canadian Tire Centre to be a night dedicated to the two Canadian soldiers who had fallen in order to protect others and their country. The ceremony honored not only them, but the Canadian soldiers who were first respondents to both of the shootings.

The Ottawa Senators and the New Jersey Devils stood shoulder to shoulder on the center ice circle for the ceremony. In the middle of center ice were representatives of the Canadian military. The anthem singer sang “O Canada,” which the crowd joined in singing loudly with him. The Senators also showed on the video board the Montreal and Toronto arenas pregame where the crowd sang the Canadian anthem as well.

While the shoulder to shoulder is not something you usually see in these types of ceremonies, it was conveyed a powerful message. That message was the unity of these players symbolized the unity of the players and the unity of America and Canada. This message of the ceremony was to honor the fallen soldiers who gave their lives to protect the lives of other citizens. However, the NHL was also trying to make the statement of unity through hockey.  Hockey holds great importance in Ottawa and Canada as a whole, and for the NHL to come together to show support towards Ottawa says a lot about the power of sports and the compassion that the NHL organization holds for these fallen soldiers, their families, and all that were affected.

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Slava Voynov Suspended Indefinitely: NHL Holds Firm Ground

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By Ellen Chlumecky

On Monday morning, Salva Voynov of the Los Angeles Kings was arrested on a case of domestic violence and has been suspended indefinitely from the Kings. They are waiting on a formal investigation by the NHL. The Police Department that arrested Voynov is expected to meet with the Los Angeles Country District Attorney’s office at some point this week.

While the details are still hazy on the next steps to occur to Voynov, the NHL made the clear decision to suspend him indefinitely. While the NHL has not responded as quickly or as appropriately in the past with certain cases such as  Seymon Varlamov where they continued to let him travel and play with the Colorado Avalanche while his case was being tried through the judicial system. With the course of action currently being taken with Voynov it looks as though the NHL wants to improve their methods of discipline.

Gary Bettman stated that the league had been working with the union on the policy for over a decade to improve their policies. He stated that their main focus for the league is counseling and education.  The NHL has a joint program with the Players Association and they provide counseling and educating on domestic violence for more than a decade. The security department holds annual meetings with each individual team. They not only talk about domestic violence but hold substance abuse programs, behavioral health programs, and programs targeting counseling and educating the players on many other issues.

With the recent problems happening in the NFL recently, the NHL clearly needs to show the sports world they can handle their problems with a firm, steady hand. The NHL has the opportunity to show their fans and other spectators that they will not stand for this kind of behavior in their athletes.

Voynov is currently suspended, but after the trial the NHL needs to seriously look into removing Voynov from the league whether or not he was pronounced guilty. By removing a player who was involved in this situation shows the dedication to removing this kind of behavior from the league. The NFL is receiving all kinds of slack for their lack of action with these behavioral problems and domestic violence instances. The NHL needs to act quickly and show the rest of the sports world that this type of problem should not be welcome on teams. When any future players see problems like this in the media, they shouldn’t aspire to be like these players which is why action to remove players like this is the best plan in the long run.

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Domestic Abuse in the NHL

By Savannah Malnar

Domestic abuse is a serious issue that has lately become a hot topic in professional sports, namely the NFL. Unfortunately cases can be found in multiple sports, most recently in the NHL. Los Angeles Kings defenseman Slava Voynov was suspended indefinitely by the NHL due to him being arrested for domestic violence charges.

While the NFL has now made very strict and specific rules regarding domestic abuse (the player gets suspended for 6 games for his first violation, and the player gets a lifetime ban for a repeat offense), the NHL has no such regulations. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman is aware of the new enforcements in the NFL, but does not believe any need to be implemented in the NHL due to their work in implementing educational courses and counseling for the athletes.

The case is being compared by the media to the domestic violence case against Semyon Varlamov, Colorado Avalanche goaltender. Varlamov was charged with abusing his girlfriend during the 2013-2014 season, but continued to play with the Avalanche and suffered no discipline from the league. The charges were later dropped due to “reasonable doubt.”

With the new attention being given to these cases, the media is questioning how the NHL handled Varlomov’s case last season. Ken Campbell of The Hockey News says about that case, “…the league kept its distance from the situation.” They seem to have a different attitude towards the Voynov case.

The sport media is asking the big question, “Why is this case different?”

The most obvious answer is that the climate regarding domestic abuse cases regarding athletes has drastically changed since the Ray Rice incident and the NFL’s failure to correctly respond. The NHL does not want to risk making a similar mistake; and the suspension is justified through the recently re-negotiated CBA which allows the league to suspend a player who is subject to a criminal investigation.

While the sport media has been covering this story as thoroughly as possible, the NHL themselves has only released one short statement regarding the situation, including a quote from the Kings organization regarding how concerning this event is to the team.

As this situation progresses, the NHL should act proactively to keep fans and other players updated to ensure that they are fully informed through a reliable source.

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Detroit Sports Landmark to be Destroyed in 2017

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By Ellen Chlumecky

This Thursday, the city of Detroit made the final decision to demolish their beloved hockey arena: Joe Louis Arena. The plan is to demolish the home of the Detroit Red Wings and sell the land to a creditor for development as part of the agreement to settle the city’s bankruptcy case. The creditor is bond insurer Financial Guaranty Insurance Co. The arena will be knocked down and will be replaced with almost nine acres of either a hotel, apartment condominiums, office spaces, or retail development.

Joe Louis Arena was opened in 1979 and has been a staple in hockey history since the doors opened. The arena is the fourth oldest NHL venue. Joe Louis Arena was one of the few arenas that was without a corporate sponsorship name. Joe Louis Arena is not only home to hockey but to basketball, professional wrestling and a myriad of concerts. Until the deal, the arena was owned by the city of Detroit. The plan as of now will be to move the arena just a couple of miles away.

The deal with Detroit will remove $7 billion of debt from Detroit’s bankruptcy problem. The lawyers, attorneys and creditor are very excited about the deal. Lawyers for the city believe that it will be one of the greatest steps in the right direction to solving the problem the city of Detroit is currently facing.

With the financial situation that Detroit is currently in, most would see the deal as a positive. However, Detroit Red Wings and fans of the arena are not too happy, especially long time fans of the Red Wings. While the update was needed, it will not take the sentimentality out of the decision. Detroit Red Wings fans are very upset about the demolition of their beloved stadium.

While removing the debt of Detroit is the top priority for the city, Red Wings fans hold heavy hearts for the demolition of their historic arena. Some fans are scared that the new arena will lose the old world feel of Joe Louis because it lacks the memories and traditions that Joe Louis held. Other fans are nervous that the new arena will follow the corporate trail and become a flashy, new arena that resembles a shopping mall rather than a hockey arena. Red Wings’ fans have many memorable, wonderful memories of great moments in Wings history with 11 cups, countless playoff seasons, several Hall of Famers, and the Original 6 tradition associated with the arena. At this point, there is really nothing anyone can do. It is now up to the Red Wings’ franchise to preserve the rich tradition.

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Florida Panthers Struggling to Attract Fans

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By Alex O’Connor

Attendance at Florida Panthers games is once again becoming an issue for their organization. Last night, just 7,311 fans came out to see a 1-0 loss against the Ottawa Senators. The Panthers dropped to 0-2-1 on the season and are now under scrutiny not only for their product on the ice, but the lack of hockey interest in southern Florida. NBCsports.com focused specifically on Florida goalie Roberto Luongo, noting that he has played for packed houses with the Vancouver Canucks on a regular basis. In addition, The Miami Herald interviewed Luongo after the loss and he plainly said, “If we want to get some people in the stands, we need to start winning some games.” However, Luongo added that “He doesn’t pay attention to that stuff”, so it may or may not have a large effect on the team’s performance as a whole. Through the media’s attention on attendance and the team’s’ poor performance, the Panthers could be in for a tumultuous season that may put doubts in the minds of many who believe they will be in Florida for an extended period of time.

Social media also had a profound impact on the reach of this story. Numerous accredited sport commentators, writers and analysts were tweeting pictures of the empty stands from their vantage point. The pictures are stunning, as there are almost hundreds of seats open among each section. The most notable picture came from Bruce Garrioch, an award-winning sport journalist from the Ottawa Sun who tweeted a picture of the crowd at game time. The post has almost four hundred re-tweets and was one of many to point out the low attendance.

Another aspect that is hurting the Panthers organization is their lack of incoming revenue from ticket sales. On September, 17th of this year, an NBCsports.com article was published that pointed out the financial woes that the franchise was in. The title was “Panthers owners say they’re committed even though team has lost ‘tremendous amounts of money.'” These losses are between $20-$30 million annually, and are losses that they have asked Broward County in Florida to cover. This is an expense that will not be easily fixed and could loom over the organization for many more years. However, new owners Vinnie Viola and Doug Cifu wrote a “vote of confidence” letter to Panthers fans in mid-September. In the letter they highlighted the acquisition of star goalie Roberto Luongo and how moves like this one is their commitment to the Panthers producing a Stanley Cup caliber team. Though this is encouraging that the owners are on board, they may need to find another avenue in which fans can once again become excited about their organization.

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NHL Player Safety Looking to Hire Flyers’ Heavy-Hitter Chris Pronger

By Savannah Malnar

It’s October, which means it’s officially the beginning of the NHL season. As with the start of any sport season, there’s excitement, debate about teams and season predictions. But what kind of beginning of a season would it be without a little controversy?

As of October 8th, the NHL doesn’t lack that. It was reported that famed Flyer goon, (or enforcer, depending what side of the hit you’re on), Chris Pronger was interviewed for a job within the NHL player safety department. The media immediately blew up, for two primary reasons.

First off, Pronger has a total of 1,916 penalty minutes in the 18 years he played in the NHL. His number of times suspended? 22 games. Two of those suspensions were for hits to the head. He isn’t the first person that would usually come to mind regarding “player safety.”

Secondly, Pronger is still under contract with the Philadelphia Flyers for three more years. Because of concussion and eye issues, he will not play in the league again, but the Flyers need to keep him on long-term injured reserve and continue paying him for salary cap reasons. His salary while on the IR will be $4 million this season and then $575,000 the next two.

The hockey media seem to be in two camps, but surprisingly the sticking point is the remaining contract, not his reputation on the ice. In fact, after the initial shock and flurry of jokes about the irony of the situation, the media agreed he would be fitting for the job. To quote Nicholas Cotsonika, Yahoo! Sports hockey writer, “If you want to build a better safe, hire a safe-cracker.”

Still, there is an apparent conflict of interest with Pronger being paid directly by the Flyers for three more years. He would have the opportunity to put voice his opinion on player safety cases for all of the teams in the NHL, including the Flyers. Would there be bias? Probably not. Would there be more controversy and maybe even lawsuits if a mistake is made? That situation isn’t out of the question.

Some of the media are calling for him to be hired, but for the NHL to not seek his advice on any cases regarding the Flyers. This seems fair. Bob McKenzie, hockey commentator on TSN, tweeted that the NHL Players Association is involved in this decision. As long as the players are in agreement, there shouldn’t be any more debate within the media.

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Back in Full Swing: Start of the 2014 NHL Season

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By Ellen Chlumecky

The 2014 NHL Season kicked off this Wednesday with a substantial amount of media attention from a multitude of different media outlets. While the NHL is not the number one popular sport currently in the United States, NHL teams’ public relation and marketing teams have been doing an exceptional job at getting the attention on the NHL.

Hockey is not covered much as sports such as football and basketball, however hockey is still proclaimed one of the four major sports in both North America and the United States. However, NBC Sports Network has world class coverage which includes weeknight games all week and the rivalry night during the week. NBCSN is also starting to show some college hockey games in addition to the NHL games.

In addition to local radio stations and TV stations in each of the respective teams’ areas, the NHL franchise has taken to Twitter to promote the 2014 season. All of the individual NHL teams have also taken to Twitter to promote their games and the start of the season. The NHL also decided to create a Snapchat to promote their stories and game times. They also post daily to their Instagram account, which had a countdown of the amount of days until the season started. The NHL franchise is trying to hit every corner of the media to broadcast the start of the season and to get more and more people to watch. The NHL wants all types of fans and are trying to expand their media horizons even more than ever.

While the NHL is being supported by NBCSN and other major media outlets, one of the biggest sports media outlets that tends to ignore the NHL is ESPN. While NBCSN own all national coverage rights to show NHL games, it shouldn’t stop ESPN from broadcasting stories or highlights of certain games. The reason why ESPN is not a huge supporter of the NHL is unknown, but despite this setback, the NHL seems to be doing fine without their support. It is set to be a great season for the NHL with plenty of fresh faces and a multitude of teams ready to battle for their chance to hoist the Stanley Cup. The NHL franchises should be commended on their hard work with the marketing, promotions and advertising they have been doing to promote the league further. Here’s to another great NHL season!

 

Hockey: The Neglect Continues for the NHL

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By Nicholas Muhl

I was born December 29th, 1992. That year the Pittsburgh Penguins won their first Stanley Cup behind NHL Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux. Growing up as a young kid in the 90’s, I was raised to love the National Hockey League. To this day I can remember collecting NHL hockey cards as a kid, and knowing many of the players that played for each team.

I grew up watching the toughness of defensemen Scott Stevens of the New Jersey Devils. I saw both goaltenders Patrick Roy and Martin Brouder battle for who was the best in the NHL. Both are now probably two of the best hockey players to ever play. And I saw the Dallas Star’s Brett Hull score the infamous “No Goal” in triple overtime to defeat the Buffalo Sabres in the Stanley Cup.

In the 90’s and early 2000’s, the NHL was in it’s prime. The NHL is much different a decade later. It’s experienced two lockouts since 2004 under commissioner Gary Bettman. Events like Todd Bertuzzi’s blind side sucker punch on Steve Moore in 2004, and Patrice Bergeron’s Grade III concussion in 2007 have called into question the brutality of the sport.

Rightfully so, for a time period, the NHL was it’s own worst enemy and received little to no media coverage because of it. There was a point where many NHL games were being shown on little known media networks like OLN. Gone were the big time games on ABC, NBC, ESPN and other major networks.

However, the NHL is building back to what it once was. Superstars Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin have generated national attention to the NHL and have become household names, even for the non-hockey fan. The 2014 Stanley Cup final between the Los Angeles Kings and New York Rangers was the second most watched Stanley Cup final since 2006.

Now, days before the 2014 NHL season is set to begin, where is the media coverage of the NHL? After such a highly watched Stanley Cup, why do I find myself, an avid fan of the NHL, barely feeling like the season is set to begin at all? Nightly SportsCenter episodes are spent discussing players like Johnny Manziel and LeBron James. Headlines are all about the major sports like football and basketball.

While the NHL still has a long way to go before it can be once again included with the major leagues of the NFL, NBA and MLB, it is now on the right path. However, the NHL will never make a comeback until major networks like ESPN begin giving the NHL the coverage it deserves. It’s frustrating as a fan, because these major networks make it harder to be a fan of a sport so many love.

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