Next Stop is not Sochi

Unsure if the NHL will be participating in the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia in 2014? Wonder no longer. They won’t. I know I’ve harped on this before, but I think now that we’re over halfway through the Vancouver Games, we can take yet another look.

The reason the NHL got involved with the Olympics in the first place was to increase the exposure of the game in the United States, leading to higher television ratings. With most media outlets covering the games in some way or another and professional hockey being one of the most popular winter sports, it just makes sense that the sport would receive a ratings boost after the games. This didn’t happen after the games in Nagano or Turin, but often the time difference was cited as the reason. Well, it didn’t happen after the Salt Lake Games either, and now NHL ratings are lower than ever. There is no reason to think this will change after the Vancouver games.

The first blow being dealt to hockey was the lacklustre teams participating. Teams like Belarus, Norway, Germany and Latvia are sent like lambs to the slaughter against the traditional powerhouses. It just isn’t that entertaining watching such lopsided affairs. Added to this is the Women’s event, which has no place in the Olympics. Even the most ardent fan doesn’t enjoy watching Canada beat someone 18-0. The lopsided nature of many games is a big turnoff for the casual fan.

The second problem for hockey is that Americans don’t really like it. This was made very clear when NBC opted to show figure skating last night, instead of the Canada-USA game, which was bumped to the nether regions of the dial on CNBC. NBC is the main American network for the NHL in the United States, and they chose not to show the marquee game of the tournament so far. This speaks volumes of the NHL’s problems down South.

Further evidence could be found on the internet, where Team USA’s major upset wasn’t the first or even the second story on most websites. On FoxSports’ website, the network that broadcasts more NHL games than any other, the game was the third story after one about the upcoming NFL combine and one about the art of singing free agents in baseball. On NBC’s sports site, the hockey game was at the bottom of the page. Some of the stories that came in ahead of Olympic hockey were, “NBA and TNT to Discuss Changes to Dunk Contest” and “Vick Offered $1 Million to pose for Playgirl.” That’s more exposure alright, but probably not what the NHL had in mind.

Now comes the big question of why on earth would the owners risk their prized assets, players with whom they have invested millions and millions of dollars into, for the Olympics, where it is clear they aren’t benefiting one bit? The answer is of course, they won’t. Imagine a big time player getting injured in the Olympics, and missing the rest of the season. More specifically, imagine Kiprusoff getting injured in the Olympics and missing the rest of the season. Any chances the Flames had of post season success would be dashed, all so Finland could have a better chance at winning a medal. Who wasn’t a little concerned when Jarome didn’t play most of the third period against Switzerland? Of course some will argue that it should be up to the players, but I’ll say they’re wrong.
NHL contracts already limit players from things like skiing, sky diving, driving race cars, etc. They can do this for Olympic hockey as well. If I had invested $50 million in someone to play hockey, I sure as hell don’t want them risking themselves to play for another team.

Not only are the owners putting their players in jeopardy, but they’re also disrupting their league’s schedule for someone else’s benefit. Any story lines that might have been developing in the NHL season are all but forgotten by most people now, and it almost seems as if the Olympic year is two separate seasons; one season without a championship and a second season that’s only 20 games long. Of course this isn’t as much of an issue in Canada, but imagine what’s going through a Columbus Blue Jackets fan’s head. His team has no chance of winning anything this year and after two weeks without playing a game, he’s probably lost what little interest he had in the end of the season. He isn’t going to tune in on television, and he isn’t going to spend his money going to the game either.

The next Winter Olympics will be in Russia, specifically Sochi, which is eight hours ahead of the Eastern Time zone; meaning games will take place in the morning in Canada. This means even fewer people will be watching Olympic hockey in four years, than are watching now. If it isn’t worth having NHL players right now, it certainly won’t be worth it in four years from now, in Russia.

-TheRev

Blue Jacket Blues

I received an interesting email today from the Columbus Blue Jackets. I’ve been on their mailing list for a couple of years after buying tickets from their website, but haven’t unsubscribed as I enjoy getting some of their offers. For example, last month, I received an offer of a lower bowl ticket, a pre-game buffet in the club section and a beer in their in-arena pub after the game. All of this could be had for the low price of $50. I don’t think you could have the buffet for $50 in Calgary.

Today, however, I received a different type of email from the Blue Jackets, and one I’m glad we won’t be receiving in Calgary anytime soon. The email, with a subject line of “Important Question,” talked about how the Blue Jackets and Nationwide are working with local officials for a solution to their economic problems. It then asks you to complete a survey, which is being conducted on their behalf by Business First of Columbus. The survey consists of a single question: “How Important Is It That Columbus Retains the Blue Jackets Hockey Franchise?” I can’t imagine what it would be like to get an email from the Flames asking how important it was to me that they stay in town.

The email speaks volumes about what is happening in the NHL right now. Most of the talk recently has been around the Phoenix Coyotes and their financial troubles and the discussion of the viability of hockey franchises is usually confined to the Sunbelt locations. It is usually assumed that the teams in the North are safe and can survive without any problems. When one of these so-called “northern” teams is sending their fans an email asking if the franchise is important, you know something is rotten in the City of Columbus.

I attended a Blue Jackets game in 2008 against the Flames. The game was fairly late in the season, and the Blue Jackets were already effectively eliminated from the playoffs, but the arena was about three-quarters full. The problem for the Blue Jackets isn’t getting fans into the building; it’s getting them to pay more to do so. We sat in the lower bowl, three rows behind the Flames bench with tickets that cost less than $50. The same tickets in the Saddledome would cost at least three times that much.

Here in lies what I believe to be the problem with many of the teams in the NHL. The attendance problems in Phoenix are well documented, but people often point to some successful franchises were attendance is ‘good,’ like Carolina or Tampa. Yes, there may be a lot of fans in the building, but their ticket prices are so low, they are at a serious disadvantage economically compared to teams in Vancouver, Philadelphia or New York, and this doesn’t take into account the fact that their TV audiences are almost non-existent. While the Phoenix situation seems to have been resolved temporarily with a sale to the NHL, it hasn’t. Attendance in Phoenix has plummeted to even lower levels, and those fans in attendance are hardly paying anything to be there. Their problems will come to the surface again, and the next time the Coyotes are the top story, I would expect a few other franchises to be right there with them.


-TheRev

Limping Home

Well, a game removed from the biggest collapse in NHL history and the Flames should come out angry as all hell, right? Wrong

The Flames were out shot 33-23 and if it were not for Kiprusoff, this game would have been 6-1. Kipper made several tremendous saves to keep the Flames up 1-0, but finally succumbed to the pressure of a 5 on 3 powerplay and let in two goals in just over two minutes of play. The Flames lacked any significant scoring chance over the final two periods until about 2 minutes left in the game when Iginla crashed the net and nearly shoved home a rebound; only to be thwarted by reigning Calder trophy winner Steve Mason.

The Flames only had one powerplay in the game and it lasted all of 45 seconds, failing to score in that time. The lack of powerplays suggest a lack of fore-check, lack of creating chances, and lack of beating the opposition to the puck forcing them to make a mistake. A lack of effort might be a better way to put it. The Flames looked tired and struggled to piece together more than 2 passes all night.

Kipper was easily the teams best player on a night where two former (I use that term loosely) Flames scored the Jackets only goals. The reason I say that is Stralman never actually played a regular season game for the Flames, as he was traded at the end of the pre season. Kristian “Juice” Huselius potted the eventual winner for CBJ.

Once again the Flames were able to play one third of a 60 minute game, having a decent first road period coming out leading 1-0. Once again though, the Flames faltered in the 2nd frame and end up losing the game. Also noted is that the Blue Jackets had two goals called back against them, two goals that probably should have counted. One was called no-goal due to a fight breaking out, and the other due to a pre-mature whistle blowing ref.

In the end, the Flames did not deserve to win this game and finish this short two game road trip with 1 meagre point.

Canucks are due up on Friday. The Flames have a lot; check that, a MAMMOTH amount of work to do if they plan on going 2 and 0 against their biggest divisional rival and in the process try not to lose their 4th straight game.

This has been,

Newman on the Flames

Deja Vu All Over Again?

It will be difficult for Flames fans to stay positive after Monday night’s humiliating loss to the Chicago Blackhawks. The Flames were, as everybody knows by know, up by 5 goals midway through the first period and lost the game in overtime 6 to 5. While much has been written on why this was a terrible loss for the team, why it was embarrassing, why this team is not as good as many thought they were, and so on, I’ve had a hard time finding anything positive about the loss. It then occurred to me that there wasn’t anything positive about this loss! However, the optimist continues to look for the silver lining in this stormy, dark cloud, and I for one am an optimist.

Last season, as the Flames struggled to an 8-6-1 record, they headed to Chicago on November 9th, 2008, to face the new, young, upbeat Blackhawks. Having lost 3 of their previous 4, things were looking gloomy for the hometown heroes. This continued that November night in the Windy City and after 60 minutes of play, the Flames found themselves down six to one, having not only lost the game by five goals, but also having been beaten by the Blackhawks in pretty much every measureable statistic in hockey: face offs, giveaways, takeaways, shots, penalty kill, power play, fights won, even amount of Gatorade drank. It was an embarrassing, humiliating loss, plain and simple. Sound familiar? After last season’s humbling defeat in Chicago however, the Flames went on to win 15 of their next 22 games, putting them atop the standings in the Northwest division. The loss to the Blackhawks was looked back as a turning point for the team, as its’ humiliating nature served as a wake up call for the team.

Can last night’s loss, last night’s debacle rather, serve as the same motivational tool for this year’s team? While the Flames record is 4-1-1, it would be hard to say they have played a full 60 minute hockey game, with a couple of last minute (even last second) wins over the Oilers, having nearly blown a 3-0 lead to the Canucks in the home opener, etcetera. Perhaps this loss to the Blackhawks, a team the Flames have not beaten in the regular season since March 16th, 2008, a team that many pundits have picked to be one of the top team in the Western Conference, and the same team that knocked the Flames out of the playoffs last year, will serve as the wake up call for what should be an improved team. Perhaps this game will serve as a wakeup for a defence that is allowing an average of 33 shots per game and hasn’t allowed fewer than 3 goals in a game this season. Perhaps this game will serve as a reminder to the fans that while the Flames may be improved this season over last, there is still a lot of work to do if the city of Calgary is to see any post season success next Spring.

If, like last season, a turnaround is to happen after this loss to Chicago, it will need to begin tonight, as the Flames travel to Columbus to take on the Blue Jackets. Last week this game would have only been looked at as a road game against a 2nd tier team, but after last night’s loss, tonight’s game as become a litmus test of the character and skill of the team and a game that could determine whether this season is a success or not. The optimist thinks that history can repeat itself, and last night’s loss may eventually be looked upon as a turning point in a successful season. Only time will tell.

- TheRev

Arena #11 - Nationwide Arena

My mission is to see the Flames play in all 30 NHL arenas, a mission that began in October of 2005 while at a local pub watching the Flames take on the Oilers. With the previous season’s work stoppage, and the season before’s run to the Stanley Cup Finals, Flames tickets had become a very hard item to come by. I was then struck with the idea of combining two of my favourite activities; watching hockey and travelling. You can follow my quest to visit all 30 arenas right here…

March 18, 2008 – Columbus, OH

A game against the Blue Jackets in Columbus was the final stop in a trip that had already seen games in Washington DC, Atlanta, and Chicago. We left Chicago on Monday afternoon, giving us plenty of time to make the five hour drive to Columbus. The game itself took place on Tuesday night, and I killed time that afternoon at the Jack Nicklaus Museum on the Ohio State University campus. If you’re ever in Columbus, and a fan of Nicklaus or golf, I’d highly recommend a stop there.

Nationwide Arena is in downtown Columbus and part of a new entertainment district called, quite fittingly, the Arena District. The Arena is the focal point, and the plan is to one day have it surrounded by restaurants, bars, and shops, but right now it is still in the development stages, with only a couple of facilities nearby. One of these, a pub called O’Shaughnessy’s, was no more than 50 paces from the main entrance to the arena, so we headed there for a pre-game beer. Much like Dutton’s in it’s proximity to the arena, O’Shaughnessy’s is a great place to head for a drink before the game. Unlike Dutton’s however, it was empty, even though puck drop was only a little over an hour away. When it cam time for the doors to open we headed over to see the arena.

Entering through the main doors of Nationwide, there is a large three storey atrium with floor to ceiling windows facing outside, and the concourse is open to the rink and seating bowl on the other side. We began our walk around the building to see what it had to offer, and went to find our seats. We had purchased tickets in section 219, which was the arena’s “All You Can Eat Seats.” For $30 each, we received tickets in the 200 level and a wrist band for unlimited concessions, which you could redeem at the concession booth right next to our section. Unfortunately this did not include beer, but it did included pop, hot dogs, popcorn, peanuts, nachos, candy, and ice cream.

After getting our wrist bands, and a couple of dogs, we headed back to the main concourse to continue walking around. There are a couple of unique features in Nationwide Arena on the main level. First off, there is a full practice facility on the east side of the building, which includes a full sized rink and seating for 1500 people. It is not only used for Blue Jacket practices, but can also be rented out for tournaments or rec leagues. From the concourse you can see the facility through large picture windows. On the other side of the concourse, facing the rink, there is a large Civil War-era cannon, which is fired every time the Blue Jackets score. This answers the question of what exactly is a Blue Jacket. I thought it might be some kind of insect, but it is in fact a Union solider from the Civil War, hence the cannon.

As we were finishing our lap of the concourse we were approached by a man and woman in Flames jerseys, who asked us where we were sitting. They had driven to Columbus from Hamilton and had purchased their tickets on eBay. It turned out that he had bought four tickets in the third row behind the Flames’ bench, and as there was only two of them, had planned to give them to the first Flames fans they saw; which happened to be us! The new seats would be farther away from our all-you-can-eat section, but I’d never sat behind the bench like that, so I was willing to make the sacrifice.

As puck drop neared, we made another run upstairs to our concession stand and picked up some hot dogs, nachos, and candy for our new friends from Hamilton. When we arrived at the seats in our new section, 104, we immediately saw the upside and downside of the seats being so low and behind the bench. The proximity to the bench meant you could see more of what’s going on behind the scenes, so to speak. We could see the coaches tapping the next players to head out, and observe all the interaction between the players during play. The downside was, we couldn’t really see much of the game, as there were people standing on benches, five feet in front of us. As a result, we ended up watching much of the game on the jumbotron. Fortunately, we didn’t miss much, as this turned out to be probably the worst performance I’d ever seen by the Flames in the post-lockout era. The Blue Jackets dominated every aspect of the game, and ended up winning 3-0. It was a terrible end to what turned out to be a terrible road trip for the Flames.

After the game, as a result of needing to get back to Calgary, we left Columbus, and began the drive back to Toronto. We ended up spending the night in Ashtabula, Ohio, on the shores of Lake Erie. If you only get one vacation a year, make sure it isn’t to Ashtabula, the kind of broken down town next to the Interstate, that if it weren’t for a couple of gas stations, a few motor inns, and a couple of restaurants, would cease to exist. The next morning, we were up at the crack of dawn, to finish the drive to Toronto. When we arrived at the car rental drop off, the trip odometer read 4,998km; only two off from my pre-trip prediction of 5000! Despite the Flames’ poor performance, it was still a great trip, where we were able to not only see four hockey games, but a lot of the country that we had never seen before.

The Washington-Atlanta-Chicago-Columbus Trip by the numbers:

4,998km driven
8 Nights
14 States
7 State Capitals
4 NHL arenas
10 Flames’ goals
14 Goals Against
1 Win
3 Losses
7 Stops at White Castle/Krystal


Eleven arenas down, nineteen to go…


-TheRev

Nationwide Arena Fast Facts

Seats: Section 218; $35, all-you-can-eat seats; Ticketmaster
Score: Flames 0, Blue Jackets 3
Arena Rating: 7.6
Unique Concession: All-You-Can-Eat Seats
Souvenir Stick: Blue Jackets, blue, wooden
Public Transit: unknown
Unique Arena Trait: Practice rink in the concourse, goal cannon
Swag: none

Photos