The Greatest and Best Idea in the World….Tribute.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZO26GsLWYo
I wasn’t going to post anything for a while, so I could build anticipation..... but then the world got in the way….
The news from Pittsburgh this week has me in a sense of crazy optimism. On Thursday, Mario Lemieux announced that the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League were looking to relocate. Hockey, boys and girls, is a goal based sport like soccer played on ice using skates to stay on the ice, pucks, an rubber object to pass and shoot, and sticks to shoot the pucks. It is the fastest game in the world, and the best sport to watch as a spectator in an arena.
A little lesson
The NHL almost died a few years ago, and is struggling to make it back to relevancy.
Yes, this week’s news sucks for the people of Western Pennsylvania. After years of watching crap on ice, the Baby Pen’s have two of the top players in the league in Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malken. Coupled with the fact that the commissioner of the NHL is an angry, cold hearted accountant named Gary Bettman, the practical hopes of seeing this young team reach its potential in the steel city decreases by every terrible hour.
The ultimate question is where the team will move. Early reports are that Kansas City is the favored destination. This is nothing new for the NHL. The Quebec Nordiques left for Denver. The Winnipeg Jets left for Phoenix. Then, there is the sad tale of the Hartford Whalers, who left for Charlotte. The Minnesota Northstars went to Dallas, but the good people of Minnesota were able to get an expansion team. The league's reasoning was clear, lets take the former WHA teams in cold weather climates and move them to bigger, warmer climates to generate greater revenue streams. The move to Denver made sense, as a team had once existed there, but losing Quebec and their rabid fans was the spark that set off the modern era of hockey. Many of the cities were selected to appease the almighty dollar, and the league found itself in financial trouble. How? Teams started popping up in every major TV market except for Las Vegas. The movement of teams and expansion made many fans cynical. This was crushing, as Hockey fans are the most rapid working class groups of fans of any sport in North America. Then ESPN chose not to pick up the league TV contact, forcing simple casual fans to replace the thrill of the NHL with that of poker, cheerleading, and the world’s strongest man competition.
Now, as many of you know I am a fan of the Boson Bruins. I was not a fan of the Hartford Whalers. However, I remember the several games I attended as a youth as being some of the best moments I had as a kid. The pending move of the Pens should once again get the hype machine going for members of my state to push for the team to come to Hartford. For the first time, I am all for it. In truth, such a move would go against everything Gary Bettman stands for. But Dr. Evil aside, this would be sweet justice for the people of this fine state. The rivalry between Hartford and Pittsburgh also aside, it would re-establish New England, a cold climate destination, as the top region of a winter sport played on ice. Positive Karma would be restored, good things would follow. Sounds logical, but little with the NHL is logical.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cwvk5v6Wcns&mode=related&search=
Sources of the Hartford bid will be Lawrence Gottesdiener and Howard Baldwin, who have tried for years to bring back The Whale. Up to now I have been ultra skeptical, seeing folks who hold rallys supporting the old team delusional and those who root for Carolina as traitors to the state. But the make up of the Pen’s lends itself to a ground swell of optimism.
I know this may look like I am jumping on the bandwagon or being opportunistic. This is simply a tribute to the idea. I say, Bring NHL Hockey Back to Connecticut! The time is now….
Strengh and Honor Comrades...
I wasn’t going to post anything for a while, so I could build anticipation..... but then the world got in the way….
The news from Pittsburgh this week has me in a sense of crazy optimism. On Thursday, Mario Lemieux announced that the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League were looking to relocate. Hockey, boys and girls, is a goal based sport like soccer played on ice using skates to stay on the ice, pucks, an rubber object to pass and shoot, and sticks to shoot the pucks. It is the fastest game in the world, and the best sport to watch as a spectator in an arena.
A little lesson
The NHL almost died a few years ago, and is struggling to make it back to relevancy.
Yes, this week’s news sucks for the people of Western Pennsylvania. After years of watching crap on ice, the Baby Pen’s have two of the top players in the league in Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malken. Coupled with the fact that the commissioner of the NHL is an angry, cold hearted accountant named Gary Bettman, the practical hopes of seeing this young team reach its potential in the steel city decreases by every terrible hour.
The ultimate question is where the team will move. Early reports are that Kansas City is the favored destination. This is nothing new for the NHL. The Quebec Nordiques left for Denver. The Winnipeg Jets left for Phoenix. Then, there is the sad tale of the Hartford Whalers, who left for Charlotte. The Minnesota Northstars went to Dallas, but the good people of Minnesota were able to get an expansion team. The league's reasoning was clear, lets take the former WHA teams in cold weather climates and move them to bigger, warmer climates to generate greater revenue streams. The move to Denver made sense, as a team had once existed there, but losing Quebec and their rabid fans was the spark that set off the modern era of hockey. Many of the cities were selected to appease the almighty dollar, and the league found itself in financial trouble. How? Teams started popping up in every major TV market except for Las Vegas. The movement of teams and expansion made many fans cynical. This was crushing, as Hockey fans are the most rapid working class groups of fans of any sport in North America. Then ESPN chose not to pick up the league TV contact, forcing simple casual fans to replace the thrill of the NHL with that of poker, cheerleading, and the world’s strongest man competition.
Now, as many of you know I am a fan of the Boson Bruins. I was not a fan of the Hartford Whalers. However, I remember the several games I attended as a youth as being some of the best moments I had as a kid. The pending move of the Pens should once again get the hype machine going for members of my state to push for the team to come to Hartford. For the first time, I am all for it. In truth, such a move would go against everything Gary Bettman stands for. But Dr. Evil aside, this would be sweet justice for the people of this fine state. The rivalry between Hartford and Pittsburgh also aside, it would re-establish New England, a cold climate destination, as the top region of a winter sport played on ice. Positive Karma would be restored, good things would follow. Sounds logical, but little with the NHL is logical.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cwvk5v6Wcns&mode=related&search=
Sources of the Hartford bid will be Lawrence Gottesdiener and Howard Baldwin, who have tried for years to bring back The Whale. Up to now I have been ultra skeptical, seeing folks who hold rallys supporting the old team delusional and those who root for Carolina as traitors to the state. But the make up of the Pen’s lends itself to a ground swell of optimism.
I know this may look like I am jumping on the bandwagon or being opportunistic. This is simply a tribute to the idea. I say, Bring NHL Hockey Back to Connecticut! The time is now….
Strengh and Honor Comrades...
posted by The Dude at
4:39 PM
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