It's All Star Weekend in the NHL. Soon it'll be Pro Bowl time followed by the NBA All Star Game. And I'm not going anywhere near them. Seriously, All Star games suck. Flat out, completely, harder then Tera Patrick after a new contract SUCK! They resemble nothing like the actual sport and are not the least bit entertaining. Nobody plays hard, there is little to no physical contact and generally the games look tired and lazy. This really needs to stop.
Perhaps no sport has suffered more from the effects of an All Star game then the NHL. Given it's limited television broadcasts and media coverage, the NHL has turned All Star weekend into it's major marketing push. Flashy light shows, cameras at every angle and area in the rink(including under center ice), microphones on players, the works. Of course, since no one ever throws a hit, drops the gloves, bumps the goalie or crashes the net, the game looks nothing like what you would see during the 82 game regular schedule or the playoffs. Instead the NHL showcases a game of shinney hockey with millionaire players.
One would think that given the failure of this giant marketing push to generate any new interest ini hockey Bettman and company would try to come up with ways to showcase the game as it is truly played. Yes you would think that, but no. Instead this year they've decided to go the gimmick route. On top of the usual hardest shot, fastest skater, puck handling skills demonstrations, the NHL has added an NBA style breakaway competition. Basically it's who can come up with the most creative way to score a goal while a panel of judges scores them. Anyone who's ever seen the NBA dunk contest knows that this sort of thing is hit or miss, very good, or just plain awful. While it looks good at first, once shots start missing or players lose the puck it just gets ugly.
the Pro Bowl considered(correctly) to be the most useless game in the NFL. It takes place after the regular season when many players haven't taken the field in weeks or months and more or less just want to go out, take a few plays then hit Maui's beaches. Last year when Sean Taylor ran over the punter he was, for who knows what reasons, widely criticized. Hell, it was easily the most exiting thing to happen in the Pro Bowl in a decade. At least someone played a down like it was in the regular season. The rest of the game looked like a light contact practice with the players obviously thinking of surf not turf.
I don't really need to go into the NBA All Star game do I? OK fine, here let me break it down for you. Five step lay-up, dunk, 3 pointer, lay-up, lay-up, dunk, dunk, lay-up, lay-up, lay-up, dunk, ally-oop, dunk, lay-up, 3 pointer, lay-up, dunk dunk dunk. Game over, MVP gets hailed for his efforts and I turn off my radio for two days.
Yeah yeah, I know it's all for the fans but let's get serious. Do real fans want to see their favorite players show up and play half-assed? Do real fans want to see neither team play defense and just stand around allowing opponents to land easy shots, passes or goals? All Star games are for fringe fans to ooh and awww over while owners and other rich executives sit around drinking Grey Goose martinis and getting their picture taken with whatever celebrities have been hauled out for the event.
There's an All Star game coming to my city in a few years and as you can imagine everyone is making a big deal out of it. The local sports honks are hyping it, the mayor and council are getting ready for a few dozen photo ops and everyone is acting like it's some big deal. Not me though, I really couldn't care less. I'll be at home watching Slap Shot because frankly that movie is closer to real hockey then any All Star game ever will be.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Sinking the Good Ship Maple Leafs
Back from vacation and ready to rant.
So any guesses as to which hockey team makes the most money in the NHL? OK, obvious answer. Now, how much of their profits are spent on actually developing the future of that team? If you said less then 1 percent you'd be correct. Best estimate put last years profits for the Toronto Maple Leafs at over 50 million dollars. Their scouting budget a paltry 1.5 million, barely the NHL average and far below that of teams like Detroit and Philadelphia. While other teams hire the best front office people money can buy, the Leafs continue to hire people who are either inexperienced or under qualified. They hire good coaches then undermine them, draft young talent then trade them and flat out refuse to address the real problems.
That would of course be the Board of Directors for MLSE. More specifically Richard Peddie and Larry Tannenbaum, the two alpha males vying for control of the team. While neither actually own the Leafs(the true owners are the Ontario Teachers Pension Fund), they have become accustomed to being in charge with little to no opposition, except each other. Make no mistake there is a power struggle going on, and Peddie has the upper hand.
Peddie knows jack about hockey, but he does know how to make money. Be it ticket sales, television contracts or massive real estate deals brokered on the profits and value of the Leafs, Peddie knows how to make a buck out of pocket lint. For that reason he is kept around, he makes the Pension Fund a lot of returns. But while he's good for business, he's bad for sport. Peddie is the one responsible for hiring Rob Babcock to GM the Raptors, who promptly wasted the 8th overall pick in the 2004 draft on Rafael Araujo and traded Vince Carter for weak draft picks, bench players and Alonzo Mourning(who never even bothered to show up).
He also pushed for the hiring of John Ferguson Junior, a man with the best intentions but no experience as a GM. JFJ was doomed from the start, at once being called upon to rebuild the team from the ground up and keep them in the playoffs. Without being able to commit one way or the other, Ferguson made ill-advised moves and trades and the team has been steadily falling since. Recently Peddie has stated he may have made a mistake in hiring Ferguson, but all he is doing is trying to cover up his own screw-ups.
Let's face it, had Brian Colangelo not been looking for a new challenge after helping to rebuild the Suns Babcock could very well still be in charge of the Raptors. Indeed the only reason Babcock was released was because the team was not turning a profit the the Pension Fund wanted to know why. Not so with the Leafs though.
It is basically impossible for the Toronto Maple Leafs to lose money. For crying out loud a one armed monkey with a full frontal lobotomy could make money with that team. The luxury suites are all sold out, the lower bowls are bought out into the next century and the team has multiple lucrative television contracts with TSN, Sportsnet and it's own station Leafs TV. Even with the team headed for a third straight year without making the playoffs(the first time that's happened since the mid 1920s) it is still expected to surpass it's profits from last year.
Yet even with all that money the board will not fix the problems. This past summer Scotty Bowman(SCOTTY BOWMAN) was interviewed for a position on the team. He was very interested and in an interview with CBC's Ron MacClean this past Saturday revealed that he had spoken with Tanenbaum in August and had stipulated he would take the job only if he was given a Brian Colangelo type deal, meaning no interference from the Board of Directors. Tannenbaum agreed, Peddie did not. The Board sided with the money man and one of the greatest hockey minds of all time was brushed aside.
Supposedly there is going to be a major meeting of all the Board members this Tuesday to discuss where the team is going. Here's a few pointers for you boys. Fire Peddie. Fire Ferguson. While your at it tell all those left-overs and hangers on on the Board to shut up and smile and nod when told to. Then take all that money you're making and steal a GM from Detroit or New Jerseys front office, spend a few million and hire more scouts, give them the best equipment money can buy and re-build the foundation of the team. While you're at it, trade Sundin, then a few more. Buy out who you can't move and get ready to suck for a few years. Draft a franchise player and build around him. Spend more on coaches and managers then any other team to make sure you get the best. Christ, I've just spelled out a more cohesive plan in five minute then any these idiots have had in their lives.
The ship needs to be sunk, and it's Captain and more then a few crew members need to go with it. The Leafs used to be respected. They used to have the most feared scouting and farm system in the NHL. They used to be great. They can be again, but only if the root of the problem is expunged once and for all.
So any guesses as to which hockey team makes the most money in the NHL? OK, obvious answer. Now, how much of their profits are spent on actually developing the future of that team? If you said less then 1 percent you'd be correct. Best estimate put last years profits for the Toronto Maple Leafs at over 50 million dollars. Their scouting budget a paltry 1.5 million, barely the NHL average and far below that of teams like Detroit and Philadelphia. While other teams hire the best front office people money can buy, the Leafs continue to hire people who are either inexperienced or under qualified. They hire good coaches then undermine them, draft young talent then trade them and flat out refuse to address the real problems.
That would of course be the Board of Directors for MLSE. More specifically Richard Peddie and Larry Tannenbaum, the two alpha males vying for control of the team. While neither actually own the Leafs(the true owners are the Ontario Teachers Pension Fund), they have become accustomed to being in charge with little to no opposition, except each other. Make no mistake there is a power struggle going on, and Peddie has the upper hand.
Peddie knows jack about hockey, but he does know how to make money. Be it ticket sales, television contracts or massive real estate deals brokered on the profits and value of the Leafs, Peddie knows how to make a buck out of pocket lint. For that reason he is kept around, he makes the Pension Fund a lot of returns. But while he's good for business, he's bad for sport. Peddie is the one responsible for hiring Rob Babcock to GM the Raptors, who promptly wasted the 8th overall pick in the 2004 draft on Rafael Araujo and traded Vince Carter for weak draft picks, bench players and Alonzo Mourning(who never even bothered to show up).
He also pushed for the hiring of John Ferguson Junior, a man with the best intentions but no experience as a GM. JFJ was doomed from the start, at once being called upon to rebuild the team from the ground up and keep them in the playoffs. Without being able to commit one way or the other, Ferguson made ill-advised moves and trades and the team has been steadily falling since. Recently Peddie has stated he may have made a mistake in hiring Ferguson, but all he is doing is trying to cover up his own screw-ups.
Let's face it, had Brian Colangelo not been looking for a new challenge after helping to rebuild the Suns Babcock could very well still be in charge of the Raptors. Indeed the only reason Babcock was released was because the team was not turning a profit the the Pension Fund wanted to know why. Not so with the Leafs though.
It is basically impossible for the Toronto Maple Leafs to lose money. For crying out loud a one armed monkey with a full frontal lobotomy could make money with that team. The luxury suites are all sold out, the lower bowls are bought out into the next century and the team has multiple lucrative television contracts with TSN, Sportsnet and it's own station Leafs TV. Even with the team headed for a third straight year without making the playoffs(the first time that's happened since the mid 1920s) it is still expected to surpass it's profits from last year.
Yet even with all that money the board will not fix the problems. This past summer Scotty Bowman(SCOTTY BOWMAN) was interviewed for a position on the team. He was very interested and in an interview with CBC's Ron MacClean this past Saturday revealed that he had spoken with Tanenbaum in August and had stipulated he would take the job only if he was given a Brian Colangelo type deal, meaning no interference from the Board of Directors. Tannenbaum agreed, Peddie did not. The Board sided with the money man and one of the greatest hockey minds of all time was brushed aside.
Supposedly there is going to be a major meeting of all the Board members this Tuesday to discuss where the team is going. Here's a few pointers for you boys. Fire Peddie. Fire Ferguson. While your at it tell all those left-overs and hangers on on the Board to shut up and smile and nod when told to. Then take all that money you're making and steal a GM from Detroit or New Jerseys front office, spend a few million and hire more scouts, give them the best equipment money can buy and re-build the foundation of the team. While you're at it, trade Sundin, then a few more. Buy out who you can't move and get ready to suck for a few years. Draft a franchise player and build around him. Spend more on coaches and managers then any other team to make sure you get the best. Christ, I've just spelled out a more cohesive plan in five minute then any these idiots have had in their lives.
The ship needs to be sunk, and it's Captain and more then a few crew members need to go with it. The Leafs used to be respected. They used to have the most feared scouting and farm system in the NHL. They used to be great. They can be again, but only if the root of the problem is expunged once and for all.
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