The Shame of Philadelphia ... and New York

If I were a Flyers fan I would be hanging my head in shame today at the classlessness of their organization. Steve Downie was suspended 20 games today for doing this



Downie who has a pretty bad history when it comes to this kind of thing said this on ESPN:

"My game is hitting and finishing checks," Downie said. "I'm just trying to earn a spot on a roster. It's part of my game and I apologize for him getting hurt. I thought I got him clean. Unfortunately he hit the boards after."

The last time I checked, leaving your feet to blindside a guy in the head was not considered a "clean hit" but I don't expect intelligent discourse from a caveman like Downie. I do expect better of Flyers management than this quote from Flyers GM Paul Holmgren...

"My reaction is that it seems like a lot of games, but Colin Campbell is in a very difficult position and we respect his position and his judgment in this case,"

A lot of games? For potentially ending a guys career? Maybe Holmgren's just feeling bad for the kid because now he'll become a pariah of the hockey world. Like Marty McSorley, who wasn't even allowed to play in England during his suspension. But wait ...

Campbell said Downie would be available to play in the Flyers' AHL affiliate.

Downie has not played an NHL game with the Flyers and was expected to start the season in the minor leagues. The 20-year-old said after the game he thought it was a clean hit.


So the guy is suspended for 20 games assuming he ever gets called up? In other words, he basically receives no punishment for one of the most vicious checks I've seen in 30+ years of watching hockey. If this guy does suit up for the Phantoms like nothing ever happened it will be a dark day in Philadelphia. It already is in the league offices here in New York.

For Colin Campbell, who let Chris Simon go after Ryan Hollweg the other night (despite the fact that Simon was already serving a suspension for doing that) and has now let this loser off scott free I have one question ...

Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?

Chill Factor

As excited as I am for the start of the NHL season next week I'm even more excited about strapping on the skates and playing some hockey OUTSIDE. That's why I'm bumming about the current warm weather we're having in New York City. I want there to be a nip in the air. I want to start breaking out the sweatshirts and hoodies. And I want some ice!

The ball hockey rink that I play at doesn't have any lights and last night we would have killed for it to be as bright as the picture on the left. With sundown happening around 7 pm these days, it's safe to say that weeknight ball hockey is done for the season.

So make it cold already. I want to be at Lasker, or Wollman in Brooklyn or even Bryant Park. Stars above, ice below, skating around on the closest thing I can find to a frozen pond in New York City. I can't wait.

The Sport of Queens?

It just might be roller hockey. The 104th Precinct Roller Hockey League is starting up their Fall/Winter season. Here's their call for new players ...

We are also looking for players of all skill levels for our upcoming 18 and Over Mens Division. Games are weeknights under the lights at our rink in Queens. The season itself will be 10 games long and all 6 teams will make the playoffs. Cost is $150 for skaters and $75 for Goalies. For more information check out our website at http://members.aol.com/mens104hockey/

Hockey Buddies

The folks at the Manhattan Hockey meet Up group are getting together to watch some hockey ...

It's time to get out your jerseys again!

Since the group's organizers are inactive members I'm taking the
initiative and proposing a meetup:

What:
Rangers/ Islanders preseason game

When:
Friday, September 28, 2007, 7:00 PM
I'll be arriving earlier to grab a table

Where:
Tonic East
411 Third Ave. (at 29th St.)
NYC 10016

Please reply to me directly at megan.whitman@gmail.com and not the
whole email list so I may keep track of RSVPs.

Hope to see you Friday!

Megan

Go to their website for more info and to sign up for their mailing list.

ESPN's Take on the Rangers

ESPN.com - Blogs - Ej Hradek Blog

Prior Planning Prevents ...

Just a little FYI. If, like me, you got psyched to see hockey back on the airwaves this weekend and wanted to order up Center Ice for the season, hold on a little while longer. Time-Warner Cable doesn't have the package available for purchase yet and one of their customer service reps told me that "they're still negotiating the deal for that package". Seems a little down to the wire to me but I'm hoping that we will be able to get this before the season actually starts. If anyone does manage to order this up in the next few days, let me know. I need my Hockey Night in Canada fix!

ESPN's Take on the Islanders

ESPN.com - Blogs - Ej Hradek Blog

Buffalo Sabres: Suddenly, There Just Aren't Enough Hockey Tickets To Go Around - Deadspin

Buffalo Sabres: Suddenly, There Just Aren't Enough Hockey Tickets To Go Around - Deadspin

Open Hockey at Aviator

The Fall Schedule is up:

As of Monday, September 10th, the Open Hockey schedule will resume (see below):
Mondays 12:00pm – 1:20pm

Tuesdays 12:00pm – 1:20pm

Wednesdays 12:00pm – 1:20pm
11:00pm - 12:20am

Thursdays 12:00pm – 1:20pm
11:00pm - 12:20am

Fridays 6:00am - 7:50am
12:00pm – 1:20pm
9:00pm - 10:20pm

Saturdays 9:00pm - 10:20pm

Sundays 6:30am - 7:50am


Full Equipment Required:

* Helmet with full face mask
* Shoulder pads
* Elbow pads
* Hockey pants
* Hockey gloves
* Shin pads
* Athletic support with cup (men) or pelvic protector (woman)
* Hockey skates
* Hockey stick


For more information please contact hockey@aviatorsports.com
To register by phone please call 718-758-9800

From Great to ...?

I was going to write a humorous post on former Ranger and all time greatest hockey player Wayne Gretzky’s vineyard project. I was going to go on about how this might be the start of a new trend in the NHL and the Rangers in particular – Scott Gomez tequila, Jaromir Jagr Jagrmeister, Brendan Shanahan Irish Whiskey – but instead I got to thinking about Gretzky’s post hockey career and his off ice dealings in general.

Gretz is an amazing ambassador for the sport (I’ve met him and he’s just as genial and well mannered as he comes off in his public appearances) but there’s definitely a stranger, more complex guy lurking under the surface. I think part of it is the simple kid from Brantford being thrust in to world’s he knew nothing about. That’s why a lot of his business deals seem to be things that come to him (the vineyard, for example, is in Canada’s Niagara region, close to his boyhood home. Don’t you think a guy who spent so much time in California could have found a Napa Valley partner if he wanted one?) Gretz has also obviously learned loyalty from his parents and he is loyal almost to a fault. What he’s not, is the greatest judge of character. And that’s why he has remained friends with folks like Bruce McNall, Glenn Anderson, Marty McSorley and Rick Tocchet, when other more pragmatic folks might have kept their distance. His actions are admirable but not necessarily advisable.

Which makes me wonder about the Coyotes and Wayne’s current and future track record as a coach. Like the vineyard, this deal was handed to Gretz rather than him seeking it out. Remember, this is a guy who didn’t skate for three years after he retired (Or so he claims. When I was working the 2000 All-Star Game in Toronto there was a rumor that he hosted a private shinny game at Maple Leaf Gardens the evening after the game). Mike Barnett came along with Gretzky as GM and their record over the last couple of years has been one of trying to get the last few flashes of brilliance out of talent that has seen it’s best days (Curtis Joseph, Owen Nolan, Brett Hull, Jeremy Roenick). Their lack of success led to Barnett being replaced by former Rangers Assistant GM Don Maloney. Whether Maloney can keep Gretzky from employing his pals around the league is in question (Gretzky is the “Managing Partner” of the team) is one question. The other has to be whether Gretzky’s amazing skill set will ever really translate to coaching.

He certainly can’t be the mean guy like a Mike Keenan or Scotty Bowman. That’s just not his personality. And I don’t think he can be a players’ coach either. His stature has always meant that he had to keep a little distance between himself and the world and he’s not a natural leader like Mark Messier. Can he teach young players to play, “the Gretzky Way”? I don’t know. When I first saw him play with the Rangers I thought he was slightly overrated and had trouble fitting in to the Rangers system. It didn’t make long to realize that the Rangers needed to fit in with Gretzky’s system not vice versa. He was just that good. But that fabled ability of his; “he sees the ice differently” is something that may not be able to be taught. Which leaves you wondering what Wayne actually can bring behind the bench.

It’s a cautionary tale for the Rangers, with Messier making noises about being interested in the GM’s job. It’s also a cautionary tale for Mess, as he watches one of his best friend’s struggle with going from being “Great” to “Fair to Poor”. And it’s a cautionary tale for all us hockey players to make sure that we identify our strengths on and off the ice and tailor our actions accordingly. Even the greatest hockey player who ever lived has his limits.

Squirrels are indeed Mighty!

My street hockey team, the Mighty Squirrels, played heroically and one their game yesterday. Final score was 4-2. It was my first game with the team in almost two months and it took a little time to find a rhythm to the game. I was back in my natural position of defense and went +3 for the day. Pretty happy with the result. Tomorrow night I'm back at Blue Streak and that's when the real work begins again.

Quietly Classy?

Anybody who knows me knows that my New York City pro hockey team is the Rangers. And after yesterday's post, you probably expect me to extoll the virtues of Madison Square Garden and all who toil in it. Don't hold your breath. I learned a long time ago that the organization and the team on the ice are two different things. And anybody who read the full page article in today's Daily News knows the Rangers organization still leaves a lot to be desired. They got a reputation for being "classy" when Mark Messier was Captain but that's largely halo affect. No, if there's any organization in town that deserves to be called classy it's the New York Islanders.

I hear you. I hear you saying, "What about the Yashin and DiPietro contracts?", "What about firing Neil Smith?", "What about the Captain Highliner logo?", the Islanders are nuts! Well, I admit it looks that way on the surface and certainly you could have made a case for it when "Mad Mike" Milbury was around, but look a little closer.

In the current salary cap league, long term contracts make a lot more sense. Just ask Bryan Murray up in Ottawa if he wishes Jason Spezza was on that kind of deal. Yep, there's the risk of a player getting injured but it can still be cheaper than paying big money only to lose him to free agency. It makes particular sense with a goalie, when you see the records of franchise keepers like Brodeur or Kolzig. Don't you think Lou Lamerillo wouldn't like to be paying Marty something comparable to what he was making in 1995? I still wouldn't have given Yashin that kind of deal but that has more to do with his playoff performance and record for renegotiating contracts than the deal being wrong in principle.

I also don't blame Charles Wang for firing Neil Smith. Wang had the benefit of history on his side and saw that Smith has a history of clashing with strong coaches. And if it was a case of Smith or Nolan then Nolan was his guy. Who can blame him with sticking with the man who got his team in to the playoffs in his first year back after a 12 year absence? Besides, let's give it up for Garth Snow, who's done a heckuva job as a rookie GM. Landing Ryan Smyth was a great deal (even if he couldn't keep him) and landing Billy Guerin was equally smart. Want any more proof of Snow's intelligence? He didn't re-sign Tom Poti. Even the Rangers fans have got to give him credit for that one.

As for the "Fishsticks" logo, at least they had the sense to retire it after one year. I'm looking at you Calgary in your 3rd jerseys.

If you want to see what the Isles organization is doing right, check out their website. Blogs with actual interesting content. A PR staff unafraid to take on the New York media. A plan that would turn the Coliseum from it's current sorry state in to THE center for hockey in lower New York State. And a sense that they care about their fans and aren't just chasing corporate season tickets.

So yeah, since the first time since the Bossy glory days, I think people should start calling the Islanders "classy". I applaud their efforts. But I also know in my heart of hearts that one fact will never change in Nassau County ...

"Potvin Sucks!"

Still a Mickey Mouse Organization?

Earlier this year, my girlfriend a couple of buddies and I went to see the Sens play the Devils in game 1 of their playoff series. We had tickets right on the red line but also as high up as you could get in Continental Airlines Arena. I was pretty psyched, since I'm from Ottawa and love the Sens. And I couldn't believe that we could get seats like this the day of the game. My buddy Jon (who's also from Ottawa) decided he wanted to watch the warm up and he and our friend Rich stayed at rink level while Monica and I went to find our seats. In the middle of the first period, we were wondering where they were. Then Jon called me and told me there were loads of empty seats at ice level and we should come on down. Sure enough, there was no security and we watched the rest of the game (which the Sens won) from six rows up. At the time we couldn't stop talking about our luck and the lameness of the Devils fans and organization for not even selling out a Stanley Cup quarter final game.

Flash forward ahead to the present day. The Devils have put East Rutherford behind them and are planning to move in to a shiny new arena in Newark. Their opening night opponent are the Sens and I figured it would be great to get tickets for this. Only problem? They're not actually selling individual tickets. Sure if you go the Devils site you can buy season tickets or even a 20 game plan. But no single game tickets. I'm not sure if Lou Lamerillo and the rest of the Devils brain trust thinks there's going to be a swelling of state pride now that their located in the murder capital of New Jersey. But obviously, somebody thinks they're going to fill that arena with season ticket holders. Even though they were never able to do that when the team was winning Stanley Cups on a regular basis (and before they lost their star center to the Rangers). I personally would have thought they would open up their doors to New York City hockey fans who would hop on the PATH to see their favorite team. But no, the Devils would rather play in front of an empty house than make the kind of money that might have allowed them to keep Scott Gomez from wearing Broadway Blue.

Back in the day, Wayne Gretzky called the Devils "A Mickey Mouse organization." The team may have one a few championships since then but from everything I've seen, that assessment still holds true.

Rangers Individual Tickets on Sale Saturday

Rangers individual tickets go on sale this Saturday at 10 am. If you want to pay crazy Ticketmaster service fees then go here. I personally prefer just checking Craig's List for a deal or going on Stubhub if there's a game I really want to see. Apparently, there will be no individual tickets for Brian Leetch night. That's okay. I'm holding out for when they retire Nick Kypreos' number (which at the rate they're going should be sometime in early 2010).

Injury Update 2

What a difference a few days makes. The cotton packing is out, a lot of the swelling has gone down, and I'm feeling almost human. Of course, there's still a lot of internal healing to do and I'm still feeling more congested than the Rangers green room but at least I look halfway human again. Still out for another week on doctor's orders but looking forward to trying out the new and improved airways next weekend.

Back to School

Walking around the Village last night I was pointedly reminded that school is back in session. If you're a new NYU student, the hockey team is hosting tryouts next Sunday, September 16th at 7 pm at Skyrink at Chelsea Piers. Click on the link for more info.

If anyone has tryout info for the other colleges and universities in town, let me know and I'll post it here as well.

The King of You Tube

My buddy and fellow Mighty Squirrel, Ritchie Duncan writes American Hockey Fan, one of the funniest and most insightful hockey blogs on the web. His latest post also seems to indicate that he's a man with far too much free time on his hands. Okay Ritch, I know the Devils "15 to Remember" is currently featuring that classic April 7, 2007 game against the Flyers (one for the ages), but how much time did you have to spend on You Tube to find that clip?

BTSH is back this weekend!

My street hockey league, BTSH, is back in action this weekend. I'm bummed that I won't be able to play this week because of the surgery but it's great to see the league start up again. Come on down to Corlears Hook Park starting at 1 pm if you want to see hours and hours of street hockey action. or come down to Welcome to the Johnson's later to see what makes this such a fun league to play in.

Injury Update 1

In case, any of you were wondering, Septoplasty sucks. They basically go in, chisel off the bone that is blocking your airway/nostril, essentially re-break the nose and you end up looking like you went three rounds with Donald Brashear. I'm heading off to the Doc's today to get the packing out but it looks like I'll still be on IR for another 5-7 days. If you're going to get something like this done, off season is the time to do it.

Turning Tables

Want a fun way to kick off the season? There's a huge Table Hockey tourbnament at Aviator this Saturday. From the NYCTHA website ...

"Welcome to the NYCTHA International 2007. The New York City Table Hockey Association, in conjunction with the Aviator Sports and recreation Complex would like to proudly announce that we will be hosting an International Classic Table Hockey Tournament on saturday, September 8th, taking place at Aviator in Brooklyn (www.aviatorsports.com). The games will be played on the custom Coleco 5380, S-slot defense, right handed center, modified Irwin PP2 Puck, Quebec rules (5 minute stop time matches with referee, best of three playoffs.) There will be 3 divisions (Elite Division, 1st Division, and a 2nd Division). The NYCTHA will be running a top notch event in a first class venue. Come join us!"

Not sure what all that means but it sounds like fun.

For more details, click here

Rolling Thunder

They're playing roller hockey up in Washington Heights. Click on the link for the Craig's List ad with more info.

(Re)Building the Perfect Hockey Player

Well, not perfect but at least not the broken down guy I am right now. Like a lot of you who've been playing for a while, I've picked up my fair share of hockey related injuries. Actually, if I add up all the hospital and dental bills I've probably spent as much money on hockey as Don Cherry has on ugly ties. For the most part, I shrugged them off but as I hit the wrong side of 40 a year or so ago, that started to get a lot harder.

I coached and skated a little when I was living in Kuwait in 2006 (with the wonderfully named Kuwait Mooseheads) until I screwed up my knee again. A quick trip to a physiotherapist led to a diagnosis of a dislocated kneecap and a torn meniscus, leading to ongoing inflammation and patellar tracking disorder. I picked up street hockey with BTSH when I got back to New York but it's been a while since I skated hard. I also recently got diagnosed with a nasal bone spur thanks to a couple of decades of deviated septums so tomorrow I'm off for a septoplasty.

In the meantime, to fight off all this, I've begun training for the new ice hockey season for the first time in decades. I've signed up with the folks at Blue Streak Sports Training at Chelsea Piers and I'm looking to get back at least some of those steps I've lost over the last couple of years.

Will I be able to get back to the level I played at in my prime (or hopefully, even better)? Who knows? But it should be fun trying and I'll keep you all informed of my progress. Hopefully, my own experiences will also help some of you out there find ways to deal with your own aches and pains and keep up with the young tyros in your league.

Old time hockey, boys, old time hockey!

Just Two Weeks to Go!

Summer's nice but there's only so much baseball a guy can take. Luckily the boys hit the ice again in less than two weeks time. You can get a full schedule for NHL training camps here.
My street hockey league starts up again next weekend too. Can't wait!

Game On!

Welcome to NEW YORK CITY HOCKEY PLAYER! I'm setting this blog up because there doesn't seem to be any one central place for New York City hockey enthusiasts to find out about playing in the NYC area, where to find good equipment cheap and other essential info for playing the game we all love. Hopefully, NEW YORK CITY HOCKEY PLAYER will be that site. Currently I'm playing street hockey with Black Top Street Hockey and as the weather gets colder I'll be coaching with Ice Hockey in Harlem and playing up at Lasker Rink (more on all these organizations later). Hope to see you on the ice!