Tag: nashville predators

NHL: Slow Dancing in a Burning Room

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With no surprise, the NHL announced today that all games schedule until December 30th have been canceled. It’s hard to believe, after 86 days of lockout, there are fans that still give a hoot.

We’ll be the first to admit; it has been very difficult to continue to show optimism amongst such disappointment. However, we understand our frustrations do not come from the franchises themselves, but from those who run the organization as a whole. If and/or when the season begins, we will return to the Bridgestone Arena to support the sport we have come to love.

We asked on our Facebook page yesterday if Season Ticket Holders have already or would be canceling their season tickets due to the dragging lockout. Most fans said they have already canceled them, unable to take the uncertainty of a possible season and the fact the money could go towards more important needs. Others said the thought has crossed their minds, but the perks that the Predators have offered for hanging on to the tickets have kept them for now. But a few hopefuls have made it known that they will hang on to their season tickets, not swayed by the unpredictable future that the lockout holds.

We can see the reasoning behind all of these fans and their opinions on their season tickets. You wouldn’t waste that much money on season tickets if you did not truly love the game, but that money, being unused, could go to so much more. Items that are needed, not so much wants.

But what about those who depend on the games being played for their livelihoods?

We aren’t talking about the players, the owners, or the hierarchy of the individual franchises. We’re talking about the concession stand workers, the ticket takers, the businesses surrounding the arenas, and so on? How are their lives being affected by this, the 86th day of the NHL Lockout?

Here’s a how they are being affected in a nutshell:

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Tough nutshell, isn’t it?
It’s hard to believe, with Tweets like these and other stories floating about, how the NHL and NHLPA can go on with this drama. Surely, they have seen examples like this; someone has to have shown them, right?
It’s almost sickening to read, honestly.

The sad reality with all of this is as the old adage goes: It’s easy to overlook those who are not directly in your daily life. Gary Bettman, Don Fehr, and the like have seen the devastation the lockout has incurred, but similar to the children of third world countries commercials go, it’s easier to sleep at night if you just change the channel. That’s essentially what the NHL and NHLPA are doing.

So, what can be done now to get this show on the road to a season?

Reporters speculate that the NHLPA will extend a ‘Disclaimer of Interest’ within the next week or so, essentially kicking Don Fehr to the curb, not allowing him to speak for the players any longer. This is also the route the NBA took when they, too entered a lockout last year. You can read up on the details of a ‘Disclaimer of Interest’ here.

Wether a DofI happens or not, the NHL is slow dancing in a burning room. Fans are turning their backs and employees are finding other means of work; businesses are cutting hours and closing up shop. Those low on the totem pole hold you in the sky, and the pegs are being chopped off left and right. Again, the NHL is slow dancing in a burning room.

Twitter post courtesy of @PredsNBolts

Kevin Klein joins Herlev Eagles

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Kevin Klein joins a few other Preds in Europe during the Lockout

We missed this news last week, but it looks like Kevin Klein has made the move to Europe as the lockout continues to chip away at the 2012-13 season.

Nashville’s defenseman will be teaming up with the Herlev Eagles, a team in Demark, part of the AL-Bank Ligaen (the highest league in Denmark). Klein will now be the sixth Predators to head overseas, with Craig Smith returning to the U.S. not too long ago.

Klein recently signed a contract extension with the Preds worth $14.5 million for five years. With a career high of 21 points last season, the Predators were more than happy to re-sign the 27-year-old defenseman.

As a reminder, here are the current Predators skating it up in Europe:

Pekka Rinne is with Dinamo Minsk
Sergei Kostitsyn is with Avangard Omsk
Patric Hörnqvist is with HC Red Ice
Roman Josi is with SC Bern
Craig Smith was with SM-Liiga

This picture makes us sad.

Players Speak Out against Lockout as Games continue to Cancel

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Don Fehr back in September.

 

As you all know by now, the NHL has announced that it has canceled all games of the 2012-13 season through December 14th, along with the much anticipated All-Star weekend in Columbus.

That brings us up to 423 regular season games canceled thus far, including the Winter Classic between the Detroit Red Wings and the Toronto Maple Leafs. How much money has been lost thus far, too? Here are the status up to

Salary lost: $416,998,959.25
Days Lost in Regular Season: 45
Days since the Lockout: 71

By the time you read this, those numbers will probably have changed, which is absolutely unbelievable. However, with each day that passes, more and more players are becoming vocal about their opinions on the lockout at hand. The NHL and NHLPA will tell you that these players’ outbursts have nothing to do with the “progress” that the two sides have made, but it’s very clear that the players are getting just a frustrated as the fans at this point.

“(Bettman’s) the only guy in pro sports that likes lockouts. It’s ridiculous. The only people who have record revenue and try to cut everything from us are the owners. There needs to be a give-and-take. We’re willing to take less revenue. We’ll do a 50-50 split if they honor our contracts. That seems fair. When you sign a contract, you look the GM in the eye and you expect them to honor your contract.” – Jason Chimera, Washington Capitals

“I personally think (Gary Bettman’s) an idiot. Since he’s come in, he’s done nothing but damaged the game.” – Ian White, Detroit Red Wings

“It’s disappointing that the approach for Gary [Bettman] and the ownership group has been to make these hard dates and final offers and not budging and on and on. There’s no real answer to why except ‘We think we can lock you out and your careers are short and we can shake you down’. Not a good feeling.” – Mike Cammalleri, Calgary Flames

“The two sides are close enough to a deal that missing the bulk of a season is wrong and missing an entire season is not only insane, it is a blatant disregard for the sport, the fans and the culture we have grown over decades — just to satisfy egos, not the needs of either side.” – Ryan Miller, Buffalo Sabres

“But not to be able to play, and for the fans, too – they pay our salaries, anyway. It’s not fair for fans not to have hockey right now.” – Teemu Selanne, Anaheim Ducks

And, let’s not forget our very own Sergei Kostitsyn: “Let’s put it this way – it would be better [for the players] if the lockout continues. Players want a definite answer. If the NHL season is lost – let it be that way. I would then play in Russia for the whole season.”

We could continue to add and add all of the players that have spoken publicly about the lockout, but it would make for one long, drawn-out blog post. It’s clear the players aren’t ready for another lockout, with the last one (in 04-05) still fresh on everyone’s minds.

The real losers here are both the franchise and city of Columbus. With an already struggling hockey market, the All-Star weekend was going to boost both the city’s economy and possibly push some life into the Blue Jackets’ sinking organization. And, to top it off, with Columbus losing their hosting duties at an All-Star game, the chance of Nashville hosting one in the near future will be pushed back as well.

Fans have also expressed their opinions on the lockout, with even a Flyers fan jumping at Commissioner Gary Bettman while leaving a meeting on Wednesday. To be honest, we are surprised it hasn’t happened earlier. So, the question is, how long will fans continue to let both the NHL and NHLPA drag the knife wound through their backs? The optimism is slowly but surely dying off, leaving just a heap of diehards clinging to the dagger. Even we are having a hard time keeping interest, as you can see our posts have been few to none.

How long will the NHL and NHLPA continue to drag the “supposed” season until they finally call it off for good? What good is a season that will start mid-December? We’d be happy for any hockey, championship-worthy or not, but even if the lockout ends tomorrow, the NHL is still the worst-run professional organization in the world. Bettman will still be the commissioner; Fehr will still be the executive director of the NHLPA. Will they just disagree once again and throw the league into another lockout?

Again, the optimism is fading fast and we’re pulling the dagger out at an alarming rate. Time to take notice, NHL.

NHL cancels all Games Scheduled until the 24th

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Surprise, surprise… The NHL has announced the cancellation of all regular season games up until October 24th, with more to follow suite in two-week increments.

For the Predators, this means seven games, including ones against St. Louis, Detroit, Colorado, Los Angeles, Anaheim, Pittsburgh, and Vancouver (four of those seven are home games against Colorado, Vancouver, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis).

Both sides (NHL and NHLPA) aren’t budging over the $3 billion in revenue differences, leading most everyone to brace for a long and painful lockout.

Although it may or may not add up to much, contacting the NHL and NHLPA is a minor step that could measure up to a huge difference for the fan “voice” during this lockout. If you do decide to voice your opinion to either side, don’t fire off steam. Yelling and cussing will fall on deaf ears, but reasonable, passionate fans will be heard. Give it a shot.

NHL League Offices:
1185 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10036
Phone – (212) 789-2000
Fax – (212) 789-2020

National Hockey League Players’ Association:
20 Bay Street, Suite 1700
Toronto, ON

Image credit: Bruce Bennett – Getty Images

Craig Smith joins SM-Liiga

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With no end in sight for the lockout, more and more players are making the jump to Europe, and now you can add Craig Smith to the list.

The Predators’ rookie phenom announced that he will be joining Finland’s SM-Liiga while the NHL and NHLPA continue to duke it out.

Smith is the fourth Predator to head overseas, including Roman Josi, Pekka Rinne, and Patric Hörnqvist.

ESPN3 Picks up KHL, Hörnqvist Signs with HC Red Ice, & SK74 starts Rumors

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Although ESPN is notorious for ignoring all things hockey related (including acknowledging this current lockout), they turned some heads today by coming to an agreement with the Russian-based hockey league to air games on the sports giant’s online channel, ESPN3.

While it isn’t much, at least ESPN is taking the the initiative to draw NHL fans to their site, giving fans at least some chance of seeing their beloved players take to the ice – even if it’s half way around the world. And, believe it or not, this isn’t the first time KHL games have been aired on ESPN3. For the past two seasons, ESPN3 has aired a few games on their station, though thanks to the lockout, it has gained more attention now.

The first game to be shown on ESPN3 will be between Dynamo Moscow and AK Bars on Wednesday, with four more games to follow up until the 9th of this month. More games are set to be scheduled as the lockout continues.

Though almost the entire team is eligible to play in Europe, only a few have fully committed to a team during the lockout including:

– Pekka Rinne – Dinamo Minsk
– Roman Josi – SC Bern
– Patric Hörnqvist was set to return to his former team Djurgarden, but due to high taxes and insurance, Hörnqvist is seeking another route. Where to now? HC Red Ice, yet another Swiss league team.

Rumors are still swarming around as to what Martin Erat is up to, along with rumors that Sergei Kostitsyn wants to stay with the KHL, even after the lockout is settled. However, we have yet to come across anything that has stated he has even signed with a team. Maybe we missed it in the Russian-to-English translation.

Also, be prepared for the NHL to start announcing the cancelation of regular season games some time this week. Good news, however, if the NHL and NHLPA can come to an agreement before November, all 82 games will still be scheduled. Let’s hope for that.

It’s Off to Europe for Rinne, Hornqvist, & Josi: Who’s Next?

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Pekka Rinne, Patric Hornqvist, & Roman Josi have hit the trail to Europe.

With all of September’s preseason games cancelled and three already missed, the Predators (along with players across the league) are struggling with the decision of wether to wait out the NHL Lockout or head over seas to continue what they do best.

Alexander Ovechkin, Ilya Kovalchuk, and Alexander Semin have been vocal about their departure for the ‘Mother Land’, prompting fellow NHLers to consider the same decisions, wether they nestle in the KHL or not.

Rumors have been swirling around particular Preds, with Martin Erat supposedly returning to the Czech Republic and Sergei Kostitsyn possibly signing with a KHL team, but the only truth for Predators fans is this: Pekka Rinne has signed with a KHL team, Patric Hornqvist signs with Sweden, and Roman Josi (who actually made his announcement earlier in the week) returns to Switzerland.

Amidst rumors of him signing with the Finnish Elite League, Pekka was adamant about settling with a KHL team instead of one in his native Finland. Rinne will be goaltending for Dinamo Minsk out of Belarus during the duration of the lockout.

Patric Hornqvist naturally returned to Sweden, signing with Djurgården, a key team of Sweden’s Allsvenskan league. Preds’ first rounder Pontus Aberg is active on Djurgården’s roster, giving Hornqvist the opportunity to help the youngster prepare for (maybe one day) a shot in the National Hockey League.

Roman Josi was the first to announce his departure to Europe under the Predators roof, shipping back to S.C. Bern of Switzerland. Former Pred J.P. Dumont played for S.C. Bern last season, gaining eight goals in just 31 games. Josi is expected to hit the ice for S.C. Bern on September 29th.

With Pekka, Patric, and Roman packing up and heading overseas, it’s only a matter of time before the other members of the Nashville Predators inevitably agree to the same decision. As mentioned, SK74 and Martin Erat are already in negations with European teams, so only time will tell when they sign.

The NHL and NHLPA have scheduled a formal meeting on Friday to discuss options on the current lockout, hopefully coming to some sort of an agreement.

From AHL to College Teams; Where to Find Hockey during Lockout

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From the Knoxville Ice Bears to the Mississippi RiverKings, there is hockey if you know where to find it.

Welp, Day 1 of the NHL Lockout is coming to a close and, as you might have expected, the NHL and the NHLPA are nowhere near coming to an agreement. Fans across North America are teary-eyed and sort of lost, not exactly knowing what to do without a hockey season to look forward to. Where as prominent hockey communities like New York and all of Canada have other outlets to cling to other than the NHL, those of us in non-traditional markets are left twiddling our thumbs, wishing on stars every night for the big wigs to come to an agreement… or are we?

Many would believe the South is a non-traditional hockey market and, in all fairness, it truly is. Baseball and college football rule this area, with hockey clinging like icicles in certain parts of the region. With Atlanta losing yet another NHL expansion team to Canada, it’s hard to believe hockey could survive somewhere like Georgia, Alabama, or even Mississippi, yet it thrives if you know just where to look.

For those who believe the South cannot withhold and establish a thriving hockey franchise, I give you the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL).

Yes, the South has its own professional league.

If you’re a devoted hockey follower, you have probably heard of the SPHL, but for all the newcomers that have never dealt with a NHL Lockout before, there is still hockey to be found! Teams in the SPHL include:

– The Huntsville Havoc – Huntsville, Alabama
– The Knoxville Ice Bears – Knoxville, Tennessee
– The Augusta RiverHawks – Augusta, Georgia
– The Columbus Cottonmouths – Columbus, Georgia
– The Mississippi RiverKings – Southaven, Mississippi (Memphis)
– The Fayetteville FireAntz – Fayetteville, North Carolina
– The Mississippi Surge – Biloxi, Mississippi
– The Louisiana Ice Gators – LaFayette, LA
– The Pensacola Ice Flyers – Pensacola, Florida

Although there have been many franchises that have folded over the years, from the teams listed, hockey has managed to thrive in the South, even before the Nashville Predators arrived in the Music City. For Predators fans, the Knoxville Ice Bears, the Mississippi RiverKings, and the Huntsville Havoc would be the nearest teams to visit, with the Havoc being the closest (2 hours). Although it isn’t exactly the boys we are used to cheering for, you could end up finding your own Pekka Rinne or Shea Weber in Biloxi, Mississippi.

Let’s also not forget our college teams also have a love for hockey. Wether it’s an actual team or just a club, you’d be surprised who has a hockey setup on campus. Here’s a list of a few colleges with hockey outlets:

– Vanderbilt Commodores – Nashville, TN
– The Tennessee Ice VOLS – Knoxville, TN
– The Ole Miss Ice Rebels – Oxford, MS
– Georgia Tech – Atlanta, GA
–  Memphis Tigers Hockey – Memphis, TN
– The Alabama Frozen Tide – Tuscaloosa, AL
– Florida Gators Hockey – Gainesville, FL
– The UGA Ice Dogs – Athens, GA

Who knew the SEC was prominent in sports other than football, baseball, and basketball? Now, that’s just a handful of colleges with hockey clubs and/or teams; we can’t list them all. Your best bet to see if your college (or one near by) has a hockey club or team is to check out your college’s website.

If the SPHL and the college teams just don’t do it for you, there are always the AHL and ECHL teams across the country, all affiliates with the NHL teams. As you know, the Milwaukee Admirals are the farm team to the Predators, but Wisconsin’s a good distance away from Nashville, Tennessee. The closest AHL team to Music City would be the Charlotte Checkers out of Charlotte, North Carolina. If you have a soft side for the Carolina Hurricanes, this would be the AHL team for you. For all of the AHL teams across the country and their NHL affiliates, just visit the AHL site here.

As for ECHL, the closest to the Nashville area are the Greenville Road Warriors of Greenville, South Carolina and the Gwinnett Gladiators of Duluth, Georgia. The Road Warriors are the ECHL affiliate of the New York Rangers and the Gladiators are the Phoenix Coyotes affiliate.

As you can tell, there’s still hockey to be found, even if the NHL and NHLPA can’t come to a logical agreement. And, may we add, the hockey to be found is not limited to this list alone. So plan a day trip, road trip, or whatever to support these minor league and college teams. Heck, even if the NHL Lockout comes to an end, it’s still a great idea to support these smaller, lesser known teams. Truthfully, they are the teams that keep hockey alive in the South.

What hockey team will you be supporting during the lockout?

CBA Talks Halt; 2012-13 Season Hangs in the Balance

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Whatever he’s thinking about, it isn’t the fans.

You are probably wondering why we haven’t covered the current Collective Bargaining Agreement that haunts the future of the 2012-13 NHL season. Welp, we figured you were hearing enough from everyone else, but also because we just didn’t want to discuss it. Bad juju, really.

Well, after trying to ignore the potential lockout like a five-year-old (if you close your eyes and cover your ears, it’s not real, right?), we finally hiked up our big girl undies and weighed the pending situation at hand.

As of Friday, the NHLPA and the NHL have come to no conclusion, with no intentions of meeting again before the CBA expires on the 15th. The meeting lasted a whopping 90 minutes. That gives these two knot-heads twelve days to agree to disagree or say bye-bye to the 2012-13 season (that, or it’ll be delayed).

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman doesn’t seem worried about a potential lockout, claiming that, because the league survived the last lockout (2004-05 season), it will be just fine if another one occurs. Fans and the media, however, beg the differ.

The strength of hockey will not be effected in certain places such as Los Angeles, Boston, Detroit, and all of Canada, but for non-traditional markets, the event of a lockout could be disastrous. The Columbus Blue Jackets are walking a very, very thin wire and, after losing Rick Nash to the New York Rangers, a lockout could be the scissors that cut their lifeline. Hosting the All-Star Game won’t help much if there isn’t one, and it sure won’t bring an already waning fan base back on board, either.

The Phoenix Coyotes, still floating on Cloud 9 after making it to the third round of the playoffs, will soon find their cloud bursting into flames if the lockout does indeed occur. What fan base they generated during the playoffs will enviably die off due to lack of a season, sending the Coyotes back into the limbo that is “What Canadian city will be getting an NHL team”. Now, not to bash the Coyotes, as they do have a committed, loyal fan base, but I am talking about those who jumped on the bandwagon and/or those Arizonians who were introduced to hockey during that time.

Though we do not want to discuss it, Nashville will be effected as well. The Predators have nestled themselves into Music City just fine, and the team managed to survive the 2004-05 season without fail. However, although the fan base is strong and loyal fans have began to emerge, Nashville is still a non-traditional market and, enviably, will be damaged by a potential lockout. The Predators bring fans from across the South, from Alabama to Arkansas (most notable Preds fans from Arkansas? The Duggar Family from 19 Kids and Counting) and, without a season, but in a lockout situation, those fans will revert back into college football drones.

No matter if the team is settled in a non-tradition market or in a thriving, hockey-centered community, every city with an NHL team will be affected negatively. Wether it be monetarily, numerically, physically, whatever- Bettman can easily shrug off the fact he will lose no more than chump-change and a few “bandwagoners” if a lockout occurs. The fans, however, lose out in every aspect of the situation. Cities that don’t even have teams will be affected.

“Once we get past Sept. 15, I think the dynamic changes,” Commissioner Bettman stated. “The damage to the business changes the dynamic of the negotiation. So, from our standpoint, we’re hoping to make a deal by Sept. 15. That’s how we’ve positioned the offers we’ve made. And I’m hopeful that it can still be done. There is enough time if there is a willingness to negotiate.”

As stated above, the NHL and NHLPA have not set another meeting to discuss the CBA any further, leaving the 15th of September looming over every fans’ head.


Check out this video by Janne Makkonen – If this doesn’t make you want to punch Gary Bettman, I’m not sure what will. It gives an example and statistics of people will be affected if a lockout occurs and how fans can make a difference.

Here’s to hoping the NHL and the NHLPA get their butts in gear and finish these CBA talks before the 15th. Even if the season is pushed back, we’d rather see that than an entire lockout. Though it looks like neither side is going to back down, something’s got to give soon. For the fans sake.

 

Predators nab Honors in Toast of Music City

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Chris Parker picked up one award for the Nashville Predators

The Tennessean released its winners of the 2012 Toast of Music City today, revealing that Nashvillians are quite fond of hockey in the South and the Nashville Predators.

The Taste of Music City bundles different local businesses, personalities, and restaurants into a city-wide (heck, nation-wide) online voting, separating into like categories, such as Best Restaurant, Best Wedding Venue, Best Hair Salon, etc. The Predators landed in the top three of three different categories: Best Place to Take the Kids, Best Blog, and Best Local Pro Athlete.

– The Predators came out on top under the Best Place to Take the Kids category, overshadowing the Nashville Zoo at Grassmere and the Adventure Science Center.

– Pekka Rinne knocked off Chris Johnson, Frank Wycheck, and Cortland Finnegan (who tied Wycheck for 3rd) for Best Local Pro Athlete. We aren’t sure how Pekka feels, but seeing hockey knock off three NFL players is a good sign for hockey in Nashville.

– Although the last winner isn’t officially with the Predators, they still are the leading blog for Nashville Predators information. OntheForecheck.com nabbed third in overall Best Blog, with Holly Stokes of myravenblog.com and Styleblueprint.com rounding out the Top 2. With all the sports blogs bouncing around the Internet, it is refreshing to see a hockey blog round out the Top 3 blogs of Music City.

Although it was only three categories of many, the Predators came out on top sports-wise in the Nashville community. No other sports team, besides the three Titans that finished behind Pekka Rinne, made the list. So, as Predators fans, you can’t help but beam with pride knowing that, despite the lingering nag of being a non-traditional hockey market, hockey is alive and thriving in Music City.

For all the winners of the Toast of Music City presented by the Tennessean, click here!