XM204

Brad Larsen of the Atlanta Thrashers sat in with “The War Room” today, and outside of myself foolishly thinking he was a defenceman, the hour was informative, and entertaining.

That is not always the case with professional athletes. Many of them are not necessarily preparing themselves for a post-hockey career as a public speaker, though that may be changing somewhat, as more and more ex-jocks are realizing that the easiest jobs in the world are in the hockey media.

A day after having Andrew Ference of the Boston Bruins join us on the phone, The War Room featured another well-spoken, thoughful hockey player. Larsen was candid, and offered insightful comments about the current N.H.L. playoffs and hot-button issues such as visors, and retaliation.

His point about fans and most media not really knowing what goes on inside a particular dressing room is valid; as a member of that media, and more importantly, as a lifelong fan, I am very aware of this, and try to keep this in mind when discussing anything about sports. The N.H.L. playoffs are a perfect example; it’s usually only after a playoff series is over that we get official confirmation that certain players were nursing injuries, hence their less-than-stellar performance…unless Harry Sinden is in the mood to spill the beans.

A similar scenario happens when the hosts of Home Ice XM 204 (and your local sports-talk station) turn off the microphones and go to a commercial break.

Some of the best interviews take place off-the-air, during those breaks.

Not on purpose. Who wants to waste a great question when the mics are turned off? We all want to be thought of as a great radio interviewer/host. We all want our Mommy to be proud of us, now that she no longer hangs our crayon art on the fridge door.

The conversation that takes place with a guest in-studio during a commercial break happens because of the need for small-talk. You’ve just finished grilling said guest for the past ten minutes…and then you go to break to sell something.

You could just stare at each other, but most of these guys are huge. Larsen, for example, is only six feet tall (I’m an inch taller), but he’s in great shape, and possesses a vice-grip handshake. There will be no staring at each other during the break. There could be blood.

You could stare at your computer screen, mindlessly reading your email, and searching for pictures of Scarlett Johansson (have I given too much away here?), but that would also be rude.

So you talk. About things. Life. The kids. How’s your portfolio doing? Found any good pictures of Scarlett?

Inevitably, you talk hockey. In the case of Mr. Larsen, we talked about his days with the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League. He played the entire 2004-05 season with the Wolves, and went to the Calder Cup Final against the eventual champions, the Philadelphia Phantoms, who won in four straight.

Larsen spoke glowingly of his days with the Wolves, mentioning that the fans filled that building, even outdrawing the Chicago Blackhawks. Larsen also suited up for the Hershey Bears for parts of six seasons during his A.H.L. days.

The trouble is, as interesting as his tale was about his days with the Wolves, by the time the commercial break was over, so was the momentum for this story. We could have gone-to-air and re-asked him the same question, but my experience has been that the re-telling of the tale is not nearly as good the second time around.

Which reminds me of a time I was working at a Canadian-based all-sports radio network at the beginning of this decade. I had set up a phone interview with a journalist from Winnipeg, who was investigating some questionable financial practises surrounding the building of a new hockey arena in downtown Winnipeg.

The interview was frank and hit upon a number of points that should be of concern to any taxpayer who does not like seeing public money unquestionably poured into privately-owned playpens for the rich.

The trouble is, the interview was being recorded on to a minidisc, and as wonderful as that recording medium is, sometimes it’s prone to burps. And on this day, the minidisc burped.

Which meant that the interview did not get recorded. Which meant, as a show producer, I was one segment short. Which meant we had to call the journalist up and ask him (beg him) to redo the interview.

He reluctantly agreed to do so. The second time around, he pulled his punches. While salient points were still raised, the entire tone of the interview lacked the fire of the unrecorded original. The journalist obviously had time to reflect on his initial statements, and toned down the majority of them the second time through.

The point being…always back up any interview.

Okay, the point being here, strike while the iron is hot. The second time around, even the good parts will sound rehearsed. It may not sound that way to the listener, but the host knows it, and it’s very difficult to reconstruct the initial approach without sounding phoney, and that comes through over the air.

So, next time we have a guest in-studio, I’ll just mindlessly check my email during the commercial breaks.

- Mick Kern

From the desk of Patrick Hoffman:

Another week, another NHL coaching casualty as Doug Wilson, general manager of the San Jose Sharks, fired Ron Wilson, the team’s head coach.

For Wilson, it was a long time coming as his team underachieved during the last three seasons. In those three campaigns, the Sharks failed to get past the second round despite stellar regular season records.

However, it was apparent that the Sharks’ brash was tired of being a successful regular season team and is instead, looking for someone that can get them to the next level and where management believes they should be every season: in the Stanley Cup finals.

Wilson wasn’t the only bench boss who was canned after the regular season as Paul Maurice of the Toronto Maple Leafs was also let go by his organization. In three season with the Leafs, Maurice did everything he could but get into the playoffs and if you’re not able to get your team in the playoffs in this business, you’re going to lose your job.

These two join a growing list of coaches who are looking for homes next season. More than likely, some of the other head coaches that will be available include John Tortorella of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Don Waddell of the Atlanta Thrashers and Bryan Murray of the Ottawa Senators. Quite a list of spots to fill going into the 2008-09 NHL season.

Here is what I think could happen:

• John Tortorella becomes head coach of the Ottawa Senators and Bryan Murray stays on as the team’s GM. Tortorella is a guy who is not afraid to yell at his players and put them in their place, something that the Ottawa Senators need if they want to make things right next season.

• Paul Maurice returns to the Southeast division to coach the Atlanta Thrashers. Maurice would not have as much pressure as he did in Toronto as the Thrashers, who have only made the playoffs once in their nine year history, are still looking to become a more consistent hockey club.

• There are all these rumors that Barry “the Mullet” Melrose will return to the NHL coaching ranks. If such a thing were to happen, don’t be surprised if you see him behind the Lightning bench next season. Tampa Bay has never been a traditional hockey market so why not do something to prove that point and hire Melrose?

• Alain Vigneault will remain the head coach of the Vancouver Canucks. For the past two weeks, new GM Mike Gillis has been having pow-wow sessions with the bench boss trying to figure out why the team didn’t make the playoffs this season. The answer? Not Vigneault. Look to the team’s lack of scoring as the main reason why the Canucks could not get to the postseason tournament.

Other Things Coming to an End

Continuing with the theme of something ending and then starting over, how about those Conference Finals?

In the Eastern Conference, the Pittsburgh Penguins are up 3-0 on the Philadelphia Flyers and look primed to complete the series sweep on Thursday night in Philadelphia. The Penguins have dominated every facet of the game and have allowed just five goals in the series while scoring 12 goals themselves.

In The Western Conference, the Detroit Red Wings are manhandling the Dallas Stars as they also have a 3-0 stranglehold on their series. The team has been getting timely goal scoring and clutch goaltending from Chris Osgood and appear to be well on their way to their fourth Stanley Cup Final in the last 13 years.

For more hockey talk, feel free to drop me an e-mail at patrickhoffm@gmail.com.

Patrick Hoffman has covered the NHL since 2003. He has worked for a variety of hockey media sources including Stan Fischler, Spector’s Hockey, TheHockeyNews.com, HockeyBuzz.com, McKeen’s Hockey, Blueshirt Bulletin, NY SportsDay, and HokejaVestnesis.com.

The opinions expressed on nhlhomeice.com do not necessarily reflect those of NHL Home Ice XM 204 and/or XM Satellite Radio Canada.

We don’t only cover the National Hockey League. We’re also at American Hockey League playoff games…and the IIHF 2008 World Hockey Championships being held in Quebec City and Halifax.

Our own super-operator, Victoria, made the trek up to Le Colisee on Saturday, May 10th, to catch her beloved Russian team down Sweden 3-2, on a late goal by Alexander Ovechkin. (Victoria is the blonde woman wearing glasses, and hoisting the cup).

The firing of Ron Wilson in San Jose brings the trio of California NHL teams full circle in the post lockout world. Doug Wilson and Ron Wilson (no relation of course) have been the GM/Head Coach tandem in San Jose since the beginning of the 2003-04 season which made them the only tandem in the Golden State to survive the transition into the post-Lockout NHL. Looking at the numbers, the Sharks were mostly mediocre in the competetive Western Conference since the lockout so I wanted to compare the three Cali teams from pre-Lockout to the present to see how the salary cap and management changes affected the teams. There are three very different results:

2003-04: San Jose, under the first full year of the W/W era and the last year with no salary cap, finish 2nd in the West with 104 pts and made it to the Conference Finals before being eliminated by 6th Place Calgary (who lost in the Finals). Los Angeles, under the Dave Taylor/Andy Murray regime finish 11th in the West and miss the playoffs (again). Anaheim fares even worse in the final year of the Bryan Murray/Mike Babcock era, after going to the Cup finals the previous year they stumble to 12th place and enter the Lockout out of the playoffs.

2005-06: The W/W regime carries through the Lockout in San Jose but take a small step back in the first year of the salary cap, finishing 5th in the West and losing to the 8th place Oilers in the 2nd Rd of the playoffs. For some reason Los Angeles sticks with the Taylor/Murray tandem and finish in 10th place, finally axing both of them before the regular season ended. Anaheim begins with the Brian Burke/Randy Carlyle era and improve to 6th in West but make it all the way to the Conference finals before being eliminated by the Oilers (who would lose in the finals).

2006-07: The third season of the W/W punch in San Jose hits a plateau as it is almost a carbon copy of the previos season finishing 5th in the West and losing in the 2nd Rd to the 1st place Detroit Red Wings. The Dean Lombardi/Marc Crawford era begins with much anticipation in Los Angeles…and the Kings have an even worse season dropping to 14th place in the West and again, no playoffs. Anaheim has the ultimate season, finishing 2nd in the West and winning the Stanley Cup under the continued guidance of Burke/Carlyle.

2007-08: In what would turn out as the final season of the W/W era, San Jose raises the bar in the regular season finishing in 2nd place in the West but its the same old story in the playoffs as they get ousted in the 2nd Rd to 5th place Dallas. Under the continued guidance of Lombardi/Crawford, Los Angeles is…even worse, finishing last in the West and missing the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season. In the third year of the Burke/Carlyle era, Anaheim has a very uneven season for various personnel reasons but finish strong at 4th place in the West before being bounced in the first round by the Dallas Stars.

So as California hockey goes, three very different stories. With the Sharks plateauing the past few years, it was time for Ron Wilson to move on to a new challenge as he just couldn’t get over the hump with his players. Doug Wilson has done a good job building a team so I can see him there as long as the Sharks compete in the West. A small spending team like the Kings should have flourished in the salary cap era but have stumbled to an all time low. While I expect Lombardi to remain in the front office, I have a hard time believing that Marc Crawford will be back behind the bench. Anaheim has the most question marks for next year. It is the final year of Brian Burke’s contract and with Selanne gone and Niedermayer possibly gone (again), the team could have it’s third look in three years. Carlyle has done a good job but if Burle leaves, the new GM may want to bring in his own coach so I would look for a new tandem in Anaheim by the beginning of the 2009-10 season begins.

Anyone who is still awake by the end of this blog is proof that California hockey will survive and it’s a hell of a lot more interesting than talking about the hockey teams in the Tri-State area.

After recent visits from John Stevens, Bruce Boudreau and Eric Perrin, the NHL Home Ice studios are set to welcome two more guests to our hockey heaven.

Dan Carcillo of the Phoenix Coyotes and Brad Larsen of the Atlanta Thrashers will be in studio on Wednesday. Former Columbus GM Doug MacLean will be in studio on Thursday.

Larsen will sit in on “The War Room” with Blakeley, Kern and Rossy at 11:05am ET while Carcillo drops by at 2:05pm ET.

MacLean will also be in “The War Room” on Thursday at 11:05am ET.

http://timesonline.com/content/articles/2008/05/12/sports/doc4827cf4a84653629091394.jpg

Here is a still shot of the disallowed goal in Sunday’s Philly-
Pittsburgh game

So the World Hockey Championships have been taking place in Halifax and Quebec City featuring the greatest players in the world NOT playing in the NHL Playoffs. That seems to be a problem to many fans and media because it always gets lost in the Stanley Cup hype machine. It really bothers me when North American media scoffs or completely ignore the World Championships because as hockey fans there are alot of reasons to embrace it.

This year and next year’s WHC is essentially auditions for the Olympics in 2010 at Vancouver. Every country is looking at players available and scouting them. Yes guys who play this year for Team Canada or Team USA may not be there in 2 years but then again with an impressive performance who says they couldn’t. Then there are players who people may feel are a lock for 2010 who may struggle in international competition whose stock may fall.

Another reason I like to watch the WHC is too see future NHLers who may have excelled in the tournament environment. Two examples last year when Canada won the World Championship in Moscow was Cory Murphy and Jonathan Toews. I never heard of Murphy then BAM! He was an offensive force and led to Murphy sign a deal with the Florida Panthers. Toews was a young college hockey phenom and was a boy wonder playing with men. After his performance you just knew this kid would be special and as we all saw in Chicago he was during his rookie season.

The final obvious reason to pay attention to the tournament is because you can! As a Canadian we can watch our teams game late morning or early afternoon when the Championships are in Europe and this year we can to watch before dinner time…WOO! I love it! Now my biggest complaint it the tournament is not readily available in the United States. This problem needs to be fixed because there is no reason why the tournament could not be available via Center Ice.

When I read Tarik El-Bashir’s piece on the Washington Post website, something I suspected was coming finally happened: Olaf Kolzig will not be back with the Washington Capitals.

And while I try to always be as professional and arm’s-length with NHL players, when it comes to Olie, there is a bit of a personal bias.

I have dealt with Olie many times in the last year and a bit, as he was a playoff analyst for NHL Home Ice last season and also served as the focus of our our first ever “Hockey Confidential”. And whenever called upon, Olie has been there for NHL Home Ice.

So, with that much interaction, it becames hard not to root for the guy as the Capitals began the season and seemed like a team that would finally get over the hump and into the playoffs.

But it was equally difficult to watch him have to be on the sidelines as the playoffs became a reality and the team pushed Philly to 7 games.

But I was proud of how classy he was through it all. As far as I could see, from outside the Caps inner circle, he wrote the book on being a suportive teammate.

He also offered some lighter moments.

Back in January, on “The War Room” (10am ET on XM 204 with Dan Blakeley, Mick Kern and I), we got into a discussion about goalies and free agents and the trade deadline and I mentionned that in a few recent tough outings, Olie had looked like a goalie who was getting older and maybe less mobile.

A day or two later, I was talking to Paul Rovnak (Caps PR Manager) and asked if, on their next trip to Toronto, Olie would sign a picture for a friend.

Rovnak got back to me later in the day saying he had checked with Olie. “He said yes, but hesitated….he wonders if maybe he’s too old to be signing autographs.”

Priceless.

I also admire the charitable side of Olie. The guy who is so devoted to his family and to the cause of autism.

I’ll never forget an encounter I witnessed during the taping of “Hockey Confidential” in our studio.

A colleague here at XM brought along a friend of hers and her son who suffers from autism.

The lady in question thanked Olie for his dedication to the cause and mentionned that her son had hardly ever sat for such a long time and paid such good attention as he had during the taping.

But that’s what Olie does. He draws you in with his calm, intelligent and insightful personality.

And I don’t want that to go away….not yet….

I am therefore asking Olie to seek out another opportunity and play another couple of seasons in the NHL.

If he left now, I for one would miss him.

We are happy to welcome Patrick Hoffman as a regular contributor to nhlhomeice.com!

What Will Happen to Jagr and Shanahan?

Hold the phone, folks.

It looks like New York Rangers forward Jaromir Jagr will be playing hockey next year after all, despite earlier reports indicating that he may choose otherwise and retire from the NHL.

So what exactly does this mean? Well, for one thing, it could mean that he has plenty of suitors and could be due to make a lot of money over the next two years depending on where he signs.

Jagr has never been on the open market before and said that he was intrigued to find out exactly how much he is worth. He also mentioned that he does not have a deal in place with his old team in Omsk, a team that he may return to once he’s finished playing in the NHL.

However, before we even begin to think about where Jagr could end up for the foreseeable future, Jagr quasi-declared that he would like to be back with the Blueshirts when he said that the Rangers were his No. 1 option. He stated that he does not like change and that he feels very comfortable in New York, a place that a lot of celebrated athletes and sports personnel have had a lot trouble adjusting to (Alex Rodriguez, Larry Brown, Eric Lindros, Theoren Fleury, etc.).

If the Rangers decide to bring back Jagr, it would likely mean the end of Brendan Shanahan’s tenure in New York. The club cannot afford to have two elder statesmen and as such, Shanahan is a likely candidate to not finish his career with the Rangers.

On the other hand, Shanahan told reporters after the team’s break-up day that he thinks he can still play in the NHL next season and that the New York Rangers are still his first choice.

However, if the Rangers resign Jagr and Shanahan has to go elsewhere, what teams would be willing to take a chance on the 39 year-old right winger? May be he’ll go back to Detroit and play with the 46 year-old Chris Chelios or may be he will decide to hang up his skates and take a position in the league office.

Who Doesn’t Love Overtime?

For those of you hockey fanatics that wish that the NHL would implement the shootout during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, stop. Did you see the Dallas vs. San Jose game that lasted into the fourth OT on Sunday night? There was everything from great hits, scoring chances, big saves and great back-and-forth hockey. That game defines what playoff hockey is all about.

Penguins vs. Wings in the Cup Final

As much as many hockey pundits and fans alike would like to see a rematch of the 1997 Stanley Cup finalists, I believe that it will be the Detroit Red Wings versus the Pittsburgh Penguins. Both of these teams have high-powered offenses, underrated defenses (especially the Penguins) and consistent goaltending that will help them beat the Dallas Stars and Philadelphia Flyers, respectively.

For more hockey talk, feel free to drop me an e-mail at patrickhoffm@gmail.com

Patrick Hoffman has covered the NHL since 2003. He has worked for a variety of hockey media sources including: Stan Fischler, Spector’s Hockey, HockeyBuzz.com, TheHockeyNews.com, McKeen’s Hockey, Blueshirt Bulletin, NY SportsDay, and HokejaVestnesis.com.

Finally, the third round of the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs get underway this evening.

Sure, other shows on Home Ice XM 204 have made their predictions, but you know in your heart that the true predictions are made on The War Room…and with your help.

Let’s do a quick summary of where we stand after two rounds of fearless predictions.

Kevin from Boston 7-for-12

Mike Ross 7-for-12

Mick Kern 7-for-12

Rob Higgins 6-for-12

Derrick from Calgary 6-for-12

Dan Blakeley 5-for-12

———————————————————–

2008 NHL PLAYOFF THIRD ROUND PREDICTIONS

DAN BLAKELEY

- Pittsburgh over Philadelphia (6 games)

- Dallas over Detroit (7 games)

MIKE ROSS

- Pittsburgh over Philadelphia (6 games)

- Detroit over Dallas (7 games)

MICK KERN

- Pittsburgh over Philadelphia (6 games)

- Detroit over Dallas (6 games)

ROB HIGGINS

- Pittsburgh over Philadelphia (7 games)

- Detroit over Dallas (6 games)

KEVIN from BOSTON

- Pittsburgh over Philadelphia (7 games)

- Dallas over Detroit (7 games)

DERRICK from CALGARY

- Pittsburgh over Philadelphia (6 games)

- Detroit over Dallas (7 games)

TRIGGER who doesn’t screen calls

- Pittsburgh over Philadelphia (5 games)

- Dallas over Detroit (7 games)

and just for the record, James in Maryland picks Detroit to sweep Dallas

Scott Laughlin and I made our picks for the Eastern and Western Conference Finals. Scott was 1-3 in the 2nd round and I was a pathetic 0-4!

EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL

Scott picks Pittsburgh in 6 Games

Shawn picks Pittsburgh in 7 Games

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINAL

Scott picks Detroit in 6 Games

Shawn picks Detroit in 7 Games

Let us know what you think of our picks and let us know your predictions!

This past Sunday afternoon, the Pittsburgh Penguins played host to the New York Rangers in Game Five of their second-round series. I’m told it was a good game, with Marian Hossa scoring in overtime to send the flightless birds into the third round.

I didn’t see any of it, because it was brought to my attention that professional hockey was still being played in the city of Toronto. And as captivating as the NHL playoffs have been this post-season, I’ll take a live game over a televised game almost any day.

The Toronto Marlies were facing the visiting Syracuse Crunch in Game Two of their series; the Baby Leafs against the Baby Jackets. A number of recognizable names on both squads…Gilbert Brule and Alexandre Picard for the Crunch, Scott Clemmensen, Bates Battaglia and Jiri Tlusty for the Marlies.

I spend a lot of time just watching Brule. The former Vancouver Giants centre was chosen sixth overall by Columbus in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft…yes, the Sidney Crosby sweepstakes. Only three years later, it’s interesting to take a look at the first rounders from that draft and how they’ve fared so far.

Okay, that Crosby lad turned out alright, but we’re still waiting for Bobby Ryan to stick with the Ducks. He was the runner-up prize when Anaheim’s name wasn’t picked in the Crosby sweepstakes. Jack Johnson…no, not the singing surfer dude…was taken by the Hurricanes, who ended up sending him to the Kings, maybe to be closer to Hawaii and the singing surfer dude. Benoit Pouliot went to the Wild next, and then Montreal took goaltender Carey Price.

Ahh, Carey. To quote Joni Mitchell, “Come on, Carey, get out your cane, And I’ll put on some silver, You’re a mean old daddy, but I like you”. Okay, so the lyrics don’t fit, but how often do you get to quote Joni Mitchell in a hockey article?

The Canadiens have put their goaltending future into the young hands of Mr. Price, and the results this spring were spotty. He had some very good games against the Bruins and then a number of games against the Flyers where one was left shaking their head, wondering how in the world he didn’t stop that shot. Maybe he was hurt, but I think more importantly, he was put in a spot that was too much for most 20-year-olds. Now it remains to be seen how much damage has been done to the young phenom. The Habs had better hope they haven’t killed the golden goose.

Which brings us to the number six pick in that draft. The Columbus Blue Jackets are pleased to pick Gilbert Brule of the Vancouver Giants. (Ever notice that no matter where a team drafts, they always claim that the guy they end up with is EXACTLY who they wanted the entire time. Yup. Sure, we coulda had Sidney Crosby if we had the first overall pick, but this is the guy our scouting staff was dead sure about).

Which brings us to Mr. Brule. He’s played parts of three seasons in the NHL, in particular 78 games last year and 61 this season. He hasn’t put up the numbers to warrant his high pick as-of-yet, though he’s only 21 years old. So he’s still got time.

But how’s he doing now? One game does not make a career, but from what I observed on Sunday afternoon, Brule has a ton of speed and is able to find the open spaces that a goal-scorer needs to get to, but he doesn’t seem to do a lot with those skills. On this day, Brule was a minus one, had two shots and also picked up a cross-checking penalty in the third period.

The Crunch didn’t seem to be missing Brule’s offensive skills, as they outlasted the Marlies 3-1, their last goal into an empty net. Toronto outshot Syracuse 45-29, but Crunch netminder Karl Goehring was in fine form. For the record, the 29-year-old goaltender backstopped the University of North Dakota to the 2000 NCAA Men’s Division I title. He’s bounced around a bit, was in the Predator’s system, played in Finland, and now in New York State.

The A.H.L. is widely considered the second-best hockey league in the world, and all 29 teams are aligned with an NHL parent club (Rochester has two), so the level of play is very good. So good that I contend that most hockey fans wouldn’t be able to tell the difference, if the two clubs played the game in Blue Jackets’ and Maple Leafs’ uniforms.

Many of you are no doubt well acquainted with the American Hockey League. For me, the A.H.L. has always been an exotic league. Growing up in Edmonton, I was able to go the number one exotic hockey league of all-time, the World Hockey Association, and we also went to W.H.L. games. Once my family moved to Ottawa, the trip up to Montreal was only two hours, so I had the pleasure of seeing over 100 N.H.L. games at the Montreal Forum.

But the A.H.L. was a league that continued to intrigue me. I had grown up reading books about the Springfield Indians and the Rochester Americans. How the players back during the days when the N.H.L. only sported a half-dozen teams were top-notch players, and many of them finally got their shot at the big time in 1967.

I finally got to see an A.H.L. game live during January of 1987, when I was in Halifax, Nova Scotia over the Christmas holidays. We trucked up to the Metro Centre to watch the Nova Scotia (Moosehead) Oilers down the Fredricton Express. Alfie Turcotte, another high draft choice that never panned out, was on that Oilers’ squad. So was Butch Goring, who was attempting a comeback. Kelly Buchberger was also on that team, as was Bruce Boudreau. The Express boasted the likes of Claude Julien, and Marc Crawford.

Later, I caught an A.H.L. game at Maple Leaf Gardens, as the St. John’s Maple Leafs played a couple at the old barn, but it wasn’t the same as seeing a team in their home arena. A few trips down to Hamilton to see, first, the Hamilton Canucks, and then later, the Hamilton Bulldogs, with the likes of Dennis Bonvie.

During our honeymoon in Quebec City in November 2001, somehow I convinced my wife to go to Le Colisee and watch the Quebec Citadells take on the Albany River Rats. Scott Clemmensen and Ted Drury led the charge against the hometown team, which included another first-round bust, Jason Ward, and the likes of Marcel Hossa, Craig Darby, Mike Ribeiro and Mathieu Garon in net.

The point being, I would risk my fledgling marriage in order to catch an A.H.L. game live. But going by the attendence this past Sunday, at the very charming Ricoh Coliseum, Toronto hockey fans only watch the Toronto Maple Leafs.

This has been known about this city for ages; they are hockey-mad here in Toronto, but only for the Maple Leafs, and for whatever minor team their kid plays for. Yet, the powers-that-be continue to try to make minor league hockey work in The Big Smoke.

The Edmonton Oilers parachuted the dormant Roadrunners franchise into the newly renovated Ricoh Coliseum for the 2003-04 season. They lasted one season, before being moved to Edmonton.

A number of factors doomed these birds. First, as already discussed, Toronto hockey fans don’t show up for non-NHL hockey. Just ask the Ontario Hockey League teams such as the St. Mike’s Majors (now in Mississauga), the Mississauga Ice Dogs (now in Niagara), and the Brampton Battalion. The Oshawa Generals do fine, but they’ve got a rich history to draw from.

The second reason the Toronto Roadrunners didn’t fly in Toronto was when the club priced itself out of the market. Even Oiler’s GM Kevin Lowe mused that the ticket prices were too high.

And the third reason? They were the Oiler’s farm team. If a minor league team was going to convince fickle Toronto hockey fans to part with their cash, there had to be a Maple Leafs’ connection.

Once the Leafs and the city of St. John’s, Newfoundland had a falling out over a number of issues, it made a lot of sense to repatriate the farm team. The Philadelphia Phantoms and the parent Flyers’ club have both thrived playing next to each other in the same city, so the model for success is there.

A vocal busload of Syracuse Crunch fans made the trip over to Toronto for the game on Sunday, and added some welcome noise to the modest crowd. Those that were flying the Marlies colours tried hard, but even with the official attendence announced at 3,133, that was a kind estimate.

Too bad too, for the arena is nice, the hockey is very good, the staff are polite, and these are the frickin’ playoffs, so this matters.

And, it should be pointed out, even though they are under the all-encompassing umbrella of the Toronto Maple Leafs, the arena staff and P.R. guys exhibited absolutely no attitude. They were genuinely happy to have you there.

And the concession prices, while not cheap, are better than most N.H.L. prices. Same with the team t-shirts, and jerseys, and pucks and sticks.

In a word, affordable.

In another word, or two…family friendly.

If you can’t get to an N.H.L. game, or can’t afford one, try your local A.H.L. team.

- Mick Kern

When it comes to sports marketing most executives look to the athletes who are loved in their respective markets to help sell tickets and merchandise. Well, it seems they have missed one of the most innovative and simple marketing plan ever: exploit the most hated players in town to steal fans away. A radio station in Cincinnati ran a promotion recently where they would give listeners a pair of tickets to the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones in exchange for a Chad Johnson jersey. Johnson of course is the star Wide Receiver of the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals who recently said he wants to be traded and will sit out the season if he is not moved. For years, athletes have been demanding trades while under contract and management has given in most of the time leaving thousands of fans with jerseys of former (and sometimes hated) players. Any city with multiple sports teams can use this theory to steal fans from one sport and bring them to another. Here is a partial list of teams that could easily use this marketing strategy to bring in fans:

NJ Devils: For a team that has won 3 Cups in 13 years, they have struggled for years to fill their arena. With the NJ Nets giving in to Jason Kidd’s trade demands and ending his Nets career in February why not do a Kidd jersey-for-Devils tickets trade in promotion and fill the Prudential Center. Plus, with Jay-Z moving the Nets to Brooklyn fans won’t have anyplace to wear their jerseys.

Los Angeles Kings: The attendance has been as bad as their record the past few years but any Dodgers fan still owning a Gary Sheffield jersey might jump at a free pair of Kings tickets. If you remember, a few years back when Shef played for the Dodgers, he threatened to sit out if he wasn’t traded but then when he realized he wouldn’t get paid, decided to honour his contract before being traded to Atlanta after the 2001 season.

Philadelphia Phantoms: With Flyers fans on a high, the Phantoms may become the forgotten team in the City of Brotherly Love. That is until they run a promtion for anyone owning a Terrell Owens Eagles jersey getting tickets to a Phantoms game. If you were under a rock, T.O. made headlines in 2005 when he tried to renegotiate his contract and trashed his team after the Superbowl loss to the Patriots. He was released in 2006 and became the headache of the Dallas Cowboys.

Indiana Ice: This USHL team should take full advantage of all Pacers fans with Ron Artest jerseys still hanging in their closets. Artest was the culprit in the infamous brawl in 2004 when he went after a fan during a Pacers/Pistons game in Detroit. He was suspended for 73 games and when he came back demanded a trade, which he got, heading to the Sacramento Kings. I don’t think any hoops fan is holding on to their Artest jersey for sentimental reasons and two tickets to an Ice game may just do the trick.

Toronto Marlies: This could be a much needed coo for a team that drew around 1000 fans for a playoff game. An AHL hockey team stuck in Leafstown can be tough but that could all change if they had a Marlies tickets-for-Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady jersey trade. McGrady bolted the Toronto Raptors in 2000 for the Orlando Magic and to this day has still not won a playoff series. Carter was the heart and soul of the Raptors from 1998 until 2004 when he started tanking games and demanded a trade, which he got, to the NJ Nets. The way things look for him in NJ, the Devils may be able to follow up the Kidd jersey trade-in for a Carter jersey trade-in next year.

So, there are a handful of teams that could benefit from the jersey trade-in promtion. With the amount of trade demands and egos in the other sports leagues, there will be no shortage of hockey teams that can use this idea to bring in some new fans and give fans an alternative to lighting their jerseys on fire.

NEW YORK (May 5, 2008) – The National Hockey League today announced the starting times and complete broadcast coverage information for the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoff Conference Finals, which begin Thursday, May 8, when the Detroit Red Wings host the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Final. The Eastern Conference Final begins Friday, May 9, when the Philadelphia Flyers visit the Pittsburgh Penguins.

National rightsholders NBC and VERSUS in the United States and CBC, TSN and RDS in Canada will provide exclusive national broadcast coverage of the Conference Finals. NHL Radio on Westwood One will distribute live coverage of the Conference Finals to radio stations across North America. Every playoff game also can be heard on XM Satellite Radio.

2008 EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL

SERIES M TIME (ET) #2 Pittsburgh vs. #6 Philadelphia Networks
Friday, May 9, 2008 7:30 p.m. Philadelphia at Pittsburgh VERSUS, CBC, RDS, NHL RADIO
Sunday, May 11, 2008 7:30 p.m. Philadelphia at Pittsburgh VERSUS, CBC, RDS, NHL RADIO
Tuesday, May 13, 2008 7:30 p.m. Pittsburgh at Philadelphia VERSUS, CBC, RDS, NHL RADIO
Thursday, May 15, 2008 7:30 p.m. Pittsburgh at Philadelphia VERSUS, CBC, RDS, NHL RADIO
*Sunday, May 18, 2008 3 p.m. Philadelphia at Pittsburgh NBC, CBC, RDS, NHL RADIO
*Tuesday, May 20, 2008 7:30 p.m. Pittsburgh at Philadelphia VERSUS, CBC, RDS, NHL RADIO
*Thursday, May 22, 2008 7:30 p.m. Philadelphia at Pittsburgh VERSUS, CBC, RDS, NHL RADIO

2008 WESTERN CONFERENCE FINAL

SERIES N TIME (ET) #1 Detroit vs. #5 Dallas Networks
Thursday, May 8, 2008 7:30 p.m. Dallas at Detroit VERSUS, TSN, RDS, NHL RADIO
Saturday, May 10, 2008 7 p.m. Dallas at Detroit VERSUS, CBC, RDS, NHL RADIO
Monday, May 12, 2008 8 p.m. Detroit at Dallas VERSUS, TSN, RDS, NHL RADIO
Wednesday, May 14, 2008 8 p.m. Detroit at Dallas VERSUS, TSN, RDS, NHL RADIO
*Saturday, May 17, 2008 1:30 p.m. Dallas at Detroit NBC, CBC, RDS, NHL RADIO
*Monday, May 19, 2008 8 p.m. Detroit at Dallas VERSUS, CBC, RDS, NHL RADIO
*Wednesday, May 21, 2008 7:30 p.m. Dallas at Detroit VERSUS, CBC, RDS, NHL RADIO

Tuesday: Toronto Marlies at Syracuse Crunch 7pm EDT (Game 3 – Syracuse leads 2-0)

Wednesday: Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins at Philadelphia Phantoms 7:05pm EDT (Game 4)