Battle Of Hudson

It was like a scene out of the movie Field of Dreams, where star players materialized out of nowhere to convene in one location, for one night.  Only instead of ghosts in an Iowa cornfield, last night’s charity game to benefit victims of Hurricane Sandy was in Atlantic City – with living, breathing NHL players.  With no TV coverage available, only the sellout crowd of 10,792 fans in attendance last night got to see the first hockey game with NHL players filling out both rosters since June’s Stanley Cup Finals.  Thanks to 98.7 ESPN radio in South Jersey though, there was radio coverage of the event – which included a pregame and a postgame with broadcasters Ryan Messick and Mike Gill.

While this event attracted stars such as Steven Stamkos and Corey Perry and also brought vet ref Kerry Fraser out of retirement for a game, it did have a local feel to it with ‘Team New Jersey’ (with mostly Flyers players and a few Devils) against ‘Team New York’ (Ranger players primarily) while Lauren Hart – daughter of longtime Flyers’ broadcaster Gene – sang the national anthem last night.  While fans from all over the country convened on Atlantic City, the majority were clearly Ranger and Flyer fans, as evidenced by the booing and ‘Marty!’ chants Martin Brodeur got last night.  I guess in an odd way that was a touch of normalcy, though it didn’t really matter in the end that Henrik Lundqvist stole the show with fifty-six saves in a 10-6 win – the Ranger goaltender’s first competitive action since that memorable Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals last year between him and Marty.

What did matter was the hundreds of thousands of dollars raised for victims all over the tri-state area, which was the most important thing.  And the fact that the dark cloud that’s been over hockey for the last few months was lifted – albeit only for a night – long enough to at least enjoy a game again.  Even if it was a quasi All-Star game, where penalty shots were given as opposed to power plays (and amazingly enough, none of the shooters converted on a handful of attempts), and the ‘coaches’ were Rich Tocchet and Jersey Shore’s Vinny.  It was still a 60-minute game with two intermissions and a goal horn, involving players everyone who’s an NHL fan knows.

Of course, the specter of the lockout didn’t dissapear from last night entirely…especially with Donald Fehr in attendance, after meeting with the thirty-two NHL players who participated in last night’s event before the game.  More importantly though, last night’s game gave the fans something they seldom have in labor disputes – a voice.  Whether you agree with the players, owners or think both sides are full of it in this labor dispute, you had to love the ‘We Love Hockey!’ and ‘We Want Hockey!’ chants last night.  Despite Fehr’s presence, the lion’s share of venom was directed towards commissioner Gary Bettman in the middle of his third lockout in two decades, with chants of ‘Fire Bettman!’ and ‘Bettman sucks!’ echoing throughout the arena at times last night as well.

Even if the players and Fehr could take a little secret satisfaction from the Bettman chants, you hope the larger message got through last night.  It certainly had an impact on Stamkos – who admitted he had ‘chills’ listening to the fans – as well as the Flyers’ Scott Hartnell, who helped organize last night’s event and had this to say afterward:

“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t get choked up a little bit,” he said. “You have 11,000 people chanting they want hockey back. We want to be playing and it’s unfortunate that we’re not playing right now.”

Even as the fans made their voice heard, there were still moments where partisanship showed and things felt normal again.  Like when James Neal and Aaron Asham got booed by the Flyer fan contingent before the game, after their role in last season’s down-and-dirty first-round series between the Flyers and Pens.  Or the bronx cheers when Marty made a save after giving up the first four goals of the night.  There was even an obligatory ‘Crosby Sucks’ chant, although the Penguin star was not in attendance last night.  Admittedly I was taken aback at first by the idea of booing any of the players at a charity game…but then I realized in a way that the fans just want to have a bit of normalcy back.

As the broadcasters for last night’s game put it, it’s sad that this might be the only hockey (with NHL rosters) we get all season.  And ironic that if it wasn’t for the lockout this charity game couldn’t have happened, since every team would be about a third of the way through an 82-game regular season.  Although the radio guys were clearly Flyer affiliated, they did a good job with the telecast last night mixing normalcy and seriousness, laughing at Flyer goalie Ilya Bryzgalov being demoted to third-string in the KHL, and commenting on the more serious matters as well – particularly taking the TV networks to task for not airing this game.

The radio guys even got an interview with New Jersey governor Chris Christie after the game over what the event meant to the area.  As the postgame ran over a half hour it seemed like they didn’t want to sign off the air, cause this might be ‘it’ for the season.  Clearly the players didn’t want to leave the ice either, lingering for minutes afterwards and raising the sticks before throwing some of them into the crowd.  Last night’s special jerseys will be auctioned off, also for charity.  Hopefully last night won’t be all there is of NHL hockey in 2012-13.  At least some good was acccomplished with all the money raised, and hockey fans finally were able to have a voice in everything that’s going on.

With the holiday season almost upon us now, as we arrive at Thanksgiving weekend each of us should have a lot to be thankful for in our personal lives.  Whether it’s family, friends, jobs, it can be whatever makes you happy.  Unfortunately there isn’t a lot to be thankful for as an NHL fan right now.  While I respect Derek’s ability to look at the big picture and appreciate the sport (whether it’s AHL, KHL, college or whatnot) for what it is, I’m a Devils fan.  I like hockey but I haven’t been able to bring myself to watch a game since commissioner Gary Bettman completed his natural hat trick of lockouts with three in a row.  My favorite hockey team is not playing, and as much as I’d like to get into Albany or take a look at the KHL, it’s too much a reminder of what’s no longer here – and doesn’t look to be coming back anytime soon after yet another failed negotiating session this afternoon.

I can see why Derek still wants to watch hockey in other forms.  It’s the best sport out there.  And when they’re playing, the NHL’s the best professional game around.  Unfortunately off the ice, it’s also the worst-run sport around with hypocrites, liars and cheats running it with greed run rampant.  One of the reasons I don’t get into politics more than a few days every four years is because of what it has become on a normal basis.  Too often, it’s two sides both demonizing and blaming each other for everything under the sun and there’s not enough of both sides working together for the common good.  That is exactly what the NHL has become. 

Like clockwork, after every CBA you have two sides being obstructionist, refusing to negotiate in good faith and playing amateurish PR games.  Maybe it’s because of Twitter providing more up-to-the minute news now or the fact I’m more emotionally invested in this lockout being a season ticket holder this time, but it seems to have only gotten worse, and not better this time around.  I would never have thought that possible after losing an entire season in 2004-05 but it seems like both sides are determined to play Global Thermonuclear War again, in a never-ending loop like Joshua the computer in the movie WarGames.  Even baseball wasn’t dumb enough to strike again after ’95, though it came close in 2002.

Of course fans don’t care who ‘wins’ and ‘loses’ the CBA when it’s all said and done, or what the score is.  No fan wants to hear owners crying about how they need a massive overhaul, just seven years after they got a massive overhaul and after an offseason where Minnesota of all teams spent $200 million on two players, and teams threw around long-term contracts like they were going out of style.  Especially when many of these same owners are the ones doing the loudest crying (giving my evil eye to Jeremy Jacobs and Craig Leipold, among others).  It’s incredibly disingenous of owners to be asking for deferred money on contracts signed weeks and even days before the lockout.  Not to mention demanding contract term limits in addition to an increased percentage of HRR.

And no fan wants to hear players martyr themselves about how they’re being bullied with their average current salary of over $2 million a year.  Especially when you have bufoons like Jeff O’Neill and a host of others making themselves look like petulant kids everyday on Twitter and other media outlets.  Having an HRR of 50-50 is more than fair considering owners take the financial risks and the fact that other major sports leagues with higher revenue streams all have similar splits of money now.  The days of NHL players having a 71-29 HRR advantage as they did in the days before the ’04 lockout are over for everyone except Don Fehr, who not only doesn’t want to give up the players’ current 57-43 but is looking to increase it with constant proposals that de-link the salary cap and HRR. 

Yes, owners should be made to pay out the full value of players’ contracts – apart from pro-rating games missed this year – but asking them to assume all the financial burden of a lockout is disingenous at best.  If I were Bettman, I would ask Fehr when the MLBPA plans to make restitution to baseball owners for their myriad of strikes?  After all, if lockouts are solely the fault of owners (despite the PA’s refusal to negotiate or even offer any real proposal until today), then strikes are solely the fault of the players under that standard.  Both sides have blood on their hands and are more interested in playing PR games than actually getting down to business.  Even the two most substantial ‘movements’ of this whole process were steeped in PR.  The NHL’s movement towards 50-50 while trying to extract improvements in every other area last month was just as disingenous as the players attempting even now to ensure raises for themselves every year of a five-year CBA.

Even that last bit is disconcerting for this hockey fan.  Why should hockey fans, sponsors, and TV networks have to deal with this again in five years?  The NBA and the NFL had no problem signing a ten-year agreement after their own protracted labor disputes last year.  At least show embattled fans a sign of good faith by ensuring they don’t have to deal with this again for a very long time, since the playbook is clearly that they will have to deal with it at the expiration of every CBA – at least as long as Bettman and the Fehrs are in charge.  I’m in my mid-thirties now, not very old but I’ve been around long enough to live through three of these already.  Sponsors don’t want to invest in a brand that periodically dissolves every few years and TV networks in Canada and the US are going to be more gun-shy about committing long-term to a league that may take a year off on a whim.  Especially when some have been burned by guaranteed payments to a league without any games to televise currently.

It’s impossible to assess what damage this lockout will ultimately do to the NHL but make no mistake, there has already been damage done.  Fans who were more accepting of the process in 2004 because of a system that had team after team declaring bankruptcy are feeling betrayed that even after missing a year and with small markets healthier (even more so once the revenue sharing that has been agreed on goes into effect), it’s still not good enough for a cabal of owners and a commissioner who doesn’t care about the fans and would rather break the union than play hockey.  And fans are less likely to have sympathy for the players who ‘lost’ the CBA in 2004 and yet eight years later history shows they still got the better of things long-term, even with a 24% rollback and cap in place.  Especially when the players are being led by the same guy whose strike ultimately led to the cancellation of the 1994 World Series in baseball.  Having the only guy who got a baseball season canceled going up against the commissioner that got a hockey season canceled isn’t exactly promising for business anytime soon.

Speaking for myself I admit I’m one of the die-hards that’ll be back, although I have to admit it would be much, much, much harder to be sure of that if the Devil players were among the fools speaking out on Twitter, or Jeff Vanderbeek was one of the hypocritical hard-line owners that are holding the league hostage with their greed.  Not to mention having season tickets right behind the net, on the aisle for $22 a game helps keep me in the fold.  If I wasn’t getting such a good deal in a good location, I wouldn’t have season tickets.  And if I didn’t have season tickets then I would be a lot less likely to go to games this year…or next.  Whatever games I did go to would probably be off the secondary market, so other fans could be helped out.  I don’t want to punish the Devils by not going – especially since like I said they’ve managed to avoid getting in the mud publicly so far – but let’s face it, not buying tickets or other merchandise is really the only vehicle fans have to punish the league as a whole, and send a message that being taken for granted will no longer be tolerated.  We can’t boo Bettman…unless there’s a Cup presentation in Newark this July…or Fehr for that matter.

It’s easy enough for me to vow not to buy any more merchandise, at least not for the duration of time which this lockout lasts, since I already have a ton of Devil shirts up the wazoo and my modest collection of five jerseys is one too many right now as it is (since my Zach Parise is staying in the closet for a long, long, long time).  Without an outright boycott, this is really the only way to punish the league as a whole that I can think of.  I did like an idea I read on HF a while back, if somehow you could get the fans to just not show up for the first two or three games of the season, that would send a message loud and clear while not requiring the fans to totally cut off their nose to spite their face – but even in these days of increased social media a widespread and organized boycott would be very hard to pull off.

I do know this, it’s easier to be detached than it is to care.  Despite being a big Devils fan in 2004, I was more detached from the lockout because quite frankly I wasn’t going to as many games back then.  Ironically it was only after the lockout that I started becoming a season ticket holder, although it was mostly because a friend talked me into going in on tickets with her.  Plus, there wasn’t as much news back then, especially since the sides weren’t talking.  It was easier to move on to other things.  Not to mention there’s absolutely no good reason for this lockout.  I posted on one board that this had to be the dumbest lockout in the history of pro sports, and another guy made a good point – the refs/NFL argument was dumber.  Okay, so this is the dumbest lockout where games aren’t being played in pro sports then.

Now I’m a big sports fan that’s struggling to find something to watch, especially since my Jets are likely one more day away from being irrelevant again and my Mets have been irrelevant for at least three years.  It’ll be a while before I ever entertain getting into the NBA again, especially without a New Jersey team anymore though it’s not like Brooklyn’s far away.  Individual sports are hard for me to get into although maybe I’ll watch a little more tennis when the new season starts in January.  Soccer’s another sport I could branch out to, although it’s hard to sit and watch the ordinary run-of-the mill game as opposed to say a US World Cup game or qualifier, or really any World Cup game.  Not only that but one of my best friends – who I’ve gotten more into hockey over the last few years – has also talked about not going now because of anger over the whole situation.  Losing the ability to go to games with her would make it less fun for me ultimately. 

While both sides are sitting around eating turkey tomorrow, they should think about things like this.  Whether it’s losing people to other sports – look at this area where both NBA teams are suddenly good – or to general apathy/betrayal.  Collateral damage can even affect people like me who want to get back into hockey every bit as much as I did before.  While I get annoyed at labor disputes (especially senseless ones like this) I don’t take them personally, but I suspect I’m in the minority on that.  Especially among people who’ve experienced three lockouts in two decades.  I’ve now seen as many lockouts in my lifetime as Devil Stanley Cups.  Even I want to find a way to punish the league, especially after what happened in baseball in 1995.  Fans DID make their voice heard loud and clear…attendance dropped 20%, venom was palpable and poof, there’ve been no labor problems since then.  Even with that, baseball needed to dance with the steroid devil to get the fans all the way back with inflated HR totals.

What the NHL has to be careful about is there’s no Crosby-Ovechkin draft lurking on the horizon this time around – indeed they’re already losing a lot of the casual fans that got into hockey because of those two great players, who came into the league right after the last lockout ended.  They can’t invent another shootout or other rule changes to entice fans, it’s all already in the NHL.  Fans who were forgiving in 1995 and 2005 are going to feel all the more betrayed now, especially in the US where the economy’s been struggling over the last few years.  There’s only so far you can push people.  Maybe the NHL won’t pay for this lockout in Canada either, god knows if you ever saw empty seats there that’d spell real trouble for most of the league’s 23 US teams…but you do wonder what the effects will be in most US cities.  Especially a place like Boston, where the aformentioned Jacobs has been one of the most notorious figures in this lockout.  If you have problems in Original Six markets, that’d spell real problems for the Western and Southern teams that Bettman’s tried to prop up since his tenure began.

Before the NHL and NHLPA decide their next move they need to take a real hard look in the mirror, at the state of the game and decide whether winning the battle is worth losing even more respect as a ‘major’ sport.  They also need to think long and hard about the people who are out of work, and forced to find new jobs because of layoffs and instability caused in team and league offices all around the NHL.  Those people, in this economy do not care whether the players are getting a fixed or linked percentage of a $3 billion pie, or whether the owners can throw around 10-year contracts anymore.  With d-day approaching in the next few weeks, it’s time for both sides to either negotiate for real or accept binding arbitration and be done with this mess either way.

I may be back, but an increasing number of people won’t by the day.  It’s time for all parties involved to put ego aside and stop chasing phyrric victories.

With Thanksgiving approaching, we have a lot to be thankful for. Everyday is a blessing and it’s worth appreciating the special gift of life. There are many who are still suffering following Sandy. Even without our favorite hockey league, MSG Network continues to do a great job airing replays of the KHL Game of the Week and also getting ready to host a big college hockey game between Cornell and Michigan this Saturday. If I had time, I would be there in a heartbeat.

During the lockout, they have also shown some Ranger playoff games from the run to the Conference Final, which is always nice. You get a good perspective from Dave Maloney and Bill Pidto is an excellent studio host who I had the pleasure to work with over at ESPN. A very quirky guy with a sense of humor, which is why he’s lasted.

Speaking of which, close friend Stan Fischler has his interns hard at work on a new MSG Hockey Project, which will highlight classic games from the past. Under the Maven, I contributed to his Fischler Report that goes out to NHL executives and did extensive research for a couple of books, including a few player profiles on the Detroit Red Wings. Under Mr. Fischler, I also got to work behind the scenes during New Jersey Devils home games in the production truck. A memorable time that included one of the best production crews and of course legend Doc Emrick and Glenn “Chico” Resch. That’s an experience I’ll take with me forever. Sitting in on production meetings for the Fischler gem and learning from some of the best. I never would’ve gotten to ESPN without Stan. My two years in Bristol as a hockey researcher are fond memories.

A decade later, here is the same unique character continuing to teach willing participants the ropes while never taking a day off. We can all learn a thing or two from Fischler, whose schtick isn’t meant to be taken too seriously. The new MSG Project debuted the other day. Yesterday, I checked out the 1984 Rangers/Islanders deciding Game 5. A game that’s always been highlighted on MSG before but never been shown in entirety. Stan wrote a column that can be read over at msgnetwork.com on that series. At the time, he worked for Sports Channel on Islander games. His retrospective was interesting to the point where he along with Isles legendary play-by-play man Jiggs MacDonald and Ed Westfall believed that Herb Brooks’ upstarts from Manhattan would prevail.

In fact, according to Dad, they had the Islander Dynasty on the ropes but blew Game 4, allowing the best-of-five first round series to shift back to Nassau Coliseum. What followed was another historic script written by the blood rivals. A topsy turvy game that had it all. Scoring. Lead changes. Shifts in momentum. Clutch goaltending by both netminders, including a virtuoso performance by Billy Smith with counterpart Glen Hanlon just as brilliant. A controversial late tying goal from Ranger captain Don Maloney forced sudden death. You know the rest with Ken Morrow winning it for the Islanders, who advanced to a fifth consecutive Stanley Cup Final before the Oilers led by Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier ended their run of consecutive series wins at an NHL record 19 that stands to this day.

Even when they were outplayed by a faster Ranger squad who used Brooks’ philosophy that made them tough to defend, the Islanders showed why they were champions. There was unbelievable talent on the ice for the Islanders featuring Denis Potvin, Bryan Trottier, Mike Bossy, Clark Gillies, Bob Nystrom but names such as Butch Goring, Bob Bourne, John Tonelli, Duane Sutter, Brent Sutter, Greg Gilbert, Tomas Jonsson along with newcomers Pat LaFontaine and Pat Flatley were just as important for the Long Island club that also featured backup Kelly Hrudey. They were coached by Al Arbour.

On the Ranger side, there was a young James Patrick proving why he was one of my faves on our blueline making excellent defensive plays while jumping up at exactly the right time to set up Maloney’s tying marker. Their roster included dangerous finisher Pierre LaRouche (48 goals), Ron Greschner, Jan Erixon, Peter Sundstrom, Reijo Ruotsalainen, Anders Hedberg, Mark Osborne and the Maloney brothers. With Hanlon on the bench, Brooks substituted rookie John Vanbiesbrouck to buy time, allowing his players extra rest before Don Maloney’s redirect sent the game to overtime.

Put these two rosters in a heated rivalry full of hatred between players and in the stands and you had the makings of a classic series. One that was a breath of fresh air to watch. There was no overpassing and no cheap penalties called. It was hockey. If you get a chance to catch the replay, don’t miss it!

A few days ago, a special charity event ran at the Skating Pavilion in Staten Island. With so many people still recovering from Hurricane Sandy, Ranger center Brad Richards got some teammates together and organized a free hockey clinic at the skating rink in Charleston. Richards was joined by captain Ryan Callahan, Marian Gaborik, Marc Staal, Dan Girardi, Anton Stralman, Brian Boyle, Taylor Pyatt, Carl Hagelin and Jeff Halpern.

They ran two separate one hour clinics for 110 skaters including St. Joseph By The Sea’s high school hockey club. It was all for a good cause with more than 500 spectators paying a donation fee that helped raise $14,000. Such an event impressed Sea’s coach Anthony Larca.

“These guys were great. I want to thank them. They did an amazing job. Every single kid here had fun,” said Larca, who made sure to thank Pavilion owner Sal Tirro. “These guys went above-and-beyond signing autographs and then helping out the kids. It was a great thing for them.”

For the 11 Rangers who remain locked out, it was an easy decision to give back to the community. Especially in such a dire time for some Islanders who lost homes and suffered immeasurable damage.

“We’re a tight-knit group. Most teams I’ve ever played on, it wouldn’t be too hard to get guys to do this,” said Richards. “We live in a community and play in front of great fans and live in a great city, so it’s not too hard to make that decision to come out and do something like this.”

“I was back home (Rochester, N.Y.) and I was obviously watching the TV and watching the news and it’s unbelievable what this storm did and how many people were affected by it,” Callahan expressed. “For us to come here and put some smiles on some people’s faces and raise some money, we’re happy to do it and glad we can.”

One such young skater who will never forget it is 11-year old Vincent Barone, whose family in Great Kills had their basement and bedroom damaged.

“It was the best. I never thought I would be skating with them and I was talking to them like a friend,” said the St. Clare’s sixth-grader and Great Kills resident. “I liked the passing drills with [Gaborik]. I told him he was my favorite player and he was really good. He said thank you and I have a lot of talent and I’m pretty good, too.”

“It’s devastating to see this disaster to come through New York and see people without homes and losing power and seeing people dying. It’s awful,” Gaborik said. “You try and help any way you can. Hopefully, they get back on their feet soon.”

Such an event demonstrates why we love hockey players. Even during a challenging time without hockey, their hearts are in the right place. More than you can say for the faulty leadership that’s allowed another work stoppage, further hurting the sport.

With the exhibition taking place this weekend in Atlantic City featuring some of the players who took part in last Friday’s charity event, it’s a reminder of all that’s good.

Over the last few months, there’s been very little to be proud of in the No Hockey League, as the lockout is on day #65 and counting with no signs of ending anytime soon although perhaps another meeting tonight can bring some traction.  However, in one of the hardest-hit areas of Hurricane Sandy, twenty-eight NHL players are banding together to put on a special charity game Saturday night at 7 PM in Atlantic City, the proceeds of which will benefit victims of the hurricane.  Tickets will be $20 for upper-level seats and $40-100 for lower-level at Boardwalk Hall, and many tickets have already sold as word has spread fast throughout social media and the Internet.

Many of the players in this game are from the local teams, including goaltenders Martin Brodeur and Henrik Lundqvist, who will start for ‘Team Philly’ and ‘Team NY’.  Despite the generic names and short notice, just putting Brodeur and Lundqvist across from each other is sure to jack up interest.  Other local players that are participaing include Rangers’ defensemen Dan Girardi, Marc Staal and Steve Eminger as well as forwards Brian Boyle, Jeff Halpern, Taylor Pyatt and Brad Richards – who deserves special notice for helping to organize this game.  Flyer forwards Wayne Simmonds, Dan Carcillo, Scott Hartnell, Jody Shelley and local boy James Van Riemsdyk along with defensemen Kimmo Timonen and Braydon Coburn will be representing Team Philly.  Current Devils David Clarkson and Andy Greene and Isles forward Matt Martin round out the local representation, along with current Sabre and ex-Flyer Ville Leino.

In addition to all the local players that will be participating, other big names like Tampa’s Steven Stamkos, the Ducks’ Corey Perry and Bobby Ryan, the Pens’ James Neal and the Caps’ John Carlson are also taking part.  Ryan and Carlson grew up in the area, so this game has some additional meaning for them too.  Other players rounding out the rosters include former Flyers Simon Gagne, Justin Williams and Steve Downie.

Complete rosters are below, and if you’re a little queasy about seeing one of your favorites on ‘Team Philly’ or ‘Team New York’ remember it’s for a good cause!

Team NY forwards: Richards, Ryan, Perry, Leino, Halpern, Neal, Boyle, Martin, Pyatt
Team NY defensemen: Girardi, Staal, Eminger
Team NY goalie: Lundqvist

Team Philly forwards: Stamkos, Simmonds, Carcillo, Hartnell, Gagne, Williams, Clarkson, van Riemsdyk, Shelley, Downie
Team Philly defense: Timonen, Coburn, Carlson, Greene
Team Philly goalie: Brodeur

In the same vein, the Devils’ Cam Janssen also deserves credit for organizing a charity game of his own back in his hometown of St. Louis with many current Blues participating.  Here’s a recap of that night courtesy of Tom Gulutti‘s Fire and Ice blog in the Record:

http://blogs.northjersey.com/blogs/fireice/cam_janssen_organizing_charity_game_in_missouri_to_benefit_first_responders_impacted_by_sandy/

I admit it, with the current state of the NHL it’s been hard for me to even get into the Devils’ AHL team, let alone follow all the other Devil players like Ilya Kovalchuk who are currently playing overseas while the NHL is still in a holding pattern.  And that was before I lost electricity and heat for ten days due to ‘Superstorm Sandy’ which terrorized the northeast, especially along the coast.  I finally got my power back last Thursday and my cable/internet over the weekend, so with the NHL no closer to a solution and my interest in the NFL limited to what my two fantasy teams do thanks to the Jets’ hideousness, I’m going to try a little more to get into the AHL in the coming weeks, starting with a piece on the Albany Devils’ first month.

While it’s true I haven’t watched much other than bits and pieces of a couple games online, you can tell certain things from reading recaps and looking at stats.  What is obvious is that Albany’s 3-5-3 record (including two losses to the rival Whale of Connecticut – a.k.a the Rangers’ affiliate) is not very good.  Then again that’s only par for the course throughout the last decade plus, which saw the Devils’ farm team make the playoffs one time during that stretch – and lose in a quick five-game first-round series then.  Yes, development is more of a priority than winning at the AHL level but to me part of development is learning how to win, especially if you want your young players to know what it takes in a successful organization someday.

Scoring goals is definitely an issue with just twenty-two in eleven games thus far, getting more than two goals in only three of those eleven games.  Among the few bright spots offensively is Jacob Josefson, who leads the team in goals (4), points (8) and is second in plus-minus at a +7 through the first month of the season.  Also starting out hot is career minor leaguer Matt Anderson, who has seven points and a team-leading +8.  Highly-touted defenseman Adam Larsson is continuing his maturation down in the minors with five points in his first eleven games as he not only is refining his defensive game but continuing to improve offensively.

On the downside, after making a name for himself as a rookie during the playoffs with two series-winning goals, Adam Henrique has struggled at the start of this season, with just three goals and no assists in eleven games (and a -1 with 12 PIM’s to boot).  It’s entirely possible he’s only interested in staying in shape till the NHL season starts, or his production is just suffering because of going from playing with Kovalchuk and Zach Parise on his line to playing with has-beens and never-weres this year.  Also struggling – but not as surprisingly – are Mattias Tedenby and Bobby Butler.  Tedenby has just two goals and three points in eight games, and Butler – bought out by Ottawa this offseason – has only one goal and one assist in ten games with a -3.  Both were our primary in-house options to replace the holes left by Parise and Alexei Ponikarovsky on our top three lines but if their numbers in the AHL are any indication, the Devils may have to seek outside help once the lockout ends.

Defensively things look a little better with both Larsson and young Alex Urbom showing improvement.  Urbom’s missed some time this year but has three assists and is a +3 in six games so far.  Brandon Burlon‘s also played in seven games and has one assist with an even plus-minus.  Vet Jay Leach has played in all eleven games and provided leadership for the young kids.  Both Jeff Frazee and Keith Kinkaid have put up good numbers this year sharing the load in goal.  Frazee’s played five games and is 2-1-2 with a 1.94 GAA and .917 save percentage, while Kinkaid’s played six games and is 1-4-1 with a 2.32 GAA and .920 save percentage.  With those splits, clearly the records aren’t the goalies’ fault – Kinkaid pitched a shutout in the lone win he had.

If you want to catch the Albany Devils over the next few weeks, they provide audio at the AHL website.  It’s pay-per-view to actually watch the game unfortunately (about $6 per game), unless you find a bootlegged site which isn’t that hard on the internet if you check out the Devils’ HF and NJDevs message board threads on the AHL.  Over the next month, the Devils will only play weekend (Friday/Saturday/Sunday) matchups, with a pair of games against St. John in Newfoundland on Friday and Saturday next up on the docket.  If you live close enough to Albany and want to check out the baby Devils there, they have a pair of home games on Thanksgiving weekend against Syracuse next Saturday and Wilkes-Barre on Sunday.

Thirteen days before Thanksgiving, the NHL and NHLPA have finally got down to business. Following the disappointing cancellation of the Winter Classic, the owners and players are speaking regularly. Having met a miraculous four consecutive days, the two sides are attempting to put an end to the third lockout under teflon commish Gary Bettman.

Maybe logic will prevail and we’ll have actual National Hockey League action to everyone’s satisfaction. The hockey community remains strong clinging to any hope for a ’12-13 season. In New York City, Ranger fans are desperate for the return of their beloved team, who may very well be Stanley Cup favorites if they return. Boasting a nucleus that includes Vezina recipient Henrik Lundqvist, Brad Richards, Rick Nash, Ryan Callahan, Marian Gaborik (still recovering), Ryan McDonagh, Marc Staal and Dan Girardi, the Blueshirts could be on the verge of bringing Lord Stanley back to Manhattan. Derek Stepan, Mike Del Zotto and Chris Kreider are key pieces to the puzzle along with Carl Hagelin.

Before we get ahead of ourselves, there’s still no resolution. With owners conceding make whole for players, it’s brought the two sides closer. Can they agree on the percentage of revenue that would aid poor teams? Along with splitting up revenue without any disputes, these are critical issues as the season hangs in the balance. If they’re able to reach agreement on a new CBA, it should be strong enough to prevent another work stoppage. Otherwise, what’s the point? Our game can’t keep doing this to dedicated employees and legions of diehard puckers who came back in record numbers despite losing the entire ’04-05. That includes escalating prices and ridiculous costs on new jerseys that make me cringe. I’ll never pay that much for new threads. Virtual insanity.

Side related, I dreamt of a Ranger game at Madison Square Garden against the Islanders. This wasn’t your normal scenario. The Rangers scored the first two goals in 21 seconds. But the Islanders as they always do stormed back with three straight. However, my attention was on all the empty seats throughout the arena. It was like nothing I’ve ever seen. Even stranger, we were sitting on the edge of a train station. Imagine you’re at a hockey game and you can also see trains passing through dropping off and picking up people. Pretty unique. I have the coolest dreams. The idea of having a building where you can see a game, concert or big event and then walk to a point and catch the train is awesome. It would save passengers the hassle of rushing out to catch their ride.

It was only a dream. Yet two parts stuck with me. The empties at the first game back between bitter rivals and an arena subway system. Adding new meaning to light at the end of the tunnel.

The narrow window closed. An 82-game season is no longer possible after the NHL kept their word by cancelling games through November 30. A week ago, the league gave us false hope by proposing a 50/50 split of revenue with the NHLPA contingent on players agreeing to immediate salary cuts. They still tried to work off it by making three different counter offers. However, none of the three came close to what Gary Bettman (rather the owners) wanted. Each had the players starting with over 50 percent of the share gradually decreasing to a split with the promise that owners would fulfill existing contracts.

Not surprisingly, even with some of the game’s biggest names on hand, the league immediately rejected each deal without hesitation. Bettman then did damage control by expressing dissatisfaction over what was offered. He still left the October 26 deadline open. There was a better chance of you or I becoming President than both sides reaching a new CBA that’d allow a full season to start November 2.

“The National Hockey League deeply regrets having to take this action,” Bill Daly told the AP in a statement. “We acknowledge and accept that there is joint responsibility in collective bargaining and, though we are profoundly disappointed that a new agreement has not been attained to this point, we remain committed to achieving an agreement that is fair for the Players and the Clubs – one that will be good for the game and our fans.“

Daly’s statements always irk me worse than Bettman. There’s just something about him I don’t like. I get that he’s representing the owners along with the commish who at least had something to smile about the other day at the Barclays Center with the Islanders coming to Brooklyn. Here’s the question. How many of those owners really are on the same page with main culprits Jeremy Jacobs and Ed Snider? It’s again worth noting that it didn’t take a majority to lockout the players. Like a broken record, it falls under Bettman’s watch. But if you read between the lines, it seems like he’s more interested in playing. His reputation is on the line. Three lockouts under his tenure isn’t what he had in mind. That’s why he wants a settlement. This is about selfish owners like Jacobs who want a bigger piece of the pie. This isn’t about being right like last time. It’s about a cash grab.

They can talk all they want about revenue sharing, which is a key area both sides agree on. It’s about greed. Plain and simple. The sport’s never been better generating record revenues of approximately $3 billion. From that standpoint, Bettman’s done his job while increasing exposure with the Winter Classic. Unfortunately, word is spreading that by next week they’ll cancel the league’s most publicized event- risking the possibility of losing an entire season. Bill Murray called. He wants his role back.

“This is deeply disappointing for all hockey fans and everyone who makes their living from hockey, including the players,” Donald Fehr said. “But it comes as no surprise.” 

“Last week the owners gave us what amounts to a “take-it-or-leave-it” proposal. We responded with the framework for three proposals on the players’ share, each of which moved significantly, towards their stated desire for a 50-50 split of HRR, with the only condition being that they honour contracts they have already signed. Honouring contracts signed between owners and players is a reasonable request. Unfortunately, after considering them for only 10 minutes they rejected all of our proposals.”

If you’ve followed me on Twitter at NewYorkPuck, you know I’m on the player’s side in this mess. I can’t find fault with wanting owners to take responsibility for the contracts they handed out. That shouldn’t be up for debate. The only area I think Fehr can do a better job on is reaching a split of revenue. He insists that his players would lose if they accepted the deal. I agree that the two sides should be more willing to negotiate if they want a better conclusion than ’04-05. If they care about the fans and most importantly, team personnel who are hurting economically, then they’ll be more desperate to work it out. Unfortunately, that’s not how it looks.

It is amazing to watch these two sides go back and forth again like a bitter old couple. Don’t they realize the damage they’re doing? Hockey might be front and center in Canada but it’s fifth on the depth chart in The States even behind golf. Hell. Horse racing is bigger due to all the gambling. That’s why NBC preempts playoff games for the triple crown. Sure. Bettman’s right when he says that hockey fans are loyal. Look at the record numbers that returned post-lockout. However, they’re already losing the casual observer who they targeted with changes like the shootout, no two-line pass and Brodeur rule- making the game more exciting.

More and more diehard puckers are running out of patience. I’m not alone in stating that I can get my hockey fix through the KHL, AHL, NCAA and Juniors. They can keep telling themselves we’re running back. You might jump as soon as an agreement as reached. But I won’t. There’s not much to be thankful for if you’re an NHL fan. Scrooge exists.

For forty years, the New York Islanders have represented Long Island with pride and passion. In their inception back in 1972, they became the metro area’s second hockey team. An alternative to the Rangers for Long Islanders. Ironically, the Islanders came to life keeping the WHA (World Hockey Association) from occupying Nassau Coliseum. That they became one of hockey’s greatest dynasties a decade later was a huge impact.

When you think of those Islander teams that won four consecutive Stanley Cups (1980-83) and an NHL record 19 straight series before falling to Edmonton in ’84, the names Bryan Trottier, Mike Bossy, Denis Potvin, Billy Smith, Clark Gillies, Bob Nystrom, Butch Goring and Al Arbour roll off the tongue. Without architect Bill Torrey, it’s not possible. He was the mastermind behind drafting a nucleus that included Hall Of Famers Bossy, Gillies, Potvin, Smith and Trottier. Torrey also hired Arbour, who previously coached St. Louis after helping them reach the Finals a third straight year. The Hall Of Fame winning combo of Torrey and Arbor allowed the Islanders to grow into a powerful team that contended for a decade.

Fittingly, the Isles’ first playoff success came at the expense of the Rangers when they upset them in 1975 on J.P. Parise’s goal in overtime. The franchise also became only the second team to ever rally back from a 3-0 deficit, winning four in a row to stun Pittsburgh in the next round thanks to popular backup Glenn “Chico” Resch. They almost pulled it off against the Flyers, who eventually repeated as Cup champs.

The rivalry between the Islanders and Rangers only intensified following the club’s third season. The Rangers got revenge on them in 1979 when everyone expected the Long Island outfit to roll through their Manhattan nemesis. Instead, it was a pesky Blueshirt club that prevailed in six led by goalie John Davidson. It was the Rangers who made the Finals before falling to Montreal in five. It didn’t take long for the Isles to return the favor, ousting their blood rival from the playoffs from ’81-83 en route to Lord Stanley. There was Ken Morrow’s sudden death winner along with the chants of “19—40, 19—40,” marking the last time the Rangers won the Cup. A chant that increased hatred in the stands. Maybe it was fate that the year they finally erased a 54-year drought, the Blueshirts swept the Islanders in the first round. Over time, the Ranger side has returned the favor with “Potvin Sucks.”

Despite having not faced each other since that chance meeting in ’94, the New York rivals have met each other eight different times in the postseason. Appropriately named the Battle Of New York, the Islanders have taken five of eight series with their last win coming in ’84. The Isles lead by the slimmest of margins with a 20-19 record. Led by John Tavares, a new breed of Islanders look to continue that rivalry as they get ready to enter a new building in Brooklyn by 2015. Whenever the NHL returns, so will one of hockey’s best rivalries.

BATTLE OF NEW YORK: Postseason History Islanders vs Rangers
Year       Round           Series Winner
1975       Preliminary    Islanders 2-1
1979       NHL Semis   Rangers 4-2
1981       NHL Semis   Islanders 4-0
1982       Div. Final       Islanders 4-2
1983       Div. Final       Islanders 4-2
1984       Div. Semis     Islanders 3-2
1990       Div. Semis     Rangers 4-1
1994       Conf. Qtrs     Rangers 4-0