Ronn's Minor League Hockey Mania

Orlando Solar Bears Unveil New Logos

2012-01-12T00:18:00.000-08:00

The Orlando Solar Bears who join the ECHL next season, unveiled their new team colors and logos. I'm thrilled that yet another old IHL team is going to be hitting the ice next season, but those logos are not nearly as cool as their original logo. I loved the background with the palm trees and sun set in the old logo, and I hate the sun around the new one. It looks like they got it from a clip art disc.
At least they kept that great Solar Bears name!

Fear the Spaceman

2012-01-02T22:46:00.000-08:00

I love this years Ft Wayne Komets bumper sticker... Fear the Spaceman!

Ft Wayne Komets Pocket Schedule Holders

2011-12-30T22:27:00.000-08:00

I have been collecting hockey pocket schedules for the past 15 years and schedule holders have always been the holy grail of sked collecting for me, as they are harder to acquire, usually have great artwork and designs, and are a great way to display my skeds.
I recently received a package from my friend in Ft Wayne Indiana which included this years Komets pocket schedules along with a schedule holder display. I decided to take a photo of it, and then thought I should fine the other Komets schedule holders I had and photograph them as well. I think I have more Ft Wayne Komets sked holders and any other team, and they have had some great ones over the past few seasons, as they continued to win cup after cup!
Here are the seven Ft Wayne Komets schedule holders I have. I could not find ones for 2004-05 or 2006-07. I'm not sure if I don't have them, or just could not find them.

Ft Wayne Komets 2011-12 season

Ft Wayne Komets 2010-11 season

Ft Wayne Komets 2009-10 season

Ft Wayne Komets 2008-09 season

Ft Wayne Komets 2007-08 season

Ft Wayne Komets 2005-06 season

Ft Wayne Komets 2003-04 season

Orlando Solar Bears are Back!

2011-11-20T17:07:00.000-08:00

I am pretty excited to see another former IHL team hitting the ice next season. Back in 2000, the Orlando Solar Bears won the final IHL Turner Cup before the league folded, with 6 of its teams continuing on to play in the AHL. I can't wait to see what their updated logo looks like once it is unveiled. Below is the press release announcing the team.

City of Orlando Welcomes Home the Orlando Solar Bears. When the Orlando Solar Bears last skated off the ice 10 years ago, they carried the IHL’s final Turner Cup. Today owners of the Orlando ECHL team (Joe Haleski, Jason Siegel and Bob Ohrablo) were joined by City of Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, Orlando Magic President Alex Martins, Executive Director of Orlando Venues Allen Johnson, and ECHL Commissioner Brian McKenna, to announce that the team will be named the Orlando Solar Bears.

“The Solar Bears were a strong part of our community and it is with open arms that we welcome them back to Orlando,” said Mayor Buddy Dyer. “The new Amway Center was designed with the goal of housing a hockey team and features amenities specific to hockey. We look forward to showcasing our new state-of-the-art Amway Center to hockey fans here in Central Florida and giving them an experience they will never forget.”

ECHL Commissioner Brian McKenna and City of Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer “The Orlando Solar Bears are coming out of hibernation,” said Bob Ohrablo, Chief Operating Officer/Managing Partner of Orlando Pro Hockey Operations, L.P. “We are honored to bring the Solar Bears back to Orlando. Once the ECHL announced that we were awarded an expansion franchise, fans from throughout Central Florida made it clear to us to what the team’s name should be. We want to continue the proud tradition established by the DeVos family.”

The Orlando Solar Bears, owned by RDV Sports, competed in the International Hockey League from 1995-2001. In their six seasons, the Solar Bears won three Conference Championships and in 2000-2001 won the IHL championship trophy – the Turner Cup. It was the last Turner Cup ever awarded.

"On behalf of the Orlando Magic family, we welcome Orlando Pro Hockey to Central Florida. We are excited that we have formed a partnership with Orlando Pro Hockey that will enable them to revive the tradition of pro hockey established here by our organization in the past,” remarked Orlando Magic President Alex Martins.

“On behalf of the ECHL Board of Governors, I am pleased to welcome the Orlando Solar Bears to the ECHL. Orlando is a dynamic city,” said McKenna. “That, combined with a world-class facility in theAmway Center and an experienced and enthusiastic ownership group, create a very positive outlook for the future of hockey in Orlando.”

“We are looking forward to bringing another family affordable entertainment option to Orlando and we are pleased with the initial response,” said Jason Siegel, President/Managing Partner. “We anticipate that at least 60% of our lower bowl seats will be priced at $15 and under. So far more than 700 season ticket deposits/information requests have come in through our website since the ECHL announced the approval of the expansion franchise two weeks ago. We urge fans to visit our website and place a deposit. ”

The Orlando Solar Bears will begin play at the Amway Center in October 2012. Fans will be able to obtain ticket plan information by by filling out the form to the right. Season tickets plans will range in price from $195-$1350 per season seat. Full and half season ticket plans will be available.

The team will unveil its’ team logos and jersey designs, announce its NHL and AHL affiliations, and introduce its coaching staff over the next 6-8 months. The team has retained The Joe Bosack Graphic Design Company (joebosack.com) to design its primary and secondary logos along with new jersey designs and wordmarks. Joe Bosack designed the Colorado Avalanche logo and a number of current ECHL team marks.

RIP Manitoba Moose 1996-2011

2011-07-06T15:36:00.000-07:00

With the Jets moving back into town, the Manitoba Moose were given their walking papers. And although the franchise will be moving to Saint John's, they will most certainly not be called the Moose. The Moose have been my favorite team since I became a BIG minor league hockey fan back in 1996, so it will be a strange feeling next October when the AHL season starts, and there is no Moose.
I have been collecting Moose media guides since 1996, and also have the two Minnesota Moose guides as well, so I was little surprised when I realized that I had not purchased my copy of the 2010/11 media guide and the season was over. Once I realized that the Moose were done, I made sure to place my order online. Luckily for me, I managed to get my order in just weeks before the official Moose merchandise store closed its doors forever.

Happily they threw in a copy of the 2010-11 Year Book with my order, along with a package of Moose holiday gift tag labelz.
My one one big disappointment is that the final 2010/11 media guide is not a print book, but rather a CD-ROM, which may be great for quickly finding stats, but its not going to be much use in 10+ years when there is no such thing as a CD-ROM player!

What Killer Whales?

2011-07-03T16:23:00.000-07:00

It looks like the answer to this issue of the Hockey News' front cover question is... um... YES!

It was great fun to see how quickly all the Canucks car flags disappeared after game 7. I have not been a Canucks fan for years (the Senators are my team), but I am always amazed at how lame the Canucks fans are. When Vancouver is doing well, every one jumps on board the fan wagon, but they are also just as quick to jump off when the team loses!

Congratulations to the Boston Bruins. And thanks Boston for saving me from having to listen to the fan wagon horn from blaring for days after game 7. And don't worry about the little riot we had. As it was pointed out, us Canadians are very polite and we all showed up the next day to clean up after ourselves.

2008 Champions DVD & Photo Book

2011-02-25T20:04:00.000-08:00

Being a huge Chicago Wolves fan, I was thrilled when they won the 2008 AHL Calder Cup. The next season, the Wolves started selling the 2008 Champions DVD & Photo Book on their web site for $29.95. Ever since then, I have had the page on their online store bookmarked knowing that at some point I would be adding it to my collection. Recently, I saw that they had reduced the price to just $15. I quickly placed my order. The package contains a 36 page soft cover book featuring photos from the championship winning game and 2 DVDs. The first with the complete final game, and the second disc filled with bonus materials. I have already sat and watched the full game, and look forward the bonus disc when I get the chance.

If you have never seen a Wolves home game, you are missing something special. They have by far the best pre-game show of any team I have ever seen... and I have seen a ton of games (my minor league hockey game collection is well over 2500 games). If you are interested in seeing their pre-game, there are all kinds of clips on Youtube. Just search for Chicago Wolves intro and you will find a bunch to choose from. And check out the amazing photos on Wobbly85's Flickr photostream.

Vancouver Giants AM Radio

2011-01-16T16:07:00.000-08:00

Here is a pretty neat item I received for Christmas. It is an AM radio that receives only one station. Giants games are usually broadcast on 650 CISL, which is the logo that is plastered all over the back and sides of this small 'playing card deck' sized cardboard radio. The odd thing is that the station that it receives (at least here at home) is CBC radio, which does NOT broadcast the Giants games. I guess this is for those who prefer to listen to classical music while watching a hockey game. I myself, love listening to the play by play when I attend games, so I will have to remember to bring this with me next time I attend a Giants game to try it out.
It has a single earphone, so it is truly a mono radio, and it comes with a string attached so you can wear it around your neck like a lanyard.
It also has no way to open it up to replace the battery, so I guess this is a throw away radio much like those cheap throw away cameras you can buy. I wonder if it lasts longer than one game?

Wranglers to Black Out Midnight Game

2010-12-21T11:33:00.000-08:00

The Las Vegas Wranglers of the ECHL will host their eighth annual Midnight Holiday Roundup on Monday, December 27th when they face-off against the Utah Grizzlies.
The Wranglers holiday tradition began in the team’s inaugural season and has remained a fan favorite. This year, the Wranglers have planned two special additions: a performance by Mini Kiss and an Orleans Arena Black Out.
“We are thrilled to bring back Mini Kiss,” said Wranglers President Billy Johnson. “They were a big hit when we had them here a few years ago and we can’t wait to have them back in the building this year.”
The Wranglers are also looking to make an impact with their Black Out of the Orleans Arena and $5 t-shirt promotion.
“We’re asking fans to help us by wearing black for the Midnight Game,” said Wranglers Vice President Matt Smith. “Be on the lookout for the $5 promotional t-shirts; they’re going to be a big hit!”
The Midnight Holiday Roundup on Monday, December 27th will begin at 11:59 pm and is sure to be the can’t-miss game of the season! For information on discounted group tickets, contact the Wranglers front office at (702) 471-7825.

I have listened on line to the past 7 midnight madness games and can't wait for the game next week! Nothing like listening to a hockey game at 2 in the morning to make your family and friends think you're nuts!

Check out this great sound clip from the 3rd Annual Midnight Madness game for a chuckle.

Coquitlam Express Home Opener

2010-09-25T13:43:00.000-07:00

Last night I attended the Coquitlam Express home opener vs the Surrey Eagles. I visited the merch table but they was not much to be had a the home opener. They were selling copies of the Smart Hockey magazine with a game sheet stuffed into it for $2. Here is part of the story from that magazine about the Express: [As franchise relocations go, the Coquitlam Express didn't have to venture far or wide on their return journey home. The moving trucks only had a few turns to make and nobody had to bother packing a cooler or bagging a lunch.
But while the distance travelled from Burnaby's Bill Copeland Sports Centre to their newly renovated home on Poirier Street measures out at less than nine kilometres, the team's owners, staff and players are anticipating a lifestyle change that typically accompanies a much more drastic switch in scenery.
The Express spent their first four BCHL seasons in Coquitlam before construction surrounding their facility spurred the move to Burnaby in 2005. But the team never drew the crowds they had hoped for despite an RBC Cup winning season and the presence of high NHL draft pick Kyle Turris for two seasons.
Now, they return to a city that never wanted them to leave and a renovated sports complex that gives the team a first class home. The Coquitlam Sports Centre has been given a full face lift that included expanding the seating to a full bowl that accommodates 2,000 spectators.
The project, which was created through a partnership between the City, TASK Construction and CEI Architecture, employed a number of 'green' features including one that uses excess heat from the arena's refrigeration system to warm the nearby swimming pool and library.
"The end result is an ideal environment for BCHL hockey and a vibrant atmosphere for the Express," says CEI partner Mark Hentze. "The replacement of the existing seats and the addition of some interior finishes have really added a big league feel to the arena."
The calibre of the facility that awaited the team in Coquitlam made the decision to return an easier one for the Express's ownership team.
"We wanted to make things work in Burnaby, but from a business standpoint it wasn't able to continue," says part owner and general manager Darcy Rota. "I've known [Coquitlam] Mayor Richard Stewart for a long time and he made it a priority to have the team come home."
On the eve of their first season back in their original hometown, Rota has been impressed by the level of community and corporate support that has met the team's return since the official announcement was made on February 8th at a City Council meeting.
"There has been a real buzz in the community to have junior hockey back and we're looking forward to putting a winning product on the ice," the GM explains]
As far as the arena goes, they have done a great job of taking an tired old arena and making it look much more appealing. The biggest improvement is that the arena now has seating all the way around the rink. I was surprised to see a smallish crowd out to cheer on the home team at their home opener. It looked like there were about 60% empty seats, so that would mean that there were about 800 fans in attendance. If I were working with the team in sales/promotions, I would have looked at the presales a week or two before the game and then started making all kinds of deals - 2 for 1 ticket sales, kids under 12 for free, free tickets offered to local schools etc - all to ensure that the home opener was a complete sell out which would create a lot of buzz for the team and hopefully for future games. I arrived at the arena just 20 minutes before puck drop so I didn't get to see what they had for the pre opening festivities outside the arena, but was disappointed to see the prices for their barbecue, a cheese burgers cost $5.50. I would have liked to see some sort of deal for free food, or at least very cheap food supplied by a sponsor. Offering up $2 burgers would have gone a long way in making the event seem more exciting. As for the on ice pregame festivities, what we got was about 12 young girls waking pom poms as the players were announced on the ice. This was just about one of the lamest home openers I can remember attending.
It was a good game, and the home team won, but I have to say it didn't seem like the team management went out of their way to make this an unforgettable return to their home arena after so many years over in Burnaby. Lets hope the team does well this season and is able to make up for the off ice excitement with some on the ice!

Second Sked of the season

2010-09-22T18:40:00.000-07:00

Today while I was out on my Comic book run, I stopped in to have a snack at Quizno's and there on the counter was a sked holder full of Surrey Eagles pocket schedules. I had to subvert my urge to take the whole sked holder full of skeds... I took 7 skeds and left the sked holder with two or three skeds left in it. I'll be sure to ask for a sked holder next time I make it out to an Eagles game.
The Surrey Eagles play in the BCHL (British Columbia Hockey League).

First Hockey sked of the season

2010-09-19T21:10:00.000-07:00

While we were out today I spotted a sked holder full of 2010/2011 Langley Chiefs pocket schedules at an Arby's restaurant. This is the first hockey schedule I have seem this season. I guess this means its time to start sending out those sase's to all the teams again, and to start hitting all the local arenas looking for schedules.
The BCHL hockey season actually started already, but I didn't manage to make it to any of the home openers last week. I am hoping to make it to the Coquitlam Express home opener next weekend. The Express originally played in Coquitlam but moved to Burnaby when the Burnaby Bulldogs moved to Port Alberni. I guess the Express found the same lack of enthusiasm that forced the Bulldogs to leave town. And from what I have seen on the Express web site, it looks like they have done lots of work on the arena and the rest of the complex around it, so it should be a fun game to attend!

Canadian Men's Hockey Wins Gold!

2010-02-28T15:40:00.001-08:00

UFV Cascades Logo

2009-12-24T13:00:00.000-08:00

My wife picked up a pile of pocket schedules while she was out in the valley visiting her father. Among them was the University of the Fraser Valley athletics schedule which has one of the coolest logos I have seen in a long time. Its a menacing looking mountain with trees for teeth and ice for eyes. It kind of reminds me of one of my all time favorite logos the Prince George Spruce Kings which depicts an angry Christmas tree being chased by a saw blade - awesome!

Ft Wayne Komets Back 2 Back Schedule Holder

2009-11-21T13:00:00.001-08:00

The Ft Wayne Komets of the International Hockey League won the Turner Cup last season, making them back to back champs. Here is the 2009-10 pocket schedule holder which celebrates their Back 2 Back championships, along with the cover of their pocket sked.

Abbotsford Heat Inaugural Game

2009-11-06T19:54:00.000-08:00

The family and I attended the inaugural game of the newest AHL team the Abbotsford Heat back on Friday, October 9, 2009. I am thrilled that the AHL has come to my area so that I can have the opportunity to see some of my favorite hockey teams come though town; Manitoba Moose, Grand Rapids Griffins, Houston Aeros, Milwaukee Admirals.
I would be surprised if the team is still here in a few years though, if they do not make some big changes in ticket prices. I wanted to attend with my wife and 4 year old and also take my father in law who lives in Abbotsford and likes attending junior hockey games with us. The problem is that although the ticket price of $18 for upper bowl tickets was not unreasonable, the problem was in the fact that they were not willing to offer discounted tickets for my 4 year old son, or senior father in law, both of which are used to getting reduced cost tickets to other local games. Then there were all the extra service charges etc which I am also not used to paying when I attend a WHL or BCHL game. So, although I am a huge minor league hockey fan and really excited about seeing AHL hockey, I have only been to the inaugural game so far. I won't be attending another game until some in January, and mostly likely will attending the game on my own, leaving 3 other other possible ticket sales at home because of the ticket cost.
I could understand not giving a discount for kids or seniors if they were selling out each game - why discount a seat that you can get full price for filling. But the trouble is that they are selling less than 50% of the seats for most games so far - even the inaugural home opener was not a sell out. They need to fill those seats and get people out to the games - and that won't happen if it costs a family of 4 over $100 to attend a game.
Once they start offering discounted kids tickets and seniors tickets, they will have 4 more seats filled as I start attending games with my wife, son and father in law. Until that time, I will be listening to the games on the radio for free!
*The ticket shown with the post was found on the floor after the game. Our actual tickets were just plain ticketmaster type tickets with no logos.

My First Pocket Scheudle of the season

2009-08-17T22:31:00.000-07:00

Today in the mail I received a package from the Toldeo Walleye hockey club of the ECHL. They were kind enough to send me a Walleye schedule holder full of pocket schedules. Not only is this a great addition to my sked holder collection, but it is official the first 2009/2010 hockey schedule I have received this season.
I love collecting pocket schedules - they are my version of hockey cards! I try to collect a full set of schedules from each team in each major and minor hockey league.
Last season (2008/09) I managed to get about 90% of the pocket schedules on my list, but there are still a few that I am missing; Houston Aeros, Augusta Lynxx. Rapid City Rush, Wichita Thunder, Erie Otters, Peterborough Petes, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, Brandon Wheatkings, Moose Jaw Warriors, Regina Pats, Swift Current Broncos, Cedar Repids Rough Riders, Fargo Force, Albert Lea Thundes, Alexandria Blizzard, Mahoning Valley Phantoms, Owatonna Express,  Springfield Blues, Topeka Road Runners, Merritt Centennials,  Penticton Vees,  Powell River Kings, Westside Warriors. If you can help me with any of my wants, please contact me!

How Many NHL Teams can you name?

2009-07-30T15:16:00.000-07:00

How many NHL teams can you cane in 3 minutes? I was able to name 26 out of 30 before my time was up. Click here and test your memory. It's a lot harder than I thought! No cheating!!

Louisiana IceGators join the SPHL for 2009/10

2009-07-26T20:13:00.000-07:00

The Pensacola Ice Flyers have been getting lots of coverage on two of my favorite web sites; Icethetics and PuckDrawn for their new logo - which is getting lots of jeers from those two sites. But is seems there is even more exciting news coming from the SPHL, at least more exciting for me... The Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) announced that it will drop the puck on its sixth season on Thursday, October 22. The 2009-2010 season features three new expansion teams, one of which is a old favorite of mine, the Louisiana IceGators. The Ice Gators originally played 10 years (1995-2005) in the ECHL until they had problems renewing their conract with the arena they were playing in.
I was lucky enough to have a friend named Todd in Louisiana who used to send me all kinds of cool IceGators stuff including their weekly TV show Chomp Time.
It's great to see the IceGators will be back in action next season!

The Quad City Mallards are Returning!

2009-07-01T16:15:00.000-07:00

This afternoon while surfing some of my favorite hockey sites, I found this logo and story on the front page of the IHL web site. Great news for me as I was always a big fan of the Quad City Mallards, and very disappointed when the AHL Flames displaced the Mallards. But, now that the Flames are moving here to Canada, the Mallards are returning to Quad City!

ROCHESTER, MI--- The International Hockey League (IHL) announced Tuesday that the IHL Board of Governors unanimously approved the second expansion franchise in the IHL to the Quad City Mallards. The team will be owned and operated by QCHT, LLC with managing partner Christopher Lencheski. The Mallards will start play for the 2009-2010 season at the i wireless Center, located in Moline, Illinois. “Chris’ ownership group is a perfect fit, not only for Quad Cities, but for the International Hockey League,” stated Michael Franke, IHL Chairman of the Board. “Quad Cities has a rich tradition of hockey that will be re-established in the IHL, as fans will have the opportunity to get close to their players once again. The relationship between the fans and the players is an important factor to all IHL owners, along with our geographic proximity to one another.” Mr. Lencheski is Founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer of SKI & Company, a marketing communications company servicing the motorsports and high performance automotive industry with offices in New York City, New York, London, United Kingdom, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He is also the owner of SKI Motorsports, a NASCAR racing organization. “We are thrilled to bring professional hockey back to the Quad Cities and to the i wireless Center,” said Lencheski. “I have always been passionate about sports, and hockey is my first love. With that said, I can tell you that we analyzed numerous prospective cities in an exhaustive search over the last several months for a city that truly wanted a hockey team and one deeply rooted with hockey history. The Quad Cities community demonstrated enormous support and enthusiasm for the return of pro hockey.” The IHL will conduct the scheduling meeting for the 2009-10 season Wednesday, July 1st in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The league will hold the dispersal draft of the Kalamazoo Wings players’ rights on Thursday, July 2nd via conference call. The expansion draft for the Dayton Gems and the Quad City Mallards will be held immediately after the dispersal draft. For inquiries regarding the Quad City Mallards, please contact Amy Stump, IHL Director of Media Relations at 269-492-3432.

Toledo Walleye 2009-2010 Inaugural schedule

2009-06-29T18:54:00.000-07:00

TOLEDO WALLEYE 2009-2010 INAUGURAL SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED!

OK, I would not usually bother to post a teams upcoming schedule, or care about a that fact that a team had announced their upcoming schedule, but I have to say I got a little excited when I saw the graphic that they used along with the press release on their web site. I realize that it is just something that somebody whipped up in Photoshop, but they have made it look like the teams inaugural pocket schedule, and for me its fun to see a pocket schedule for the upcoming hockey season already in June - even it if is only a photoshopped version of a pocket sked! And it doesn't hurt that I like their logo - too bad I didn't like the new Abbotsford Heat logo as much as this one.

Here is their press release:

6/20/2009 - TOLEDO, OH - The Toledo Walleye today released their 72-game schedule for the 2009-2010 inaugural season. The Walleye will open the season on Friday, October 16 vs. the Florida Everblades at the brand new Lucas County Arena.

The complete schedule and schedule breakdown is at the bottom of this release. Game times will be determined at a later date. Click to view the 2009 Walleye Schedule!

The Walleye will open the year with 15 of their first 21 games at home in October, November and early December with 33 of the team’s 36 total home games coming on Friday, Saturday or Sunday.

Toledo will play 13 games against the Kalamazoo Wings (their closest rival at 150 miles), 11 games against the Cincinnati Cyclones, and 8 games against the Johnstown Chiefs.

Toledo Walleye Head Coach, Nick Vitucci said, “We are looking forward to hitting the ice in October. The anticipation has been growing for two years in the community and we are thrilled to be part of the new chapter of professional hockey here in Toledo. We would also like to welcome the Kalamazoo Wings to the ECHL and look forward to continuing a rivalry dating back to the old IHL.”

Toledo Walleye General Manager, Joe Napoli said, “The Inaugural Walleye Season will be quickly upon us and we are absolutely thrilled to have such a strong schedule with so many weekend dates… the memories will last a lifetime.”

The Walleye will also play games against Charlotte (5), Elmira (5), Florida (8), Gwinnett (3), Reading (3), South Carolina (4), Trenton (6), and Wheeling (6).

Walleye season tickets, mini-plans and group outings are on sale now. Fans can order their tickets by phone at (419) 725-WALL.

Abbotsford Heat Logo Not Even Lukewarm!

2009-06-25T23:56:00.000-07:00

The Abbotsford Heat (joining the AHL for the 2009/10 season), unveiled its new logo today... and what a disappointment it is!
I was already underwhelmed by the name, the Heat, but the logo is just about as lame as you can get. The logo in no way looks like a hockey team logo, there is no appearance of flames or heat, the colours are extremely dull and the font they created for the logo looks like something you would find on one of those lame free font web sites. This is not good enough for a high school team, let alone a professional hockey team.
Along with the new logo, is a sketch that was used in the initial creation process of the logo. You will have to figure out for yourself which is the finished product ;-)
I can guarantee you that I won't be wasting my cash to purchase anything with this logo on it!

Ottawa Sens 08/09 Pocket Schedule Holder

2009-05-09T21:25:00.000-07:00

I recently received a package from my friend in Ottawa. Along with a pile of Ottawa Senators game programs, various team pocket schedules and magnets, rally towels, ticket stubs etc, were two items I was most excited to receive... two Ottawa Senators 2008/09 pocket schedule holders. I love collecting pocket schedules, and pocket schedule holders are the ultimate item as far as I am concerned. Here is a photo of one of these prized items!

IHA Fantasy League

2009-03-21T01:43:00.001-07:00

If you are a fan of hockey and logos like me, then you should love this. One of my favorite hockey sites is Icethetics.info. The best part of the site is the user submitted logos, and recently they did created a complete fantasy league with names & locations, as well as logos for each team. Every step of the way, the visitors of the site got to vote on the winners for each location in the league, name for each team and logo for each team. Here is a poster I made of the completed league. My favorite logos from the league are the Edmonton Seahawks and Atlanta Fire. Be sure to click on the graphic below to make it full size!

Mighty Ducks Golden Book

2009-03-01T21:56:00.000-08:00

Being a big Disney fan, I quickly became a fan of the Anaheim Mighty Ducks once they joined the NHL in 1993. I have never seen any of the Mighty Ducks movies, but I love collecting any Mighty Ducks stuff I can find. Back in the early 90's there was a great shop at the Disneyland Hotel that specialized in Mighty Ducks merchandise and I picked up some great stuff including a video of their inaugural game (they got clobbered by the Red Wings), and a ticket from their inaugural home game sealed in lucite. I have kind of lost interest once Disney sold the team and they decided to become just the Ducks, minus the Mighty. But I did find this Golden Book featuring the Mighty Ducks recently and had to pick it up. I guess I can kind of see why they are trying to distance themselves for this image. But come on, the original Mighty Ducks logo is one of the best hockey logos ever and their mascot Wild Wing was pretty cool too!

San Diego Gulls Soar again... sort of

2008-07-22T01:02:00.000-07:00

Tonight while checking one of my lesser checked email addresses, I was excited to be greeted by the subject line "SAN DIEGO GULLS ARE BACK ice hockey PRE BUY TICKETS NOW". I quickly opened the email wondering what league they had joined; returning to the ECHL, maybe into the SPHL or MAHL, or perhaps some brand new league I had not yet heard of!?!
Turns out, San Diego's Pro Hockey team is reuniting for a unique one-time Military Tribute Exhibition game against the Finest the US Military has to offer; Marines from Camp Pendleton, MCAS, Navy, Nave Seals... The Gulls vs The US Military! August 16th @ 7:00 PM at the San Diego Ice Arena.
As I huge fan of the Gulls, I sure wish I was able to attend the game. It would sure be fun to see the a team skating around in those great Gulls jerseys once again!

Dumb-da-dumb- da-dumb

2008-06-29T18:26:00.000-07:00

It's darn hot here right now, so we made a pit stop at the local 7-11 yesterday to get Slurpees and Big Gulps. Unfortunately for us, everyone else had the same idea and both machines had signs taped to them stating that they were "Out of the Order!".
Luckily for us the second 7-11 we visited was not as busy and their machines were still running fine. We chose our favorites and headed to the cash register. While standing in line I spied the cover of Maclean's magazine and had to pick it up.
I had heard rumblings of this cover story on the local sports radio network, but had not really heard the whole story.
So here, for you to enjoy, is the story of the theme song fiasco.

It didn't exactly scream "hit." The demo version someone plinked out on a piano for Ralph Mellanby and a handful of corporate sponsors back in 1967 sounded clunky and uninspiring — a sort of slow sister to the William Tell Overture. But Mellanby, a hotshot young director of what Canadians would soon know as Hockey Night in Canada, imagined the piece with full orchestration. And he heard virtue. "I was the only one," he now says, checking off the list of big-name sponsors who would need convincing before they gave the composition the green light. "Molson didn't like it. Imperial Oil didn't like it. Ford didn't like it at all."

But the composer was Dolores Claman, a 39-year-old jingle-writer who had gained minor fame for penning the theme for Ontario's pavilion at Expo '67 in Montreal. For the past six months, schoolchildren across the province had been singing its "Ontari-ari-ari-o" motif, and if the theme she'd written for hockey inspired half that response, Mellanby figured it could open his show for two, possibly three seasons. In the TV world, that is a long and happy life.

Forty-one years later, those "dunt-da dunt-da-dunts" are burned into the national consciousness — an on-air calling card that has brought the CBC more recognition than Peter Mansbridge or its "exploding 'c' " logo. High-school bands play it from sheet music. It is consistently among the 50 top-selling cellphone ring tones in the country. David Mills, a professor of Canadian history, recalls a story, perhaps apocryphal, of a lone Canadian at Oktoberfest in Munich, rising to his feet and singing a few dunt-dah-dahs for the benefit of the beer-hall crowd. Soon a dozen or so of the Canuck's countrymen scattered around the tent had joined in, roaring out the notes to the bemusement of their European drinking mates. "For anyone under the age of 50, it is the one song that they remember," says Mills. "The song comes on, and that means the hockey game is about to start on Saturday night."

It is the sort of response — emotive, spiritual, Pavlovian — that money can't buy. So hockey fans can be forgiven a moment of slack-jawed amazement this week upon learning that someone had, well, bought it. The news came Monday by way of a CTV press release announcing that the privately owned network had acquired full rights to Claman's piece after negotiations between her and the CBC collapsed. Rick Brace, CTV's president of revenue, business planning and sports, declined to say how much the network paid. But insiders say Claman, now 80 and living in London, received upwards of $2.5 million, having refused a $1-million offer from the public broadcaster late last week.

For CTV, the move was a no-brainer: the network's sports channel TSN, along with its French-language service RDS, had spent years trying to build the sort of affinity with viewers that Claman's song epitomizes. "This theme is part of the fabric of the country," Brace told Maclean's following the announcment. "It's an institution, and any time you can engage your audience on that level you do it. That's how you build a brand."

Why the CBC would let it slip away is a puzzle for the ages. After years of trading on the cultural significance of its broadcast, the corporation appeared determined last week to jettison the hymn that called their fans to communion. On Friday, executives breezily announced a $100,000 contest to come up with a new theme, as if 41 years of tradition could be replaced in a summer jingle-off. A barrage of 1,500 calls and emails from angry viewers gave them pause, and on Monday they announced they wished to reopen talks with the help of a mediator. Yet, in words and in actions, CBC managers rejected the notion that the soul of the broadcast could be tied up in a few bars of music. "What Hockey Night in Canada is really about is hockey," Scott Moore, the executive director of CBC Sports, told one reporter. "Everything else is just window dressing."

As repudiations go, it couldn't be clearer. And Claman, for one, sees it as part of a bigger picture. "I think they've lost the pulse of the public emotion," she said in an interview with Maclean's, noting the outpouring of support from fans of the song on blogs, on radio call-in shows and in letters to the editor. "Of course it's about hockey. But sometimes a thing takes on a life of its own, and I think that's what has happened in this case."

While Claman was speaking strictly from her own experience, she has put her finger on a problem that is increasingly obvious to Hockey Night viewers. For years, the Saturday night juggernaut has been wobbling on its pedestal, stalled in the ratings, leaking talent to rival networks, fighting tooth-and-nail for NHL broadcast rights. As the pressure has risen, the show's masters at CBC have responded precipitously, often demonstrating a shocking ignorance of what drew people to their product in the first place.

The first sign of trouble came during the network's 2002 contract dispute with Ron MacLean, the genial host and straight man to Don Cherry's one-man circus. Taken aback by MacLean's reported demand for a $400,000 annual salary, the Mother Corp. drew a line in the sand, preparing for the eventuality he would leave. When word leaked to the media, all hell broke loose: fans from across the country wrote letters and emails demanding that the quirky yet knowledgeable MacLean be retained, and CBC was forced to climb down, signing MacLean for a reported $450,000. Yet two years after the MacLean crisis passed, another on-air favourite, Chris Cuthbert, received his walking papers on the grounds that the NHL lockout made him dispensible. Cuthbert's departure raised nothing like the furor over MacLean's contract dispute, but it did point to a serious lack of planning. Viewers and hockey insiders alike viewed him as the heir apparent to Hockey Night's aging play-by-play man Bob Cole, and weren't surprised when he quickly signed with TSN. That Cuthbert could double as a football play-by-play man made the decision look even worse.

The moves the CBC has made have done little to improve the show's ratings, which have stagnated or fallen at a time when countrywide interest in hockey has surged. Ten seasons ago, an average of 1.1 million people would tune in to the first game of Hockey Night's Saturday double-header; in 2007-08, that number stood at just 1.17 million, which is actually 94,000 fewer than watched five seasons ago. Playoff ratings have waxed and waned, depending on whether Canadian teams are active in late rounds. But the average audience for the 2008 playoffs was 1.3 million, down nine per cent from last year when the Ottawa Senators played the Anaheim Ducks in the finals. That the numbers have flatlined at a time when the NHL is coming off three straight years of record attendance isn't exactly heartening. Nor is the fact that TSN has seen its audience grow 32 per cent in the last five seasons, according to the NHL. In fact, the week before it scooped up the theme song, the network signed a new six-year deal with the league that will see it telecast 70 games in the regular season, all of them involving Canadian teams.

Then there's the regional thing — a growing conviction that the CBC's desire to draw viewers in southern Ontario results in force-feedings of the Toronto Maple Leafs to the entire national audience. Even an all-Canadian matchup between the Ottawa Senators and Calgary Flames might give way on Saturday night, note critics, if there's a Toronto-Atlanta game available. The effect has been to erode the game's mythic position as a force bringing the country together. "We perceive it to be pro-Leafs and anti-Canadiens," says Montreal Gazette columnist Mike Boone, who writes a fan blog on the newspaper's website, Habsinsideout.com. "It doesn't take long in a tavern discussion to get people going on Hockey Night and [Don] Cherry." That Cherry openly states his support for Toronto has long irked Montreal fans, but their aversion for the telecast reached new heights this year, when the talented Habs became the hottest team in the league yet the Toronto Maple Leafs — settled in their familiar place near the bottom of the rankings — remained the stars of Hockey Night.

CBC added more Montreal games, and covered the team's two-round playoff run. Moore even posted a response on the CBC website headlined, "We love Montreal. We really do." — a damage-control move that Boone dismisses as "slamming the barn door when the horse was in the next county." The statistics bear him out: during the playoffs, French-language RDS twice topped CBC's countrywide viewership, meaning a good many Anglos outside Quebec were watching the game in a language they don't understand.

Montreal isn't the only place where the natives are getting restless. "I believe the early game on Hockey Night in Canada is overly weighted in Toronto, mainly because of the time zone and mainly because Ontario's so big and mainly because Ontario hockey fans really do have a large vote in the size and the economic viability of Hockey Night in Canada," says Patrick LaForge, the president of the Edmonton Oilers. But just as fans in Montreal have turned to RDS, fans in the West have turned to other regional broadcasters like Rogers Sportsnet for their hockey fix. Sportsnet, for instance, is becoming an increasingly popular destination for fans of the Vancouver Canucks.

To be sure, Hockey Night's contemporary producers operate in an environment whose complexities dwarf those of the late '60s, when the show moved from a patchwork of telecasts to a regular weekend program. As the NHL spread to other markets across the country, as regional stations bought broadcast rights, as cable sports channels horned in on their territory, the challenge of keeping a distinctly national feel have grown. To his credit, Mellanby foresaw those challenges, and insisted that the show have its own distinctive trappings — "the theme, the jackets, the crests, all that stuff," he recalls.

None of those trappings has proven more important than Claman's song, which Mellanby and executives at McLaren Advertising, the private company that produced Hockey Night in those days, chose over four competing compositions. Neither he nor Claman expected it to last more than a few years. And while Mellanby was in favour of offering Claman $15,000 to release her claim to it, no one else seemed worried about future licensing disputes. "In those days, you just got paid a fee for writing the thing," says Claman. "I was really dumb. So for about 24 years the song was completely unlicensed."

That changed in the early 1990s, when Claman met John Ciccone, the agent who represents her to this day, and who could see that the theme was a potential money-maker. As a songwriter, Claman still held copyright on the tune, and Ciccone suggested she seek a licensing agreement from CBC, the first of three deals that would eventually pay her $500 every time the song aired on CBC, with ancillary payments for other uses. The deal, according to CBC, was worth $65,000 to Claman last year, not counting separate agreements for use of the song she made with other parties.

The pact has never sat well with CBC, says Mellanby, who worked on and off at Hockey Night for 21 years. Three producers who succeeded him have called him wondering why the corporation is still stuck with it, he says. "I'm with the CBC on this one," he says. "At 80 years old, she is a very lucky lady to be still making money from that song." But if the Mother Corp. is frustrated, it may be because Ciccone showed better foresight than they did. Since 1998, the year CBC and Claman's team entered their current licensing agreement, "Internet downloading, file sharing, and mobile ring tones have all become important," says University of Ottawa professor Jeremy De Beer, who teaches digital music law. "Not only did the technology not exist 10 years ago, business models and the licensing strategies didn't either." As Ciccone puts it: "The song started to develop wings of its own. The CBC were resentful they couldn't control it."

Ring tones have driven a particularly sharp wedge between the two sides, resulting in a 2004 lawsuit that formed the backdrop of the recent negotiations. According to the $2.5-million suit, Ciccone's company Copyright Music and Visuals was approached in 2002 by Bell Mobility, which was anxious to turn the hockey song into a ring tone. Ciccone in turn approached the CBC, which he says shot him down — unless the phone company agreed to buy "several hundred thousands of dollars" in advertising time, it couldn't use the name Hockey Night in Canada in its promotion of the ring tones. This despite the broadcaster's admission that it had repeatedly used the song in breach of its agreement, having sold its broadcasts in Japan, Scandinavia and the United Kingdom without paying Claman. The song was eventually licensed as a ring tone — Bell Canada has offered it since 2006. But by then their professional relationship "began to go off the rails," Ciccone says. The CBC has filed a statement of defence against the lawsuit, denying most of Claman's claims, and the case remains unresolved.

Given all of the bad blood between the two sides, the question now is whether it made sense for the CBC to sever its ties with Claman for good. While he did not return repeated requests for interviews from Maclean's, Moore suggested in other interviews that Claman wanted to end the marriage as badly as the broadcaster. "We're probably going to be accused of bungling this," he said. "But I don't know if a deal was ever possible." He also argued that the song's value hung squarely on its connection to the CBC, which has six more years left on its current broadcast agreement with the NHL. "Every time it's played," he said, "people are going to think about our broadcast on Saturday night."

Perhaps for a short time. But the CBC's stranglehold on hockey no longer looks so impregnable. TSN and RDS actually broadcast more games during the regular season than the CBC, while rights to the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver — a potentially colossal event in the hockey world — rest with CTV and Rogers Inc. In Canada, it's worth noting, each of those games will begin with Claman's famous theme, doing much to bind the tune to its new home on the private network.

More disturbing still for the CBC is the comfort level among influential hockey types with the idea of hearing "dunt-da dunt-da-dunt" on TSN. "As long as the song is played somewhere, that's the main thing," says Johnny Bower, the legendary Leafs goalie who led Toronto to three consecutive Stanley Cups in the 1960s. "That's the key: the song will still have something to do with hockey." Paul Henderson, whose game-winning goal against the Russians in the dying seconds of the 1972 Summit Series made him a national hero for life, rejects the idea that the song needs the CBC, or vice versa. "Things have changed, and things change all the time," he says. "My attitude is: they dropped the song. Get over it. Let's move on. I wouldn't be a bit surprised that two years from now, they'll be saying, 'Geez, I'm glad we didn't stay with that old one because this new one is so much better.' "

Some, like Dave "Tiger" Williams, openly tip their hat to CTV, predicting that the public will quickly move on. "I think they pulled off an incredible manoeuvre," says the former tough guy with the Maple Leafs and Canucks. "Twenty years from now, I guarantee you — and I'll bet my house on it — that people will associate that song with hockey. They won't say CBC." Phil Esposito, the former Boston Bruins star and now radio broadcaster for the Tampa Bay Lightning, outright mocks fans who lament the CBC's loss of an iconic tune. "It's a song, man. I've got my favourite song and you've got your favourite song. If that's their favourite song, well, maybe they should watch TSN next year."

Noticeably absent in all of this are predictions of Hockey Night's imminent demise: Cherry did not resign from Coach's Corner; MacLean isn't following his show's famous song to a rival network. But with the stroke of a pen something has undoubtedly changed, marking a shift in mindset that the public broadcaster ignores at its peril. "CBC doesn't have a lock on hockey in this country and hockey needs to grow and mature and move — and the theme song along with it," is how LaForge, the Oilers' president, sums it up. "It's not taken away from Canadians, it's just changed. It may be in a different form somewhere else. It may be in a better form."

Autographed Bob Chase card

2008-04-19T19:40:00.000-07:00

Recently, my friend in Ft Wayne Indiana, sent me this great addition to my collection, an autographed Bob Chase hockey card.
Who is Bob Chase you ask, well let me enlighten you...
Bob Chase was born in Negaunee, Michigan January 22, 1926. He was raised in Marquette, Michigan and after high school joined the United States Navy. Bob served in the Navy from 1943-1947. Upon his discharge from the Navy, Bob entered Northern Michigan University at Marquette and graduated in 1952. While in college, Bob started his radio career in Marquette in 1949.
Bob moved to Fort Wayne to begin his radio career with WOWO AM 1190 in 1953 which included broadcasting Komet Hockey games starting with the 1953-54 season. Bob has not missed a season for 54 years since.
Join Bob Chase in his 55th consecutive season, calling exciting Ft Wayne Komet action radio rinkside on WOWO 1190 and Comcast KometCast!
I have no idea if this is a record, but record or not, 55 consecutive years broadcasting games of a single team is pretty impressive in my books, and this autographed card will go right along with my other prized collectibles.

Ritz Bits - Cheese That's In Your Face!

2008-04-18T22:27:00.000-07:00

I love collecting ads, and always love fining any new ads that feature hockey in some say. I recently found this ad on the back of a comic book (Batman Adventures #1, June 2003) for Ritz Bits Sandwiches, which features two Ritz crackers slamming a chunk of cheese into the glass.
I love the ad, but I don't think you could pay me enough to try them. They are essentially two Ritz crackers (which I don't really like anyway), with some warm cheez Whiz glopped in the middle. More 'Mmmm in the middle. Not!

Why the Leafs Suck!

2008-04-10T00:02:00.000-07:00

The most recent issue of Macleans magazine has one of the best magazine covers ever! When I saw this magazine on the magazine rack while standing in the cashier line up at my local Chapters book store, I made an impulse purchase, and picked up this issue.
When I see the Leafs logo, all I can think is "Leafs Suck!", so this magazine is going to have a special place in my hockey collection. Too bad they decided to go with the softer, less offensive word "Stink" instead of just going all the way and saying "Why The Leafs Suck!". We all know that is what everyone in Canada, other than Toronto, is really thinking... and I a sure many of them (Torontonians) are starting to agree with the rest of us.

Two cool Ft Wayne Komets game scheduels

2008-04-09T00:08:00.000-07:00

First is the Ft Wayne Komets 2007/08 Schedule Pen

Back on June 2, 2007, I posted about the 1953-54 Ft Wayne Komets Spinning Schedule, which was by far the most innovative and unusual team schedule I had ever seen. It seems the Komets like to produce schedules that stand out from the pack, so this year they produced a schedule pen. But not just any old schedule pen. I have seen other teams print their schedule on a pen (last one I can remember was two seasons ago when the Saskatoon Blades of the WHL produced a large blue pen with their home schedule printed on it.
Taking the idea of a schedule pen to the next level, the Ft Wayne Komets of the IHL have produced a very unusual schedule pen for the 2007/08 season. As seen in the photo above, this looks like a regular 'click' pen, but it has a small metal strip on the side of the pen, which can be pulled out to reveal the full Komets home and away schedule. When you let go, the schedule springs back inside the pen.
Very cool schedule for my collection, and a great idea for all kinds of businesses etc that want an unusual way to advertise!
Posted by Ronn Roxx at 10:22 PM 0 comments Links to this post
Labels: hockey, Pocket Schedules, Silly Stuff
Saturday, June 02, 2007

Next up is the 1953-54 Ft Wayne Komets Spinning Schedule

I have been collecting pocket schedules for over 10 years now and have seen many different size schedules, team schedules with multiple (different) covers, odd shaped schedules, schedules on bookmarks & coasters, etc. But today I found a team schedule unlike any I have ever seen before. Its a home schedule for the 1953-54 Fort Wayne Komets of the International Hockey League. This unique schedule has a spinning front ring that allows you to chose the team or the month, and then it displays the game dates for the team or month you have chosen. As well as teams and months, it also has the category "Special"... not sure that that is for?
As a big fan of hockey radio broadcasts and a some time listener of Koemts games over the internet, I found it interesting that one of the sponsors on this schedule is Wowo radio. Pretty amazing that more than 50 years later they are still broadcasting Komets games on the same radio station in Ft. Wayne!

Nate Sawerchuck, Hockey Player

2008-04-06T23:05:00.001-07:00

Big Breams. Bad Slapshop. Back around 2000, I had a friend in Idaho who was sending me all kinds of great Idaho Steelheads (WCHL) stuff. In one of his packages, I received a VHS tape with a movie called "Nate Sawerchuck, Hockey Player". It is a 23 minute mockumentary made by writer/director Steve Glines, who was a referee in the WCHL at the time.
Nate Sawerchuck (Cory Mclaughlin) may not have the skill for a professional hockey career, but don't argue that with the locals of Elk River, Wyoming. This small town hero has been in training since he was a little whipper snapper taking slapshots in the kitchen.
Professional hockey scout Mic Rody (Jim Stoner) discovers this diamond in the rough while stranded in the small mountain town. After Nate is made an honorary 13th round selection in the 1997 draft, Elk River erupts with support for its young star. With direction from his father/agent (Tom Mullin). Nate willingly takes on the role of a superstar.
If you are a fan of minor league hockey and TV & films such as Corner Gas, Slap Shot and This is Spinal Tap, then you will get a kick out of this goofy little film. I have probably watched 10 or more times over the past 8 years and, the more times I watch it, the funnier it becomes. The dry humor is not the sort of thing that everyone will enjoy (or get), but it is so easy for me to watch this and believe it is a true story.
You can check out the complete movie online at Spike.com.

56 ways to "Improve" the NHL All Star Game

2008-02-25T23:07:00.000-08:00

On January 27th, 2008, the NHL held the 56th Annual All Star Game (and Skills Competition). As a big hockey fan, I can't help but be bombarded with NHL All Star news and coverage each year. But year after year, I become less and less interested. At this point, I had stopped watching the All Star game, and pretty much just watch the All Star Skills Competition, and this year, even that didn't seem interesting enough for me to tune in.
I did however happen to be flipping channels during the last 20 minutes of the Skills Competition, and I happened to catch the new breakaway format they adopted this season. Instead of just a shootout contest, they added a new twist, by having a panel of 4 judges who saw and watched each players attempted goal, and then gave them a score of 1 - 10, giving points for scoring, as well as flash. Players were trying all sorts of wacky stuff including spinning with the puck, dropping to their knees and sliding in on goal, and flipping the puck up in the air and trying to bat it out of the air like a baseball. It all make for a fun and exciting event.
After catching just the end of this event, I really wanted to see the complete 2 hour Skills Competition, and after checking my online TV guide I found that it was not being repeated... drat!
Luckily, both the All Star Game and Skills Competition both showed up on iTunes recently, so I promptly purchased the Skills Comp and sat in front of my computer watching it from beginning to end. Great stuff!
That said, I still didn't watch the All Star Game.
It looks like I am not the only one who didn't tune into the All Star Game. Here is what The Hockey News had to say in their January 22, 08 issue, about the All Star Game, along with a list of 56 ways to save the All Star Game:

Let’s bring back some luster to the one and only contest that’s supposed to feature the best of the NHL

We came up with 56 solutions to fix the NHL’s marquee-game-that-really-doesn’t-mean-at-all.

And since the NHL All-Star Game (the 56th edition of which is in Atlanta on Jan.27) is meant as a fun weekend for the fans, players and sponsors - oh, the sponsors - alike, we tried to inject a little playfulness into the proceedings. Some suggestions are serious - like, let’s kill the conference versus conference format for ... any other format - while some are brainchilds that might have you thinking we played the game without a helmet for too many years. No matter. The hope is the NHL will embrace the event as a chance to showcase not only its great players, but its great personalities as well. And if we can improve the actual on-ice product in the meantime, well, it’s about time.

1. Change the format. How about introducing Age Rage, with the enthusiastic under-30 guys going up against the crotchety over-30 crowd.

2. Or, stars from the 15 northern-most teams versus stars from the 15 southern-most teams. Let’s get geographical on their ices …

3. Or, the left-handed shot all-stars versus the right-handed shot all-stars.

4. Or, the visor-wearing all-stars versus the all-stars who, for some reason, doesn’t wear visors.

5. Or, the offensive all-stars versus the defensive specialist all-stars.

6. Or … well, you get the point. Change. The. Format.

7. Mic up every player and broadcast the best clips during breaks in the action. To take it a step further, have stretches – while the game is being played – where the only audio is on-ice chatter.

8. Have all the players stay in the same hotel. On the same floor. With a 24-hour reality TV crew on hand.

9. Have AC/DC and Nickelback perform. They’re the only two bands that hockey players listen to. Might as well give them what they want.

10. Instead of a 60-minute game, hold mini-tournaments in which players are grouped based on their junior teams. Oshawa vs. Kladno, Kamloops vs. Boston College, Red Army vs. Modo, etc.

11. More commercials featuring players as fun individuals (remember the NHL’s prank ad last year – “Ovechkin!”) instead of boring automatons.

12. Invite top junior and college players to the skills competition (John Tavares vs. Marty Turco in a shootout drill, followed by Alex Ovechkin vs. Simeon Varlamov).

13. New kills competition: Bodychecking. Imagine Dion Phaneuf vs. Shea Weber in the final, skating full force into a tackling dummy – whoever makes it fly the furthest, wins. Seriously … fans would go nuts.

14. Shootout contest with judges (Denis Savard, Wayne Gretzky, Mike Myers) and mediocre-goalies-turned-VIPs in net (Darren Pang, Garth Snow, Glenn Healy).

15. Fix the ballot nomination process (there was no Patrick Kane or Sergei Gonchar on the ticket this season, despite the fact the list was finalized in early November).

16. Give the players real incentive to win: the MVP gets a car and is exempt from all media requests.

17. Make the skills competition more like the old Showdown in the 1970s – player vs. player instead of conference vs. conference. Crown an overall winner and give him a car, too.

18. A shootout championship, featuring the regular season leaders in shootout goals vs. the goalies who have the best shootout stats.

19. Bigger nets!

20. Small nets!

21. Play 4-on-4 – if not for the entire game, at least the last five minutes of each period.

22. Assign each period a point value. For example, winning the first period is worth one point, the second two points and the third three points. That keeps the game interesting should the score be lopsided entering the third.

23. As a nod to defense – the grossly under-appreciated all-star trait that is grossly over-appreciated in regular season games – award bonus points for blocked shots and takeaways/intercepted passes. Accumulated a pre-determined total and you get a penalty shot as a reward.

24. Go back to the old-style meshing on the nets so the twine actually budges when a goal is scored.

25. Have a celebrity or hockey legend do the PA announcing on goal calls.

26. Dispense with the conference jerseys and go with throwback sweaters. The home team wears a throwback from the host city – this year, you could bring back the old Atlanta Flames look – while the visitors’ shirt is chosen online by the fans. (Our first vote would be for the California Golden Seals).

27. Forget the two-referee system – try the no-referee system. Rarely is there a penalty and it’s not like Jason Spezza is gonna go after Henrik Zetterberg. (Or is he …?)

28. Play the game on international ice. Give those all-stars room to move.

29. The winning conference gets home-ice advantage in the Stanley Cup final.

30. Copy the Young Stars Game. No faceoffs.

31. Two words: More cheerleaders!

32. Two more words: No cheerleaders!

33. Play music during the action.

34. Every penalty, anywhere on the ice, results in a penalty shot.

35. Bring back the glowing puck.

36. Just kidding.

37. After giving up a goal, you get to steal a player from the other team.

38. No bluelines.

39. No icing the puck on penalty kills

40. Like billiards, street basketball or Owen Nolan, if you don’t call your shot, it doesn’t count.

41. Play the game in Europe. Or a non-NHL North American city.

42. Secure sponsors to put up a financial bounty that’s big enough to impress even today’s multi-millionaires. Winning side takes all.

43. Forget trying to cut back on goals; go for broke. Eliminate goalies and make it like novice hockey where each skater takes a two-minute turn standing in the crease.

44. Maximize exposure by making the game a 15-minute contest during halftime at the Super Bowl. Invite Janet Jackson to preside over the ceremonial faceoff. But not Jastin Timberlake. Let’s keep the malfunctions to a minimum.

45. The Sean Avery Exemption: Each conference elects two agitators to liven up the game. The catch, though, is the shift disturbers actually represent the conference they don’t play in, so the guys who see them so often during the regular season – and have a good healthy hate on for them – get a chance to get in an all-star whack.

46. Scrap the Young Guns game; instead, make Kevin Lowe and Brian Burke team captains and have them select the remaining 28 GMs for a good, hate-filled game of 4-on-4. Just keep the shifts short.

47. Play it outdoors.

48. Play it after the season is over.

49. Play it in the pre-season. Fans are hungry for hockey after three long summer months … and anything that spices up the exhibition schedule is welcome.

50. Play it like they did back in the day: an all-star team vs. the previous season’s Stanley Cup champion.

51. Bring back the goalie helmet cam.

52. Have a shootout – everybody shoots – before the game and spot the winning team a 1-0 lead.

53. Borrow an idea from major junior’s Top Prospects Game and put celebrity coaches behind the bench. How about Stephen Harper and George W. Bush – what else are they doing? – on one team and Denis Leary and Pamela Anderson on the other. (Wonder who the fan favorite will be?)

54. Let’s see how talented these “all-stars” really are; intermission should be a talent show, where the players bust out the coolest moves they’ve got that are completely unrelated to hockey. Sure, they can blast slapshots 100 miles an hour, but can any of them juggle … skates?

55. Mandatory trash-talking. Who wouldn’t want to see Ilya Kovalchuk and Jarome Ignla fact-to-face, boxing weight-in style, at a pre-game press conference trading taunts and goal-scorers’ smirks?

56. Ah, what the heck, let’s see what happens if they throw two pucks on the ice instead of the usual boring, old one. Or, maybe one puck in the first period, two in the second and three in the third. Could make for some cool hat tricks …

Pocket schedules

2007-11-30T15:57:00.000-08:00

Remember collecting hockey cards as a kid? I do. But somewhere between being a kid and now, hockey cards became really exspensive and, collecting them now just seems all the fun has been taken out of it. Along came pocket schedules. They are free, and just like hockey cards, you can collect a full set from each leage; NHL, AHL, ECHL etc. And for those people who are really completists, you can go for all the variations, be it different covers, different advertisers, or misprints. I myself am happy enough to just get one pocket schedule from each team and leave the variations to those who time and patients to hunt them down.
Here are a few of my favorite schedules from the past seasons.

Coming Soon

2007-08-19T11:59:00.001-07:00

You have checked out the web site, now check out the blog!