Archive for the 'NHL' Category
Here’s a great way to spend your morning while waiting for today’s Islanders afternoon game (unless you’re still working today like me). Via UniWatch Blog comes OfficialGamePuck.com’s Virtual Puck Museum with just under 20,000 puck photos for you to browse. That’s even more pucks than the back of the Islanders net in the third period!
Classics like the Bossy and LaFontaine pucks above. Pucks from just about every hockey league NHL, AHL, College Hockey, even Beer League pucks. Corporate pucks, old pucks, wedding pucks, even ^%$&# glow pucks.
Here are a few more Islander pucks; Blake, King, and Peca. You might want to cover your eyes for this last one John Tonelli…as a King…nooooo!
The geniuses at the NHL Marketing Department were at it again this weekend, with the debut of “Super Saturday” – all 30 teams playing on one night. Great concept, poor execution. Please tell me why they picked an October Saturday with College Football in full swing, the World Series going on, and no games on Versus? As a bonus, there were absolutely no games last night.
Had a family thing Saturday night, so all I saw were the late night highlights on the NHL network. There were quite a few from the Isles/Hurricanes matchup – 57 Islander shots, 54 saves by Cam Ward, a potential game-tying penalty shot with less than 1 second left in regulation, and this…BOOM!
Doug Weight absolutely crushed the ‘Canes rookie Brandon Sutter at center ice with a legal hit. Sutter was knocked unconscious, and spent a couple of nights in the hospital for observation. He’s been released. The hit started a lot of debating about the legality of the hit and what the NHL can do to protect players from hits like these. It certainly doesn’t help the NHL’s image when players are knocked out and taken off the ice like this, but I don’t know how you legislate this out of hockey. Making it some kind of referee’s judgment call on “intent” or “blow to the head” is just going to make it worse. One odd thing about this hit is that Sutter (6′3″) has 4 inches on Weight (5′11″), I expected the opposite when I looked this up.
Around the rink…
- Islanders 3rd jersey unveiling tonight at 5pm before the NYI/NYR game.
- DP out for tonight. He’s being checked out by team doctors today, and then the Isles will come back and tell us nothing. Unless they have to do something drastic like amputate a limb, he will be listed as day to day.
- And finally, speaking of new jerseys check out these sweet new sweaters for this year’s Winter Classic. Funny thing is, Chelios wore the same jersey in his rookie year back in 1926.
So Def Leppard is going to rock out and play the NHL’s official season opener (sorry Rangers) in Detroit tonight. Def Leppard. I liked these guys a lot when I lived in the 80s. But wait, the NHL has a little 90s juice in there, too, with Alanis Morissette (a Canadian!) playing via a live feed from Montreal. So, to review – the NHL selected Def Leppard and Alanis Morissette over pretty much any relevant current band. The NFL has been doing it for years. Now the NHL has its own piece of the lameness.
C’Mon C’Mon C’Mon. I fear the song is going to live in my head for a while. Crap.
Friday night, the Yanks don’t play until 10p, so how about the Islanders Army “Bag of Pucks” link dump makes an appearance this summer?
This coming season will see the return of 3rd jerseys returning to the NHL after a one season hiatus. This tip comes from Howard Berger’s blog, one of the Toronto Sports Talk radio guys – who says he’s seen pictures of most of them. Seems like a pretty solid tip to me, I’ll keep my eye open for pics.
The Isles are going back to their original road jersey from 1972-73, when they joined the NHL along with the Atlanta Flames. It is a royal-blue base, with broad orange and white stripes on the arms and at the bottom of the jersey. The uniform numbers – as they appeared during the club’s inaugural season – are orange with white trim. Player names will also be orange. The Islanders switched to white jersey numbers after their dreadful first year in the league; when they compiled a 12-60-6 record… worst, to that point, in NHL history.
…so consider the following SI.com photo gallery link 27,000 words about how the Islanders became synonymous with “suck”, “circus”, and “farce”. Thanks to an old co-worker/Toronto fan for the link. No really, you shouldn’t have. Great to hear from you too…how’s that Jason Blake signing working out?
Watch the Isles go from this proud moment – Stanley Cup Champions, top of the world…
To this confused mess, throwing money into a seemingly bottomless pit…
All your favorite Islander low-lites are accounted for…Ron Hextall, Fishsticks, John Spano, Alexei Yashin, Dale Hunter, Dave Chyzowski, Brett Lindros, Don Maloney, Kirk Muller, Mad Mike Milbury, Neil Smith, Cryin’ Ryan Smyth, and the aging Nassau Coliseum. Normally I’m not big on Vanilla Ice quotes, but “Will it ever stop? Yo, I don’t know!” is just too fitting for this franchise.
We don’t know who will be behind the bench that night, but we now know when the Islanders 2008-09 season will start. The NHL released the 08-09 schedule yesterday.
The New York Islanders 2008-09 full season schedule has been released and features 15 Saturday home games, nine matinee home games, including five on holidays, and two home games on Sunday afternoon. The Islanders will open the season on the road on Friday, October 10th at New Jersey before returning for the home opener on Saturday, October 11th vs. St. Louis.
Single-game tickets are scheduled to go on sale at the Nassau Coliseum box office on the morning of Saturday, September 13th. The Islanders will also announce the 2008-09 partial plans in the coming weeks.
Also of note is the 2009 NHL Winter Classic which will feature the defending Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Red Wings taking on the Chicago Blackhawks outdoors at Wrigley Field on January 1st, 2009. I’m disappointed they didn’t choose Yankee Stadium for this game, but considering the NHL was going to leave the Islanders out of the game anyways, it’s just as well. The rumor mill has it that a future Winter Classic could still come to NYC at the new Yankee Stadium.
Do you like hockey? Do you have a degree in business, marketing, or PR? Then you could be the NHL’s next Marketing Manager!! Hang with Gary Bettman and make bad decision after bad decision, like glow pucks, Versus over ESPN, 30 new jerseys just to make your corporate cronies at RBK happy, and All-Star games on a Wednesday.
Summary:
The Marketing Manager will be responsible for the day-to-day management and implementation of League directed marketing efforts for the National Hockey League.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities:
The ideal candidate will communicate insights from consumer research and develop integrated marketing strategies, plans and tactics that leverage those insights into achieving the League’s short- and long-term marketing and business objectives. Facilitate day-to-day relationships and implement the integration of League-directed marketing efforts across internal departments, the 30 clubs, NHLPA, broadcast partners and corporate partners. Lead the production of fully integrated marketing communications campaigns that include television, radio, print, digital, outdoor, collateral/POS and integration into editorial content. Facilitate day-to-day relationships with marketing and advertising agency partners to ensure the work being created meets all League expectations and requirements – including the development of briefs, presentations and productions.
In addition, the Marketing Manager will lead the production of fully integrated marketing communications campaigns that include television, radio, print, digital, outdoor, collateral/POS and integration into editorial content, collaborate with internal departments to develop marketing plans that meet their objectives, and then manage the execution of that plan with the Creative Services department to concept and produce marketing/advertising materials.
The Marketing Manager will support the Events department on the development of creative ideas and materials for League events, support the Corporate Sales department with updated consumer insights, marketing strategies/materials and sponsorship ideas customized to the company being pitched and manage and determine the proper distribution of League-controlled marketing assets/inventory across all of the organization’s marketing needs.
In addition, the Manager will develop, manage and maintain media and production budgets for both the League marketing department initiatives, as well as the marketing initiatives of other internal departments as well as identify new and creative marketing ideas and partnerships to benefit the business objectives of the League.
Too. Good. To be true.
The NHL filed court papers Wednesday that included a draft letter from commissioner Gary Bettman proposing discipline against Madison Square Garden, L.P., that could lead to suspension or termination of its ownership of the Rangers.
In its court filing, the NHL asked a judge to agree Madison Square Garden breached its contract by challenging league rules.
This may be the best move Gary Bettman has made in his entire tenure as commish.
In case you missed the (yawn!) oh-so-exciting news out of Toronto last night, the NHL held the 2008 Draft Lottery last night in Toronto. Absolutely nothing changed – Tampa Bay ended up with the #1 pick, Islanders the #5. What was the point of last night again?
Anyways, Sean Leahy’s got some humorous pictures from last night and fake Bossy quotes on his blog. Check it out.
