Down the Stretch they Come....

As we enter the final two weeks of the NHL's regular season, and as playoff positioning appears to be becoming clearer with each passing day, perhaps for a minute we could break, and take a look toward next year.

One of the hot button debates around the NHL, whether amongst GM's, owners, league officials, the Commissioner or the fans, is the issue of fighting in the NHL. Some feel that the fighting in the NHL is an unnecessary element, others say the sport would not be the same without the scraps. While there are many legitimate reasons against fighting, or for harsher penalties and such, there are also convincing reasons to keep it in the game. Many complain that the violence and particularly the fighting, turns many potential fans of the sport away. However, the fans that the fighting has attracted to the sport should also be considered. The sport itself is a violent game, high paced, high intensity, hard hitting action, like no other sport played. Some argue that the occasional fight amongst opposing goons is a way of keeping the game civil, and allowing teams to vent pent up intensity. It has been argued that if the staged fighting between two men, in a way protected by the officials who jump in shortly after each get a few jabs in was not available, fans would resort to their sticks being the peacemaker. While a far more lethal and dangerous thought, its hard to say if this would in fact be the case.

When uninterupted, hockey can be one of the most beautiful and artful sports in existence, there is no question about that. The fast skating, tape to tape passing, fancy stickwork, and finesse is a beautiful thing. A large portion of the game's fans stem from an appreciation of this facet of the sport. While others like the physicality, I say the beauty lies in the hybridity of the two. The high skill coupled with the high intensity, and believe like many that there is room for both. What the NHL has decided to do, going forward for next season, is to put an end to "staged fights." This would be something like having each teams designated fighter drop their gloves immediately after the puck drop of the faceoff for a "main event" style fight at center ice. The NHL sees this as an artificial, theatrical aspect of the game that is dangerous to player health and to the game's public image. As much as I love to see it, especially when facing a rival, I think I agree with them. Both from a safety standpoint and a public relations standpoint, it's probably good business by the NHL. However, fighting followed by a five minute major the way we see it today will still exist. While the NHL will not tollerate a "staged fight," they will allow a fight that breaks out as a result of a hard hit, or more, "heat of the battle" or "act of passion" variety.

While this sounds good in theory, I think all it means is that the goons will be even more theatrical, and will still find a way to fight under the new rules. One thing hockey is full of is rivalries, and the Atlantic Division has some of the most fiercest in sports. Rangers/Islanders, Rangers/Devils and Rangers/Flyers are all ugly games and great to watch. As of late Rangers/Penguins have also begun to develop a rivalry. The close proximity of the teams and the natural rivalries of the cities (New York and Philadelphia for one) all help to contribute to the intensity and the break out of near brawls.

Right now, bloggers covering the NHL and the 30 NHL teams are all voicing their opinion on the matter as we await the playoffs. A playoff year that I assume with be doubly fight filled as the goons of the game get their fill for perhaps the last time as they once knew it.

Home Stretch

Well, there's no question that the NHL is heading into one of the most exciting finishes in recent memory. Following the trade deadline and a slew of coaching changes (Rangers, Montreal, Pittsburgh), teams are getting ready to make the final push to secure a playoff position. Problem is there are more playoff worthy teams than spots available. The Eastern Conference race is shaping up to be one of the tightest and most exciting races seen in years. While Boston, New Jersey and Washington have the top three spots all but locked up, the remaining five are completely in play. After Philadelphia who is in 4th with 84 points, spots 5-10 are only separated by 4 points. Right now as it stands, Montreal and Pittsburgh have 80 points, Carolina has 79, the Rangers have 78 in the eighth and final spot, followed by Florida who also has 78, and Buffalo at 76 points in 10th place. With roughly twelve games left until the final tally, you can be sure that who ever is left on the outside, looking in will be sorely disappointed.

Things in the Western Conference are not all that looser, while Detroit, San Jose and Calgary pretty much have locked up the top three spots, followed closely by Chicago and Vancouver in 4th and 5th, the remaining three spots are a complete log jam of teams vying for position. Just four points separate the 7th position and the 12th position. There have also been a number of surprise teams this year, with Columbus and Nashville, two of the latest expansion teams added both have a shot of making the playoffs this year for the first time ever. In the East, the poor play of teams like the New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Montreal Canadiens, all favorites this year and all playoff teams last year, have seen their head coaches ousted. All of these story lines have provided for much to be talked about in media circles assigned to covering the NHL this year. Whether it be bloggers, who are undoubtedly having a field day and record number of hits due to the current climate in the NHL, or mainstream sites like NHL.com, TSN.ca or even ESPN.com, there is no question that this has been a banner year for the NHL.

Between three major contenders all clinging to the final three spots of the conference, three surprise coach firings, an anti-climatic trade deadline, and the closest conference standings this late into the season in recent memory, have all provided for excellent opportunities for bloggers to comment on the situation, and for fans to vent and leave comments on how they feel about their teams performance.

Excellent sites to keep in mind while following the playoff push are: hockeybuzz.com and hfboards.com. Both sites have a number of different bloggers not only blogging the NHL in general but blogging specific teams with team specific sites and weekly content.

NHL Tradeline Media Coverage

The NHL's trade deadline was this past Wednesday, March 4th at 3PM. Aside from the upcoming playoffs in April, and the free agent signing period in July, this past week has probably been the most hectic and lively in terms of media coverage. As contenders looked to better their teams heading into the playoffs, and sellers dumped whatever talent they had for picks and prospects, beat writers and bloggers were busy speculating who was going where, and reporting the big deals as they came through. While most would agree that this year's deadline was a little bit anti-climatic, it still drew just as much attention as any other.

In today's world in which people seek up to the minute information, covering the trade deadline of any sport could be quite demanding for news organizations and bloggers. They need to work extremely hard to keep users and information seekers posted with up to the minute news and details regarding their favorite teams and players. While in years past, many would have had to wait for the following day to find out how their team faired at the deadline, today, many websites make it their goal to provide up to the minute information regarding deadline deals. As soon as news leaks of a deal, it is posted, analyzed and commented on almost instantaneously. This year, sites like NHL.com and TSN.ca head "Trade Deadline 2009" sub sites which showed all the trades made by NHL teams as they were announced. By clicking into a trade, those interest could read up on an analysis of the trade provided by NHL analysts and color commentators. However, for those die hard NHL fans who could not wait for the mainstream media to announce trades, their were other sites, many of which were inaccessible due to high traffic on March 3rd and 4th.

These other sites are ran by amateur hockey insiders, who because of their more unknown and annonymous nature, could break news and rumors prior to any official announcement by teams and leagues. While sometimes unreliable, they provide an excellent source of information for fans who are truly craving the latest information. Many sites thrust the fan right into the trade negotiations, providing specific details about the trade hours before it is made public on sites like NHL.com and TSN.ca. These sites include hockeybuzz.com, hockeytraderumors.com, thefourthperiod.com, and hfboards.com. Sites such as these rely on both bloggers, many of them have a blogger reporting on each NHL team, and user supplied information. Many of the bloggers on these sites also have access and connections with NHL and team officials, and some even have press credentials allowing them to get very close to the team.

Perhaps one of the most popular and controversial hockey insiders is a blogger simply known as "Eklund." For years he has made a living simply known as "Eklund, the Anonymous Hockey Blogger" on his site hockeybuzz.com. While he maintains an anonymous identity, he openly states that he has access to many NHL teams and general managers, and has a great deal of access with the Philadelphia Flyers. Many question his legitimacy, as he has often reported deals and brought about speculation and rumors that have never panned out, however, in many instances he has reported accurately. As a long time visitor to many of these sites, I would say that they are an excellent source for general information, and getting a feel for what teams are thinking and planning on doing, but ultimately, no one knows whats going to happen until it really happens. In this day in age, teams are very careful to keep their intentions buttoned up, mainly because of the growth of the digital media and the rapidity of information sharing.

At the deadline, the New York Rangers acquired right wing Nik Antropov from the Toronto Maple Leafs for their second overall pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, and a conditional pick, which can be anything from a 4th rounder to a 2nd rounder, depending on the performance of the Rangers this year. The Rangers also acquired defenceman Derek Morris from the Phoenix Coyotes, for forwards Petr Prucha, Nigel Dawes, and defenceman Dmitri Kalinin. Antropov and Morris join the recently re-acquired Sean Avery as they attempt to help the Rangers secure a playoff spot with less then twenty games remaining. Both deals were fairly well received by fans, as they addressed the teams need for size and scoring upfront with the addition of the 6'6", 240lb Nik Antropov. Morris also provides depth on defense, and with his shot from the point, should help the struggling Ranger powerplay. Their next game will be this Sunday at 12:30PM against the Eastern Conference leading Boston Bruins.