My bucket list of sporting venues

One of the problems of living overseas is the lack of opportunity to attend U.S. sporting events; however, at some point in the future I plan to visit these 5 venues:

1) Lambeau Field (Green Bay, Wisconsin) – aka the “Frozen Tundra”, home of “Titletown USA” where the “Lambeau Leap” has been engrained in our consciousness since 1993. In this era of stadiums named after corporate sponsors, thereby encouraging blandness instead of atmosphere, Lambeau hasn’t changed monikers and still honors the Packers’ founder.  The aura must be palpable as the Packers have won 7 NFL championships (5 under Vince Lombardi alone) and possess one of the best post-season home advantages due to the inclement weather conditions. In fact, the “Ice Bowl” played between the Packers and Cowboys in 1967 spawned the frozen tundra moniker as the natural grass turned into an ice rink from the sub-zero temperature and windchill. This is one venue you can’t visit in the summer!

Titletown, USA

2) Wrigley Field (Chicago, Illinois) -  Much like the aforementioned Packers, the Cubs have enjoyed long standing residency (96 years!) in their ballpark. The amazing history of this beautiful stadium can be found here (Wrigley Field Information – History | cubs.com: ballpark) but to me, the “Friendly Confines” represents what’s great about watching baseball: homey environment, a hand turned scoreboard and the 7th inning stretch singing of “Take Me Out to the Ballpark” popularized by Hall of Fame announcer Harry Carey.  Now, if they could only win the World Series!

Wrigley Field's famous ivy

 3) Millenium Stadium (Cardiff, Wales) – This venue might not be known amongst U.S. sports fans but as home to the Welsh rugby (and soccer) team, it’s quite a big deal on this side of the pond. Completed in time for the 2000 millenium celebrations, the stadium rivals those of NFL teams with a capacity of 74.500 - enormous considering the size of Wales! As the Rugby World Cup is nearing an end, Wales have made it all the way to the semi-finals against France advancing further than their bigger rivals England, Scotland and Ireland.  I’ve heard the atmosphere is incredible for national team games and I’ve been to two England matches at Twickenham so I’d love to experience it myself.

Millenium Stadium

4) Miller Park (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) Ok, I just noticed that two of these venues are located in Wisconsin of all places – what are the odds of dragging my family out there? Anyway, I like this stadium for its fun atmosphere as well as the surprisingly elegant design featuring enormous panes of glass. But really, where else can you see a sausage race, a mascot that goes down an enormous slide after every Brewers home run (I must say that I preferred the slide into a mug of beer at County Stadium but I digress) and an ode to beer via a song during the Seventh Inning Stretch?

Facade of Miller Park

 5) Bell Centre (Montreal, Canada) – I know that the Montreal Forum will always be a shrine to hockey fans as home to the ghosts of Canadiens past including Maurice “Rocket” Richard, Toe Blake, Jacques Plante etc. I’d still like to see a game in the newish venue though to experience the history of Le Bleu-Blanc-Rouge, the oldest NHL franchise and winner of more Stanley Cups than any other team. Beforehand, I must remember to brush up on my Français as English is not the language of choice in Quebec!

Bell Centre

The puck drops: what should we expect?

Those with excellent long-term memories will recall my unflinching boycott of last season’s NHL games (and for everyone else, here’s the link: http://wp.me/p1m3T5-1D). The reason for my position, in short, was the complete lawlessness that allowed goons to knock out high-profile players such as Sidney Crosby – who is still not cleared for contact – without fear of recrimination from the league’s disciplinary office headed by Colin Campbell.  As a lifelong fan of hockey, I’ve always accepted the quirks that make the NHL the least watched of the four major sports such as mullets, Don Cherry, and the constant guesswork as to which network owns the rights to broadcast games; however, not only was player safety inadequately addressed but the league’s arrogant reaction to criticism on this point (remember commissioner Bettman’s suggestion that Air Canada could kiss his butt?) suggested that reform wasn’t imminent. 

Fast forward a few months and there’s finally a glimmer of hope in the form of Brendan Shanahan, the newly appointed  discipline czar. Part of the problem with Colin Campbell, aside from the obvious conflict of interest given that his own son plays for the Bruins, was that he appeared to be weighted down by the rigors of admittedly the toughest position in hockey. Shanahan, only recently retired from the game, is likeable and media-savvy which is an immediate upgrade given the prominence of his role. Plus, after accepting the job he immediately stated that player safety was first and foremost in his mind, citing “transparency and communication” as his goals. To that end, I love the fact that he’s decided to release video to back-up his rulings as any additional insight into the league’s decision-making allows fans to feel like they’re well-informed. Finally, Shanahan has overseen two major rule changes regarding hits to the head and boarding which, if properly followed, should reduce the number of head injuries. Obviously, it’s still early days but I’m willing to give the NHL a chance as it’s finally made a step in the right direction on this issue.

AP photo / Shanahan at work

On a different note, the most intriguing team this season should be the Philadelphia Flyers. Always highly competitive (frustratingly so for Rangers’ fans like myself), the team historically has had one area of consistent weakness: goaltending.  In recent years, whoever was in net (Cechmanek, Boucher and/or Soderstrom) never seemed to be the team’s first choice, as Peter Laviolette even opted for a rotation system during the playoffs which is never a good sign. This offseason, GM Paul Holmgren addressed the issue by signing former Coyote Ilya Bryzgalov to a hefty contract. He had a good track record in the hockey backwaters of Phoenix and Anaheim and at 31 years old is still in the prime of his career. Interestingly, Holmgren also traded away two star players - captain Mike Richards and Jeff Carter - due in part to their hard partying ways, if the rumors are true (which is something given the Broad Street Bullies’ reputation).  Leaving aside the hearsay, these are actually good hockey moves as both players have been somewhat on the decline in recent years. If their replacements perform as expected, these trades would be a significant upgrade. Finally, Jaromir Jagr has come out of retirement which after the Forsberg debacle might seem like an insignificant point but the former has played highly competitive hockey in Russia since leaving the NHL so may contribute unexpected points. Of course, this assumes Jagr is willing to play reduced minutes on the third line which would be an adjustment for him to say the least. In sum, the Flyers will either advance deep into the playoffs or blow up so monumentally that both Holmgren and Laviolette won’t last the season.  

He's back!

Lastly, I’ll be watching again not only for the reasons stated above but partly for sympathetic reasons. I’d like to see hockey emerge from the very dark recent past which includes the deaths of three players (Derek Boogaard, Wade Belak and Rick Rypien) in unsavory circumstances and the tragic plane crash that took the lives of the entire Russian Lokomotiv team. Hockey, at its best, is an exhibition in both gracefulness and power which is how I hope the game will be played this season.

RIP Alexander Karpovtsev '94 Stanley Cup winner

A Step in the right direction for the NHL?

If you recall, my last words regarding the NHL were not kind as I essentially refuse to watch any more games until Bettman and co. decide to clean up the game. I’ve stuck to my word and focused instead on college basketball, but then Matt Cooke’s name reared its ugly head. If you follow the game, you know Cooke can be a decent checking forward for the Penguins but he’s more well-known nowadays for dirty hits, having been suspended multiple times including one for a vicious hit on Marc Savard resulting in a season-ending concussion. This time, he was guilty of a blindside elbow to the head of Rangers players Ryan McDonagh. Surely I’m not the only one to see the irony that Cooke plays for Pittsburgh whose famous owner, Mario Lemieux, has openly criticized the league’s soft stance on head shots. Given Lemieux’s previous comments and lack of support for Cooke from his own coach and GM, the league had no choice but to come down hard(er). His suspension includes the rest of the regular season (about 10 games) and the first round of the playoffs, making it a detriment to the Penguins certainly. Also, Cooke will lose about $200k of compensation which is not an insignificant amount. Although obviously justified, this suspension will mean nothing if further dirty plays are not punished severely. So, in conclusion I’m holding judgment on whether the NHL has finally gotten serious about this issue until the next (inevitable) episode. Cooke has since expressed remorse and promised to change his ways but there are other players like him whose edge is the reason they made the NHL in the first place (rather than on skill alone).

 

Image courtesy of NBC sports

 

 

My boycott of the 2010/11 NHL season

You have no idea how difficult it was to write those words because hockey has always been my favorite sport. I can distinctly remember as a young child watching Ron Duguay and his flowing hair glide up and down the ice for the Rangers. Later, I watched with much joy as the Blueshirts with Messier at the helm lifted a Stanley Cup in 1994 after what I think was the best playoffs ever. The league seemed poised to break into the big time with much more attention being devoted to the sport. Then the lock-out happened in 1995 and things went swiftly downhill as the NHL failed to capitalize on the momentum from the previous season.  For whatever reason, Gary Bettman continued to be commissioner despite presiding over the poorly timed lock-out, several ill advised expansion teams (to this day, I don’t understand why there are two teams in Florida), and bad marketing strategies (remember the glowing pucks on Fox?) It’s anyone’s guess on which network games will be broadcast as this seems to change on a yearly basis. But through it all I’ve remained a loyal supporter because at its best, the game is beautiful to watch and I was privileged enough to see Gretzy play live at Madison Square Garden several times prior to his retirement. I still miss watching his passes from behind the net which were genius.

Then the 2010-2011 season happened and I’m not even sure I want to watch a game again due to the unsustainable, and worse unchecked, amount of violence. Obviously, hockey is full of hard collisions and the occasional fight(s) which I’m not against at all for the record. However, while the league has been blighted by violent incidents before (Bertuzzi’s attack on Moore that ended the latter’s career comes to mind immediately) they’ve been the exception rather than the rule. This season though the NHL has completely lost control, refusing to dole out heavy suspensions to players guilty of head-hunting which has in turn led to serious on-ice injuries. Until recently, the worst example of this was Sidney Crosby’s concussion from which he still hasn’t returned. It’s not to anyone’s benefit that the best player in the league is out for so long but despite an opportunity to put an end to the madness, the NHL and Colin Campbell stupidly didn’t suspend Steckel on the grounds that it was an “inadvertent” hit. Please, Campbell should be ashamed of himself, especially as that check happened during the Winter Classic with a much larger audience than usual. By the way, I don’t even thing Campbell should occupy his position as disciplinarian because he has a son playing for the Bruins (more on that later) which must surely present a conflict of interest!

Most recently Max Pacioretty, who plays for the Canadiens, almost died on the ice and that’s not an overstatement. He was hit so hard into the stanchion near the glass by Chara that he suffered a severe concussion and actually broke several vertebra. I haven’t brought myself to watch the video of this check as the stills are graphic enough for me but I am absolutely dumbfounded that the NHL has chosen not to suspend Chara, who to be fair, does not have a history of foul play. Instead, it’s up to Montreal police to decide whether to prosecute Chara. Montreal police being investigation of Chara Pacioretty hit – NHL – SI.com Surely, it’s not a good sign when the police need to step in? As the Bruins were involved, Campbell actually refused to make a ruling and unbelievably deferred judgment to his deputy. Gary Bettman needed to make this right, especially as Air Canada has already threatened to pull its sponsorship (that’s a bad sign when a Canadian institution refuses to support hockey), but so far he’s refused to do so, saying the league is “comfortable” with the decision. The message this sends to goons around the NHL is insupportable – does a player actually have to die for changes to occur?

This is why I won’t watch the rest of the NHL season but, not to end on a downer, I’ll leave you with one of my favorite hockey memories. I only hope the NHL realizes the error of its way and understands how the game should be played.

Messier lifting the Stanley Cup in 1994

What to watch this weekend

Here’s a quick guide to what I’ll be paying attention to this weekend in between children’s parties, yoga classes, and a dinner date with my husband!

Friday

Rangers vs. Capitals (NHL) – This is a really important Eastern Conference match-up, especially for the Rangers as they’re struggling to secure a playoff spot. Plus, Ovechkin is bar none (with all due respect to the concussed Sidney Crosby) the most exciting player in the NHL right now.

Photo courtesy of the Washington Capitals website

Saturday

England vs. France (Rugby) – The 6 Nations game that everyone has been gearing up for.  France has talked alot of trash this week saying how much they dislike the English (shocker!) so I’m looking for a tense atmosphere at Twickenham. It will be tough for England without their injured captain Lewis Moody but I’ll be pulling for them!

St. John’s at Villanova (College Basketball) – Another important Big East test for the Johnnies as they’re up against a highly-ranked opponent in what has become a regular occurrence. This time though the Red Storm are finally included in the Top 25 for what seems like ages so I hope they continue in this direction.

Sunday

Indiana at Ohio State (College Basketball) – This is also a key conference match-up. Ohio State lost its Number 1 ranking recently but that doesn’t make them any less dangerous. In my opinion, they’re the best team in the country regardless of the polls. Indiana is a compelling story though as that program may be on the upswing again. Do I smell an upset? Nah but it should be entertaining nonetheless.

Happy viewing!

The Brett Favre of Hockey?

Of course I’m speaking of Peter Forsberg whose final stats will show 885 points, 2 Stanley Cup rings, 2 Olympic gold medals (resulting in a Swedish postage stamp after his 1994 game-wining shootout goal against Canada), and more retirements than I can even remember. In my opinion though, despite this post’s title, Forsberg deserved the benefit of the doubt because as the best two-way player in the game, he took alot of punishment. His laundry list of injuries is on par with those of an NFL QB: spleen removal, ankle surgery, double-digit foot surgeries due to a chronic condition and a few concussions thrown in for good measure.

But even I can’t understand why at 37 years old, he decided to have another go-round with the Avs – who will surely retire his jersey – and then call it quits after just 2 games! Granted his -4 rating with no points contributed wasn’t great but neither are the Avalanche. In fact, when I originally tried to wrap my head around this comeback, I thought the biggest benefit would be the added leadership from a respected, veteran player for a struggling young team. As Forsberg is holding a press conference to officially announce his retirement, maybe we’ll find out more but I doubt it as he’s somewhat of an enigma.

Whatever the outcome of this last public NHL foray, I wish him the best and will remember his bull-like strength and tape-to-tape passes that rivaled those of Gretzky. See you in the Hall of Fame!

Swedish postage stamp commemorating the 1994 olympic gold medal

2001 Stanley Cup champs - photo courtesy of milehighhockey.com