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
