Former Hartford Whaler Randy Cunneyworth's Language Barrier Issue

Randy Cunneyworth actually speaks the correct language for the Montreal Canadiens.

It's an interesting issue.  Former Hartford Whaler Randy Cunneyworth was recently promoted to the position of Montreal Canadiens' head coach after the firing of Jacques Martin.  His hiring has unfortunately caused a firestorm in the local media.  Not because of his relative lack of experience, or the fact that the Canadiens needed different leadership and he was merely Martin's rag doll, Cunneyworth's issue is that he doesn't speak French in this French-Canadian city.  In fact, Canadiens' management has now come out to declare that Cunneyworth's title is "interim" until he learns how to speak the official language of Quebec (no the official language of Quebec is not condescension or disdain, the official language is French).  Management rationale is that its permanent coach will speak French.  Seriously?

We live in a society where tolerance is as important an ideal as any other that we're taught in ethics class.  But yet, in hiding behind excuses like "nationalism" and "the Habs are the people's team," aren't all of detractors just labeling themselves as intolerant?  Aren't they just just proving themselves the assholes that many in English-speaking Canada already think they are?  I'm hoping that this fervor is not really from the fans (don't they care about wins and wins only?) but instead from a lazy, overwrought media looking to sell some newpapers.

Cunneyworth is in Montreal to coach.  If he wants to keep his job, he actually needs to relate to and communicate with his players.  Take a look at Montreal's current roster.  15 of the 28 players on the current Canadiens' roster is actually from the United States of from English speaking Canada.  Only three players are from Quebec, the same number of players as are from the Czech Republic and from Russia.  Should Cunneyworth also learn how to speak Russian and Czech? Ironically, my argument is that the next Montreal coach needs to speak English.

This is probably just a fabrication from the Quebec media since having a French speaking coach is only important to the media during post games.  But instead of hiring an interpreter to translate for him (just like virtually every other coach or player who doesn't speak the language - you think Bobby Valentine spoke a lick of Japanese when he was there managing?).  Ultimately, I remember Cunneyworth from his days with the Whalers.  He'll be ok, he's a tough hombre.  I just wish he doesn't have to learn a dying language to keep his job.  I hope he has a good attorney.

photo courtesy of Globe and Mail

The 16 Teams Most Likely to Move in the Next Five Years

In the last several years, every major sport has seen one or more of its teams relocate.  Whether its through mismanagement or just poor financial times, a lot of teams have had to move.  Forget about the Hartford Whalers and the Quebec Nordiques, numerous teams have decided to uproot themselves and their fan bases to look for greener pastures.  Teams like the Montreal Expos, Vancouver Grizzlies, Atlanta Thrashers and the Houston Oilers have all moved in the name of better financial options. 

These days, teams are more likely than not, when facing tough times, to decide to look for bigger arenas, larger corporate and government givebacks and more financial stability rather than weathering the competitive storms.  Here are some teams from each league that I forecast to be moving in the next three to five years.

NHL

Phoenix Coyotes

New York Islanders

Dallas Stars

Columbus Blue Jackets

MLB

Arizona Diamondbacks

Tampa Bay Rays

New York Mets

Kansas City Royals

NFL

Jacksonville Jaguars

Minnesota Vikings

Oakland Raiders

St. Louis Rams

NBA

Sacramento Kings

Atlanta Falcons

New Orleans Hornets

Toronto Raptors

It's a reach, I admit, that the four baseball teams will be moving.  The most likely team to have moved, the Marlins, are moving into a brand new stadium and will not be moving for the time being.

The point is, we'll be seeing a lot more teams moving in the short term.  In fact, the NHL and the NBA may be faced with contraction. No league is immune to these issues.

 

Some Hartford Whalers to Include in NHL

NHL12 includes a legends mode that will showcase old players from the 1970's and 1980's.  I don't really know, but with NBA 2K12 coming out with its own Legends mode that includes such players as George Mikan and Cedric Ceballos (no, really), I figured that "legends" is a very loose interpretation of anyone who played a long time ago - whether they were legends or not.  I would like to see some old Hartford Whalers all stars show up in the legends section in NHL13.

Rick Ley, Kevin Dineen, Mike Rogers, Pat Verbeek, Mike Liut, Mark Howe and Andre Lacroix all have places in NHL13.  And in fact, the game producers would be well served in including players from all of the defunct teams.  I would love to be able to play with the Quebec Nordiques right before they moved to Denver.  That team was stacked!

Maybe include the teams from the WHA could be included as well.  Again, the New England Whalers, Houston Aeros and the Winnipeg Jets (old style) could all play major roles in the new NHL13 Legends Experience.

Bring back the Brass Bonanza so I can hear it at venues other than the Boston Garden, please.   

The NHL welcomes Back Teams in Hartford and Quebec City

Steve Thompson recently published in Bleacher Report a highly entertaining column about NHL expansion to 40 teams in two 20 team conferences over the next 10 years - including the arrival of new Hartford Whalers and Quebec Nordiques franchises.  And while much of it was tongue-in-cheek (New York Islanders getting a new arena and Phoenix getting a new basketball team in response to losing the Coyotes).

I personally liked the column.  I have two changes to the list.  First off, if Montreal can support two teams, then Toronto can support two teams too.  Get rid of Spokane. 

Second, the Islanders are never going to stay where they are.  They will move to Regina or Halifax.  If the move is to Halifax, then move the Hartford Whalers to the Rangers Division and Halifax Islanders can move to the Northeast Division.  If Regina is the new city, then move Regina to the saskatoon Division, move Chicago to the St. Louis Division and have St. Louis play in the Eastern Conference.

Overall, it was a very entertaining piece.  And I hope this takes place.  Anything to get the hartford Whalers back.

USFL's Five Best Players in History - Or the Irrelevant 5

You go on to Pro Football Reference and their statistics don't even show the USFL years for the league's greatest players.  It's as if those years 1983-85 in professional football didn't exist.  But the USFL once featured some of the best American football players.  Football players who became hall of fame material after leaving the USFL when it folded.

1.  Hershel Walker.  Leading the league in rushing both in 1983 and in 1985, it is clear that Walker was the most successful player in USFL history.  Even in his 40's Walker was interested in returning to professional football earlier this year.  His 2411 rushing yards in 1985 remains the record for the most rushing yards in one season (I know it was in 18 games.).

2.  Doug Flutie.  Despite Walker's emergence as the best player in the USFL, the New Jersey Generals only won 6 games in Walker inaugural season, 1983.  Because of that, new Owner, Donald Trump sought out the best quarterback in the 1985 draft.  That Quarterback was Doug Flutie.  Despite winning the Heisman Trophy in 1984, he was not projected to be that much of a professional Quarterback.  Although he struggled in his only year in the USFL, he went on to great success, particularly in the CFL.

3.  Jim Kelly.  The Houston Gamblers lucked out when Jim Kelly landed in their laps because he didn't want to play in cold weather Buffalo.  The 1984 USFL MVP, Kelly set all of the passing records in teh USFL.  Was he going to be taking Doug Flutie's place as starting Generals Quarterback in 1986?  Who knows?

4.  Reggie White.  Playing for the Memphis Showboats in 1984 and 1985, the former University of Tennessee standout recorded double digit in sacks both of the years he played in the USFL before heading to the Phildadelphia Eagles. 

5.  Steve Young.  The Los Angeles Express won Steve Young out of BYU in 1984.  Despite receiving the largest contract in USFL history, Young was unable to do much as starting Quarterback in his years in the USFL biding his time until he took over as QB of the Super Bowl Champion San Francisco 49ers.  His claim to USFL fame was being the most prolific rushing Quarterback in USFL history.

The Quebec Islanders Has a Familiar Ring to It

Just two months ago, the Atlanta Thrashers, flailing about with tepid management and low attendance, moved back to Canada and re-renamed the Winnipeg Jets.  Not surprisingly after seeing that hockey returning to Canada is a real possibility, Quebec officials and Quebecor finally got its deal to build the $400 million arena in Quebec City.  Could a return of the Quebec Nordiques be far away?  After officials were able to pass a bill essentially staying any further lawsuits against construction of the Arena.  The NHL is the next call for Quebec officials.

We have considered the various teams that were candidates for relocation - whether it be to Quebec or to another city - and the strongest case seems to be the New York Islanders.  Just last week, the New York referendum permitting $400 million in loans to build a new hockey arena was resoundingly rejected by the region's residents, leaving the Islanders to twist in the wind until its lease expires in 2015, not coincidentally, a new arena in Quebec would theoretically be ready the following year.

It's really unfortunate.  Before the Oilers dominated the NHL in the 1980's, the Islanders were the best team in the league.  Led by 50 goal scorer Mike Bossy, Mike Trottier and Billy Smith, the team experienced great success.  As the arena grew older and the team's glory years started fading, As the fan base stated following the Rangers and Devils, the Islanders were left with substandard facilities and substandard rosters.  And with only 4 playoff appearances (all playoff series losses) since 1994, the fans stopped coming. 

With the expiration fo the lease expiring right around the time that the Quebec arena will be done and with no hope of improvements to the stadium, it appears that the New York Islanders will soon be the Quebec Islanders.

It has a certain ring to it.

The Montreal Expos Hurricane Experience

With Hurricane Irene blowing through the northeastern part of the United States this weekend, a lot has been made about how sporting and enterntainment events have been postponed or moved.  Numerous baseball games were cancelled and the Red Sox played through the rain for 11 hours in a sweep of the Oakland Athletics.  Even Kenny Chesny moved his concert in Massachusetts scheduled for today to a a different day earlier in the week (And I thought country singers were tough).  Several years ago, even the Montreal Expos had their plans changed because of a hurricane hitting the East Coast.

Back in 2004, the year before the Expos departed Montreal for Washington D.C., the Marlins and the Expos were to play a series in South Florida.  Earlier in the year, the Marlins had a series with the Chicago Cubs postponed because of a different hurrican and traveled to Chicago to play those make up games.  As they were preparing to leave Chicago for Miami to play a series against the Expos, Hurrican Ike forced a change in plans as it made no sense to have the two teams fly to Miami into a Hurricane.  The solution was to fly the expos into Chicago to play the Marlins at U.S. Cellular Field, the home of the Chicago White Sox.  So Montreal and Florida were playing each other in Chicago (and it wasn't even Wrigley Field!).

In Game 1, Josh Beckett pitched a strong game for the Marlins, but were still trailing into the bottom of 8th, 2-0.  Affected by three errors in the inning, the Marlins went on to score five unearned runs to eventually win Game 1 over the Expos 6-3.  The Expos' loss catapulted then to 25 games under .500

In Game 2, led by home runs from Jeff Conine, Miguel Cabrera and Alex Gonzalez, the Marlins again beat the Expos, this time 8-6.  And similar to Game 1, the Expos gave up five unearned runs.

Neither game drew spectacularly well, averaging about 5,000 in attendance for the truncated two game series - of course, they were playing an unexpected game in a neutral field.

It proved to be the last games that the Montreal Expos played in Chicago as the team moved to Washington the following year.

Bill Masterton's and the North Star's Legacy

It was a sad day, that day in January 1968.  The Minnesota North Stars and the Oakland Seals were playing each other in the North Stars' first season in the NHL.  The Seals weren't that good, but the North Stars were fighting for a playoff berth.  The team's first goal-scorer, Bill Masterton, just made a pass to a teammate when he was checked by two players for the Oakland Seals.  He lost his footing, fell backward and hit the back of his head on the ice.  Blood gushed everywhere as Masterton suffered a brain hemorrhage.  As teammates filed in around him, it was clear that it was a serious injury.  Unfortunately, he died two days later.  Unbelievably, it took another 13 years for the NHL to smarten up and require players to wear helmets.

Masterton was remembered as a hard working player who rose through the ranks of the College and minor league hockey to make the NHL in that star-crossed season in 1967-68.  His hard work, perseverence and dedication to hockey was the exact reason why he was so beloved in Minnesota.

One thing they got right though was to name the Award for Perseverence and Sportsmanship after Masterton following the 1967-68 season.  Many stalwarts of the NHL have won the award, including the following players who came back from illness or serious injury

1972  Bobby Clarke

1993  Mario Lemieux

1994  Cam Neely

1995  Pat LaFontaine

1999  John Cullen

What's interesting is that according to a recent story in a British tabloid (of all places), it was that same perseverence and dedication that caused his death as earlier that season Masterton suffered a severe concussion.  But because he was a struggling player trying to make a name for himself, he shook off the serious injury and continued to play.  It is contended that that concussion led to the severity of the January 1968 hit being that much more severe.

Bring Back the Los Angeles Rams Hasa Familiar Ring To It

Bring back the Los Angeles Rams has a familiar ring to it, just like the recent campaign to bring back the Hartford Whalers.  A recent Facebook page has taken hold called Bring Back the Los Angeles Rams.  With over 3200 likes on Facebook, the group is hoping that the Rams become the franchise expected to move to Los Angeles when Farmers Field opens in God knows when (Actually 2016 if construction begins on time).  In fact, it has been reported that the Memorandum of Understanding between the City and AEG requires that a contract to bring a team to Los Angeles be put into place PRIOR to construction, which means that if construction were to begin on time, a team would need to relocate to LA in time for the 2012 Season.

But the Rams might be the most viable choice - over the Minnesota Vikings, the Jacksonvill Jaguars, the Oakland Raiders and event the San Diego Chargers.

Interestingly enough, the City of St. Louis must provide the Rams with a stadium improvement plan (including how the plan will be financed) by February 2, 2012 in order to comply with the lease provisions that were negotiated between teh parties when the team moved into St Louis back in 1995.  Presuming the Rams reject the plan, the team must put forth a counter proposal to the plan by May 1, 2012.  And if the counterproposal is rejected by the City (who would have to find a way to pay for it – no way it's approved in this economic climate), then the parties go to arbitration with the likely result being a voiding of the Lease with the City.  Now of course the sides would have to negotiate in good faith, and the City of St Louis could stall discussions so a move to LA is not in the bag already, but you have to admit that the timing works out pretty well for an LA move.

That would make at least 3200 people very happy.

Islanders are Going Where on August 2?

The New York Islanders might become the next Hartford Whalers, or the next Montreal Expos or the next Seattle Supersonics if the bond referendum to be voted on on August 1, 2011 goes poorly for the team.  It is that bond referendum that will determine if the Islanders are going to get a new stadium next to the Nassau Colliseum and if the vote fails to pass the new debt, then the Islanders will be forced to look for a new home - or so the scare tactics will teach us. The belief is that without a new stadium, the team will no longer be able to compete in the NHL and will have to move.  Although I don't know how a new stadium will suddenly make the team more attractive than it is now.

The question is, where will the Islanders go?  Quebec is having continuous problems getting funding for its own arena.  No team wants to move back to Hartford since the corproate base is too small and the rights fees are too complex with the Bruins and the Rangers.  Maybe Cleveland, Kansas City or Seattle?  Seattle might make the most sense geographically, since it would automatically create a rivalry with the Vancouver Canucks (who I'm sure are chomping at the bit to create a bitter rivalry) but would lead to even more realignment as the Winnipeg Jets move to the Western Conference this year.  Cleveland might make sense since the team would stay in the Eastern Conference.  But with a team right down the street in Columbus?  Probably not going to happen.

Kansas City is not a viable choice.  The City has failed to support most of its professional teams except for the Chiefs, since this part of the Midwest is tied to football.  It will likely be just like the Oakland A's who first moved to Kansas City in the 1960's after 60 years in Philadelphia. 

One possibility may be Houston.  The former WHA standout the Houston Aeros proved that professional hockey can thrive in Texas despite Dallas having a team as well.  Hoston is a huge metropolis with numerous opportunities.  Perhaps this is the place that the team should look at if they are forced to leave Long Island.

Former Rams Owner Georgia Frontiere is Still one of the Most Hated Owners

On a recent list of the most hated owners in Professional Sports, the late Georgia Frontiere was named the 7th most despised owner.  Does she deserve it?  Sure, she inherited a mjority of the Los Angeles Rams after her husband Carroll Rosenblum drowned mysteriously in 1979.  And yes, she consummated and directed the team's moves, first to Anaheim in 1980, then to her birthplace in St. Louis in 1995.  But does she deserve the label as one of the most hated owners in sports?  Let's look at some of the details behind the moniker given to her.

The 1980 move from Los Angeles to Anaheim was actually brokered by her late husband, the aforementioned Rosenblum, who was lured by an attractive compensation package and a newer stadium in Anaheim.  After Rosenbloom died, Frontiere merely closed the deal.  Interestingly enough, Rosenblum traded his franchise in Baltimore to acquire the Los Angeles Rams franchise.  With wheeling and dealing in his blood, it's clear that this move was Rosenbloom's brainchild and not an idea planted in his head by Frontiere.

The 1995 move was brought about, not by Frontiere's personal considerations and her yearning to move elsewhere, but by economic considerations.  Not dissimilar to the reasons brought about by the NFL's current Lockout.  Attendance in Anaheim had declined over 25% from its height in the early 1980's.  And because the team could not sell out its home games, the games were ultimately blacked out in the area.  A generation of fans really didn't have an opportunity to root for the team.  Unfortunately, the Raiders at the same time became the popular team in the area with kids and adults alike.  Couple this growing lack of interest with St. Louis' profit guarantees from season ticket sales and a favorable lease and it made a lot of sense to make the move.  If Hartford put together the same deal for Frontiere that it did for Robert Kraft, we might be looking at the NFL's version of the Hartford Whalers. 

Granted, Frontiere grew up in St. Louis.  However, she was a low level entertainer who constantly traveled with her Mother to perform shows.  All accounts suggest that St. Louis is where she slept and not where she lived.  On top of that, Frontiere moved to California shortly after high school to try to make it as an entertainer.  And upon her move to Los Angeles after Rosenbloom acquired the franchise, she became a leading socialite in Hollywood, contstantly entertaining friends and acquaintenances at her home and at Home Games.  There was really no reason for her to move from a personal perspective.  My feeling is that if the crowds came out, and she got the stadium she wanted built in Los Angeles, the Rams would have stayed in the area.

Frontiere, joins the list of owners who moved their teams because they wanted to make more money (or stop losing money).  It's just business.  She has nothing on Marge Schott and Clay Bennett, in my opinion.

Mark Howe and his Hockey Hall of Fame Induction

Together with the briber, Ed Belfour, Joe Nieuwendyk and Doug Gilmour, former Hartford Whalers and Philadelphia Flyer Defenseman Mark Howe was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame's Class of 2011 earlier this week. 

Howe started his career playing with his Father, Gordie Howe, in the WHA with the Houston Aeros as well as the New England Whalers (and later the Hartford Whalers) as Left Winger - even scoring 42 goals and 107 points in the 1978-79 WHA season.  He shunned the Boston Bruins (who drafted him in the 1974 Amateur Draft) to continue to play with his Dad and his older brother Marty Howe, who was also a defenseman on the team. Eventually, Howe switched to Defense and was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers in 1982 for Greg Adams, Ken Linseman and a couple of draft picks that ended up netting the Hartford Whalers hardly anything of value.  Interestingly enough, his Father, who worked in the Whalers' front office after his retirement in 1980, was unaware that the team was trying to work out a trade with the Flyers.  

After the trade, Howe blossomed into a fierce leader of the Flyers, leading his team to two Stanley Cup victories while finishing second in the Norris Trophy voting three times despite teh fact that he originally started his career at Left wing.  And Howe later appeared in the Stanley Cup Finals for the Detroit Red Wings shortly before retiring in 1995.

The question for me remains - what took so long to induct Howe?  He was known as one of the best two way defensemen ever to play the game.  He finished his career with 742 points in the NHL while also notching more than a point per game in his career in the WHA.  Beside Bobby Orr, Dennis Potvin and perhaps Paul Coffey, Howe is one of the most famous Defenseman to play in the NHL in the 1970's.  In any event, it is a well-deserved honor.

Pete Rose and his Montreal Expos Excursion

Did you even remember that Pete Rose was on the Montreal Expos?

Everyone remembers his long stint with the Big Red Machine in the 1960's and 70's.  And who could forget Pete Rose leading the Philadelphia Phillies to the World Series in 1980 and 1983 with his signature move at first base of throwing the baseball as hard as he could on the ground of Veteran Park's astroturf?  Rose's second stint with the Reds included a stint as Player-Manager and his notorious betting scandel.  But in 1984, Rose was granted an unconditional release and became a free agent after the Phillies deemed that Rose was getting too old for the team and wanted him to take a more limited role with the team.  The Phillies at the time were high on Len Matusek and wanted him to receive more playing time at Rose's expense.  Of all teams, the Expos were the ones who came knocking with the most money and promise of playing time.  North of the Border he went as he signed as a Free Agent on January 20, 1984.

The team looked strong, led by future hall of famers, Gary Carter and Andre Dawson, as well as up and comer Tim Raines.  Rose was signed to play left field, since First Base was already occupied by standout (and current Boston Red Sox Manager) Terry Francona.  The Expos were poised to get into the playoffs again after near misses in 1980 and 1981. 

Things didn't turn out that way, however.  Despite stellar seasons from Carter and pitcher Charlie Lea, the Expos could never get more than a few games all season and ended up 78-83, Fifth in the National League East.  Big seasons were counted on by Starting Pitcher Steve Rogers and Rightfielder Andre Dawson.  Neither of hose occurred adn in fact Rogers struggled to a 6-15 season.  You know things are bad when the manager is fired mid season (Bill Virdon was fired after leading the team to 64-67 record) and the team does not have to finish the full 162 season (only playing 161 games).  Rose struggled as well, compiling a .629 OPS in 94 games.

A highlight for the team occurred early on in the season however, when Rose got his 4000th hit on April 13, 1984 with a double of Jerry Koosman in the 4th inning in Montreal in a 5-1 victory over Rose's old team the Philadephia Phillies.  Interestingly, the hit came on the 21st anniversary of his FIRST hit with the Reds in 1963.

Rose's tenure with the Expos was brief as he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds on August 19, 1984 to become the first Player Manager in the major leagues in more than three decades.

Jerry Glanville Continuing His UFL Career in Hartford of All Places

The former coach of the Houston Oilers (1985-1989) and the Atlanta Falcons (1990-93) has resurfaced in of all places, Hartford, Connecticut as the head coach of Connecitcut's UFL entry, the Hartford Colonials.  After a 3-5 opening season in the UFL in 2010, the Colonials are looking to improve on their inaugural season.  The hope is that Glanville will be able to instill some of his notorious technique to make his teams overachieve and more successful and put some more fans in the seats - be that as it may. Glanville may also be able to attract more talent with his NFL resume - the thinking being that players will flock to Hartford with the hope of parlaying that experience into an NFL job.

But is Glanville enough?  After mediocre stints as a Head Coach in the NFL with the Oilers and the Falcons, Glanville went to work for the networks.  After deciding that he wanted to finish his career coaching rather than watching from the sidelines, he returned to the sidelines.  Portland State didn't suit him as he struggled to win 9 games while lose 24 in his time there. Undeterred, Glanvile contnues his career in the UFL.  Will his hustle on every play approach work in professional football.  Even more importantly, is this enough for Jerry Glanville?  He's almost 70 years old and the chances of landing another high prestige job are slim, if not none.  Reports that he accepted the job before finding how much he was making in the financially-challenged league leads me to believe that he is ready to take this challenge on.

This might be the right venue, however.  With the NFL struggling to find labor peace, college athletics struggling with scandel and Arena Football struggling to survive financially, the UFL is poised to become an interesting choice in the Fall.  The Colonials have added to the excitement by signing former Hawaii standout quarterback Colt Brennan, who is still recovering from a serious car accident last year.  Perhaps with Glanville's guidance, the Colonials will start winning just as the league's profile is raised.  UFL games are fun and exciting.  The hiring of Glanville, if only for a season or two is a step in teh direction of financial stability.  I hope it continues. 

Kevin Dineen Wants the Panthers to Become the New Miami Heat

It's no secret that Kevin Dineen is one of my favorite players of all time.  The former Hartford Whaler scored the game winning goal in the Hartford Whalers' last game in Hartford in 1997.  Even though the team left for Carolina almost 15 years ago, Dineen didn't forget where his greatest success lied either as he attended the Hartford Whaler Fanfest back in August, and despite his other committments, stayed overtime to finish signing autographs for us fans.  One of my most vivid memories form those days was how Dineen stayed on the ice after that last game against the Tampa Bay Lightning thanking all of the fans.  It was clear that Dineen had the passion and drive that would translate to a college or professional coaching career.

It didn't take long, as just a couple of years after calling it a career after playing for the Columbus Blue Jackets, Dineen answered the call to coach the Portland Pirates, now the affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres.  What ensued was 6 successful seasons in Portland, including 5 years in the playoffs.

After 19 years and 355 goals (including a career best 45 goals for the Hartford Whalers back in 1988-89), and after 6 successful seasons as the Pirates' head coach, Dineen was today named the new head coach for the Florida Panthers.  The Panthers bring Dineen's enthusiasm, passion and hockey knowledge to South Beach. Dineen to his credit evoked the image of the City's other successful franchise, the Miami Heat in his introductory press conference.  Wanting to continue the buzz that the Heat have brought to the Town, Dineen hopes that his team will stop the slide that they have encountered since their last playoff appearance in the 1999-2000 season.  Not quite with the fanfare of their arena mates, LeBron and Chris Bosh, Dineen hopes to bring the same success on the ice.But how will Dineen do this?

The Panthers boast very strong goaltending as both of the team's veteran goaltenders Tomas Vakoun and Scott Clemmensen finished the year with 2.50 GAA, but they are both in their mid 30's.  The Panthers's goal scoring was the problem this season.  Only seeing three players score more than 20 goals (and the leader only counted 23 goals to his resume), the Panthers finished 29th in the NHL in goals for.  Scoring, unfortunately, is not something that can be coached.  The team's struggles will continue until a goal scorer or two emerge. 

In the meantime, good luck to Mr. Dineen.  I'll be rooting for him.

The Atlanta Thrashers Barely Had Time to Fail, Just Like the Atlanta Flames

I know how Atlanta feels.  Growing up in Hartford, Connecticut, 1997 was a tough year.  The Hartford Whalers, having just been bought by Compuware's Peter Karmanos, all but stole the Whalers and moved them to North Carolina - despite the fact that he didn't even have an arena deal down in North Carolina.  Earlier this afternoon, Atlanta became the new Hartford, as it was reported that True North Sports and Entertainment, owner of MTS Centre in Winnipeg, purchased the Thrashers from the Atlanta Spirit Group, which has faced financial problems and owner in-fighting for years.  True North's plan is to move the Thrashers back to Winnipeg, Manitoba, which itself lost the Winnipeg Jets after the 1996 season.  The NHL's owners are meeting next month to finalize the sale. 

But I have never lost two teams like hockey fans in Atlanta have over the last 30+ years.  First, the Atlanta Flames, struggling their entire existence in Atlanta, folded and moved to Calgary after the 1979-80 season.  To make matters worse, the Calgary Flames ended up winning the Stanley Cup just a couple of years later in 1989.   The city did not seem to mind as the public outcry in 1980 was fairly subdued.  But that didn't stop expansion from rearing its ugly head again.

As part of Gary Bettman's foolish foray into the Southern United States over the last 15 years, the Atlanta Thrashers were brought into the league for the 1999-2000 season to little fanfare.  The team made the playoffs only once, losing in the first round to the Rangers in the 2006-07 season.  The only publicity it received nationally was negative - Dany Heatley being forced out of Atlanta as a result of the tragic car accident resulting in the death of his teammate 6 years ago and the Ilya Kovalchuck fiasco over the last couple of years that resulted in Kovalchuk being signed away to play with the New Jersey Devils. The Thrashers were relegated to a solid fifth place in the Atlanta sports scene behind the Falcons, Braves, Hawks and College Football.

The Thrashers did have some good good players - Kovalchuk and Heatley, Vyacheslav Kozlov and Marian Hossa - even former Hartford Whaler Ray Ferraro had a couple of good years at the beginning of the team's existence.  But they were all eventually traded away or left to sign with other teams.  The ownership group treated the Thrashers as the Black Sheep (and if the Atlanta Hawks are the pride and joy, that tells you how unimportant the team was) of the family and never devoted the resources that might have had the team succeed.  And here we are, only 11 years later, watching yet another NHL team move.  It didn't have to be that way if the Thrashers had stronger ownership. 

Atlanta Thrashers Imminent Move to the Home of Winnipeg Jets

Winnipeg fans are sitting on the edge of their seats.  Over the course of the next two months, they are going to find out if their beloved Winnipeg Jets are coming home.  As reported in the Atlanta Business Chronicle over the weekend, the Thrashers on the verge on being sold to the same group that unsuccessfully bid on Coyotes, before the City of Glendale ponied up $25 million to keep the team in Phoenix for the foreseeable future.  Atlanta Spirit, LLC, the ownership group that also owns the Atlanta Hawks, has been fighting off and on for the last 15 years as the partners just can't seen to get along.  While the Hawks have enjoyed some success, but the Thrashers have been the ugly stepson of the group, practically being ignored into non-existence.  The team ranked third to last in attendance last year and 80th out of 82 professional sports teams in TV ratings.  Steve Belkin and friends are now in the final stages of the sale of the team.  Unfortunately, it appears that the Thrashers will likely become the next Atlanta Flames. 

But is this good for the NHL?  Between the Coyotes, the Thrashers and the Islanders, the state of flux within the NHL is unsettling for the league.  Not since the mid 1990's has the league experienced such financial problems.  All of the franchise relocations in the mid 1990's - the Jets, the Nordiques and the Whalers-  led to overinflation of salaries which eventually led to the lockout of 2004-05.  Are we headed to the next work stoppage in professional sports, following in the foot steps of the NFL lockout and the impending lockout in the NBA?  Maybe Winnipeg's joyous celebrations should be tempered until the league's finances are stabilized.

Instead of contant relocation, perhaps the league and the players union should entertain contraction of two or even four teams.  Does there need to be a team in Columbus or Nashville?  What about in Buffalo or Miami?  Contracting these teams might be a better solution.

But back to the Thrashers.  The Ilya Kovalchuk deal put the final nails in the Thrasher coffin.  Selling their best player off for cents on the dollar lost most of the team's fans forever.  It's inevitable that this team, owned by the fractured ownership group, had to move.  No one in Atlanta cared about the team and this is the result.  I just don't think this should be considered a happy occasion - even in Winnipeg.  Remember, Winnipeg lost a team and perhaps might get one back, just like Atlanta did, and now the City is bidding good bye to its second NHL Team.

Could the St. Louis Rams Become the Los Angeles Rams Again?

I read with much interest the story from the St. Louis Dispatch about the possibility of the St. Louis Rams leaving St. Louis after 2012 and moving to Los Angeles, the city that the team's former owner Georgia Frontiere deserted in 1995 when her Los Angeles Rams moved to St. Louis.  The question remains, why would the Rams want to move back to Los Angeles after pulling up stakes all those years ago?

The Rams moved from Cleveland to Los Angeles in 1946, just as the West Coast was starting to grow, prosper and yearn for professional sports teams.  The Rams flourished in Los Angeles - often posting above .500 seasons.  Success never equated to Super Bowl wins, however.  When the aforementioned Georgia Frontiere inherited the team in the late 1970's, she was convinced that the Rams had to leave the Los Angeles Colisseum because of the NFL's onerous blackout rules.  After 15 years down the street in Anaheim, the team moved to St. Louis - enjoying reasonable success until Kurt Warner was released.

Now, the city of St. Louis is facing a difficult time with the team.  The lease at the Edward Jones Center expires in 2015 and in order for the lease to be renewed, the dome must be in the top 15 of the all football stadiums in the NFL.  It's unclear what that exactly means, although everyone seems to agree that the Dome is not in the top 15, and it would be very expensive for it to move up into the top 15.  While the city was able to buy its way out of a similar situation back in 2005, by making some improvements to the stadium's infrastructure, the amendment to the lease at that time included a mechanism for determining if the stadium is a top tier stadium.  A mechanism that could terminate the lease as soon as 2012.  Meanwhile, Los Angeles lurks in the background, waiting to become the home of a franchise moving out of its current home.

Ultimately, the Rams should stay in St. Louis.  The team's greatest years have come here - not in Los Angeles or Anaheim.  the fans are some of the most diehard and a move would devastate this region.  The team again is on the rise with star in the making quarterback Sam Bradford leading a young offense.  There are other teams that need to move from their current situations that don't have as much fan support, like Jacksonville and San Diego.  For the sake of the city, I don't want this situation turning into the next Houson Oilers.

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Reports surfaced over the weekend that an authentic helmet signed by all of the original AFL Houston Oilers was auctioned off for over $2 million.  The helmet would have been auctioned off for a couple of hundred thousand dollars, but because this was a charity auction, a Houston lawyer and his wife ended up bidding against each other to drive the price up.  I assume that this couple is not the McCourts, so the bidding was friendly and all proceeds went to benefit the Hughen Center in Texas for disabled children.   

The $2 million price tag for the helmet - called Love Ya blue - would place 3rd in the list of the most valuable sports collectibles, just behind Mark McGwire's 70th home run ball and the Honus Wagner 1910 baseball card sold by Wayne Gretzky.  Unlike the controversy surrounding those two collectibles, this helmet signifies the run and shoot style of the old AFL Houston Oilers.  Some people would ask whether the helmet shoots lasers, but the point is to give the money to charity and get your name up on the memorial wing.  there's nothing wrong with that and I applaud the transaction.

For more information on the Houston Oilers and Houston Oilers memorabilia, visit Vintage Team Store.

Would the NHL Look Different if the Original WHA-NHL Merger Took Place?

Everyone knows by now what happened with the WHA-NHL Merger in 1979.  At that time, the Hartford Whalers, the Winnipeg Jets, the Quebec Nordiques and the Edmonton Oilers were merged into the NHL.  Only the Edmonton Oilers still exist in the NHL to this day.  But could it have been different?

The year before the announced merger between the WHA and the NHL, the WHA approached the NHL about a larger scale merger that included six teams.  They included the NHL four - the Whalers, Nordiques, Jets and the Oilers - but also included the Houston Aeros and the Cincinnati Stingers.  At that time, the NHL wasn't ready to merge.  Only the next year, when the NHL decided to bring in teams, the NHL determined to only accept four teams, not the original 6.  At that point, the WHA said ok, but with one caveat, the NHL accept the three Canadian teams.  Witht he Hartford Whalers being the strongest and most stable WHA franchise, it just made sense to include the Whalers.  Unfortunately, that left the Stingers and the Aeros.

But what if the Aeros and the Stingers were brought into the NHL, too?  Could that have changed the franchise dynamics in the NHL.  Houston would have been the first Texas NHL outfit.  If they were successful, the Minnesota North Stars may not have moved in the early 1990's.  WItht eh Stingers (and despite the Cleveland Barons failing as a franchise a couple of years prior, perhaps the Blue Jackets are not included as a new franchise.  Bringing them in probably would not have affected teh Whalers move to North Carolina, the Jets move to Phoenix or the Nordiques's move to Denver.  But we as fans would have been spared the likes of the Atlanta Thrashers or the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The Four Factors of Successful Franchises

A recent article in the Canadian version of Money Magazine, suggests that four factors determine the success of a professional sports franchise.  They include:  the size of the market, the income level of its residents, the number of corporate headquarters in the area and a favorable exchange rate/tax situation.  It is suggested that these four factors (or the lack of them, that is) led to the demise of the Quebec Nordiques and the Winnipeg Jets back in the mid-1990's 

I understand that this article is being written outside of Canada, but a couple of the same tenets of this article apply to professional sprots in the United States.

1.  Size of the Market.  This makes perfect sense.  A team in New York City or Toronto will have a better chance of thriving than a team located in Regina or Peoria.  But what about the Green Bay Packers and the Portland Trailblazers?  To a lesser extent, what about the Edmonton Oilers?  On the flip side, one of the teams threatening to move is the New York Islanders.  And Los Angeles has had not 1 but 2 teams leave the city in the last 15 years.  This is obviously not the only factor.

2.  Income level of its Residents.  This is not as easy an argument as you might think to make.  People living in the inner city and urban areas tend to make less.  So what is meant in the artcle is that the suburban areas' residents make higher levels of income.  But Connecticut is the second highest state when it comes to per capita income.  And look at what happened to the Hartford Whalers!  Alaska has the higest per capita income in the United States.  It has never had a major professional sports team call the State home.  On the other hand, St. Louis is one of the most dangerous and poor cities in the United States, yet it strongly supports both the Cardinals and the Rams. 

3.  Number of corporate headquarters.  Again, Connecticut boasts one of the highest levels of corporate headquarters in the nation.  It wasn't enough to stop the Hartford Whalers from leaving for North Carolina in 1997.  Many large corporate headquarters are found in Delaware, and still not professional sports teams call Delaware home.  Detroit is home to three struggling corporate headquarters, yet boasts some of the most rabid hockey fans in the NHL. Interestingly enough, if you walk around most luxury suite areas, the names on the brass plates are usually service companies, like law and accounting firms, with numerous offices.  No headquarters within 1000 miles.

4. Equitable Exchange Rates and Taxes.  The Canadian Dollar is now more valuable than the American dollar, so this factor makes sense as a reason why Canadian locales are more favorable to players and teams these days.  Gary Bettman's insistence that players get paid in US Dollars might be looked upon favorably by Canadian team owners now that the exchange rate is favorable to Canada.  The tax question is not as intriguing in the States.  Yes, players might want to play in States like Florida because that state has no state income tax compared to tax rates in new York and California.  But that is a misnomer really, since states collect taxes on players just for playing in their state. 

Notwithstanding the well-reasoned opinion of the author, I think that one factor - not brought up in the article - is the most important factor in determining the success of a preofessional sports franchise.  I call it the "Cuban Effect."  The Dallas Mavericks have been an elite NBA team ever since Mark Cuban took over the team.  He brought the right attitude to ownership.  Treat players with respect and give them nice benefits and they'll want to play for you.  If you obtain enough talent this way, the team starts to play better and draw more people into the seats.  If a team is successful, corporations will come because it is important for business to bring clients to games that the home team will often win. 

It's as simple as that.

 

Vintage Team Store's List of Most Miserable Sports Cities

With cities like Phoenix, Atlanta and Seattle, I had stopped taking Forbes seriously when reading about the most miserable sports cities in America.  Seattle doesn't even have an NHL team for crying out loud!  Coming from a city that lost its only professional sports team, the Hartford Whalers in 1997, I can feel Seattle pain when the Seattle Supersonics left for Oklahoma City in 2008, but the Mariners and the Seahawks have experienced recent success and the City's WNBA and MLS teams have both enjoyed popularity within their own leagues. 

How can a list of most depressing sports cities not be headed by Cleveland? 

1.  The city's only NHL team, the Cleveland Barons, was merged out of existence in the 1970's because the owner didn't want the team in Cleveland anymore. 

2.  The NFL team, which was the victim of not only "the Fumble," but also the "Drive," was moved out by its owner in 1995, only to see a franchise reinstalled a couple of years later and has been lackluster at best since its "reinception." 

3.  The Cavaliers are only known for two things - LeBron James villainry and Michael Jordan's iconic shot in the playoffs.

4.  Ah the Indians.  They were the butt of jokes for years, culminating in a tour de force by Corbin Bernstein and Charlie Sheen in Major League and Major League II.  The team's best chance of redemption, the 1997 World Series, was ended on an unfortunate groundball single by Edgar Renteria.  And now the team is undergoing a series of changes as it retools with younger and cheaper players.

I've spent time in both cities, Seattle has that advantage over Cleveland too.  It's really no contest.

Dodgers Throwback Uniform a Slap in the Face to Brooklyn

The Los Angeles Dodgers have announced that during mid week home games, the team shall honor its history by wearing the uniforms of its predecessor the Brooklyn Dodgers.  The Brooklyn Dodgers left Ebbets Field for Chavez Ravine (eventually, I suppose) in 1957 and vowed to move forward in California.  Obviously this is a marketing ploy to get more seats filled during the week, and I understand that, but many commentators, including myself, believe that the Dodgers history in Brooklyn ended in 1957 and should stay that way.

Now, I don't agree that the Dodgers' attempt at honoring its history by wearing Brooklyn Dodger jerseys and hats is tantamount to what happened to the Seattle Supersonics.  In Seattle, Clay Bennett pretended to look for a new stadium deal in Seattle and have the City and State work with him to improve the old Key Arena knowing full well that the team was going to break its lease and move to Oklahoma City shortly after his purchase.  Conversely, the owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers, Walter O'Malley wanted to stay in New York City, but refused to turn over ownership of the land and the stadium to the City.  He was eventually forced to go elsewhere when it became clear that a new stadium in Brooklyn was not forthcoming.

What I strongly agree with in the Bleacher Report article is the disdain for the belief that wearing vintage jerseys make things all right with the jilted city and even worse, expressing that wearing these jerseys will prove to be an olive branch to the Borough.  We all know that wearing these vintage jerseys are meant to being people to games on Tuesday night against the Pirates and even more importantly will spur a buying frenzy from fans who want to wear a different baseball jersey.  It's ridiculous to think that wearing jerseys from a former location will endear the team to its old location and the Dodgers front office knows this.  The lip service it is paying to Brooklyn is sad - because we all know what's going on here.

But don't feel sorry for Brooklyn.  They are about to do the same thing to New Jersey that happened them when the New Jersey Nets (who are no longer the worst team in NBA History) move into the Barclays Center in 2012.   

Were the Los Angeles Rams the Cause of Heartattacks?

In a recent USA today Story it was suggested that catastrophic sports losses may be a cause of increased cardiac events, particularly during the Super Bowl.  The example given was the spike in heartattacks and other cardiac issues in  Los Angeles County after the 1980 Super Bowl between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Los Angeles Rams .  The game was a close back and forth affair, as the Los Angeles Rams blew a half time lead to lose in its only appearance in the Super Bowl (at least as the Los Angeles Rams)

Now generally, watching football games live are better than watching Football games at home but one exception is the quintessential Super Bowl party.  There are massive amounts of beer, massive quantities of processed foods like chips, hot dogs and Doritos that make even the skinniest person feel like crap.  Combining that gluttony with the emotions of the Super Bowl, particularly if your favorite team is playing, can make you feel all of the emotions from happiness to heartache to indigestion.  Don't forget all of the gambling that takes place too.  From the lines, to the friendly $20 squares game, everyone has something to win and lose while watching the big game.  But to blame football games for lack of heart health and a spike in heartattacks goes a little overboard.  It's not these close games and the rabid fan bases that are causing a spike in health issues.  It's the overeating of these crappy foods, together with the consumption of that 12 pack of Budweiser that's causing all of these cardiac issues.  You have a bunch of overexcited fat guys pounding down meat sandwiches like they're peanuts.  If you had them run a 100 yard dash, instead of watching a Super Bowl, the same spike would occur, I'm sure.  I know that that has happened to me, after that third sausage, I probably couldn't walk up a flight of stairs, much less watch an emotionally charged game. 

All in all, I think we should place the blame where it really should lie - not on a team's performance (like the Rams in this case) - but rather on the those great American traditions, gambling and gluttony.

Herschel Walker Wants you to Care about his NFL Comeback

I don't understand why Herschel Walker is contemplating a return to the NFL.  It's one thing to beat the crap out of some stiff named Greg Nagy in the MMA.  But that is one fight that lasts half an hour.  It's not 16-20 weeks of constant beatings by 300 pound linemen who would love nothing more than to put a beating on their childhood hero.

Why is he doing this?  One could tell even back in 1983 when the New Jersey Generals made him one of the richest professional football players that he was motivated by money.  He skipped to the USFL so as to avoid the NFL's entry rules for college juniors.  The USFL also allowed him to pick his team, rather than being stuck with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or another NFL doormat.  I do question his geography skills however when he claimed to have wanted to play in New York.  New Jersey ain't New York.  But really, who could use a 50 year old running back?

He wants to play for the Atlanta Falcons, his hometown team.  Not with Michael Turner at running back.

He wanted to play in Dallas (I don't Felix Jones will agree with that), Giants (Not with Ahmad Bradshaw running the ball) and the Jets (Shonn Greene is already irritated that he has to share time with a verteran like LT).  Even the Bucs have a better option (Lagarrette Blount might give Walker a pretty good fight though). 

I think that Walker's best options are the Redskins, the Cardinals and the Bengals.  If I were him, I'd continue the MMA career instead.

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With the New Orleans Hornets being taken over by the NBA, some commentators are taking the opportunity to beat the drum of returning the NBA to Seattle.  Nostalgic as it may seem to harken back to the heydays of the Seattle Supersonics in the 1970's and 1980's.  However, when the Sonics left Seattle for Oklahoma City in 2008, there were some real problems with professional basketball in Seattle.  First, the Seattle Center, where Key Arena and the Space Needle reside, is devoid of the usual perks for fans.  There is no parking around the area and the majority of bars are in the tight knit Queen Anne community which requires a substantial walk from there to the Arena.  The fan base is passionate and rabid and coming from an area that lost an NHL team despite a rabid fan base, it is really frustrating that sports is now more of business rather than what it truly should be - a diversion for its fans.  Ultimately, passionate fans don't spend enough money to compete with the larger NBA markets that showcase numerous corporations willing to spend thousands of dollars on premium seats every year.

Further, the arena itself is just too small to accommodate an NBA team.  The lack of luxury boxes and premium seats in fact demonstrate that the Key Arena was starting to show its age when the Sonics left and the City refused to build another stadium.  Ultimately, if professional basketball cannot survive in New Orleans, there are other cities that may be better suited to host an NBA team.  Cities such as Kansas City, St. Louis and even Pittsburgh and Las Vegas are better candidates for the Hornets.  It's unfortunate in any event that this had to happen to a wonderful city such as New Orleans, but Seattle does not stand to benefit. 

For more informaiton on Seattle Supersonics apparel, visit the Vintage Team Store Seattle Supersonics Apparel Store.