I just popped into my fantasy hockey league and found out that the Bruins are playing the Islanders, and the Wild are playing the Jackets. I'm writing this at 12:48pm and the Bruins/Islanders game is already in the first intermission. Where's the logic in having this early? On black Friday even when people are in malls? Seeing as how I live in Toronto, I won't be able to watch any of these games, but are there even people in those arenas? Doesn't some of you Americans have to go to work? This really boggles the mind...
2007-11-23 04:51:03 · 15 answers · asked by Anonymous in Sports ➔ Hockey
LITY, do you have a link to that '71 agreement? I'd like to know more about it. And the more I keep hearing about this Clarence Campbell, the more I dislike him more than Bettman.
lahockey: I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm ALWAYS angry. Comes with the territory of trying to quit smoking in a city full of self-absorbed morons who lack common sense. IT'S CALLED WINTER TIRES, PEOPLE!!
2007-11-23 05:22:36 · update #1
No, no, no, LITY, rant more. lol
Bob, I set my rosters for the week on Sundays. I am a little ticked that I had plans for the day and couldn't listen to the games to follow what was going on. lol
2007-11-23 09:56:51 · update #2
Thanksgiving is a HUGE deal in America. Most people get both Thursday and Friday off.
There are several instances today where the same arena is being used by both the NHL and NBA, and due to the 'rules' of the game. The NBA always gets the premiere time slot (Clarence Campbell agreed in 1971 that the NHL would create it's schedule AFTER the NBA created theirs because the NBA insisted on their teams being the primary tenant).
When both Toronto and Vancouver applied for NBA franchises, both teams were requested to build their own arenas (part of the reason the Raptors didn't play in MLG is because the NBA didn't like the 'Leafs first' mentality).
When the Raptors did their reverse takeover the Leafs, the NBA relented when the the OTPP threatened to take the NBA to court if the Leafs didn't get priority.
So, for a loit of US cities, the NHL game is in the afternoon, and the NBA game is in the evening
Today, Boston is in that situation.
I don't have a link to that agreement, but prior to the Atlanta Flames joining the NHL, there had been scheduling issues, so as part of the Flames joining the NHL Walter Kennedy wanted to make sure that the NHL didn't continue to disrupt the NBA schedule (yes, even today, playoff scheduling is a nightmare), so Campbell agreed that from that point on, any NHL team that shared a building with an NBA team, had to choose their schedule accordingly. The Atlanta Hawks and Atlanta Flames both moved into the Atlanta Omni at the same time.
There were some ways around this
- NHL teams are asked for three days a week that are preferred for home games. Hence the reason the Maple Leafs played home games on Mon, Wed, and Sat from 1967 through 1996. Chicago was Tue, Fri, and Sun. The Bulls were Wed, Thu and Sat. These days were to be discussed in conjunction with the NBA team (the NHL adopted it's current scheduling system from the NBA in 1967 as part of expanding from 6 to 12 teams).
Here's a cached article where it describes the rights as it pertains to Houston (it's roughly in the middle)
http://216.109.125.130/search/cache?ei=UTF-8&p=%22scheduling%22+NBA+priority&y=Search&rd=r1&meta=vc%3Dca&fr=yfp-t-309&fp_ip=CA&u=www.hchsa.org/legal/arena_la.htm&w=scheduling+nba+priority&d=XMdKqfL9Pxxj&icp=1&.intl=us
2Eighty8
I have the advantage of having seen all of Ziegler's and Bettman's machinations as a mature adult. I also saw half of Campbell's tenure as an adult.
I think the NHL has made positive steps under all three men. However, in the middle of Campbell's reign................one could run an NHL hockey team on a budget of less than $2,000,000 for a whole year. EVERY team was profitable (annual ticket revenue was roughly $6MM/team in 1962). As finances have taken it's course over the last 40+ years, teams have had to adjust. Players won't play for blue collar wages, and blue collar fans won't pay gold-plated ticket prices to see games. Through all of this, both the owners and players have gotten greedy, and the fan gets lost in it all.
If you ask the owners if Bettman is good for the game, you'll get a resounding yes
If you ask 90% of the players if Bettman is good for the game, you'll get a resounding yes.
The fans don't count. If there is no NHL, there are no fans, the fans exist because of the league, and the fans have to adapt to the league and it's players, not the other way around.
The NHL is a corporate entity similar to Microsoft, Ford, Quaker Oats, etc. The fan is a consumer who buys the product. The fan dictates what the product will be not by telling the corporate entity what to do via words, but through their actions.
So, as a fan complaining about Bettman while he's making tons of money for the owners and players is akin to complaining about Bill Gates while he makes money money for MSFT and MSFT shareholders (MSFT recently hit an all-time high earlier this month and the companies annual revenues will be at it's highest).
Ziegler and Campbell were victims of a lot of the similar antics that Bettman has been.
- Ziegler oversaw the league growing from 17 teams to 26
- Ziegler helped institute the division heavy schedule we've had since 1981
- Ziegler forced the players into a strike position in february 1992
- Ziegler expanded into places like Anaheim, Miami, San Jose, and Tampa Bay
- Ziegler solidified the NHL corporate base in New York
- Ziegler lost the 'over-the-air' television contract in 1979 because the owners wanted too much money (ABC offered $75MM over 15 years - Ziegler said no)
- Campbell over saw the expansion from 12 teams to 18 (and then lost Cleveland)
- Campbell antagonized the NHLPA constantly (he was against Unions)
- Campbell fostered an incestuous relationship between owners
- Campbell treated the league's stars as second class citizens
Clarence Campbell was hired at the behest of the Patrick family because Campbell was a lawyer who was also an avid hockey fan, and he had connections within the NHL before joining
John Ziegler was hired at the request of Clarence Campbell because he was a lawyer who was a hockey fan.
Garry Bettman was hired at the request of of the NHLPA because while he was VP, general counsel of the NBA, the NBA leaped from 9th to 2nd in TV ratings and had a 361% increase in viewership - leading to a 1500% increase in merchandising sales. Bettman was named Sports businessman of the year twice.
Unfortunately, Bettman knew as much about hockey as the leader of the Masai tribe in Africa. He wasn't hired to know hockey, that was the domain of the owners and players. He was hired to increase the financial viability of the NHL, which most players (don't ask Chelios or Darcy Tucker) and owners will tell you he has done.
Clarence Campbell doubled league revenue by tripling the teams!
Enough of my rant for today
2007-11-23 05:13:18 · answer #1 · answered by Like I'm Telling You Who I A 7 · 10⤊ 3⤋
No it makes no sense. Remember though, its Gary Bettman. The earliest I've known a game to start is 1:00. I can think of some situations where a game starts in the AM though. When the Ducks come to Detroit on a Sunday and it starts at 1:00 (like a normal sunday game), for the ducks thats at like 11:00 am... thats the only way i can think of. You live in Toronto (eastern time zone) so do the islanders and bruins, so i really don't get it. I really don't.
2007-11-23 09:36:18 · answer #2 · answered by McMoose--RIPYAHS 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The Bruins play a home game at noon every year on the day after thanksgiving. It's tradition here in Boston. The game always sells out.
2007-11-23 08:18:03 · answer #3 · answered by ? 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Americans?
Work?
On Black Friday?
2007-11-23 08:05:13 · answer #4 · answered by Awesome Bill 7 · 6⤊ 0⤋
Ya us Americans have today off...its great. I think some people work, but not a lot. Every shops like crazy. Actually, there was a stampede at a store today, because people wanted to get into a electronics store that badly. What are we, humans or cows????
2007-11-23 13:37:12 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
the Hub was hopping today! It was so nice to wake up and watch hockey...
its a good move because there were tons of kids there because school is out... and you can't take the kids out shopping for their presents now can you? that would ruin the surprise!
you guys have black Friday in Canada? ... don't you guys celebrate thanksgiving in October? wow man... amazing!
malls are open wicked late man.
2007-11-23 07:36:19 · answer #6 · answered by ? 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Yes bill some of us have to work, some things in life go on rather its day or night, monday or sat thanksgiving or anyday. Sadly i choose one of them jobs but hey giving me tons of time to be on Y/A being bored
2007-11-23 09:16:11 · answer #7 · answered by Jay Argentina 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Many people have the day after thanksgiving off. Most men don't like to go shopping with the crowds and would rather stay at home eating pumpkin pie and watching hockey...actually, that sounds like a pretty good day to me. What are you so mad about?
2007-11-23 05:15:44 · answer #8 · answered by lahockeyg 5 · 5⤊ 2⤋
I guess LITY explained it to ya. Gotta love LITY's long answers! :)
And I think Haley's right, you need to move... Possibly to Ottawa, you seem fond of that place these days. LOL.
2007-11-23 07:01:43 · answer #9 · answered by Erica 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Wow, it sounds like you need to move. Maybe it bleeds over from New York.
I have off work today. Eating some left over pie, and drinking a blood mary as we speak. :) Bummer for you, though. At least you'll see snow this winter.
Erica: Very true, 2eighty8, likes the women there.
2007-11-23 06:45:36 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 2⤋