The NHL 2004-2005 Season

[habsfannova]

I should've mentioned this before in my other two rants, but there is a huge difference between the dynasties of old (1950s-1980s) and these new-fangled dynsaties some of you want to see. It can be summed up in one word: MONEY.

The old dynasties reigned before the advent of free agency, meaning most of the players stayed with one team throughout its run (think Henri Richard, Larry Robinson, Mark Messier, etc.). That rarely happens nowadays. Steve Yzerman is one huge exception to the rule. People may have liked to see the dynasties of "the Maple Leafs in the early 60s, the Canadiens in the late 50s and late 70s, the Islanders in the early 80s, and the Oilers in the late 80s" revisited, but it's not the same.

It's a different game today and the 4 most recent "dynasties" all have one thing in common: bigger-than-average spending on the UFA market. True, they do keep a small contigent of high-priced key players (i.e. Yzerman, Brodeur and Stevens in NJ, Sakic and Forsberg in COL, Modano in DAL), but these teams also have the ability to go out and get whomever they want (maybe not NJ, but Brodeur could win with Kalamazoo playing in front of him). That theory does nothing beneficial for the game's 26 other teams. Nor does it always work (see NY Rangers, Toronto). But the NHL needs to find a pattern similar to that of the NFL, where every team has a legitimate shot at opening day, and where 2/3rds of the teams aren't just playing for a good draft pick in the summer.

Agreed 100%, except for the 2/3, which should be about 1/6. Playoff races are pretty good in the NHL.

[NJTank]

The NHL season will begin in January just like 1995.

[winters in buffalo]

argh.. that's too long to wait.

[Survival79]

The 10 Spot: Sept. 9, 2004

NHL execs are excited about NBC being the league's new U.S. broadcast partner, and vice versa. Not even the prospect of a long and bitter lockout has dampened the enthusiasm. In fact, sources say that NBC may air the upcoming season even with a lockout, since live game action obviously is not essential to the network's sports coverage.

[DEAD!]

The 10 Spot: Sept. 9, 2004

NHL execs are excited about NBC being the league's new U.S. broadcast partner, and vice versa. Not even the prospect of a long and bitter lockout has dampened the enthusiasm. In fact, sources say that NBC may air the upcoming season even with a lockout, since live game action obviously is not essential to the network's sports coverage.

[Suigi]

Well the league has good parody now as 16 teams makes the playoffs, so 2/3 of the league aren't playing for a draft pick.

First off, spell the word right, smacktards! It's PARITY.

Your arguments kinda lose their value when there's such a constant typo...it annoys me...

Second off, I too feel that the owners' stubbornness and the players' greed are going to nuke this league where it stands.

It's looking pretty damn bleak for professional hockey right now.

Third off, I noticed something intriguing in one of the articles in The Hockey News 2004-05 Yearbook.

In one article, it read that the owners "have saved $300 million in case of a lockout."

Then, elsewhere in the book, it read that "the league lost close $300 million last year."

Hmmm...am I the only one who finds a connection between these two, or is it just my faulty logic?

[habsfannova]

Well, 300 mil over the past 3 years...still, interesting view.

[pcgd]

I think parity (I would have spelled it parody if you didn't make a point of it! ) is good for sports. If the Blackhawks had a realistic chance of winning every night, they'd pack the place. Look back before the NFL had a salary cap. It wasn't the biggest sport in America. The 49ers were strong, everyone else was weak (exaggeration). It was always a game played only on Sunday and an event. But once that on any given Sunday, any team could win, the sport started gaining interest. Your hometown team realistically could be Super Bowl champions this year.

That's why I think Baseball and Hockey needs a hard cap. If the Brewers could compete with the Yankees, Miller Park would sell out. If the Blackhawks could beat the Red Wings, Chicago would support them. There's no reason for the drastic differences in team salaries.

Hell, have a cap, give the players a percentage of their team's ticket sales and merchendise sales. That'll get them busy trying to market the sport themselves cause they'd get a cut of that.

Just this former Hockey Fans opinion.

[CaolinaJoe]

The true killer of dynasties is free agency not salary caps. The yankees out spend every one but they aren't a current dynasty, they are a historical dynasty. The salary cap does help contribute, but free agency is what really does the most damage. If the Expos could have kept all the players they lost because of impending freeagency they could have dominated the 90's until now.

[Survival79]

Nashville's Scott Walker said, "If the owners are playing a high-stakes game of chicken, they'd be better off playing it with anybody else in the world besides hockey players. Because of all sports, we're probably the most stubborn, pig-headed players." -- The Globe & Mail

[Survival79]

How to survive the NHL lockout

What's that? The NHL lockout is only two weeks old and your hankerin' for on-ice action is making you romanticize the notion of a pre-season game between the Penguins and Predators?

Cheer up hockey fan! There are things to do during the lockout.Well, snap out of it. The best hockey has to offer has disappeared like Clay Aiken's testosterone, and it'll be a miracle to see NHLers back on the ice before you're mumbling your way through "auld lang syne" and pretending the cheap champagne is to your liking.

But that doesn't mean you can't quench your thirst for hockey elsewhere. On the contrary, your unrequested downtime is a golden opportunity to pursue all the things being an NHL fan has prevented you from doing.

And that's where we come in. Like your "friendly" local tow truck driver -- only without the contemptible fees, gramatically-incorrect tattoo collection and unkempt moustaches -- we're here to get your rustbucket of a social life back on the road.

Here are five time-wasters and to-dos that, if followed to the letter, will ensure you stay aneurism-free every time you hear the words "Goodenow" and "Bettman" from here until January...

[Magus]

I agree with the idea of a salary cap, except that it'd make what the sport is based on obsolete: dynasties.

Even in the non-capped NHL, how many teams have participated in the Cup finals over the past decade? Let's see...

1993 - Canadiens over Kings

1994 - Rangers over Canucks

1995 - Devils over Red Wings

1996 - Avalanche over Panthers

1997 - Red Wings over Flyers

1998 - Red Wings over Capitals

1999 - Stars over Sabres

2000 - Devils over Stars

2001 - Avalanche over Devils

2002 - Red Wings over Hurricanes

2003 - Devils over Mighty Ducks

2004 - Lightning over Flames

That's 16 different teams in the Cup finals over 10 years! The closest thing to a dynasty the NHL has right now is the Devils, and even then, they bombed out in the first round last year.

If the salary cap is in place, there will not be any clear-cut team to beat. No hotly anticipated matches against the Cup favourite. No dynasties.

Or at least, there won't be to my understanding.

But that's pretty flawed as is.

We need to bring back the age of the dynasties, like the Maple Leafs in the early 60s, the Canadiens in the late 50s and late 70s, the Islanders in the early 80s, and the Oilers in the late 80s.

I say, three cheers for the Unfair Advantage.

And if Gary Bettman wants a salary cap, why not make it a league salary cap, instead of a team one? This way, if the total league salary exceeds a certain percentage of league revenues, the players need to pay back the difference before the next season.

i've made this argument a number of times.

it'll be like the nfl. instead of having the best of the best, you have the best of the worst.

[Brian in Boston]

it'll be like the nfl. instead of having the best of the best, you have the best of the worst.

Well... the league with the annual competition amongst "the best of the worst" is laughing it's way to the bank.

Bemoan the NFL's move away from "dynasties" and towards "parity" all you want, but the league is the financial juggernaut amongst professional sports entities. And you know what? They'll continue to be. Because despite the efforts of the Jerry Joneses of the world to get out from under certain aspects of the league's "all for one and one for all mentality" (most notably in areas such as merchandise sales, local sponsorships), that mindset of putting the greater good before the success of any one franchise has become institutionalized within the very fabric of the NFL's day-to-day operations.

The parity on the field that keeps NFL fans throughout the country thinking that their team could win it all in just a couple of years is only the most "visible" type of balance that the league enjoys. Equally important is the parity that NFL clubs enjoy in areas ranging from revenue sharing to marketing. During its breakthrough years, the NFL had the vision to look out for the welfare of all its member franchises... not just the dyanasties. The result? The National Football League is poised to enjoy continued success in the future, while the powers that be in the NHL, the NBA and even MLB wonder exactly what the future holds for their leagues.

[dwertman]

But on a brighter note,at least those retro jerseys are availible for Canada when u play the WCOH in NHL 2005

[Survival79]

The Mighty Ducks hosted what the team billed as a Southern California-style "Movie Night" on Friday for season-ticket holders and corporate partners on the beach at the Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort. The team showed Miracle, which apparently is a documentary about the end of the NHL lockout.

[Survival79]

The Stanley Cup champion for 2004-05 is the New Jersey Devils. The Art Ross Trophy winner as leading scorer is Joe Sakic. And, once again, the Maple Leafs are impressive also-rans. Those results and others come from a computer simulation of the 1,230-game official NHL season by Whatifsports.com, a Cincinnati-based company that runs simulated games. -- Toronto Star

[CC97]

The Stanley Cup champion for 2004-05 is the New Jersey Devils. The Art Ross Trophy winner as leading scorer is Joe Sakic. And, once again, the Maple Leafs are impressive also-rans. Those results and others come from a computer simulation of the 1,230-game official NHL season by Whatifsports.com, a Cincinnati-based company that runs simulated games. -- Toronto Star

They have the entire standings, scoring leaders, and playoffs in the paper... wish I'd saved it.

It was Devils over Sharks in the finals...

other things I remember:

Tampa and Calgary were ranked #1 in their conferences.

Ottawa was first in the Northeast, Toronto was 4th in the East, NY Islanders were 5th, New Jersey was 8th.

Edmonton and Vancouver didn't make the playoffs, Calgary lost to Colorado in round two.

Iginla won the scoring race with 49 goals

Nashville's Scott Walker was runner-up for Art Ross

[wheateater]

Tampa and Calgary were ranked #1 in their conferences....

Nashville's Scott Walker was runner-up for Art Ross...

Ah, to dream is golden.....

[Ez Street]

New Jersey, give me a friggen BREAK. No way. San Jose I believe that, but I don't buy into the "Devs" being the champ. But on the other hand they have been there for the last ten years....so it's not impossible.

[JQK]

New Jersey, give me a friggen BREAK. No way. San Jose I believe that, but I don't buy into the "Devs" being the champ. But on the other hand they have been there for the last ten years....so it's not impossible.

Devils baby!!!

I miss my hockey....

....but it is for the best.