SAYLORSBURG, Pa – With the NHL conference finals in place, it seems time to look at a few items circulating wires. Philadelphia and New York play heavily in the news with Sean Avery making news and the Flyers and Rangers possibly hooking up in the Winter Classic in 2012.
2012 Winter Classic
The social media sites were ablaze this weekend with rumors of the Winter Classic. Several sites announced that the Flyers and Rangers would skate in the 2012 event. It is expected that the game will be played in Philadelphia at Citizens Bank Park. This would mark the second appearance for Philly and the first for the Rangers, who are the last U.S. based Original 6 team to appear in one.
So, why not New York and Yankee Stadium or CitiField? I just don’t get it but I think it boils down to the fact the Bettman and Dolan don’t exactly like each other which goes back to the time when the league wanted to control all team internet sites and Dolan was refusing to do so. The other issue is that Yankee Stadium is currently hosting a college bowl game and there is the perception that playing at CitiField is encroaching on Islander territory, but to most, as long as it was played in NYC, it was ok with them.
It’s a telling commentary when it takes the league years to include one of its marquee franchises in its largest TV market in one of their highest profile events other than the Stanley Cup Finals or All-Star Game.
It has seemed that the NHL is only interested in marketing a few teams (Pittsburgh, Washington and Detroit) while the rest of the league plays in obscurity. It seems reasonable that they market all 30 teams to drive the sports’ interest. What I do hope is that the ratings for this game are miles higher than the Pittsburgh – Washington in 2011 to show the NHL that the Rangers would have been a better pick sooner than 2012.
The Isles and a potential new building
After hearing the news about the potential new arena coming to LI in a few years and knowing what has been going on over the years out there, serious doubts arose that this will come to fruition. I then heard that there will be a referendum on the ballot which asks voters to pay for this new venture and thought that it’s a joke that taxpayers have to pay for this. I mean, Nassau County is broke and to ask them to pay for this is just ridiculous at a time when people’s taxes are as high as they are, but on the flip side having this built could be a boon by providing a new sporting/concert venue as well as creating more jobs. We all are aware that Wang has lost a ton of money with the team where it currently is due to the bad arena situation, but if he cannot afford to build an arena by himself, then he should move the team to a place where there is an existing building for them to use such as Kansas City where there is a modern building waiting for an NHL tenant.
Avery supports same-sex marriage Recently Sean Avery came out and supported same –sex marriage and came under fire for it. I’m not sure why since last time I checked he’s entitled to his opinion and I agree with him as there should be same-sex marriage allowed in this country.
It’s a sad commentary when there are people who think they know what’s best for everyone and let their personal stances get in the way of what should be allowed here.
I applaud any athlete who comes out and speaks their mind and to those who criticize, do us all a favor and shut up as we don’t want to hear from you in the first place. I admire Avery for speaking his mind and not being afraid of any potential backlash from the media, which he did get. The ultimate irony was someone on Canadian TV getting canned for his opposition to what Avery said which was not in agreement of the networks views on this topic.
Federal Hockey League moves into Wayne (NJ) There are three NHL teams in the New York metropolitan area, so it is a bit difficult to see how a new minor league fits into the mix. Especially when two of the three NHL clubs are not drawing well themselves.
It’s always nice to have minor hockey around as it allows fans a chance to see guys who are trying to work their way up to the NHL and a rare opportunity to see top players do their conditioning stints and rehab assignments.
It will come down to affordability of seeing a game, which has gotten totally out of hand with the Rangers increasing prices due to the Madison Square Garden renovation and the other two teams seemingly over charging for their product.
The high cost of going to games (tickets, transportation, and food) was a big factor in this writer giving up Rangers’ season tickets after 10 years. Living in the Poconos gives one access to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins who are about an hour away, plus the Flyers’ farm club, the Phantoms, is on the verge of moving to the Lehigh Valley and tickets will be much more affordable than their NHL counterparts. In the final analysis, if minor league hockey can work like minor league baseball in areas with MLB, then it can work the same for minor hockey in Wayne.
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