An argument for holding the NHL responsible for the June riot in Vancouver…Calling for a lighter workload for Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist…Find out why Logan Couture is a lousy pizza delivery guy…Terrible ways to end NHL uemployment…A sneak peak at Commissioner Bettman’s Labour Day BBQ.
MC79HOCKEY.COM: Tyler Dellow argues the NHL should be held responsible for playoff riots.
“The league creates the riot by holding the event. If I’m running a factory that dumps poisonous effluent into the river, do I get to say “Not my problem. I run the factory; government’s responsible for the rivers.” Maybe forty years ago. In most places, I don’t get to do it now – this is the polluter pays principle. What are riots but a different form of pollution?”
“Most businesses don’t impose riots on the cities that host them. If they did, they likely wouldn’t be around for long. If the British Columbia legislature passed a law imposing civil liability on the Canucks and National Hockey League for any increased police costs or damage to property during Stanley Cup riots, the NHL might ask itself what it and its teams could do to prevent this sort of stuff and reduce the need for increased police.”
SPECTOR’S NOTE: An interesting take, but while I respect Dellow’s opinion, I disagree with him.The league isn’t dumping poisonous chemicals into the city’s environment. It’s people who were responsible for the riot, many of whom apparently were Canucks fans and Vancouver residents. The NHL didn’t program them like robots and set them loose in the city to wreak havoc .People are responsible for their actions. Rioting is against the law. The rioters willingly broke the law. As Dirk Hoag observed, “The city actively courted that disaster, by closing off streets and setting up screens so tens of thousands of extra people could come downtown and watch the game.”
BLUESHIRT BANTER: Nick Montemagno calls for the Rangers to lighted the workload of starting goalie Henrik Lundqvist, calling for a 60-22 game split between Lundqvist and backup Martin Biron.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Makes sense to me. Why wear out Lundqvist playing against lesser teams, or in back-to-back games, when Biron is perfectly capable of playing in those matches? I understand the need to play Lundqvist more if it’s later in the season and the Rangers are battling for one of the final playoff berths, but even then, they must be careful not to over-play him. You want Lundqvist to be fresh enough for the playoffs, not out of gas once you get there.
FEAR THE FIN: presents the latest in a hilarious string of promotional commercials featuring San Jose Sharks players in regular jobs they’re not suited for, showing us why Logan Couture is a lousy pizza delivery guy.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Whoever came up with this marketing campaign was a genius, as these commercials are funny, memorable and helped spur ticket sales for Sharks games. My favorite remains the first they did, showing why Joe Thornton is a lousy ventriloquist.
PENSION PLAN PUPPETS: presents their tongue-in-cheek look at the ten worst NHL deals of the summer, in a running feature entitled, “Ten Terrible Ways to End Unemployment”.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: At number ten, it’s former Leaf Alexei Ponikarovsky’s signing with the Carolina Hurricanes.
DOWN GOES BROWN: presents an entertaining look at what might’ve been discussed during NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman’s Labour Day BBQ.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Here’s a hint; some of the guests include a player who cannot finish what he starts, a party-crashing baseball general manager, a former league disciplinarian, and a notable NHL GM. Enjoy!