It’s just under a month until Trade Deadline day in the NHL, which falls on March 4th of this year. It’s like a holiday in Canada in the sense that EVERYONE is involved, invested, and watching what goes on. It’s like a holiday in America in the sense that when people start talking about it way too early, even though you’re one of those speculating and chattering, you whine like you do when there are Christmas trees at Target in September. TSN is already counting down, much to the disdain of my fellow hockey Tweeters. I like the excitement and hype that surrounds it. It’s something that generates news for the NHL, which nobody will argue is a good thing.
Speaking of trade chatter, I’m sure everyone has an opinion on who should go where and which team needs what. Bill at the Daily Deke is coordinating an effort to keep track of all the chatter on Twitter, thanks to the magic of hash tags. Check out his post to stay informed of all the latest buzz. Throw some of your trade ideas in the comments as well. Who needs to leave your favorite team? Who should join?
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Now that I’ve mentioned Twitter twice so far, I have to say I’ve been very impressed with how well the NHL is adopting the technology to talk to fans. If you’re on Twitter, some league faces to follow include:
- umassdilo - Michael DiLorenzo, NHL Director of Corporate Communications
- LAKingsHockey – Official LA Kings Twitter
- ovi8 – Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals
- pelias – Patrik Elias of the New Jersey Devils
- DetroitRedWings – Official Detroit Red Wings Twitter
- NHL_Blackhawks – Official Chicago Blackhawks Twitter
- Washcaps - Official Washington Capitals Twitter
- AtlThrashers - Official Atlanta Thrashers Twitter
- schuylerb – NHL Manager of Communications
- nirvamilord - NHL Director of Entertainment Publicity
This is by no means a complete list, so if you know of any more, leave them in the comments and I’ll add them as I see them. If you want to follow yours truly, @voteforgrant is the place to go.
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Paul Kelly has come up with an interesting idea concerning fighting in the NHL. At the Conn Smythe Celebrities Dinner and Auction on Wednesday, Kelly offered the following proposal:
A couple that we’ve talked about that ought to be looked at anyway is, do you consider a rule whereby players need to keep a helmet on during the course of a fight, and perhaps require officials to step in if a helmet comes off during a fight.
One of the biggest benefits of this idea is that it will severely cut down on the risk of head injuries resulting from falls to the ice, which we’ve seen turn tragic recently. However, players usually take off their helmets to avoid hand injuries from punching that big hunk of plastic. Let’s not forget that there is already a rule that penalizes a player for instigating while wearing a visor, a rule that I agree with. These two arguments seem to be at odds and will probably cause some discussion as to what is more important.
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You know, I want to like the NHL Network. It’s a tremendous idea with some gems, like HNIC coverage for the States and the occasional classic game, but these days it’s mostly broadcasting an awful analysis show and reruns most of the day. Well, the league has taken a step to fill up those programming gaps opportunities by signing a deal to broadcast select AHL games for the rest of the season. If you’ve never caught a minor league game, they’re extremely fun to watch. NHL.com has the schedule. Let’s hope they continue this next year.
I’d really love to see more stuff like this on NHLN. Programming that brings you more intimate details about the rest of the league. Northeastern teams are spoiled with their overlapping coverage, but those fans in places like Phoenix, Nashville, and Colorado aren’t surrounded by much, leaving the well of programming options pretty dry.
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Lastly, a very happy birthday to Don Cherry. 75 years old and you’re still one of the most colorful guys in hockey (a simple Google image search will confirm this).