Off Wing Opinion

From the Ottawa Citizen:

National Hockey League team owners are now seriously considering forming a new league.

A team owner, who was speaking on condition that his identity was not divulged, says it might come as early as January.

Under the structure of the NHL, it has the ability to shutdown and begin in a new way, if extended negotiations with the players' union fail to reach a deal.

Seems a little early for threats like this one to surface. Then again, I've always said I thought the owners were serious, and if this is true, they might very well be willing to blow up the league, and start over again if they had to.

With Hal Gill lost for the remainder of the tournament, Team USA added Colorado defenseman John-Michael Liles to the roster. Taking a look at this bio, it's easy to see how you could call the Indiana native a younger and healthier version of the since-departed Matt Schnieder.

At Fox Sports, Kara Yorio takes a look at Team USA. Click here for an entertaining look at the Canada Cup/World Cup, including this story from 1981, when the hosts weren't exactly willing to let the Russians leave with the trophy:

When NHLPA boss Alan Eagleson wouldn't allow the Soviets to take home the distinctive silver trophy, they stuck it in a bag and tried to sneak it onto their bus. Eagleson intervened. Punches were thrown. Eagleson insisted that the trophy had to be won three times before it could become the property of the winner, and he got his way.

Team Canada is experimenting with Mario Lemieux playing left wing on a line with Joe Sakic and Jarome Iginla.

In an exhibition in Helsinki, Finland defeated Germany 4-2, as Oli Jokinen scored twice for the hosts.

Doug Weight has a new post in his World Cup Diary at USA Hockey.

This year's Cup boasts nine alumni of the ECHL. And don't miss another Slovakian-centric update from Jes Golbez.

There is one assertion Whitlock made that we should also take note of:

The similarities between hockey and basketball and the impact that international play is having on the games is indisputable. The high rounds of the NHL draft now favor European players. The NHL in the 1970s celebrated the Philadelphia Flyers' Broad Street Bullies approach, which included beating people up. The game was played at a slow, boring, defensive pace. Does that sound anything like today's NBA?

Actually Jason, it sounds a lot like the NHL, circa 2004. If we were only so lucky to see the sort of goal scoring and offensive creativity on the ice that we enjoyed during Philadelphia's two-year stint at the top of the league, my readers woudn't be complaining half so much as they do today.

The WHA is milking all it can out of its pursuit of Sidney Crosby, and Steve Ovadia is pretty amused:

I have to admit

In a British Columbia provincial court. Details here.

He's expected back in court on September 1, when it's expected the judge will set a trial date. As many of you might recall, Bertuzzi has been suspended indefinitely by the NHL for his vicious attack on Colorad Avalanche center Steven Moore.

And with the way the CBA negotiations are progressing (or not), it looks like Bertuzzi's trial might be the only hockey news we have to follow in the coming months.

In Ottawa, Team Canada defeated the U.S., 3-1 in the second of two exhibition games, with Vincent Lecavalier, Joe Sakic and Brad Richards scoring in the second period to salt away the win. Edmonton's Ty Conklin yielded all three Canadian goals, something that won't help him in his effort to win the starting job for Team USA.

After missing the first exhibition against Team USA, Mario Lemieux picked up an assist, and looked to be skating without any ill-effects, at least according to the Canadian Press. But the Globe and Mail said Super Mario has "some ways to go," to reach his old form. The news isn't so good for Boston's Hal Gill, who broke his foot in the second period after blocking a shot, knocking him from the tournament.

Gill's injury leaves Team USA with only six defensemen (Brian Leetch, Chris Chelios, Brian Rafalski, Paul Martin, Aaron Miller and Eric Weinrich). Then again, according to my readers, Team USA shouldn't be too disappointed about Gill's departure. Click here for that raucous discussion, as well as some pointers for Team USA head coach Ron Wilson as he seeks a replacement for the lumbering defenseman.

Elsewhere in Ottawa, labor and management met for five hours concerning the CBA, and the NHLPA took some time to brief the members of Team USA. Team Canada gets their briefing today.

Team Canada is auctioning its practice jerseys for charity. Click here for your shot at Jay Boumeester's sweater.

In Stockholm, Sweden defeated Finland 2-1 on an OT goal by Markus Naslund. Meanwhile, the Rodent is perplexed over all the attention his photo of Jiri Fischer going to town on Aki Berg has attracted.

Thanks to PJ on these great photos of the Czech Republic vs. Germany exhibition.

CORRECTION: There were no errors in the story on the 1996 World Cup that Jes Golbezquoted from today. The mistake was mine, and mine alone, and has taught me a little humility. Apologies to Jes, and Jesse Ursulak, the original author of the article.

That's what happens when you rely on memory, and not the record.

Pj at Sharkspage notes with derision:

I just noticed the official World Cup of Hockey website prohibits any link not to the front page of their website. Linking to the schedule page so fans can find dates and times of ESPN broadcasts is not allowed. Read the terms of service. Bill Daly says the NHL set up www.nhlcbanews.com "to allow our fans to have as much current and relevant information as possible to inform them on the collective bargaining process." But allowing fans to have current and relevant access to what time and channel the World Cup games are on is prohibited?

Click here for the TOS, which reads:

All links to the Website must be to http://www.WCH2004.com, the Website home page. "Deep Linking" to internal pages of the Website is expressly prohibited.

Oops. Come to think of it, this would mean linking to the TOS is a violation of the policy. So would linking to the broadcast schedule that PJ writes about. Or even here, where you can find information about how to purchase single game tickets, something which might help the NHL sell more tickets.

What makes this ever more pathetic is the simple fact that the "deep linking" issue has been discussed and diseccted more thoroughly than most online issues. Why hasn't the Web team at NHL.com gotten the memo that this is a bad idea?

Team USA suffered its first on-ice casualty as defenseman Jordan Leopold sustained a concussion in Monday night's 3-1 win over Canada in Columbus. He'll be replaced in the lineup by Paul Martin, who just completed his rookie season with the Devils. Over in Europe, Martin Skoula will take the place of Frantisek Kaberle for the Czech Republic.

Meanwhile, back in Team Canada training camp, Jose Theodore gave up all five goals in an intra-squad scrimmage. Theodore shared goalie duties with presumed starter Martin Brodeur in the Red/White scrimmage.

Even though he sat out Monday's game against the U.S., Mario Lemieux is looking good in practice, at least according to Brad Richards. TSN's Lisa Burke-Wallace is in the Team Canada camp, and you can find her archive of stories here.

Canada plays the U.S. in another exhibition tonight in Ottawa. Looks like the only coverage in North America will be on Leafs TV. William Houston of the Toronto Globe and Mail had this to say about Monday night's clash between the two North American powers:

The first exhibition game, won 3-1 by the United States on Monday, illustrated how much faster and larger today's players are and how inadequate the narrow NHL ice surface is in showcasing their talent.

On the narrow ice and at the highest level of competition, the players have neither the time nor the space to hold the puck and put on a show. It's pinball hockey.

Glad I'm not the only one who thinks so. Here's a fun Canada Cup/World Cup timeline from the IIHF.

Only four days to go till the opening game of European pool play, click here for the remainder of the exhibition schedule.

Gretzky speaks, but don't think it's going to be the last time.

My post from yesterday asking readers what they thought about playing the game 4-on-4 for the full 60 minutes seemed to kick up some ice chips -- and mostly negative reviews. Here's Jes Golbez:

A simple solution that everyone forgets about

CALL THE FREAKIN OBSTRUCTION PENALTIES!!

Remember how great it was earlier in the season 2 years ago when the refs actually called obstruction penalties and the game opened up?

Indeed, the game did improve when Obstruction was called more often. Unfortunately, as Costa Tsiokos mentions over at Population Statistic (and congrats on the new digs), the trend didn't last, leaving us right back where we started.

Here's another comment by Costa that bears repeating, and refuting:

The only reason 4-on-4 OT seems more exciting and open is precisely because there is nothing to lose in that situation. If the 3-point nature of the OT didn't exist and it was still winner-take-both-points, we'd be complaining about how the OT period sucked.

Strictly in terms of game theory, Costas has a point -- adding that extra point while protecting one earned in regulation certainly has helped make NHL OT far more exciting than it used to be.

But can anyone dispute the fact that when we get a 4-on-4 situation in regulation that the game doesn't open up considerably? Why is it that whenever teams get matching minors, television commentators start buzzing like giddy teenage girls?

Even better, as DC Throwback mentioned, a power play becomes a 4-on-3 proposition. Ask any coach, which power play is more devestating: 5-on-4 or 4-on-3? They'll say 4-on-3 (rare as it is), every time.

Which leads us back to Game Theory. When you cut back to 4-on-4, you're raising the cost of a minor penalty high enough to change the arithmetic of the game. Know this, the New Jersey Devils play as tough as they do because they know they can kill off a 5-on-4 man advantage better than 85 percent of the time. But make that normal power play a 4-on-3 instead of a 5-on-4, and the math is all different.

Even better, a two-man advantage would now be 5-on-3, as teams would be allowed to add an extra skater just as in the current OT format.

With that sort of risk, something tells me John Madden and company are going to give folks more room to skate. Which leads us to this comment by Puck Cat:

Absolutely NO to removing a skater and playing the game 4 on 4. The result would be a scrambling mess and a distortion of the sport. The beauty of classic line rushes though rarely seen now would be long gone.

I'm sorry, but I don't know how much more invisible that kind of play can be than it is today. And in fact, this sort of evolution has happened before in ice hockey, a game that originally developed with 14 players on the ice -- six skaters and a goalie on each team:

First of all there was the guardian of the goal mouth, then called the Goal Tender or the Goal Keeper. In front of him and helping to guard against the other team getting close to the goal mouth were two stalwarts known as the Point and the Cover Point, the equivalents of today's Defencemen. Then there was the front line of four, the Three Forwards and an extra player called the Rover. The Forwards carried the game to the other team, while the Rover, who was notoriously the team's fastest skater, best stick-handler, and highest scorer, was allowed to play wherever he pleased on the ice, while the others continually tried to set him up for one man rushes.

Eventually, as the game evolved, and the skill of the other players increased markedly, the position of Rover was eliminated. The classic lines that existed at the dawn of the game were erased forever. Why mention this? Because I don't believe we should be eternally wedded to the way the game looks now.

Even at 4-on-4, the essence of the game -- skating, shooting, passing, and scoring -- would still exist. With the extra room on the ice, each player would be forced to cover more space -- creating a greater premium on speed and skill.

I don't want to pretend that this isn't a "radical" idea. But I propose it only because the folks in charge of the game at the NHL level have ignored the decay in play for so long that an idea like this one has to at least be considered.

Here in the States, the verdict on the current state of the NHL has been rendered in the television ratings and at the box office. Except in a limited number of local markets, the game is in trouble. And desperate times call for desperate measures.

With Mario Lemieux scratched from the lineup, Canada fell to Team USA 3-1 last night in a pre-tournament match before a sparse crowd in Columbus. From the TSN account of the game, it looks like American head coach Ron Wilson is going to employ an aggressive forecheck against a young Canadian defense -- something which seemed to cause some real problems on the blue line last night.

Other issues to consider: while there isn't any question that Martin Brodeur will start in goal for Canada, we still don't know who will be between the pipes for Team USA. Wilson has to choose between Edmonton's Ty Conklin, Philly's Robert Esche and Rick DiPietro of the Islanders -- and he isn't giving away any hints as to who the winner of the pre-season competition might be. After Conklin yielded a goal to Canada's Dany Heatley in the first period, DiPietro shut down Canada for the rest of the way, including a stretch of 12:22 in the third period where they didn't record a single shot on goal.

What does it mean? Very little, I'm afraid. I'm sure Team Canada head coach Pat Quinn hasn't shown all of his cards as of yet, and with the tournament adopting the same lowest common denominator format as the Winter Olympics, nothing will really matter until we get to the medal round. Another minor peeve: I can't seem to find the boxscore for the game, and the folks at NHL.com have neglected to give this exhibition the full-on treatment even the most insignificant regular season game can expect.

Then again, just because the game didn't get the attention it deserved, doesn't mean the teams didn't take it seriously (registration required, click here for the workaround):

I think there

Though many of my hockey blogging buddies have mentioned it before, I should take some time to point to The Hockey Photo Project, a neat, and worthwhile fan-driven effort to collect pictures from every level of the game we love most. Stop by, and think about contributing some shots of your own.

Leave it to Air Canada to misplace the Stanley Cup:

The fabled trophy disappeared during an Air Canada flight from Vancouver to Fort St. John over the weekend when Vancouver airline officials removed it from the plane because of weight restrictions.

Walter Neubrand, keeper of the Cup, was delivering the trophy to Jake Goertzen, head scout for the Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning.

As the two waited by the baggage claim, it didn't take long for them to realize something was wrong.

"We were waiting for it to come out," Goertzen said. "Everybody's bag was there, except the Cup."

Air Canada agents checked the plane but there was no sign of the Cup or its special travel container.

After a call to Vancouver, they learned the 35-pound Cup was sitting in the Vancouver airport's luggage area 750 miles away. It was too heavy to fly.

This, of course, after the guardian of the Cup had already cleared everything with Air Canada.

Back in 2003, NHL.com posted this piece about the men who accompany the Cup, and how seriously they take their duties. I can't imagine what Walter Neubrand, the escort for the Cup on this particular trip, must have went through when he realized it was missing.

Somebody ought to be fired.

Thanks to reader, and blogger, Rob Visconti for the link.

With a week before the start of the World Cup, we're a little short on real hockey news -- at least when it comes to non-CBA material. So, as a conversation starter, I'd like to know what the Off Wing readership thinks about a possible rule change that would certainly open up more space on the ice, and probably increase scoring substantially: permanently dropping a skater and playing 4-on-4 full-time.

Why? Simply put, players are bigger and faster, a development which has essentially cut the size of the playing surface. And with shorter shifts, players are less likely to be able to take advantage of a fatigued opponent.

Is it an ideal solution? No, but with increasing the size of the ice surface a practical impossibility in exisiting facilities (thereby reducing the number of high-priced seats in the lower bowl of the arena), it may be the only practical alternative to help open up the game (as we've seen, relying on the refs to call obstruction more often is problematic at best).

Obviously, the Players Association wouldn't be terribly happy, as the change would help teams cut the size of their rosters, and reduce the number of dues-paying union members.

Still, it's fun to think about. Further, I'd like to hear what everyone's ideal 4-man unit would be -- feel free to mix and match eras if you like.

All I know is that OT ice hockey looks a lot more exciting than the other 60 minutes. Why not transplant that excitement to the rest of the game?