NHL 2011-12 Season Discussion Thread (2 Viewers)

[Scott Merryfield]

I just can't believe it could happen again! If this season is completely lost, I don't know how the NHL will recover this time around. And with Fehr involved, the dispute could spill into the 2013-14 season. Hopefully, I'm just overreacting and they get this thing settled soon.
As it has become an annual tradition (for me, at least) to watch the Winter Classic to kick off the New Year's, it will be very different (and weird) this time around, not having it.

Cancelling the Winter Classic really hurts this area. It was expected that a large number of Canadians would pour across the border to attend several of the events, including the Leafs - Wings alumni games and Ontario Hockey League (OHL) doubleheader, as well as the main event. That means lots of lost revenue for hotels, restaurants, and other local businesses.
Personally, I am most disappointed in missing the OHL doubleheader, as we had tickets to that included in our Whalers season ticket package. It was going to be my first -- and probably only -- outdoor hockey game. Instead, our game against London will be held at Compuware Arena, the Whalers home rink. The Saginaw - Windsor game will be played in Saginaw. There are lots of disappointed major junior and college players today (the Great Lakes Invitational NCAA holiday tournament was to be played at Comerica, too).
Supposedly, the NHL has committed to having the event here next season instead. Hopefully the same plans will also be put in place for the secondary events at Comerica Park.

 

[Ockeghem]

Scott,
I was listening to one of our local sports radio programs the other day. Mike Knuble was being interviewed, and he was discussing the lockout. What I found really interesting was his take (a very positive one) on the AHL and college hockey in general. He mentioned that some players have considered striking a contract with various AHL teams, and how items other than salary had to be considered, items that were frequently the deal breaker (locale was a major factor with some players).
He also talked about how younger players (Justin Abdelkader was named, among others), a year or two into the NHL and ready to make good on their contracts, have been hit quite hard by the lockout. I didn't realize that the salaries are somehow connected to the prior year's assets. (The NFL was brought up as an association that the NHL could learn a good deal from, too.)
Jeff Gatie,
I don't know if you read this thread, but there's a new book out by Derek Sanderson that looks interesting. I think I'm going to pick it up.
http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/8597082/former-boston-bruin-derek-sanderson-talks-money-alcohol-new-book

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Scott,
Younger NHL players on their entry level contract will not get much money if they are playing in the AHL. The contracts are written so that they get one sum if playing in the NHL, and a much lower sum if they are playing in the minors. However, since they are not getting anything from the NHL right now, it is still better than nothing for a young player.
Taylor Hall recently signed a new NHL contract to replace his ELC, yet he still is playing in the AHL right now. I find that interesting, as he cannot be getting much money to play there and probably needed to take out injury insurance to protect himself in case he gets hurt.
The extra players in the AHL this season has a trickle down effect, too. The Plymouth Whalers recently had one of their over age players, defenseman Austin Levi, sent back to them unexpectedly because he was not getting playing time in the AHL. In the OHL, teams are only allowed to carry three over age players -- for this season, that is players born in 1992. Levi eats up their last OA slot, complicating things if Plymouth wants to make any in-season trades.

 

[Ockeghem]

Scott,
Thanks -- very good information there. Before your post, I'd never heard of the phrase 'over age players' relative to hockey.
Speaking of the OHL, last night I saw on our DirecTV guide that there was a game between Russia and the OHL. Did you happen to see this? I looked at the display information, but couldn't get much more than "Russia vs. the OHL." I regret that this was not one of the channels that we currently subscribe to, as we downgraded not too long ago. I would have liked to have seen this.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Scott,
Thanks -- very good information there. Before your post, I'd never heard of the phrase 'over age players' relative to hockey.
Speaking of the OHL, last night I saw on our DirecTV guide that there was a game between Russia and the OHL. Did you happen to see this? I looked at the display information, but couldn't get much more than "Russia vs. the OHL." I regret that this was not one of the channels that we currently subscribe to, as we downgraded not too long ago. I would have liked to have seen this.

Over age player is a specific term used in the three Canadian major junior leagues. Players are generally eligible from 16 years old to 19 years old (based on their birth year). The leagues allow three "over age" 20 year old players per team -- by season's end, many of these players will be 21 years old. These are usually players who are not quite good enough to advance to the next level yet, but still have enough talent to play at the major junior level. Some were not drafted by NHL teams due to being late developers. One of the Whalers OA players -- Austin Levi -- was drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes, while the other two -- Alex Aleardi and Colin McDonald -- were not drafted.
The OHL - Russia game would have been the annual Subway Super Series game, played between a select group of OHL all-stars and Russian junior players. It is sort of a precursor to the World Junior Championships, as many of the players in this game will play for their countries in that tournament over the holidays. There are actually several games, with the Monday night game being played in Sarnia, Ontario -- just across the border from Port Huron, Michigan. Two Plymouth Whalers played in the game -- Washington Capitals first round pick Tom Wilson, and Colorado Avalanche draftee Garrett Meurs, who assisted on a goal in the OHL's 2-1 win. Edmonton's #1 overall draft pick from 2012, Nail Yakupov, played for the Russian team. Yakupov played for Sarnia of the OHL last season, but is playing in the Russian KHL this season while waiting out the NHL lockout.
You can read more about the Subway Super Series here. If you watch the highlights from last night's game, the two big checks they show were both made by the Whalers' Tom Wilson (#10). He's a pretty tough kid.

 

[Ockeghem]

Scott,
I appreciate the explanation of the OA players. Much appreciated. Thank you also for the link, which I looked at (and watched) yesterday.
Like many others have said on various Boards over the years, I wish I could just subscribe to (and pay for) only the channels I want. I regret somewhat not being able to watch a couple of the sports channels that I lost when we decided to downgrade.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

No problem, Scott. Roster rules for the OHL can be confusing. I follow the league pretty close, and I do not understand all of it.
Yes, being able to get individual channels would be nice. There are some things I would like to watch, but am not willing to pay to move up another tier. In fact, with the NHL lockout and lousy Thursday Night NFL games, I am considering downgrading, too, and dumping the package that includes the NFL and NHL networks.

 

[Ockeghem]

Scott,
With as much as I like the MLB, NBA, NFL, and NHL, I do miss those channels that are devoted to each individual sport. I used to watch all of those channels during the times of the week when there were no games.
Not surprisingly, Dish Network has been trying quite hard to get us back as customers with a lot of mailings recently. My wife used that as a bargaining chip of sorts to get our monthly DirecTV price decreased somewhat. It was just getting to be too high a price given the amount of television we watch.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

There is a cool story on the Plymouth Whalers website about the Nashville Predators radio crew making a small tour of the Ontario Hockey League to get a hockey fix in lieu of the NHL lockout. The crew's tour included a stop in Plymouth. You can read about it here.

 

[Ockeghem]

There is a cool story on the Plymouth Whalers website about the Nashville Predators radio crew making a small tour of the Ontario Hockey League to get a hockey fix in lieu of the NHL lockout. The crew's tour included a stop in Plymouth. You can read about it here.

Scott,
Thanks. I'm reading it now. I love the name "The Penalty Box." There really should be an OHL channel.
I heard yesterday that there are lot of 'behind the scenes' people (custodians, vendors, etc.) that are having a difficult time making ends meet due to the NHL lockout. It's really a shame that all games have been cancelled for the 2012 year.
http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/8732721/nhl-cancels-all-games-dec-30

 

[Scott Merryfield]

It really is the secondary businesses that get most hurt by strikes/lockouts at this level. The owners and players will survive financially, but some of the ancillary businesses may not.
As for the fans, there is still quality hockey out there for those who look for it -- if you are fortunate enough to have a team in your area. Whether it's the OHL, AHL or NCAA, fans can see some very talented players who will be future stars in the NHL. We have been getting some new fans at the Whalers games this year that are saying they needed a "hockey fix". Hopefully some will continue to attend games after the NHL returns to action.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Anyone looking for a hockey fix during the lockout should check out the World Junior Tournament, which is being played in Russia and shown on the NHL Network. With the current lockout, there are quite a few guys in this tournament who would otherwise be playing in the NHL right now. This includes Nugent-Hopkins (Edmonton), Nail Yakupov (Edmonton), Doug Hamilton (Boston), Grigerenko (Buffalo), Ryan Murphy (Carolina), and Alex Galchenyuk (Montreal). Also for you Bruins fans, your pick from last year -- Malcolm Subban -- is playing goal for Canada. It makes for some high-quality hockey.
My Plymouth Whalers have two players in the tournament -- Ryan Hartman (U.S.) and Rickard Rakell (Sweden). Rakell is a 1st round pick for Anaheim, and Hartman will be a 1st or 2nd round pick in the 2013 draft. Another Whaler -- Stefan Noesen (1st round pick by Ottawa) -- made the U.S. team, but is ineligible because he is serving a 10 game suspension in the OHL. And former Whaler, and current AHL player, J.T. Miller (Rangers 1st round pick) is playing on the U.S. team.