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Is there a comprehensive story written about the Phoenix Coyotes ownership saga?

AgentRocket — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 14:10:09 -0800

Is there a definitive write-up of the Phoenix Coyotes' recent ownership/bankruptcy saga? I have followed this story with one eyeball, and it makes no sense. From my understanding, here's the facts:

(1) The 'yotes moved to Phoenix and (surprise!) after a few years of not-great managment and playing in an arena that is not really anywhere near Phoenix they started losing lots of money;
(2) The owner prewired a deal to sell the team to super-rich BlackBerry guy Jim Balsillie for $212 Million + $17 Million in other fees. Balsillie planned to move the team near Toronto, where hockey is super-popular and where most agree a second team could flourish;
(3) The owner of the Coyotes filed bankruptcy and tried to connsumate the sale and the NHL freaked out and intervened to block it;
(4) After fighting in court, eventually the NHL's board unanimously rejected BlackBerry guy's deal and instead voted to sell the team to White Sox/Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf, who will pay only $148 Million.

I can't understand why the NHL would fight like hell to keep a team that is losing lots of money in a market that has proven that it can't support it in favor of moving it to a market that would be more successful, or why it would accept a bid that is less than 2/3 the value of the other bid, or why the commissioner seems to really really really not like the BlackBerry guy.

The story is ripe for a long-form behind the scenes type of writeup in a magazine, but I can't find anything other than news reporting and blog posts. Has there been any good quality journalism on this subject?

Buries It.

ajackson — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 20:14:01 -0800

Anyone know why "Buries It" is one of Mario Lemieux's nicknames, and the source of where it started?

Something's Bruin in DC... but where?

ibmcginty — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 10:59:48 -0800

Where should I, a Bruins fan, watch tonight's Bs-Canadiens hockey game in DC? The game doesn't appear to be on Vs., so is there a good NHL-focused spot?

C A P S, CAPS CAPS CAPS

zephyr_words — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 11:17:39 -0800

Tokyo, NHL hockey, and nightlife. I planned a trip to Tokyo months ago. I'll be there from the 18th to the 25th.
I'm also a Capitals season ticket holder and when the schedule was released this week for the playoffs my heart sunk seeing that I'd be missing home games 2&5 by about 12 hours.

Does anyone have any advice on where to go to watch NHL playoff games?
There used to be this place called the Maple Leaf but I think that's closed.
I'm hoping someone here has some firsthand sports bar experiences that have a place won't shun me for not wanting to watch futball.

My days are going to be pretty packed but I'm going to try to have some wicked fun nightlife while I'm there. Any advice on that would be good too.

Question about Pgh Penguins Throwback Jerseys.

Raichle — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 16:30:06 -0800

I am trying to settle a bet with a friend about the Pittsburgh Penguins throwback jerseys (blue). They were wearing them last night and apparently will wear them for select home games. How did they decide which games to wear them for? Is it when they play teams, like last night, that have black and gold on the away uniforms? If so, it's really distracting and hard to follow who to root for :)

"You never take advice. Someday, you'll pay the price, I know."

TheSecretDecoderRing — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 00:18:04 -0800

How can I watch hockey on TV more "actively"? I know everyone says how you have to see a game in person to really enjoy it, but that's not an option for me geographically, and even then, it's not like I could go to every game. I do get some HD games on Versus and the regional cable channel though, which is nice.

I've been a fan of the sport for several years, but while I follow my team as much as I can, I'm more of a "passive" viewer of games on TV, and don't find games involving other teams as interesting as I used to (although I guess that goes for a lot of people these days).

So, I'd like to develop a better idea of what to look for in terms of player positioning, preset plays, offensive/defensive strategies, etc. What sorts of little "game within the game" things do diehard fans notice? What made things click for you as a hockey viewer, and help you go beyond just following the puck around? Or what have you done to successfully help an acquaintance find the game more captivating? General or specific, I'll take whatever I can.

Anything for the top of my head?

nitsuj — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 10:44:33 -0800

So I really like the fit and style of Twins Enterprise fitted baseball caps, but I want something without team logos on it. Suggestions? No logo would be fine. Or perhaps something more obscure and entertaining than a standard MLB or NHL team logo. Is there a Threadless for ball caps? I've seen Fitizen, but I don't like that style.

Do you have any suggestions?

Help me pick out a LCD HDTV and accoutrements!

ebellicosa — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 22:07:49 -0800

Help me pick out a LCD HDTV and accoutrements wiithout falling prey to techno-hype! Budget is $2-3k for a ten-year techno-leap. Need to watch NHL hockey. AVphiles of MeFi: Help me pick out a LCD HDTV and paraphernalia!

Requirements:
1. I'd like to set up NHL Center Ice in HD for my husband this coming season. He's so cute sitting there with a bottle of beer, and his eyes glued to the screen. I like to call it The Immobilizer.
2. I'd like an LCD HDTV so I can hang it on the wall. After some research, I'm thinking a Samsung 46" 1080p 120Hz from Amazon's warehousedeals.com . I may have fallen into the trap of what they call "future-proofing".
3. I can wait a few more weeks. I hear the price is going to drop. But I'm not made of steel.
4. We have a nice Yamaha receiver and speakers from about 10 years ago that does Dolby surround.
5. I have a Wii to hook up to it.

More details
1. I am reasonably technical and handy with hooking things up, but I have been out of the AV loop for a decade or so.
2. Budget is about $2-3k.

Questions:
1. Aside from the HDTV, what else will I need? Is a Blu-ray DVD player worth it?
2. Which satellite network (DirecTV or DishNetworks) should I go with? Is their internet service any good?
3. Do I really need a professional installer? If so, how and where to find one?
4. How much of "future-proofing" is unnecessary features? Is 720p just dandy?

Your help, be it basic pointers or specific suggestions, is much appreciated!

In Seattle and need to watch the Penguins!

punkrockrat — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 13:25:28 -0800

I am staying in Seattle for a few days at the lovely Warwick hotel. However, I really would like to watch the Pittsburgh Penguins-Ottawa Senators playoff game tonight. Does anyone know somewhere close that I may be able to see it at?!?

NHL hockey shown in Oxford?

Fat Charlie the Archangel — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 05:00:07 -0800

Is there anywhere to watch live NHL hockey in Oxford? On Saturday there are afternoon NHL games in North America, which means during standard pub opening hours in the UK. Anywhere that shows some of the games? Alternately, does some Canadian/American expat group organize a screening?

Free NHL stats??

cgg — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 10:49:57 -0800

I want NHL (2007/08) stats. I want as much data as I can get my hands on, in a nice, easily parsed format. But I don't really want to pay for it. Can you help me find this data on the cheap? The downloadable stats here look like they'd be perfect. I'm not so keen on paying $89/year for them, however.

I don't suppose anyone knows where I could find this data for free?

My goal is to get these stats in a MySQL database, and I want to get them in there with as little effort as possible. As the season progress, I'll be updating the database, most likely on a daily basis. Obviously, NHL stats are available from every major sports news source, but they're usually buried in individual site pages.

If it comes down to it, I'll probably just either pony up the $$ to get them in .csv, or write something up that will scrape the boxscores/logs available on tsn.ca for every game. I am a software developer, so that's within my talents, but it just seems like... work. I'm also lazy, and I figure someone, somewhere has already done this work, and has made it publicly available... but where? Google is failing me. Unless someone else has a better idea...

On a related note, in case I'm going to have to do it myself - anyone have any strategies for easy page scraping? Any specific Perl or Python libraries I should look into?

Do any pro athletes blog?

greedo — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 18:11:44 -0800

Are there any professional athletes that maintain a blog during the sports season? I am looking for NFL, NHL, MLB or NBA athlete blogs specifically and not the training diaries of olympic athlete, boxers or golfers. Any tips?

Help me draft my NHL fantasy team

docgonzo — Sun, 02 Oct 2005 18:39:09 -0800

MeFi hockey geeks: Help me dominate my hockey pool. I'm in a hockey pool with the following rules: Draft seven players (1 centre, 2 wingers, 2 defense, 1 goalie + 1 extra attacker) with $30 million. (You can draft anyone irregardless of other player's picks.) Player cost is the same as salaries on the first day of the season. Points are awarded for goals (25); assists (25) and other stats; goalies get 50 points for a win and other accomplishments. You can drop and add players at will; costs float based on league demand and stats.

Obviously, the game rewards not only smart drafting of good players but also playing the market by buying low, selling high.

So: Who to pick? Will small snipers on quick teams flourish in the promised no-hooking rules of the "new" NHL or should I go with established blue-chippers? Will the Penguins/ Flames/ Sens really be as good as promised or will the Red Wings and Devils continue to dominate?

Avoid the trapezoid!

wolftrouble — Mon, 26 Sep 2005 16:47:43 -0800

What's the motivation behind the new NHL rule about 'the trapezoid': The newly-delineated area right behind the goal the goaltender is allowed to play the puck in? The only verbiage I've seen about it so far has been the rule itself: "Goalies may play the puck behind the goal line only in a trapezoid-shaped area defined by lines that begin six feet from either goal post and extend diagonally to points 28 feet apart at the end boards.". That's clear enough, I'm not confused about the mechanics. But I don't understand why. My google-fu has failed me, and after 2 pre-season games now I'm just as baffled as I was before I saw a game.

Basically all this rule does is create two patches of ice, in the corners, where the goaltender can't play the puck. But the goaltender rarely ever played the puck there -- It's way out of position, and if you saw him go behind the goal line at all it was to go directly behind the net (where he's still allowed to go) to stop the puck as it swung around, usually in a dump-and-chase attempt.

I'm a big fan of almost all the new rules (still thinking about the shoot-out), but this one has me at a loss. What will change as a result of this, or rather, what is it that they're attempting to change?

Where are the Peter Puck videos?

NewGear — Mon, 07 Mar 2005 12:58:22 -0800

My 1st question ever! Anybody know where to get videos of the old Peter Puck NHL animated cartoon spots? I've been looking for the Peter Puck shorts for years, and haven't had any luck. They were shorts made by Hanna-Barbera for NHL broadcasts on NBC in the early 1970s, and were meant to be an entertaining and easy way to teach new viewers about the basic rules of hockey. I love the character design and the look of the animation, and would love to get my hands on copies of the shorts. DVD, VHS, MPEG, AVI, Quicktime, whatever! Anything would be helpful. (Now, if Cartoon Network or whoever holds the rights to this particular Hanna-Barbera vehicle would put out a commemorative dvd, then that would rule, but I'll settle for what I can get!) Thanks to all!

A stand-up Goalie?

edlundart — Thu, 01 Jan 2004 09:28:32 -0800

Why doesn't an NHL hockey team hire a morbidly obese man as a goalie? He could just relax on his side in front of the goal, covering up the entire goalframe. Hockey goalies are incredible athletes, but is my "proposal" unthinkable? Are there not men big enough, or are there rules that say a goalie must stand, not lie down?