Su Blog Frozen

15 Comments

1. pepper wrote:

   Wow, a correlation of 2.5 points? Sounds like another case of conclude first, collect data later.

   Tuesday, February 12, 2008 at 5:50 pm | Permalink
2. Paul wrote:

   Having recently lived, played, and officiated in the “Southeastern District”, I can assure you that the game, at least on a youth level, is growing and even thriving in some places. The fact that this doesn’t correlate to ratings/attendance is that its the kids that are learning to love the game, not necessarily the parents.

   Additionally, a lot of the markets where the sport is gaining popularity are not all that close to NHL markets. Places like Birmingham, Baton Rouge, Memphis, Jackson, and even Huntsville are all hours away from NHL arenas.

   The sport is taking roots however, and while it will never supplant college football, it was surprising to me (a Boston native) the number of kids who are learning and loving the game despite parents who cannot even skate.

   Tuesday, February 12, 2008 at 6:54 pm | Permalink
3. quarter wrote:

   This correlation obviously translates to football as well. See Dan Snyder.

   Tuesday, February 12, 2008 at 7:09 pm | Permalink
4. grapejoos wrote:

   A high payroll didn’t guarantee anything even before the cap was in place (see: NY Rangers), and the same is true now. Detroit is obviously throwing these numbers off, and they’re successful not because of money, but because they’re one of the best-run organizations in pro sports (I hate them, but it’s true). Developing good players in your own system is the key to winning, period.

   Tuesday, February 12, 2008 at 7:15 pm | Permalink
5. Thunderweenie wrote:

   A few quick comments (you know I have to pop up sometime, right?):

   1) DCSC, fun article. Your stuff is always worth reading. This blog just keeps getting better and better.

   2) Money is funny in hockey–while you can’t expect to win a championship on the cheap, you also can’t buy one the way you can in baseball. In the recent era, the teams that have enjoyed success have been the ones who drafted and traded and signed well, not necessarily the ones who simply threw gobs of money around (see under: Toronto Maple Leafs). Money helps, but its not enough.

   3) Detroit is a machine, sure, and they are one of those very teams that drafts and trades and signs well. However, they are also in a weak division, or at least a very mismatched one. The Central may not be as truly horrid as in years past (Columbus seems to have clawed out of the basement), but the Wings still have the luxury of playing 32 games per season against teams that are well, well below them in calibre. Something to bear in mind.

   4) You think WASHINGTON doesn’t feel like a southerly locale? As I write this from Toronto, we are under a “snowfall warning” (when the hell did you last get one of THOSE in DC?…), and we’re expecting about 8 inches of the damned stuff tonight. Its 25 degrees F, with the wind making it feel like 14.

   And what’s worse, you’ll be breaking out the flip-flops before I’ve put away my boots. Guaranteed.

   Tuesday, February 12, 2008 at 10:37 pm | Permalink
6. Drew wrote:

   For those who live in DC, and know the frustration of fighting for media and cultural competence against the Redskins or even the Wizards, I know deep down that it’s fair to compare us against Tampa, Nashville, or Phoenix. Still, it stings to have twenty years invested in a team and still look, to the rest of the hockey world, like a johnny-come-lately.

   Tuesday, February 12, 2008 at 11:46 pm | Permalink
7. Sadie wrote:

   Thunderweenie, what do you mean by pointing out the “luxury” of the Wings playing Central Divsion teams? Setting aside for a moment the fact that playing teams that mostly won’t make the playoffs for pretty much the entire month of March may not be the best preparation for the first round, the Wings really haven’t benefited from their division in terms of points this season. They’re 14-0-2 against the Northwest, 14-3-0 against the Pacific, and 6-2-1 against the Eastern Conference, but only 7-8-2 against Central.

   Wednesday, February 13, 2008 at 6:06 am | Permalink
8. DC Sports Chick wrote:

   Thanks for the compliment, Thunderweenie!

   Granted, our winter weather isn’t usually that bad, but if you saw the ice storm we had yesterday, you might reconsider

   Wednesday, February 13, 2008 at 7:21 am | Permalink
9. chanuck wrote:

   I would rather have snow any day over ice. Hell I just want snow. I miss Snow.

   Wednesday, February 13, 2008 at 8:07 am | Permalink
10. Thunderweenie wrote:

    Sadie, you make a fair point about Detroit’s record this year, and I’m not denying for a moment that the Wings are for real. Buuuuut…..from my back-of-the-beer-coaster calculations, the Wings were a jaw-dropping 22-4-6 in their conference last year. And as you pointed out yourself, they’ve got 15 intra-Conference games all piled into their 23 games remaining this season. So while their record against Central teams and their final point total won’t necessarily be as lopsided this year as they were last year (one never knows), I wouldn’t be surprised if it edges that way.

    My point is that they don’t exactly exist in the League’s toughest division, and their point total has to be read in that context.

    And DCSC and Chanuck…you wouldn’t miss snow if you had been out there shoveling the damned stuff with me at 6:45 this morning!!!! And yes, there’s a layer of ice under there, too! Say, you guys have a couch I could crash on for the next three or four months?

    Wednesday, February 13, 2008 at 10:42 am | Permalink
11. MulletMan wrote:

    Thunder,
    why don’t we just swap homes for the winter…works for me. Then I can also watch more OHL games, spend less money, and regularly visit the local Tim Hortons.

    Wednesday, February 13, 2008 at 11:57 am | Permalink
12. haveyouseenlucky wrote:

    Eeeexcellent!

    (Sorry, that’s all I got)

    Why on earth would they do the analysis for only one season? Unless they were just doing the analysis to ‘prove’ a point they already had in mind…

    Wednesday, February 13, 2008 at 12:10 pm | Permalink
13. Thunderweenie wrote:

    Depends where you live, MulletMan, but given that we have yet more snow in the forecast for later this week, you may want to choose wisely…

    Wednesday, February 13, 2008 at 12:20 pm | Permalink
14. MulletMan wrote:

    We might have to swap cars also though. I’ve heard that mustangs don’t like the snow that much

    Wednesday, February 13, 2008 at 12:54 pm | Permalink
15. Thunderweenie wrote:

    BTW, I had never heard of Hockey Weekend in America, likely because I live in Canada. But it sounds great! Promote hockey at the grassroots level, I say–forget whether the Nashville/Kansas City/Las Vegas Predators will be successful or not. Growing the game and growing the NHL are not necessarily the same thing.

    You guys and gals at OFB have also done more to promote genuine hockey interest in the US than the NHL has done in a decade and a half.

    Wednesday, February 13, 2008 at 2:16 pm | Permalink

Post a Comment