2011 NHL Off Season

well, im not going to sit here and argue/debate this with you guys. I see the difference but as i said before, its time to move aside, he has done all he can. I agree that the level of marketing the sport is a joke. An example is video games, there is a reason the MLB snuffed EA Sports but the NHL doesnt seem to get that. Also, i wanna know why, in order to watch games on my phone, i have to be a Verizon customer? Thats the stupidest thing they could have done. Alienate all iPhone and iPad people? One more thing, i HATE Versus and NBC when it comes to hockey. I agree with most of your arguments but lets face it, the game has changed for the better under his reign.
 
You see the Yzerman difference locally, not one from Bettman across the league.
 
Players have gotten better, teams are better at promoting themselves, and yes there are more fans now but I really think that has more to do with fellow fans spreading the word. Bettman has done a horrible job promoting the game, tv deals with a small cable company that many people didn't even get at first was a terrible idea. NBC sucks at promoting the game. The only way I can watch Flyers games are through the NHL Gamecenter thing, which is terrible compared to the MLB version (albeit, better than the NFL version which doesn't even exist for U.S.-based IP addresses). And the thing that bothers me most about it is, Gamecenter sucks because it is developed by one of Charles Wang's companies. Charles Wang doesn't give a rat's ass about hockey, he just likes the business opportunities. Also, the game has lost a bit of the "old-time hockey" feel, where players were (for the most part) humble, and (for the most part) carried tremendous respect for the game and fellow players. Bettman has created an environment of commercialism in the NHL, but has executed it poorly and is slowly draining the soul out of the game.
 
Sik, there was a lock out for a complete season. I was ready to walk away from being an NHL fan. The only reason I came back was because the Olympic games were so fucking awesome. And guess what, there are not planning to let NHL player play in the next games.
 
Ok, so there was a lockout, what else

some Ratings stuff i found on the interwebs:

The Puck Doctors

TV Blend

Attendance

09 article showing attendance rise

Like him or not, while he is at the helm shit is getting done.

If anyone should be mad about the lockout its me, in 04 MY team won the cup and didnt get to sefend. that ruined us, we are just now recovering. Im not mad at the players though, why should anyone quit watching because of a business/money issue? Im just saying, when people walk away from the game because of stuff like this then it hurts the ones who arent at fault. IMO
 
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There were two lockouts under Bettman (94-95 and 04-05). And the attendance is fairly obvious, there are more larger arenas in the league. Detroit probably has the oldest and smallest arena and that has been expanded via exemptions from the fire department to allow more peeps in. and the one smart thing that Bettman has done to increase viewers is to allow internet viewing and via cellphones. and is that really Bettman, or the people under him that are doing the job?
 
There were two lockouts under Bettman (94-95 and 04-05). And the attendance is fairly obvious, there are more larger arenas in the league. Detroit probably has the oldest and smallest arena and that has been expanded via exemptions from the fire department to allow more peeps in. and the one smart thing that Bettman has done to increase viewers is to allow internet viewing and via cellphones. and is that really Bettman, or the people under him that are doing the job?

Ok, so do you blame the presidents for wars or the advisers/generals?

go back and read what negative things i said about him, the cellphone viewing thing is a joke, i admit that but things have improved. thats just the bottom line. Now, ill agree to disagree with you if we can move on from this and talk about the offseason again. :0
 
Apparently Mike Danton has signed a contract with a swedish team...
 
"On November 8, 2004, Mike Danton was sentenced to 7.5 years in prison for hatching a plot to murder his mentor and agent, David Frost."
and IFK ?re?

2004-2005 Did not play |
2005-2006 Did not play |
2006-2007 Did not play |
2007-2008 Did not play |
2008-2009 Did not play |
2009-2010 Saint Mary's Univ. (CIS) CIS 7 3 1 4 22 |
2010-2011 Saint Mary's Univ. (CIS) CIS 28 3 2 5 30 | Playoffs 5 2 0 2 0
 
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Weber awarded $7.5mil, 1-year contract.

I can't believe they let it go to the damned arbiter. What the hell? Both sides have been saying a deal would get done, and it didn't. This pisses me off because it looks like the beginning of the end for Weber in Nashville. If Weber goes, Suter will either go with or be gone shortly after, and then they're back to where they always have been: no damned scoring and a good goaltender.
 
Another young player gone :sad:

Puck Daddy said:
Another hockey player gone too soon: Rick Rypien, who played parts of six seasons as a forward with the Vancouver Canucks, was found dead in his Alberta home on Monday.

...

Known primarily for his role as a fighter and physical presence in the lineup, Rypien amassed 226 penalty minutes in 119 NHL games. He was 27, and had signed with the Winnipeg Jets last month after a controversial season with the Canucks.

link
 
Just an fyi: the NHL 12 demo has been released for PS3 and after playing it it seems that EA has not surprised me at all, its the exact same fucking game as it has been for the last 5 years. wait, no, im wrong, there is a new cover and the menu's are diffe....no wait, they are the same as well. Dont waste your money
 
It is just a bit of a brush up on the previous year. But it is a bit more consistant in my opinion.
 
Yep, same game. Only notable difference is "Winter Classic" and "Be A Legend" added to the menu. Which is about an hour's worth of novelty. Rest is minor, like shattering glass and hits with helmets coming off. Doesn't even sound like the Winter Classic will come up in Be A Pro, which is where I spend most of my time anyways.
 
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