Two for Elbowing

Sharks sign Marleau to extension

San Jose Mercury News - Sharks sign Marleau to extension:

Sharks General Manager Doug Wilson today signed center Patrick Marleau to a two-year contract extension that will keep him in San Jose until 2010. Marleau's $4.5 million salary for the coming season will rise to $6.3 million each of the next two years.

"I think it's really important," Wilson said of today's announcement, "not only for the continuity, but to recognize the players who have been through our experiences the past couple years, the guys who understand what we're trying to do and how we're going to get there."

Okay, will all the pundits who had Marleau shipped out and unable to play for this team please stand up and eat some crow? Starting with, say, Bill Clement, who ran this one hot and heavy on XM during the playoffs?

No? Oh, sorry. Asking too much again, I see.

Hockey on Facebook

I've been exploring Facebook a fair amount recently. Laurie and I have been involved with and managing online communities since (it seems) forever, and it's fascinating to see how the new technologies make this possible and easy (well, easier). Facebook is the big "new puppy" in this space, for good reason (and for those looking to build their own, check out Ning)

With hockey season getting ready to gear up (DROP THE DAMN PUCK ALREADY), there's been some recent interest in hockey over on facebook -- they've created a group for NHL fans and it has pointers to groups for each of the NHL teams. The one for the San Jose Sharks is here.

What caught my eye is the relative sizes. The Sharks group has 1700 members, while the Coyotes only as 200 and the Capitals 300 (at the time of writing this). The Canadian groups, on the other hand, are exploding: Toronto 15,800, Ottawa 15,500, Calgary 11,100, Edmonton 12,400, Montreal a measly 8,450. The only US team taht comes close to these numbers is -- no, not detroit, definitely not Philly, and certainly not the Rangers: It's Buffalo, with 11,100. Obviously has something to do with the proximity to the border -- and maybe a lack of anything else to do during those lake effect snows...

If you're not on Facebook, maybe you should give it a try -- it's amazing how far we've come from the days when Laurie and I ran mailing lists for most of the NHL teams off of a Linux server in the back room, and how much more you can do within the community. If you are on Facebook, consider getting involved (and if you are, and read this blog, feel free to connect to me as a friend if you want)

Fun stuff.

Way back when, our Sharks mailing list peaked at between 500-600 members, and the membership either owned or shared season tickets for about 11% of the Shark Tank, and I think at our peak we ran lists for about 25 NHL teams and 31 or 32 lists total (including minor league stuff -- anyone else remember Roller Hockey International any more? (go rhinos!)); as the net grew up, more options showed up and we saw that as a good thing and encouraged it and over time, started slowing down and then finally handed off the Sharks list to the next generation of owners a couple of years ago -- today, we only have two lists, our women-in-hockey list, and the south-bay-birds list, and I'm going to be moving both of those to yahoo groups soon and shutting down my personal list server for the last time.

Today, it's a lot easier to create these communities and you can do more within them, but sometimes I think that makes them a little more superficial or casual -- but perhaps that's just because I'm not running them and in the middle of everything.

They're still fun, though. If you aren't involved, you should check it out...

Michael Vick pleads guilty

TSN : NFL - Canada's Sports Leader:

First, Michael Vick apologized to all the people he lied to. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank. Coach Bobby Petrino. His teammates.

''I was not honest and forthright in our discussions,'' the star quarterback said Monday, sombre and deliberate and not speaking from notes.

Then he apologized to ''all the young kids out there for my immature acts.''

''I need to grow up,'' he added.

And so began a public act of contrition from Vick, who pleaded guilty to a federal dogfighting charge and then stood behind a podium to say his job now was ''bettering Michael Vick the person, not the football player.''

And so we can now drop the word Alleged out of the discussion, a word my father always loathed as a newspaper guy.

Vick was immediately suspended indefinitely by the NFL, and the CFL came out and without mentioning him by name, pointed out that they honor suspensions. And now we wait until December to see what the penalty will be.

I wish I could believe Vick's apology was honest and not just his lawyer trying to minimize the damage -- but I don't. And it'll take some doing for Vick to convince me otherwise.

He got off fairly easy, especially compared to his dogs.

Ted Leonsis on Slingbox.

Ted's Take - Thrilled:

We just bought a Slingbox from Best Buy for my son's laptop computer. He will now be able to watch all Caps and Wizards games on Comcast as he matriculates at UPenn. This is an amazing device and service. It is cheap, efficient and delivers a high "wow" factor.

Here's another good example of why I've become a big hockey fans over the years -- while my baseball fandom has waned significantly.

At the same time that Major League Baseball has been trying to get Slingbox shut down, because (gasp) it might allow someone, somewhere, to see a baseball game in a way other than exactly the way Major League Baseball wants to allow them to see it (even if they paid for it!) -- Ted Leonsis, owner of the Capitals, bought one for his son to use to see games broadcast to the home while he's away at college.

One sport is trying to stifle a fan's ability to follow their teams -- or at least squeeze even more money out of those fans along the way -- while another is taking advantage of the technology.

There's been a lot of whining and navel-gazing over the NHL's inability to get "big money" out of television, and being gate driven in revenues. Perhaps that's a blessing in disguise, because it makes the league more willing (and able to from contractual flexibility) to embrace new technologies instead of defending aging revenue streams.

Which league do you think is better placed to move to the future? I know which one I'm betting on.

Binding Agreement for Preds Sale coming soon

On the Forecheck: Binding Agreement for Preds Sale coming soon - NHL Statistics, Analysis, and Opinion:
This morning's Nashville  City Paper is reporting that the binding agreement between the David  Freeman group and Craig Leipold will be submitted to the NHL either today, or  more likely, on Monday.  If the NHL owners aren't prepared to vote on the  sale during their September meeting, they can have a followup vote by fax when  the time is right. 

Also, the Tennessean  reports this morning that the Nashville Chamber of Commerce has unilaterally  passed a resolution supporting the local group's proposal to change the Sommet  Center lease. 

Sharks' Marleau wants to stay

San Jose Mercury News - Sharks' Marleau wants to stay:

Marleau put it simply:

"I think Joe has made a commitment here and I'm looking to do the same."

So we can put the Marleau rumors to rest for good... (in reality, the rumors were being driving by teams that wanted him and a few wonky media wits, not by anyone in San jose).

Michalek closing in on long-term contract

San Jose Mercury News - Michalek closing in on long-term contract:

Sharks left wing Milan Michalek may be close to getting a lengthy contract extension, but the deal doesn't appear to be done just yet.

A Web site in Michalek's native Czech Republic is reporting that the Sharks are giving Michalek a six-year, $26 million deal. But while there were indications that an agreement could be imminent, both Sharks General Manager Doug Wilson and Michalek's agent, Allan Walsh, stressed that none is in place.

This is great news, a potential UFA off the market early, and Michalek is a key player.

Wilson has intimated a couple of times that there's work being done on extending Marleau, also, and while Ottawa made a strong play for Patrick, the Sharks have made it clear they're not moving him unless they're overwhelmed by the offer, so this is probably a matter of time.

Mark Smith is also a possibility for coming back -- there's a contract on the table, but Smith would like more playing time, and the Sharks have given him the opportunity to explore whether he can get it from another team. I expect that'll be resolved before camp opens, but the Sharks have not put a deadline on it that I've heard.

FWIW, tickets for the three san jose pre-season games go on sale saturday.

Ricci and Marchment join the Sharks

TSN : NHL - Canada's Sports Leader:

The San Jose Sharks announced Tuesday that that the club has added almuni Mike Ricci and Bryan Marchment to the hockey department staff.

Ricci will serve as Advisor to Hockey Operations while Marchment has been named to the position of Scout and Player Development.

Ricci, in his new role, will serve as a consultant to the club's hockey operations department and assist in player development. He will also serve various roles within the organization, including marketing, promotions and community relations.

Marchment's duties will include working with players in San Jose and Worcester, as well as scouting Sharks prospects at the college and Canadian major junior levels.  He will also serve as an advisor to the hockey operations department.

(good moves on both guys for the Sharks)

Why don't people want Eddie Eagle?

Jibblescribbits: Why don't people want Eddie Eagle?:

Eddie Eagle, a two time Stanley Cup winner in Dallas, looks like he's headed to Sweden to play goalie. I wonder why teams aren't more accommodating to the future hall-of-famer. Yes his partying ways are the stuff of legend ($1B is classic), and his age is a concern, but the guy put together a quietly strong season in Florida last season, and while I think he's seen the last of his Stanley Cup winning days he could still be a serviceable #1 goalie next season.

He's old, expensive, has a bad back that he's been fairly lucky hasn't blown up on him recently, and...

He's high maintenance. And shown he's not exactly a good mentor to a young, upcoming goalie.

His time in San Jose, short as it was, was memorable, and not in good ways. Suffice it to say he's not on many christmas card lists among the equipment staff; something about being very finicky (okay, fussy. Okay, anal) about his gear, and then wandering into the sunset at the end of the season without a thank you, much less tipping the guys who put in so much time trying to make him happy. I've heard Belfour stories from any number of folks, from Dean Lombardi to the stick guys to various locals who's path intersected him during his stay here -- few players have made such an impression in such a short time here.

And that is, if you ask me, the problem: you can be high maintenance when you're a clear #1 goalie -- but it's not clear Belfour is any more. He's also not the guy you want in town if you're looking for a year or two bridge until your kid is cooked, because he's never shown himself interested in mentoring (and if he goes on the shelf with an injury, he's evidently just amazingly fun to be around -- good goalie doesn't imply good teammate).

Bringing in Belfour brings in risks. What if he isn't your clear #1? Tempermentally -- and with the work his back requires to get gready for a game -- he's not well-suited to be a backup. If you're a GM, it comes down to whether the challenges are worth the risk, and it's clear everyone said no.

Me? I'd bring in Sean Burke first. Or maybe Bob Essensa.

Seriously -- either Sean Burke or Curtis Joseph would be a better guy to bring in if you want a greybeard -- because both of them would understand their role and the needs of the team -- and Belfour doesn't have a good track record there.

ESPN - Preds ownership group says deal could fall through - NHL

ESPN - Preds ownership group says deal could fall through - NHL:

City officials told ESPN.com the changes to the lease would cost taxpayers up to $5 million annually, while a consultant hired by the ownership group insisted that number is lower, closer to $3 million.

Joe Hall, the consultant hired by the ownership group, insisted to ESPN.com there was no attempt to keep lease changes secret from the public, but rather the group didn't want the lease issue to become "a political football.

One voter's political football is another voter's right to know and discuss and debate the use of public funds. But that appears to be a matter of semantics for the ownership group.

here's a hint to the prospective Predator's ownership: it was a political football from the second you called the mayor and said "we need to talk". Keeping it quiet doesn't make it something else; it simply is your trying to make it easier to get it done before the opposition notices.

That failed; and now you also have to contend with the fact that you look like you were trying to hide something. $3m a year is a lot of money; $5m is even more. Doesn't matter which number is right -- it's a lot of money. And this needs to be handled in the open. the larger issue isn't the money, but whether Nashville should keep the Preds, and at what price (we know what the hockey fans will say; whether the team is a good investment to the larger population -- that's clearly still open for discussion)

The bottom line for the group is that it insists changes are needed to help make the arena more profitable for taxpayers and the team."This is a work in progress," Hall said. "We're kind of in the first chapter of a new book."

They're being disingenuous here -- because there's been some serious push to try to fast track this deal; there's been attempts to get it before the Board of Governors for approval sooner rather than later, the exclusive negotiating rights with Leipold are quite short, and tehy were trying to get the lease deal done without an extended debate. So PLEASe don't tell me it's just the first chapter of a new book when you've already fedexed the draft off to the printers. Can't have it both ways...

Now, I think the deal the new group is trying to make with the city ($3m or $5m or whatever) is a decent one; given the losses Leipold had there and what he tried to get to break even, the new owners are going to lose money for a while, maybe a long while. It makes sense to have the government part of this partnership if this is to go ahead, and the new group seems to have made concessions designed to avoid them being seen as sponging off taxpayers, and for putting money back into the community if/when they do go profitable, while maintaining a competitive pricing setup for fans. Those are all laudible.

Now, does it make sense for teh government and the region? I don't have a clue, I won't guess. The government will have to hash that out, and one important aspect of that is listening to the taxpayers. And it's not as simple as "this is a good investment" -- maybe it is, maybe it isn't. But also, maybe there's a BETTER or more important investment for that money that taxpayers might prefer. You can't figure that out if you hide this from public view like the ownership group tried. Bad on them, and it probably makes their job convincing folks harder.

One good thing: if this ownership group falls through or the government chooses not to make concessions, that should make resolving this issue and moving the team to Kansas City a simple matter. Both sides at that point should just od a "we tried", shake hands, move on. I can't see the government refusing to fix the lease but forcing an unwilling ownership to abide by it anyway (well, I can, but I doubt it'd succeed, and down that road lies rich lawyers and no winners).

This is, in actuality, a really good way to get this resolved. New ownership steps up to the plate locally, they've done the business analysis -- that analysis clearly seems to prove Leipold right, that hockey simply wasn't ever going to be profitable in nashville under the existing terms, no matter what he did -- and either the owners and the government come to terms on a new structure where everyone can do okay, or they dissolve it and walk away and teh team moves. At least there won't be the ambiguity or unknowns there'd be if Balsillie had gotten away with his attempt...