When you see the clip, you can't help but channel Al Michaels' “He did what?!?!” In the name of competition, you can slam someone into a plexiglass, bareknuckle box for awhile or even whack a guy in the leg with a stick and probably not face punishment. What you can't do is what Vancouver enforcer Rick Rypien did: physically assault a fan.
The Associated Press reported Wednesday that Rypien was suspended indefinitely pending investigation for grabbing a Minnesota fan Tuesday night in a 6-1 loss to the Wild. As you can see in the video, Rypien goes after the 28-year-old fan after being assessed a double minor for roughing and a 10-minute misconduct. The NHL will hold a hearing, likely on Friday, to determine how long to keep Rypien out of play.
How long is the question the hockey community has been bouncing around for the last 24 hours or so since the incident. The problem for the NHL is precedent; it is difficult to compare this issue to the Indiana Pacers' Ron Artest jumping into the stands while guard Stephen Jackson threw punches on the court. Artest's actions caused an all-out mob scene, while Rypien's actions were isolated to one fan.
To say it wasn't as bad as the “Malice in the Palace” isn't to say it wasn't bad. Unlike the Pacers' problems, the Wild fan wasn't wild, he was simply clapping.
TheHockeyWriters.com laid out factors that head disciplinarian Colin Campbell will have to consider when suspending Rypien: 1) The fan didn't go after Rypien 2) The fan egged Rypien on after he'd just been in a physical altercation and 3) the league cannot tolerate fan-player altercations.
A few can be added to the list including the fact that Rypien doesn't have any type of record. If this was Sean Avery, he'd be on his couch for the rest of the season. Another factor is that the Canucks' general manager Mike Gillis said Rypien is a good teammate and good in the community. Rypien's management won't be able to eliminate a suspension, but it could help ensure he returns before 2011.
Clearly Rypien broke the rules, but Campbell can't react based on the outcry. The league has to make sure Rypien and other players know the fans are off limits, while keeping in mind no one was hurt and Rypien's reaction was one of human-nature and was not in any way planned or thought out.
Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter
We’ve said this before, but…it appears the Phoenix Coyotes will have a new owner. I’m sure by now the Glendale crying wolf bit is getting tiresome, but according to the Winnipeg Free Press, this could be the real deal.
A spokesperson for the City of Glendale told the Free Press that the city and the Hulsizer group, headed by Chicago businessman Matthew Hulsizer, have agreed in principle to a lease that would allow the group to purchase the Phoenix Coyotes from the NHL. The reported $165 million deal will still need to be approved by the NHL board of governors.
The NHL purchased the team out of bankruptcy for $140 million in the spring of 2009, then reportedly lost $30 million (the city agreed to pay the NHL back). The city put $25 million in escrow while they waited for a new owner.
The city’s back is up against the wall with this deal. The NHL told the City of Glendale they’d need to find a buyer by Dec. 31 or the league would relocate the franchise.
We’ve learned when it comes to the City of Glendale and the Coyotes, anything can happen. During last year’s playoffs, Gary Bettman said on TV that he was happy to welcome Chicago sports mogul Jerry Reinsdorf to the NHL arena as the new owner of the Coyotes. That deal fell through, as did the Ice Edge Holdings group, who also dropped out after negotiations.
Details outside the price have not been released, but we can assume Hilsizer will pick up the NHL’s losses.
Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter
The New York Islanders finally found a radio station with the signal strength to provide game casts to listeners, but the choice is raising eyebrows. Radio Hofstra University (WRHU) will now carry Islanders games. The fact that the team is going with a college radio station is unique on its own, but the most of the head-scratching is over the amount of participation during broadcasts by Hofstra university students.
Chris Botta, who covers the Islanders for Islanders Point Blank, said the team will keep broadcaster Chris King, but allow Hofstra students to cover intermissions, sideline reporting and even possibly serve as color commentators. Students would also run all the technical and audio aspects.
The Islanders competition, the Rangers and New Jersey Devils, are on two of New York City’s biggest stations ESPN Radio and CBS-owned WFAN. BusinessInsider.com columnist Adam Fusfeld said of the move, “This is a pretty embarrassing situation for the Islanders…it’s just one more reason the Islanders need to take the first train out of Long Island.”
While Fusfeld’s words are harsh, he isn’t the only one sounding off, Eric Mirlis, who used to work public relations for the Islanders wrote a seething blog post ripping the team’s decision to use college students, in the post he said:
“Look at every analyst on every broadcast you watch. The overwhelming majority are former players or coaches, who have a knowledge of the game that is more intricate and in depth than anyone really cares to realize. I’ll always be of the opinion that a former player or coach should be in that spot, especially one that has ties to the team that fans can grab onto and relate to on a personal level. You will also find the occasional media member as the analyst. This is how Chris King originally got into the Islander broadcasting biz, how Sherry Ross became the Devils radio analyst and how Suzyn Waldman earned her way onto Yankee broadcasts. None of them played the game professionally, but all had an insight into the game that came with years of being around the game and all deserved the opportunity they got to show their stuff on the air.”
A quality radio or TV broadcast can be a major asset to a sports franchise (think about how much the YES Network benefits the New York Yankees), so it’s difficult to say the quality of a college station’s game cast will be anywhere near the level of ESPN or WFAN. Not difficult, impossible. Not to mention the move takes away potential jobs for out-of-work media professionals who have the ability to produce a broadcast. The Islanders’ move essentially drives down salaries for those working in radio by saying, “why should we pay a pro when a college student can do it for free (or super cheap).”
This is the problem newspapers have run into over the past 10 years or so and the state of print journalism is sad to say the least. It is understood by all that the move about cutting costs, but if AHL teams who draw 4,000 a night can afford to pay professionals, many are going to ask why an NHL team can not.
Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter
The NHL and the creator of Spider-Man seem like an unlikely duo, but the league and Spider-Man creator Stan Lee announced a new partnership to form Guardian Media Entertainment LLC. Lee will create 30 Guardians, one to represent each NHL team, as a series of superheroes.
Executive Vice President of Marketing for the NHL Brian Jennings said via NHL.com that working with Lee can help reach a new audience, "To be in business with Stan Lee and to be able to bring his latest superheroes to our fans is incredibly exciting to all of us at the NHL," said Jennings. "We are in constant pursuit of new ways to engage our fans and to introduce new fans to hockey, and the business of Guardian Media Entertainment does exactly that."
Motion-capture technology will be used by Vicon House of Moves, who also worked on Ironman 2. A teaser package will be unveiled during the Oct. 8, 2010 panel presentation of The Guardian Project at New York's Comic Con, the entire project will be unveiled Jan. 30, 2011. Watch the NHL.com video
Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter
NESN will deliver live and exclusive high definition coverage of up to 72 Boston Bruins games during the 2010/11 season, the network's 26th season covering Bruins hockey. The season gets started in historic fashion as the Bruins travel to Prague in the Czech Republic with two games against the Phoenix Coyotes on Saturday, October 9th and Sunday, October 10th. NESN's coverage will begin with WB Mason Bruins Face-Off Live at 11:30 AM on Saturday and at 9:30 AM on Sunday.
"Over 25,000 Bruins fans showed up at TD Garden in September to get an early glimpse of Tyler Seguin and the Bruins rookies," said Joel Feld, NESN's executive vice president of programming and executive producer. "NESN knows there is a level of fan passion and excitement this year that will make our coverage more exciting than ever. With the return of our veteran broadcast team and the debut of The Big Bad Bruins Show with Kathryn Tappen, NESN is the definitive source for all Bruins action, news and information."
Former ESPN anchor Jack Edwards and Andy Brickley return for their sixth season together in the NESN broadcast booth. They will be joined by reporter Naoko Funayama who enters her third season with the network. Kathryn Tappen will once again lead NESN’s studio team as host of WB Mason Bruins Face-Off Live, NESN’s intermission coverage and Bruins Overtime Live presented by Ace Ticket. She will once again be joined by former Bruins favorites Mike Milbury, Barry Pederson, and Gord Kluzak.
In a financially motivated decision, Edwards and Brickley will not be in Prague with the Bruins for their season opening games with the Coyotes, calling both games from NESN's studios to save on expenses. However, Funayama will be on-site in Prague. Edwards told Chad Finn of the Boston Globe that the decision, while disappointing is understandable.
Brickley will set the stage for the regular season on Thursday, October 14 at 7:00 PM with The Bricks: 2010/11 Bruins Season Preview; a half-hour special that will look ahead to the coming season and introduce Bruins fans to the team’s exciting off-season additions. Brickley will also make his pre-season predictions about the Bruins and the rest of the league and look back at the team’s season opening trip to Prague.
NESN will launch a new weekly show called The Big Bad Bruins Show on Saturday, October 23 at 6:00 PM. Hosted by Kathryn Tappen, the Original NESN Entertainment production will feature in-depth one-on-one conversations with Bruins players, a regular segment with Bruins President Cam Neely, and weekly reports from reporter Funayama.
The Instigators with Milbury will return for its third season on Thursday, October 28 at 10:30 PM. Milbury holds back nothing when sharing his opinions on the hottest issues and latest controversies in the NHL. Edwards and Brickley will once again mix it up with Milbury on a regular basis along with other special guest commentators including another episode this winter featuring former Bruins coach and hockey icon Don Cherry.
NESN’s in-depth coverage of the Bruins also extends online with NESN.com’s Bruins beat writer Doug Flynn providing daily Bruins news and analysis along with a live blog during every game. Edwards, Brickley, Tappen and Funayama will also contribute regularly over the course of the season. NESN.com offers the network’s best Bruins highlights and interviews in addition to interactive fan forums, polls, photo galleries, quizzes and Top 10 Bruins prospect lists.
NESN’s Bruins coverage also extends to fans outside New England who subscribe to a sports package that includes NESN National, the network’s national television service. NESN’s pre and post-game shows, Bruins in 2 replays, Bruins Classic games, The Bricks, The Big Bad Bruins Show and The Instigators are all available to NESN National subscribers throughout the season. NESN’s Bruins game broadcasts can also be enjoyed outside New England by purchasing the NHL Center Ice package.
After a lockout caused the NHL to miss the 2004-05 season, the league was sitting at rock bottom. The league left the most recognizable company in sports ESPN and joined forces with a virtually unknown (to hockey fans at least) network Versus, signing a three-year, $207.5 million deal that included an option for three more seasons.
On the back of the new rules, the Winter Classic, the Olympics and incredibly intense playoffs and Stanley Cup Finals, the league has found its way to relevance, even substantial popularity. And just in time for a new TV deal.
SportsBusiness Journal reported Monday that the NHL expects to take score big with their next deal, possibly even see a 50 percent boost from the aforementioned contract. That would increase the numbers to more than $115 million per year, or $3.87 million per team per year.
The NHL’s momentum could cause the price to go up, SBJ says both ESPN and FOX are considering putting together offers. The ratings on Versus increased significantly since the first year of the contract, the network averaged 118,175 viewers in ’06. Last season the NHL on Versus saw 775,000 viewers through the first 54 telecasts of the Stanley Cup playoffs, then posted 3.6 million viewers for Game 2 of the Stanley Cup, Versus’ highest rated game in the network’s history.
Signs point to Versus retaining the deal, the network has increased distribution from 64 million households to 75 million and its asset value has doubled from $625 million to $1.3 billion. It would be well worth it to Versus to increase the offer by 50 percent; where would they be without their partnership with the NHL? SportsBusiness Journal featured a Turnkey survey which found that 50 percent of more than 1,100 senior-level sports executives said the NHL would stay on Versus. Both ESPN and NBC scored 38 percent of the votes (those polled could vote more than once).
Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter
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