Brian Burke was merely trying to honor his son. But his standing in hockey has shed light on the issue of the anti-gay culture which exists in sports. Not just across hockey, not just across professional sports, but across all sports.
Burke, the general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, lost his son Brendan in a car accident just months after he revealed that he was gay. Last week Burke marched in a gay pride parade in Toronto. The intention was to show respect, the result was good conversation.
National Post writer Bruce Arthur told Brendan’s story from his family’s perspective. Homosexuals are denigrated and dehumanized in sports communities, take the Blackhawks’ locker room white board during the Stanley Cup for example: Next to Chris Pronger’s name read, “is gay.” Arthur made the issue human. Here’s an excerpt:
Two months earlier Brendan had revealed to the world that he was gay. A student manager for the hockey team at Miami University in Ohio, he took up the mantle for tolerance in sports, agreeing to come out publicly in an article on ESPN.com. When he had come out to his father a year earlier — his bluff, macho, tough, Irish Catholic father — Burke didn't have to take a breath and wonder what to say. "This won't change anything," he told his son.
Burke said he didn’t think there was anything heroic about being there for then and honoring his son now. Indeed. But Burke’s openness in allowing the media to cover his story, to allow his to affect lives of gay athletes and the parents of gay athletes is heroic. In 2005, NBC hired Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates to study how the public views gay athletes. The study found that 68 percent of near 1,000 surveyed said it would hurt an athlete’s career to be openly gay. Brendan Burke wasn’t an athlete, he was a student manager of the Miami University in Ohio men’s hockey team, but his father’s prominent position in sports gave a voice to sports writers, athletes, executives and fans to ask: “Is enough being said? Is enough being done?”
John Fischer, who runs a New Jersey Devils blog, wrote that fans should take it as a responsibility to work to combat bigotry. In the NBC study, nearly half said that America needs an open discussion on homosexuality and sports, yet until now, at least in hockey, there’s only been silence. Fischer, who generally asks fans their favorite Devils player, finds himself asking strong rhetorical questions:
Why would a gay person want to play the game if the banter in the locker room is disparaging of homosexuals, as if same-sex relations are a bad thing? How can anyone at any level of the game at any position on any team possibly think about coming out of the closet if being gay is the subject of derision and insult?
Here’s another rhetorical questions: Would we be asking these questions without Brendan and Brian Burke’s story?
Another hockey writer Derek Zona of Copper & Blue wrote about persisting homophobia in hockey. Zona responded to anti-gay e-mails in response to a story written about Burke. The conversation continued with Zona’s cause and effect of homophobia on individual athletes:
The anti-gay culture is pervasive throughout all levels of hockey and it's not likely to change any time soon without a giant push in the right direction from the NHL. There are still over 15,000 near-adults playing higher-level amateur hockey in North America. Of those, some 3,500 are playing Major Junior or NCAA Hockey. As sure as Brian Burke is that there are gay men in professional hockey, I'm sure that there are many times that number in the amateur ranks. Yet these kids are left on their own, far from home, far from any support system, invariably alone, a gay kid playing a sport in which gay men are reviled, living in fear of being discovered. There is nowhere to go, no one to talk to, and nowhere to turn but inside themselves, and that loneliness and fear almost certainly impacts their on-ice performance and, to a greater extent, their careers.
The NBC study found that 42 percent said if ESPN created a television special on the accomplishments of gay athletes, viewers would be enraged. Only 22 percent said people wouldn’t be enraged. The story of Brendan and Brian Burke may have enraged 42 percent, but it also brought it to light for those who had never considered the struggles of homosexuals in sports.
Martin Luther King Jr. said “An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.”
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Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be contacted at
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While Taylor Hall and Tyler Seguin may have headlined the 2010 NHL draft class, an emerging underlying story from over this past weekend is the performance by the dozens of US-born players who were selected in this year’s draft and what it means for the popularity of hockey in the United States.
ESPN reports that, over the course of the draft, 59 Americans were selected from diverse states including Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey and New York. Several highly rated players hailed from states such as Florida, Arizona and Nevada, proving that hockey is finally finding long-term support in non-traditional hockey markets.
Quality players across the nation are bridging the gap with hockey developmental programs in Canada and abroad, and NHL clubs have taken notice. "In the U.S. in general, there’s so many new pockets where hockey has caught on, so now it’s a whole new group of athletes, in California, Phoenix, places that weren't notoriously hockey places, producing some pretty good players now," Jay Heinbuck, the head of amateur scouting for the Penguins, said after the draft. As hockey’s grassroots popularity seems to be on the rise in the US, nobody is happier about the increase of American talent than NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman.
The NHL Commissioner has long maintained that hockey’s success hinges on developing a strong following within the US. In the 1990s, Bettman sought to cement his legacy as hockey’s savior by spearheading the league’s expansion into nontraditional hockey markets such as Arizona, Florida and other parts of the south. For years, these franchises struggled mightily, often lagging behind teams in traditional hockey markets in terms of fan support and team revenues. Several underperforming teams were forced to file for bankruptcy protection under Bettman’s watch, leading some to question Bettman’s NHL vision and whether he was the right man for the job.
While many people still second-guess Bettman’s decisions concerning expansion and his approach to labor relations, his vision of a hockey-crazed United States is slowly coming to fruition. Youth hockey is steadily gaining in popularity, and the number of Americans taken at the NHL entry draft is also increasing. Now Bettman needs the league to cash in on this increasing popularity.
Bettman must now harness the league’s expanding interest so that non-traditional hockey markets now support their local teams and find new partners to help pad the league’s finances. In addition, the NHL must cooperatively work with its players to further cultivate the league’s popularity and financial viability.
The NHL has been clawing back from irrelevance towards respectability ever since it lost an entire season to a labor dispute back in 2004 and arguably lost its spot as one of the nation’s top sports. Since the lockout, the league has taken steps to emerge as a leaner, more fan friendlier sport. This past weekend’s draft is more evidence that hockey is again on the rise and can be popular within the United States. However, Bettman must nurture this progress and avoid at all costs another lockout or labor-related fiasco when the league squares off the NHLPA to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement in 2012.
If Bettman can strike a new accord with the players while preserving hockey’s momentum and get on the same page with the union, the NHL could be poised for a new golden era both throughout North American and abroad.
Jeff Levine is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is a sports attorney, and the Executive Director of One Sports and Entertainment, International.
For the Chicago Blackhawks, it all started with GM Dale Tallon being ousted after a fax-machine-folly cost the ‘Hawks to sign several unwanted long-term contracts. It ended with Tallon being sent a Stanley Cup ring. But, the mix up may cost Chicago in the long run. The league salary cap is expected to be around $59 million, the Blackhawks have $57 million wrapped up in 14 players. The Blackhawks’ cap space for 2009-10 was 0.336.
The fax machine problem wasn’t the only Tallon blunder that cost Chi-town long term. He is also responsible for two enormous contracts that have the Cup champs in a stranglehold. Cristobal Huet will make $5.625 million through 2011-12 and defenseman Brian Campbell is wrapped up until 2015-16 at the price of $7.140 million.
What will they do?
Campbell could be traded, but his price and long deal may scare away potential buyers. They could also deal center Patrick Sharp, who is scheduled to make $4.200 million next season, will be an unrestricted free agent after the 2011-12 season. This makes him a good candidate to be a cap-clearing victim via a trade. Defenseman Brent Sopel is in a similar boat being unrestricted after 2012 and making a decent pay check of $2.000 million.
The Blackhawks will likely lose center John Madden, who made $2.750 million during the team’s championship season, but he’s one in a very short list that can leave without a trade. The only other unrestricted free agents this off-season are Adam Burish, Kim Johnsson and Nick Boynton.
Restricted free agents are far more plentiful. The group also includes Andrew Ladd, Ben Eager, Bryan Bickell, Niklas Hjalmarsson and Jordan Hendry. Cup-winning goaltender Antti Niemi is also a restricted free agent. Niemi, who made $827,000 in 2009-10, is considered by many to be an average and replicable goalie, but his playoff victories have likely put him in position for a large pay day.
If Niemi gets the big bucks, what happens to Huet? Trade suitors are unlikely for a goalie who makes $5.625 million and was permanently benched mid-season, so the team is all but forced to send him to the AHL next season where his salary will not count against the cap.
Here’s how all Chicago’s players’ contracts play out (including players’ cap numbers):
Forwards:
Marian Hossa – Signed through 2020-21, making $7.900 million until 2015-16. 2010-11 Cap Number: $5.275
Patrick Sharp –Will make $4.200 million in 2011-12 then become unrestricted free agent. Cap Number: $3.900
Patrick Kane – Signed through 2014-15 making $6.500 in 2010-11. CN: $6.300
Dave Bolland - Will become unrestricted free agent after 2013-14 and will make $3.375 until then. CN: $3.375
Kris Versteeg – Will become restricted free agent after 2011-12 season making $3.083. CN: $3.067
Dustin Byfuglien - Will become restricted free agent after 2010-11 making $3.000. CN: $3.000
Jonathan Toews – Signed through 2014-15 making as much as $6.500. CN: $6.300
John Madden – Currently unrestricted free agent.
Andrew Ladd - Currently restricted free agent.
Tomas Kopecky – Signed through 2010-11 for $1.200. CN: $1.200
Troy Brouwer – Will become restricted free agent after 2011, will make $1.050. CN: $1.025
Ben Eager – Currently unrestricted free agent
Adam Burish – Currently unrestricted free agent
Colin Fraser – Currently unrestricted free agent
Defenseman:
Brian Campbell – Signed through 2015-16 making $7.140. CN: $7.143
Brent Seabrook – Signed through 2010-11 at $3.500, will become restricted free agent. CN: $3.500
Brent Sopel – Will make $2.000 in 2010-11 then become unrestricted free agent. CN: $2.333
Kim Johnsson – Currently unrestricted free agent
Duncan Keith – Signed through 2021-22, will make as much as $8.000. CN: $5.540
Niklas Hjalmarsson – Currently restricted free agent
Jordan Hendry – Currently restricted free agent
Cristobal Huet – Signed through 2011-12, will become unrestricted free agent. CN: $5.625
Antti Niemi – Currently restricted free agent
Total Cap Number for currently signed players: $57.6 million
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Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter
One of hockey’s most polarizing figures, former Buffalo Sabres and New York Islanders coach Ted Nolan, spoke to PuckLife Magazine last week on racism and his departure from the NHL. Less than a week later, Nolan says he regrets being so candid.
In an interview with Biz of Hockey’s Matthew Coller on “The Blue Line Show” on SportsRadio 950 ESPN in Rochester, NY, Nolan said he was too honest about racism in the PuckLife interview, but still believes racism exists in the NHL. Nolan also said he wants back in to the NHL.
Select READ MORE to see the full transcript of the interview
Since it was reported that the Rangers are likely changing their AHL affiliation to the Rochester Americans for the 2011-’12 season, I’ve received a lot of feedback requesting more details. The source for the original story could only tell Biz of Hockey that the move was in the works, however, the move appears sensible.
In July 2007, Madison Square Garden, who owns the New York Rangers and Hartford Wolfpack, made the company Northland AEG LLC responsible for day-to-day operations which include marketing, sponsorship and ticket sales. Of course, the Rangers are still responsible for on-ice decisions such as coaching and player movement. The problem? The team averages close to 4,300 fans per game in an arena which holds around 15,000.
Usually when a company owns a team, they own the arena. So, assuming MSG owns the Civic Center in Hartford, it seems that using the same arena that books such major musical acts as Justin Bieber and Black Eyed Peas to book 40 dates that draw 4,300 doesn’t make sense financially.
Also, paying a company to handle the selling of tickets when the team doesn’t draw doesn’t make much sense either. If the Rangers moved to Rochester, owners Curt Styres and Lewis Staats would handle such things at presumably no additional cost. Attendance would then become their problem. It was reported earlier this season that to break even, the Americans had to draw more than 5,000 per game. If the same was true for the Wolfpack, the Rangers were losing money that they wouldn’t lose with Rochester (or any other separately owned affiliate).
Things might get fishy when negotiating the handling of veteran players. Last season, the Americans expected their parent club to foot the bill for veteran players such as former New York Islander Mike York. The Panthers elected not to do so though Americans ownership claimed there was a verbal agreement. Whether the Rangers would be willing to pay for veterans will likely be a point of contention in negotiations.
The Rangers can offer higher attendance for the Americans, who have seen their numbers drop from near 7,500 in 2007 to less than 4,500 this season. The attendance drop is thought to be much due to the departure of the Buffalo Sabres as a parent club. The Americans can offer a lot less liability.
Some have questioned if the location of Hartford could keep the Rangers from Rochester. Yes, costs of travel do add up, but this is very rarely a deal breaker. The Buffalo Sabres, for example, moved their AHL club from Rochester, NY (45 minutes from Buffalo) to Portland, Maine and recently signed an extention. Rochester is around six hours away. If a team elected to call up a player around morning skate time (10 a.m. or so) the player would be in New York City well before the puck dropped.
The Rochester Americans did not return phone calls concerning the possible switch.
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Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter
While many NHL franchises have struggled to make money, seeing poor attendance and major losses, the intensity and quality of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs has given an enormous boost to the league’s popularity and pocketbook.
Business not as usual:
New league partners Gieco, Starwood Hotels, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, LG Electronics and Hershey’s Canada have added up to a 20 percent raise in corporate sponsorship of the NHL. Additionally, ad spending on NHL media increased by 37 percent and NHL.com ad revenue is up 50 percent over the last year, according to a league press release.
Web accomplishments also include 32 percent more unique visitors, 25 percent more NHL Game Center Live subscriptions and a 12 percent increase in sales at Shop.NHL.com. NHL Mobile also reached 1.6 million. The NHL’s use of video on NHL.com is also paying off, seeing a 153 percent boost from last year.
TV Highlight reel:
-Between NBC and Versus, the Stanley Cup Playoffs have averaged 742,000 viewers, the most since 2000 and a 24 percent increase from last year.
-The average 1.04 million viewers for Versus’ coverage of the Conference Semifinal surpassed all other playoff series’ dating back to 1994.
-TSN set a record for the most watched NHL game ever that did not involve a Canadian team. The 2.1 million audience wasn’t a shock considering TSN’s average audience was up 61 percent from last year, from 681,000 to 1.1 million viewers. The game also brought in an 11.7 rating on Comcast Philadelphia, making it the most watched Flyers game on the network.
-Game 1 of the Blackhawks-Sharks series earned an 11.2 local rating in Chicago, beating the Cubs, White Sox and NBA Playoffs Boston-Orlando series.
-Game 2 of the Detroit Red Wings-San Jose Sharks series averaged 1.77 million viewers, making it Versus’ most-watched Conference Semifinal game in network history and the most-watched second-round game since 2000.
Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter
ESPN’s Scott Burnside is reporting that the City of Glendale and the Ice Edge Holdings group have agreed on all points on a new lease agreement that would keep the Phoenix Coyotes in Arizona. Ice Edge and the city are expected to sign an agreement on a memorandum of understanding that gives the group exclusive negotiating rights. If the city meets the NHL’s requirements, which include paying back the $20-$30 million in losses the league eat after taking over the team, it could take up to eight weeks to complete the sale of the team to Ice Edge.
As Biz of Hockey reported Friday, the city’s deal with the Reinsdorf Group collapsed, possibly because the group may not have been committed to keeping the team in Glendale. The city originally raised concerns about Ice Edge’s ability to pay.
"Ice Edge continues to believe in the future of hockey in the valley," the group said in a statement released Saturday. "We have held several discussions with the city of Glendale over the past few days, and those discussions continue through the weekend."
Here’s a timeline over the past two months Phoenix Coyotes sale saga:
April 7:
Arizona Legislature puts forward a bill that would allow for community facilities districts in the state to establish a reserve fund against bonds they take out. The bill allows for bonding against property tax revenue in the designated area, which would help in working out a lease between Reinsdorf or Ice Edge.
April 8:
Phoenix Business Journal reports that Ice Edge COO Daryl Jones says the group is “frustrated.” Jones wants the city to publicly disclose difference in least and sale proposals by Ice Edge and Reinsdorf. He also said the frustration stems from the city’s changes to previous agreements related to the lease, but hopes the group can still move forward in its bid.
April 9:
Glendale signs preliminary lease deals with Reinsdorf and Ice Edge and releases the proposed terms of those deals. Major differences include Ice Edge’s desire to play games in Canada and Reinsdorf’s potential opt-out clause.
April 12:
Ice Edge writes a letter appealing to the residents of Glendale pleading for the city to reconsider. In the letter, Ice Edge wrote:
“No one is paying us to do this. We are simply passionate hockey fans who believe in the long term future of Glendale and its hockey team. This is not about creating a business option for ourselves, but rather it is about developing a successful business plan to enable the Coyotes to succeed long term. While the pundits have consistently doubted us, we have continued to prevail at every turn.”
The letter also includes highlights of the Memorandum of Understanding between the group and the city noting that the group will not relocate and plans to play games in Canada.
April 14:
Glendale chooses the Reinsdorf Group over Ice Edge Holdings, approving the preliminary agreement. The agreement would include the group buying the team for $103 million while the city would create a special bond district around the arena that would take out bonds against the property tax revenue. The bonds would be used to pay the NHL $65 million.
April 14:
Goldwater Institute, a group that tracks public subsadies to private corporations, says the Reinsdorf Group places too much burden on Glendale taxpayers. “He really seems to have insulated himself completely from financial ability,” Goldwater lawyer Carrie Ann Sitren said.
May 4:
Commissioner Gary Bettman says Reinsdorf owning the Coyotes will be “great for the league.”
May 7:
Phoenix Business Journal reports that Ice Edge might still be in the mix as a backup plan and that another suitor may have emerged. True North Sports & Entertainment Ltd. Of Winnipeg issues a statement saying:
“While we understand the current situation with the hockey team in Glendale is an uncertain one, we will continue to respect the efforts of all parties involved to maintain the Coyotes in Arizona, including those of the National Hockey League. As we have stated many times in the past, if that situation changes, we are certainly open to reviewing the opportunity with the NHL,”
May 7:
The Reinsdorf Group is reported to be dead as the city is making attempts to bring Ice Edge back into the picture.
May 8:
Ice Edge Group and Glendale reported to be near an agreement to purchase the team almost a month after the city initially rejected the Ice Edge proposal.
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Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter
It’s everybody’s dream: make a living as a sports fan. It’s exactly what Kukla’s Korner founder Paul Kukla does. The site takes you on a journey of a man searching for the latest in hockey news. OK, maybe it isn’t that deep, but what Kukla’s Korner does is provide the most up-to-date hockey news from around the US and Canada. His site went from a regular fan blog to 12 million hits per month. Hockey fans weren’t the only ones that were impressed by Kukla’s work, NHL.com signed him up as a contributor.
Biz of Hockey had a chance to chat with Paul Kukla:
Matthew Coller:
How did you come up with the idea to start Kukla's Korner? What were you doing before?
Paul Kukla:
I started Kukla's Korner after a friend suggested I start blogging about the CBA lockout since hockey fans in Detroit were not receiving much news on the status of the lockout. It was as simple as that, no five year business plan, just dove in head first and began providing information to readers.Before I started blogging, I was selling air time to advertisers for a major radio station in Detroit.
MC:
How did you get hooked up with NHL.com?
PK:
Out of blue, I received an email from them about four months after I started the blog. I made sure it was real, answered their request to see if I was interested in doing a weekly blog for them and the rest is history.
MC:
I've heard you say that you don't consider yourself a journalist, why not? Do you consider your resident bloggers journalists?
PK:
In my opinion, you have to have the training/schooling to be considered a journalist. I've witnessed the real journalists work and believe me, I am not one of them. I am just a hockey fan who happens to write about the sport I love. I consider it the perfect job and hope to continue to do what I do until I decide to stop. The folks who have their own blogs at Kukla's Korner are first off hockey fans. Some have more talent than others when it comes to writing and one blogger may actually have a writing background, but I won't divulge who it is. Let the readers decide.
MC: That’s right, you have quite a few contributors to your site, talk about their role in running a blog full time.
PK
It is very simple, they write when they want to write. Some do more writing than others, most have a regular job or attend school, so at times it is difficult for them to find the time to get into their blog. I don't edit their posts, don't tell them what or what not to write, but did give them some guidelines when they first came on board. The bloggers really do not do any of the running of the website. I had an assistant for some time, but then a baby was due, then born, so hopefully next season, the assistant can assist again, but I sure do miss her now.
MC:
Do you think bloggers should be allowed in locker rooms and press boxes?
PK:
I feel it is a decision that should be made on the team level. There should be a set of rules for bloggers and if that criteria is met, then they should be welcomed in the locker room. But I find many of the bloggers really do not have a desire to enter the locker room. They are happy with just writing about the team, the sport or anything they want to write about.
MC:
What types of things have you done to expand Kukla's Korner from a simple blog to a legitimate news source? How did you achieve visibility?
PK:
What I have done from the start of my blogging career is the same I do today. I provide hockey fans the news I feel they would want to read about. All I do is point out the news to them, then they decide if they wish to 'read on' as I say. If it is considered a legitimate news source, that is fine with me, but I am not making the news. All I am doing is pointing it out or in simple terms making it easier for hockey fans to find.
MC: The NHLPA is somewhat of a mess right now with no true leader, do you think Donald Fehr is the answer to all their problems?
PK:
Who knows. All I do know is the players want their fair slice of the pie and Donald Fehr is one person who may be able to get it for them. Hopefully the right choice is made and we all can move on. Our game does not need this type of issue to turn into a problem every year or so.
MC:
If you were negotiating the next CBA for the NHL owners what would be your No. 1 priority? What about the NHLPA?
PK:
I really don't follow all the negotiation talk, who wants what, etc. I try to focus on the game played on the ice, not in a boardroom.
MC: You and I are huge hockey guys. My entire life it's always been: you're either a hockey person or not. That's clearly changing with boosts in ratings despite being on Versus. Does the growth of the game affect the way you choose news stories?
PK:
Not at all. The people who follow Kukla's Korner are mostly die-hard hockey fans. What numbers Versus does produce has no influence on those types of fans and therefore I don't view how Versus is looked at in the least bit. MC: I know you're a Detroit fan, they can't make it three trips to the cup in a row, right?
PK:
Yep. San Jose has had real problems with the Wings this season and there are matchup issues they must figure out to win this series. After that, it would be either Chicago or Vancouver and I give the Wings a very fair chance at winning that series too.
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Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter
