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| Hockey bad |
The Canadian Press is reporting that the overall significance of this is that several teams are still struggling. The annual report from Forbes found that the average NHL franchise was worth about $228 million, which is up 2% from last year. The kicker is that 14 out of 30 teams saw their values decline.
The Toronto Maple Leafs predictably lead the pack at $505 million. The rest of the numbers showcase the divide between those franchises that have a lot of value and those that do not. Contrast the Leafs’ numbers with the value of the Edmonton Oilers, who are worth $183 million.
The Calgary Flames come in at $206 million, while the Montreal Canadiens rank at $408 million. The Senators linger near the middle with $196 million and the Vancouver Canucks round out at $262 million.
Some of the other big market teams include the obvious, like the New York Rangers at $461 million and the Boston Bruins at $302 million. But as you can see, there’s an awful lot of space between a team like the Leafs and a team like the Oilers.
As Forbes points out in their report, “the NHL has become a two-tiered league.”
You can check out the full report here.
Word around the campfire today is that telecom giant Rogers is looking to buy the Toronto Maple Leafs. Should the deal go down, it would be the biggest transaction in Canadian sports history.
The deal would conceivably be worth more than $1 billion and would also include the NBA’s Toronto Raptors, Toronto FC of Major League Soccer and the Marlies, the Maple Leafs’ AHL team. The potential transaction has been outlined in the Toronto Star using anonymous sources, including a top sports executive who requested to remain nameless in the reporting.
By purchasing a majority stake in Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment and the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, Rogers would become one of the most powerful sports enterprises in North America.
According to the Star’s sources, the deal would also include Leafs and Raptors television stations. The real estate holdings, however, would be off-limits.
Richard Peddie, MLSE’s CEO, declined comment other than to say that it was a “shareholder matter” and that he had not been involved in any discussions.
For now, we can choose to take the Star’s sources however we wish. With no other evidence to support this story at press time, I can only treat it as a rumour. So it goes.
This is a story that simply makes my blood boil.
Mere hours after Pat Burns was laid to rest, somebody broke into the vehicle belonging to his wife. Montreal police say that somebody smashed one of the car’s windows as it was parked overnight a few blocks away from the cathedral. They took some of the possessions inside, including 30 autographed hockey jerseys set to be donated to charity and other items.
“There’s two suitcases with clothes belonging to Pat Burns and his wife,” Lemieux said. “There’s a Movado watch for men. There’s also family pictures, credit cards, iPad, jewelry belonging to his wife.”
The credit cards were taken out of Pat Burns’ wallet.
According to police, the spineless crooks might try to sell some of the items due to their high profile. Burns’ widow says she just wants the items back and the late coach’s son Jason agrees. “It’s a good thing to bring it back so we can do the job we wanted to do with the shirts,” said Jason. “There were a bunch of hockey jerseys that were going to foundations for needy people.”
“They went through his stuff,” said Const. Anie Lemieux of the Montreal police. “The person who left with the shirts and everything knows that this is Pat Burns’ stuff.”
I’ve been criticized for obscenity on this blog before, so I think I’ll just leave this story as is.
Reports say that about 1,500 people headed into the Mary Queen of the World Cathedral to pay their respects to legendary NHL coach Pat Burns.
The funeral took place in the afternoon and went for about two hours, with eulogies by Burns’ cousin and New Jersey Devils GM Lou Lamoriello. Burns’ courage was the topic of the day, if there was one, and Msgr. Robert Sansoucy’s sermon focused on the importance of hockey. Interestingly, Burns’ ashes were in an urn shaped like the Stanley Cup.
“It gives me a big smile, every time I think of Pat,” said New Jersey netminder Martin Brodeur. “We won a Stanley Cup together, and at the same time I got the chance to get pretty close to him, riding motorcycles. We had plenty of fun together.”
Quebec Premier Jean Charest was also at the service. “Leadership in sports, like in life, business, or politics, always comes down to the same ingredients. You have to prove you have a lot of determination. You have to be capable of vision,” Charest said. “Burns had an exceptional career, he was a very generous man … and he had a positive effect everywhere he went.”
Hockey luminaries at the funeral included Patrick Roy, Guy Carbonneau, Carey Price, Brian Gionta, Scott Gomez, Jacques Demers, Kirk Muller, Raymond Bourque, and Yvan Cournoyer. Members of the Gatineau police department, where Burns served as an officer prior to his NHL coaching career, also attended.
Cardinal Jean-Claude Turcotte led the services.
Sunday saw Atlanta Thrashers defenceman Dustin Byfuglien dominate again, putting four points on the scoreboard as his team took down the Boston Bruins.
Byfuglien scored his fifth game-winner and chipped in with three helpers to gather up a 4-1 win for his club over the Bruins. This is Byfuglien’s fourth goal in five games, giving his nine points through the Thrashers’ current five game winning streak and 25 points in 24 games overall. That’s good enough to lead all NHL defencemen in both goals and total points thus far.
Looking at these statistics, it’s hard not to think of Byfuglien as dominant. In typical hockey player fashion, however, he takes the humbler road. “I feel comfortable,” he said. “I wouldn’t put myself out there as dominating, but I’m just out there playing good hockey and having fun and trying to play as a team.”
Sunday’s game was another example of Byfuglien’s ability to do it all on the ice. He creates turnovers, clears the crease, handles the puck, and creates offensive opportunities.
Perhaps it’s the move to Atlanta that has given the bulky defenceman that extra jump, as he’s now the go-to guy on the roster and has been revelling in the role. Sure, he was clearly a good player back on the Chicago Blackhawks, but Byfuglien’s surging start with the Thrashers is something else altogether.
