Mario and Rory

Have we all had enough of discussing the City of Pittsburgh and its hockey team?

Not yet?

Okay, here's a little more on Mario Lemieux, but we also want to touch on Rory Fitzpatrick.

Mario, it's fair to say, has taken the gloves off, and maybe its something he should have done a long time ago.

He has formally told the hockey world and the local community that he's willing to listen to offers for the Penguins from outside Pennsylvania.

He's finally going to use the leverage he has.

See, local politicians have only been too happy to use Lemieux against himself for years. Instead of ever out-and-out rejecting the Pens and their arena dreams, they just kept stringing Lemieux along, knowing that as a resident of the city he desperately wanted to keep the team there.

If Lemieux had opened the bidding to non-Pittsburgh suitors five years ago, either the city would have met his demands for a rink or the Pens would have moved, realizing that the public and political support for the hockey team just isn't there.

Now, having wasted so much time, Lemieux is finally going to use the threat of moving the team to get the politicians in Pittsburgh to commit to something.

It'll have to happen fast. This team, if its going to move, will want to have a new home by the spring.

If the people and politicians don't want the team, fine. As a taxpayer myself, I wouldn't want to give a red cent to an NHL team.

But if that's the case in Pittsburgh, the Pens may move.

Interestingly, the hardening of Lemieux's attitude has also brought Waterloo businessman Jim Balsillie back into the bidding.

Balsillie has fired off a letter to Lemieux apologizing for any bad feelings caused last week when he terminated his purchase agreement to buy the Pens and offering to get involved in the new "Plan B" process.

Given that Lemieux dismissed Balsillie's efforts as "unequivocably dead" last week and said the club plan's to keep the Blackberry king's deposit, remoured to be $10 million, it'll be interesting to see if these two men end up talking turkey again.

Nothing on this front is likely to happen until towards the end of January when the 30-day window for appeals on the Pennsylvania Gaming Board's decision of this week has expired.

But enough of the Pens.

Rory Fitzpatrick has roared into second place in the Western Conference balloting for all-star defencemen, and here's why I like it.

First, it shows hockey fans have a sense of humour. Sometimes, one is left to wonder whether that's the case. The attack ads on Nicklas Lidstrom and Scott Niedermayer are a hoot.

Second, it does highlight the ridiculousness of the all-star voting process and, by connection, the all-star game itself.

The game is an anachronism at best, no longer truly relevant today, at least not in its current format.

Anybody remember the last all-star game? Who won, who lost?

Anybody remember last year's season-ending all-star team?

The Hart Trophy? Yes. The Calder? Yes. But nobody pays attention to who is or isn't an all-star anymore.

In my mind, it all went out the window the year Chris Nilan became an "all-star," and ever since then the league has been scrambling to make this a relevant event again.

To me, Rory Fitzpatrick is as good a fit as anybody.

Comments

[Mike Ritchie]

I found it just a bit curious that Mario Lemieux so pubically bashed Jim Balsillie, the only person in the world who was going to pay him 175 million dollars for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Now the going price is going to drop dramatically. Maybe Lemieux should have vented against the NHL who were probably more culpable in the deal getting kiboshed.

[Robert Roach]

Absolutely,not one red taxpayer money should go to any pro sports franchise.No matter how many reports come out about the non impact that sports franchises have on local markets you get the same nabobs swearing up and down about how it will cause the city to become a loser economically.
As for Rory Fitzpatrick,good on him.The N.H.L. should go back to the Stanley Cup winner taking on an All-star team.

[Stephen]

I have no problem with the tongue-in-cheek voting for Fitzpatrick - in fact, like you I rather like the idea. The problem that I have with it is the people who so adamently support it as "the right thing to do" or "representing the unheralded hockey player". It's a lark people, and a fun one at that. Don't go ruining it by taking it, Rory, or yourselves too seriously.

[doug]

you forget one fact about the Penguins 5 years ago they had a arena lease to contend with, now the arena lease is over at the end of this year....also fans who say "taxpayer" money shouldn't be spent on sports stadiums, arenas are forgetting 2 key facts 1) the money is going to be spent anyway, gunregistry's, MPP raises, etc. so might as well get something out of it 2)the amount of money a major sports team brings to a local economy through incresed taxes, tourism, etc. far outweighs the initial expenditure by governments ...Americans have long ago realized this, hence their deisre to build stadiums...it's a no-brainer, but "taxpayers" feel it is their money, it's no longer your money once it's gone in taxes etc. so get over it...

[Wardo]

1.) Anyone petty enough to offer up that they are unwilling to shell out a "red cent" to a professional sports team obviously has no concept of how economics works. It's pure jealousy over player salaries, pure and simple. Any pro athlete is the best in the world at what they do, and they deserve the money they get.

Why? Because people are willing to pay millions, billions of dollars to watch them do it. The presence of any pro team boosts the local economy by a fantastic degree - TV revenue, tourism dollars, restaurants, merchandising, the taxes collected from players, the taxes the property is built on, and taxes collected from anything sold as a direct or indirect consequence of its existence in a city. From the millionaire owner down to the last hot-dog vendor, a pro-sports team is the crown jewel of any city. Citizens should in fact be lining up to kiss the hands of anyone willing to set up a franchise, because it's win-win all around. It's idiocy to argue otherwise.

2.) Supporting Rory Fitzpatrick's inclusion in the All-Star game is supporting the vandalism of the voting process. The reason he is getting thousands of votes is because an organized group of internet nobodies have actively campaigned to include him there, and in no way winks good-naturedly at the NHL; when a single bepimpled frat boy can vote 10,000 times from the comfort of his bedroom, it corrupts the entire process. I guarantee you that if the voting process prevented it, then Rory stays home, because anytime something is difficult, the kind of idiot motivated to vote Fitzpatrick into the game gives up and cracks open a beer.

If Fitzpatrick goes to the game, another player who actually posted points on the board this season won't be going, and nobody knows if it was his life-dream to attend the event. It's an embarrassment, and gives Americans one more reason to point to the NHL and compare it to a pretend sport like the WWF.

If a person congratulates this "effort", then they congratulate meaningless "Go Home Bush" placards during a presidential visit, rocks thrown through a McDonald's window, and growing a mohawk and thinking they are living on the edge.

Quick scenario: let's say Tie Domi was still in the league, with zero points but many cheap-shots on his resume this year, going on a retirement year for his last season, and a collection of leather-lunged bluefaces made up a website to get him voted into the game. Let's further suppose that thousands of Toronto residents voted in numbers enough to make it happen. Are you still okay with it? Or do you envision a nationwide backlash against a goon-squad of Leaf Nation zombies who dared to ruin the All-Star game by voting in such an obviously unworthy player? And let's finally suppose that Domi beats out a guy like Mike Fisher. I can just imagine the Ottawa Media squeezing their pens over it.

The idea is stupid, and the voting process will be changed next year. Bet on it.

[Ryan]

This story has gone on for long enough. With all the media attention Pittsburg has been getting you would think that they were an original six team. They should have been fighting this hard to keep the North Starts in Minnesota and especially to keep the Jets in Winnipeg. Moving it to another small american market is only going to stop the bleeding. Does hockey really have a place in Kansas City? Las Vegas probably has enough tourist traffic to make it a viable franchise, however, another team in southern Ontario would make even more sense. The Toronto area could easily support two NHL teams, there are enough corporations located in the area to buy up season tickets, and there would be guaranteed sellouts (when they play Montreal, Toronto or Ottawa).

[Sean Muldoon]

Hey Wardo,

Perhaps the average fan and not "an organized group of internet nobodies" is voting? Fact remains the ads are hilarious, and the all star game is open to anyone who wants to vote. The fact that you go to such lengths to protect such a pathetic game is the truly frightening part of all this.

[Adam]

the problem is, pittsburgh is not a small market hockey town... that's why bettman doesnt want them to relocate, thats why you are hearing so much about this.

Any team that can play as close as the penguins have to capacity the last few years, while having an ancient arena and being hopeless as far as winning a game is concerned means that there is a definate interest in the game in the area.

with crosby, malkin, stall, fleury, and the rest of the young kids... a new arena would be a guarenteed sell out all season

[Andrew Spencer]

Why we fret over the likes of former Canadian Heroes(tm) like Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky who play the nationalism card up here in advertisements and in the media to no end and then invest their money in the U.S. is beyond me.

If the NHL doesn't give a damn about hockey -- and let's face it, they don't -- and it wishes to continue to drive it into obscurity stateside, let them go ahead and do that.

If Lemeiux and the NHL wanted to grow the game and in turn be successful, the Penguins would be moved to a Canadian city. Especially this Pens team with the line up it has. Damien pointed out recently it's too bad the likes of Sydney Crosby and the Capitals' Alex Ovechkin are stuck on boring, non-descript teams or in markets where no one really cares about hockey.

A guy like Jim Basille has pockets deep enough to forge a new franchise in this country be it in Ontario, Manitoba, or Quebec. I don't expect it to happen but it would work. Why? Because unlike Americans, Canadians actually love hockey. That doesn't make Americans bad people, but it is still a fact. Hey man, when bowling or dog and pony shows draw higher TV viewing audiences than an NHL game in the States, you don't need to be a lawyer to figure out what that means. Actually, you need not to be a lawyer to figure it out evidently. But I digress.

Ultimately, I'm enjoying watching Lemieux and Gretzky flounder in their respective American-based franchises. It is very much deserved.

As for Rory Fitzpatrick and the NHL All-Star Game, I too think it shows a sense of humour on behalf of the fans and that's something the NHL needs to grasp.

Besides, everybody knows the All Star Game is a waste of time; has been ever since I was alive. If the players aren't going to treat the All Star Game the way Gordie Howe did, then none of them are All Stars in my eyes.

[sam]

Dear Wardo,

Yes - there are secondary sources of revenue generated from a sports franchise. However, that does not explain the necessity of taxpayer money going towards the franchise. As indicated by yourself, there is alot of money within the sports industry, which should make the need for public subsidization unnecessary. Further, the reason cities tend to subsidize companies is to attract said company to that area. However, a sports franchise only has a certain number of possible sites. And since the sports league needs a city moreso than a city needs a sports franchise - I see little reason to use public funds to attract the franchise. If anything, it should be vice versa. After all - most cities do not have a NHL/NFL/NBA franchise - and they do just fine.

In terms of Rory Fitzpatick, you really don't have a clue. Your example makes little sense since a) RTFA, Nilan made it in and b) it would only be Domi, not a squad of "blue face goons", so I hight doubt anyone would care. In fact, the whole point the HFForum fan started this joke was to highlight the stupidity of the All-Star game. If the NHL dislikes this public support (and they really shouldn't, since they don't get any press outside of Canada otherwise), then a) make the game relevant and b) they shouldn't have allow for multiple voting and actually encourage fans to vote often. It's our call, not yours, nor the NHL's.

[Wardo]

Sean,

Your point is valid if the "average fan" was in fact voting. But I've read multiple stories where a supposed "fan" has voted 10,000 times or 5,000 times on the online system to get him in.

The fact is, reality is, that this is not a collective group of legitimate fans wanting to see Rory at the game, it's electronic ballot-box stuffing by a handful of people. And like I said, if people could only vote one at a time, he wouldn't have the votes he has.

I stand by what I said - this Rory thing is an embarrassment to the process. He might be a swell guy, but no way does he deserve to go.

[Michael Scott]

The Rory Fitzpatrick thing is just plain stupid. If you don't think the All-Star game means anything, fine, that's your call. I bet it means something to the players. If fitzpatrick makes it, someone who actually deserves to go, won't. Simple as that. Is the Hall of Fame a joke, and irrelevant too? I guarantee you that when voters are trying to decide who's in or out, the number of times they make the All-Star game is a factor.

Maybe hockey is what's irrelevant, or a joke. But to people who don't think so, this whole campaign can't be pleasant. Elitist attitude? Maybe, but isn't that the point of an All-Star game in the first place?

[Mark Thomas]

Hats off (and not because of a hat trick!)to Mario for the reasons as stated.

Regarding the All-Star game, I don't find it any more offensive to vote Fitzpatrick in than to vote in some over the hill, ageing star on the basis of accomplishments that are many years in the past and not a reflection of current abilities. However, if that's what the fans want, then they get what they paid for.

I don't watch the All-Star game. I stopped watching it once it stopped being played like a real hockey game. There are too many other entertainment alternatives for it to get my attention.

By the way, wasn't the original All-Star game a charity event? Wouldn't it be nice if it still was? I'm assuming they're not altruistic anymore or it would likely be publicized. Turning it into a charity event would get it more attention and provide some money for a good cause. It's not like it's a real hockey game and the owners have to worry about their players being injured. The money could go to some registered charity, a different one each year, or how about to the pension fund of the NHL old-timers from the pre-collective bargaining days.

[The Big M]

One is always reading or hearing about a player having played in 7 All Star Games
-- as opposed to -- having been a 7 time All Star.

The former refers to the annual NHL PR festival, of which I admit to being a fan, and 4 time attendee. However, commentators, writers, and the NHL should be very clear in differentiating between the 2.

I would venture to guess that a majority of hockey fans are unaware that at the end of each season a 1st and 2nd All Star Team are selected by (I believe) the
Hockey Writers Association.

Those 12 players are the ONLY All Stars. And, it is a great honor.

The mid-season fan fest, populated by winners of online popularity contests is fun, and those players did PLAY in an All Star Game. But, they are NOT the NHL All Stars!

Players, GM's, coaches, and player agents
sure know the difference at contract time. It would be great for the distinction to be clarified to hockey fans.

The 2 All Star Teams should be more highly recognized and honored.