News and Views: It's no Miracle -- just hard work
Lost in the hoopla surrounding the BCS game this week was a stunning upset by Team USA in the world junior hockey championship.
The Americans won the gold medal with a 6-5 overtime victory against heavily favored Canada, but only after blowing a two-goal lead in the dying minutes of the third period. It was one of those "instant classic" episodes, and quite a breathtaking victory, if not necessarily a latter-day Miracle on Ice.
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| Team USA captain Derek Stepan led the Americans to gold in Saskatoon. (AP) |
These days, American hockey measures up to the world are best at any level. Team USA won't be a favorite at the Olympics, but there will be no one surprised if it wins. And if it does happen, it will be largely because of its new generation of talent that takes up 20 percent more NHL roster space than it did a decade ago and a growing number of first-round draft slots.
Much of that is the result of USA Hockey's National Team Development Program, which began in earnest 12 years ago and has focused on elite prospects in under-17 and under-18 groupings. The program has produced the bulk of Team USA's various international rosters since then, and will have a significant presence on the Olympic team next month in Vancouver.
The overall hockey participation level has grown nearly 20 percent to about 470,000 nationally in that time and better athletes are taking up the sport. That has produced a lot of very good players, many of whom are honing their games at the NCAA or junior hockey level.
The best of that talent was on display during the latest international victory for the Americans. Team USA also won gold in 2004 and since then has done the same at under-18 and Junior-A world tournaments, and just a few days ago, the world under-17 as well.
But this week's dramatic win in Saskatoon might be the best measure of how far American hockey has come.
"We played gritty, we blocked shots, we backchecked, we played Canadian hockey," said U.S. coach Dean Blais. "You learn from the best."
News: Alexander Ovechkin named captain of the Capitals
Views: And it was as inevitable as the sun setting in the West. Ovechkin has been the face, and more importantly the personality of the Capitals since he arrived in Washington as a rookie, with this distinction being delayed only until he was mature enough and comfortable enough with the English language to assume the official leadership role. He has been handling the job on the ice long enough, and probably off it too given how much fun the Capitals always seem to be having.
Still, the timing was a bit odd coming as it did in midseason. That's usually when you fix things that are broken, but the Capitals were humming along when they decided to trade away popular veteran captain Chris Clark and open the door for the franchise player. Washington actually looked rattled by the transition, losing three games in a row after Clark was moved and no one wore the "C." But when Ovechkin had the letter sewn on, the team immediately got back to winning, which tells you this was the right time.
News: Winter Classic television ratings decline
Views: That let a little air out of the NHL balloon after what was a spectacularly well-executed event. But it's not likely to have anyone at the main office overly concerned.
NBC had a 2.6 overnight Nielsen rating, down 10.3 percent from a 2.9 for last season at Chicago and about the same as the first Winter Classic in Buffalo. The ratings for these games are still well beyond anything the league gets for other regular-season games, and the event is generating more buzz with each passing year.
Also, the numbers really depend on the markets involved. The Boston area provided phenomenal numbers for the game at Fenway, with a 14.4 rating. (The Red Sox averaged a 9.4 rating for regular-season games, while the Celtics were at 4.1 in the regular season and a 16.1 for their highest-rated postseason game.) What brought the overall numbers down compared to the Blackhawks and Red Wings last season was Philadelphia, which had more television sets tuned to Penn State against LSU in the Capital One Bowl instead of their then-struggling Flyers.
Sponsors are realizing there is growth potential to this event, although it depends a lot on the teams involved and perhaps even more, the setting. That's why the biggest setback this week in terms of the Winter Classic was not television ratings, but the apparent unavailability next year of Yankee Stadium.
News: Oilers involved in dispute with restaurant owner over tab
Views: The matter has been settled to the satisfaction of both parties. The details have yet to be disclosed and might never be. But the upshot is that the Edmonton organization and the league have been embarrassed by several of its players who should have known better.
Maybe they had reason to argue a Calgary restaurant was overcharging them on New Year's Eve. Certainly the eatery's owner didn't come off looking good in the aftermath when he asked to be compensated by news organizations for interviews. But this group of players and their wives or girlfriends numbered about 45 and they ended up arguing over $5,000 on a five-figure bill.
Reports said they wanted to pay for bottles, not shots, but someone in the group of millionaires should have picked up the tab and ended it then and there. Word of mouth among them about that particular restaurant to their colleagues around the league would have cost the owner more.
News: Jeremy Roenick gets a new platform to speak
Views: This should be good. Roenick never really worried about political correctness when he was a player, and now that he has retired you have to figure there will a lot coming off the top of his head. Especially in the context of a regular video blog that will appear on the online social network of the Los Angeles Kings website. The JRgument is the latest example of teams thinking out of the box in efforts to reach fans.
Roenick is a bold choice because he is "outspoken and brash," according to his former teammate and current Kings president of business operations Luc Robitaille. Roenick is likely to live up to that reputation, at least if the interview he gave to a Toronto radio station this week is any indication. Roenick was critical of some of the selections for Team USA in Vancouver, most notably the inclusion of Chris Drury. "It baffles me," he said.
