Tuesday's notes: Bye bye, Linus

by Dirk Hoag on May 17, 2011 7:43 AM EDT in Nashville Predators News

This is the time of year when movement becomes the theme of the day. The chatter is getting louder and louder saying that the Atlanta Thrashers will indeed move to Winnipeg, speculation abounds over whether certain KHL players will return to the NHL, and a Nashville Predators prospect heads back over the ocean...

Nashville Predators News

Chatting with Predators’ Pekka Rinne about playoff run, Kesler, Vezina chances, Radulov and going country in Nashville - Puck Daddy
Pekka sounds off on some of the toughest players he faces around the league, his beer of choice, and of course, plugs his official website. A good interview here...

Hockey Night in Nashville: Blog Updates
Best of luck to Robby as he takes a break from blogging to address some health concerns.

Hockey - Eurosport
It's official, Linus Klasen has gone back across the Atlantic and signed with Malmo of the Swedish Elite League. I had concerns right from the start as to whether he could hack it on this side of the water.

Mike Fisher: a section303.com exit interview | Section 303
Jeremy got Mike Fisher's thoughts on Vancouver's Green Men, among other things.

If Thrashers move to Winnipeg will Preds move to East? | Section 303
I'll give Jeremy points for creativity, but proposing the NHL move to a 3-conference format and reduce the schedule by two games? *facepalm*

This realignment takes 32 teams | Section 303
Actually, I'm down with the basic idea here - once the Phoenix and Atlanta situations get sorted out, the league probably should expand by a couple teams sometime in the next 3-5 years.

Music City Mindset: The Roller Coaster Season Part III: November's Sudden Drop
Walking through one of the nastier segments of the season.

Off-Season Important Dates And Events For Predators Fans - Predlines
August is looking pretty barren, but there's plenty going on until then.

Nashville Predators possess loads of skill at CHL level - Hockey's Future
A recap of the Preds' prospects in junior hockey.

Promising Predators must contend with Weber deal, offensive woes - USATODAY.com
Kevin Allen points out a few to-do's for David Poile.

Poile talks coaches, injuries, realignment - Predators Insider
Besides Mike Fisher, Nick Spaling also had shoulder surgery, and faces a 3-month recovery.

Former Predators play on in quest for 2011 Stanley Cup | Nashville City Paper
David Boclair hits on a theme I wrote about a couple days ago, although I'm guilty of ignoring the Shane Hnidy era.

Around the NHL

CBCSports.ca - Thrashers' rollercoaster ride hurtling toward Winnipeg?
Elliotte Friedman explains just why the situation in Atlanta is so different from that in Phoenix. It sounds more likely by the day that we'll hear an announcement that the Thrasher will be sold & relocated to Winnipeg. That sucks for the few diehard hockey fans in Atlanta, and the problem is that this situation has never been about them to begin with.

Ain’t no party like a Finland fan party because they’re naked - Puck Daddy
The Finns were partying like it was 1995 (which was the last time they won a world championship).

Berglund, Stepan among young players who can build on strong world championship - Sporting News
Craig Custance looks at how a number of young guns performed on the world stage, including Predators prospect Craig Smith.

Sharks downplay blown leads in the third period - Puck Daddy
San Jose may not sound concerned about blowing some late leads lately, but you know that's what we'll all be watching for in the days ahead.

Bruins: Help us Patrice Bergeron, you’re our only hope - Puck Daddy
With Bergeron recovering from a concussion, once again we are faced with balancing the urgency of the moment with a player's long-term health.

No surprise: Jay Feaster officially takes over as GM in Calgary - Houses of the Hockey

This one was obvious as soon as Feaster was hired as an assistant.

Rejoice, for we Have Flames News!: Glencross Re-Signs, Press Conference This Afternoon - Matchsticks and Gasoline
Calgary rewards Curtis Glencross with a four-year contract at $2.55 million per season. Does this contract represent a "comparable" for the Joel Ward negotiations?

Nassau Coliseum: It Might Be a Dump, But It's *OUR* Dump - Lighthouse Hockey
The rink only a mother (or fan) could love...

The Peerless Prognosticator: Everyone's Doin' It: Realignment
Here's another silly whack at realignment. Sorry, the old division names (Norris, Smythe, etc.) ain't coming back.

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Comments

Aww, I had high hopes for Klasen. But you could see he just doesn’t have the physical toughness to play North American-style hockey.

"My, my, here's one for the (no) neck. Don't relax, 'cause you're next for the check!"

by DonBorvio on May 17, 2011 7:57 AM EDT reply actions

well, I am glad somebody could understand what that article about Klasen said….

I'm sent here by the chosen one

by Creeping Death on May 17, 2011 8:19 AM EDT reply actions

translate.google.com is your friend

Managing Editor of On the Forecheck, SB Nation's blog covering the Nashville Predators. Catch me on Twitter, or join our site on Facebook!

by Dirk Hoag on May 17, 2011 8:30 AM EDT up reply actions

that it is! haha. Guess we don’t need a little guy that can get knocked off the puck really easily

I'm sent here by the chosen one

by Creeping Death on May 17, 2011 8:39 AM EDT up reply actions

Like Sullivan?

The truth is neither libelous nor slanderous.
Reason and logic instead of hope and faith.

by shoot the puck on May 17, 2011 2:43 PM EDT up reply actions

Nice writeup by hockeysfuture on some of our prospects, though they did make a mistake in saying that Ryan Ellis didn’t get a chance to play in Milwaukee. Played in 7 of their playoff games: 1g 1a and even +/-.

by sefskillz on May 17, 2011 9:05 AM EDT reply actions

Atlanta

The problem was never the few diehard fans,
it was that there were few fans.

The team has been mismanaged and lousy for years,
but there is no excuse for having sub-10000 crowds, especially early in this year with the ’ThrashHawks" like Ladd and Byfuglien performing well, and the team was competitive.

Atlanta may just be a poor sports town, altogether; its not hockey specific.

The NHL can’t afford to be a charity and is not obligated to keep a team anywhere if there isn’t local ownership okay with bleeding money. Not Quebec City, not Winnipeg, and not Atlanta. This is the second go around in Atlanta and both times things didn’t work out.

It is a shame that it appears that the NHL is doing more for the bare skeleton fanbase in the desert than in Atlanta, but the situations are different as Friedman describes. It boggles the mind that Glendale government keeps throwing money at a bad investment. Let’s hope all the taxpayers get a free Coyote magnet schedule. Or maybe free tickets. Why not? They gave them away with liquor purchases.

by DontfeedtheBelak on May 17, 2011 9:38 AM EDT reply actions

Not too long ago there were nights when we had sub-10k crowds watching the Preds play. Why are we so different from Phoenix or Atlanta. Both of them used to get decent crowds. Phoenix’s ownership debacle has definitely caused a major decrease in attendance. Anyone who thinks differently is kidding themselves.

Atlanta had a significant drop in season ticket renewals just a few years ago because the fans were tired of the current ownership group.

What both franchises need, and this includes Florida, is a good owner who’s committed to putting the best product on the ice and also committed to keeping the teams where they are. Anything less and the fans will continue to stay away.

Why make an emotional investment in a team that looks like it’ll leave soon or spend the money on a crappy product year after year? This isn’t Edmonton where the only thing you have to look forward to is hockey or the mall. This can all be traced back to ownership. Get the right owners in place and you can have a significant increase in interest and attendance. We’re the best example of that.

by Predaceous on May 17, 2011 9:57 AM EDT up reply actions

I think a major difference between Phoenix, Atlanta and Nashville is the arena situation. In Phoenix, Glendale is looking at a huge financial burden if the Coyotes leave and they still have to pay for Jobing.com arena. Here in Nashville, a busy Bridgestone gets downtown humming on many more nights than it would otherwise. But in Atlanta, the word is that it seems like an arena operator there would be better off booking concerts & other events to fill a void left by the Thrashers.

Managing Editor of On the Forecheck, SB Nation's blog covering the Nashville Predators. Catch me on Twitter, or join our site on Facebook!

by Dirk Hoag on May 17, 2011 10:18 AM EDT up reply actions

Arena rights are one thing, but I just don’t like people dismissing the fan bases when there are extenuating circumstances that can be mitigated by good, invested ownership.

As for the arenas, weren’t the naming right for Phillips Arena tied to the Thrashers being in the building as well as the Hawks? Did that suddenly change?

by Predaceous on May 17, 2011 10:24 AM EDT up reply actions

but I just don’t like people dismissing the fan bases when there are extenuating circumstances

Billionaires love money. The salesmen pitch “hey, i know this stock has lost you ~300 million dollars in the past 15 years, but you stick it out and we’ll recoup those losses in no time” probably isn’t that attractive.
There is a reason why Reinsdorf, the current white knight du jour, and others have not offered up alot of their own money to keep the team in the desert, preferring to sprinkle in some city/taxpayer funds instead.

For the overall health of the league, does the benefits of having a team in PHX/ATL (top 12 TV markets, though in both areas local ratings have been poor, with large populations, that have never translated into large attendance) outweigh the cost (losing money year after year, maybe by the boatloads)?

How many more years of losing millions would you lose to keep the team around, in half empty arenas?

by DontfeedtheBelak on May 17, 2011 12:10 PM EDT up reply actions

Point well taken

You are certainly right, Dirk, about the bearing a team’s arena has on its viability. The location of Jobing.com Arena—in exurban Glendale, at the intersection of Lost Street and Dune Road—is a manifest disincentive to see the Coyotes no matter how enthusiastic the fan base is. ( As a Predators fan on the road to see the team play the Yotes last season, I paid $100 for the cab ride from Sky Harbor to the hotel nearest the venue.) The situation in Glendale differs only in degree from the plight of many small town arenas described in today’s New York Times ( http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/17/sports/a-companys-small-town-arenas-leave-cities-with-big-problems.html?ref=sports ). In contrast, Bridgestone Arena—situated at the corner of Fifth and Broad—is in the heart of Nashville’s entertainment district, with plenty of pre- and post-game opportunities for fans to celebrate or eat/drink away their sorrow. The only issue is Central Parking’s piratical pricing, but the Preds have solved some of that with agreements for parking at Pinnacle and LP Field. Predators management is now making all the right moves, but the wisdom of building the arena in downtown Nashville ought to be appreciated as well.

by Hockey Hillbilly on May 17, 2011 11:11 AM EDT up reply actions

Now I'm hearing from Thrasher fans the arena should be in North Atlanta where hockey fans live?

Atlanta is a horrible sports town. The Braves didn’t even sell out their playoff games with the Giants last year. I’ve lived in Atlanta twice and most the people are transplants with no local team loyalty. The ONLY sellouts were for Wings, Hawks, Habs, and Leafs games when their fans filled up the arena. That was even in their good years. When a winner like the Hawks avg 15,648 @ 83.6% and the Thrashers avg 13,469 @ 75.3% even with super discounted tix, the owners, fans, and league has real problems. There was actually several 1,000’s less than announced in the arena during games. I won’t regret the Thrash moving to Winnipeg. I do regret that a southern hockey rivalry between Nashville and Atlanta never happened. The Preds fans always out cheered the Thrash in Atlanta and you could hear them on FSN-TN.

by SFPredsFan on May 17, 2011 7:30 PM EDT up reply actions

The Value of Good Owners

I posted the following at Bird Watchers Anonymous yesterday….

I’m a Predator’s fan that moved to ATL 5 years ago. I have been to numerous Thrasher games and found there to be a loyal fan base.

The Predators are an excellent example of what good owners can do for a franchise. Since the new ownership has taken over in Nashville, the team has enjoyed financial stability and growing attendance.

There’s no reason that a franchise shouldn’t work in Atlanta. There is a loyal fan base, opportunities for plenty of corporate support, and one of the largest media markets in the country. The team is missing one ingredient – solid ownership.

To move the team out of Atlanta would be a travesty. I fail to understand how the NHL can go to such extreme measures to keep the team in Phoenix and yet let the team in Atlanta slip away without a fight.

I hope the relocation rumors aren’t true and that an owner will be identified that will keep the team right here where it belongs.

by Griz-ATL on May 17, 2011 11:09 AM EDT up reply actions

Not every hockey experiment has worked

PHX and ATL may be like the Fox glowing puck.

Good ownership helps, but good ownership and competitive teams didn’t guarantee a teams viability in any sport, in every city its played in.

If there isn’t an owner willing to lose millions of dollars in a certain place,
reevaluating how the team is run/marketed is certainly a must,
but re-evaluating if the team can even be successful in that city must come up, too.

by DontfeedtheBelak on May 17, 2011 11:53 AM EDT up reply actions

Exceptional interview

Dmitry Chesnokow really withdrew Pekka Rinne’s refreshing candor in Puck Daddy. So many sports “interviews” consist of fomulaic questions and canned responses (“It’s always nice when…”) that this conversation sparkled.

by Hockey Hillbilly on May 17, 2011 11:38 AM EDT reply actions

Prospects

Roussel, Beck, Watson, Ellis, and Latta all playing for Milwaukee (or the Preds) next year. This is the best crop of prospects entering the pro ranks at the same time that I can remember. Exciting times.

by Griz-ATL on May 17, 2011 11:56 AM EDT reply actions