Tampa Bay makes another move this summer
If this keeps up, we will all remember this as the summer of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Here’s a quick summary of what has gone down so far:
The new ownership group with eight members is announced. They bought the team from Bill Davidson, owner of the Detroit Pistons.
The Tampa Bay Lightning announced its new eight-man ownership group this morning, bringing together a team of leadership which will combine its extensive resources and diverse backgrounds to take control of the Lightning, the leasehold rights to the St. Pete Times Forum and approximately 5.5 acres of adjacent land in downtown Tampa’s Channelside District. The group, led by Hollywood producer Oren Koules and former NHL player and current real estate developer Len Barrie, expects to close on its purchase from Bill Davidson and Palace Sports & Entertainment on June 30.
“This is a great day for Tampa Bay and for the Lightning,” said Koules. “There is a wonderful foundation for hockey in this community; a great fan base and a former Stanley Cup winning team led by Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis. Our group’s primary goal is to win hockey games and compete for championships on a regular basis. And we look to further develop the community foundation Palace Sports has established in Tampa Bay.”
The Lightning make the No. 1 overall selection in the 2008 NHL Draft by picking Steve Stamkos, a player projected as a Steve Yzerman-caliber player.
The new owners are determined to turn this team around as quick as possible providing a strong framework for their new top draft pick.
Koules and Barrie, the primary investors in a group purchasing the Lightning for $206 million, have vowed to be “shockingly aggressive” in free agency to upgrade the roster and surround No. 1 draft pick Stamkos with players who can help him be successful.
These new owners announce Barry Melrose, the face of the NHL on ESPN for 12 years, as their new head coach.
Melrose estimates he watched about 90 percent of Tampa Bay’s games on TV last season. What he saw was a team that lost its zest under the hard-driving Tortorella, who led the club to its only Stanley Cup title four years ago.
The Lightning not only missed the playoffs for the first time since 2002, they finished last in the NHL with a league-worst 31-42-9 record.
“I think what happened here is just a group that lost their passion in the second part of the season. That’s why you win,” Melrose said. “You out-work other teams, you out-want other teams. When you lose that fire and lose that passion, it’s very hard to compete in the NHL.”
A day later, it comes out that the new ownership is working towards a $77 million, nine-year contract with Vinny Lecavalier, who they hope will eventually become a team executive as Steve Yzerman has done.
Owner Oren Koules on Thursday said he sees Lecavalier working as a team executive after he retires.
“We absolutely do,” Koules said. “We’ve already talked to Vinny about it. When we talked, we talked about lifestyle, about how long he wants to live here. He wants to retire here when he’s done, and he wants to be part of this.
“We look at Stevie Y as the exact model of what we want to do with Vinny.”
The team then acquires the negotiating rights to two Pittsburgh Penguins, Gary Roberts and Ryan Malone.
Yesterday, Malone signs a $31.5 million, seven-year contract with the Lightning. Later that evening, the Lightning picked up the negotiating rights to Brian Rolston of the Minnesota Wild. We’ll have to wait and see if the two sides can actually come to an agreement.
With Gary Roberts almost certainly in the fold as well, the Lightning made another bold overture Sunday evening, acquiring the rights to Brian Rolston from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for a conditional draft choice in either 2009 or 2010. Rolston is arguably the second most attractive forward available in free agency after Marian Hossa because of his age (35), consistency (three consecutive years of 30 or more goals), versatility (can play either right wing or centre) and ability to anchor the power play, with a devastating point shot.
Once again, the Lightning’s new co-owners, Oren Koules and Len Barrie, made the announcement. In a statement jointly attributed to both men, they said: “We are trying to prove after making our deal with Pittsburgh yesterday, we will work feverishly to improve the Lightning team for the 2008-09 season. We believe getting the Lightning a head start in the negotiating and signing process can help us secure the players we are targeting. Nothing is guaranteed here, but we hope to have a chance to get another quality player in a Lightning uniform sooner rather than later.”
What will happen next? Who knows, but it certainly looks to be an exciting summer for Lightning fans.
6/29 Quick Links
Here are some quick links regarding recent Wings news…
The Wings selected Derek Meech as their rookie of the year putting him in great company with the likes of Henrik Zetterberg, Niklas Kronwall, Pavel Datsyuk, Johan Franzen, and Jiri Hudler.
Steph at No Pun Intended has a great post up recapping how last year’s Detroit draft picks have fared over the past year.
Dan Cleary gets the Cup tomorrow and he had to hire a public relations firm to handle the demand by the media. His firm has given 94 press credentials, including the big Canadian publications, to cover his activities with the Cup.
He’ll pick up the Cup at St. John’s International Airport on Monday and will visit Janeway Children’s Hospital before taking it to his hometown of Riverhead for a private event with his family.
He plans to share the Cup with as many people as possible Tuesday, which is also Canada Day, a national holiday. …
Cleary has a daylong celebration with the Cup planned at a local ball field. “It’s all about the town and the children,” he said. “It’s like a festival. There will be children’s activities, a beer tent, musical acts throughout the day and fireworks at 10 o’clock.”
Ken Holland penned the cover story for The Hockey News with nine reasons why his team has been so successful in a piece called How We Did It. I’ll be sure to look for that issue on newstands this week and hopefully snag a copy.
6/26 Quick Notes
Here are some quick notes for the day…
Kirk Maltby was one of the celebrities in the PGA Tour pro-am event held yesterday prior to the start of the Buick Open. Apparently, Maltby had plenty of fans and as a result, plenty of items to autograph. The article also noted that Maltby won’t get the Cup until late August, but there’s a good reason for that.
Maltby said he was scheduled to get his turn with the Stanley Cup in late August, sometime after his wife was due to give birth to twins.
“After they’re born, we’ll be able to celebrate and get some pictures with them” and the Cup, Maltby said.
For all of you Wings fans hoping to take a piece of the Stanley Cup winning team home with you, now is your chance. From 10am-5pm this Saturday, the Wings host their annual equipment sale so be sure to check it out. I have no idea what items will be for sale, but they did just win the Cup so anything would be pretty sweet in my book. Plus, equipment manager Paul Boyer will be on hand to answer any questions you may have.
Some time next month, the NHL will announce where it’s next outdoor game will be for this upcoming season. From commissioner Gary Bettman’s comments, it sounds like it will be held in Chicago. And while I would love a Wings-Blackhawks outdoor hockey game, I would love even more a Wings-Leafs game at Michigan Stadium. I’m worried that by playing in Chicago, the Wings lose the chance to play in a huge football stadium between two longtime rivals.
There were plenty of questions in Toronto, however, about the next outdoor game, long rumored as being in Chicago between the Blackhawks and the Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings.
“I would bet on the Midwest,” Bettman told the audience, “but the deal isn’t done yet.”
Other sources said the game will be Jan. 1 at Wrigley Field, with Chicago Blackhawks president John McDonough playing a principal role. As you might expect, both sponsors and potential sponsors are more enthusiastic about leveraging a game in Chicago than one in Buffalo.
As for the prospect of a New York Rangers game in Yankee Stadium, a matchup long envisioned by NHL broadcast rights holder NBC? “Being the first [non-baseball] event in the new Yankee Stadium may be easier and simpler than being the last event in the old Yankee Stadium,” one league marketer said.
It sounds like Andreas Lilja is close to signing a two year deal with Chris Chelios, Darren McCarty and Aaron Downey all likely to return. The biggest question will be if Brad Stuart re-signs with Detroit. His shoulder started to hurt him following the playoffs and contract negotiations have been put on hold until the doctors can figure out what the problem is.
“We’re in a holding pattern until we know what’s going on with his shoulder,” Holland said.
The Wings have talked to Stuart’s camp about coming back for slightly less than the $3.5 million he made last season.
Wings close to signing Lilja
According to GM Ken Holland, the Detroit Red Wings are close to signing Andreas Lilja.
“We may have something done by the end of the week,” Holland said. “We weren’t far apart late in the season. I’m optimistic we’ll get something done.”
The Wings are still trying to work out a deal with defenseman Brad Stuart, also a potential unrestricted free agent.
Holland met with Stuart’s agent, Pat Brisson, during the NHL draft last weekend. Stuart’s shoulder has been bothering him recently, and he is scheduled for tests Wednesday.
If I had to pick one player from last season’s roster to not sign, it’d be Lilja. With Chelios seemingly coming back and now supposedly Lilja, that gives us nine defensemen for eight slots. And that’s not even including Stuart, who is the one unrestricted free agent that I really want us to sign. Eight days until the free agency period begins. I can’t believe it’s almost here.
Update - June 25, 2008: According to an article in the Detroit Free Press, Lilja is close to signing a two-year deal.
Wings draft McCollum and Nicastro
With their first two picks in the 2008 NHL Draft, the Wings selected Guelph Storm (OHL) goaltender Thomas McCollum with the 30th overall pick in the first round and Chicago (USHL) defenseman Max Nicastro with the 91st overall pick in the third round.
Update: Well, we now know who the Wings picked but it’ll be years before we see how this draft class actually turns out.
The Wings drafted a few more college boys, which gives them up to three years more to develop before the Wings could lose their rights. And surprise, surprise, the Wings drafted a Swede with the last overall pick in this year’s draft.
The Red Wings will have a lot of young players coming up through their system over the next two or three seasons and don’t need any of the players they drafted this weekend for several years.
“It’s very important, it’s all about time with these kids,” Red Wings assistant general manager Jim Nill said. “Let them develop at their own pace.”
Dave at Gorilla Crouch wrote two great posts on the Wings’ picks at this year’s draft.
The Globe and Mail has an interesting take on GM Ken Holland and his role during the draft.
Just after the Red Wings made their sixth-round choice, TSN analyst Bob McKenzie wandered over to the rail that separates the draft floor from the reporter’s enclosure – McKenzie, working for a rights’ holder, is on the team side – and I asked him to tap Kenny Holland on the shoulder and bring him over. Since Holland doesn’t mind telling everyone who’ll listen that he puts himself completely in the hands of his scouting staff at the draft, I wanted to know what Holland knew about Stephen Johnson – listed as S. Johnson on the board – or even if he knew his first name. Problem was, McKenzie tipped him off to what I was trying to do, so naturally Holland had all kinds of data: Played in Belleville, left winger, scored nine points in 56 games. Impressive – until he started laughing out loud, and admitted he didn’t really know him at all.
“Their job is to find players; I’m busy working the floor,” said Holland. He didn’t seem to be working the floor too hard at this stage in a quiet second day of the NHL draft. “You know what? You can’t watch 10 amateur games and have an impact on the draft. You either live it – or you don’t. I can’t help out by watching Guelph play 10 times in a year.”
I won’t be watching the draft this year
Last year, I went down to Columbus, OH with a friend to watch the 2007 NHL Draft. It was a fantastic experience and definitely worth the cost of gas, food, and lodging. Unfortunately this year, I will be unable to attend the draft thanks to work. What makes it even worse is that the cable for my apartment in Chicago does not carry Versus. Therefore, I will literally not be able to watch the draft this year, which is a disappointment for me because I like being the nerd who watches the draft live. Oh well.
As such, I will have no live draft analysis or posts up throughout the evening. I plan on posting a first round recap tomorrow, but you’ll have to get your news from TSN or a hockey blog that gets Versus on their cable provider.
Update: I will now be watching the game at a Chicago sports bar where the Chicago Blackhawks are hosting a free NHL draft party. Should be interesting!
Tiger Woods’ injury hurts Michigan
I pretty much never talk about golf and a certain Tiger Woods, but there are a few reasons I will address his injury today.
1) It’s a left knee injury. If you know me and my history of 9 knee surgeries on my left knee, you know I like to talk about sport injuries.
2) I saw the last bit of the playoff in the US Open at work with our company’s founder so I actually watched golf(!) this week.
3) It’s Tiger Woods. He came and spoke at our school when the Ryder Cup was held a mile down the road back in high school.
4) Hockey season is over.
Ok that’s why I’m submitting you to this golf post, so now let me get to what I actually wanted to say. Woods’ injury is quite a loss to the city of Detroit, southeast Michigan, and all of its golfing fans. Over the next two months, Woods was supposed to appear in two tournaments held in Michigan and host a golfing clinic at Comerica Park where the Tigers play. Now that he needs ACL reconstructive surgery, Detroit will be Woods-less during the two tournaments and the clinic for this upcoming Tuesday has been canceled. Ticket demand for both events will decrease and you certainly won’t get the attendance that you would had Woods been able to play.
Not only does his injury hurt the golfing community and its fans, but it hurts the sponsors that have invested heavily into the Tiger Woods brand.
One marketer is already suffering some ramifications from Mr. Woods’s injury. General Motors’s Buick is being forced to drop one of its advertising efforts, which has been hyping a Buick promotion and contest. TV ads, print ads and a slew of Internet ads have been highlighting a “Tee-Off with Tiger” promotion that gives entrants a chance to win the opportunity to have Mr. Woods caddie for them while playing a round of golf in October.
“We are going to conclude the ad program since he isn’t playing,” says Larry Peck, Buick’s promotions manager. Mr. Peck says the company will still select a final winner and a new date for a round of golf with Mr. Woods will be chosen.
When I think of the Buick brand, I automatically think of Tiger Woods. Maybe that’s because I’m from Detroit and the Buick Open is here in Michigan, but it’s a pretty strong correlation. To lose your leading man, one week before your brand’s defining annual sporting event, is a pretty big blow. The auto industry has already been through so much that I’m sure this hurts them where it really counts, their wallet.
His absence will be felt quite hard by the PGA Tour who will have to face lower TV ratings as a result.
PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem acknowledges that the absence of the sport’s No. 1 athlete will be a loss for the Tour. The biggest impact will be on TV ratings, he says, noting that when Mr. Woods plays well, he brings in more TV viewers, including more casual fans of golf. The PGA Tour says that TV ratings for the final rounds of tournaments show a 28% increase when Tiger Woods is in contention versus not in contention. Other areas like tournament revenue are more vulnerable to a slowing economy than by Mr. Woods’s sabbatical from the Tour, Mr. Finchem says.
One estimate believes that Nike stands to lose $75 million of exposure from Tiger’s absence. Ouch.
Certainly Sidney Crosby is the face of the NHL, but he isn’t THE sport. Without Crosby, the casual hockey fan would probably still watch the game. Without Woods, you lose that casual golfing fan. So who is going to step up and fill that Tiger void? Should be interesting for all you golfing fans.
Larionov selected to the HHOF
I am happy to type that former Red Wing Igor Larionov has been selected to the Hockey Hall of Fame this year.
“I can’t really put into words, or describe, what this honor means to me,” Larionov said. “So many great players (from hockey’s past) to the current day are in the Hall of Fame. It’s very overwhelming.” …
“When you look at the caliber of players last year, I have no regrets. … I’ve played against and with them and they’re all great hockey players. To me there was no disappointment.”
Larionov is certainly worthy of this honor. While he won three Stanley Cups with Detroit and was an integral component of the Russian Five, his international accomplishments are even more impressive. He won two gold medals with the Soviet Union, centered the always dangerous KLM line, and helped break the barrier of Russians playing in the US.
“It was nice to get the chance to play in the NHL,” Larionov said. “It would have been nice to have that happen (play in the league when he was younger), but at that time it was impossible. A lot of hockey players never had the chance (to play in the NHL). I was fortunate to stick around for many, many years and I don’t regret my years on the KLM line.”
He was called the Professor for his smart style of play and brilliant passing. Larionov was a joy to watch and I couldn’t be more happy for the HHOF bestowing him with this honor.
“He was one of the most intelligent players I’ve ever played with,” Lidstrom said. “He wasn’t a big player, but his smarts helped him get so much success.
“Played with those great Russian teams, they never gave up the puck. Playing with him (on the Wings) he was like that, too.”
Congrats to the Professor and the rest of the 2008 HHOF inductees.
NHL sees strong boost in SCF item sales
Thanks to the popularity of the Detroit Red Wings, the NHL has seen a large surge in Stanley Cup championship merchandise this season.
The snippet below is from a press release that can be found at the NHL Media website, but since most people (including myself) don’t have access to it, I’m going to send you to George @ Snapshots if you want to see the rest.
The increase represents a 128 percent boost from the last time the Red Wings won the Stanley Cup in 2002, and is a Stanley Cup Champion merchandise sales record at Shop.NHL.com.
“Strong sales indicate robust North American demand for the NHL and one of its most storied franchises,” said Perry Cooper, Vice President of NHL Direct. “In addition to healthy demand from local fans celebrating the Red Wings’ championship, the NHL’s digital, direct-to-consumer platform enabled us to connect thousands of geographically displaced Red Wings fans living outside of Michigan with Stanley Cup Champion merchandise.”
The first day after the Stanley Cup Final, merchandise sales increased 108 percent from the first day of such sales in 2007. The second day of sales in 2008 increased 136 percent from the second day of sales in 2007, and the third day of sales in 2008 increased 176 percent from the third day of sales in 2007.
Total sales at Shop.NHL.com for the three day period were 282 percent more than in 2003, 310 percent more than in 2004 and 265 percent more than in 2006.
Personally, I’ve spent over $250 on Red Wings merchandise for myself and my dad (an early Father’s Day present) and I’m a broke college student. I can only imagine what people are spending if they actually have disposable income to spend. My favorite two items? The Stanley Cup locker room hat (incredibly comfortable and a sleek design) and the Stanley Cup red t-shirt with the Wings logo and SCF print patch on the front and the roster and Cup on the back. Definitely worth the money!
Have the BTJ readers been contributing to this surge in Stanley Cup championship merchandise sales? Why or why not?
San Jose picks up McLellan as coach
According to Helene St. James at the Detroit Free Press, the San Jose Sharks have signed Todd McLellan to a three year contract as the team’s new head coach. He just won the Stanley Cup as the Wings’ assistant coach, where he spent three seasons, and is more than deserving of this signing.
“It’s a very good feeling,” McLellan said in a statement released by the team. “From the first moment Doug called to the moment he offered the job, I felt comfortable. I think the Sharks have done a tremendous job. You don’t get that close to 50 wins for a number of years in a row without a lot of talent. It’s a matter of getting over the hump. There are some real parallels between the Wings and the Sharks.” …
“Todd McLellan has an excellent track record and has had success at every level of coaching in his career,” Doug Wilson said. “He comes from one of the top organizations in all of sports and has been exposed to some of the brightest hockey minds in the game including Jim Devallano, Ken Holland, Scotty Bowman, Steve Yzerman and Mike Babcock, along with Jacques Lemaire, to name just a few. We feel that Todd is an excellent fit for our hockey team.”
While I hate to see him go because he was a great asset to our coaching staff and he’ll certainly be missed, I am happy to see his success and hard work get rewarded. Plus, he’s going to an already solid team. And while that makes me a little nervous as a Wings fan, I like seeing him go to a team with a sound base instead of him having to start over from scratch. I wish McLellan nothing but the best of luck unless the Sharks are playing the Wings.
Babcock will start his search for a new assistant coach soon.