Does The NHL Have A Russian Problem? And Other Things To Ponder

The world has a Russian problem, that's for sure, as Russian troops invade deeper into the Ukraine and citizens scramble to escape the country or stay to fight. The rest of the world (with the exception of China, natch) has issued sanctions and banning of Russian teams in international events, including all IIHF international tournaments. Of course, with the exception of the Olympics, the IOC will continue pander to the Russians and are proceeding with their participation in the Paralympic games as the ridiculously stupidly named, ROC (Russian Olympic Committee).

Mid-week Thoughts:

• Does the NHL have a Russian problem?: This question is complicated. Most people don't have a problem with Russian players playing on NHL teams, they are contracted to represent their team and just because your country is attacking another country shouldn't mean they should be punished. BUT, when players such as, Alex Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin openly and proudly support Putin both politically and personally, questions have to be asked. These members of Team Putin are in an awkward situation as they can't openly oppose the Russian leader without possible repercussions back home to family and friends, but Ovechkin's response of "No more war please" and "We just hope it’s going to be end soon and everything is going to be all right" can be taken in so many ways, I don't believe he is sincere to the people of Ukraine, but sounds like "ending soon and going to be alright" is more to do with a quicker in and out invasion and everything will be alright for Russia. I could be wrong? The NHL is concerned about the well-being of it's Russian players and it is suspending it's relationships with business partners and Russian language social and digital media sites. CCM announced on Monday they will stop using Ovechkin and other Russian players for global promotions. I expect more similar announcements soon.

• Blackhawks have a new GM, what now?: Well, not really new, as Kyle Davidson just had the interim title removed as he's been the acting general manager since October. It is important though because this is now Kyle's team to shape and mold without feeling it wasn't his right to do so before. He made one major move as interim GM when he fired coach Jeremy Colliton and replaced him with current interim coach, Derek King. It's probably the safe choice as he has been in the system on many levels, so he has the inside knowledge of the organization and from what I've heard he is a progressive independent thinker, so hopefully he can tune out Rocky's meddling. With the trade deadline rapidly approaching, it was important to get in place a permanent GM since the Hawks could (and should) be very active at the deadline. This has become a lame-duck season and an opportunity to rebuild bringing in future talent at the deadline and the draft and playing the younger prospects that are the future of this team, should be the top priority of this organization. Good luck, Kyle, you'll need it!

• Paul Stastny donates to convoy protesters. Really?: I know people have the freedom to donate to whatever cause they support and if they want to give you his explanation of why, even better. BUT, his comments have been more than puzzling and backhanded to our country and government. "I know what Canada was like, and I can see where Canada is going, and I think that's what scares me. It's not about myself or my wife. it's more about our kid's futures, and you want their future to always be better than yours". He added, "It's more just the freedom to decide what you want to do to live and not have an overreach of a government that does too much because, eventually, the more that they can grab, the more they can get". He has a distrust of mainstream media, which he believes has spun the COVID-19 pandemic to a fit a government narrative. For Stastny and other convoy "freedom" fighters, you would think the recent news of the invasion of the Ukraine would put into perspective what real oppression and loss of freedom really means. We live in a relatively civil democratic society without the threat of a real enemy attacks from outside and what this pandemic has exposed is our own privileged view of what we think freedom means. Christ, Stastny has earned more than $80 million in the NHL, living a rich privileged life in one of the most freest societies. His open support of a cause that occupied Ottawa, annoyed citizens in Winnipeg, blocked borders, harassed and mocked health care and retail employees, this became more than protest of freedom, but a embarrassing display of spreading of misinformation and an excuse for racism and hate. To think our government is overreaching by mandating COVID protocols, vaccines and mask-wearing to help keep you and your family safe, Paul, I hope you get traded back to the U.S. at the trade deadline. Bye!
  

Proof Of Vaccination: Respect

 As a season ticket holder of the Winnipeg Jets, I received and responded to the letter/survey about the upcoming provincial health orders that would include lifting the proof of vaccination to attend games. The survey asked: Are you very comfortable, comfortable, uncomfortable or very uncomfortable with the lifting of vaccination proof on March 1, 2022? It followed with: When would you feel comfortable with the lifting of restrictions and I believe the options were March 1, end of March, end of April or after April? 

The response from the 3900 responses were: 42% were comfortable/very comfortable having the proof of vaccination lifted on March 1, while 55% indicated they were uncomfortable/very uncomfortable. Of those that were uncomfortable, 90% would prefer the vaccination proof stay in place until at least April 30. (The full letter from True North)

Takeaways:

• Personally, my response was I was uncomfortable about the proof of vax being lifted March 1 and I indicated end of April was my preference for it to stay in place. My reason is that at full 100% capacity we are crammed into this already too small space (yes, the concourse, lineups, washrooms included), I don't feel comfortable about having unmasked, unvaccinated fans standing face to face, sitting side by side just yet. There is some comfort with the fact everyone is vaccinated and I will still wear a mask (this will be an option March 15th) when I'm in the concourse and lineups.
  

• I commend True North for taking the time to survey the fans. The fans are the ones that are paying to see their product and the satisfaction (and comfort level) of their fans should be their number one priority. The organization has following the provincial and federal laws to do with COVID protocols and they have been transparent with their protocols and rules and so far it has worked. They have responded to their surveys and have acted on the responds from that feedback. When the capacity at games were at 250 people or 50%, True North was taking a serious financial hit. When there was rumours and talks that the team would play some of their home games in another location (Saskatoon? North Dakota?) to help coup some losses, that didn't have any capacity restrictions, the team surveyed the options of their season ticket holders whether they would support the idea. The response was negative (myself included) and the team respected that feedback by playing without fans or limited capacity in Winnipeg.

• As a fan of hockey, it was tough to see postponements or games without fans, but you have to do what you have to do. True North is out to make money, but to abandon your fan base would have been a big mistake. There is a small vocal minority of fans, even season ticket holders that haven't been able to attend because they aren't vaccinated or don't want to wear a mask and as a result the Jets might not get a full sell out this season because of it. Some of the unhappy fan comments on social media are laughably predictable: "Shame on you True North, where is freedom of choice?", "My choice is to not give this organization a dime ever again. The absolute ridiculousness of this call is beyond my comprehension!", "Glad we canceled our season tickets! Shame on you for continuing to enable this discrimination.", "I will not be supported any discriminating places. Sad day when you realize just how segregated canada still is", "This is absolutely shameful, this entire time they’ve use the excuse that they just need to follow public health orders. And now they show their true colours by promoting discrimination and segregation. Shame on them for banning my children and I"....fortunately there are more comments that support True North's position. I would guess that the fully vaccinated fans that have been attending the games this season don't mind showing their proof of vaccine since they have been already.
  

This is those fan's choice, but I am glad True North won't give into complaints and "boycotts" of the dissatisfied and stick to what they feel is safest for the majority of their customers instead of just the all mighty dollar. Respect!

Hawks Beat The Jets: That Turned Out Better Than Expected!

 

 ...If you're a Hawks fan! If you're a Jets fan this was another setback during this up and down season. After a successful road trip, the Jets disappointed the half capacity crowd losing to a team below them in the standings and there aren't too many of them, at least in the Western Conference. Personally, as a Hawks first fan, this capped off a perfect night, not only because it was a jab back at the fans around me at the game, which was very satisfying, but also I had the opportunity to sit closer up the action, so it was a thrill in so many levels! If the Hawks can put together a good solid defensive game more often, they would definitely have more wins. Fleury once again was a big factor, but the defense kept their coverage and didn't hand out too many giveaways. They kept the Jets from gaining much momentum even after their only goal and overall the Hawks played a near-perfect road game.

 

Takeaways:

•  Not sure what's up with the Jets. They seem to be playing better on the road, but their lack of any intensity is costing them games at home. To be honest, it was a dull game and a the road team took advantage of it. Is it the near empty building because of the COVID restrictions? We'll see starting on Wednesday with the elimination of capacity restrictions where the Jets potentially can have a full arena. I doubt they'll sell-out, but the larger crowd should help...or not?
• This will be a key week for the Jets as they play a set of 3 games in 4 nights at home against teams they should beat. They'll be in tough against the Wild, but it has been done recently and you can't lose against the Kraken and Oil in your building, though they did lose to the Hawks. I losing streak will be very bad timing. We'll see what Jets team shows up
  
• Speaking of pivotal points in the schedule, the Hawks begin a six game home-stand starting on Thursday against the Jackets. If they have any faint hope of making the post-season, winning a majority of those games is essential. Otherwise, figuring out who to trade away before the trade deadline will be the main thing on the team's mind.
• I stood against the glass during warmup and you really appreciate the skill and speed of the players. The size of the players astounds me and the split second decisions they have to make before they get drilled into the boards is something you don't experience on TV or in the upper deck seats. I do have an appreciation for my usual seats in the upper levels because you can see the whole play, seeing the plays develop you maintain a sense of seeing all the action. Sitting close to the ice surface apart from the play directly in front of you (in our case close to the face off dot in the Hawks end), your view is obstructed anytime the play is in the other end, especially along the near boards. Your sense of perspective and depth is very challenging and you have to reply on the jumbotron for a lot of the action.
• It was a huge thrill to watch Marc-Andre Fleury, hopefully not the last time in a Hawks jersey! He's fun to watch, during the warmup and the game, there's so much going on with him and it's obvious how much he loves the game and he looks like he's having a good time. The last off the ice during the pregame was Hagel, Kane and Fleury...telling isn't it?