Jamie Fitzpatrick's Blog, page 3
November 23, 2012
Hockey Readers Awake! Free Yourselves from the Tyranny of Books About the NHL!
Hockey fans are great readers, but I don’t imagine many of them are lovers of literary fiction.
The kind of folks reading a book called Heaven and Hell in the NHL probably aren’t the same people who get breathless at the sight of a new Alice Munro collection or Haruki Murakami doorstopper.
So it’s no surprise that the discussion of classic hockey books rarely turns to great novels. But it’s still a shame.
The Hockey Night in Canada broadcast team recently compiled a list of favourite reads—it’s...
November 20, 2012
NHL and Players End Tedious Stand-off, Resume Tedious Meetings
After a week of pouting, finger-pointing, and name-calling, the brokers of the NHL lockout are back in the boardroom.
The NHL and NHL Players' Association met Monday for the first time in eight days, and will meet again Wednesday.
...November 12, 2012
Free the Cup! The Case for Rescuing the Stanley Cup from the NHL
The NHL needs the Stanley Cup.
But does the Stanley Cup need the NHL?
When Lord Stanley donated the silver bowl 130 years ago, it didn't belong to any league or organization.
He simply wished that the Cup "be held from year to year by the leading hockey club in Canada."
...November 7, 2012
NHL Lockout Goes Behind Closed Doors
And when we get behind closed doors,
Then she lets her hair hang down,
And she makes me glad that I'm a man,
Oh, no one knows what goes on behind closed doors.
October 30, 2012
Lockout Alternatives: Women on Ice
Call it a missed opportunity for women's hockey.
With NHL fans starved for action, this would have been the perfect year to hold the Women's Four Nations Cup tournament in Canada or the U.S.
...October 26, 2012
Lockout Alternatives: College Hockey
Maybe they're enjoying the time off.
How else to explain the paltry efforts to end the NHL lockout, and the lack of urgency shown by both sides?
Collective bargaining agreements are usually achieved through collective bargaining. No surprise there.
...October 19, 2012
NHL Lockout: A Deal is There, If They Stop Walking Away From It.
If you're a fan of bluster and grandstanding, Thursday was a banner day for the NHL.
Coming out of their latest meeting, Gary Bettman and Donald Fehr looked and sounded especially peevish:
...October 16, 2012
An NHL Season After All? Gary Bettman Makes His Move.
We should know to expect it from Gary Bettman.
With Tuesday's stroke, the NHL commissioner caught everyone off guard, made the league look like a sincere negotiator, and shifted all the season-saving pressure to the players.
...October 15, 2012
Lockout Alternatives: Junior Hockey in Canada and the U.S.
A ticket for the price of a movie, everyone has a decent seat, and you get an early look at the NHL's next generation.
What's not to like about junior hockey?
Last week we showcased the American Hockey League, which operates teams in 15 states and three provinces.
...October 12, 2012
All Quiet as the NHL Schedule Burns
NHL players want more. The owners are offering them much, much less.
It's a "pretty substantial monetary gulf" as NHLPA exec Don Fehr put it a few weeks ago.
But there appears to be little urgency to bridge that gulf and end the NHL lockout.
...
