By Jason Menard
If you build it, they will come.
No, it’s not the premise of a hokey, corn-fed baseball film. It’s the divining principle behind various levels of government willing to bet big on a prospect that is only guaranteed of doing one thing – taxing an already taxed province. Continue reading
By Jason Menard
The NHL went deep into its bag of tricks this weekend trying to drum up interest in the annual all-star game. And while some of the ideas worked, overall maybe it’s time for this star to go nova.
I tried. I tried to translate the excitement and hype generated by the changes to the all-star format into actual interest in the game. I bought into the pond-hockey hype, but like many ideas, what worked conceptually failed miserably in the execution. Continue reading
By Jason Menard
If losing the league’s top player for an extended period of time due to a couple of hits to the head knocking him loopy won’t change the game, will anything knock some sense into the powers that be?
The coolest NHL all-star game in years is fast approaching. We’ve all heard about (and discussed) the intriguing twist of players picking their own sides for this overblown game of shinny. Unfortunately, the league’s top player – and likely one of the team captains – Sidney Crosby probably won’t be on hand to be the centrepiece of this showcase event. Continue reading
By Jason Menard
It’s amazing how those so-called Canadian hockey ‘fans’ – the very same ones who are generally so vociferous about returning hockey to abandoned Canadian NHL markets – have little to say now that one of their own franchises is allegedly in danger.
It’s only fitting that on a night when the Edmonton Oilers are in la belle province to pay a visit to the Montreal Canadiens, a story has emerged that key senior administration members of the Albertan NHL franchise have met with Quebec City officials to discuss relocation.
Interesting. That regular group of carrion who usually love nothing more than to circle the not-quite-dead corpses of NHL franchises got quiet all of the sudden. I guess it’s OK to wish ill on franchises as long as their south of the border. Continue reading
By Jason Menard
Dare I say it? The NHL is fast becoming the most innovative major sports league in North America, as evidenced by their brilliant move to add some excitement to the league’s annual all-star game by taking it back to its roots.
First off, it’s easy to be innovative when you’re league is a distant 13th in the big four. We, in Canada, like to consider hockey on par with the big boys: Major League Baseball, the National Football League, and the National Basketball Association. But, let’s face it, that big four exists only in Canada. Continue reading
The M-Dash by Jason Menard 