On the Wings

The Red Wings have signed center Jason Williams, 23, to a one-year deal.  While many news outlets are reporting “terms of the deal was not disclosed,” I found his 2004-2005 salary to be $425,000 via Williams’ NHLPA profile.  Williams made $440,000 last season. 

The Wings originally signed Williams as a non-drafted free agent on September 18, 2000.  Previously, he had played two years in the OHL for the Peterborough Petes.  After leading them in scoring (36 goals, 37 assists), he got an invite to the Wings’ training camp in Traverse City in the fall of 2000.  After signing with the Wings, Williams has been splitting his time between the AHL and NHL.

The London, Ontario native had six goals and seven assists in 49 games last season.  His career totals are 17 goals and 15 assists in 95 career contests.  At 5′11,” 185 pounds, Williams lacks size, but makes up for it with consistently hard-working shifts. 

So far this summer, the Wings have re-signed Kris Draper, Jamie Rivers, Mark Mowers, Brendan Shanahan, Mathieu Dandenault, and now Jason Williams.  The Wings have agreed to a deal with Chris Chelios (yet to be signed with Chelios training in California).  The Wings are furthest apart in the negotiations with Pavel Datsyuk, and remain far apart with Mathieu Schneider.  Jiri Fischer remains as the Wings’ last restricted free agent.  Steve Yzerman will re-sign with the Wings if he decides to forego retirement. 

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that defenseman Chris Chelios was booted from the restaurant FIX on Saturday.  This was the result of Chelios practicing the Greek tradition of plate breaking.  After explaining himself, Chelios was allowed to return to his group, which included Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer, tennis star Jennifer Capriati, actors Cuba Gooding Jr and Alan Thicke, former Wings Sergei Fedorov and Luc Robitaille, and stick-swinging Marty McSorley.  Chelios was in Vegas with the star-studded group for Detroit native Jerry Bruckheimer’s annual Bad Boys of Hockey weekend.  

To Las Vegas Review-Journal columnist Norm Clarke, this was just ”More proof that NHL veteran Chris Chelios has the IQ of a hockey puck.”  Clarke recalled a previous Vegas incident in which Chelios grabbed a lobster from a restaurant tank, and proceeded in torturing it at his table.   

Chelios has a history of bad behavior: on-ice dirty plays (elbow of Brian Propp in ‘89 playoffs), off-ice bar-hopping in Chicago, refusing to reveal the names of the Team USA players who trashed their rooms at the ‘98 Olympics, and numerous suspensions (sat out eight games during the ‘93-’94 season).  His dirty play was the reason that Wings fans hated Chelios before he joined the team in 1999.  You hate Chelios unless he’s on your team, much like ex-Wing Sean Avery.

After watching Fox Sports Net’s “Beyond the Glory” segment on Chelios, and keeping in mind his charity work with Cheli’s Children’s Foundation, I have a hard time looking at Chelios and seeing the blockhead that Clarke sees.  Sure, Chelios has made mistakes throughout his career, but you can’t put on the blinders to the good and make him out like a total goon.    

Chelios is at his off-season home in California, where he trains with TR Goodman.  He has agreed to a base salary of approximately $2.5 million for one season, and only negotiating bonus clauses keep Cheli from inking the deal to stay with the Wings.   

The following is a list of the places of origin for all NHL players in the history of the league (1926 to present), based on the database on hockeydb.com, “the internet’s largest repository of hockey data,” as of 7/22/04.  This data is intended to give a general idea of where professional hockey players come from.  I do not vouch for the numbers to be precisely accurate, as some players’ birthplaces were not listed in the database.  I have previously researched where current NHL players come from, as well as where minor league hockey players come from.  This concludes my study of NHL player origins with a comprehensive listing of all player places of birth.    

Europe/Other

Czech Republic: 155
Sweden: 148
Russia: 136
Finland: 101
Slovakia: 43
Scotland: 16
Germany: 16
England: 15
Ukraine: 14
Latvia: 10
Switzerland: 7 
Poland: 7
Ireland: 6 
Belarus: 5 
France: 5 
Kazakhstan: 3 
Brazil: 2
South Korea: 2
Yugoslavia: 2
Wales: 2
Netherlands: 2
Italy: 2
Norway: 2
Lithuania: 2
Venezuela: 2
Brunei: 1
Austria: 1
Belgium: 1
Denmark: 1
Lebanon: 1
Jamaica: 1
South Africa: 1
Paraguay: 1
Nigeria: 1
Taiwan: 1
Haiti: 1
Tanzania: 1

Total Europe/Other: 717

United States

Minnesota: 151
Massachusetts: 131
Michigan: 90
New York: 56
Illinois: 27 
Rhode Island: 18 
Ohio: 18
Connecticut: 16
California: 13
Wisconsin: 10
Pennsylvania: 9
Washington: 7
North Dakota: 6
Indiana: 6
New Jersey: 5 
Virginia: 5
Alaska: 5
Missouri: 5
Maine: 4
Colorado: 4
New Hampshire: 4 
Oklahoma: 3
Florida: 3
Georgia: 3
Oregon: 3
South Dakota: 2
Idaho: 2
Texas: 2
Maryland: 2
Iowa: 2
Delaware: 1 
Washington DC: 1
Utah: 1
Vermont: 1
Nebraska: 1
Alabama: 1
Arizona: 1

Total United States: 619

Canada

Ontario: 1690
Quebec: 632
Alberta: 421
Saskatchewan: 379
Manitoba: 282
British Columbia: 251
Nova Scotia: 50
New Brunswick: 40 
Prince Edward Island: 19 
Newfoundland: 18 
Northwest Territories: 4 
Yukon: 1

Total Canada: 3787

Total Parts Unknown (no birthplace listed): 469 

 
Total NHL players documented: 5592

Percentages (not including the 469 unknown birthplaces)

Canada: 73.9% (3787/5123) 
Europe/Other: 14.0% (717/5123) 
United States: 12.1% (619/5123)  

Big Three

Europe/Other: Czech Republic (155), Sweden (148), Russia (136)
United States: Minnesota (151), Massachusetts (131), Michigan (90)
Canada: Ontario (1690), Quebec (632), Alberta (421)

Factoids

To put these numbers into perspective: Between 1969 and 2003, 7970 players have been drafted in the NHL Entry Draft.  Also, here is an interesting breakdown of hockey players and month born, made by an individual interested in the seasons and/or astrology.  And finally, a breakdown of total NHL salaries per country of birth. 

Analysis
 
Looking at the data, an NHL player is just as likely to have been born in Tanzania as in Alabama, with one player produced by each location.  Southern states of Virginia (5), Georgia (3), Florida (3), Alabama (1), North Carolina (0), South Carolina (0), Tennessee (0), Mississippi (0), Arkansas (0), Louisiana (0), and Kentucky (0) have left virtually no mark on the player production chart through 78 years of NHL history. 

36 states (and the District of Columbia) are represented on the player production chart, with North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, Kentucky, Hawaii, Montana, Wyoming, Nevada, New Mexico, Kansas, and West Virginia lacking any production.  I find it scary that, in 78 years of NHL history, no native of these states has ever skated on an NHL rink.  I’d think a random blip in the general pattern of player production would eventually favor them, so maybe we’ll see a Hawaiian native in another 78 years.

Of the 192 countries in the world (US recognizes 191, with Taiwan still as a part of China), 37 are represented on the player production chart (Wales and Scotland are a part of England).  I’d say that’s a pretty good number, considering that hockey hasn’t permeated into South America (15), Africa (54), or Asia (37), number of countries in parenthesis.

In 1983, 78.3% of NHL players were born in Canada, as opposed to the 52.6% today.  Conversely, 16% of NHL players today were born in the United States, the highest mark in league history.  This reflects the apparent growing diversity of the NHL.  However, I find a void in this diversity when considering Southern states.  While Northern/Midwestern states have steadily increased player production in recent years, Southern states have lagged far behind. 

To me, this reflects how the Southern Culture and hockey are like oil and water.  I have no hard time saying that hockey is not culturally compatible in all parts of the world.  It’s just a fact of the world that certain cultures and regions are more apt to play certain sports.  Like I’ve said before, expecting hockey to flourish in the South is kind of like expecting Canadians to become world-class surfers and compete with Hawaiians and Californians. And would it really make sense for Canada to organize its own surfing league and import southern talent?  If you say “no,” then you should also say “no” to NHL hockey in the South, because that’s exactly what’s going on today. 

I don’t expect Southerners to play the “Yankee Game” at high levels, because it is meteorologically impossible for their children to skate on the local ponds.  It takes a conscience investment in buying indoor rink time, as well as the expensive equipment that makes hockey a high-maintenance sport anywhere.  The expensive aspect of playing hockey makes it difficult anywhere, something that sets it apart from sports like baseball and soccer, which only require willing players and an open field.  In addition, hockey has generally become a fad down south.  The Florida Panthers that made the Finals in 1996, but a franchise downspiral in years later saw the hockey craze in Miami disappear as fast as Beanie Babies.  I see Southern hockey as more of a business venture of entertainment than passion of the Game.

After finding only one Southern hockey player playing on a southern team in the five minor hockey leagues which the NHL recognizes (that’s 34 teams and 622 players), I can’t help but be pessimistic about future Southern hockey production.  The fact is that Southern states are not producing much hockey talent beyond the high school level.  And that happens to be the level where players can’t realistically be outsourced from the North.  In college and levels above, you’ll be hard-pressed to find any Southern-born players.

One of the biggest problems I have with the expansion of hockey to the South is that it happened so fast.  Nashville, Florida, Carolina, Atlanta, and Tampa Bay.  In ways, interest should be a prerequisite for having an NHL team.  Rather than implanting an NHL team in a dead-zone of hockey, and hope that interest trickles down to lower levels, I’d like to see a building interest in lower levels of the Game before awarding the region a team.  Gary Bettman’s good intentions of spreading the Game turned into forcing it on a population and hoping that they would accept it.  I’d rather teach people about hockey at lower levels of play, rather than starting from square one at the professional level.  I would certainly not be against NHL hockey in the South if I saw a concrete interest in the Game.  That said, I don’t believe such a great interest will ever precipitate in the South, unless there’s a mass exodus of Northerners moving into the region.  Though this “mass exodus” happens every Spring Break in Florida, the second home of every Michigander, so I’d give Florida the best chance of becoming a viable hockey community.      

The goal of this study is not to badger the Southern region nor divide the nation in terms of hockey in the North and Nascar in the South.  I mean to offend no one, but want to present this data, and, at the very least, allow the reader to draw his/her own conclusion.    

Wings sign four prospects 
 
Yesterday, Assistant General Manager Jim Nill announced the signing of four prospects, Eric Himelfarb and Brett Lebda, and veterans Eric Manlow and Bryan Helmer.  The terms of the deals were not disclosed. 

Center Eric Himelfarb (1/23/83) spent four seasons in the OHL before joining the Grand Rapids Griffins for the final eleven games last season.  After a 37 goal, 70 assist season (67 games) with Kingston of the OHL, Himelfarb notched two goals and six assists with the Griffins.   

Defenseman Brett Lebda (1/15/82) spent four years at the University of Notre Dame before joining the Grand Rapids Griffins for the final ten games last season.  After a 5 goal, 15 assist season (34 games), Ledba contributed with a single assist for the Griffins.

Center Eric Manlow (4/7/75) was picked by Chicago in the 1993 NHL Draft (50th overall).  He has appeared in 37 NHL games in the last four years, with Boston and the New York Islanders.  Manlow has 2 goals and 4 assists to round out his NHL career.

Defenseman Bryan Helmer (7/15/72) has appeared in 134 NHL games in the last six years, with Phoenix, St. Louis, and Vancouver.  Helmer has 8 goals and 15 assists in his NHL career.  He has also played for Manitoba and Springfield of the AHL during parts of the last three seasons.  

When I wrote of the Wings signing Jamie Rivers last summer around this time, I was unsure of the journeyman defenseman.  Rivers turned out to be a great asset when our veteran defensemen got injured.  He played solid defense and earned his stay in the second half of the season.  So, who knows, one of these guys could play a similar role for the 2004-2005 Detroit Red Wings.  

Bertuzzi Update

Todd Bertuzzi was charged nearly a month ago with assault causing bodily harm, in response to his March 8 suckerpunch of Avs forward Steve Moore.  Recovering from a broken neck and severe concussion, Moore’s NHL career remains in doubt.

It appears that we will not see the Canuck goon in court for awhile.  Today, the case will appear in provincial court, with the Crown and Bertuzzi’s lawyer, Leonard Doust, ironing out the specifics of a trial schedule.  Says Crown counsel spokesman Geoff Gaul: “We are really at the early stages of organizing a trial date.”  Reflecting this, Michael Mulligan, a defense lawyer with Crown experience says: 

“If somebody told me that the trial was going to be next year, that wouldn’t surprise me.  It won’t be next month, that’s for sure.”

Bertuzzi is believed to be spending the summer with family in Kitchener, Ontario.  If convicted of the assault charge, he could face a maximum of 18 months in jail.  Many believe jail time is unlikely for Bertuzzi.

Beyond the criminal charges, Bertuzzi possibly faces a civil suit from Moore, which would be the NHL’s worst nightmare.  In the event of Moore v. Bertuzzi appearing in courts, it would create the precedent of players filing suit against other players for on-ice events.  I understand why Moore would decide to sue Bertuzzi, since the rookie’s NHL career could be over, and that equates to a significant loss of salary.  However, the precedent it would set could cripple the NHL.  Moore was left unsigned by the Avalanche this summer. 

NHL Layoffs in Lockout 
   
On Tuesday, the NHL told more than half of its employees (in Toronto, Montreal and New York) that they will be laid off on September 20, with the CBA expiring five days earlier.  This is assuming no deal is made by September 16.  One employee confides: 

“He (NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman) told us that the lockout could last 18-24 months.”

The NHL appears to be preparing for a long shutdown, much longer than the strike of 1994, which shortened the 1994-1995 season to 48 games.  But expecting the NHL to get back on its feet after over a year of lockout seems quite optimistic and presumptuous.  The NHL, above all leagues, relies heavily on ticket revenues and fan support, as it lacks a strong national television deal.  So the NHL is assuming the continued support of its fans if the lockout goes for the distance, as Bettman warns. 

NHL Group Communications Vice President Bernadette Mansur has said that there is no guarantee that employees will be retained once a new CBA is hashed out.  Up to 70% of the league’s personnel could be affected.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman met with NHLPA Executive Director Bob Goodenow at the league’s headquarters in New York today.  This meeting marked the re-opening of negotiations between the sides.  The sides can’t agree on what percentage of the league’s $2 billion in annual revenue should go towards player salaries.  The owners want a salary cap while the players want an open market system.  The NHL recently proposed a $31 million salary cap, but the NHLPA is staunchly against any form of a salary cap. 

The NHL hired former US Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Arthur Levitt to analyze the league’s financial situation, and he reported that the NHL lost a combined $273 million in the 2002- 03 season.  Still, the players stubbornly believe the NHL underestimates its revenues, reflecting the huge lack of trust between players and management.

During the four-hour meeting, the first negotiations since May 25, the NHL presented six models for a new CBA, none of which included a luxury tax system.  All of the proposals amounted to a salary cap, according to the NHLPA.  After seeing the models for a new NHL economic system, Ted Saskin, senior director of business affairs for the NHLPA, said: 

“There’s no reason to be optimistic.  Each of them had a concept that total player compensation wouldn’t exceed an agreed-upon amount of NHL revenues.  Five were structured in a certain way, the sixth was a little different, but it would still have a link with player compensation and what the league was prepared to recognize as leaguewide revenues.”

I hope that either the NHL or NHLPA extend an Olive Branch Petition to the other side and get a deal done.  But what I see now are two special interest groups, with staunch agendas, who are unwilling to give and take enough to get a deal done.  The sides meet next on August 4.   

Penguins for Sale?

With the Penguins’ lease at Mellon Arena expiring after the 2006-07 season, player/owner Mario Lemieux is looking to build a new arena in Pittsburgh.  Unfortunately, the city and county are financially strapped and will be unable to contribute to an arena project.

In order to finance the arena, the Pens are pursuing a parlor in downtown Pittsburgh for up to 5,000 slot machines.  The organization would have to apply for a slots license, which costs $50 million, but future revenue could finance the arena.

If the prospects of building casinos to keep the franchise afloat appear grim, Lemieux has said be might put the Penguins up for sale.  This would mean no more NHL hockey in Pittsburgh.  Lemieux has received three unsolicited inquiries from out-of-town bidders.  Lemieux has been the backbone of the franchise as a player and now as an owner.  He bought the club in 1999 to keep them from going bankrupt, and returned to the ice to become the first-ever player/owner in the NHL.   

I don’t like the precedent of casinos becoming a part of a hockey team, but I guess the Pens are running out of options and it looks like the slot machines could be the single thing that keeps NHL hockey in Pittsburgh.

Brett Hull
 
Agent and brother Bobby Hull Jr. is saying that Brett Hull will not take contract offers until after the World Cup of Hockey tournament, which takes place August 30 to September 14.  They have contacted the Blues, where Hull scored 50+ goals five straight seasons, including an 86 goal, 45 assist effort.  The only teams to have expressed interest in Hull are the Blues and Stars, as well as the WHA club in Dallas (which is a “remote possibility”).  The Wings have expressed no interest in having Brett back next season.   

After a stagnant playoff outing with the Wings, Hull is looking to the tournament as a chance to showcase his aging talent.  Once he gets back in the NHL, his priority is passing Gordie Howe’s 801 goals.  Hull sits at 741.  Says Hull’s father, Bobby Hull, about what he thought about passing Mr. Hockey:

“Before I went to the WHA, folks asked me what I’m going to do when I approach Gordie. I said that I’m going to score one less goal than Howe, then retire. I don’t think I could have gone by the great old man.”  

Playing in Dallas seems a natural fit, having a home and many friends in the Dallas area.  Hull also won his first Cup as a Star in 1999.

I wish Brett the best in his post-Wings career.  I’ll be pulling for him and Team USA in the World Cup of Hockey, but hope that he doesn’t  pass/tie Gordie by scoring 60 or more goals.  Scoring 25 goals last season, Hull would likely need two full seasons, and a lockout lasting ”18-24 months” would virtually end the hopes for the Golden Brett.  The Belleville, Ontario native turns 40 on August 9.