Promoters of the Battle of the Hockey Gladiators, the controversial hockey-style fighting tournament that features current/former hockey enforcers for a $100,000 prize, have cancelled the tournament due to legalities. The event was originally scheduled to be held at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, but a fallout of arena negotiations led to the battle moving to Winnipeg. Now the promoters are looking to move it to a US city at a later date, after Winnipeg police threatened criminal investigation. Says Darryl Wolski, Hockey Gladiators president:

“It’s a big nail in the coffin, but the coffin…isn’t shut forever.”

The legal trouble comes from the Winnipeg Criminal Code, which prohibits bare-knuckled fighting events, unless they are sanctioned by athletic boards or commissions. Wolski explains the decision to postpone the Battle of the Hockey Gladiators:

“Rather than put our participants at risk of a charge, we’re going to postpone Hockey Gladiators until we can secure a new location.”

The Gladiators tournament amounted to prize-fighting under the Winnipeg Criminal Code, which defines it as “an encounter with fists or hands between two people who specifically meet to fight and who are not sanctioned by a boxing association.” Gladiators officials beg to differ, arguing that the event is “wrestling on ice, a TV production staged with some of hockey’s most colourful characters.” They add that there is technically no prize for the winner, just that “talent fees” paid to the 32 participants increase after each round of fighting they survive. That sounds like prizes to me…

My Views

In introducing the idea of the Battle of the Hockey Gladiators, I came down hard on the tournament. I saw the event as another black eye to hockey, partly because the pay-per-view tournament uses the premise of hockey fights as its draw. If it simply was the WWF on ice, I would have no problem with it, but its obvious marketing connection to hockey bothers me. The 32 participants wear full hockey gear, fighting at center ice for up to 90 seconds. The fighters are all current/former semi-pro, college, or NHL players.

The Gladiators tournament cheapens the emotion of true hockey brawls. By staging a hockey fight, they are giving the wrong impression about what dropping the gloves really means in the context of a intense hockey game. To me, it’s all about context. From the sheer passion of a real hockey brawl, this tournament dilutes it into a circus sideshow act, with two grown men beating each other to a bloody pulp for no tangible reason. And this is what will be reported on CNN as a hockey fight, perpetuating the misunderstandings of violence in hockey.

With hockey already with a handful of bad press (Mike Danton, Todd Bertuzzi, Andy Van Hellemond, Alexander Perezhogin, Dany Heatley, and a looming lockout), why fuel the fire any more? While I am pessimistic about the mainstream media ever treating hockey with respect and reporting fairly about our game, I don’t think it helps to give them the bat to beat hockey with. Scandals or not, hockey is a fourth-tier sport in America (behind baseball, basketball, football), but these recent events aren’t promoting hockey to Americana.

Other than bad press, I am bothered by the prize fighting Hockey Gladiators promotes. The 32 goon participants are hockey players who never made much money in their semi-pro statuses. Therefore, it is exploiting their hunger for some extra cash by having them fight. Sure it’s not like bum fights or anything, but these guys aren’t exactly millionaires. And rather than being paid a flat sum for participating, the idea of these guys shedding more blood for more money is pretty gross. A lot of high profile enforcers, such as Tie Domi and Enrico Ciccone, have turned down offers to participate, so the tournament ends up as a showcase of second-tier fighters.

Brett Hull signed a two-year contract with the Coyotes today, ending weeks of speculation that had the outspoken winger going to Dallas or Phoenix (with a little Pittsburgh as well). Financial terms are not known at the moment UPDATE: The deal is for $4.5 million with perfomance incentive clauses built in. Hull earned $5 million last year with the Wings. UPDATE 2: Brett will wear #9, which the Coyotes had retired in honor of his father, Bobby, who played for the organization when they were the Winnepeg Jets of the WHA. That’s an obvious show of confidence in Hull and excitement by the organization, since numbers are rarely if ever un-retired.

Brett had three great years here in Detroit (92 goals, 115 assists, 207 points and one Stanley Cup) and I’m definitely going to miss him. I wasn’t the biggest Hull fan before he came here in 2001 but I remember calling for Ken Holland to sign him after I realized he was still available towards the start of the season. It turned out to be arguably the Wings’ best signing that summer, especially since Brett’s 18 points in the playoffs that year (10G, 8A) went a long way in winning the Cup. Some thought he should have won the Conn Smythe (I was one). That year he played on the short-lived “600 Goal Club Line” with Steve Yzerman and Luc Robataille as well as the original “Two Kids and an Old Goat Line” with Pavel Datsyuk and Boyd Devereaux. When Henrik Zetterberg came to the team in 2002-2003, that line became famous for it’s amazing chemistry and earned the younger two members a position of respect around the league. Some of the most exciting goals and plays I’ve ever seen were scored by those three and I’m definitely going to miss that line.

One of the classier things I’ve heard about in years was Brett’s decision to wear #17 instead of his #16 when he came to the team, in honor of the Wings’ unofficial retirement of Vladimir Konstantinov’s jersey. That earned him my respect, to be sure.

As much as I’ve come to like Hull over the past three years, I have to say that I think his decision to go to Phoenix costs him a chunk of my respect. I would have rather seen him go back to Dallas, where he at least has some history, rather than go to another new team only to fail and end his career in a bad way. He was “losing it” noticeably at the end of his time here in Detroit and probably should be hanging ‘em up instead of trying to make a go at passing Howe.

That said, my thoughts on Brett in Phoenix would change dramatically if this happens. Those two on the same team would be hilarious. I think Steve Ovadia’s idea of a Hull-Roenick talk show is awesome. Maybe in a couple years they’ll be on HNIC, which would be a good replacement for The Coach when his time really is up.

Good luck in Phoenix, Brett. We’ll miss you!

With the WHA scheduled to open its regular season on October 29, another league is hoping to capitalize on the NHL’s imminent lockout. The Original Stars Hockey League (OSHL) is the brainchild of Randy Gumbley, owner/coach of the Streetsville Derbys of the Provincial Junior A Hockey League. The OSHL is more of an entertainment venture than serious competitive league, and will consist solely of NHL players, much like Wayne Gretzky’s “Ninety Nine All Stars Tour” formed during the 1994 NHL lockout.

Starting in early October, the OSHL will stage four mini-seasons that each consists of a round robin, 11-day tournament. The entire season will run approximately ten weeks, or into early December. If the NHL lockout extends into January, the OSHL will have another tournament. The current NHL CBA expires on September 15.

The league will consist of six eastern Canadian teams, namely Halifax, Hamilton, Quebec City, London, Toronto, and Kitchener. Winnipeg and Hartford are also possibilities. Reports are that arena bookings have been made, the league has a television contract with The Score (channel 53 in parts of Canada), and that more than a third of the needed players have committed. Players such as Dan Cloutier, Chris Osgood, Keith and Wayne Primeau, Dominik Hasek, Roberto Luongo, and Alexei Yashin are either committed or expected to participate. Gumbley is exploring the legalities of announcing participants:

“We’re not sure whether we can only announce the names of free agents who are un-signed or players who just recently signed with their teams. I just want this to keep moving forward and hope there are no land mines along the way.”

The league will have many experimental rules. Each team will have 12 players, even-strength play will be 4-on-4, and there will be three 17-minute periods. In addition, players will abide by blue-line icing, penalties will be taken as penalty shots with defensive chasers, and there will be no red lines. And in a strange twist, each period will end with a two-player shootout, which will not affect the game’s score but go into the general tournament points: 3 for the game win, 2 for the shootout win.

The tournament will take place mainly in Ontario, and only on the days of Saturday, Thursday, and Monday. The Saturday games will be triple-headers. The OSHL will be run on a budget of $3.5 million, and each player is likely to earn something in the neighborhood of $22,000 per game.

Other than sources from the Mississauga News and Sportsnet.ca, I found this strange post in an IGN Board, supposedly from the best friend of Randy Gumbley’s son. I’m not about to start giving credibility to posts in a video game forum, but I thought it was interesting. Take all this with a grain of salt, and let’s cross our fingers that we’re going to have a tour of all stars much like in the 1994 lockout.

UPDATE

A new source emerges from the Winnipeg Sun. It adds that Martin Lapointe, Patrick Lalime, and Dave Andreychuk are all on board. Gumbley, who has good player/agent connections, says that 23 NHL players are committed, and his hope is to have 41 committed by the end of the week. The OSHL will need 72 players for its six teams, each team having 11 skaters and a goaltender. I just wonder what happens when a guy like Hasek tweaks his groin or something… Emphasizing the purpose of the league, Gumbley explains:

“This would not be a league in competition with the NHL. It would be a chance for professional players to keep playing against professional players. Then, once they have a collective agreement in place with the NHL, our league would cease to exist.”

So it basically is like Gretzky’s “Ninety Nine All Stars Tour” during the 1994 lockout, in which Steve Yzerman participated.

Hi. My name is Daryl Shilling, and I’m a hockey Outsider. I don’t know any hockey players, I’ve never interviewed one after a game (or before, for that matter). I’ve never been inside the holy inner sanctum of the dressing room, and have literally spoken to one NHL player. A few years ago, I bumped into Andrei Kovalenko and we spoke shortly, where he told me (in between cigarette puffs) that he couldn’t figure out why he was struggling that season. That’s it. One NHL player, and it wasn’t exactly an interview. Last year, when I saw Chris Chelios and Nicklas Lidstrom walk by me, I didn’t pester them or even ask them for an autograph. It would have been a pretty memorable experience, but I figure they have enough people bothering them without my doing so as well. For somebody that is so interested in hockey, and spends as much free time devoted to watching and
studying it as I do, I’m still an Outsider.

Inside reporting is a huge business for sports TV, magazines, and numerous websites. There are sites that specialize in trade rumours, using references from ghost-like sources, telling us that the Team A’s Coach is sick of Player B, and wants to trade him to Team C or D; anywhere but Team E (since they’re bitter rivals in Division F). Almost every hockey message forum contains an entire section devoted to discussing the relative merits of these rumours, the hilite always being when one poster reveals his ace card: his neighbour’s brother’s wife is a receptionist in the Office of Team G, and they’re also interested in Player B, as long as he’s packaged in a deal that also includes Player H. This Outsider, for a few shining moments, now becomes the Insider.

Sports television stations spend big money bringing in former players who represent the ultimate Insider: they actually played in the NHL, and as very often is the case, not very long ago. They sit at “the desk” on Trade Deadline Day, receiving surreptitious cel phone calls, informing us that their “source” has informed them that a certain club is likely moving a certain player to another club to fill a hole in the roster. They have, at times, even deatiled completed trades before they’ve been announced by the league office.

Other Insiders from the former-player class are assigned the task of colour commentary, using their expert analysis to tell us which players are “playing with the most heart”, are showcasing their “clutch ability”, and who the “Monster Performer” was. That’s alright, and it gives the player a chance to talk about something he knows about: hockey. Well, we know for sure they know about playing hockey. Analyzing it is another thing entirely.

There are writers whose entire publishing careers have been made on their being an insider that’s willing to “spill the beans”. Stan Fischler comes to mind, primarily. His battles and wars with certain players and managers over the years have all been presented as reading material for the consumption of his customers. Through him, we learned that Phil Esposito can be a first-class jerk
and how Fischler had a blood fued with Emile Francis. And that’s fine as well. The real purpose that is served by all of these Insiders, the nudge-nudge-wink-wink media members and secret sources, the parade of former players now presented as experts, and the writers that “tell it like it is”, is to keep us outsiders out. These people are the outer-most defence in the armour of the National Hockey League, because to them there is little chance that people at home can be extremely thoughtful, knowledgeable and astute observers of the game. They hold a prized position, and are not about to just let it go. This is an unfortunate stance to take, because it isn’t a question of Insiders being worthwhile or Outsiders being uninformed or vice versa. This is a matter of the different group seach being able to provide different perspectives on the same issues.

One thing the Insiders are asked to do at times, is provide us lists ranking (for example) the greatest players of all-time. They are meant to use their stance as NHL insiders to give us clarity and context on the history of hockey, which is a tall order. Being an Insider, and knowing which players is cheating on his wife or knowing what a certain player’s favorite beer is, doesn’t necessarily mean that he is also an expert in the field of hockey history. His Insider status doesn’t necessarily preclude him from being an expert, but we have to understand that it also doesn’t automatically qualify him as one either.

Hockey Outsiders don’t have that problem. By virtue of, for years, being told to sit down and shut up and watch the game, have really watched the game. Many Outsiders, sitting in their recliners have developed a deep understanding of the sport because they are not bound by the same restrictions and rules that the Insiders need to live by in order to continue to work. As Yogi Berra said, you can observe alot by watching. Outsiders, across the entire spectrum of hockey fan, have done that.

I study statistics to provide a different perspective on hockey. That’s my thing. I could never run a practice, or tell a player how to correct his technique. I could certainly never sit down with a player and get his side of the story (since I don’t know any players). I’m the guy, that when the Insiders spout their superlatives, can try to use my methods to see if what they’re saying is true or not. Actually it’s not always easy to be the Insider and give an accurate appraisal.

If you stand next to a man that six feet tall, he can still look bigger than the seven foot tall man that is standing 50 yards away. On the outside, we have a much better vantage point to determine this. We can study both separately, measuring to see who is bigger. We can check to see if one of them is wearing shoes with a bigger heel, or see if he’s standing on a box that makes him look taller, or see if one is sitting in a depression, making him look shorter. The Outsider can literally strip the situation down and assess all the visible parts of the equation to derive an answer. We have a better chance to see if our eyes are tricking us, or if our own human biases are clouding our perceptions.

That’s a more difficult task for the Insider. He’s standing right next to the first guy. “He’s huge, he’s a giant! Nobody’s bigger than this guy!”. Insiders have a different task than us. They have deadlines to make, taking away much opportunity to study issues more deeply. By virtue of their job, they need to develop relationships with players, as the players are the insiders source of information. Without those sources, the Insider is now an Outsider, most likely dooming his career, or getting him transferred to the city beat, local politics, or farm reporting. This is the minor leagues for Insiders.

On the other hand, Insiders can be terrific, and inform about aspects of hockey that we could never get on our own. They help us identify with the players, and increase the enjoyment and vicarious thrill we get from the game. By all means keep reading, watching and listening to the Insiders.

Never doubt a person just because they’re not among the chosen few allowed to be among the club. Outsiders (you, me and everybody) have the means to completely redefine the understanding of our sport, if we take that role for ourselves, and free it from the sole jurisdiction of the Insiders. That’s what sites like this and The Hockey Project are for. I look forward to posting my thoughts and studies here to share with you, and to hear what you, the educated fans have to say.

We are Outsiders, hear us roar!

I’m very pleased to announce the addition of two members to our staff: Humberto Fernandes and Daryl Shilling.

Humberto will be handling our first non-English-language mirror by translating the majority of our content into Portuguese. Why Portuguese you ask? Because Humberto was the first to contact me about being a translator for the site and he represents a growing hockey-loving community in Brazil. I think it’s great that he’s willing to spend the time to this and that OtW may have a small part in helping hockey become more popular in that most soccer-loving of nations. The Wings are going to owe us for helping develop a fan-base for them down there! You can check out his section of the site by going here.

Daryl is the webmaster of “The Hockey Project (HBTN),” where he publishes very good statistical studies on the NHL. Brian discovered him during his Internet travels and we decided to ask him about becoming an affiliate, much like the deal we have going with LGW.com. He’ll publish his stuff here at OtW while continuing to do so at HBTN and Matt Schwartz is going to set him up with a blog on Letsgowings to give him even more exposure. His work is very interesting, though I don’t think he’s gotten the recognition he’s deserved. That should change real soon. I think this will be a very beneficial partnership of sites.

The Red Wings have signed Jiri Fischer to a one-year, $1.5 million contract on his 24th birthday (7/31/1980). This leaves center Pavel Datsyuk as the lone restricted free agent for the Wings, with Mathieu Dandenault, Jason Williams and Jiri Fischer all signed in July. Boyd Devereaux was a restricted free agent, but was signed by the Phoenix Coyotes early in July.

The Wings drafted Fischer in the 1998 draft (25th overall, 1st round). His size (6’5″ and 228 lbs) and poise at the blue line have made him a highly sought after budding defenseman whenever the Wings engage in trade talks. The native Czech made $1.18 million last season, and his $1.5 million salary for 2004-2005 is just above his 10% qualifying offer ($1.298 million).

While the Wings have touted Fischer as their future defensive superstar, his playoff meltdown this past season was extremely disappointing.

In Game 4:

“A Jiri Fischer goof at the Wings’ blue line led to a Nieminen/Donovan 2-on-1. Cujo made the save of the game as Nieminen passed across to Donovan at the backdoor. Cujo stacked his pads and robbed the Flames. It was a pivotal save, as it kept Calgary from gaining any more momentum.”

In Game 5:

“Fischer put himself 10 feet out of position in an effort to level Jarome Iginla along the boards. Iginla calmly sent the puck forward to Conroy who was then free to come in on Joseph all alone. Fischer tried to get back in time but he was too late and Conroy beat CuJo high to make it 1-0 Flames.”

The Flames went on to win Game 5, 1-0. Dave Lewis built a doghouse and swiftly threw Jiri in it in Game 6, benching him for his Game 5 gaffe and relative sloppiness all Calgary series. And looking back at the Wings’ 4-2 series win over the Predators, Jiri had one or two dumb penalties each game. Hopefully Jiri can regain his confidence and mature into the steady defenseman he has the potential to become. Being a top ten defenseman is not out of the question for Fischer.

The Wings are still very far apart in their negotiations with Pavel Datsyuk, but remain hopeful to sign the team’s MVP sometime in August. Signing Chris Chelios is a mere formality, as 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. Chelios is training in California. The Wings will sign Mathieu Schneider only if he agrees to a salary in the neighborhood of $4 million. But with the Blues’ signing of defenseman Chris Pronger for $10 million, Schneider is sure to argue that his 14 goal, 32 assist season and seventh finish in Norris voting merits a raise from his $3.75 million salary last season. Word is that Schneider is looking for a deal around $4.5 to $5 million. Steve Yzerman will return for his 22nd season with the Wings if he decides to forego retirement and is fully recovered from his eye injury.

UPDATE

The Detroit Free Press reports that the Wings have signed Jiri Fischer to a 3-year, $5.2 million contract. Mlive reports that Fischer will earn $1.5 million, $1.75 million, and $1.9 million the next three seasons. I initially reported that it was a one-year deal since no news outlets had reported of the signing yesterday, so I could only see that he was signed through next season via his NHLPA profile. One-year deals are very popular this summer, with the looming lockout and uncertainty as to the format of the new CBA, which could set a salary cap. But I’m glad to see that Jiri will be here for three more seasons!

With the looming lockout and players committing to play overseas, there’s not much for NHL fans to look forward to this summer. Fortunately, the WHA is slated to begin play on October 29, and there is also the Battle of the Hockey Gladiators, for the sicko minority of hockey fans who love the sight of blood. This is a two-day tournament of hockey style fighting. Thirty-two goons (semi-pro, NHL, college, and minor league) will slug it out in Winnipeg Arena from August 20-21. The winner will receive $100,000 in the double-elimination tournament.

The fights will take place at center ice with each bout lasting up to 90 seconds. There will be two “referees” overseeing the fights. If you want to watch the goons’ tournament, it will be available on pay-per-view television, and tickets are available, $20 for one day and $35 for both.

The main problem I have with this boxing-on-ice tournament is that it cheapens the emotion of true hockey brawls. The reason that just about everyone loves the drop of the gloves in a hockey game is that it’s all about respect and vigilante justice. But when you stage a fight, and have the fighters dressed in full hockey gear, it gives the wrong impression about what fights are really about for hockey. The people that pay to watch these goons, who beat each other to a bloody pulp for no tangible reason, are like the people who watch Nascar to see the cars crash. They make fighting a sideshow circus act, rather than what it should be: an impassioned bout between two players within an intense/emotional hockey game. Fighting has a place in the game, but only when it isn’t perverted into a barbaric goon-fest. Even former NHL enforcer Enrico Ciccone has said that the event degrades the role of a hockey tough guy to a barbarian.

I see this event as another black eye to hockey. From the looming lockout, to neck-breaking Bertuzzi, to murder-for-hire Danton, to this thugfest. Essentially, the Battle of the Hockey Gladiators is exploiting former hockey players who are short on cash, and paying them to shed blood so paying customers can get their kicks. These are the same people who go to hockey fight web sites and pay to see gory pictures and videos. Part of the reason I enjoy hockey is that it is a physical-intensive sport, but fighting does not define the sport. That said, I would be very disappointed if the NHL eliminated fighting from the game in an attempt to bring in a broader, more mainstream fan base.