Puck Podcast – August 29th, 2009

On this week's show we'll recap all the news from the past week in the NHL including some interesting developments regarding the Phoenix Coyotes ownership saga. We'll also continue our division previews with a look at the Atlantic Division including a special interview with Philadelphia Flyers head coach John Stevens.

MP3 File

About Doug Stolhand 27106 Articles
Doug Stolhand is one of the co-founders and co-hosts of the Puck Podcast and has been a member of the NHL media since the show's inception in 2006.

17 Comments

  1. Maybe I’m not understanding the legality of it, but did Jim Balsille actually propose a deal with a threat to walk away? Nobody wants the guy. I’s like me telling Megan Fox that if she doesn’t go out with me by 2015, I’ll walk away and stop trying.

  2. Doug/Eddie,

    Thanks MUCH for airing my e-mail and the dialogue that followed. I really do live in Germany…outside of Stuttgart. ๐Ÿ™‚

    Not to beat a dead horse…aware 20 cents was part of the equation. My point was we may never know what role Patrick played in all this. His cousin may have been the instigator or possibly the cabbie himself. You’re right, a camera in the cab would have helped.

    Break, break…I hope Marian Hossa does more with his long-term contract than what Alfonso Soriano is doing with his for the Cubs. This painful baseball season has me yearning for hockey to come even sooner.

    Great show and I’ll continue to spread the word to all my friends to listen in. All the best, Bill

  3. Bah! Now I have to wait all week to hear your thoughts on Kelly getting the boot from the PA. Something doesn’t smell right about this one…

  4. Wasn’t the last NHLPA head dumped as well? And maybe the one before him? Honestly, when Bill Finger makes $4 million per year, do the players really have anything to complain about? Or are they trying to find a leader who can teach the owners to stop screwing themselves over and “force” the league to lose ANOTHER season to try and achieve “financal stability?”

  5. Hey guys just started listening to your show and I am enjoying you’re guys point of view of the happenings in the NHL. A couple of things:

    Leafs tickets are expensive and near impossible to get and the amount of people in Southern Ontario who want to watch an NHL game is probably higher than anywhere else and Toronto is all we really have without border crossing. Obviously Jim’s going about it the wrong way though and it is refreshing to hear your opinions on the matter even if they are different from mine.

    Second a favourite song of Leaf Fans can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeouqmKpSIw its about the Senators but its pretty amusing.

  6. One thing to note about leafs games – I decided to vacation in Toronto for new years from NJ (yeah I know there is a law stating I must vacation in florida, and yes I got a ticket) and paid 400 for 4 tickets basically in nosebleed seats to see the Leafs. But we were able to get tickets. I still think if NY can have 3 teams, LA can have 2 teams, why cant toronto?

    For the Atlantic preview – good, and great interview. Good job landing it, and thanks to the flyers organization for stepping up (Even though I am a devils fan, good to hear teams are trying to market the league) for people looking for other perspectives on the Atlantic, http://www.viewfrommyseats.com/2009/08/roundtable-discussion-atlantic-division-preview/

    Not sure if you guys follow but in NJ they have been doing some thing (twitter/facebook etc) The latest is ask Lou a question online. http://devils.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=497407 Brodeur answered questions last week.

    Well as always great work – and can’t wait to see what happens next week.

  7. Doug’s interviews are really good, and I think the coaches are a bit taken by surprise by how much research and detail he has put into the questions. Questions about former players in the minors, and first goals, etc. Well done. Mycket bra.

    I agree that the shows have been hilarious lately with the team song reviews as a highlight. However, knowing from experience at working nights, I fear that in the long run, it won’t work out. It is very tiresome and I imagine the weekends get ruined. If you don’t get your studio time back, can’t we all just pitch in and buy you guys some home studio equipment? And some beers if you want to have that punch drunk feeling during the day ๐Ÿ˜‰

  8. Yes, Jeff Finger. Bill Finger, of course, helped create Batman. Then got screwed by Bob Kane and what would eventually become DC Comics and wait decades until someone cared enough to expose the story. And…

    What? Oh. Oh, it’s a HOCKEY message board? Sorry…

    So there is no Versus Network on my DirecTV. DirecTV’s website blatantly accuses Versus’ owner- Comcast Cable- of attempting to stifle competition by removing the channel from competing services. So it looks like we will be missing out on the 32 Flyers and Rangers games that Versus will carry and most of the playoffs.

    So, I’ve devised a clear, concise, formal response to Comcast:

    “F–k you!”

    Nothing like trolling through football/basketball crazy America asking sportsbar owners: “Do you get Versus? Can you switch one of these 74 tv’s to the national NHL game? No. Thanks for your time.”

    And, of course, I cannot watch the 23 hours of hunting programming Versus offers me daily. Nothing quite wakes you up in the morning than watchin’ Clyde blow the shanks offa “sweeeet buck” at 300 yards with a high powered rifle from a tree blind that the deer could never ever see in a million years cause deer don’t look up while covered in stag URINE so the “swweeeet buck” can’t smell him. That’s brilliant television right there. Don’t know how I’m going to live without that.

    F–kin’ Comcast…

  9. Eddie & Doug – Another great show and interview, thanks.

    Kris in Newbury – Great stuff! I was actually going to cancel my Comcast subscription and get DirectTV a few days ago… until I stumbled on this intersting bit information. I figured I could get away from the beast while saving some money on a “sweeet” first-timer deal with Direct… but now?? F-kin’ comcast is right (if true)

    So now I find myself wondering what, exactly, are my values? Funny how such a thing as one’s “love” for a sport can raise such a soul searcher…

    Shall I continue to pay my hard-earned, limited money to the Walmart of cable entertainment? Or go without that considerable amount of potentially good hockey games on principal?

    Ah, but what are principals compared to the luxury of hockey, eh? Comcast, how I love and despise thee! (barf)

  10. Scott, since I sent that email in I wanted to reply to your post. Even though I’m a Quebec boy I can understand the plight of you guys in Southern Ontario; however, the availability of Leaf tickets doesn’t change the fact that you still have two teams in that area for you to follow. I understand that crossing the border is hardly the most convienent thing in the world, but the fact is I know plenty of Canadians who do it and have season tickets to Sabres games.

    As inconvient as that may be, try complaining about it to the poor people up in Quebec City who loved and supported the Nords. My mom was one of them, and that team didn’t move because of any lack of support or attendance, but rather the economic realities of being a Canadian small-market team. Under today’s salary cap system a team such as them or Winnipeg (who were in a very similar situation) could probably survive or maybe even thrive. So my point remains, let’s get a team back in those areas that don’t have two teams in such close distance before we worry about adding a second team in southern Ontario.

    As far as the Directv/Versus dispute goes, there’s still a full month to work this out before any hockey teams take the ice. If I was a betting man I’d bet on Versus being back on the Directv airwaves well before then. The fact that the NHL has basically ignored this speaks volumes for their confidence in the two sides coming to an agreement by then, and I say all this as a Directv subscriber who would be VERY upset if I missed their opening games. Who wouldn’t want to see Joe Sakic’s retirement ceremony? But I bet this is all resolved within two or three weeks, if that.

  11. I’m pretty alarmed about the NHLPA strife รขโ‚ฌโ€œ following Paul Kelly’s deposition, the union has had three heads since the last lockout’s conclusion. I’m fearful of another labor stoppage in two years, assuming that the PA clashes with the league (as reports of the general players’ stances indicate): not sure that the league can survive [yet another] disruption.

    On a lighter note: there’s a good chance that Mike Green’s personal website is the cheesiest compared to those of other players:

    greenlife52.com

  12. Is the Avs game on Versus?!?

    If someone at Comcast $&@%s up my ability to see that ceremony- and I nearly CRIED when he announced his retirement- I am travelling to Comcast HQ to raise some SERIOUS hell!!

    With DIRECTV’s “Sports Package” (which is no longer offered, I think), I get the Altitude Network here in SoCal, so hopefully I can catch their coverage. But it goes to blackout whenever the feed from a national game or the Center Ice coverage starts. I imagine that Altitude would run a special or something if the coverage is national. I can’t see VS covering what is sure to be at least 45 mins of ceremony.

    But, I reiterate: “F–k Comcast!!”

  13. Hey John,

    Thanks for the reply. I appreciate the fact that there are two other teams (especially Detroit) to go see in my area and I will be watching then for several years until I somehow get free Leafs tickets. I just think relative to demand the southwestern Ontario market is still under served.

    But I would never be opposed to seeing Quebec/Winnipeg/Halifax/Saskatoon get a team before southern Ontario. It is just frustrating to see markets such as Phoenix/Tampa/Florida unable to sell out when they are selling 4 tickets including parking for $40. We both know that another team in Ontario or Quebec wouldn’t have that problem these days.

    Although it is equally frustrating seeing Leafs box seats empty during games. That’s ridiculous.

  14. The Minnesota Wild Anthem that you aired was an odd version. I have never heard it where the kids were singing. I personally love the song but then again I am in Minnesota. It was written right after we got a Pro team back after the whole “Stars” fiasco. It basically celebrates the state’s love of hockey and says, “If you try to take it away from us again we fill (*&$% you up.” The song is really for the state more than the wild themselves. He is a link to the video with a better version of the song.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvxQa9Z7z6g

Comments are closed.