COVID 19 (Blog 3...The NHL)

I love hockey...I love it as much as any of you real hockey fans...Through this whole damn COVID-19 shit it is in the top 3 of things I miss the most...We can get into the other two in future posts...

Like all the sports and entertainment world the NHL has been trying to holdout hope of finishing the season and spit-balling ideas of how to finish the season or jump right into the playoffs or some form of them...Then there was talk of doing the playoffs all in North Dakota...Wonderful arena up there at UND...Throw all the teams into the dorms and hotels I guess...But that has fallen by the wayside...Maybe that's because COVID-19 cases just started to take off in that region...

There has been all kinds of ideas to do playoffs NCAA March Madness tournament style...They have talked about every team going into the playoffs...They have thrown all kinds of ideas out there, changing rules and altering what the season and playoffs traditionally are...I can't stand that kind of shit...

So it came today that the NHL is talking about firing up the rest of the season in July and only playing in 4-5 arenas that are strategically place regionally/conference-wise...

Let me get this straight...Rest of the season, then playoffs starting in July...The way the NHL playoffs go traditionally, The Stanley Cup will be won and within a week or so they will be starting the next season...Which throws free agency into a giant mess...It throws everything out of whack...And if come July things in this country and world are going to be getting back to normal, if only slightly, I don't think a whole lot of people other than diehards like me will be paying attention...

It's time for the NHL to do what the NCAA did...What Junior Hockey did...What high school athletics have done...Just accept it...Take the L. The season is over, there will be no Stanley Cup winner...Make sure everyone is healthy and come back next season and continue being the greatest sport on Earth.

The same goes for the NBA but I don't give a fuck about basketball... 

Have drink.
Stay Healthy.

NHL Makes Deal with Adidas

News broke a couple days ago that Adidas has won a long-term contract to make uniforms for all 30 NHL teams, starting the 2017-2018 season...Adidas will be taking over for Reebok, a brand owned by Adidas...

The current deal with Reebok annually brings in the NHL $35 million...The new rights deal with Adidas will bring in double that...Adidas beat out Under Armour and Bauer Hockey for the deal...

This deal has many Hockey traditionalists worried about what type of changes Adidas will make to NHL jerseys...Myself, I would hate to see them fuck up the traditional look that so many of the teams have...Many fear that Adidas will add their signature three stripe style to the jerseys...I hope they will respect tradiotn, like they did with Notre Dame...Adidas was with Notre Dame Athletics for many years, and stuck with the traditional look...They added the signature three-stripe to practice jerseys, but game day gear was basically left alone...

Adidas sales dropped 7% last year, and they are looking to make a big turnaround...Future star Connor McDavid has already done a commercial promoting the brand...And talks have begun with Sidney Crosby, who's endorsement deal with Reebok will expire at the end of this month...

But there is another fear about Adidas and the NHL getting into bed together...Will this move bring what many have feared for years, but have seen coming...Advertising on the jerseys...We have seen it in junior hockey...We have seen it in European hockey leagues...The AHL...And many NHL teams have had an advertiser on their practice jerseys...But game jerseys...It just doesn't seem right...

Listen it seems natural in auto racing...As far back as I remember, and before me, ads were on race cars...But not on Hockey Jerseys...I'm sure Holy Hell would be raised if MLB tried it...

But the NHL wants to grow...And they want to line their pockets more...NHL officials project that ads on jerseys could bring in $4 million per team each year...

What's the saying?  Money talks and Tradition walks...Something like that!

Hey, I like India Reynolds in Adidas...

I'm not sure if I'll like hockey in it...


Then again, We like India Reynolds in or out of Adidas!

NBC Sports is Run by an Idiot

NBC Sports Chairman Mark Lazarus wants NHL players to shave their beards...While I'm happy NBC and NBC Sports show NHL games, they really have no say in policy for the league, so this ass-hat seems like he's overreaching....Here is his full statement....

“The players won't like this, but I wish they all would stop growing beards in the postseason. Let's get their faces out there. Let's talk about how young and attractive they are." (sounds kinda like a boner smoker to me!)  "What model citizens they are. (Hockey players) truly are one of a kind among professional athletes. I know it's a tradition and superstition, but I think (the beards do) hurt recognition. They have a great opportunity with more endorsements. Or simply more recognition with fans saying, 'That guy looks like the kid next store [sic],' which many of these guys do. I think that would be a nice thing.”

Seriously, dude sounds like he wants Patrick Kane's dick in his mouth

And in case this guy dick-bag didn't know, over the past 6 years the NHL has sponsored a charity "Beard-A-Thon" that has raised over $3 million...

I can understand his idea, but who the fuck is he to try to fuck with tradition and superstition...Oh, and he's the same guy who has that fucking idiot Mike Milbury on his airwaves...Milbury who this week said about Chicago goalie Corey Crawford, "This one, he's going straight to hell on," after Crawford let in a weak goal in game two...

And that's not the only dumb shit Milbury has said...He says dumb shit all the time...Earlier in the year he was saying how we need to get the fighting out of hockey...The fucking asshole wouldn't have made it in the NHL if it was for fighting...

So Lazarus is okay with his talking heads being complete idiots, but thos fucking beards gotta go...Lazarus, stick another pair of balls in your mouth and shut the fuck up!