lily
05-24-2008, 05:07 PM
Link (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/23/AR2008052302884.html?hpid=topnews)
Star Power, Rabid Fans Brighten NHL's Big Stage
By Tarik El-Bashir
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, May 24, 2008; Page E01
When the Stanley Cup finals begin tonight, the NHL will have one of its most
anticipated matchups in years, one the league hopes will revive minuscule
television ratings and serve as a potential first step toward moving the
sport closer to North America's "Big Three."
Indeed, the best-of-seven series between the Detroit Red Wings and the
Pittsburgh Penguins has it all, from star players and rabid fan followings
to compelling story lines that figure to appeal to diehard and casual fans
alike.
The youthful Penguins are led by Sidney Crosby, the reigning MVP, and Evgeni
Malkin, an MVP hopeful, plus a cast of stars-in-the-making. The experienced
Red Wings counter with Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg, two of hockey's
most dynamic forwards, and Nicklas Lidstrom, winner of five of the past six
Norris Trophies as the league's best defenseman.
"I cannot recall more stars in a final since 1987 when Edmonton had five of
the best, but they were all on one team," said Mike "Doc" Emrick, who will
call the games for Versus and NBC. "All those guys -- [Wayne] Gretzky,
[Jari] Curry, [Mark] Messier and [Paul] Coffey -- are all in the Hall of
Fame now. But this time we have the stars divided out on [both] teams. I
think the hockey gods are smiling so wide we can count their missing teeth."
Dubbed "Hockeytown USA", Detroit ranked third among U.S.-based teams in
attendance at venerable Joe Louis Arena during the regular season, while the
Penguins played to 100 percent capacity at cozy Mellon Arena.
There are plenty of interesting plots, too. Among them:
· Crosby, the most talked about player since four-time Stanley Cup champion
Gretzky, is taking his first run at putting his name on the hallowed silver
trophy.
· The Red Wings, who are the closest thing the NHL has to a dynasty these
days, will be making their 23rd finals appearance and are aiming for their
fourth Cup since 1997.
· The Penguins won back-to-back Cups in 1991 and 1992 but are less than two
years removed from financial turmoil that threatened the franchise's future
in Steeltown.
"Crosby has been the key to the NHL's hopes of rejuvenating the league, so
it's an ideal situation to have him in the final," Toronto-based sports
business lawyer Jeffrey Citron said. "It puts him on the big stage. All
sports dream of having the marquee guys in the final. . . .
"I'm a lot more excited about watching Crosby and Malkin and [Marc-Andre]
Fleury and [Marian] Hossa against the established Red Wings, who are close
to being dynasty with their consistency through the years. If the league can
sustain [its optimism] in years when they have less popular teams in the
final, then you have a better case to say there's been a renaissance, and
they can look forward to better days."
It has been several years since the NHL has been able to boast about its
crowning event.
The sport, by most accounts, is in its best shape since 1994, when the New
York Rangers won the Cup. The collective bargaining agreement forged during
a costly season-long lockout three years ago has brought financial stability
to many markets. League-wide revenue is up and rule changes, also borne out
of the lockout, have allowed the stars to shine once again by cutting down
on obstruction.
However, the league's TV numbers remain unimpressive by most standards,
though ratings have improved in recent weeks. Versus says the conference
finals were the most watched since 2002, when Detroit beat the Carolina
Hurricanes, and Game 2 of the Eastern Conference final between the Penguins
and Philadelphia Flyers was the highest-rated hockey game on cable
television in the past five years (1.7 household rating or 2,345,834
viewers) and the network's most-watched telecast ever. NBC also reported
increases.
The past three finals -- Tampa Bay-Calgary (2004), Carolina-Edmonton (2006)
and Anaheim-Ottawa (2007) -- lacked the sizzle, star power and wide-ranging
fan appeal.
"But Pittsburgh-Detroit final is different than having Ottawa playing
against Anaheim," said Sam Flood, NBC's NHL producer. "Just [the] markets
alone and the passion of hockey [and having] two American cities makes a
difference."
With Crosby, Malkin and an emerging goaltending star in Fleury, the Penguins
are making the first of what many expect to be several championship runs.
But there's a feeling in the Penguins' locker room and front office that
this is a tremendous opportunity. The roster includes 12 pending
unrestricted free agents, including trade deadline addition Hossa, and
keeping the team together could prove too expensive in the salary-cap era.
"With the big trade at the deadline, bringing in Hossa, [Pascal Dupuis], Hal
Gill, we all got the message that this better be our time," Penguins winger
Ryan Malone said.
As for the Red Wings, they are hoping the experience of veterans such as
Lidstrom, Tomas Holmstrom and Chris Osgood and others will be enough to
outweigh the Penguins' youthful exuberance.
"Obviously, they've got a group of kids there that are as dynamic as
anybody, and there's nothing wrong with being young. I think if you look at
the '80s, the Oilers, they were all young when they won it," said Red Wings
right wing Dallas Drake. "But I think we'll rely on our older guys that have
been there to have a calming influence on us, and that's kind of how we
approach things every game."
Star Power, Rabid Fans Brighten NHL's Big Stage
By Tarik El-Bashir
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, May 24, 2008; Page E01
When the Stanley Cup finals begin tonight, the NHL will have one of its most
anticipated matchups in years, one the league hopes will revive minuscule
television ratings and serve as a potential first step toward moving the
sport closer to North America's "Big Three."
Indeed, the best-of-seven series between the Detroit Red Wings and the
Pittsburgh Penguins has it all, from star players and rabid fan followings
to compelling story lines that figure to appeal to diehard and casual fans
alike.
The youthful Penguins are led by Sidney Crosby, the reigning MVP, and Evgeni
Malkin, an MVP hopeful, plus a cast of stars-in-the-making. The experienced
Red Wings counter with Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg, two of hockey's
most dynamic forwards, and Nicklas Lidstrom, winner of five of the past six
Norris Trophies as the league's best defenseman.
"I cannot recall more stars in a final since 1987 when Edmonton had five of
the best, but they were all on one team," said Mike "Doc" Emrick, who will
call the games for Versus and NBC. "All those guys -- [Wayne] Gretzky,
[Jari] Curry, [Mark] Messier and [Paul] Coffey -- are all in the Hall of
Fame now. But this time we have the stars divided out on [both] teams. I
think the hockey gods are smiling so wide we can count their missing teeth."
Dubbed "Hockeytown USA", Detroit ranked third among U.S.-based teams in
attendance at venerable Joe Louis Arena during the regular season, while the
Penguins played to 100 percent capacity at cozy Mellon Arena.
There are plenty of interesting plots, too. Among them:
· Crosby, the most talked about player since four-time Stanley Cup champion
Gretzky, is taking his first run at putting his name on the hallowed silver
trophy.
· The Red Wings, who are the closest thing the NHL has to a dynasty these
days, will be making their 23rd finals appearance and are aiming for their
fourth Cup since 1997.
· The Penguins won back-to-back Cups in 1991 and 1992 but are less than two
years removed from financial turmoil that threatened the franchise's future
in Steeltown.
"Crosby has been the key to the NHL's hopes of rejuvenating the league, so
it's an ideal situation to have him in the final," Toronto-based sports
business lawyer Jeffrey Citron said. "It puts him on the big stage. All
sports dream of having the marquee guys in the final. . . .
"I'm a lot more excited about watching Crosby and Malkin and [Marc-Andre]
Fleury and [Marian] Hossa against the established Red Wings, who are close
to being dynasty with their consistency through the years. If the league can
sustain [its optimism] in years when they have less popular teams in the
final, then you have a better case to say there's been a renaissance, and
they can look forward to better days."
It has been several years since the NHL has been able to boast about its
crowning event.
The sport, by most accounts, is in its best shape since 1994, when the New
York Rangers won the Cup. The collective bargaining agreement forged during
a costly season-long lockout three years ago has brought financial stability
to many markets. League-wide revenue is up and rule changes, also borne out
of the lockout, have allowed the stars to shine once again by cutting down
on obstruction.
However, the league's TV numbers remain unimpressive by most standards,
though ratings have improved in recent weeks. Versus says the conference
finals were the most watched since 2002, when Detroit beat the Carolina
Hurricanes, and Game 2 of the Eastern Conference final between the Penguins
and Philadelphia Flyers was the highest-rated hockey game on cable
television in the past five years (1.7 household rating or 2,345,834
viewers) and the network's most-watched telecast ever. NBC also reported
increases.
The past three finals -- Tampa Bay-Calgary (2004), Carolina-Edmonton (2006)
and Anaheim-Ottawa (2007) -- lacked the sizzle, star power and wide-ranging
fan appeal.
"But Pittsburgh-Detroit final is different than having Ottawa playing
against Anaheim," said Sam Flood, NBC's NHL producer. "Just [the] markets
alone and the passion of hockey [and having] two American cities makes a
difference."
With Crosby, Malkin and an emerging goaltending star in Fleury, the Penguins
are making the first of what many expect to be several championship runs.
But there's a feeling in the Penguins' locker room and front office that
this is a tremendous opportunity. The roster includes 12 pending
unrestricted free agents, including trade deadline addition Hossa, and
keeping the team together could prove too expensive in the salary-cap era.
"With the big trade at the deadline, bringing in Hossa, [Pascal Dupuis], Hal
Gill, we all got the message that this better be our time," Penguins winger
Ryan Malone said.
As for the Red Wings, they are hoping the experience of veterans such as
Lidstrom, Tomas Holmstrom and Chris Osgood and others will be enough to
outweigh the Penguins' youthful exuberance.
"Obviously, they've got a group of kids there that are as dynamic as
anybody, and there's nothing wrong with being young. I think if you look at
the '80s, the Oilers, they were all young when they won it," said Red Wings
right wing Dallas Drake. "But I think we'll rely on our older guys that have
been there to have a calming influence on us, and that's kind of how we
approach things every game."