NHL vs. Jim Balsillie - Round 3
Having been rebuffed in two previous attempts to buy an NHL franchise and move it to soutehrn Ontario, Jim Balsillie is trying again. You have to admire the guy's persistance even if Bettman and Daly don't. I truly believe that all hockey fans have mixed feelings about this. When you ask for a hockey fan's opinion on something, usually it comes right out without a moment's hesitation. Most things are black and white to us. This one is different. Deep down every hockey fan wants to see Balsillie owning a hockey team. He clearly loves the game and his controversial persona would be entertaining for all - kind of like our own poor man's version of Mark Cuban. Besides, even the staunchest Sun Belt hockey fan would readily admit how absurd it is that the New York metropolitan area has three hockey teams, the Los Angeles area has two, the state of Florida has two, and yet, the "center of the hockey universe has only the Leafs (yes, I hear you Leaf fans, and no, we will not count the Leafs as half of a franchise). Furthermore, the simple fact that it pisses off Gary Bettman appeals to hockey fans.

On the flip side, it's hard not to acknowledge that Balsillie is going about this all wrong. No hockey fan would want this to happen to his or her team, and that is why there is a certain sympathy for the Coyotes and their fans. Balsillie is clearly in the process of a hostile takeover, and it's hard for any hockey fan to support that when it means that fans in a market might lose their team (yes, I hear you too Hartford, Winnipeg, and Quebec City). If Balsillie wasn't blackballed before, he almost certainly will be if this attempt fails. And that would be a shame because the NHL needs him owning a team in southern Ontario.

It's never enjoyable to watch a franchise struggle. Hockey fans would certainly like to see the game grow and to see more poeple appreciating the excitement it has to offer, but, whether true or not, the Phoenix franchise is perceived as something of a wounded bird that needs to be put out of its misery. Hockey fans are still annoyed with Bettman for his pigheaded persistance in shoving hockey teams down the throats of non-traditional hockey markets. Allowing franchises to leave those markets would be admitting defeat. Bettman will do anything in his power to prevent that from happening. Meanwhile, hockey fans will continue to have mixed feelings as this sordid mess continues. This won't be like ripping off a band-aid. This is going to be a long, drawn-out legal battle, and in the end someone is going to lose. If the Phoenix franchise doesn't have a good chance at turning things around, it may be time to finally give Balsillie the franchise he so badly desires, even if it means admitting defeat.

In the wake of the Sharks first-round play-off loss to the Ducks, everyone was so excited to jump on top of the pile that they hardly paused to stop and think about what had happened. The Sharks were victims of their play-off demons once again, or so the thinking went. Too soft, too tight, too poorly built for the play-offs, etc. etc. Nobody seemed to consider the possibility that maybe the Ducks really were just a good team. Oh, everyone said it was a "poor matchup" for the Sharks, but did anybody think the Ducks were going to go on a tear like the Oilers, circa 2006? I didn't. Now, with the Ducks suddenly leading the Red Wings 2-1, that looks like a more realistic possibility. With the simmering frustration over the Sharks early exit fresh, it seemed almost certain that GM Doug Wilson would blow up the team or at least consider doing so. Should the direction the rest of the postseason takes affect his analysis of the Sharks and the moves he makes in the off-season? Let's say the Ducks bow out quietly to the Red Wings in this round. Wilson will almost certainly make major changes to the Sharks. However, what if the Ducks proceed to stun the Red Wings and advance even further? What if they make it to the finals? Win the Cup? I would sincerely doubt that any pundits would be calling for the Red Wings to be blown up if they were to lose this series to the Ducks despite the fact they were neck and neck with the Sharks for the No. 1 seed in the West up until the very end. So if the Ducks make it to the finals or win the Cup, does Wilson chalk up the first round loss to the bad luck of running into a team peaking at just the right time? Perhaps the Sharks don't need a total makeover. Maybe they just need a little luck with their match-ups next year. The Sharks are still an outstanding hockey team. Just because they lost in the first round this year doesn't mean they need to blow the team up. Minor tweaks could push them over the hump, and it's certainly possible that the changes Wilson makes this off season hinge upon how far the Ducks go in the play-offs. In a cruel twist of fate, the Ducks could end up saving the Sharks. How is that for irony?

As we await the beginning of the "Dream Series" between the Caps and the Pens (or is it between Ovechkin and Crosby?), it's a good time to step back from the media lunacy and the endless comparisons between these players to take stock of what is important here. This is obviously a marketing dream for the NHL to have these teams playing each other, and it allows the pundits (especially morons like Burnside) to wax poetic about the greatness of these players. However, the fact remains that Crosby isn't even the most valuable player on his team and is not a nominee for the Hart. Many have been saying that Ovechkin and Crosby are two very different players and that you can't compare them. While it's true that they don't play a similar style, it's not unfair to compare them. Nor is it unfair to compare Ovechkin with Malkin. I think most unbiased observers would agree that nobody in the sport can take control of the game like Ovechkin. Crosby and Malkin have great hockey sense. They both make great plays with the puck and complement each other quite well. Crosby's reputation takes a hit as a result of his hostory and reputation for both diving and whining. Malkin's reputation takes a hit because of his complete lack of public persona. Ovechkin, on the other hand, has it all. He is dazzling on the ice because he is loaded with skill and still manages to entertain. You know when he has the puck. You can feel it throughout the arena. It's the kind of electricity few people in sports can generate. He can score like nobody else, and he still plays a physical game. It's not just the highlight reel-goals. It's not just the youthful, contagious enthusiasm, it's not just the electricity he generates every time he's on the ice. It's all of it combined. The League may want to make Crosby the poster boy for the League. However, if you want to get a neophyte hooked on hockey, just show him or her an Ovechkin complilation. That person's jaw will drop. Ovechkin dazzles both the hard-core hockey fan as well as the newbie. He's the total package, and that is what makes him the MVP. Game on.