The four words anybody who is blissfully in love never wants to hear from their partner. But they are words Cliff Fletcher needs to practice in the mirror over the next few weeks, as former Maple Leafs captain Mats Sundin works off the results of a restful summer back in Sweden.
Because as Mats was enjoying his summer deciding whether or not he had the emotional fortitude to wear the Blue and White (or any other colours) this winter, we have been moving on. Ok - we haven't REALLY been moving on. But that's what we have been telling ourselves.
Over the past 4 years, Leafs Nation was held captive by John Ferguson, Junior. During this time, the Front Street Faithful could trust Mats would come through. He always has. Like an old sweatshirt worked in by a loved one, we got comfortable with #13. And he got comfortable with us. We were spending every Saturday night on the couch together, watching movies and eating popcorn, while those poor, pitiful teams like Carolina had one-month flings and embarrassing trysts with All-Stars for their inevitable playoff pushes. We had our star. And we didn't have eyes for anybody else.
- The Future -
But when Ferguson was shown the door, the focus changed in Leafs Land. Leaf fans no longer held onto any pipe dreams of making the playoffs. We wanted a contender, but we had to do it right. In the post-salary cap era, there is no other way to improve than through The Draft.
That's when things began to sour with Sundin. As he put us on his back in the Spring of 2008, our perception of #13 was different. Like a relationship taking a turn for the worse, it started with insensitive jokes. Fans knew that Sundin was going to put the Maple Leafs on his back, but this time we didn't want the ride. We wanted Steven Stamkos. We wanted to be young again.
When he refused to lose and made every Leafs fan believe, even if for just a moment, that we could make the unlikely post-season rush, Sundin was doing what he had done every other year. And we loved him for it. But it wasn't the same. There was the embarrassing trade-deadline squabble when he refused to be rented out and go for a Playoff Run with a contender.
We looked toward the end of the season as a time when both Mats and Leaf fans could regroup. We would have some time apart. Take a break. See if we felt the same way in the fall.
- The Split -
And, surprisingly, we did feel the same way. We still needed time away from Sundin. It hurt, but the season began respectably under new coach Ron Wilson. We upended the Red Wings in the 1st game of the season. So far, so good. We had Mats at the back of our minds, but our first forays out on Saturday nights went alright without him. We got shot down a few times, but this was expected. We were back in the game and it was exciting.
As the air grows colder and we ready ourselves for a long winter, we remember Mats fondly. Like a fresh break-up, both parties are lonely and unfulfilled. It's late at night and Mats is lying awake in bed, thinking about the good times. So he picks up the phone and scrolls down the phonebook to "M". Maple Leafs.
And Leafs fans are doing the same. We're lying in bed with all kinds of new jerseys... not just #13. So when we see our phone ringing at 3:00 am, and Niklas Hagman asks "Who's calling at this hour?" We answer, "Just an old friend." You don't want to rock the boat and shake Hagman, Nik Antropov and Alex Ponikarovsky's fragile confidence. They're performing just fine.
We tell ourselves that we're over Mats. But the truth is: we're not. Ron Wilson's coaching has allowed us to retain some shreds of dignity, but we won't be able to truly smile with joy until we feel the butterflies of a new leader - the same type of butterflies we'd get in our stomachs when we'd see Sundin rush down the ice on a 2-on-1 in April and you just knew he was going to score.
- The One Who Got Away -
We will find out what our future holds in December when Brian Burke replies to the Ducks about his contract extension offer. Henry Samueli has made it clear he wants Brian Burke to stick around, but Burke is tempted by the Thrill of the Chase he would feel as the General Manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The time is right: Things haven't felt the same for Burkie in Anaheim. They had very high highs, and some equally low lows. It might just be time.
The reasons are right: Burke's family lives on the East Coast and he has made it clear that the cross-continental trips to visit them are difficult; his wife would be able to work in Toronto; and it is the highest profile job in the biggest hockey city on earth.
Fletcher and Leafs Nation are getting dolled up to make Burke an offer he can't refuse. Until we have "The Talk" with Burke, we aren't really going to be able to get over Mats. When we get those late-night phone calls, we will be tempted to answer even though we know it's wrong. But with Burke in town, it will be easier to see Mats with another team.
And that is precisely what Mats should do - we are trying to move on; he needs to do the same. He should sign with one of those younger, better-looking hockey teams that are currently vying for the Stanley Cup. Sure, he won't feel as emotionally connected to his team and his new fans. It will be really awkward when he first encounters the Leafs on the ice. He might even be thinking about us when he's lacing up his skates.
But when he lifts that Cup above his head, he will be enjoying the moment. It won't matter what jersey he is wearing. He will have earned what he has worked for his entire life.
We will always have fond memories, Mats. But it's time to move on.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs: Successes Already Achieved - and Challenges That Lie In The Future
On the off-chance that you like reading old news, this is a profile of a Canadian gymnast I did in May, 2008.
Prior to last week’s World Cup event in Tianjin, China, Canadian gymnast Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs explained that she went there with one thing in mind – preparing for Beijing. Because of the magnitude of an Olympic experience, Coaches Carol-Angela Orchard and Brian McVey wanted Ms. Hopfner-Hibbs to have some event experience in China.
If it seems premature to be focusing on the Olympics before she is even able to qualify, Coach Orchard clarifies that she has been preparing for this for the past nine years. “Since she was 10. She was the novice champion of Canada when she was 10 and it’s a matter of building on that constantly.” The two women to represent Canada in Beijing will be selected at the National Championships in Calgary, from June 1-8.
The amount of preparation required places a tremendous amount of pressure on Ms. Hopfner-Hibbs. “The psychological aspect is now probably the most important thing for Elyse. We are dealing more with the psychological aspect of dealing with the pressure of an Olympic Games, which is huge.”
Orchard is no stranger to the Olympics. She has trained three former Olympians, including Canadians Monica Covacci and Michelle Conway. “On paper, (Hopfner-Hibbs) is superior to any gymnast that we have ever had in Canada – she has accomplished things nobody else has ever done. She has shattered that glass ceiling, so now little kids think, ‘a Canadian can do it.’”
Despite her lack of Olympic experience, Hopfner-Hibbs leads Canadian women with several firsts for the program. She was the first Canadian woman to medal at a World Championships – she won bronze on the balance beam in 2007. She was the first Canadian woman to win a gold medal at a World Cup event. Until April, Canadian women had won 5 medals at World Cup events – four of those belong to Ms. Hopfner-Hibbs.
Last week, on her first ever trip to China, she won her 3rd World Cup medal of the year on the uneven bars – a silver, following a gold medal won in Maribor, Czech Republic and a bronze from Dohar, Qatar. She says that her international success gives her confidence leading up to the Olympic qualifications. “My name has gotten out there, which is important in a judged sport. The judges have seen me and have responded to my routine, so it gives you confidence to know that you are able to compete with the best.”
Orchard says she is well prepared, but is quick to point out that the pressure of the Olympics changes the competition. For an uneven bars and balance-beam specialist such as Hopfner-Hibbs, it all depends on how she performs from moment-to-moment. “Her routines are definitely comparable. She could definitely make a final. And once you’re in the final, anything can happen, especially on beam.”
Following the Olympics, Hopfner-Hibbs will reap the benefits of her past decade of hard work – she will enroll as a student at University of California – Los Angeles in August, where she will be on a full scholarship for gymnastics. She isn’t sure what she wants to study. “I’ve changed my mind so many times… I’m just going to go and see what I like best,” she gushes, suddenly an excited 18-year-old. Following a brief pause, she catches herself and looks again like the professional she has been for the past decade. “But that’s all for after the Olympics.”
Prior to last week’s World Cup event in Tianjin, China, Canadian gymnast Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs explained that she went there with one thing in mind – preparing for Beijing. Because of the magnitude of an Olympic experience, Coaches Carol-Angela Orchard and Brian McVey wanted Ms. Hopfner-Hibbs to have some event experience in China.
If it seems premature to be focusing on the Olympics before she is even able to qualify, Coach Orchard clarifies that she has been preparing for this for the past nine years. “Since she was 10. She was the novice champion of Canada when she was 10 and it’s a matter of building on that constantly.” The two women to represent Canada in Beijing will be selected at the National Championships in Calgary, from June 1-8.
The amount of preparation required places a tremendous amount of pressure on Ms. Hopfner-Hibbs. “The psychological aspect is now probably the most important thing for Elyse. We are dealing more with the psychological aspect of dealing with the pressure of an Olympic Games, which is huge.”
Orchard is no stranger to the Olympics. She has trained three former Olympians, including Canadians Monica Covacci and Michelle Conway. “On paper, (Hopfner-Hibbs) is superior to any gymnast that we have ever had in Canada – she has accomplished things nobody else has ever done. She has shattered that glass ceiling, so now little kids think, ‘a Canadian can do it.’”
Despite her lack of Olympic experience, Hopfner-Hibbs leads Canadian women with several firsts for the program. She was the first Canadian woman to medal at a World Championships – she won bronze on the balance beam in 2007. She was the first Canadian woman to win a gold medal at a World Cup event. Until April, Canadian women had won 5 medals at World Cup events – four of those belong to Ms. Hopfner-Hibbs.
Last week, on her first ever trip to China, she won her 3rd World Cup medal of the year on the uneven bars – a silver, following a gold medal won in Maribor, Czech Republic and a bronze from Dohar, Qatar. She says that her international success gives her confidence leading up to the Olympic qualifications. “My name has gotten out there, which is important in a judged sport. The judges have seen me and have responded to my routine, so it gives you confidence to know that you are able to compete with the best.”
Orchard says she is well prepared, but is quick to point out that the pressure of the Olympics changes the competition. For an uneven bars and balance-beam specialist such as Hopfner-Hibbs, it all depends on how she performs from moment-to-moment. “Her routines are definitely comparable. She could definitely make a final. And once you’re in the final, anything can happen, especially on beam.”
Following the Olympics, Hopfner-Hibbs will reap the benefits of her past decade of hard work – she will enroll as a student at University of California – Los Angeles in August, where she will be on a full scholarship for gymnastics. She isn’t sure what she wants to study. “I’ve changed my mind so many times… I’m just going to go and see what I like best,” she gushes, suddenly an excited 18-year-old. Following a brief pause, she catches herself and looks again like the professional she has been for the past decade. “But that’s all for after the Olympics.”
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
The Toronto Predators - Coming to an Air Canada Centre Near You!
With their recent article discussing the feasibility of having two NHL hockey teams in Toronto, the Globe and Mail opened a whole wave of responses that made this move seem imminent. While the overwhelming response from the media and fans alike is premature, there are too many arguments for the addition of a second NHL team to the Greater Toronto Area to ignore.
It is an understatement to say that there is a lot of interest in hockey in Toronto and considering the size of the city, it would be easy to find 18,900 fans to sell out the new team's games every night (let's, for convenience sake, call them the Predators). The infrastructure is already in place: there is a strong precedent for teams in the same league sharing facilities, such as the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers in the L.A. Coliseum, and the Giants and Jets as roommates in Giants Stadium. There is a prospective owner with deep pockets who has been very vocal about his interest in owning an NHL team in Southern Ontario - Research In Motion's Jim Balsillie. He already tried to overpay for the Nashville Predators (and ultimately ended up offering $20 million more than the offer that was accepted, which is suspicious).
The time is right for the game to "grow" into a market that is a proven hotbed. Hockey is the biggest sport in Canada and in spite of the league's recent failures to make inroads in the Southern United States, they need their next franchise to be a runaway success. Of the most frequently named cities that have expressed interest in landing a NHL team (Winnipeg, Hamilton, Quebec City, Kansas City, Houston and Las Vegas), Ontario seems to provide the most financially viable home. There are questions about Winnipeg's fans willingness to pay top-dollar for a ticket and Quebec City needs more companies who have become the top ticket-buyers in today's professional sport landscape (ie, luxury boxes). And following the struggles of the NHL in Nashville, Atlanta and Phoenix, who in their right mind would decide to put a team in Houston or Las Vegas? (On the other hand, who has accused Gary Bettman of being in his right mind?)
One NHL executive who requested anonymity has said, "If you take out the Canadian teams, which have done so well since the lockout largely because of the Canadian dollar, the league's revenues are actually only growing at a 2 per cent clip per year... It's not enough. We're not really growing as a sport, and we're still invisible in the U.S." 1 This says that the league, if not Gary Bettman - who is still committed to growing the game in areas where ice does not naturally occur - has finally realized that they have been under-serving the Canadian fans that they have long taken for granted.
In Southern Ontario there are 15 OHL hockey teams that, by all standards, are considered professional. 4 of those teams make their home in the Greater Toronto Area, which also compete with the AHL's Toronto Marlies. This shows that there is a hockey market that has needs beyond what the Toronto Maple Leafs serve. If New York City has 3 NHL teams and Los Angeles has two, why can't Toronto?
I would argue that the NHL can't afford to NOT add another Toronto team, and at least 1 more elsewhere in Canada. Toronto, the 5th largest market in North America and the biggest hockey city in the world, has 5.5 million fans who are dying to give their money away. The fact that there are Ottawa Senators fans who are Torontonians by birth speaks to the fact that the Maple Leafs aren't meeting everybody's needs.
The NHL also can't afford to expand to a 32 team league. Since they don't want to contract, look for some teams to be migrating back North with the geese over the next 3-5 seasons. When you consider the financial aspect of adding a team to Toronto, consider this: the Maple Leafs earned $1.9 million in ticket revenue every. single. game. last season. ($77.9 million total) To put this in perspective, Phoenix earned $450,000 in ticket revenue... last season. Since 50% of a team's total revenue comes from ticket sales, Phoenix is losing about $35 million dollars every year.
You could read this and say "Phoenix's owners must hate making money!" Or you could read this and remember that the NHL has a revenue-sharing system where the richest teams basically pay the operating costs of the poorest teams. And since 31% of the NHL's revenue over the last two seasons came from its 6 Canadian franchises, realize this: Canucks fans are essentially paying for the Coyotes to rot in the desert. After all, they paid $10 million dollars to support their deadbeat peers last season. The Leafs paid $12 million, Canadiens paid $11.5 million, Flames paid $6 million, Senators paid $1 million and the Oilers paid $800 K. The problem isn't just Phoenix. 11 of the 24 American based teams were either revenue flat or lost money on ticket sales. To put it bluntly, the Coyotes (and 10 other American teams) are on NHL welfare.
This just goes to show that the NHL's current course is ludicrous. How can a league that just underwent a crisis 4 years ago, enough to cancel an entire season, justify not putting a team in a market that will essentially be a license to print money?
It makes too much sense. Toronto needs another NHL team. Kitchener-Waterloo needs an NHL team. Winnipeg needs an NHL team.
After 20 years of trying, the NHL should realize that it needs to end the "Southern Experiment" and give back to the fans who have been keeping the league afloat.
It is an understatement to say that there is a lot of interest in hockey in Toronto and considering the size of the city, it would be easy to find 18,900 fans to sell out the new team's games every night (let's, for convenience sake, call them the Predators). The infrastructure is already in place: there is a strong precedent for teams in the same league sharing facilities, such as the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers in the L.A. Coliseum, and the Giants and Jets as roommates in Giants Stadium. There is a prospective owner with deep pockets who has been very vocal about his interest in owning an NHL team in Southern Ontario - Research In Motion's Jim Balsillie. He already tried to overpay for the Nashville Predators (and ultimately ended up offering $20 million more than the offer that was accepted, which is suspicious).
The time is right for the game to "grow" into a market that is a proven hotbed. Hockey is the biggest sport in Canada and in spite of the league's recent failures to make inroads in the Southern United States, they need their next franchise to be a runaway success. Of the most frequently named cities that have expressed interest in landing a NHL team (Winnipeg, Hamilton, Quebec City, Kansas City, Houston and Las Vegas), Ontario seems to provide the most financially viable home. There are questions about Winnipeg's fans willingness to pay top-dollar for a ticket and Quebec City needs more companies who have become the top ticket-buyers in today's professional sport landscape (ie, luxury boxes). And following the struggles of the NHL in Nashville, Atlanta and Phoenix, who in their right mind would decide to put a team in Houston or Las Vegas? (On the other hand, who has accused Gary Bettman of being in his right mind?)
One NHL executive who requested anonymity has said, "If you take out the Canadian teams, which have done so well since the lockout largely because of the Canadian dollar, the league's revenues are actually only growing at a 2 per cent clip per year... It's not enough. We're not really growing as a sport, and we're still invisible in the U.S." 1 This says that the league, if not Gary Bettman - who is still committed to growing the game in areas where ice does not naturally occur - has finally realized that they have been under-serving the Canadian fans that they have long taken for granted.
In Southern Ontario there are 15 OHL hockey teams that, by all standards, are considered professional. 4 of those teams make their home in the Greater Toronto Area, which also compete with the AHL's Toronto Marlies. This shows that there is a hockey market that has needs beyond what the Toronto Maple Leafs serve. If New York City has 3 NHL teams and Los Angeles has two, why can't Toronto?
I would argue that the NHL can't afford to NOT add another Toronto team, and at least 1 more elsewhere in Canada. Toronto, the 5th largest market in North America and the biggest hockey city in the world, has 5.5 million fans who are dying to give their money away. The fact that there are Ottawa Senators fans who are Torontonians by birth speaks to the fact that the Maple Leafs aren't meeting everybody's needs.
The NHL also can't afford to expand to a 32 team league. Since they don't want to contract, look for some teams to be migrating back North with the geese over the next 3-5 seasons. When you consider the financial aspect of adding a team to Toronto, consider this: the Maple Leafs earned $1.9 million in ticket revenue every. single. game. last season. ($77.9 million total) To put this in perspective, Phoenix earned $450,000 in ticket revenue... last season. Since 50% of a team's total revenue comes from ticket sales, Phoenix is losing about $35 million dollars every year.
You could read this and say "Phoenix's owners must hate making money!" Or you could read this and remember that the NHL has a revenue-sharing system where the richest teams basically pay the operating costs of the poorest teams. And since 31% of the NHL's revenue over the last two seasons came from its 6 Canadian franchises, realize this: Canucks fans are essentially paying for the Coyotes to rot in the desert. After all, they paid $10 million dollars to support their deadbeat peers last season. The Leafs paid $12 million, Canadiens paid $11.5 million, Flames paid $6 million, Senators paid $1 million and the Oilers paid $800 K. The problem isn't just Phoenix. 11 of the 24 American based teams were either revenue flat or lost money on ticket sales. To put it bluntly, the Coyotes (and 10 other American teams) are on NHL welfare.
This just goes to show that the NHL's current course is ludicrous. How can a league that just underwent a crisis 4 years ago, enough to cancel an entire season, justify not putting a team in a market that will essentially be a license to print money?
It makes too much sense. Toronto needs another NHL team. Kitchener-Waterloo needs an NHL team. Winnipeg needs an NHL team.
After 20 years of trying, the NHL should realize that it needs to end the "Southern Experiment" and give back to the fans who have been keeping the league afloat.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Elegy for the Role Model
"Help me help you."
If it were only that simple. If sports agents were more like Jerry Maguire and less like Drew Rosenhaus, maybe we wouldn't find ourselves in this predicament. Who knows when it all started. We should have known that something needed to be fixed when Latrell Sprewell claimed that he couldn't "feed (his) family" on $14.6 million dollars per year. Gone are the days of heroes like Lou Gehrig. In the 21st Century, we have dubious heroes such as Lance Armstrong. Sure we can admire his superhuman feats of strength, but we have the "Did he or didn't he?" debate gnawing at the back of our minds.
Now, we have athletes like Michael Vick, Ugueth Urbina and the Cincinnati Bengals. In fact, as far as I can tell, the only motivation for an athlete to be an upstanding citizen is to maximize his endorsement potential. Take Michael Phelps for example: before he even returned from Beijing, after setting the Olympic record for most gold medals won in a single Games, he was fielding offers from companies who had already drawn up ad-pitches and hundred million dollar contracts.
Something is broken in North American professional sports that desperately needs to be fixed. There is a new focus on money that simply did not exist before. Sure, everybody likes to be valued in the workplace; however, when athletes refuse to play when they are already making $10+ million dollars per season, that is bringing it to a different level.
Sports leagues need to hold their athletes (and their former athletes) more accountable. But in order to do so, they need to educate their athletes on the responsibility they hold to the community that invests in them. They need to institute programs such as the NFL rookie orientation, that introduces players to the challenges and pressures they will face outside the field of competition. The NBA estimates that 60% of its athletes are bankrupt within 5 years of retiring. With such staggering numbers, how can the league not take action to educate their players on how to better handle their finances and their personal lives?
While these programs cannot guarantee that aberrant behavior is a thing of the past, it is a step in the right direction to rehabilitate the 21st Century Athlete.
If leagues don't take these steps, extreme cases such as OJ Simpson, Jose Canseco, and Adam "don't call me Pacman" Jones will continue to persist. Individuals like these are a blemish on the sport and, unfortunately, grab headlines before the good that happens on the field of competition. The media shares some of the blame; however, if they did not have so much fodder with which to lambaste the athletes, the headlines couldn't possibly be as juicy.
Perhaps it is unfair to blame Drew Rosenhaus. Maybe we've reached an age where personal conduct no longer matters - only the almighty dollar is important. But I refuse to believe that. I'd prefer to think that, with education, the good side of athletes will prevail - the good side of humanity will prevail.
We can save the Role Model from extinction. Just help me help you.
If it were only that simple. If sports agents were more like Jerry Maguire and less like Drew Rosenhaus, maybe we wouldn't find ourselves in this predicament. Who knows when it all started. We should have known that something needed to be fixed when Latrell Sprewell claimed that he couldn't "feed (his) family" on $14.6 million dollars per year. Gone are the days of heroes like Lou Gehrig. In the 21st Century, we have dubious heroes such as Lance Armstrong. Sure we can admire his superhuman feats of strength, but we have the "Did he or didn't he?" debate gnawing at the back of our minds.
Now, we have athletes like Michael Vick, Ugueth Urbina and the Cincinnati Bengals. In fact, as far as I can tell, the only motivation for an athlete to be an upstanding citizen is to maximize his endorsement potential. Take Michael Phelps for example: before he even returned from Beijing, after setting the Olympic record for most gold medals won in a single Games, he was fielding offers from companies who had already drawn up ad-pitches and hundred million dollar contracts.
Something is broken in North American professional sports that desperately needs to be fixed. There is a new focus on money that simply did not exist before. Sure, everybody likes to be valued in the workplace; however, when athletes refuse to play when they are already making $10+ million dollars per season, that is bringing it to a different level.
Sports leagues need to hold their athletes (and their former athletes) more accountable. But in order to do so, they need to educate their athletes on the responsibility they hold to the community that invests in them. They need to institute programs such as the NFL rookie orientation, that introduces players to the challenges and pressures they will face outside the field of competition. The NBA estimates that 60% of its athletes are bankrupt within 5 years of retiring. With such staggering numbers, how can the league not take action to educate their players on how to better handle their finances and their personal lives?
While these programs cannot guarantee that aberrant behavior is a thing of the past, it is a step in the right direction to rehabilitate the 21st Century Athlete.
If leagues don't take these steps, extreme cases such as OJ Simpson, Jose Canseco, and Adam "don't call me Pacman" Jones will continue to persist. Individuals like these are a blemish on the sport and, unfortunately, grab headlines before the good that happens on the field of competition. The media shares some of the blame; however, if they did not have so much fodder with which to lambaste the athletes, the headlines couldn't possibly be as juicy.
Perhaps it is unfair to blame Drew Rosenhaus. Maybe we've reached an age where personal conduct no longer matters - only the almighty dollar is important. But I refuse to believe that. I'd prefer to think that, with education, the good side of athletes will prevail - the good side of humanity will prevail.
We can save the Role Model from extinction. Just help me help you.
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