The All-Star break is done, time to look ahead at the last sprint. 32 games in the next 68 days, 21 of them at home, the Nashville Predators reassemble today to refocus on the task ahead. The good news for Pred Nation is the stat that the overwhelming majority of teams in playoff position at the All-Star break, end up making the playoffs. The Predators still must play the games, and given the resiliency this team has show in the face of devastating injuries, you expect the team to maintain its’ position.
February has nine home games and four away, all the away games are one and done road trips. Staring off at home against the Flames, the team should avoid the typical “return-from-long-roadie-letdown” as all of the players (except Shea Weber) were able to adjust to being home again due to the all-star break. Then a very tough stretch, at Philly on Thursday, Detroit at home on Saturday and at the Joe next Wednesday surround a potential “trap” home game against Edmonton on Monday.
Nashville then hosts four consecutive games, all against Western Conference foes in playoff contention before closing the month with three division games in the last four, a home and home against Columbus and their last game of the season against Chicago surrounding a visit to Dallas. All-in-all, the Predators play all but one game in February against teams in playoff position… a very tough month to be sure.
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I love the writing of David Shoalts… but then again, I also love root canals. In his latest slanted piece in the Globe and Mail Mr. Shoalts takes another shot at Southern markets and does his best to misinform his readers about how things are going in markets such as Atlanta, Florida and Nashville. I will give him credit, Mr. Shoalts does grudgingly recognize (albeit in a back-handed manner) the attendance improvements in Nashville and Florida. He does undermine his own point by calling out Atlanta for falling 4000 short of a sellout when he Maple Leafs came to town. Hmmm… that could be a sign that Atlanta is maturing as a hockey market, after all, who wants to come see a team that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2004?
I’ve truly gotten to the point where I believe it is pathetic how this writer continues to desperately cling to his beliefs, looking for any shred of “evidence” that it isn’t working, moving from target to target to target, trying to prove his point that Gary Bettman is the worst commissioner ever and that his Southern strategy is a failure.
Canadian fans… just pray that he doesn’t use the same logic when discussing your franchise next. Why do I say that? Because the very things he describes as going on in these southern markets have happened in northern ones as well. You know the old saying, those who do not learn from history, are bound to repeat it…
Attendance issues - Hmmm… let’s see… we saw those in Quebec City, in Winnipeg and in Vancouver, more recently in Chicago, Pittsburgh and Boston… just to name a few…
Revenue-Sharing - Mr. Shoalts continues to pound the point home that Florida, Nashville and Atlanta are “regular participants in the NHL’s revenue-sharing program.” True… but no mention of the Canadian Assistance Plan that kept teams afloat during the 90’s? Besides… what will happen should the Canadian dollar drop in value? That revenue sharing could once again keep teams in Canada solvent.
Ticket prices – The average ticket price in the markets he slags are much lower that Toronto. Why is that a bad thing, just because the Leafs can charge $650 for the top ticket at the Air Canada Center doesn’t mean that is good for the league… and besides… is there something wrong with affordable tickets?
Mr. Shoalts plays off the blind hatred a lot of hockey fans have for Gary Bettman. It’s a phenomenon examined well by Roy MacGregor’s Friday column in the same publication. It is a mystery to me that fans don’t recognize that the commissioner was instrumental is keeping franchises in Ottawa, Edmonton and Calgary. Franchise stability is paramount to this commissioner and he has got the owners behind him on this.
I don’t expect this type of hatchet job to end, I also do not expect any kind of balance from this writer who seems to play to his base at every opportunity.
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Random Notes
- When you get pushed, you do better… nowhere is that more evident than in the Hardest Shot Competition. Shea Weber keeps pushing Zdeno Charra, and Charra did not disappoint. 105.9 MPH? Sick…
- Four assists and a plus six? Simply MVP numbers from Shea Weber in last night’s All-Star game…
- Tonight… it's The Sports Radio 560 WNSR Predators Players Show live @ The Flying Saucer 6 PM-7PM. Get autographs and pictures with Nashville Predators Players Marcel Goc & Alexander Sulzer. Don't miss out on this opportunity to support The Predators & local hockey coverage from Nashville’s Sports Original 560 WNSR!
- A survey of NHL players conducted by Hockey Night in Canada and the NHLPA show only 5 percent support for Hamilton to get an NHL team and only 16 percent support for a second team in Toronto. The winner? Quebec City with 53%. 318 players responded to the survey.
- Another interesting response from that survey, The New York Islanders (27%) and Edmonton Oilers (20) were the teams players would least like to play for.
- I know I have screamed when NHL Hockey has been pre-empted by horse racing and telethons… but apparently CBC delayed its coverage of the All-Star Game by 20 minutes for… wait for it… curling.
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You are invited to follow me on Twitter. Search for @PredPAPaul… Not only will I be updating when I get news or updates, but we are having a bit of fun by getting your input on Gnash introductions, weigh in on Twitter and who knows, we may use your introduction for the best mascot in the NHL at the next Preds game!
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COMING UP ON THE NEXT SLAPSHOT RADIO…
This week’s we're talking to Craig Custance from the Sporting News, Tim Panaccio from CSN Philly joins us to preview the Preds/Flyers game and Pete Weber goes Behind the Bench with Barry Trotz. That's all Wednesday night at 6 on SportsRadio 560 WNSR.
Podcasts of past episodes are available at
the SlapShot Radio podcast page.
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