Sometimes I wonder what the NHL did to the staff of the Globe and Mail. Did someone at the league office not allow their writers to play in a media game at some point? Pick them last for shinny? Steal their lunch money?

In today’s edition of this incredibly biased daily, Bruce Dowbiggin whines that the NBA, NHL and MLB are “fatally flawed.” He wants to see these leagues go to a more European soccer model where as he puts it, “teams play at the economic level they can afford. It’s pay as you play, rather than propping up poor sisters.”

Dowbiggin, obviously carrying water for players associations in these leagues, actually lays all the blame at the feet of the owners. Now, I believe that the owners do deserve a big hunk of it for the situation in these leagues. I have a favorite line from the classic movie “Wall Street” that states (sic) “a fool and his money are lucky to find each other in the first place” and sometimes owners in all of the leagues (NFL included) prove this with their actions. But you have to add the player’s associations and the media into the mix, something Dowbiggin, reveling his bias, stubbornly refuses to do.

The NFL model is one spared Dowbiggin’s ire. I don’t understand why as the NFL model is almost identical to other leagues… only it manages to make enough money to cover the flaws and has the advantage of their extremely tilted contract system that goes against the players. His most interesting point is this… “With the exception of the NFL, all the leagues are bloated with useless franchises being propped up by evermore-arcane financial models.”

Hmmmm… this after the NFL team in the smallest media market in any league just won the championship. Why? Because the league shares revenue among its’ 32 franchises, propping up the smaller markets to support the league as a whole, y’know… what Dowbiggin is complaining about in the other three major sports leagues. The NFL works because of their giant television deal and the fact that it appears that both the players and the owners have recently figured out that killing the golden goose doesn’t get you more eggs, would that the players associations and owners in the other three leagues learn that lesson.

The problem I have with his whole article is that he conveniently forgets to mention one of the biggest issues with these leagues… to quote a former president’s tagline… it’s the economy stupid! Dowbiggin refuses to look at how the NHL revenues have skyrocketed since the lockout, in one of the worst economies since the 1930’s. Not exactly the sign of a "struggling league."

There is one other thing that he misses… by following his advice, we would not be celebrating the addition of another Canadian team to the league. After all, why would the league add a team that will only spend to the cap floor?

In the ultimate ignorance, he solely blames the NHL model for failing “to stem losses, encourage franchise values and create demand.” Yup… it’s only the model there Bruce… it exists in a vacuum. Sheesh.

As someone that is trying to sell a house right now, I understand all too well that demand waxes and wanes, that prices fluctuate and that the market moves in mysterious ways. Mr. Dowbiggin may need to climb down from his ivory tower and learn that businesses are living, breathing things that go through cycles. In this economy, no one is going to pay an inflated price for a team in any league, unless they have money to burn. Just like in the real estate market, the buyers have all the power right now... and it's showing.

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Random Notes

- Early voting has begun in Metro Nashville… it bears a reminder of the Metro Council members that voted against the Predators a few years back… their names… Duane Dominy, Buddy Baker and Megan Barry.

- The Toronto media hasn’t wasted any time in tearing into recently signed Tim Connolly. The Toronto Sun trowelled out some really nasty criticism attributed to “hockey people.” Given that this came from the same poison pen that went after Brian Burke, I am not surprised. Former Buffalo teammates jumped to Connolly’s defense… and people wonder why players don’t want to play in markets like that. Thank heavens for James Mirtle, who injects a little sanity into this den of vipers.

- I really like Ottawa’s addition of Nikita Filatov… another great prospect ruined by the Columbus Blue Jackets and the reign of terror of their first general manager. I hope he does well.

- Sorry to hear of the demise of Canucks Central… one of the oldest dedicated sites to a specific team. Obviously things had gone really sour there over the past few months. I wish Chris and his gang well.

- Curious signing in Calgary as the Flames signed Brendan Morrison, didn’t think they needed any forwards. This puts the Flames pretty close to the cap ceiling.

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