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The mainstream media flat out has a disdain for hockey. Hockey fans in the USA know it and are used to it, we look longingly north to see the incredible coverage Canada gives our sport, we wonder why and are thankful at the same time because that lack of coverage is why HockeyBuzz exists, because if the MSM ever caught wind of how truly passionate and hungry for news hockey fans are… well… we’d have less traffic on all of our blogs. I’ve been trying to resist, trying to not take the tempting bait that keeps getting pumped out of the monopoly on 1100 Broadway… but this is too much.
First, some background. The ownership group of the Nashville Predators, one more time, negotiated in good faith with the Nashville Sports Authority. Apparently, this government agency believes that the IRS should bow to their will or majority owner David Freeman should give up his rights as a citizen of our country in order to make them happy. Because neither of these things came to pass… the Predators agreed to the financial demands the authority made. They also agreed to waive the early termination clause in their agreement with the city for the next two seasons. They also announced that the 14,000 ticket sales goal is well within reach with plenty of headroom to exceed it. They also announced new marketing deals with Bridgestone, Patron and Ford.
Good news for Pred Nation and Nashville in general… right?
Not according to so-called business journalist Nate Rau who has been rather obvious in his hatred for anything ice related. His has been reporting about the Predators business dealings over the past year or so including yesterday's misleadingly headlined “Predators will stay in Nashville until 2012,” Rau is spinning like a top… trying to make the new ownership look as bad as possible in all of this good news. The interesting thing is, a lot of folks have asked me if the Preds were are leaving after 2012. I wondered why I was getting this question on Twitter, Facebook, email and face-to-face… until I saw that headline. Wow...
In Mr. Rau’s piece he says…
After The Tennessean reported Freeman's lien in November, Sports Authority board member Lauren Brisky recommended a series of actions that the remaining members of the ownership group could take to avoid a potential default
Note how Mr. Rau mentions nothing of how the Tennessean gets the information… through a disgruntled business partner, who wasn’t paying his bills. Not through any stellar research on the reporter’s part or through an investigation from the paper itself... but that doesn't stop him from crowing about it.
Under the new direction of Cigarran, the Predators largely agreed to Brisky's recommendations, most notably that the ownership group would waive its early termination clause through June 2012. The team could have left Nashville as early as May 1.
Technically true… the team could have left Nashville as early as May 1... but here’s where the spin continues in that the only way the team could exercise such an option is to not meet the attendance goals and have cumulative losses of $20 million. Since buying the team, the cumulative losses are… Ready for this? Zero.
That’s’ right… Zero.
Reporting in the very same paper over the past two season have told us that the team made a small profit in 2007-08 and a small loss in 2008-09. OK… to my eyes that equals out to zero, maybe a few bucks on either side. Is there any mention of this at all in the entire piece? Nope. Is there any mention of the new marketing agreements that has dramatically improved the team’s financial position? Nope. Is there any mention of increased attendance and being on track to hit the attendance goal? Nope.
It’s a shame, because the paper does need to be recognized for investing in Predators coverage this year. John Glennon and Jessica Bliss have stepped up their game and really have done a good job, digging deeper then they have over the past few years. The sports department has funded Glennon to travel with the team and John’s blogging has really improved the coverage the paper provides… but all that good work is undermined by the obvious spin coming from editors and the business desk at the Tennessean. I don't expect the Tennessean to be cheerleaders for this franchise... I do expect the Tennessean to report the facts without Mr. Rau's particular spin. The Nashville Post seems to have no problem with this, why does the Tennessean?
I come from a newspaper family. I know that real journalists need to report news, not drive an agenda. I know in these days of politically bent reporting this type of "journalism" has become accepted and may be easy to excuse, but... that doesn't make it right!
It needs to examined, and it needs to be stopped.
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Game day in LA LA land as the Preds and the Kings tangle for the second time since the Olympic break at Staples Center. The playoff race continues to tighten and each point is critical as Nashville is doing its’ best to hold off the Red Wings and Flames. Both teams have been floating a bit, hovering around the .500 mark for the last ten games.
The big question for today’s game becomes, can the Predators get consistency in net? Pekka Rinne played an outstanding game Friday night, can he follow it up with another solid performance? He has to as this team cannot survive mediocre goaltending.
Game time is 2pm Central Daylight Time, coverage on 104.5 the Zone and FS Tennessee.
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Speaking of the improved coverage from the sports department… great piece by Jessica Bliss in yesterday’s edition on the Predator’s locker room attendant Craig “Partner” Baugh. He is a great guy… Check the article out here
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Where We Stand… A daily look at where the Predator’s stand in the playoff race…
Coming into today’s play, the Predators stand 2nd in the Central division and 7th in the Western Conference. Nashville is…
- 3 points behind 6th place Colorado, the Av’s have a game in hand.
- 6 points behind 5th place Los Angeles, the Kings have a game in hand.
- 8 points behind 4th place Phoenix.
In the chase group… Nashville leads…
- 8th place Detroit by 1 point.
- 9th place Calgary by 2 points, the Flames have a game in hand.
- 10th place St. Louis by 6 points, the Blues have a game in hand.
- 11th place Dallas by 8 points, the Stars have a game in hand.
- 12th place Minnesota by 9 points, Minnesota has a game in hand.
The Preds have…
1 game left against – Stars(home), Wild(home), Blue Jackets(home),
2 games left against – Kings (Today,1h), Coyotes (1r, 1h), Red Wings (1r,1h)
2 games left against – Blues (1r,2h), rest of East (Philly @ home, @ Florida)
Tonight’s Impact Games
According to SportsClubStats.com, the results of last night’s play decreased the Predators chance of making the playoffs to 71%. Every game went the wrong way for the Preds last night.
Calgary / Vancouver – A Canucks win in regulation increases the Preds chances.
Minnesota / St. Louis – A Wild win in regulation increases the Preds chances.
Dallas / Colorado – A Stars win in regulation increases the Preds chances.
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Seats are going fast…. Our first HockeyBuzz Radio road trip is one week from today, the head count for the trip is over 120 Pred fans joining us so far. We will be going to St. Louis to see the Preds and Blues on March 21st. Don’t miss out only about a thousand tickets remain!
We have a ticket deal available and we are planning on meeting up for a pre-game feast at a pizza place near the Scottrade Center. If you have never had St. Louis style pizza, you are in for a treat as we meet up at Imo’s Pizza a couple blocks away from the arena.
Puck drop is at 5pm. Lower bowl tickets are $42, upper bowl tickets are $24. We have been working with a specific Blues ticket rep, so… in order to get the deal call Jason Penning at (314) 622-2578. Mention that you are with the HockeyBuzz Radio Road Trip and he’ll take care of your ticket needs.
It’s a perfect day trip, the early face off means you can get home on the same day if you want… C’mon, take a quick trip and support the Preds!!! This game is a free food night promotion as well, so no one should go hungry. For more information go to HockeyBuzz Radio's website or to our HBR Facebook group.
Wed 3/17 – It’s the Best of HockeyBuzz Radio as we celebrate the wearin’ of the green! We’ll have great interviews with Jeff Marek, Glen Wesley and a Hockey History segment from Pete. 6pm Wednesday on SportsRadio 560 WNSR.
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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… I’ll also be updating during Pred home games in season with information and explanations from the PA box.
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