One Small Step by a Great Owner, One Giant Leap for Hockey Peace
Although last night's incredibly exciting Capitals 5-4 shootout victory over the New York Islanders was a non-stop, action-packed affair,
(highlights here), there was some pretty interesting action happening at the same time only a couple hundred feet above the ice.
In what should be noted as a great step forward in NHL and KHL relations, Capitals owner, Ted Leonsis, cordially invited Gary Bettman, Bill Daly and KHL President, Alex Medvedev, into his box for an informal evening of hockey talk and peace brokering.
Thankfully, everyone accepted and were treated to a great evening of hockey while the Capitals paid tribute to the Troops.
Tarik and his gang over at
Caps Insider have more details, as well as a quick video of Bettman summarizing the meeting as "cordial and constructive". To watch the video and read more,
click here.
So Gary and Alex had a nice meeting. That's great.
What I think is even more impressive is the initiative taken by Ted Leonsis to gather these 3 together in order to broker hockey peace.
Neither the NHL or KHL will do well by continuously creating negative media for one another.
Especially when they share the mutual goal of growing the game globally.
Realize also that none of the owners are interested in the negative press, even if it means sorting out the issues over allowing players to participate in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. It has become evident that the Russian players are going to be willing to take a stand in order to play in their homeland and the rite to try and win an Olympic Gold Medal on their home turf.
Players across the hockey world dream of one day playing for their country. Playing in the Olympics may rank only second all-time to playing in the Stanley Cup Finals. So you can imagine that it will be more than just the Russians causing a fuss when it comes to playing in 2014.
The leagues and their owners have to realize this and have to get together to compromise and find a solution.
Ted's move last night was a huge step forward.
Everyone else was too afraid to try it, but it was something that had to be done. Now that the first step has been taken, the barriers can start to come down and progress can be made.
We also have to consider that this move does not come out of left field as Ted is the man responsible for paying the most influential Russian hockey player in today's game. Alex Ovechkin,(not to mention Alex Semin and Semyon Varlamov) is a big part of the NHL as one its biggest and brightest stars, not to mention one of the greatest marketing tools the league and Capitals have.
It is definitely in Leonsis' best interests to get these issues sorted out, not only financially, but also for the greater good of hockey.
Ted Leonsis is an owner who cares and his actions speak volumes, as his initiative in organizing the meeting last night prove, but his words are pretty compelling too.
Here is an excerpt from one of Ted's recent blogs, which you can follow over @
Tedstake.com.
"I am proud to offer our fans a great product at a fair price.
We are sold out.
We spend to the salary cap max.
We offer the best in game entertainment.We try to do every thing on a first class basis.
We are the most transparent and interactive franchise on the planet.
I so want folks to feel comfortable and happy being a Caps fan and customer.
I hope you will agree we are doing our best to have a true partnership with our fans.
The Caps are ranked 21st in the NHL in average ticket prices."
- source: Ted's Take
Ted's comments were concerning a recent article discussing some of the better values in sports(cost versus performance). The Caps are one of the best bargains around, no doubt about it.
What is key about Ted's comments is the fact that he shows he cares.
And that is what he did last night.
By inviting the presidents of the two most powerful hockey leagues together into his suite at the Verizon Center, Ted Leonsis began a peace process that was long overdue.
Where it goes from now is a good question.
Will other owners step up and involve themselves in this peace process?
Will we see an end to the Olympic dispute before the Vancouver Games?
Will we soon see a pact between the NHL and KHL regarding player transfers and league affiliation?
All of these questions still have blurry answers, but Ted made the right move in pushing this process forward.
Washington, the Capitals and the NHL are lucky to have him.
Let’s just hope this gets us closer towards that happy ending and a unified global hockey community.
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