IKnowPhysics

It's not a good idea, but it's also not technically the worst possible idea.

Barf. My biases established in 2006 prevent me from liking this until it's forced upon me.

In that order.

I still miss Jim Kelley. Especially in the twitter age. Jim would have killed it on Twitter, kinda like Bob McKenzie.

Ross is stating his belief that the movement to create awareness of widespread sexual harassment and sexual assault in the workplace is dumb. I thought it was clear.

The business model and CBA/cap of the WNBA I think is a relevant read of what it might take to bootstrap a womens pro hockey league. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women's_National_Basketball_Association Caps would have to be higher because of larger rosters, but the initial number of teams would be fewer by roughly a proportionate amount. Unrelated, I'd think it'd be easy for the NHL to include womens pro hockey as part of a package to be included in the NHL national TV contract. A couple games year plus playoffs on NBCSN, and the revenue from such a package, would do wonders. It'd damn sure be a better watch than Pro Bull Riding or whatever garbage used to follow hockey back when NBCSN was Outdoor Life Network. And you can't tell me, despite how much I enjoy it, that the Curling World Cup, which currently being broadcast live from China, is a moneymaker for NBC Sports.

What I thought was a novel thought: Botterill might interview Ralph Krueger now that he's done at Southampton. Botterill wanted to interview him in 2017. Joe Dibiase already thought of that and posits that interviewing for NHL Jobs is why Krueger left a couple months early. https://wgr550.radio.com/articles/opinion/keep-eye-ralph-krueger

I think it is. See also: Yzerman, GM.

I don't know what the solution is, but having an NWHL season next year without those players seems like a non-starter. I don't think it's the skill factor. I think a significant number of players and fans would be hesitant to cross real or virtual picket lines, at least a large enough number to significantly damage the NWHL's shoestring budget, particularly if the national team members start shaming the league.

PSE handing Beauts back to NWHL is almost certainly in preparation for something. I don't think this happens without a reason, particularly for how supportive the Pegulas have been of the league. Obviously the question is: what's the reason? Speculative possibilities, without making any claim about accuracy or likelihood (some of these are right out of my ass): PSE to NWHL: fix your labor issues and get back to us. PSE to NWHL: we see potential PR issues for us and/or suspicious or illegal activity on your part and we don't want to be involved. PSE wants to divest as a financial precaution before NWHL folds. PSE had some conditional arrangement with NWHL as part of the agreement for PSE taking control of the Beauts, and NWHL did not deliver, resulting in termination of the agreement. PSE wants to divest to free up NWHL to make more extreme changes in the name of self-preservation: Move or fold individual teams as needed. As a singular entity, be purchased by or partner with a third party. The third party could be the NHL, an ownership group led by the Pegulas, or other. (Example: NHL buying NWHL with PSE as a franchise owner/controller would be messy; divesting simplifies this.) PSE wants to divest from NWHL before the NHL begins discussing or actualizing among owners/governors an alternative to NWHL. (Conflict of interest for PSE-Beauts partnership). PSE wants to divest from Beauts because of a potential conflict of interest as the owner of The Rinks at HarborCenter. edit1: PSE to NWHL: your labor costs are about to skyrocket. I want out.

Blues over Stars in 2OT.

Ehh... Weirdness does happen sometimes -Willie Desjardins (AHL HC and Calder winner) turned down the Penguins to take the Canucks HC job the same year in 2014- but I don't know of any AHL HC that turns down an extended offer for an NHL HC only to remain an AHL HC that year. That said, it's hard to find data on this. So I could see Keefe having a choice between NHL jobs, but I'd find it very unlikely he doesn't take a Buffalo job if it's the only offer on the table.

Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

General thoughts, not specific to Doan: Life away from the game isn't easy for every player, even if they look fat, rich, and happy. Some need the structure and the focus. Competitiveness and love of being involved in the game doesn't necessarily leave players when they retire or start families. Coaching salary ain't bad. That said, some players (again, not specific to Doan) don't make great coaches, but I think if a player with Doan's demonstrated experience and leadership wanted to be involved in the game, he'd receive lots of try-it-out opportunities, including assistant coaching positions.

I think he might if Tippett asked him to.

Or Tippett as HC with Shane Doan as an assistant.

Bueno.

Lots of reasons for hate. They happened to be standing in the way of a Buffalo Sabres team that would have handily beaten the Edmonton Oilers to win the Cup. The fluke injuries combined with the bragging they did about a come-from-behind underdog victory, like it was an act of god to beat the Rochester Americans' defense in game 7. Extremely fair weather fans with very poor regular season attendance that still couldn't fill their arena with their own fans for playoff games. So many Buffalo fans bought tickets to that series that Carolina prohibited ticket sales to zip codes in WNY. Carolina fans whining and carrying on about how so many Sabres fans showed up and how hard they tailgated. It was too much for their delicate sensibilities and they labeled Buffalo as having "the worst fans." But because of their inexperience and fairweatherdom, they laughably knew nothing of NJ fans, Flyers fans, Boston fans, etc. Rod Brindamour is ugly. Like Elephant man ugly. The team has been often one of the worst teams in the NHL. But they were also the kings of a supremely ***** Southeast Division, which granted them several playoff berths. Once they were moved to the "Metro" (still hate that name), they got their ***** kicked in continuously. Until this year. ***** 'em. They rank behind other teams we hate more, but only a couple. Toronto Boston Dallas Ottawa Philly Carolina Montreal Pittsburgh

Nice article by Joe Yerdon detailing how what Dahlin accomplished this year as an 18 year old defensemen hasn't been done in a very long time: https://theathletic.com/958439/2019/05/02/how-rasmus-dahlins-rookie-season-compares-to-defensemen-who-were-previous-calder-finalists/?source=dailyemail One of the things he cites is Sean Tierney's charts of primary assists rates vs shots rates, which shows how Dahlin is already in elite company in the NHL (he was 3rd among defensemen, behind Karlsson and Burns, in primary assists per 60):

Limiting it to the big four sports: NHL: Aud, Marine Midland/HSBC/First Niagara/KBC, Wells Fargo (Flyers), Shark Tank, Staples (Kings), The Pond (Ducks), Xcel Energy (Wild), American Airlines (Stars), BB&T (Panthers) AHL: Rosemont Arena (Chicago Wolves), The Dunk (P-Bruins) ECHL: US Bank (Cincinnati Cyclones) USHL: Resch Center (Green Bay Gamblers) MWHL: Hartmeyer Arena (Madison Ice Muskies) NCAAH: Kohl Center (Wisconsin), Lynah (Cornell) ACHA: Pepsi Center (UB) MLB: Miller Park (Brewers), Dodger Stadium, Angels Stadium, Old Yankee Stadium, Qualcomm (Padres), Great American Ballpark (Reds) MiLB: Pilot Field FSL: Space Coast Stadium (Brevard County Manatees) NWL: Warner Park (Madison Mallards) NFL: Rich/Ralph, Coliseum (Rams) NCAAF: UB Stadium, Camp Randall (Wisconsin), Rose Bowl NCAAB: Alumni Arena Honorable mention: Watkins Glen

Couple of older articles surfaced on Tippett. https://nhltoseattle.com/2018/06/19/dave-tippett-hired-to-set-up-nhl-seattles-foundation/ "Tippett mentions a software system, called XOS, that he utilizes that allows him, or any coach, to watch every NHL game and break down individual players shifts, faceoffs, and shots. It’s all part of the evolution of hockey. In that same vein, hockey has seen a growth in analytics over recent years. NHL teams have hired staff to look an underlying ‘advanced statistics’ to help evaluate players. Puck possession numbers like Corsi and Fenwick have become fashionable, and caused quite a debate, in the hockey world. Tippett is on board with looking at other metrics to a degree. He likes some of it but is skeptical of others. “It’s a useful tool,” he said. “I’ve done my own analytics program since I started coaching. I had a whole system that I’ve built through that XOS. Some numbers like Fenwick and Corsi, they’re garbage. They’re garbage because they come off the stats upstairs. Every stat that I keep comes off a video that I watch, a scoring chance that I’ve watched and whose involved in it.”" http://arizonasports.com/story/438255/busting-some-myths-about-coyotes-coach-dave-tippett/amp/ "“I think it got going when I came here because we had young players who weren’t ready to play in the league but they had played in the league already,” Tippett said, referring to such players as Kyle Turris, Peter Mueller and Mikkel Boedker, who were infamously rushed to the NHL by the previous regime. “Everybody tells me ‘you don’t like young players.’ Well, at that time, we were trying to save a franchise and make it competitive again. What was happening in the past wasn’t working.” Within three seasons, Tippett took a veteran-laden team to the Western Conference Final and energized the local hockey community like never before. That team relied on a strong blue line and the goaltending of Mike Smith, so let’s start with that first myth about Tippett: that he is a defensive-minded coach who struggles with offensive players. “I think that’s a horse(expletive) rumor,” said Hall of Fame center Mike Modano, who played for Tippett in Dallas from 2002-2009. “Being around him for so long and hearing his philosophy on the game and how it’s played, I can tell you he loves nothing more than a skilled player. Like any coach, he just wants his skilled players to have a little bit of responsibility and roundness to their game, rather than being one-dimensional.” ... "Playing Tippett’s style doesn’t mean forfeiting offensive creativity. On the contrary, Domi said Tippett encourages certain players to freelance at the offensive end because those players are the ones counted on to produce the most. “We’ve had that exact conversation,” Domi said. “He’s said, ‘listen, there are times that you’re going to have to chip the puck in and push the game along a little bit and there are times when I want you to make the play. Obviously, you’re not going to make a successful play every time. You’re going to turn pucks over and I understand that but as you grow as a player you’re going to have to learn when the time is to do that. “That’s the biggest thing for me, that sense of comfort and trust he has in me and that understanding that that’s what my game is. At the same time, he’s trying to teach me when I shouldn’t be doing those things so it’s been a great relationship.” Domi’s conversations with his coach highlight one of Tippett’s greatest strengths: his ability to communicate with and relate to a wide variety of personalities. “He’s one of the more personable coaches I’ve ever had,” 23-year-old forward Jordan Martinook said. “He’s so easy to talk to and the great thing about Tip is it’s not always just about hockey. He genuinely wants to get to know you and what you’re all about. One of the main things for me is building a good relationship with my coach and I definitely have that with him.”" https://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/golden-knights-nhl/coyotes-future-doesnt-include-coach-dave-tippett/ "It was eight tough years as coach for Tippett. The external issues with management, arena talk, losing Don Maloney as his general manager a year ago and working with Chayka, who is big on analytics. Plus, a team that lost its heart and soul and popular goalie when Smith was dealt June 17 to Calgary. Tippett was 282-257-83 with the Coyotes. He should have no problem finding a job."

Yep.. We saw how good this group could be when they got the confidence during the streak. They had the swagger.

So long and thanks for all the Phish.

YASSSS Agreed. Dave Tippett might be the best available coach right now, and I think he has demonstrated potential to be a great coach for this type of team. He took a Phoenix team that had missed the playoffs six straight years and took them into the playoffs immediately on a 107 point season. He coached Swedish Jesus Oliver Ekman Larsson the first seven years of his (nine year old) career. He hung tough as a dedicated coach through the years of financial mess that really started to boil over as soon as he arrived. Arizona ownership fired GM Don Maloney (who won GM of the year with Phoenix) before firing Tippett. The next GM, the NHL's youngest ever GM hired at age 26, John Chayka, fired Tippett a year later, the same offseason in which Phoenix opted not to resign Shane Doan; Phoenix has not been to the playoffs since. They will also likely never make the playoffs again, as they're being moved to the Central Division when Seattle joins the league in 2021, and will likely get their teeth kicked in by the Central in perpetuity.

Some of the larger drops are explainable. NJ made the playoffs last year and didn't this year; their ratings went down. LA Kings turned in a bad season after making the playoffs last year; their ratings went down. Similar story for Philly. Which fanbase is real trash though? Dallas Stars. They had a near-identical record to last year and made the playoffs. Their ratings went down 3rd worst at 28%.