The Happy Recap: At the End of the Day, Avery’s Annoying Because He Stands Out

 

The Happy Recap, a phrase we stole from legendary Mets announcer Bob Murphy, is now a new daily (!) feature at Puck the Media, where we recap our day, and talk about a subject that we enjoy talking about, or just post a video that makes us laugh.  This one’s for us, but we hope you’ll enjoy it too.

You know, I never hear actual football fans complain about Terrell Owens.  I go to quite a few Giants and Jets games, and while obviously Owens is disliked because he’s a Cowboy.  But rarely do I hear talk that he’s “detrimental to the league” or “bad for the sport”.  Maybe I’m not hearing quite well enough, but football fans don’t really seem fazed by anything he does.

Which brings us to the question:  Why do we, the hockey fans, get so cheesed off when Sean Avery does anything?

The answer is simple:  Football fans expect less of their players.  When we have half the Cincinnati Bengals sitting in jail, it’s hard to get annoyed when T.O. does something stupid three times a week.  Hockey fans have been conditioned to expect better from the citizens who play the game.  This idea that hockey players are exactly that:  Normal citizens who like to play a game.

So, in the future, should we expect less of our athletes?  No, but we certainly shouldn’t expect more, considering that what Avery said, and the situation Derek Roy got himself into with Deadspin today (I’m not posting the link, as it’s a family blog).  Maybe they just aren’t normal guys who like to play a sport.  Maybe some of ’em are T.O.-style divas.

If Owens had said “sloppy seconds”, it wouldn’t have made headlines anywhere, unless he was talking Jessica Simpson.

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The NHL Tournament of Announcers, Round 1, Match 12, Dan Kelly Bracket: Dean Brown vs. Randy Hahn

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

First of all, it’s yet another upset: Jeff Rimer blows out Sam Rosen in their Round one battle.  The tourney thunders on!  This time, it’s easily my favorite first-rounder, as Ottawa Senators/CBC play-by-play man (and blogger) Dean Brown battling with San Jose Sharks/NHL2K9 announcer Randy Hahn.  Voting for 24 hours begins now.

CBC Planning First of Special, Habs-themed Telecasts This Thursday

“Hockey Night in Canada” is planning to do three special Thursday night broadcasts to celebrate the history of the Montreal Canadiens as they move through their 100th anniversary season.  The first of these games is on Thursday night, when the Habs host the New York Rangers in an Original Six showdown.  Jim Hughson, Craig Simpson, Elliotte Friedman and, of course, Ron MacLean will have the call.  Meanwhile, HNIC legend Dick Irvin, Jr. will have a 2nd-intermission interview with Jean Beliveau.  Should be fun.  After the jump in the entire HNIC PR, and we’ll have Saturday nights announcing teams later in the week.

NHL’s Rationale Behind Avery Suspension Lame, but Understandable

We’ve been sort of silently watching the reaction pertaining to Sean Avery’s comments yesterday.  In case you haven’t seen them yet, have a look:

There have been varied opinions about Sean’s comments.  From those adamantly against his indefinite suspension by the league, like our buddy Wyshynski, who used it to finally lay a hammer of Thor on the NHL’s constant string of hypocrisy when it comes to suspensions:

 

And that’s where the NHL looks absolutely foolish today. The League suspending Avery for opening his yap and making a frat boy joke elevates his antics back to legendary status.  This is the Avery Rule all over again; Avery looks irresponsible but mischievous, and the League looks like it’s making special considerations because the class clown acted up. Give him 10 games, give him 30; he wins again.

Seriously, if the NHL were half as vigilant on hits to the head as they are for Sean Avery’s nonsense, Simon Gagne might not hear church bells every time he closes his eyes.

 

To Eric Duhatschek of The Globe & Mail, who thinks the only shame is that Avery didn’t have to play against the Flames that night:

 

In some ways, it’s too bad the NHL didn’t take a day to ponder its response to Avery, which would have permitted him to play last night against Phaneuf, Iginla, Todd Bertuzzi and rest of the Flames. Calgary may be just a little-better-than-average NHL team at the moment in the skills department, but few teams stand up for themselves better than the Flames do.

Avery’s day in Bettman’s court is coming soon. His day of reckoning may have been postponed for the moment, but it will eventually be upon him, too.

 

To the just-plain disgusted Tom Gulitti of the Bergen Record, who points out that this isn’t the first time Sean’s had a “Stepped-over-the-line-even-for-him” moment”:

 

Last season, he was caught on camera by MSG Network making references to the Devils’ Martin Brodeur about his messy 2003 divorce. Brodeur confirmed those comments to me prior to last season’s playoff series between the Rangers and the Devils and then refused to shake Avery’s hand at the conclusion of that series.

 

So, what’s our take, you ask?  Well, as the post’s title states, the suspension – in line with Wyshynski’s thinking – does in fact show off how gullible and hypocritical they are when it comes to Avery’s mouth.  However, we understand that steps have to be taken to curb what he says, especially in cases like this in which, yes, his statement is 100% detrimental to the game.

Could 360 Degree, Matrix-Style Cameras Revolutionize Hockey on TV?

That short, silent clip of a Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL) goaltender getting beaten top shelf might be the next big thing in televised hockey.  I know I know, you’ve heard this before.  Glow Puck.  Rail-cam.  Sky-cam.  Cameras in refs helmets.  Cameras everywhere.  But this technology I learned about yesterday could combine all (well, some) of them into something that could make the NHL on TV flexible, telegenic, and even interactive.  You never thought you’d hear those words together in a column that isn’t titled “Why the NHL is headed for failure”.

There’s been a lot of talk around the sports world about 3D-TV coming into your living rooms soon.  Well, I’m not exactly sure if this is related, but I hope so, because it sounds really, really cool.  You’ll have to excuse me if I get a little kid-on-Christmas with this, because I was so impressed the first time I saw it.

Michael Brown, a native of Brandon, Manitoba, is the genius behind this ridiculous new system.  William Houston of The Globe & Mail has the full story, but this detail is what blew our mind most thoroughly:

 

Up to 72 cameras are suspended high above the playing field on an aluminium rig. The cameras track the same sequence, like a player, ball or puck – offering a 360 degree video that can be viewed from many angles.

 

Wow.  It’s all very impressive just to watch for a little while, with any sport, and you can watch them do just that at this web site.  But the question is, would something like this improve hockey’s miniscule TV ratings?