NHL CLASSIC CASH GRAB
Fans, league love event: Hickey
There’s nothing better than an event, a once-in-a-lifetime experience, which explains why nearly 34,000 people paid between $129 and $399 to sit in sub-zero weather at Ottawa’s TD Place Saturday to watch the NHL 100 Classic, a less-than-classic hockey game between the Canadiens and the Ottawa Senators.
You know these weren’t all hockey fans because the Senators haven’t drawn well this season and owner Eugene Melnyk is making noises about moving the team. A few days before the outdoor game, the Senators drew only 12,000 fans for a game against the Los Angeles Kings. The disparity in the crowds was probably the result of fans making a decision: If I have one game to attend during the holiday season, do I want to fight the traffic to watch a game in Kanata or do I want to be part of an event?
Obviously, most of them opted for the event and, by all accounts, they had a good time. Down the road, they will be able to tell their grandchildren about the night they froze while watching Hall of Famer Erik Karlsson.
Outdoor games are here to stay because they produce lots of revenue for the NHL, and fans like them. But you have to wonder if they are good for the game. This game was supposed to evoke memories of the very first NHL game between the Canadiens and the Senators back in 1917.
This comparison was lost on the actor playing legendary Montreal goaltender Georges Vézina in a pre-game re-enactment, who was overheard saying: “It’s a lot colder than it was in 1917, and I swear we played that game indoors.”
In one respect, they came close to duplicating that event because the ice on the temporary rink at TD Place was terrible and the game was played in slow motion. Part of the problem was that it was too cold, there was a buildup of snow on the playing surface and, in addition to a regular scrape, there was a need for repairs to what Montreal defenceman Jordie Benn referred to as “chunks of ice.”
Better conditions wouldn’t have changed the final outcome — the Senators came to play and the Canadiens didn’t — but they could have made for a better game.
Melnyk unhinged: Sens owner Melnyk provided local fans with a bit of a downer as he rambled through a media scrum Friday. In no particular order, the Barbados resident said he was tired of losing his hard-earned money on the Senators, cast doubts over the future of the proposed downtown arena in the contaminated Breton Flats, and blasted the fans for not supporting the team. He said he has no intention to, but he hinted that the team might be ripe for relocation. While it would be great to see the team move to Quebec City, they deserve a better owner than Melnyk.
Sweep for Les Canadiennes:
Montreal has one winning professional hockey team. Les Canadiennes ran their record to 11-2-0 in the Canadian Women’s Hockey League with a hard-fought sweep of the Markham Thunder.
Katia Clement-Heydra scored the winning goal in a shootout Sunday as Les Canadiennes won 2-1 at the Michel Normandin Arena. Marion Allemoz scored in regulation time for Les Canadiennes and Jamie-Lee Rattray scored for Markham.
Kayla Tutino scored at 2:24 of overtime to give Les Canadiennes a 5-4 win Saturday in Brossard. Ann-Sophie Bettez had a goal and two assists for the home side while Karell Emard, Cathy Chartrand and Allemoz also scored goals. Rattray and Kristen Richards each scored twice for Markham.
All-star voting update: Remember P.K. Subban? Flashy defender who used to play for the Canadiens? The Nashville Predators defenceman is leading the vote in the Central Division for the Jan. 28 NHL All-Star Game. If the voting holds, he will be the division captain. Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers is the top vote-getter overall and leads the Pacific Division. Other division leaders are Washington’s Alex Ovechkin in the Metropolitan Division and Tampa Bay’s Steven Stamkos in the Atlantic Division. Montreal goaltender Carey Price was the captain of the Atlantic Division last season, but he’s a distant fifth in the voting this year. Voting continues through Jan. 1.