Hockey via Fark

There are lots of hockey stories on Fark today.

Pavel Bure claims that Anna Kournikova has two vaginas. Well, actually, he claims he doesn't claim that, so he sues. Well, she was already the top pick in the FHM 2002 100 Sexiest Women in the World survey. This is just the kind of rumor that could keep a girl on top. Heck, if true she can be on top and on the bottom at the same time...

Kentucky is getting a new minor league (ECHL (think double-A)) hockey team. No word yet on where they're coming from - though the Macon Whoopee seem likely - or what the new team will be named (Fark has some suggestions (I like Slack-jawed Yokels and Fighting Mullets, personally. Hey, I'd buy those jerseys!). The last team was the Kentucky Thoroughblades who are now off to Cleveland as part of the San Jose Sharks development program.

Next year the NHL will standardize glass heights around the ice and hang nets to prevent injuries to spectators from flying pucks. I agree that what happened to Brittanie Cecil at the Blue Jackets game was an awful, awful tragedy. But it was a one in a million accident. Thousands and thousands of pucks have flown into the stands for dozens and dozens of years without causing critical injury. I worry that the nets will make the game harder to watch and thus lead to fewer and fewer new fans. As successful as this season's Stanley Cup playoffs were for the NHL in terms if ratings and excitement generated, I don't think the NHL is in a position where they should be - literally - erecting barriers to fan entry. Hopefully, I'm wrong and the nets will be made out of nearly invisible, yet amazingly strong, spider webs.

It further concerns me that Gary Bettman, the commissioner of the NHL, said that, "This wasn't anything that required a great deal of debate." They are changing the look of the game, and it didn't require much debate? I don't know though. The same article has a quote from Vancouver Canucks head coach Marc Crawford who doesn't seem to have a problem with it. He's a great hockey guy and I respect his opinion, so maybe it's not as bad as I fear.

The standardizing of glass heights may be the more interesting change in terms of play. The peculiarities of the boards and the glass are one of the few physical artifacts that affect home ice advantage. The home team is used to the bounces and the ricochets and the nooks and the crannies. Home ice advantage is almost non-existent in the playoffs, but is a larger factor during the regular season (though still smaller than in the NBA or NFL). It will be interesting to look back in a few years to see whether this change further erodes the home ice advantage.

The NHL draft will be held this weekend in Toronto. There's a lot of fresh talent coming into the league. Everyone has lots of good things to say about Jay Bouwmeester, the likely number one pick. Hopefully, some of these kids will have the opportunity to make an impact in their first year.

And, finally, check out this page which has a list of memorable quotes from players, coaches, and fans from throughout the season.

Jonathan 6/21/2002 01:02:00 PM