ICEDOGS WON'T BE AS BAD AS HOCKEY NEWS PREDICTIONS STATES

Wow, has it really been July 15 since I last posted?    Talk about those lazy, crazy, hazy days of summer getting away from me.  Seriously, a combination of writers block and a busy summer chasing around my now two year old kept me away from the computer and away from writing.   Honestly, when I looked at the last posting I did, it really was far from my best work and had nothing really compelling to say.  Hopefully, we can change that and also be able to post a little more frequently now that hockey season is upon us.  

The first item of business to ponder is the Hockey News pre-season OHL rankings.   Predictably London is at the top, and Barrie is right there with them.   Now most of the list is pure speculation as its based on existing rosters and maybe a handful of exhibition games.  Its not to say that they were throwing darts at the dartboard when predicting but it is far from a exhaustive, compelling in-depth look.   The IceDogs are ranked 19th in the OHL just ahead of the Mississauga Steelheads.  Should that come to fruition, it would mean that the Dogs would miss the playoffs for the first time in its 7 year inception in the Niagara Region.   

There is no doubt that there is a youth movement abound in Niagara, and there is no doubt that over 100 goals have left the building in the form of Ryan Strome, Brett Ritchie and Steven Shipley.  That said, I cannot see this IceDog team languishing close to the basement of the Eastern Conference.   Of course the eyes are on fielding a competitive entry for the opening of the new building, whose corporate sponsor will be named today. (SPOILER ALERT:  It's the Sundowner...no just kidding its Lundy's Lane T Shirt Shop).  However, the Dogs also have a building to fill this and momentum to carry onto next year.  Tanking the season and getting a high draft pick is nice, but in terms of doing business, a lousy season will not fill the seats.   

Some things are going to have to happen for the IceDogs to be competitive.  Carter Verhaeghe must continue to prove he was worthy of being a 3rd round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs.  He became a very dangerous forward down the stretch for the Dogs and needs to elevate his game to a point per game production.  Niagara will need at least 45 goals from Anthony DiFruscia and Brendan Perlini, and the goaltending duo of OA Chris Festarini and Brent Moran must be stellar.  To me the most questions lie in the heart of the IceDogs defense.  Smallish Jesse Graham and Luke Mercer will have to be up to the task of logging big minutes, but the duo of Blake Siebanaler, rescued from the NCAA and import Russian Alexander Mikulovic must pick up the slack. Aaron Haydon, injured to start the season must continue the physical and mental maturity he showed during the last part of the season. The card the IceDogs do have to play is that of the Over Age spot.  Right Chris Festarini is a lock, while Mike Robinson may have the inside track on another spot.  A veteran addition either on forward or defense may help Niagara.   

Its tough to say goodbye to the likes of Strome, Ritchie and Shipley and have to lean on youth.  The aforementioned were leaders on and off the ice, but lengthy pro careers await hopefully all three.  There will be growing pains no doubt.  But 19th overall?  I can't see it.   Lets go with 6th or 7th place in the conference and a 7th straight playoff performance. 

See you at the rink!

Steve Clark

DOG DAYS OF SUMMER

Its the worst time of year for sports isn't it?  Hockey is but a distant memory and training camps are weeks away and that goes double for the NBA.  Baseball is at all the All Star Break and it is not like the Jays are lighting anyone's fire in a meaningful manner anyways.  The team is mired in mediocrity. The tease of an 11 game win streak is long gone as they limped into the all star break losers of 4 of the last 6 on the road and not even the great  Kawasaki can save them as he has been dispatched back to Buffalo. Tiger Cats?  Next.  Toronto FC?  I can honestly say that I do not recognize one single name on their roster this year and this years group of no names is heading towards another non-play off season.   

That said here are some random bullet points from past and present:  

• Make sure you check out my good buddy Ed Burkholder's sit down interview with Off the Record's Michael Landsberg.  It is scheduled to air all across Ontario on TV Cogeco Channels in September.   Landsberg has had a well documented battle with depression and social anxiety and I know that was the main topic of discussion.  

• Congratulations to Waterdown's Carter Verhaeghe who managed to pot a hat-trick during Leafs prospects camp.  Verhaeghe does not turn 18 until August and will be the centre piece of the IceDogs offense this year.  

• A bit dated but finally happy to see the Phoenix Coyotes saga settled for at least the next five years.  What the league and Glendale have poured into this abyss is staggering, and even now they are only being kept afloat by generous loan payments, revenue sharing and a 15M gift from an already bankrupt city.  Will a little stability pay off in terms of filling the seats?   Only time will tell. 

• That Dwight Howard sure is a piece of work.   He whined and dithered his way out of Orlando and did the same with the Lakers.  Now he is Houston's problem.  The formerly named "Superman" has a lot of growing up to do.  He's Houston's problem now. 

• Leave it to the Leafs to ramp up the cheese factor.  It's a well known fact that marquee signing David Clarkson is a big Wendel Clark fan and there was a groundswell of support for him to take #17, which would have been just terrible.  Instead he is wearing #71, which is just as bad.  An ode to Mike Foligno perhaps?  Maybe a Foligno Jump is in the offing when Clarkson scores.  Still, a nice off-season haul for the Buds as they grabbed Jonathan Bernier, and Dave Bolland along with Clarkson.  Not too shabby

Till next time when there is hopefully something more meaningful to toss about!  

Steve Clark

THE IDEA OF REBRANDING...

Damn it!   

Such was an accurate paraphrased reaction to my Dad's recent e-mail outlining the "new" home uniform of Ipswich Town, my chosen English soccer team.  For those dazzled by Man U or Liverpool, or Man City, Ipswich has been entrenched in mediocrity one step below the Premiership in the Championship division.  Yet their biggest splash so far has been that of aesthetics.  Now the new uniform is not bad, in fact it is sharp, but it is only one or two years removed from the last home uniform, which I luckily got as a birthday gift last year.  Now if I want the new uniform, I'm expected to shell out upwards of 45 pounds ($90) for the latest uniform.  Sad thing is that myself, along with many other ardent fans will fall hook, line and sinker for this branding strategy and Portman Road will be adorned with the blue uniform with the white piping.   

The notion of re branding is not a new one.  Heck all companies and teams do it. Even I as a freelance broadcaster have done it.  No, this does not mean a radical new look, complete with plastic surgery that would make Bruce Jenner nod with approval.  More so it means freshening up my on-air demo, trying new sports and roles, and marketing myself as a personal brand.  I even changed up the dynamic of my on-line demo:  CHEAP PLUG ALERT.  You can view it here:  

CLARK24/7(NOT A REAL NAME)

 Some are very careful when they do it, not wanting to mess with success.  I cannot imagine the day that Nike decides that the swoosh has had its day in the sun. Some though mess it up big time.  At this point, I cannot imagine what marketing genius came up with the Ottawa RedBlacks, the rumoured name for the latest Ottawa CFL reincarnation.   Not sure if it was leaked as a joke, but the reviews are in and they are not kind.   Mostly companies and teams play off the notion that a fan cannot be without the latest big thing, be it a great new innovation or product all a team uniform.  

Off the top of my head the Dallas Stars and the Carolina Hurricanes have already rolled out new uniforms for the upcoming season.  The Raptors with new CEO Tim Liewecke in charge have already talked about building a national brand, and there is no better time than to get rid of the ridiculous and childish dinosaur logo and replace with something a little more sleek or traditional like the Huskies.   Still it is hard to keep up with all the changes, and while the hard core fan can ill-afford to be caught in outdated garb, those same fans can be priced out of the market.   I'm not sure on what the statute of limitations is on what is "retro" and what is not, but I'm pretty sure my Wendel Clark and Felix Potvin Leafs jerseys are beyond retro, and just old.   

Television networks also get in on the re branding game.  Rogers, with their recent acquisition of The Score, will re brand as Sportsnet360 as of July 1st and tweak their programming, likely maintaining some of the spirit of the irreverent Score but adding the Rogers personal touch, and more importantly resources.  It is clever business in the world of media convergence and Rogers is already one of the major players in the sports media game.   Unlike the notion of the cost of uniforms the benefit to the consumer is the fact that this  financially negligible.  Sports media and broadcasting is huge business and one of the main reasons are the advertising benefits. It has been reported that live sports are the ones that not PVR'd as often, meaning that the live consumption of the event means less fast forwarding through commercials, something that advertisers obviously like.  

Everyone can rebrand themselves, be it person, team, or network.   Be careful when you buy that uniform for your favourite team though.  By the time you get home they may have rolled out a new logo.