WHAT'S IN A NAME?

   

When St Catharines council approved new spectator facility on Monday one of the small caveats was that there would be an investigation into changing the name from the Niagara Ice Dogs to the St Catharines Ice Dogs.  My initial thought was that it was no big deal, and that people would not stop coming just because the name became localized rather than regional.  Upon reflection, maybe its a bigger deal than I thought.  The Burkes have marketed this team as a regional team from Day 1, holding open practices in areas outside of St Catharines.  The strategy has worked.  A large part of the fan base comes from outside St Catharines.  Maybe the name is a big deal, particularly if your team has been marketed regionally from Day 1.   Now that there is a 4500-5000 seat facility to be built, no marketing stone must be left unturned to fill the building.  With that in mind, the wiser choice would be to keep the Niagara Ice Dogs name.  In the long run St Catharines may not get the name it wants, but it will retain all that outside money coming into the city from paying customers from Niagara Falls, Welland, Grimsby, Port Colborne etc. 

OTHER NAME AND NON NAME CHANGES Changing the first name of a sports franchise likely is more impactful than changing the nickname.  Some name changes have made no difference, others have.  How about those franchises that change cities but don't change the nickname.  Sure seems curious, particularly if the nickname of the team reflects the city or the demographic. Here's a partial list.

New Orleans Jazz to Utah Jazz- unless there is a thriving jazz beat in Utah that I don't know about, this made little sense, but now no one blinks an eye

Mineapolis Lakers to Los Angeles Lakers- Again, more reflective of Minneapolis and the nickname City of Lakes, the move to LA meant no change, and now the Lakers are one of the top selling brands in the NBA.

Charlotte Hornets to New Orleans Hornets- no real demographic change here. I'm guessing both cities have Hornets.  Now, if it were the Charlotte Flairs after legendary Charlotte native Ric Flair- different story Wooooo!

Atlanta Flames to Calgary Flames- Likely an homage to Atlanta being burnt up from Gone With The Wind.  The fire theme made it to Calgary and stuck. 

California Angels to Anaheim Angels to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim- The last one is just plain silly

New Jersey Nets to become the Brooklyn Nets in the next couple of years.  Doesn't matter where you put the franchise the Nets are still sad sack

LA Raiders to Oakland Raiders- With the mystique surrounding the Oakland Raiders of the 70's, they never should have changed this name

Anaheim Mighty Ducks to Anaheim Ducks- The Disney allure gone, and the Flying V a relic of the past, the Mighty was dropped from the name.  The name Ducks does not exactly breed intimidation.

Washington Bullets to Wizards- The only nickname change that the NRA likely petitioned about.  This one was long overdue. 

York Yeoman/Yeowomen to York Lions-  Tradition traded for a silly cartoon lion! 

Queens Golden Gaels to Queens Gaels- Again, tradition went the way of the Dodo bird for a more sleeker name. 

Florida Marlins to Miami Marlins- A new stadium begets a new name.  Uniforms are the real issue here.  They are beyond bad!

Oh there are more, but this was a list off the top of my head.  Even Toronto flirted with using the Jays more than the Blue Jays, and what about the Raptors?  The dinosaur phenom has long passed.   This is a franchise in dire need of a new look.

Maybe we'll save athletes changing names for another time.  So World B. Free, Metta World Peace, Chad Ocho Cinco and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, don't worry your time will come.

Shakespeare asked "What's in a name?"  Well, when its the cornerstone of your core marketing ,a lot!

Steve Clark

ENTERTAINMENT COMPLEX APPROVED!

By a decisive 9-3 vote St Catharines council approved a new entertainment facility on Monday night, marking the biggest date in Ice Dogs history.  The threats of the Ice Dogs leaving town if they were not part of the new facility was not an idle one.  Bill and Denise Burke love their hockey, but first and foremost they are business people and the revenue streams out the Jack Gatcliffe arena were somewhat limited.   A few things come to the forefront now:

1. The proposed completion of the building is to be January of 2014, and hopefully the time lines can be met.   Promotion wise  its in the best interest of the region to have the building open on time.  Hopefully there is a run on shovels at the local Canadian Tire as the catch phrase should change from Let's Build It to Let's Start Building It!

2. There have been a lot of promises that this will be an entertainment facility as opposed to a hockey arena. I'm sure that the marketing group running the facility will do the necessary leg work to make this true.   Mid-level concerts, trade shows, wrestling are all a reality along with the boost from sporting events.   Heck, Neil Diamond is playing Toronto June 26th.  Why not live large and have a Neil Diamond, Barry Manilow and Paul Anka triple bill!! If that were the case my fellow broadcasters Ed Burkholder and Al Galloway will be pre-ordering concert T-Shirts!

3. Along with the Niagara Ice Dogs, the St. Catharines Falcons and Brock Badgers expect to be additional tenants.  Hopefully the complex can be seamlessly adapted into a basketball facility.  The arena could then attract OCAA, OUA and CIS hoop events and maybe even a professional team in the fledgling all-Canadian NBL.

4. There might be a move to change the name from Niagara to St Catharines Ice Dogs.  This would more reflect the revitalization of downtown.  While the Ice Dogs have been marketed as a regional team, it makes sense to localize the name.

FROM THE LATE NIGHT EDITION...
Better late than never is the old adage. Here are the highlights from Niagara's 4-3 SO loss to the suddenly viable and resurgent Barrie Colts.  Barrie came back from a 3-1 deficit to nip the Dogs.  After a tough 1st year, Dale Hawerchuk's message seems to be sinking in to the Colts, but did you expect anything else from the Hall of Famer?

ICE DOGS: THE WEEK THAT WAS...OTHER THOUGHTS

The Niagara Ice Dogs reverted back their uneven play with a 1-1-0-1 record this past week.  Thursday featured an easy 7-2 victory over the hapless Erie Otters, losers of 10 in a row coming into the game.  Andrew Aggozino paced the Ice Dogs with a natural hat-trick while Mark Visentin garnered the victory in net.  Highlights are here:

On Saturday the Ice Dogs were visited by an old nemesis: the shootout.  Losers of  both shootouts this year, the misery was extended with a 4-3 loss to Barrie via the gimmicky showdown.  The Ice Dogs held a 3-1 lead on Barrie, but could not hold onto the advantage, giving up two goals in the middle stanza. 

Sunday, the Ice Dogs made their second unsuccessful trip to the Bunker in Brampton.  The last time the Ice Dogs played the Battalion in Brampton the result was an uneven 6-4 loss.  This tilt resulted in a 3-0 shutout, the first time the Dogs had been blanked all year.  The Ice Dogs face Peterborough and Mississauga on the road Thursday and Friday before returning home to face Kingston on Saturday.

QUICK NOTES:
1. Monday December 5th will mark the most important day in Niagara Ice Dog franchise history.  Council is set to vote on proposals on a new entertainment facility for St Catharines.  While informal media polls have support running at 70% or above, the real decision lies with the politicians, and there are view points on both sides.  What a crying shame it would be if the politicians did not back this proposal and the Ice Dogs left town.  Owners Bill and Denise Burke, along with the fans have been very very patient with the antiquated Jack Gatecliffe arena up to this point. 

2. Four Ice Dogs head to World Jr Camps on Saturday, and will miss some of the OHL schedule.  There is a good chance that all could crack the squad, so the brass ring will be available for those Dogs left behind to grab. 

3. I'm tiring of people using words like "redemption" for Mark Visentin as he tries out for Team Canada.  Redemption for what?  Visentin is a 1st round NHL draft pick and was the OHL goalie of the year.  I think he's been "redeemed" don't ya think?

OTHER NOTES
1. Had a chance to call my first OUA basketball doubleheader of the year on Friday at McMaster U for Cable 14 sports.  There was a victorious air as the Vanier Cup and some of the Marauder football team were in attendance.  It was great to be back calling basketball and great to see student support at its finest.

2. Must be said.  My Miami Dolphins, author of 4 wins in 5 (only loss was a 1 pointer to Dallas), by all rights could be 8-4.  Three losses were on the last play, or in the last minute (Cleveland, Denver, Dallas) and one was a blown 4th quarter lead vs the Giants.  Only other somewhat decisive losses were to New England, San Diego, the New York Jets and Houston.  

3. I watched the Survivor Series, and man did The Rock look good.  Now whether or not the WWE Wellness Policy applied to the Most Electrifying Man in Entertainment is another thing..

Keep pushing the rock up the hill!

Steve Clark

NEW ARENA DEBATE PICKS UP STEAM

The city has endorsed seven different scenarios for a new arena, with the most popular one being a 5000 seat arena and a 700 seater.  This would be a tax payer cost of close to $39 a year.

I thought it would be appropriate for me to re-post my thoughts on a new entertainment complex.  I wrote this last year and I think it still rings true today.  Here it is in its entirety: 

IN SUPPORT OF A NEW ENTERTAINMENT FACILITY FOR THE NIAGARA REGION

By: TV Cogeco Niagara

January 20th, 2011 @ 4:30pm

On the corner of Geneva Street and Gale Crescent sits a vintage arena full of charm and memories that pre-date World War 2. The Gatorade Garden City Complex, formerly the Jack Gatecliffe Arena has a capacity of 3145 when it is filled, a lively atmosphere that is the envy of many teams and and drew high praise from the entourage of the Swedish World Junior Team who trained there for the recent Under 20 World Championships.
 

With all due respect to our Scandinavian brethren and the rabid atmosphere, the flip side is a different story, The arena was constructed in 1938, the same year that Hitler won Time Man of the Year and began his march on Czechoslovakia. It has limited, almost non-existent parking and much of the available parking features a brisk walk and the crossing of a major intersection. Once inside the arena, the dance of choice is “The Shuffle” due to the lack of space to walk around the arena and if I were a chiropractor, I'd set up an on-site business due to seating more suited for those who are vertically challenged. Niagara Ice Dog fans are the best in the league simply due to the fact that they still attend games in droves with nary a complaint. Though, I hardily think that this arena was the long-term vision of owners Bill and Denise Burke when they moved the team from Mississauga before the 2007-2008 season.

Simply put the time for a new facility is now and the possibilities for a new facility are endless. Firstly, one misconception has to be addressed in order to get the non-hockey fans on board. This really should be a proposal for an entertainment facility not a hockey arena. With that small change, you expand the focus not only to different sports but to many other forms of entertainment and thus appeal to a wider spectrum of the population. The basics of economics dictate that an arena is only as good and as profitable as the events that put backsides in the seats (and I stress seats, not two seat benches). The pot of gold at the end of this rainbow is the addition of corporate or luxury boxes, a must for any new facility, even those in the mid-range in terms of seating capacity.
 

Ice Dog owner Bill Burke sees a wealth of potential with a new facility
 

“Along with the new Arts Center, St. Catharines will become the entertainment district of Niagara. Think of the people that will be flocking to downtown virtually every night.”
 

TV Cogeco on-air personality,a long-time Welland resident and business owner Ed Burkholder concurs
 

“Socially, its' what Niagara needs. It gives Niagara people something in common collectively.”
 

So lets put together a more than reasonable list of non-hockey events. Concerts, trade-shows, pro-wrestling are all very realistic non sports events that could conceivably make St. Catharines a regular stop. Brock University and Niagara College could move certain special attractions to a new facility and could bid for OUA (Ontario University Athletics) and OCAA (Ontario College Athletics Association) provincial events and CIS (Canadian Inter-university Sport) and CCA (Canadian College Athletic Association) events.. Minor hockey tournaments would be an attraction., keeping the arena humming and bustling

You know what means? It means area hotels being used, products being purchased , restaurants and sports bars being eaten in and jobs being created. In short a trickle down effect, and an increase in ancillary revenue in the region. Ever see a hotel on the weekend of a minor hockey tournament? Its a beehive of activity, and that sound you hear? That's the sound of cash registers ringing, and debit and credit cards swiping.. All of this is before consideration of the anchor tenant, who are the Niagara Ice Dogs, good for 40 dates in the arena at an average of 3500-4000 fans a pop, and that estimate is conservative.
 

Economically speaking the numbers add up. Owner Bill Burke estimates that on top of the substantial investment that he and his wife Denise have in the Niagara Ice Dogs, that Ice Dog fans spend on average $7-10 dollars per game outside the arena. Do the rough math and that's nearly 1 million dollars spent per year in the St Catharines region. Think of that sort of revenue not being tapped into, and potentially being spent elsewhere.
 

Long-time Niagara resident and TV Cogeco producer Darren Sawyer says
 

“A lot of people travel across the boarder or to Hamilton or Toronto with their entertainment dollar. A new facility would keep that money in Niagara. “
 

Although informal polls suggest that there is good support for a new facility, there is however a backlash. Taxpayers don't want to see their bill go up, at the expense of a new facility because they are not hockey fans. They have already seen their money go to pay for The Seymour-Hannah Complex, a four pad arena, that has seating for 2000, but is not nearly large enough to accommodate an OHL tenant. .
 

Grumbles one reader in a letter to the St. Catharines Standard
 

“This is a major expenditure that will impact tax payers for decades”.
 

Adding to that recently news came forth that the federal government will not kick any money top help build the facility, which leaves municipal tax payers and private interests as the sole revenue streams in financing the facility.
 

To answer that the Region needs to leave no private enterprise stone unturned in their quest for offsetting the cost to tax payers. Though the arena will be located in St. Catharines, the Ice Dogs have always marketed themselves as a regional team. Tapping into private resources should follow that model. Looking at revenue streams and sponsorship in wine country should be a jumping off point. Selling the naming rights to the arena would provide more revenue.
 

The model of using the arena as a centrepiece to a vibrant downtown core is London. The John Labbatt Centre is perched majestically in the middle of an already bustling area and thrives on the ardent support the Knights generate from Londoners as well as the student population at the University of Western Ontario Restaurants, and other shopping destinations all benefit from an arena that houses a number of events, including OHL hockey and is the crown jewel not only of London, but the surrounding area. While London benefits from not having a lot of arena competition in the surrounding area, the comparison and the potential for St. Catharines is too hard to resist.
 

Should a new facility not be built, the Niagara region, not just St. Catharines could face the very real prospect of having the Ice Dogs leave town. Lost would not just be a hockey team, but an indelible and ingrained part of the Niagara region. Players and coaches visit schools, have hockey clinics holds open practices, become heroes and set positive examples in the community. The Gatorade Garden City Complex would remain, nothing would be revitalized, and many events that could generate revenue will go elsewhere.
 

It is time to build a new entertainment facility with the Ice Dogs as the anchor tenant. Its the right thing do do both socially and economically.
 

The last word on this should go to Ice Dogs owner Bill Burke:
 

“If city council votes no on a new spectator facility, then they are saying no to the Ice Dogs, so we will have to take the team and the two million dollars we spend in St. Catharines elsewhere”
 

You cannot put it more succinctly than that.

ICE DOGS 3 MAJORS 0

A tidy 3-0 win by the Ice Dogs over the Majors last night  should keep the anxiety level of Ice Dog fans down.  There are those who have been fretting about the teams' inconsistent play.  However, last night a 0-0 stalemate was broken by Billy Jenkins' goal with :45 left in the 2nd period.  Dougie Hamilton roofed one :48 seconds into the third period while Alex Friesen added some insurance late in the game. Mark Visentin broke off a personal 0-3-0-1 streak and recorded his 3rd shutout of the season.

The Ice Dogs, who have been sub-par on the road (2-6-1) travel to Kingston on Friday and Ottawa on Sunday.

Highlights are courtesy of TV Cogeco.

THE SMARTEST GUYS IN THE ROOM AND THE SKY IS FALLING MENTALITY OF FANDOM

The proliferation of sports media and the sheer number of outlets have spawned a  "the sky is falling mentality"when covering teams. On sports radio in Toronto, with two sports stations, four newspapers, several TV stations and a great number of social media outlets, there is not a stone left unturned when it comes to analyzing the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The trickle down effect is starting now in the Ontario Hockey League.  There has been an increase in social media coverage, fan sites, TV coverage, blogging, radio coverage, the list goes on.  For the most part these mediums have a "live in the moment" sort of mentality.  Never look back, never cast an eye forward, always exist in the present.  It's sort of like OHL discipline, but that's another story line altogether. 

Fans will offer an opinion, and start a thread that is purely based on emotion and observation from afar.  If you believe the fan sites, Niagara's Mark Visentin can't stop a beach ball and should not be considered for Team Canada's World Junior team.   In fact one thread on the popular www.thenoof.com site was entitled "Visentin Horrid".  A tad off base, and sensationalist don't you think?  A more well-reasoned approach to Visentin's early season inconsistency can be found in this great article by the St Catharines' Standard. You can read it HERE

I'll admit that I will "lurk" the fan sites.  They can have offer something of a barometer in terms of how a fan- base is feeling, but for the most part, and I know that I run the risk of alienating myself here, its a bastion of ranting from the those who have "The Smartest Guy in the Room" syndrome.  They think that they have all the answers, but normally it comes from a position of bias.  Again, I have no problem with the expression of opinion.  Heck, I'm a law teacher who regularly teaches The Charter of Rights and Freedoms and Freedom of Expression.

However, analysis can become downright silly and its not just limited to the fans.   There have been those in the media who love to play arm chair commissioner and start throwing out number of games a player should be suspended before the decision is meted out.  I'm not sure if the motive is to lobby, or if there is a pool out there for this, but I don't think it serves a purpose.  Debate the merits after the suspension and at least you have a basis point for discussion.  Doing it before and promoting it through various forums, to me is a tad irresponsible. 

QUICK POINTS:
- Curious decision-making to say the least as Ryan Rupert gets 5 games for stick swinging and connecting while Alex O'Nell gets 10 games.  Precedent, it seems, is a dirty word, for the OHL

- Freddie Hamilton and Ryan Strome really shone in the Subway Series.   Freddie Hamilton was a 5th round draft pick.  No, that is not a misprint.  This guy is going to be a fine NHL'er and a lot scouts and teams have some 'splainin' to do about how they missed him

- Ice Dogs take on Mississauga Thursday November 17th at 7 pm on the OHL Action Pack/TV Cogeco.  Ed, Al and I will have the call.

Steve Clark
www.twitter.com/SteveClarkMedia

KUHNHACKL PART 2: 20 GAMES IS TOO MUCH

Twenty games for Tom Kuhnackl is unduly harsh.   Now, I already will acknowledge that my reasoning for  this is flawed because it is predicated on analyzing the rule of precedent/case law, a basic tenant of any legal system and one that has its roots in 12th century Britain.  

The rule of precedent allows that a previous decision in a case could have an impact on a current case.  Hockey has rarely used precedent in determining its decision-making.  If you are a fan of hockey's justice system, you see it as showing no bias, looking at supplemental discipline with an extremely narrow focus, and the focus is on the individual act.  If you are not a fan of hockey's justice system you see it as haphazard, inconsistent  and making it up as you go along.

I'd say in Kuhnhackl's case that I do not see the justification for 20 games, or 40% of the remaining schedule in this case.  Firstly, when you are talking 20 games, you automatically think of  Zach Kassian's hit on Matt Kennedy, the last time that 20 games was used as a punitive measure.  That hit is here, and to these trained eyes the Kassian hit is far worse than the Kuhnhackl hit in that he literally launches himself  at an unsuspecting Kennedy.  Now there is a fine gentleman from Windsor who took serious umbrage with the decision, barking" 20 games for interference".  Plus, unlike Kuhnhackl, Kassian was a repeat offender, so in all likelihood escalating consequences were a part of the decision making.

Another take was by well respected Junior hockey writer Neate Sagar who essentially contradicts himself  in his article found here. 

He also says

 As for the length of the suspension, it's fair. It's the longest ban in the OHL since Zack Kassian also got 20 games for a head shot on Barrie's Matt Kennedy in January 2010 and that play was arguably worse, although Kassian was also a repeat offender and Kühnhackl was not"

Again, this time we are both accused of using using the flawed rule of precedent on this, though Sagar contradicts himself a number of times by saying the suspension of Kuhnhackl is fair, but says that the play was worse and that Kassian was a repeat offender. To me you can't give a guy the same amount of games when you find inherent differences.  

Some people, like Damian Cox, have carelessly referenced Mike Liambis Hit on Ben Fanelli as a basis for comparison.  In fact Bob McCown asked David Branch about comparisons to the Liambis hit and he did not immediately dismiss it.   To me, the Liambis hit is nothing like the hit delivered by Kuhnackl, and without delving into a long-winded explanation, the ends justify the means.  Liambis was banned for over 50 games for that hit, so really it is not a valid comparison.

So if we use the OHL system of justice and analysis of hits, I still don't see 20 games in all of this.  Again. flawed comparison as I'm basically arguing against 31 seconds of video footage and 4 points of reference by the OHL, but here we go. It should be noted that the fact that a penalty was called on the play is not included in the OHL's interpretation  Here is the OHL's interpretation of the hit by Kuhnhackl, and here is what they said in terms of their reasoning:

•  Contact to the head
• Vulnerable, unsuspecting player
• Speed and considerable distance travelled
• Injury

Lets set aside the obvious facts, which we can agree on.  Yes, there was contact to the head, and yes there was an injury.  There could be minor quibbling of a mitigating circumstance because Murphy did return to the game for a couple of shifts, but not nearly enough to impact the decision.  These two stand alone points pretty well give Kuhnhackl 10 games as a starting point.

The other two points can be debated.  For me, personally, I think the only time a player could be construed as vulnerable is when his back is to the play or he is on the ice.  Again, this is an interpretive measure. What my eyes interpreted are different to the decision-makers.  The other point about speed and distance travelled is debatable as well.   Yes the collision was at a high rate of speed, but Kuhnhackl, according to my colour partner Ed Burkholder, was aggressively following the path of his forecheck. I bet that I could get 20 junior coaches to draw up their forecheck plan and almost all of them would trace the path that Kuhnhackl travelled.  Again, minor quibbling, but worth investigating. 

If I take all those points into consideration, I come up with 13 games, or 1/4 of the remaining season. Again, I'm basing it on a lot of factors that may or may not have been taken into consideration by the OHL.

QUIBBLING POINTS:

1. I have a ton of respect for David Branch, and although I may not agree with his decision, he has not been afraid to be out front of any trends.  That said, I think he did not do himself any favours by, according to the St. Catharines Standard,  not contacting Marty Williamson directly with the details of the suspension, but was able to find the time to do interviews with Bob McCown on Prime Time Sports and with Cybalski and Company on TSN Radio.
2. Damian Cox mentioned in his short article about protocol of a suspected head injury because Murphy did return to the ice for a couple of shifts.   Perhaps in the days and weeks to come there will be more discussion of this point because in all supplemental discipline, the safety of the athlete is always a consideration.  It should be no different here.

Steve Clark- TV Cogeco/ OHL Action Pack Play by Play Niagara Ice Dogs
www.twitter.com/SteveClarkMedia