Remember back at the 2010-11 NHL All Star Game the NHL made the awful mistake of having shitrock band 3 Doors Down play during intermission? And remember how we wrote at length about how the NHL got this wrong?

Well, apparently they didn’t learn their lesson. It’s almost as if no one amongst the NHL decision-makers even reads this blog! There’s rumors afoot that Canadian disappointment Nickelback will help jumpstart the 2011-12 NHL season by playing in Winnipeg during “NHL FaceOff,” a season kick-off party just days before the actual season opens.

Much like we here at HockeyPunx took great exception to 3 Doors Down being able to sully the good name of hockey, Rob Williams and Bartley Kives at the Winnipeg Free Press aren’t too happy about Nickelback potentially doing the same.

So much so that they wrote an open letter to Gary Bettman and the NHL asking them to stop this madness. And how could we not agree? If 3 Doors Down was an affront to our sensibilities, then Nickelback certainly doesn’t offer any redemption for the NHL’s poor decision making.

From the column:

“Please, Person In Charge Of Booking This Event, do not bring Nickelback to Winnipeg that weekend. They can play the arena to their own fans — of which there are many — any time. But a free public performance? That would be tantamount to spitting on Bobby Hull’s toupee, burning Dale Hawerchuk’s jersey, leaving something wet on Thomas Steen’s city council seat or tripping Teemu Selanne on the ice during his final season in the NHL.”

And who do they suggest as possible replacements for Nickelback (aside from “Anyone but Nickelback or Bands That Sound Like Nickelback”)? Among others, they offer two altervative, equally Canadian bands that most HockeyPunx readers can get behind: Nomeansno or D.O.A.!

See, NHL? People are catching on. But those there at the league aren’t, no matter how much we spell it out. Punk Rock is the Soundtrack to Hockey. The Only Soundtrack.

Your average Nickelback fan.

Why not take this a step further, and instead of just allowing any Canadian punk band to play, pick punk bands that specifically come from the greater Winnipeg area? Who comes to mind? Obviously, Propagandhi, Comeback Kid, or The Weakerthans. Though, admittedly, The Weakerthans might be a little hard to land.

Like Williams and Kives do, we here at HockeyPunx will acknowledge that Nickelback sells. They’ve managed to convince a whole lot of idiots to buy their records. But think about the demographic Nickelback attracts. Does this really exemplify the type of person who gives two shits about hockey? The “dour, depressing” (as Williams and Kives aptly put it) stylings of this band will only serve to dampen the energy and intensity of the game, and of the game’s fans.

So to the NHL, we leave you with the same advice you have seemingly chosen to ignore after the 3 Doors Down debacle -  “next time (and every time); punk rock.”

We’ve certainly talked about John K. Samson before (here and here), and unless you’ve been living on Mars for the past decade, under a rock in a cave, with your eyes shut and your fingers in your ears, you know he is a former member of the beloved Propagandhi (who we’ve discussed here), and current memeber of the also-beloved Winnipeg-based band The Weakerthans. He’s also responsible for some amazing solo projects.

With Samson being a Winnipeg native, we were certainly interested in what he had to say about the return of the NHL in to his hometown, and now that the Jets have released their new logo design, we were once again wondering what his thoughts would be. Thankfully, he wrote a piece about it for The Winnipeg review. Definitely check out the full write-up, but here’s a quick, relevant excerpt:

“The new logo will imply that whoever wears it supports both the actions of the Canadian military and the politicians who deploy them. Where does that leave those hockey fans that feel varying degrees of otherwise? At the very least, putting such a weapon on a logo that every hockey-loving Winnipegger should feel enthusiastic to wear, both here at home and while traveling outside our city, a logo that children will draw and redraw with crayons innumerable times, is a decision we should ask some serious questions about. Hockey should be one of those rare and valuable activities we can all share and communicate through, no matter our beliefs or backgrounds. The new Jets logo will tell some of us that we simply aren’t welcome at the rink. “

Read more here.

2011 NHL Stanley Cup Champions

John K. Samson, front-man for The Weakerthans (and former member of Propagandhi), has been discussed on our site before for mixing punk rock and hockey. However, the news today confirming the rumor that the Atlanta Thrashers are being sold and relocated to Winnipeg puts him back into the punk rock and hockey limelight.

Samson hails from Winnipeg, and grew up cheering on the Jets. With all of this talk about the NHL’s return to ‘Peg, I was often reminded of Samson (and The Weakerthans’ song “One Great City!“), and wondered what he might think of all of this.

Luckily I wasn’t the only one wondering about all of this, as Bruce Arthur reached out to Samson to get his thoughts for the National Post piece “The NHL needs Winnipeg more than Winnipeg needs the NHL”

From Arthur’s article, here’s what Samson had to say about Winnipeg’s new team:

“I’m more of the opinion that not only did Winnipeg not need the Jets, we actually needed them to leave,” he wrote. “Having said that, I was, from my earliest memories, a huge fan of the Jets. I am excited about the new team, I will go see games, I will learn about the players and coaches, discuss the wisdom of trades, worry over injuries, ponder statistics, become a fan.

“But I’ll always be wary of the idea that our identity should be founded on the whims of Gary Bettman and a couple millionaires. The NHL will never have any bearing on the fact that I’m proud of the community I’m from.”

Be sure to read Arthur’s full story.

Look, I have no dog in this fight; I’m not Canadian, and I’m not a Coyotes fan.

But after seeing what is likely to be the Yotes’ last season in Phoenix, I can’t help but wonder if moving them back to Winnipeg (as everyone expects will happen) is really all that wise of a move. For all the shit talk targeted at the ability of the Phoenix fans to support an NHL team, Winnipeg didn’t do much better when they had the chance… They did worse:

Granted, there are a thousand variables that go into all of this. Winnipeg Arena was no where near the caliber of a modern NHL arena. I have no clue what the Manitoban economy of ’79-’96 looked like (could it have been much worse than modern-day Phoenix’s?). Dwayne “The Rock“ Johnson had not yet starred in Tooth Fairy, thus a surge of interest in the sport of hockey had not yet swept the continent.

But, all that important-stuff-that-could-easily-disprove-any-point-I-have aside, clearly Phoenix one-upped Winnipeg as far as showing up to support their team.

Truth be told, if they move back to Winnipeg next season, their building will likely be sold out for years. They’ll have a bigger and better arena, every one’s hunger and nostalgia for the return of the Jets will create a ticket-selling mania, the city has grown since 1996, and I’m assuming (but too lazy to verify) that the arena will be located in an area easier for the rest of Manitoba to get to. But what happens in, say, 10 years when (presumably) the US economy has recovered from the devastation of the Bush administration; when the US dollar once again trumps the Canadian dollar; when the novelty of having their team “back” wears off; once the popularity of hockey in the US has continued (hopefully) to soar upwards?

Let’s say that perfect storm happens, and Winnipeg has slipped back into it’s old ways, attendance has gone back to lackluster, and history repeats itself for a third time for this team. What then? Do we play ping pong with them and send them back to Phoenix for another decade or two until this perfect storm starts all over again and then send them back to Winnipeg? Or do we find the next non-traditional market in the US, or another starving Canadian market, or where ever the fuck else to ship them to?

I don’t have the answers, but it seems like things could be thought out a little more thoroughly. And shit, maybe they have been and all my points are moot, but (like I said), at least I got to make a dopey graph.

Ultimately, I really just wish Phoenix had started out with a competent owner that actually cared for the sport, as I think hockey could have and can work in Phoenix if managed the right way. The fans exist, and more could be cultivated. They even have an interesting history of hockey in Arizona (Phoenix Roadrunners, Arizona Icecats). I can’t imagine how this feels for them. And I hope I never have to find out how it feels to lose a team.

It’s unfortunate (and ironic) that so many Winnipeg supporters resort to vitriol and attacks on the fanbase of Phoenix.  As Pension Plan Puppets tweeted last night after the Yotes’ playoff elimination and possible last game in Phoenix…

 Feel free to come yell at me on our forums, Manitobans.

Contrary to how I thought I’d feel about the NHL All Star weekend, I more or less enjoyed the entire spectacle. Of course it had its gimmicks that predictably failed, but there was nothing unforgivably egregious.

Fuck this band.

… except of course for the inexcusable failure of the weekend that happened during the first intermission of the All Star game. I can’t for the life of me comprehend why anyone would decide that shitrock band 3 Doors Down (who were last relevant – but still awful – eleven years ago) would make for great entertainment and somehow be able to represent the bad-assery of hockey and its elites.

And I’m not alone. When 3 Doors Down started playing, Twitter users were almost immediately, uh, atwitter with criticism of the band. Due in large part to @NHL asking thousands of twitter users to tweet the band’s name as an answer in a twitter trivia question contest, ”Doors Down” became a trending topic for what was probably the last time the band will ever see this kind of surge in social media activity involving them. Unfortunately for the band, a large portion of the tweets that came up for that trending topic (when not related to the trivia contest) where either fiercely negative, or simply called in to question the relevancy of the band in 2011.

Whereas most of the tweets were washed away by the answers to the trivia question, our HockeyPunx crack team of investigators were able to dig up a few gems that popped up…

• EAMatt what happens when old white people choose the intermission entertainment? 3 doors down. [Source]
• AdamJBrady I’ll go to an old joke to describe 3 Doors Down performing at intermission: They were available. [Source]
• kms1914 Okay, who at the NHL’s marketing department is related to one of the guys in 3 Doors Down? [Source]
• lostheather 3 Doors Down still exists? [Source]
• fghtoffyrdmns 3 Doors Down? NOT IN MY HOCKEY GTFO! [Source]
• horbayj 3 doors down? Is it 2001? #tothedelorian [Source]
• donnellyjcd 3 Doors Down? Shame on you NHL [Source]
• meg_kerr 3 Doors Down? Umm, for serious? [Source]
• PeppyLives 3 Doors Down? White trash hoedowns are never a good idea to do on the ice. Come on NHL get it together. [Source]
• ryanwmurray NHL loses bet with relevance, hires 3 Doors Down to play All Star game. [Source]
• briannecole Three doors down…gag me [Source]
• mjamiebell Wow 3 Doors Down. I hope they roll out the Spin Doctors for the next intermission. #thisislame [Source]
• satherHater It’s going to take awhile to start the second period. A lot of manpower is needed to clean up the mess that 3 Doors Down just left! [Source]
• kairants watching the NHL All Star game. They could have picked a better band than ’3 Doors Down’ to play during intermission! What an epic fail. [Source]
• jimmyontheradio I think 3 Doors Down should stick to NASCAR events. [Source]
• Spec7ral Thanks NHL for reminding me how bad 3 Doors Down suck rotting cock smeg. #suckforlife #thingsweallhate [Source]
• clinnehan20 the NHL couldn’t find anybody more relevant than 3 doors down? [Source]
• rachargyle There are so many good bands out there who made the call on 3 doors down performing? Lame! [Source]
• KPBurrows 3 Doors Down… singing the exact same song for 13 years and counting [Source]

I sure don’t have those answers. But I absolutely refuse to believe that the league is this out of touch (though I admit sometimes it tries pretty hard to convince otherwise). In fact, in the past they’ve nailed it – does anyone remember a firestorm of vile contempt when say, the Dropkick Murphies played at the 2010 Winter Classic? Of course not. Was anyone upset when The Briggs played a set at Staples Center during a Kings playoff game? Okay sure; most people were upset to see the Kings undeservedly in the playoffs, but no one was mad that The Briggs came along with them.

The Briggs at Staples Center

Decisions like the ones to include the Dropkick Murphies and The Briggs in NHL events need to be rewarded and celebrated, and we should be letting whoever’s responsible for them (be it the league or the individual franchises or whoever else) know, or else we’re going to be stuck with more vanilla-rock bullshit like 3 Doors Down. The intensity of punk bands like the Dropkick Murphies and The Briggs actually compliments the excitement of the sport, and in those two particular examples, the bands’ clear ties to the communities they were playing in help to emotionally engage the fans — even those fans from out of area, regardless of the team they root for.

We here at HockeyPunx have been spouting off about the connection between punk rock and hockey endlessly, and if this endeavor has taught us anything, it’s that we’re far from the first or only people to recognize this link between the two. We’re constantly finding articles, communities, podcasts and other endless examples proving our same point: Hockey is the punk rock of sports. And so then, why not an appropriate soundtrack?

Basically, this all boils down to one simple point that I sent out in a tweet while I disappointedly watched 3 Doors Down perform, and I’ll leave you with that now:

Next time (and every time); punk rock.

Today, as some oddly-obsessed hockey fans know, is Wayne Gretzky’s 50th birthday. And according to very reliable reports, he picked up a stick “moments after leaving the womb, rushing out of the hospital and scoring a natural hat trick in a local senior league game.”

In order to half-assedly celebrate The Great One here on HockeyPunx, we’re rehashing some content that we already shared with you via our twitter account, which you should be following (but as of yet have been too lazy to click the god damn follow button).

First off, I should say that this content is from Kevin Smith’s blog, and in no way am I claiming that this is our original content. Nor am I claiming Kevin Smith wrote this exclusively for HockeyPunx (or for that matter, has any idea that HockeyPunx exists). I am merely quoting/reproducing HIS WORK here, for your reading enjoyment. But you should definitely check out his place, as there is loads of other content on there, and while you’re at it, go buy every single one of his movies immediately.

For those of you unfamiliar with him, Smith has done a zillion great things, but he is best known as writer/director of brilliant comedy flicks, a champion of indie film, and host of the SModcast podcast (along with purveyor of the SModcast Podcast Network). He is also a hockey fan.

And a huge Wayne Gretzky fan.

So when “Jordan B” innocently asked Smith about his adoration of Gretzky on Twitter he probably wasn’t expecting a longwinded rant (well, okay, if you’ve followed Smith on Twitter for any amount of time, I guess you expect nothing but longwinded rants; and we love him for it). But rant away he did, and what resulted was actually a positively heartwarming piece on Smith’s outlook on Gretzky, hockey, and how the two influence his life.

Here it is, reprinted in it’s entirety:

Dude’s a role model. Made the impossible seem possible. That inspires me.

In the time I’ve leaned on Gretzky as a higher power, I’ve made two flicks, sold out Carnegie Hall andthe Sydney Opera House, toured the country with podcasts from an entire network we built in less than a year, opened the world’s first & only podcasting theater, got Walter Gretzky into the Guinness Book of World Records, and started the long-tail, long-lead sell of Red State (the posters, pods, etc.).

I’m not saying Gretzky’s responsible for all of that; I’m well-aware I did all that stuff myself, with the help of friends & fans. But going where the puck’s gonna be comes directlyfrom Gretzky. My office walls are loaded with images of the boy from Brantford trying to do things that hadn’t been done before. Considering Gretzky’s work ethic, humility and character, why not look up to him as a role model – even if I’m 40 and I’ve done cool shit of my own?

Gretzky spent his career outdoing his own personal bests; I’d like to spend the time I’ve got left doing the same. The Askewniverse was a dream come true, but I dream bigger now. And settling for one Stanley Cup when I know I can secure a dynasty seems a waste of opportunity. Gretzky said “You miss 100% of the shots you never take.” So I stopped being cute with my puck and started firing that shit top shelf instead.

The Gretzky/hockey metaphors simplify the vast, unwieldy concept that nobody’s been able to encapsulate yet to my satisfaction: existence. Hockey offers imagery that illustrates the off-ice game of life, too…

We are goal-oriented.

We get checked constantly.

We take hard hits.

But if we work hard, assist and receive assists, and out-skate our attackers, we get to take our shots.

And the more you shoot, the better you will be able to roof that shit, or chip it right through life’s five-hole.

Avoid the corners and stay out of the scrums.

Even the best players will get penalized from time to time; feel your shame, then you get free.

Doesn’t matter what line you’re on, you come over the boards and you contribute. You produce for the team.

You can’t play every minute and you can’t win alone.

It’s an exhausting but an exhilarating game, best when played with heart.

If you go out there unprepared, all half-assed, you’re gonna lose teeth. Actually, with age, you’re gonna lose teeth regardless; might as well lose ‘em fighting for something.

Nobody wants to let you take your shot, so expect to take all manner of shit. But like Espo observed, you simply stand in the slot, take your beating and shoot the puck into the net.

It’s a fun game.

A brutal game.

A beautiful game.

The fastest game.

Keep your head up and never chase the puck; go where the puck’s gonna be.

What is the deal with Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Dan Ellis?  Nashville hockey fans used to champion Ellis due to his humble yet fun, open, and honest personality.   The man could even make a good time out of mid-game interviews from the bench.  He was a solid goalie, but the fans loved him because he was simply a lovable sort of guy.  What happened between the end of the Predators’ season and now that has turned him into sounding like a bit of jerk whose hobby is introducing his tonsils to heels of his shoes.

He made waves this summer by getting into twitter arguments with fans, a subject that I wrote about a little.  Folks across the NHL were pretty shocked and confused as to why Ellis was suddenly antagonizing and belittling fans.  Even those defending Ellis’ comments found themselves unsure as to why a professional hockey player had any reason to refer to other professions as dime-a-dozen, un-skilled labor, with his job being more akin to brain surgery (not to mention saying that Paris Hilton deserves all of her fame and fortune because she was fortunate… what?). But the Lightning management took hold of situation in order to prevent it from happening again, and encouraged Mr. Ellis to focus on his rebound control, leaky 5-hole, and not giving up laughably soft goals, while downplaying his internet debate skills.  While the latter has been successful for Ellis he still managed to find a way to remind all of us of his twitter escapades.  During a post-game interview he said the following about Linus Omark’s shootout goal:

It’s embarrassing for him. You come into a league, a respectful league like this, and you try a little move like that. It’s not a very classy thing. That’s just the kind of person he is.

YouTube - The Shootout Goal in Question

All I can do is echo what most bloggers have been saying.  The shootout is a gimmick, we know it, Ellis knows, he needs to deal with it.  If you hate that shootout then don’t let the game get to the shootout, stop the puck.  After all, Ellis did gives up 3 goals on only 23 shots.  Omark did nothing that violated the rules or taint the spirit of the shootout. The young Swede wasn’t really showing off because if Omark pulled out that move at the All-Star skills competition he would have  hardly been on the judge’s radar.  The only thing truly unconventional about the shootout goal was that the spin-o-rama came at the beginning of the attempt rather than towards the end.  Just a cursory search on YouTube will show you dozens of examples of NHLers using the same move in- and outside of shootouts.  My opinion, Ellis feels pretty foolish from being dazzled and then tricked by a simple forehand/backhand deke.  He needs to get over it.

Writing Music: Make Do And Mend – End Measured Mile

A dissapointed jer.

So in case y’all hadn’t heard, I sorta lost a bet. I haven’t had the stomach to purchase my Patrick Kane tshirt just yet, but I’ll keep my word and will be acquiring one shortly.

In a very exciting game that kept the suspense up for 3 full periods and almost a full overtime stretch, the Ducks fell to the Blackhawks 3-2 on Sunday (11/14) after Viktor Stalberg scored with just 28 seconds left of OT. Check out how it all went down in the official recap.

Also, be sure to check out this week’s upcoming Up The Pucks! podcast (to be released on Friday 11/19 I believe) when I join the crew to co-host the fun. Perhaps that Peter fellow might want to, uh, discuss the bet.

A podcast dedicated to the connection between punk and hockey? The idea might seem familiar, because we here at HockeyPunx have been thinking about it since last year. But some kids that have a lot more drive, a better plan, and the time on their hands to get it done have gone out and done just that.

Enter UP THE PUCKS.

Peter (who we’ve spoke of before) and his buddy Brandon have recorded and released the first episode of Up The Pucks, a podcast that reflects the goal of HockeyPunx.com – sharing, discussing, and celebrating the connection between punk rock and hockey. It clocks in at just under two hours, and their first episode is dedicated to the Central Division, the Columbus Blue Jackets, and the Columbus punk scene (and a whole lot more!). They also review Comeback Kid’s Symptoms + Cures.

GO LISTEN NOW: http://www.upthepucks.com/2010/09/episode-1-so-it-begins.html