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The NHL’s 10 Most Hated Players

11 February, 2013 (12:34) | HOCKEY TALK | By: Nick

 

We’re #1… We’re #1… We’re #1… We’re #1 !!!

Sports Illustrated published a list of the 10 most hated NHL players. Well wouldn’t you know it, Habs’ P.K. Subban has made the list as the #1 most hated player. The caption from SI: “So maybe the report on Hockey Night In Canada suggesting that Subban was hated in the Habs’ dressing room was overstated, but it’s obvious that he has bridges to rebuild, and not just because of his lengthy contract dispute. Subban’s flashy personality on and off the ice is a break from hockey tradition, and that clearly rankles some people. Too bad – I think the game needs more like him.”

Come on! PK is more hated than Marchand (#3), Raffi Torres (#5) and Maxim Lapierre (#2)? Can you believe Matt Cooke didn’t even make the list? Seriously?

Two former Canadiens – Mike Ribeiro and Maxim Lapierre – also made the list. Would you believe Maxim Lapierre edged out Brad Marchand by a nose (sorry… I couldn’t pass that up)…

  1. P.K. Subban, Montreal Canadiens
  2. Maxim Lapierre, Vancouver Canucks
  3. Brad Marchand, Boston Bruins
  4. Daniel Carcillo, Chicago Blackhawks
  5. Raffi Torres, Phoenix Coyotes
  6. Mike Ribeiro, Washngton Capitals
  7. Alex Burrows, Vancouver Canucks
  8. Jordin Tootoo, Detroit Red Wings
  9. Steve Ott,  Buffalo Sabres
10. Patrick Kaleta,  Buffalo Sabres

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P.K.’s Sweet Deal

3 February, 2013 (07:58) | HOCKEY TALK | By: Nick

 

  

        Habs 0     Leafs 6

 

 

  
P.K. Subban and the Montreal Canadiens recently agreed to a 2 year $5.75 million contract, and the consensus is that the Habs ‘won’ the deal. Subban was reportedly seeking a 5 or 6 year contract worth an average north of $5 million. It is therefore easy to see how many could view the actual deal as a significant bargain for the Habs.
 
Without getting into the minutia of the last 2 CBA’s and how they have impacted RFA signings, suffice it to say the annual average value (AAV) of these two contracts takes account for the player’s value at several stages of his career: his four individual seasons as an RFA and the block of UFA seasons. So if we’re going to determine whether or not Subban is underpaid, we can’t look at the RFA-UFA extensions. Rather, we have to compare the AAV of Subban’s contract to the AAV of similar contracts signed by similar players… defencemen who signed two year contracts covering the two seasons immediately following the expiration of their entry-level contracts.  Here are the top 5 most expensive contracts of this type by AAV:  
 
P.K. Subban (Montreal Canadiens): 2 years/$5.75M ($2.875 AAV) 
Erik Johnson (St. Louis Blues): 2 years/$5.2M ($2.6 AAV)
Michael Del Zotto (New York Rangers): 2 years/$5.1M ($2.55 AAV)
Dimitri Kulikov (Florida Panthers): 2 years/$5M ($2.5 AAV)
Zach Bogosian (Winnipeg Jets): 2 years/$5M ($2.5 AAV)
 
Subban’s contract tops the list and he’s the highest paid player on this list by a 10% margin. Furthermore, the backloaded nature of his contract also insures that Subban will receive a qualifying offer of $3.75M for the 2014-2015 season. It appears Subban is receiving more money than any other defenceman in recent history on a 2 year contract following his entry-level contract. So who got the better deal now? Nicely done P.K. …. you can give all the triple low-fives you want, starting with Therrien and Bergevin.

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Anticipating The Next NHL Lockout

27 January, 2013 (09:24) | HOCKEY TALK | By: Nick

The NHL has returned from it’s incredibly stupid lockout with a shortened 2012-13 schedule, and the fans have come flocking back. Entering the recent lockout, the team owners were not concerned about the effect on its fan base. Commissioner Gary Bettman chalked it up to the league having “the greatest fans in the world”. Those fans are so devoted to the NHL product, they’re willing to forgive the work stoppages and return in huge numbers. He was right!

Rather than facing lower attendance and television ratings from “supposed” hoards of hockey fans angered at the NHL for staging its third lockout in eighteen years, the league enjoyed sellouts and high ratings for its opening weekend:

  • NBC reported an overnight rating of 2.0 for Saturday’s opening day, the highest for regular season NHL coverage (excluding the Winter Classics) in eleven years.
  • CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada saw a record 3.3 million Canadians tune in for the Toronto Maple Leafs-Montreal Canadiens season-opener, the highest for a Leafs-Habs debut since 2007.
  • The Ottawa Senators-Winnipeg Jets matinee reached 1.5 million viewers, the highest audience for an HNiC afternoon game, while the Anaheim Ducks-Vancouver Canucks tilt later that evening drew 48 percent more viewers than the network’s ‘Prime West’ debut game from last season.
  • The first 17 home-openers were sellouts, ranging from traditional hockey markets like Montreal, Philadelphia and Boston to the non-traditional in Tampa Bay, Los Angeles, Florida and Nashville.

Should the NHL owners decide to exercise their option in September 2019 and “opt out” of the current CBA, or when the current CBA expires in September 2022, they won’t fear damaging their fan base by doing so. They know the fans will come back, because they always have.

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