An Evening at the Sprint Center: NHL Exhibition: Los Angeles Kings vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

Enough with the gripes and complaints, already, people. The National Hockey League is not coming to Kansas City anytime soon, and that has nothing to do with Tim Leiweke or AEG. Really, it doesn't.

I tweeted Randy Covitz earlier, and in doing so, I was mistaken. Apparently, last night's NHL exhibition contest featuring the Los Angeles Kings and Pittsburgh Penguins was a record crowd for Kansas City hockey. By 494 people. I sent that tweet, because I swear that announced attendance at that Blues/Blackhawks game was 18,000+, but I've been wrong before, and I'll certainly be wrong again.

What I'm not wrong about is that the dose of professional hockey Kansas City is currently getting -- in the form of the Central Hockey League's Missouri Mavericks, just down the road in Independence -- is all the metro area will be getting for years to come.

Eleven years ago, Paul McGannon formed the grassroots NHL 21, whose primary initiative was to bring an NHL club to Kansas City. At that time, it was a brilliant plan, and the organization continues to work hard to, as they say, "cultivate Kansas City for the NHL." But, at that time, the league landscape was much different.

The Dallas Stars had just won their first Stanley Cup, seven years after moving from Minnesota. The Colorado Avalanche, a mere five years relocated from Quebec, would win their second championship a season later. The following season, it was the one-time Hartford Whalers coming in as runner up, followed by the not-that-young-of-a-franchise Anaheim competing in the Finals, the expansion Tampa Bay Lightning winning it all, and then of course, the lockout.

In each of the previous four seasons, clubs with long-time tenures in their initial cities have been in the finals on both winning and losing ends. Thus, the days of significant franchise shifts are likely behind us. Sure, the Atlanta Thrashers just moved to Winnipeg, but Winnipeg had an interested buyer, and Atlanta -- a city mind you, that already failed once in its NHL endeavors -- was not supporting the club.

So, it's easy to get riled up about Leiweke's quotes, and even easier to point the finger at the Sprint Center's "failures" regarding event management. These, my friends, are not even small bones. They're microscopic.

A few people were caught outside while the game began? Big deal. The venue fixes that first with an anchor tenant. Long lines at concession stands? Didn't we hear those now-stifled gripes after Kauffman Stadium was remodeled?

What matters is what the people in and around Kansas City think about the sport (and thought about the contest) in a global sense. And for the most part, people are far from centered enough to comprehend the two-tiered concept that would make an NHL franchise successful in Kansas City for the second time: single-game and season tickets.

With the September the Kansas City Royals have produced, and with the start to the season the Kansas City Chiefs have not, folks on Twitter and on the radio are rolling out the old this-is-a-baseball-town carpet for the first time in a while. That's fine. It very well may be. Folks continue to purchase mildly significant numbers of season tickets, and, by and large, single-game tickets are something that many, many Kansas City families have always invested in and will continue to do so because this is a game on which our country was raised.

In the '90s, Kansas City was mad-scientist crazy for the Chiefs. The team was good, and fans had not had that experience in over two decades, if ever. Throughout most of the Herman Edwards regime, attendance at Arrowhead fell to talks-of-blacked-out-games for the first time since the '80s. And that's an American sport with a franchise with over four decades rooted in Kansas City. What, then, would make anyone think that, in the event the NHL grants Kansas City a franchise (Editor's Note: They're not going to, plain and simple.), this town would support it?

I'm embedded in the Kansas City hockey community. I know guys that run the youth programs, I know rink managers, I volunteer for the Mavericks, and I've played with the majority of adult rec-league skaters for over a decade. Even in that community, even in the form of a company owner who was a significant sponsor for last night's game, are people that think Kansas City has to continue to turn out large numbers, if not sell them out, for these exhibition contests because that translates to league awareness.

In the end, they don't matter. Not one bit. Mostly they don't matter because the league is not going to award the city a franchise, or even promote it as a locale for a club that's interested in relocation. There's simply not enough confidence to suggest that the city could support it.

So attendance last night broke the record by 500 heads. How many of those people were given free tickets? How many of those people were bombarded by package deals presented by NHL 21 and companies like QuikTrip who had the $99 four-pack (tickets, sandwiches, etc.)? How many people had die-hard NHL-in-KC fans buy tickets and take their friends free of charge in hopes of hooking them on the in-game experience?

The answer: a lot.

What's more, of the families in attendance, most of them, by both sight and sound, were cheering for the Penguins. These kids had signs and cheers and no, you couldn't swing a dead cat without hitting a Sidney Crosby jersey. How many of these fans were aware (of the slim chance) that Crosby might not play again? How many of these kids are aware that team owner Mario Lemieux used this very venue as leverage for his own new building in Pittsburgh? And how many kids are aware of the surprise run that the Kings just displayed this past post-season? That club was the bigger (of the two) story in the playoffs.

The answer: not many.

Regarding the Crosby thing, it's of course good for the game that in Kansas City people know who he is, but what they don't know is that the clubs they saw on the ice last night were two and three tiers removed from those that the Pittsburgh and L.A. franchises will put out on the ice each night this season. For Dennis Dodd to call that a "thoroughly entertaining preseason game" is silly.

That game was mostly flat, full of turnovers, and bereft of true NHL talent. What's more is that there was zero appeal or investment to actually root for a team you come out and support 41 times a year. And the fans in attendance were representative of said lack of appeal.

They were there for novelty. They chatted with their kids and their friends, fiddled around with their phones, asked questions about the game to those around them, and blindly cheered on the Penguins. Since when do Kansas Citians cheer for eastern-conference teams?

While folks remain enamored with the new Kansas City-hockey-attendance record, the one truth that's been written is that many seats were empty. Folks were strolling around, perhaps waiting in lines for concessions -- an easy fix if a franchise actually did come to town -- perhaps trying to entertain their uninterested children, and leaving early in packs of significant numbers.

Last night and this morning, people were posting things of the following nature on Facebook: this pointless story, this dumb picture

I call dumb only because I'm sure thousands cheered the Pittsburgh victory, and my favorite photo caption of all, "Don't have a clue what I'm watching, but it's fun!!!"

As for ourselves, we left at the conclusion of the second period solely because of our nine-month-old in tow (Note: Yes, that'd be her pictured above the jump.), and the fact that it was over an hour past her bedtime. We went, though, because we wanted to see how good the Sprint Center ice-hockey experience looked. For the record, it looked great. The ice appeared to be in good shape, the event had plenty of intermission entertainment, and all the perks of a pro-sports event. They were each a touch rough around the edges, but like the entry lines and the concessions, easy fixes. In sum, though, The Sprint Center didn't blow it.

What's not an easy fix is the current state of possible NHL franchise relocation, let alone expansion. By and large, clubs are staying put, and none will soon call Kansas City home.

You may, if you choose, continue to direct your negative energy toward Leiweke and AEG, or you could look at the positive: Kansas City did not build a tax-payer-funded venue that sits empty and aging, and its downtown revitalization has not been a failure, both of which were distinct possibilities voters feared five and six years ago.

If you're going to crease your forehead over hockey in Kansas City, however, your energy is better spent being compassionate with the unchangeable facts about the National Hockey League, and even more so, recognizing that Kansas City might be a baseball town. It might be a football town. Heck, for all we know, it's a soccer town. One thing is for sure, though, and that's that a hockey town it is not.

If it wants to become one, there's a ton of growth that needs to happen first, and it's the kind of growth that has zero to do with chances and promises.
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Your 2009 Mid-Season Hockey Report: Western Conference, Pacific Division

I'm sure that most of our readers had no idea that February 2009 has been "Hockey is for Everyone" month here in these great United States. I mean, I didn't promote it. But at least there's a bit on it on NHL.com, which I'm sure just gets flooded with House of Georges readers every day of the year. Oh, well. This little series has been my part, and today we'll wrap it up with a look at the Pacific Division. If you're into it, the Northwest is here, and the Central is here. If you're an east-conference gay guy, you can peruse the Atlantic here, the Southeast here, and the Northeast here.

If you're neither, well I'm sure you're stoked this feature's coming to a close.

Even though the Red Wings are the defending Cup champs, and they took it to the Sharks 4-1 last night, San Jose is still a rough customer in the west. Even with last night's loss, they're still the one seed in the west. For now. Their league-leading 91 points has come largely from eight skaters who have 35+ points. Of those eight, Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau are in the 60s. San Jose has gotten strong and consistent performance from its defense all year, and the play of the goalies has been sick: Backup Brian Boucher is 9-1 with a .932 save percentage, while main man Evgeni Nabokov has posted a stunning 32-8 record, five of which have been shutouts. My money's still on a Sharks-Bruins showdown late in the post-season.

In second are the Dallas Stars, who, at 65 points, are actually tied with the Anaheim Ducks for second, but whatever. Dallas, who showed much poise down the stretch last year, finds themselves in a multi-way tie for the eighth seed, and must find a way to get more production from their lines if they aim to squeak in. They've gotten some from three of their four centers, and left-winger Loui Eriksson leads the club with 27 goals, but the pickins are slim for the Stars beyond that. Despite the lack of depth on their roster, their defense has managed to play decent hockey, but not well enough to make Marty Turco better than 28-21. Turco has faced over 1500 shots already, and you know a hefty portion of those'll get by if your D's only playing decent.

The Ducks, on the other end of that tie, have gotten a more spread-out production from their lines than the Stars have, an element that contributed largely to their championship season two years ago. With 20 goals and 49 assists, Ryan Getzlaf leads a decent pack of point producers, but the overall defense being played by this club isn't strong enough to bring the necessary balanace to a team that is perhaps under-developed at this stage. The reload they put together after winning involved a decent crop of youth, but it'll take some time for them to blossom, especially when Jean-Sebastien Giguere is only getting enough protection in the crease to post a 16-15 record, with a 3.09 goals-against average.

Next notch down are the Kings of Los Angeles, who, frankly, have just been borderline awful since Andy Murray left town. Like most clubs, they've got a couple of forwards that do most of their scoring, and a crew of defensive pairings that hand out assists and spend time in the penalty box, but this club is far from complete. I look at this club, and I just think porous. Perhaps they can pull some trade-deadline shenanigans and get one more veteran in here to work with this seeemingly inexperienced club. Jonathan Quick has gotten most of the nods in net this season, but like his King counterparts, he's really just been average.

Average, however, doesn't look so bad, if you're a member of the Phoenix Coyotes. No, you're not quite as bad as the Colorado Avalanche, but that could change any given evening. This situation is nothing shy of a giant embarrassment. In all reality, the Avs won't take that long to retool; they'll get strong again, and be a contender in the west. Phoenix, however, looks to be awful forever. Truthfully, I've wondered about the Wayne Gretzky hire since day one. I mean, I think it's great that he's involved in the league, and taken a young, small-market franchise under his wing, but the bottom line is that no one ever said the Great One could coach. And it looks more every year like he can't.

You know, I heard something about coaches the other day. Coaches that had been players. And the thing said, even if it was splattered with cliches like "he's a grinder," etc., made a ton of sense. The most talented guy in a game is probably going to make for a lousy coach. Why? Because he had more talent for his game in his pinky fingernail than a trailer full of good people ever will. The average athlete perhaps brings a work ethic similar to the greats, but they've gotta have an edge to make the competition fair, right? Grit. Determination. Bowls of rusty nails for breakfast. All that crap. That's probably why the Phoenix Coyotes are always going to be lousy with Gretzky as their bench boss. These seasons keep passing, and he keeps staying in there, while, in other towns, dudes are getting fired after four games.

I don't get it. Shane Doan and Olli Jokinen are leading this team in points. Shane Doan and Olli Jokinen. The defense is rotten. The goaltending's on par with everything else. I just don't see how it pans out. The right thing to do would be for Wayne to step down this spring. Nobody wants to fire the greatest hockey player in history. He should recognize that and make way.

There you go, hockey fan. Glad you could be with us, and we'll see you in the post-season.
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Your 2009 Mid-Season Hockey Report: Western Conference, Northwest Division

After a bit of a delay, we're back to wrap up our not-so-mid-season mid-season hockey look, and today's focus is none other than the Northwest Division, where Canadian and expansion/relocation teams often times grapple and knock one another out in dubious fashion. If you're just joining us, we last looked at the Central, and before that, we ran the course of the Eastern Conference, examining the Southeast, Northeast, and Atlantic divisions as well.

In first place are the Calgary Flames. They've accumulated 78 points to date, and have done via the helping sticks of Jarome Iginla, Mike Cammalleri, Rene Borque, and the oft-scrutinized Todd Bertuzzi. Each of these cats has contributed significantly in to the offensive point totals running from Borque's 21 goals and 19 helpers to the captain Iginla's 66 points. Dion Phaenuff and Adrian Aucoin have tallied their share of points as well, and done so from their defensive positions. In all, the Calgary defensive pairings have held their ground, albeit in a relatively weak division. The 10-point edge they hold, however, comes with many thanks to netminder Mikka Kiprusoff, who has played lights out between the pipes, going 36-15 to this point in the campaign. He's let over 150 pucks past him, but still holds a .902 save percentage and, as his record suggests, has seen more action than most of his league counterpoints.

That point differential between first and second in the Northwest leaves the Vancouver Canucks looking up at the Flames. If the season ended today, they'd be the five seed, and perhaps the most amazing story out of British Columbia is that Vancouver still employs both of the Sedin twins. And rightfully so; Henrik and Daniel lead their clubs in productivity, with 57 and 59 points respectively. Mixing the roster with a blend of youth and journeymen like Mats Sundin and Pavol Demitra, the Canucks are playing some of the most well-rounded stick and puck in the west. Their defense yields one of the best +/- differentials in the conference, and this has been a big boost for Roberto Luongo, who's gotten most of the nods in net. He currently sits at 19-8, and having faced nearly 1000 shots.

In third place are the Minnesota Wild. They're not too far behind the Canucks in the division rankings, and only one point behind the Blue Jackets in conference. Minnesota has never put out much in they way of offensive juggernauts, but Mikko Koivu leads the club with an impressive 55 points. Their defense is rather middle-of-the-road, but they still manage to get noteworthy production from most everyone on the squad. In goal, the often-average Niklas Backstrom has had an up year, posting 28 wins and a .926 save percentage through 45 contests.

Tied with Minnesota are the Edmonton Oilers. They've managed to stay scrappy all season, and done so with considerable output from several defensemen. Sheldon Souray leads the protective pack with 40 points, while Tom Gilbert and Lubomir Visnovsky are right behind with 34 and 31, respectively. The Oilers' success thus far comes via an approach not usually observed in Alberta. Most seasons, Edmonton's roster is full of veterans, while they've fielded a considerably younger roster this go-'round. In net, Dwayne Roloson has strung together 21 wins, while letting just over 100 pucks cross the line.

Bringing up the rear are the once-esteemed Colorado Avalanche. Having put together upwards of 10 division championships, they failed to qualify for the post-season two years ago, got back in this past season, and really have their work cut out for them these last couple of months. At 57 points, they sit dead last in the west, but only eight points out of the eighth-seed spot for post-season qualification. Ryan Smyth and Milan Hejduk, as they always do, have had solid seasons. The offensive production behind them isn't atrocious; they've gotten help from guys who were perhaps overlooked in October. Their defense, however, is far from the glory years of Deadmarsh/Foote, Blake/Bourque. Further proving my you-should-never-ever-fire-Joel Quenneville theory, the Avalanche would've needed phenomenal play in net to make this season a success, and a 16-24 mark from Peter Budaj isn't gonna cut the mustard, especially when he's faced nearly 1200 shots in almost 2500 minutes of playing time. Thems just ain't good odds.

That'll just about wrap our NHL reports up. We'll make every effort to stay sober enough to examine the Pacific on the morrow.
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Your 2009 Mid-Season Hockey Report: Western Conference, Central Division

Hockey's a fickle business when you're in the coaching end of it, evidenced by the yearly knee-jerk firings such as the one Pittsburgh Penguin General Manager Ray Shero handed Head Coach Michel Therrien on Sunday, less than a year after Therrien's club was a groin hair away from tying eventual Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Red Wings in game seven of last year's finals. But we are, nevertheless, interested in examining the Central today, depressing as that is for a Blues fan like myself. Before we get to those five teams, though, you might want to brush up on the east, and see how things look in the Atlantic, Northeast, and Southeast divisions. Just sayin'...

So the Blues are, with 55 points, in last, as I mentioned. Center Brad Boves has 50 points, and a handful of his teammates have cracked the 30-point mark, but pickins are pretty slim after that. St. Louis is seeing molasses-slow results from the youth it has obtained via several high picks in the last few drafts and free-agent acquisitions made possible by unloading high-end salary veterans like Bill Guerin and Dough Weight. In addition to not producing, however, the Blues D is pretty weak at best. Their +/- ratio is atrocious across the board, and they're certainly not helping their netminders. Main man Manny Legace has to date posted a 13-9 record with an .885 save percentage, while youngster Chris Mason has shown flashes with a 10-15, .916.

In fourth, surprisingly, are the Nashville Predators. Nashville had managed to put together a pair of pretty strong seasons, and have perhaps faltered a bit this season. They currently sit a mere two points ahead of St. Louis, and aside from winger J.P. Dumont and center Jason Arnott, they aren't lighting the lamp often enough to get much accomplished and their defense isn't doing much more. Ultimately, the Predz are under-performing and not giving either of their two goalies much help in protecting the zone. Dan Ellis has notched 11 wins while backup Pekka Rinne has actually played better, giving up 20 fewer goals and winning six more contests.

The Columbus Blue Jackets, of all clubs, are in the middle of the pack. Rick Nash has had another fantastic start, finding the twine 23 times, and assisting on 28 more, while the contributions of left-winger Kristian Huselius and former Philadelphia Flyer R.J. Umberger have also been noteworthy. Their defense has played remarkably well for a club that typically does not, and it's evidenced in their goalie platoon as number-one guy Steve Mason has posted a 21-12 record, only been scored on 75 times, and posted a .925 save percentage. The Blue Jackets currently cling to the eight spot, their 62 points not separating them from much competition.

Eight points up the central ladder are the Chicago Blackhawks, who, in my eyes, are the real surprise of the division thus far. When they fired Denis Savard four games into the season, I was certain that they were doomed for another craptacular campaign, but then they announced that Joel Quenneville would replace him, and my mind quickly changed. For my money, the St. Louis Blues and Colorado Avalanche are still the NHL's fools for buying into the quick-coach-firing trend, and cutting ties with one of the league's best. The 'Hawks have four players in the 40-point ranks, four in the 30s, and still three more in the 20s, which is more than we can say for pretty much every team we've examined thus far. As is the case with most any Quenneville-coached club, the D on this unit is tough and consistent, which only helps your crease maintenance, especially when you've got Nikolai Khabibulin between the pipes, who, by the way, is 17-5 with a .924. Backing him up is Cristobal Huet, who boasts a 14-10, .914 in backup duty.

While Chicago has covered some impressive ground, there's always the Detroit Red Wings to deal with, and this year is no exception. Though not the current number-one seed in the west, they've got a 12-point edge over the 'Hawks, and have gotten there with considerable help. First-line mates Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg have 97 and 92 points, respectively, which is stunning. Behind them are four wingers with 40+ points, but in between the two groups are a couple of defensemen: Brian Rafalski has 55 points, which looks impressive. That is, it looks impressive until you compare him to future Hall-of-Famer Nicklas Lidstrom, who never seems to lose a step, and with 10 goals and 60 assists so far in 2008-09, doesn't plan on doing so soon. Detroit is getting production from all four lines, and when you tandem two guys named Chris Osgood and Dominik Hasek in net, your chances of repeating as champs are pretty darn good. This could be the year we see an original-six finals, with Boston and Detroit as solid frontrunners.

That's our look at the Central. We'll be back with more hockey tomorrow.
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