Fun style, few fans
RALEIGH, N.C. – There was more scoring, plenty of intriguing story lines and hardly anyone watching at home in the U.S.
The first Stanley Cup finals of the post-lockout era showcased all the positive steps taken by the NHL to get over its debilitating labor dispute – but also highlighted the daunting challenge of persuading anyone beyond the hard-core fans to notice.
Two small-market teams, Carolina and Edmonton, were the last ones standing. Score one for the salary cap.
Carolina won its first Stanley Cup title in a seven-game series that featured a penalty shot goal and a short-handed goal in overtime, two firsts for the finals. Score one for the clampdown on hooking, grabbing and all the other thuggish tactics that hurt the game.
In a sign of more wide-open play and increased power-play chances, Carolina combined with the Oilers for 35 goals in all, up more than a goal a game over the last championship series in 2004 and tied for the second-highest scoring finals (based on per-game average) in the last decade.
“We really had to earn that one,” Carolina’s Ray Whitney – a former Spokane Chiefs player – said after the down-to-the-wire finale, which wasn’t decided until Justin Williams’ empty-net goal with just more than a minute remaining. “It was relentless.”
Still, the NHL continued to fight a losing battle in its bid to be viewed as more than a fringe sport based on that most valued of numbers – American TV ratings.
Game 7 on Monday night had a 3.3 rating and 6 share on NBC, down from ABC’s 4.2/7 for Game 7 in 2004 – the last season before the lockout.
“Caniacs” celebrate first Cup
The Carolina Hurricanes and their fans celebrated the first major pro title in the state’s history with the 114-year-old Stanley Cup signifying that hockey has found a home in North Carolina.
“Nine years in the making. It’s about time,” said Adrian Ionescu, 19, of Cary, N.C.
In the team’s second trip to the Stanley Cup finals since the former Hartford Whalers moved south in 1997, the Hurricanes beat the Edmonton Oilers in Game 7 Monday night, prompting Tuesday’s parade of pickup trucks carrying players through a cheering crowd of “Caniacs” at the RBC Center.
Long lines formed for beer and smoothies on the 90-degree day, and a band played as the crowd waited for the players to arrive.
“They call it a nontraditional hockey market, but there’s all those people out there screaming in the heat,” defenseman Aaron Ward said. “So maybe by the standards of temperature we’re not a hockey market, but we’ve got some enthusiasm out there.”
Oilers welcomed home
The Edmonton Oilers didn’t win the Stanley Cup, but they returned home as champions to the fans who greeted them at the airport.
About 100 people were waiting for the Oilers after they came back from Raleigh, N.C., a day after losing to Carolina in Game 7.
“I feel like a kid again when you see all these people out here cheering for you,” forward Ryan Smyth said. “You feel disappointed you let them down.”
Salary cap will increase
The NHL salary cap will be about $44 million next season, an increase of $5 million per team, after league revenues were higher than expected in the first year following the season-long lockout.
Final figures have not been released.
Verdict upheld over comic
A Missouri appeals court has upheld a $15 million jury verdict against comic strip creator Todd McFarlane (formerly of Eastern Washington University) for using the name of former NHL enforcer Tony Twist without his permission.
In a 3-0 opinion, a three-judge panel of the Eastern District court ruled that the comic book creator’s “predominant purpose” for using the name was commercial gain, not artistic expression, and was not entitled to First Amendment protection.
Off the ice
Captain Joe Sakic signed a one-year deal to stay in Colorado. … Buffalo co-captain Daniel Briere received the team’s one-year, $1.94 million qualifying offer but plans to try and negotiate a better deal, his agent said.