I decided to go back in the Boltsmag archives to a year ago in order to find some content for discussion right now. Hockey content, that is…. I went back to the Lightning vs. Montreal Canadiens series posts and one of those posts hit me on the forehead as something that has been overlooked as of late in the media as well as on the blogsphere with regards to CBA negotiations.

Last year around this time, Bolts fans were hit and hit hard by ticket prices to catch playoff games… Heck, to say priced out wouldn’t be a stretch of terminology either. I’m not faulting Lightning ownership for raising ticket prices for the playoffs (as everyone does it) but for prices to go as high as they did in a market that does not have much disposable income to play around with – well, it hurt. Of course, it hurt real good when it came to the Bolts winning the Stanley Cup, yet to have tickets in the upper-corners of the arena (nose bleeders) going for 55 bucks a game — you start getting an idea that there is a problem.

During November, December and January, I often talked to my friend and fellow Lightning fan about the CBA situation and one thing that was commonly brought up in discussion was ticket prices. Owners had been playing that card — that prices would be lower under their planned Salary cap system — during negotiations and yet there was no proof of lower prices. Andrew’s Dallas Stars Page has a very good piece of writing with regards to the entire issue of ticket prices and the CBA negotiations.

I’m just left wondering what to expect next season if and when it comes. Surely there will be a temporary break in prices or some other attendance bells-and-whistles in order to draw fans back. I can actually see Palace Sports and Entertainment going back to their ticket discounts and voucher system (which was employed during the 50+ loss seasons to get fans to attend games) in order to lure fans back.

Yet could the supply-and-demand system keep hockey ticket prices sky high around the league?

I don’t expect Toronto or Montreal to lower their ticket prices as both provinces are hockey mad. I don’t expect the Rangers, Avalanche or Red Wings to do so either as they are all in documented strong markets. Hell, I could see ticket prices staying the same in every Canadian city in the league while Boton, New York, Detroit, Denver and LA keep prices just the way they planned because of supply-and-demand….

Ticket prices are an issue and in a market like Tampa or other non-traditional markets, they can help cease any growth in popularity of the sport w9ith ticket prices too high to allow repeat buying from die hard fans. Hockey isn’t supposed to be a sport for Aristocrats and the well-to-do… Yet with some of the pricing, you would think that only the affluent were fans of the game.

Mike Chen has a little message for Bob Goodenow after the latest piece of politics from the NHL / NHLPA labor war.

And personally? I couldn’t have said it better myself. While other bloggers remain NHLPA Apologists, there is an undying truth that the NHLPA is more like a frat-pack than a Union and their labor applicaiton amounts to a piece of paper that would be worth more burned than filed.

The St. Pete Times devotes a little ink to the SEJHL today — Florida’s Junior C ice hockey program that fills the void between Midgets and college play.

It also mentions that the Sandsharks have been courted to join Junior A conferences… Yet Florida’s developement as a Junior league isn’t far enough along to let that be plausible.

Well, it was fun while it last. Ok, maybe not so fun seeing that guys like Jeremy Roenick went out and started barking about the merrits of the Bobby Hull Invitational and how fans were dying for some hockey while the players were itching to get some extra dough….

TSN reports, by way of the Toronto Sun, that the Bobby Hull Invitational is in trouble.

Phil Esposito had once joined this and stated that he pulled out weeks ago from this because he was not being paid for his promotional stints and what not.

So what does this mean? Not much really, besides the fact the WHA still can’t get it’s act together to pose a challenge to the dormant National Hockey League.

You know, I don’t care for Chris Chelios – some of my posts during the lockout will confirm that.

Yet I will make an exception for this Royale With Cheese bit of comedy clip that my comrade-in-blog Keith sent over.

This clip isn’t for the kids — and some of you may have already seen it but I haven’t. Enjoy

WIth no hockey, my focus is on the NFL draft at the moment…

The St. Petersburg Times offers Kevin Mcgreeve and his NFL Draft Blog – being blogged in from One Buccaneer Place and the Buccaneers war room.

Our friends at OustNaimoli.com have a plan of action for the (few) fans who attend May 7th’s game against the Minnesota Twins May 28th’s game against the Mariners:

This is an email from ‘oustnaimoli.com’ Message: Thanks to everyone for registering for the OustNaimoli.com site and supporting our efforts in getting Vince Naimoli to step down as owner of the Devil Rays! The petition is still growing strong and our collective efforts have begun to make waves in the Tampa/St. Pete communities. However, we feel that we can still take it to the next level! OustNaimoli.com is in the process of organizing a fan walkout during the May 7th game against the Twins May 28th game against the Mariners. We would appreciate your help to spread the word to the masses.

Now for my commentary on the entire Oust vince campaign —

This is WAY overdue. WAY, by far and away, WAY overdue. I screamed and shouted on web based message boards and mailing lists for the last few years “Where is the outcry? Where is the outrage over things?” Those “things” tended to be blunders by Chuck LaMar and the indifference fo the Rays franchise in general.

Now the tired fans are outraged. They’ve seen their team kicked around since the franchise was incepted and they’re finally fed up with the fact those who run the franchise could give a damn. I had plans to start an anti-Chuck LaMar site but ranting the same things over and over again would have gotten very old, very fast…

Note to Jon Gruden and Bruce Allen, Head Coach and General Manager of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers —

You’re sitting on the number 5 draft pick in this weekend’s NFL Draft. Your team is falling apart and you are in need of several position players — not just a potential franchise player, but several key players. One draft selection will not help fix things for the Bucs.

Do us all a favor – especially yourselves – and trade down.

Look, it’d be nice to get a Quarterback prospect that could become the franchise – but now is NOT the time to do it. It would also be great to get a running back that can carry the load – but in a Running Back deep draft, going with the top 3 prospects might not be the wise choice. There are needs on the Offensive Line, at Wide Receiver, at Linebacker and Corner Back that are much greater than the ego-stroke QB pick or teh “this-will-put-us-over-the-top” Running Back selection.

Knowing how you operate, Jon, a running back will be part of a committee of several players, not just one or two featured backs. Also knowing how you operate, a Quarterback is a project pick much like Chris Simms was a project pick.

Do Buccaneer fans a favor and prove that the past few weeks have been a smoke screen — trade down for more picks and start restocking the franchise. Don’t try to restore the days-gone-by with one pick, because the days-gone-by that you are likely to restore are the ones of the Yuck-aneers of the 1980’s and early 1990’s… Not the contenders and Super Bowl Champions of recent.

….

And in a related story, John Lennon remains dead.

One day, two anti-Vince Naimoli web sites….

Vince Must Go and Oust Namoli don’t seem to have much content besides the obvious — have Vincent J. Naimoli removed as owner of the Devil Rays. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see Vince threaten legal action over this to make matters worse.

You know, during the Lightning’s playoff run last season, I was extremely upset at the media coverage of the team and the bias that Bristol (and the Extremely Partial Sports Network – EPSN. AKA ESPN) was showing towards the Northeast teams. The Islanders were better than us, so sayeth John Saunders. The Habs were better than us, so sayeth Gary Thorne, The Flyers were better than us – so sayeth everyone.

it was biased coverage like that which ruined the telecasts but made winning all that much sweeter.

On Friday the Washington Nationals played there first game at RFK Stadium in Washington. The DC Sports machine had Baseball again and all ere rejoicing. Well, except the media as ESPN broadcast the Yankees versus the Red Sox for the umpteenth time.

I got into a little discussion on the disappointment that the Nats game was not broadcast on TV and some people ask the question – who cares? It’s the Washington Nationals….

I was over on the Sun Sports message forums and came across rather interesting thread posted by Henri99. The subject of which I haven’t seen mentioned elsewhere on the Blogsphere yet…

On rds.ca, a French Canadian hockey site, they have a big questionnaire about the vision of the NHL for 2006. All kinds of questions about the size of the league, configuration of playoffs, 2-line passing, 3-on-3 in OT (obviously they’ve been reading this forum ), playoffs, All-Star game, who should be commissioner and why, what kinds of HappyCrap they should add to entertain fans, etc. One of the questions is whether the league should adopt, in addition to the normal solid straight blue lines, checkered blue lines that mostly mirror them but then curve inward slightly toward the goal as attackers enter along the wings. This supposedly would allow wingers to take a few extra strides before taking a pass, without going offside. Also, it supposedly would prevent the D from forming a 4-man wall across the zone to prevent entry. Then once the puck is in the zone, the normal blue line takes over its function as usual until it leaves the zone again. Completely unnecessary with the 2-line pass to paint these extra lines on the ice IMO.

At least one of the questions asked, how about just enforcing the rules as written. What a novel idea. I clicked on that one.

Tampa Bay’s hopes for the Frozen Four were kept alive as our southern brethren in Sunrise, Florida didn’t make the cut.

Other venues that made the cut and are competing for the 2009, 10 or 11 Frozen Four are thus: Fleetcenter in Boston, Ford Field in Detroit, Xcel Energy Center in Minneapolis, MCI Center in Washington DC and the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia.

Maybe the question I ought to ask every fan of the Tampa Bay Lightning is, where were you when the Lightning beat the Flyers in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Playoffs?

The trek to the Stanley Cup Finals was surreal in the essence that I was told time and again by critics that the Lightning would never contend for the Stanley Cup. Of course that had been five years ago – it seemed eons ago but it still stood out in my mind. Add to the fact that this was a Tampa Bay professional sports team. The Buccaneers had been a laughing stock for 15 years before respectability arrived. The Devil Rays are yet to find respectability. Should the Lightning’s hot close to the season actually matter while the fact we are Tampa Bay take precedent?

The Eastern Conference first round was a traditionalists dream. The Senator’s were playing the Maple Leafs once again in what is becoming an annual right of rivalry. The Boston Bruins were once again paired against their old adversary – the Montreal Canadiens. The Battle of the New Jersey Turnpike continued with the Flyers waging war against the New Jersey Devils…

And there was this quaint little tea party between the New York Islanders and the Tampa Bay Lightning. Devoid of rivalry, fluffed by the media … The Islanders and Lightnign series was the last thing you would call a highlight of the first round.

Yet the Pass the Friggin’ Torch Tour was in full swing by the end of the series. The Lightning and isles played 4 games to a score of 3-0 and the rubber game – game five – fell Tampa Bay’s way in Overtime.

The Boston – Montreal series was a great spectacle – and one filled with bad blood after diving incidents by the Canadiens dampened the intensity of the series. Mike Ribiero and Alexi Kovalov both have earned the ire of NHL fans in general for their acting and actions. The Habs advanced while the Montreal Media set sights on vilifying Tampa Bay and heralding the great saints and imminent champions, Les Habs.

Well, that was until the Lightning spanked and swept them in four games. Is anyone ever going to forget Brad Richards play in game 3, with the OT goal that silenced Les Habitants and put the team on the verge of the Eastern Conference Finals?

Of course, Philadelphia and Toronto played another gruesome series, where Keith Primeau dominated through physical intimidation and physical play. The Toronto media thought this series was indeed the Eastern Conference Championship because… Well, the winner of this series has to face Tampa Bay in the finals. Ha. Tampa… Can you imagine them causing anyone grief?

Imagination is not what was needed. It was only to see and believe.

And that takes me back to the original question I posed – do you remember where you were when the clock ticked down against the Flyers in the then-biggest game played at home by a Tampa Bay team? Were you flooded with the same oh-my-god-this-can’t-be-real sensation that swept over this blogger? This franchise had now reach maturity and was within striking distance of Lord Stanley’s Cup.

It was one year ago this week that the Stanley Cup playoffs began. Eight teams began the second season with diverse expectations. The Red Wings and Avalanche were looking for yet another title. The Canucks were trying to gain some playoff respect. The Flames and Predators were just happy to be there.

I had hoped to write a retrospective of the entire first round, but the “other three” series are a blur. I have vague recollections of the Predators putting a little scare into the Red Wings before Curtis Joseph came off the bench to push the Wings into the second round. I remember the Blues showing a distinct lack of discipline as they very quickly bowed out to the Sharks. I don’t even remember anything of the Dallas Stars. They were that unremarkable in their series against the Avs.

Truth be told, I couldn’t care less about those series. No, as a Flames fan there was only one playoff series that mattered. And it wouldn’t have mattered if we had lost the series in four games. All that mattered was that after seven agonizing seasons in the Western Conference basement, we were back.

While many in Vancouver were predicting the Canucks would easily go through to the second round in four or five games, we in Calgary were simply enjoying the moment. Just knowing that we were playing in April again put the city in heaven. Even losing the first game was a victory in its own way.

The first playoff game at the Saddledome was surreal. Fans were so excited that the team got a standing ovation when they came out for the warm-up. The zamboni driver received a giant cheer afterward. Simon nearly blew the lid off the building by scoring the first goal. The fans in the 300 sections beating their thunderstix in a cadence that sounded like a war drum.

We all forgot how extreme the emotions are in the playoffs. The elation as the Flames came back from 4-0 down to take game 6 to overtime. The dejection as Brendan Morrison scored in triple overtime to salvage the game for Vancouver. When Matt Cooke scored with 6 seconds left to tie game 7, the entire city just stopped.

Calgary, a city of 1 million people was just too stunned to move.

And then, Chris Cuthbert’s call:

“Here’s Yelle, a shot! Auld big. A rebound. Huge! Another! They score! A rebound. And its Martin Gelinas, the former Canuck, and the Calgary Flames will end the Cup curse, and move on to Detroit in round two!”

With those words, the Red Mile was born.

Someone think The Stanley Cup should be awarded this year….

This blogger happens to agree with those going forward with the lawsuit. Though there had been negative press here in the Tampa Bay area with regards tot he Free Stanley campaign, I do believe that the Cup isn’t ours to keep (you have to be an idiot to see it THAT way). Just that we are the last chajmpiosn of the NHL and shoudl be treated like it when play resumes.

Credit Eric and the Off Wing Opinion for news on this news… :p

The NFL unveiled the schedules for all 32 franchises today and of course that means the Buccaneers found out when and where they will be playing next season….

And my confidence is not being restored by the teams transactions and rumored moves. yes the QB-Draft talk may be a red-herring but I could see the team going in this direction….

….because it continues in the direction of straight down the tubes.

I said 6 and 10 was a stretch last year…. i’m feeling the same way this year. The season starts in Minnesota. It ends at 5-11or below, unfortuantely.

Sometime late last night – Boltsmag hit it’s 15000th unique visitor on our tracking program…

15K and going… Now only if the NHL would get back in action

Even as the lockout continues and an end does not seem in sight, I couldn�t help but thinking back to the long road it took the Lightning to put together a roster that would lead to Lord Stanley�s Cup.

There is talk – rampant speculation – that the Bucs will trad eup for a QB.,..?

I say last temptation because if this team is goign to continue on this putrid track, he will not be Head Coach much longer…

I’m deeply confused about this tract that Gruden is taking. No, deeply troubled is more like it. What are your thoughts? Join the QB discussion…..

No Brad.

No Vinny.

No Marty…..

The WOrld needs to F34r Dan Boyle however… As Boyle was named part of Team Canada’s squad…. Congratulations, Dan!

I made reference yesterday to Vincent J. Naimoli throwing a fit and bannign a scout form Tropicana Field for using his private bathroom….

Well, Vince has more press devoted to him today and it ain’t a heartwarming, positive story….

In this case, it’s Martin St., Louis.

Congratulations to Marty and his wife on getting through a very trying pregnancy with the birth of their son on March 30th. Lucas William weighed in at 7 pounds 3 and on half onces, measured 19 inches in length and the goal was registered at 7:39 PM

Again, congratulations!

For anyone who still doubts the Devil Rays have the most inept leadership… please bear witness to this over-reaction from Vincent J. Naimoli.

New York Media Machine – please start your berating.

Everyone’s talking about tonight’s NCAA Frozen Four Finale… But isntead of me getting into that, I need to mention of the local prep team.

Whatever happened to the Oldsmar Sandsharks? They’re 2-1 after 3 games and play in a Semifinal Match tonight versus the Brewster Express. That game is at 7 PM. If they win, they play in the grand Finale at High Noon Sunday.

Comments are off for this thread. Gee, why not talk TB Prep Hockey here?