Grinders: the superstars of the NHL

Good bye highlight reel all-star, hello working class hockey hero. Rory Fitzpatrick is not what you would call an NHL All-star, but you wouldn't guess this from the amount of votes Fitzpatrick is amassing. Fitzpatrick is second for Western conference All-star defensemen, just a mere 19,000 votes behind Scott Niedermayer. Fitzpatrick's sudden rise in fame comes thanks to Steve Schmid, a Sabres fan. Schmid watched Fitzpatrick's performance at the Canucks Super Skills Competition and was struck with inspiration. Schmid explains, "Rory came to mind because of his prowess in the Canucks' skills competition, where he had the most accurate shot (Fitzpatrick hit the four targets on five shots)." From there Schmid played out the idea on HFBoards (Hockey's Future) and claims that people within the forums urged him to make a website. And that my friends is what they call history. Vote for Pedro shirts are now being replaced by Vote for Rory shirts. Not only are players throughout the league left scratching their heads, even Fitzpatrick himself is left feeling a little unsure, "I don’t know how to take it yet,” Fitzpatrick said. “I think it’s kind of funny. All the guys (on the team) are having fun with it.” If Fitzpatrick is not taking himself seriously, why would anyone else? Schmid isn't necessarily trying to make this about Fitzpatrick, rather, he is attempting to make a statement about the state that the game of hockey is in today. He is trying to get Gary Bettman to reassess the voting system for the All-star game, "the initial thought was to get a hard-working underrated guy into the All-Star game, kind of an underdog,” Schmid said. "The general consensus is that Rory is the perfect representative for all the players who work hard 'behind the scenes' and never get any recognition. Myself and many others view the All-Star game as an exhibition for the fans. That said, the fans want to see Rory Fitzpatrick...simple as that!" Clearly Schmid is trying to show Bettman that the game does in fact belong to the fans. Instead of taking the same classic highlight players every year, perhaps this All-star game will be a little different. Perhaps the new face of hockey is one that recognizes the grinders and the hard workers, as well as the top goal scorers. And that is an NHL that I would like to see and an NHL All-star game I will wait for with baited breath.

Homeless Penguins?

Recent talk has been fixated upon the fate of Mario Lemieux's precious Pittsburgh Penguins. Currently, the Penguins call Mellon Arena home. Lemieux and the Penguins have been caught in a whirlwhind debate with the city and officials over funding for a new arena. Mellon Arena is the oldest and smallest arena in the NHL and the fate of the Penguins lies upon the much needed backing of the city for a new arena. With prospective buyers backing out, the Penguins fate looks dim. Jim Balsillie withdrew his offer to buy the Penguins once Gary Bettman, commissioner of the NHL made contractual arrangements to prevent Balsillie from relocating the Penguins. The Penguins also had an offer from Isle of Capri Casinos to build a $290 million arena next to their casino but their slots licence was denied. The city of Pennsylvania is offering a Plan B option which they provided for Pittsburgh's other professional teams the Steelers and Pirates in 2001. The Plan B option entails that the state will kick in $7 million with the Barden group providing $7.5 million a year for the next 30 years. But this means that the team itself will also have to chip in for the new arena. The Isle of Capri offer appears to be the best that the Penguins may get, a chance to remain within the city and to have a new arena built for free. Lemieux has stated that the Penguins are off the market for now and that relocation will not become an option until all others fail. It appears that Kansas City, Houston, and Winnipeg may end up being viable options if all others fall through. The Penguins lease on Mellon Arena expires at the end of the '06-'07 season and after that it is anyone's guess where the Penguins will call home.