"According to information compiled by The Globe and Mail from various sources, the six Canadian NHL franchises contributed more than $40-million (all figures U.S.) to their fellow owners last season, and about $50-million when playoff revenues are taken into account.And at the other end of the spectrum, several teams are becoming increasingly frustrated at the skyrocketing salary cap, which now forces teams to carry a minimum payroll of $40.7-million."

It is amazing how the times have changed and how different things are in the various leagues. The Blue Jays rely on revenue sharing in MLB. Yet in the NHL, the Leafs (12m) Habs (12.5), Canucks (10), Flames (6) Senators (1)and Oilers (800k) are the ones shelling out the dough.

"Another part of the problem is that some teams build their business models around their revenue-sharing windfall and strive to keep their own revenues below the threshold where they will have to contribute. The Buffalo Sabres and Nashville Predators, like other teams who spend near the midpoint of the salary-cap range, are often singled out as examples."

So, lets get this straight, you plan on making just under the limit to ensure you get the handout from the league????? What a great way to run a business... No wonder the PA is suspicious....

""The cap was supposed to solve everyone's problems, but all it's done is prevent six or seven teams from spending $80-million," said an ownership source who exchanged candour for anonymity. "Some folks are pretty upset: We sat out a whole year to get the cap, and some people are saying, 'Well, why?'" As one long-time executive with an Eastern Conference team pointed out, the bottom of the NHL salary scale now exceeds the top-end figure from the first postlockout year ($39-million)."

Next to the "player to be named later" the "anonymous source" is my favorite sports character of all time. It is wild when you think that the league floor on salaries already exceeds the first year cap.

""Some teams are pretty pissed off at the whole thing: We didn't manage to get rid of salary arbitration, and some teams just can't afford to pay their restricted free agents or arbitration-eligible players," the executive said. "There are probably 10 to 12 teams that can't afford a $40.7-million payroll," added a source with extensive knowledge of league operations.

So, one has to ask the question then, what now???

The Canadian dollar exploded today (so much for a soft landing). The Canadian NHL teams will be taking in a devalued Cdn dollar and paying out in USD. Ouch.

You know who is going to pay for this???

"For example, Daniel Briere and Scott Gomez each earned US$10 million last season. They'll both get back the $950,000 they paid into escrow plus interest and an additional $48,000 or so to cover the shortfall in overall salary payments."

Remember, the league witholds, almost like a tax a certain % of each player's paycheck as an escrow to ensure "cost certainty", that is that salaries don't exceed the threshold of hockey revenue...So guess what will happen when the canadian dollar heads south and the Canadian teams don't make as much money or gulp, lose money? Guys like Daniel Briere and Scott Gomez aren't going to be getting their 950k back. That will be a big issue when Paul Kelly contemplates re-opening the CBA...

So we are clear, the owners aren't happy, the players certainly aren't going to be happy, why did we have this lockout again??????

Knapp 9. Minuten vor dem Ende lies Vancouver nicht locker, denn Mattias Ohlund und Rick Rypien trugen sich auch noch in die Scorerliste ein und bescherten den Canucks einen Traumstart in die neue Saison. Die Calgary Flames haben schon am Samstag die Möglichkeit für eine Revanche, denn da gastieren die Vancouver Canucks im Canadien Airlines Saddledome in Calgary/Alberta.

Art Ross - Marian Hossa - Marian will be playing in his first year with the Detroit Red Wings and since the already have Zetterburg & Datsyuk on line 1, alot of Marian's ice time will be against the secondary defensive tandum of the opposing team and on the powerplay. Look for him to put up a big number.

Maurice Richard - Dany Heatley - All the stars are aligning for Heater to have a great year barring any injnury. He is coming off a sub-par season (according to his standards), was great in the world championships, and is hungry from the utter disaster that was the end to the Senators season last April. This year will also mark the beginning of the Senators transitioning from Alfie's team, to Heatley's team

Vezina - Ilya Bryzgalov - I expect big things from the Phoenix Coyote's this year as they finally become a legitimate threat with the puck. Look for them to put up a bunch more wins and also look for Ilya to steal a pile of games. His numbers may not be the best but the teams performance will get him some attention.

Norris - Zdeno Chara - Besides 2003-04, this award hasn't left Nicklas Lidstroms house since 2001. But Nicklas isn't getting any younger and the big Z is getting more comfortable in Boston. He is an absolute workhorse, often playing near 30 minutes per game, and a near immovable force. The Bruins will be much improved this year and Zdeno will play a very big role.

Calder - Kyle Turris -  Man, the Phoenix Coyote's are cleaning up on these fake awards. Kyle had a pile of points in the BCHL last year before being called up to the big league. Everything is getting better for Phoenix this year and look for Kyle to ride the wave.

Hart - Jarome Iginla - Technically speaking, Jarome could win this award every year as it is hard to argue that an individual player is more valuable to their team than him. However, most often a team has to perform well for a player to get this award. If the Flames get their act together and finish in the top 5 in the western conference, look to Jerome as a dark horse.

Enjoy the season!

エドモントン・オイラーズのビグマックはバカなカルガリの選手にハンドバーガー（handburgers。。。手のバーガー？？）をあげた！

ハハ～

Yep. No irony, no mocking tone here. I love those guys. I read Oiler chat boards constantly and have not found a more passionate, knowledgeable group of fans anywhere in the league. Sure Toronto and Montreal Fans are passionate, but they are like Sarah Palin and her evil minions…the "my country right or wrong crowd." Idiotic groupthink at the centre of their own little universe. Other teams don't rate...or even exist.

But Edmonton fans think nothing of ripping into their own team, or each other for that matter. But at the heart of it, they love their Oil and they hate everyone else. Especially the Flames and the Canucks and their respective fan bases. The Oil fans mock, despise and may even practice some northern form of Santeria in order to place bad joss on their NW opposition. And nothing proves the point more than the Oil base reaction to the Canucks' pre-season record. Sure they’re undefeated...but it’s only pre-season. Most other fans could care less about the Canucks' record. But not the Oil base. They simply can’t stand the fact that the Canucks have done exceedingly well and the Oil base spew vitriol and contempt at every turn. Canucks undefeated? They hate it! The Oil base is consumed with passion and I tip my hat to them.

And the undefeated pre-season? Well, it’s nice I suppose. But the coach is more concerned with checking players out and installing systems. Winning is a bonus… but not the point. But for long suffering Canucks fans, it is a boost, and after last year’s disaster, any boost is most welcome.

And the bubble guys?. They have about eight players going for one roster spot (the 12th forward) and two or three spare positions (two extra forwards and one 7^th D-man).

So who gets over the hump?

At this point, I really don’t think it matters that much. The big decisions have been made and are clear. BTW, Hansen is not a bubble player, he has made the team. The forward lines have settled 11 of the 12 positions (Johnson and Hordichuk as 2/3 of the fourth line). So they have a choice of Brown, Krog, Wellwood, Pettinger and Cowan. Everyone has their favourites, but if I had to chose, I’d say Wellwood makes the team as the number 12 forward and Brown and Pettinger hit the Black Aces squad along with Rob Davidson as the 7^th D. But these are small matters. The Canucks have three lines that can score and a fourth line that can win face offs, take spot duty on the PK or PP, and a heavyweight who can drop ‘em and throw ‘em.

No wonder they are six and oh.

Northeast
Toronto (1-0-0)
Pittsburgh (1-1-0)
Ottawa (1-1-1)
Boston
Buffalo
Montreal

Southeast
Atlanta (0-0-0)
Carolina (0-0-0)
Florida (0-0-0)
Washington (0-0-0)
Tampa Bay (0-2-0)

Central
Chicago
Columbus
Nashville
St. Louis
Detroit (0-1-0)

Northwest
Calgary
Colorado
Edmonton
Minnesota
Vancouver

Pacific
Anaheim
Dallas
Los Angeles
Phoenix
San Jose

A team falters all season - mired in controversy - gets it together, squeaks into the playoffs, and then makes a run for the Stanley Cup....

A player improves, flourishes, falters, and then gains redemption, when he returns to his roots - to the team where he started his career - as he makes a comeback....

Most of us love these stories. They remind us of different elements of our own lives.

The NHL is playing out variations on the second plot line.

Jeff Friesen is trying to resurrect his career in San Jose, and Jeff O'Neil is attempting to return to the NHL, with Carolina.

Friesen was chosen 11th overall, in the 1994 Draft. He played part of the 1994-95 season with the Sharks, and full seasons until 2000-01, when he was part of the Selanne trade, with the Ducks. During his time in San Jose, he scored 22, 26, 28 and 31 goals.

Friesen played one season in Anaheim, and two in New Jersey, where he helped to win the Stanley Cup - by scoring 10 playoff goals. He played two part seasons for the Capitals and Ducks -  following the lockout - and one full year for the Flames.

Last season, he played in only five games in the AHL, before hanging up his skates due to injury.

Jeff O'Neil was selected 5th overall by Hartford, in 1994.

He started playing for the Whalers in 1995-96, and scored 8, 14 and 19 goals, before 25 goals, and 41 goals in 2000-01. He helped Carolina to win the Cup, and by 2002-03, he had his third consecutive 30 goal season.

O'Neil was injured and had a subpar year, there was the lockout, and then he was traded to the Leafs. In Toronto, he played for two seasons, and his production slowly fell off, largely due to personal problems.

Petr Nedved's colourful NHL career has been well documented. Sportsillustrated.cnn.com wrote.

The Sports Illustrated highlights didn't mention Nedved's unpopularity in New York - after he'd been sent there from St. Louis.

John Dellapina, of the Daily News, provides some details of Nedved's first tenure in the Big Apple:

People are pulling for the east and west Jeffs.

"What a great story it would be if Jeff could continue his career with the team he started with, and contribute and the team has success," the San Jose coach said. "But so many things have to happen prior to that."

"He did nothing to hurt himself," McLellan continued. "But did he climb the ladder to the top? No, he didn't do that either."

Bryan Thiel of the Bleacher Report wrote of O’Neil: “For his sake, I hope he can prove that he's earned a spot on the Carolina Hurricanes roster. Or at least proves to the league that, after everything he's been through, he can still play, and still be a factor, maybe prove that he's still that mullet-wearing, hockey-loving kid he used to be, with the same passion anyone brings to the game—just now with a little added fire.”

Friesen and O'Neil are still at the Sharks' and Hurricanes' camps, but Nedved has been released by the Rangers.

He played well enough, but there weren't any roster spots available.

But, had the talented Czech made the New York squad, it wouldn't have been a feel good story.

Friesen and O'Neil had lost their way - due to injuries and personal problems - whereas, Nedved has always been just plain greedy.

He has never had any loyalty.

He wasn't playing for redemption. He wanted more money.

Few have any sympathy for Petr Nedved. He has burned his many Karmatic bridges behind him, so to speak.

*************************************************************************************

P.S. And now, Claude Lemieux wants to make a comeback. Well, at least it won't be for the money.

The following from the newsobserver.com:

Alas, Jeff Friesen was in shape, but the San Jose Sharks were chockablocked full of forwards. It was the same sitaution, in a way, as Nedved's in New York.

The San jose Mercury reports:

Word is obviously already out that the Sharks ended Jeff Friesen’s tryout without adding him to the roster. I won’t pretend this is breaking news.

In hindsight, there were hints along the way that was how this might wind up, but I know a lot of longtime Sharks fans were hoping it would work out differently.

Midway through training camp, for example, Todd McLellan said he recognized what a good story it would be if Friesen could continue his career where it began, if he’d be able to contribute to the Sharks’ season much the same way Dallas Drake did in his homecoming to Detroit a year ago. Then the coach added: “But it’s up to Jeff.”

Coaches are rarely forthcoming with detailed explanations when players are cut or benched. They’ve got their reasons, but it’s usually not in their best interest to spell them out.

Today, McLellan seemed to be following the traditional tack.

“We now went through a couple days where we sorted out as an orgazniation where we wanted to be and made a decision on the 23-man roster,” the coach said. “In fairness to Jeff, he had a good camp, he competed very well, he did everything he could. But for us to continue to hold onto him and to linger with hm wasn’t going to help him in his attempt to come back.”

GM Doug Wilson said earlier in the week that the staff was waiting for a medical update on Marcel Goc’s injury before having to make a decision on Friesen. McLellan said today that Goc was back on the ice for a light skate today, but that his possible availability was only “somewhat” of a factor in the Friesen decision.

I’m trying to reach Friesen. So far, no luck."

Wahl, who helped the Chiefs win the Canadian Hockey League's Memorial Cup last season, attended the Flames' rookie and prospects camp before returning to Spokane.

To view an interview with Wahl during the Flames' summer Development Camp, click here.

The Vancouver Blazers were only a two year blink in B.C.’s hockey history. And, their successor didn’t last much longer in Calgary.

It was fitting that Vancouver should have an outlaw WHA team, as hockey’s previous outlaw circuit had been centered in British Columbia.

The WHA’s franchise was initially allocated to Miami, and was to be called the Screaming Eagles. Their master plan was to sign a few franchise players, to draw fans to the southern Florida games. They first signed Maple Leafs’ goalie Bernie Parent, but then encountered a small problem. They didn’t have a rink.

This forced the franchise to relocate to Philadelphia, where they played in the limited 8,000 seat Civic Centre. The Philly Blazers next signed Derek ‘the Turk’ Sanderson to a $2.6 million contract, which briefly made him the World’s highest paid athlete.

The Blazers didn’t blaze, however and started the WHA’s inaugural 1972-73 campaign with only four wins in twenty games. They improved dramatically, however and finished the season with a 38-40-0 record.

In July of 1973, Vancouver’s Jimmy Pattison purchased the Blazers and moved them to the Pacific Coliseum. They shared the Renfrew St. rink with the Canucks, who were then starting their fourth NHL season.

Unfortunately for Pattison, he lost his scoring star Andre Lacroix, who had led the WHA with 124 points (Lacroix’s contract had stated that he didn’t have to play in Canada.). The Blazers still had the talented Danny Lawson, but couldn’t reach the playoffs in either the 1974 or 1975 seasons.

The always pragmatic Pattison, quickly realized that Vancouver couldn’t support two big league teams, and relocated the Blazers to hockey-starved Calgary.

The Flames had yet to arrive from Atlanta, and the newly-named Cowboys played in the 8,945 seat Calgary Stampede Corral. Their first season in southern Alberta, the Cowboys improved to a 41-35-4 record. This was largely the result of Danny Lawson’s 44 goals and Ron Chipperfield’s 42 tallies.

They went on to beat Quebec in a brawl-filled series, and then played the Winnipeg Jets, but were only able to draw 5,000 fans for their playoff games.

Their good play didn’t continue, however, and the 1976-77 season the Cowboys played brilliant at home, but brutal on the road. The 4,500 ticket holders witnessed a 26-12-2 record. On the road the cowboys stumbled out of the chute to a 6-31-5 record.

Next, the franchise considered moving to its fifth city, Ottawa, but decided to remain in southern Alberta.

By this time the Calgary fans were fed up, and only purchased 2,000 season tickets, so the team went up in flames.

The Screaming Eagles/Blazers/Cowboys reflected the W.H.A.’s declining fortunes. Two other teams shut down the same summer as the Cowboys, and two more a year later.

Finally, the league ceased operations, and four WHA teams –Hartford [now Carolina], Quebec [now Colorado], Winnipeg [now Phoenix] and Edmonton joined the National Hockey League, for the 1979-80 season.

Jimmy Pattison had tried to keep the Cowboys afloat so that he could be allotted an NHL franchise for Calgary. But, the league didn’t like the tiny Corral, and Pattison took his money, and ran back to Vancouver.

Ironically, Calgary would get its NHL team three years later. The Atlanta Flames relocated to Calgary the 1980-81 season, and played in the Corral until the Saddledome was completed.

When it opened on October 15, 1983, it was known as the Olympic Saddledome, as it would host the indoor ice events for the 1988 Winter Olympics.

The truth is that some people appreciated where Ron was coming from, the challenges he faced and his approach to tackling them. At the same time, others didn't quite see eye-to-eye with Ron's approach.

Well, Ron had some further business lessons and now they can be heard on BusinessCast Podcast #73 - Part Two of Hockey Lessons for Business.

You're an entrepreneur so, listen to the shows - and you be the judge. Does Ron have it right? What's your take?

**Make sure you check out the BusinessCast Podcast ‘Blog Review’ Episode where we outline how you can get some practical business books for free!**

Remember: Subscribe to the BusinessCast Podcast at iTunes

Anyways, in a shocking and unprecedented showing of provincial unity, Edmonton and Calgary banded together to earn the right to host the 2012 World Junior Hockey Championships.

And while the only potential hiccup in this plan (where to host the gold medal game) is already settled (Calgary, which makes perfect sense because they have the better arena), and the sting of that is offset for Edmontonians by giving them the Canada pool games, I still have two mini-beefs with this.

The first is that what happens if Edmonton has a new, 20 000-seat downtown arena by January '12? I know that's kind of short to get it done (but not /that/ short), but there really should be a contingency in place should this happen (where the schedules essentially flip).

The second is that while giving the finals to the city with the biggest arena makes so much sense and I'm totally for it, they could have found a more amusing way to decide that. Keep in mind that it's not like the schedules need to be set tomorrow for this thing, and that even if tickets don't go on sale until summer '11, they'd still sell out in record time, and hotels would still get booked and all that stuff would be done with relative ease.

Anyways, with that in mind, I wish that they'd done something like "Best record in 2010/11 between the Oilers and Flames gets the final" or the same thing with the Hitmen and Oil Kings, or even some mutant hybrid of the two ("Best City Record"). Of course, there all other things you could do as well, like mae it cumulative instead of just for the one season or whatever.

Of course, I like novelty, so I like the idea of a novelty exhibition series between the Flames and Oilers, best-of-three, with the winner deciding who gets the medal round: one game in Edmonton, one in Calgary and one in Red Deer. Or, if the players won't buy into that, what about a team skills competition to determine the winner? Or an oldtimers' game between the Oilers legends and the Flames legends?

I think that last one is my favourite, especially with the added revenue a Battle of Alberta Classic would drag in, but mainly because it would give us another chance to see Dave Hunter on skates—that guy's reached the point in his retirement where he looks like he ate post-retirement Grant Fuhr. The last time I saw he, he was playing in a charity ringette game at the U of A and basically trying to outfat everyone on the ice (which is a difficult task when Bob Stauffer is on your line) and grope presumably sexy coeds (the full facemasks made it hard to tell).

Remember a little while ago when the Flames first signed Todd Bertuzzi, and everyone in the organization went into full damage control mode because the entire city of Calgary was ready to become Oiler fans?

At the time, Flames fans were overwhelmingly against the move, with 54 percent on the Flames' diehard message board saying it was bad but tolerable, and another seven percent saying they would be boycotting the team until Bertuzzi was out of town. Not even Bertuzzi bringing his adorable son to the meet-the-media presser and refusing to talk about his past, err, indiscretions seem to have dampened Cowtown's intense dislike for the former Canuck.

It was thought, though, that the furor might die down a bit as time went on.

According to the Calgary Sun, it hasn't, at all.

The Flames sparked a firestorm of publicity when they signed forward Todd Bertuzzi this summer, but the buzz hasn't ignited sales of No. 7 jerseys.

At the Sunridge Mall Jersey City, a replica is draped over a mannequin, but not many shoppers are taking notice and sales have been slow so far, said Kris Singleton, a staffer at the store.

"I think we've sold one so far," he said, noting the Bertuzzi jerseys have only been in stock for about week.

That's enthusiasm.

I'm sure, as the article states, that a few reasons go into the fact that they've sold just one (that to an immediate Bertuzzi family member, one assumes). He's on a one-year contract, first of all. He's also kind of got to prove himself to Calgary fans as a changed man, in a way.

What this actually is: a non-story. It's the crummier of the Calgary papers, the one with the blowhard writers (Eric Francis, this means you) and an awful reputation for rumor mongering trying to dredge up a "grrr Bertuzzi" story that will surely have the thicker-skulled Calgary fans angrily shaking their fists and breathing heavily.

What this story isn't: meaningful. The Sun, for some reason, is trying to run Bertuzzi out of town on a rail, presumably because he won't talk about the whole Steve Moore thing.

Still, only one jersey? That's rough.

For the last billion years or so, it's been pretty bad being a fan of a small-market team. This is particularly true in Canada.

For the three western Canadian teams, some games are chosen to be broadcast on pay per view for something like $12 a pop, and some games are not broadcast at all. There have been several Calgary Flames games that I've missed over the past few years when they're not on Center Ice because no one's broadcasting them. Fans of the Oilers and Canucks have had similar problems.

This year, though, it's just Calgary that comes out looking pathetic. The Canucks and Oilers are both broadcasting all of their games -- yes, some still on pay per view -- while Calgary might not. Between the CBC, TSN and Sportsnet, all but 12 games will be covered on free TV (which is a pathetic thing to say just months away from 2009). If you're an out of market fan and ponied up the well-worth-it $159 bucks, it's not so bad because you might miss one game here or there over the course of the season against your favorite team, usually mid-week and against a bad opponent. But if you live in Calgary, you're boned. It's roughly $150 bucks to watch 12 games against bad teams, and the production values are typically atrocious.

Worse than that for Flames fans? Unlike the Canucks and some Oilers PPV games, Calgary games aren't broadcast in HD. Over on Calgarypuck, the same frustrations come up year after year, and Flames fans really seem to be tiring of the same old song and dance now. The Flames are right to point out that broadcasting in HD costs about double, but it's still pretty tough to swallow for any fan who's shelling out money to watch an F'ing hockey game on TV in their homes.

Says "Incinerator" (perhaps not his real name):

Holding your customers hostage (either buy the crappy version or do without at all) is not how you win fans over.

Calgary doesn't necessarily need to win fans over, though. The Flames sold more seats on a percentage basis than any other team in the league by a pretty decent margin, and people love the team so much that they'll do anything to watch them.

The Flames know it's an issue as much as the fans do, but given the market size, there's no way to really fix this any time soon. It's kind of sad that any NHL team has to suffer this type of indignity. No way this is a problem in the NBA or Major League Baseball.

The way an entrepreneur deals with this challenge sends a very strong message to several key stakeholders such as employees and customers. So, tune in later in September for the BusinessCast episde "What to Do When Top Performers Leave".

Also, tune in next week for BusinessCast episode #73 - Hockey Lessons for Business (Part 2). We pick up where we left off with former President and CEO of the Calgary Flames, Ron Bremner . Ron weaves compelling stories from his days when he served as the force behind the Flames -- working to get the team out of a deep crisis.

Finally, make sure you check out the BusinessCast Podcast 'Blog Review' Episode where we outline how you can get some practical business books for free!

Remember: Subscribe to the BusinessCast Podcast at iTunes

Unsigned free agent centers:

• Peter Forsberg (Colorado)

• Eric Rasmussen (New Jersey)

• Mark Smith (Calgary)

• Mats Sundin (Toronto)

Unsigned free agent right wings:

• Aaron Downey (Detroit)

• Darren McCarty Detroit)

• Jarrett Stoll (Edmonton)

• Teemu Selanne (Anaheim)

• Brad Richardson (Los Angeles)

Unsigned left wings:

• Martin Gelings (Nashville)

• Drew Miller (Anaheim)

• Mark Parrish (Minnesota)

• Randy Robitaille (Ottawa)

• Brendan Shanahan (New York Rangers)

]]> http://businesscast.wordpress.com/?p=509 Sat, 23 Aug 2008 20:22:21 +0000 Andrew - BusinessCast Co-Host http://businesscast.fr.wordpress.com/2008/08/23/hockey-is-a-business-nows-the-time-to-score-big/ Have you ever wondered if the issues you face on a daily basis as an entrepreneur apply to other types of organizations? Well, the fact is they do!

And, nowhere is that more evident in the compelling stories told by our entertaining guest, Ron Bremner - former President & CEO of the NHL's Calgary Flames hockey team and the Saddledome.

Listen to the BusinessCast Podcast episode #71 - Hockey Lessons for Business - and you'll get some down-to-earth advice from Ron, Robert and myself on addressing some of your most critical issues. Many of the lessons Ron surfaces are items that we've explored in some of our previous podcast episodes, including:

BusinessCast Podcast # 55 - Feedback - Or Is It Just Noise? with Gold ‘n’ Brown - where Robert and I provide an overview of how/when to collect customer insights that can increase your success; and

BusinessCast Podcast #46 - Wow Client Service’ with Gold ‘n’ Brown - where Robert and I discuss how to "Wow" you client with customer service that really has an impact!

Remember: Subscribe to the BusinessCast Podcast at iTunes

This weekend, Robert and I have a very special BusinessCast podcast guest: the former President and CEO of the Calgary Flames and the Saddledome, Ron Bremner.

Ron is a gifted and compelling storyteller as well as an accomplished businessman who took on a monumental challenge a few years ago. Specifically, he was charged with: turning around a hockey organization that faced financial ruin, dwindling sales, competing visions, and extremely high expectations. But, Ron was up for the task!

Ron shares the glory and the dirt through his down-to-earth and entertaining stories. He also highlights many valuable lessons and practical insights that any entrepreneur can learn from, about how to:

• Deal with multiple and conflicting stakeholders
• Manage and lead highly-skilled/highly sought-after employees
• Manage the media during difficult times
• Close 'big deals'

We were so wrapped up in Ron's stories that we ended up recording two podcast episodes with him!

If you're any kind of sports fan, hockey fan or entrepreneur, listen to these episodes - and you'll find lessons that will help you to score your goals!

 The first episode will be posted on in the BusinessCast archives page on August 24th, 2008.

Remember: Subscribe to the BusinessCast Podcast at iTunes

I have a soft spot for the Calgary Flames. I fell in love with them, mostly their fans, when they were in the Stanley Cup Finals against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The sea of red that attends each home game is quite a spectacle to witness on television. I can't imagine what it's like to go to a game there.

But enough of the sappy yearning for western Canadian hockey. The Flames finished 2007-2008 with 94 points, good enough for the seventh seed in the Western Conference Playoffs. The run was short-lived, as San Jose deposited of the Flames in a hard-fought, seven-game opening-round series (how's that for hyphens?!).

This season is a blank slate, but it appears making the playoffs will be a bit harder. Serious changes with serious implications have altered this team's makeup.

Defense:

Before free agency started July 1, Calgary placed two veteran defensemen on waivers. Anders Eriksson and Rhett Warrener, both nearing their mid-30s, didn't provide the quality of play that merits the salary they are set to earn. Thus, the two are no longer in red and black.

With the dumping of those aged veterans, the Flames picked up a significant amount of young talent on their blue line. Three defensemen 24-years-old or younger were signed as well as 28-year-old Jim Vandermeer.

Ryan Wilson, a high-scoring defenseman from the OHL's Sarnia Sting, was signed by Calgary. He put up 71 points (7 G - 64 A) in 58 games last season. Along with Wilson is former Flame, Mark Giordano. Giordano left Calgary to play in Moscow for a year. He returns boasting 89 PIM in 50 games overseas.

The other two defensemen signed are also familiar to the Flames' organization. Vandermeer played in Calgary last year, seeing time in 75 games and registering a plus-6 rating. Finally Adam Pardy, an AHL prospect, was re-signed.

Vandermeer and Giordano are likely the two that will start in Calgary at the beginning of the year. The Flames aren't hurting though, as there defense wasn't bad last season. Though they finished next to last in goals allowed in the Northwest, their conference standing was ninth. There is obviously room for improvement, however there is no need to panic.

Five guys played 75 games or more on the blue line, all finishing with a positive plus/minus rating. This is outstanding. Dion Phaneuf and Adrian Aucoin continued to contribute offensively.

Phaneuf finished fourth on the team in scoring with 60 points (17 G - 43 A). Not too many clubs have the benefit of a defenseman being 20-goal scoring threat.

He's not only a scorer though. Phaneuf can throw his body around when he wants to.

Add to that the 35 points by Aucoin (10 G - 25 A), and this team is in pretty good shape.

With nearly all of the core guys back on the blue line, as well as increased youth to add depth, this unit appears to be strong and improving.

Offense:

LW

As did the defense, offense finished the year in the middle of the Western Conference standings. The left wing was the strongest position. Alex Tanguay and Kristian Huselius were both in the top five in scoring on the team. However, that area took a huge hit when both left to play elsewhere.

Huselius is now a Columbus Blue Jacket, signing there as a free agent. Tanguay was traded to Montreal along with a fifth round draft selection in 2008. In return, the Flames received a first round selection in 2008 and a second round selection in 2009.

Being that so much talent left, there should be much concern in Calgary. This is because the highest scoring left winger acquired as a replacement is Todd Bertuzzi. Such a huge drop in efficiency will undoubtedly be evident this season.

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This will be the new position of strength. Daymond Langkow (65 pts., 30+35) and Matthew Lombardi (36 pts., 14+22) will center the top two lines.

The third and fourth lines are in decent shape as well. Craig Conroy was re-signed just before free agency began, and will look to build upon a season in which he posted 34 points (12 G - 22 A). Wayne Primeau will likely man the fourth line.

Calgary also has depth with youngsters Brandon Prust and Jamie Lundmark developing in th minors.

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The right wing is lead by Jerome Iginla. His 98 points (50 G - 48 A) led the team in scoring. He is back, but others are gone.

Eric Godard and Owen Nolan left in free agency. Godard is now a Pittsburgh Penguin while Nolan signed in Minnesota. Replacements for these two are, again, non-existant.

Andre Roy was signed to fill the role of enforcer after Godard exited. That's about all the noise that was made, though. It appears several players will have to switch from their natural positions in order to fill vacancies.

Goalies:

Miikka Kiprusoff is the starter. He nearly won 40 games while compiling a 2.69 GAA and .906 SV%. He was one win away from three straight 40 win seasons, and has become the backbone of the Flames since joining the organization (along with Iginla).

His backup will be Curtis McElhinney, who played in only five games last season. This places a lot of responsibility on Kiprusoff. He had a capable backup in Curtis Joseph last season. McElhinney had a 2.00 GAA in his five outings, but that is not enough time to be confident in his production.

My Take:

The Flames lost too much offense. There are still a few names on the market, but I doubt any one player will make the difference that Huslieus and Tanguay provided.

Defensively, the team will be stronger. Calgary has a ton of quality, reliable defensemen back. In addition to the returnees, free agent signings served the Flames well. Their fans need to hope that puck control can play a huge role next season. If not, things are going to get ugly real quick.

Don't expect a playoff run from these guys this season. In fact, don't expect a playoff spot either.

The Edmonton Oilers finished last season at the bottom of the Northwest Division standings and three points out of a playoff spot. The early finish was a disappointment for the Oilers and their fans, but the way the season ended provided confidence for 2008-2009. I'll explain.

Despite being left out of the party that is the 'Second Season,' Edmonton made great strides to finish as close as they did. Since the month of March, Edmonton went 11-5-1 to nearly make the playoffs. Go back to Feb. 24, and they finished the season 14-5-1.

All this means that the team that was together after the trade deadline was able to gel and make a legitimate push. Good news for Oilers' fans is that the majority of that team is back again.

Defense:

Defense was the issue in '07-'08. The Oilers allowed the most goals in the Northwest, as well as the second most in the Western Conference.

Joni Pitkanen being claimed by the Carolina Hurricanes highlights losses on the blue line. Pitkanen was a restricted free agent and is now signed in Carolina for three years. His offensive talent is full of potential, but his numbers suffered in the hockey-crazy city of Edmonton.

Pitkanen was replaced in a trade that sent Jarret Stoll and Matt Greene to Los Angeles. In return, the Oilers received Lubomir Visnovsky - a talented defenseman with even more offensive talent that Pitkanen.

Visnovsky totaled 41 points (8 G - 33 A) as a King, and has the chance to put up better numbers with a better team in Edmonton. He is, at 31-years-old, not going to surprise too many people with a breakout season. However, another aspect of consistency now resides on the Oiler blue line.

The only worries with Visnovsky are that he has seen a drop in production every year since the lockout. Likely a product of playing with NHL bottom-feeder LA, the defenseman's numbers should improve. Just three seasons ago he put up 17 goals and 50 assists for a career-high 67 points.

The other worry resides around his lack of size and strength. He needs to capitalize offensively in order to make up for his stature.

Also on the blue line are Tom Gilbert, Sheldon Souray and Steve Staios. The three have one glaring problem: a less-than-acceptable plus/minus rating. Gilbert made up for it with his 33 points (13 G - 20 A), but Staios is the worst of the three with a minus-14.

Rounding out the starting six are Ladislav Smid and Denis Grebeshkov. Smid, at minus-15, is another defenseman that needs a bit of improvement.

Jason Strudwick, acquired during free agency, will likely start the season in Springfield (AHL). However, he will get the nod if the defensive problem persists.

Offense:

With a better attack, the defense can improve thanks to point production on the offensive end. Just as the Oilers led the division in allowing goals, they scored the most goals as well. Interestingly enough, Edmonton did so without a 30-goal scorer. Heck, they barely had a 20-goal scorer.

Three players on the '07-'08 Oilers' squad scored 20 goals or more. They are Dustin Penner (23), Shawn Horcoff (21) and Ales Hemsky (20).

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The right side produced very well for Edmonton. Along with his 20 goals, Hemsky added another 51 assists to lead the team in points with 71.

He will man the first-line right wing with line-mates that are just as productive. I'll explain as we progress.

Also on the right wing is Sam Gagner. At only 18-years-old, Gagner put up outstanding numbers in his first NHL season. 49 points later (13 G - 36 A), big things are expected for his future. With many other young stars excelling in the NHL, Gagner likely got less attention given the Oilers struggles.

Fernando Pisani and Zack Stortini round out the rest of the right wing. Both are hustle guys and role players. Pisani adds 20 points a year, while Stortini is the enforcer.

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On the side opposite of Hemsky is the new addition to the team, Erik Cole. In Carolina last season, Cole put up 51 points (22 G - 29 A). He can do even better on the line he is on this year.

The left wing stays strong down the line with Penner and Robert Nilsson. Nilsson, with 10 goals and 31 assists, is a more than capable third line winger.

The final left-winger is Ethan Moreau. Oiler fans are waiting for his numbers to translate over to the NHL. As a young player in the OHL, Moreau blew away the competition. Since arriving in the NHL, he has been unable to produce those same numbers. However, as captain of the team, he plays a bigger role in his leadership than anything else.

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At center, the leader is Horcoff. And with a new, six-year contract extension, he will maintain that role in Oil country for some time. He centers the potent first line, and by the looks of things, the 20-goal mark will not be as elusive as it was last season.

Andrew Cogliano follows him closely. Both are capable of putting up 50 points or more a year. They did a solid job firming up the top two lines at center, and are expected to do the same this season.

Kyle Brodziak is the third line center, and did well in his first full season in the NHL. Scoring 14 goals and adding 17 helpers, he set a high standard to aim for as far as production goes. At 24, he has the potential to grow in to more of a scorer, though most scouts don't predict such to happen.

And finally Marc Pouliot will man the fourth line. He saw limited time in the NHL last season, and could potentially be in and out again this year. If he struggles, Gilbert Brule would likely be the next option. Brule was signed as a free agent on the first day of free agency.

Goalies:

As was described earlier, Edmonton had quite a bit of trouble keeping the puck out of its own net. Part of that can be credited to the lack of a starting goaltender.

Mathieu Garon and Dwayne Roloson split time nearly evenly last season. Neither having a chance to play for consistent stretches contributed to sub-par numbers. However, what can you do when neither goalie is playing well? You have to keep shuffling the deck until one guy earns the job.

'07-'08 was just a very uncharacteristic season for Roloson. He finished with a GAA of 3.05 - the first time in his career he has finished over 3.00. At age 38, time may finally be taking its toll on the net minder.

Thus, enter Garon. He finished the season with a 2.66 GAA and .913 SV%. These are pretty decent numbers and it will be interesting to see how he fares with a larger workload this year.

My Take:

This team is very young. This season could be a 'coming out party' for Gagner and many of the other young players in Edmonton. Oiler fans should be excited at the fact that such a young team nearly made the playoffs.

The Oilers should be better than last year. It appears that their offense is even better than it was last season. For all of the teams I have previewed so far, each has lost one of its top five scorers. This is not the case in Edmonton. With their top five back, plus Cole entering the picture, Edmonton will be finding the back of the net with regularity.

On the defensive side of things, it's hard to say whether or not this team will improve. They gave up Pitkanen, but eventually got Visnovsky as a replacement. How I see it is that they might have been better off focusing their attention on acquiring a more defensive minded guy to add to the blue line.

Nevertheless, I'm a big fan of chemistry. The fact that the Oilers have their five main guys back, plus a pretty capable replacement, makes me confident that they will improve. How much? That's the big question. I wouldn't expect anything drastic.

The goaltender position is the huge question mark in my mind. I have to imagine, with Roloson's age and recent struggles, that Garon will get the nod to start at the beginning of the year.

Garon has only played over 50 games in a season once in his career. That year he struggled posting a 3.22 GAA and .894 SV%. Can he finally handle the long haul of an NHL season?

Keep it here tomorrow for my third preview of the Northwest Division when I will look at the Calgary Flames.

~Chris @ Pittsburgh Puck Talk

They can both fight their own battles. They’re both media darlings. They both have scored enough to challenge for the NHL scoring lead. They both have faced adversity in that their teams have struggled to make the playoffs over the years.

Which player gets the nod depends on which conference you reside in. I happen to reside in the west, so Iginla is my choice on the matter. While it’s doubtful any team would turn down a chance at Lecavalier, if they had a choice, I think Iginla would have the edge due to the extra grit factor.

He might have been an afterthought for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. (He was called in by Wayne Gretzky after the September 2001 evaluation camp had already started.) That was before he took ownership of the 2001-02 NHL season, when he won the Art Ross Trophy as the leading point getter, the Maurice Rocket Richard Trophy for leading goal scorer, and the Lester B. Pearson Award as the Players’ Association most valuable player. He missed out on the league MVP – the Hart Trophy – by an eastern conference media vote.

And still, he faced trade rumors.

In 2003-04, there was no question of Iginla’s leadership. His team traveled the unlikely journey straight to the Stanley Cup final and pushed for a seventh game in the series, only to come out on the short end. He won the King Clancy Memorial Trophy for leadership qualities on and off the ice plus humanitarian contribution. He tied Ilya Kovalchuk and Rick Nash for the Maurice Rocket Richard Trophy.

With all this history, it’s hard to believe there was a time when the Calgary Flames’ acquisition of Jarome Iginla had people thinking “bust,” where he didn’t fulfill immediate expectations. He was touted as the next coming of Theoren Fleury when he arrived at the Pengrowth Saddledome in time for the 1995-96 playoffs – the last time the club would see the post-season until 2003-04.

During his tenure thus far, Iginla has gone through seven head coaches, three team presidents, and three general managers. The team traded an icon in Joe Nieuwendyk (along with Corey Millen) to acquire Iginla December 1995, which is likely why he’s faced so much criticism. But you could say they ultimately traded one icon for another.

The 2007-08 season marked another milestone year for Iginla. He was named captain of the Western Conference All-Star Team, netted 50 goals on the season, and became the franchise all-time goal scoring leader. He received the team’s J. R. McCaig Memorial Award for extolling the virtues of respect, courtesy, and compassion for all individuals he encounters in both his professional and every day life.

With yet another chapter to go in his career, there is no doubt Jarome Iginla has proved his worth, and the naysayers have been noticeably silenced.