General posts, including essays and discussions.
By E. Martin Nolan No one ever put a poster of a professional sports team owner on their childhood bedroom wall and no one ever pretended to be Mike Illitch or George Steinbrenner when paying a bill (“the waiter hands over the bill–he signs, and payment is accepted! The table goes wild!”). That’s probably not…
By Sunil Agnihotri Within any form of entertainment lies numerous narratives, designed to engage the audience. Television shows, books and films are all examples of entertainment that utilize plot development and characters to develop a storyline and convey some sort of message to the audience. Traditionally, storytelling came across a single medium, like a book,…
It would seem that when the players take the summer off so too do the hockey bloggers. Well, while everyone else has been glued to the Olympics I have been combing through hockey literature in preparation for grad school applications. If you can’t watch hockey in the summer, reading about it is a close second.…
By Sunil Agnihotri Since we’re in the midst of the NHL off-season, there are plenty of rumours and gossip circulating, which is no surprise since one of the biggest by-products of professional sports is speculation. We don’t know what will happen next and watch games to find out. The off-season is never dull, especially in…
By Sunil Agnihotri Before the NHL’s free agency kicked off, University of Wisconsin defencemen Justin Schultz was deciding on which NHL team he would start his professional career with. Originally a second round draft pick of the Anaheim Ducks in 2008, Schultz became an unrestricted free agent after his contract expired on June 24th, 2012. Schultz…
Last week, the Hockey Hall of Fame (HHOF) announced the four men who would be the Hall’s 2012 inductees. The four, who will all enter in the Player category, are Joe Sakic, Pavel Bure, Mats Sundin, and Adam Oates. Surprisingly, despite prominent figures such as former coaches Pat Burns and Fred Shero remaining outside the…
At noon EST today, the NHL’s free agency period opens. At a basic level, this means that players whose contracts have expired or been bought out, and who are eligible for unrestricted free agency (UFA), can begin fielding offers from NHL teams and are free to sign contracts as of 12:00 PM. But over the…
During the pre-game interview with Zach Parise before Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals, Parise mentioned that he is involved with an organization called Defending the Blue Line (DTBL). The interview showed Parise hanging out with military men and their families while shooting some stuff. This peaked my interest so I decided to look…
Last night, Steve Bernier hit Rob Scuderi from behind in the first period of Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Bernier received a five minute major and was ejected from the game for his hit. Scuderi left the ice and returned at the start of the second period. During the Kings five minute power…
By Sunil Agnihotri Any hockey fan can attest to the fact that there is a lot to consume when following the game. Through different channels, professional sports offer a variety of products reflecting the demands of their fans. Mason (1999) found that aside from buying merchandise and attending live events, fans consume the uncertainty that…
Hockey in Society / Hockey dans la société 