As if by wizardry, Point Blank announced the signing of Mark Parrish to a 25 game P.T.O. with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers even before the Bridgeport Sound Tigers knew about it.
That's how these things go nowadays. The news hits the Internet first and spreads faster than ants on a pic-nic.
Within a matter of seconds, just about every website and message board had something to say about it, both good and bad. Hell, even NHL Live gave it a quick announce as a breaking story courtesy of ... yep... Chris Botta.
I took a different approach. I emailed the powers that be with my usual "You forgot to yell Surprise!!" Luckily, he still laughs when he gets it.
Parrish is a great guy. He did a lot of good things when he was on the Island. But he could be yet another poster boy for what may be wrong with the business.
He received a very large contract. It didn't work out. He was bought out. He got paid to stay home. This is what happens when owners over pay and realize their roster doesn't quite fit the salary cap, or what's expected of that player. Ouch. But Mark is a hockey player. Too young to retire, he waited but nothing happened. Hopefully, he's not too old to remember what it's like to play for the AHL. Things are different there. He will have to adjust. I wish him luck.
In other bloggerdom news today, XM's Home Ice covered the story of the Ottawa blogger who was tossed from the press room on just about every show they had on. Even Puck Daddy weighed in on it, very eloquently I might add.
This whole thing has me worried. Actually, the entire way Bloggers are being handled right now by the NHL has me worried. There are those out there that may be saying "Hey!!! I want in! What about me??" And there are those that are saying "No! Keep them out! They don't belong."
Sigh... Many points were brought up during today's broadcasts. The idea of the sheer number of those out there who are deemed bloggers is frightening. It's obvious there needs to be some way to "separate the wheat from the chaff."
It's true. I hate to say it, but it may be time for the NHL to take a real stand and come up with guidelines for the teams that aren't basically "Okay, do whatever you want."
In our little corner of the hockey universe we've been wildly... lucky. Of the original panel chosen, the team, the players, the media and the league itself has not had a problem with any of us. It could have been far different. Suppose one member was less than sane and it showed during a press conference or a player interview. Suppose a member truly hated one of the paid media and decided to use it as a means to attack that reporter. So much could have gone wrong.
Instead, somehow each of us took this experiment as an honor and a privilege. We all work very hard at what we do and are incredibly respectful of everyone involved. But who can guarantee each team will be as lucky as the Islanders have been? No one.
That one little incident in Ottawa is going to have a huge impact on what we do. There is talk of whether or not Live Blogging infringes on broadcast rights. There is talk of instituting "rights fees."
Yes, blogging has changed the industry, and now the industry itself will change blogging.
God help us.
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3 comments:
Wow. Who knows where the "rights" of the blogger discussion will go. We can only hope that the powers that be will recognize the significant impact on team coverage bloggers provide and create inclusive policies.
You know, it actually has crossed my mind how great you all of done with the NYI Blog Box and that the relationship appeared to come together seamlessly. Unfortunately, rules don't get made until some idiot does something out of line. Hopefully, the cream rises to the top and the NHL will recognize who is worth the space they take up and not start censoring what gets put out there. I enjoy reading the bloggers more than the "journalists". Hands down.
I work in the media and hate anything that smacks of censorship.
The thought of right's fees for bloggers is both interesting and laughable at the same time. Guess the NHL really is trying to squeeze every bit of revenue from non-traditional sources. Kinda sucks for you bloggers if it actually happens.
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