Trending Topics: Why don’t we value the NHL regular season? (Social Media Management 202 436 6577)
Stanley Cup
Trending Topics is a new column that looks at the week in hockey according to Twitter. If you’re only going to comment to say how stupid Twitter is, why not just go have a good cry for the slow, sad death of your dear internet instead?
The Vancouver Canucks have now officially been the best team in hockey, since the beginning of October right up until today.
They have the Presidents’ Trophy all sewn up, and, barring a horrific collapse on their part, plus a huge turnaround by the Philadelphia Flyers, they will likely win it by a healthy margin.
However, as everyone on the planet is quick to point out, Presidents’ Trophy winners don’t traditionally win the Stanley Cup. Since they started handing out the formal trophy in 1985-86, the team with the most points in the regular season has won the Cup just seven times, and the 2007-08 Red Wings are the only ones to do so since the lockout.
So when teams like the Canucks or the Washington Capitals before them — those with playoff histories that are spotty at best — do go out from and lay waste to nearly every team from October through April, people just laugh. They’ll say that this is in no way indicative of how good the Canucks are as a team. Not really. Because: They Haven’t Won The Cup.
Even people like the wonderful Tom Benjamin, who believe winning the Presidents’ Trophy is remarkable thing that should be celebrated, say that in the same breath as they note it’s not the “big prize.” And what sense does that make?
There’s this illogic in North America that places the importance of a season not on the 82-game, six-month slog of a schedule, but rather on a 28-game-at-most, needlessly drawn out crapshoot of a lottery. One which rewards luck rather than an ability to win, a lot, for more than half a year.
I’m not sure what it is that makes people think the playoffs are so much more important than the regular season.
(Coming Up: Disgusting taunts against Theo Fleury(notes) on Twitter; Where is TJ Oshie(notes)?; and your Pearls of BizNasty.)
What little I know of baseball history indicates to me that the World Series, the oldest postseason tournament in North America, was little more than a way to make money and determine whether the winner of two totally separate leagues — the regular season champions, in fact — was better.
That the Stanley Cup, or really any postseason trophy, has taken on this level of import is curious, given what it takes to win it: a winning percentage as low as .571, or about a 94-point regular season pace. Boy if that doesn’t scream excellence, nothing does.
This concept that the real teams are separated from the pretenders during the postseason is of course ridiculous. You know that. There’s never been a conversation about a mediocre playoff team with a good goalie where you haven’t said, “…but he could steal a series.”
“Steal” being the operative word, as it implies that the series and indeed the playoffs themselves rightfully belong to the league’s best teams at their core.
And players with amazing regular-season numbers but so-so playoff stats? Chokers. Joe Thornton(notes) is a choker. Can’t possibly be one of the best players on the planet. That makes sense. Because Proven Playoff Warriors like Pavel Datsyuk(notes) or Bill Guerin(notes) have never had stretches of seven or 10 games in their career where they weren’t particularly effective.
Oddly, people actually also say — and, I guess, fully believe — that Alex Ovechkin(notes) is a choker, despite his having more points per postseason game than anyone currently in the NHL and scoring more than he does in the regular season. It probably has something to do with his inability to also be both defensemen and the goalie as well as a ruinous and highly productive sniper.
And don’t get me wrong, I love the playoffs for all the drama that the ping-pong-ball probability brings. But the value placed on them, rather than the regular season, seems far too great to be reasonable. Winning in the playoffs isn’t everything. In fact, it’s occasionally a complete fluke. You don’t get Edmonton/Carolina Cup Finals otherwise.
Yeah, winning the Stanley Cup is a pretty cool accomplishment, and one that should obviously be celebrated to some extent. But to also denigrate beating the hell out of everyone you play for 82 games? That’s just stupid. Because winning the Presidents’ Trophy is a more impressive achievement.
Canucks fans prove the worst people in the universe
Speaking of trashing the Presidents’ Trophy winner as being unable to compete in the playoffs, Theo Fleury recently hopped on Twitter and asked his followers if they thought the Canucks can make it out of the first round (and of course they can) because he’s not sold on Roberto Luongo(notes).
Maybe a bit of trolling of Vancouver fans, but you’d think no harm, no foul, right?
Wrong. Apparently this is the type of thing that really brings the mouthbreathers out of the woodwork. So offended were Vancouverites that Fleury had the temerity to suggest the Canucks or Luongo were not infallible that things got really ugly, really fast.
For making this statement, Fleury was taunted by some of the most vile human beings on earth for his substance abuse problems and, worse, the sexual abuse in his past. Fortunately, these cretinous embarrassments were shouted down fairly quickly, and certainly do not represent the entire fanbase, but some people are the absolute worst.
How remarkably vile.
NHL Hockey
#WhereisOshie
TJ Oshie missed practice the other day, leading to his being left home for two games by the team (he later donated his paychecks for those matches to charity). While no official reason was given for the quasi-suspension, a lot of people had theories.
@dgregson: trying to get 3 stars on all levels of Angry Birds
@itsjuststarla: Getting in line SUPER early for the last Harry Potter movie.
@JoeYerdonPHT: He’s trying to get back that Filet ‘O Fish.
@TheFecklessPuck: Writing a savage missive about bloggers in the press box
@theactivestick: Criminal Minds marathon on A&E
@AnthraxJones: “Up where he belongs.” – Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes
@SkinnyPPPhish: At the bottom of a well with Timmy O’Toole
And your very topical winner:
@SpeakoftheDevs: Looking for the cobra that escaped from the Bronx Zoo.
Pearls of Biz-dom
We all know that there isn’t a better Twitter account out there than that of Paul Bissonnette(notes). So why not find his best bit of advice on love, life and lappers from the last week?
BizNasty on getting chirped by a certain former shoe-fighter: “Milbury? The guy who traded chara and the second pick (spezza) for yashin? That guy?”
If you’ve got something for Trending Topics, holla at Lambert on Twitter or via e-mail. He’ll even credit you so you get a thousand followers in one day and you’ll become the most popular person on the Internet! You can also visit his blog if you’re so inclined.
Website article: http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Trending-Topics-Why-don-8217-t-we-value-the-NH?urn=nhl-wp1646
Emme Porter, Bruce Porter Jr
Bruce Porter Jr the Social Networks Manager
Email Bruce@EmmeGirls.com 202 436 6577
Social Media Management by EmmeGirls Modeling
Wife and business partner Emme Porter is a three time
member of the Washington Capitals Red Rockers
Capitals Rally to Victory at 2011 NHL Winter Classic Heinz Field Pittsburgh (via EmmeGirls Blog)
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Heinz Field NHL Winter Classic - Photo credit: Megan Herod
It was not the most picturesque of days, it was not the Winter Classic of 2010 in beautiful Boston with the ultimate outdoor weather conditions for a nostalgic outdoor game. It was raining, dreary, a wet, raw Pittsburgh day for the perfect match-up of one of the best games in hockey history. Over 68,000 hockey fans converged at the home of the Pittsburgh Steelers for the 2011 NHL Winter Classic. The media surrounding the NHL’s crown jewel annual event has been unprecedented this year. The Washington Capitals and the Pittsburgh Penguins won over the attention of America with an HBO reality show series, 24/7. The four part mini series took hockey fans old and new on a journey following the two teams, from the inside with a behind the scenes view of the months leading up to the most successful sporting event of the year, the 2011 NHL Winter Classic. HBO’s reality TV series offered a backstage pass to the coaches and players lives and showed the differences in the philosophies of the two teams.
This is the fourth year the NHL has hosted a Winter Classic game on New Years Day and the second year that the Penguins have played in the mega match-up since 2008. What made the 2011 NHL Winter Classic so dynamic was the matchup between the two teams, who are such long time rivals they didin’t even shake hands after yesterdays game. To make things even more interesting, there was stark differences and drama in each of the teams in the month leading up to the event. The Pittsburgh Penguins, led by Olympic gold medal and Stanly Cup winning forward Sidney Crosby, won 18 of the last 20 games leading up to the Classic. The Capitals didn’t win a game from Dec 3rd to Dec 19th until they finally broke an eight game losing streak in Ottawa when they beat the senators 3-2. The Capitals regained their composure and added momentum in the next week and a half putting them in good position, they won 4 out of the next 5 games. Ironically the one loss they faced was to Pittsburgh, at the Verizon Center, in a nail bitting shootout.
Eric Fehr rejoices after scoring his second goal to lead the Capitals to a 3-1 victory at the 2011 NHL Winter Classic - Photo credit: Gregory Shamus
The Winter Classic was delayed due to the warm weather and rain from 1pm to 8pm yesterday. Approximately 30,000 Caps fans and 40,000 Pens fans converged at Heinz Field for what was to be the most exciting game of the year, and the game did not disappoint. The time change seemed to help, the overall TV ratings were reportedly up by 8%. The first period the Pens started out hot with goal tender Marc-Andre Fleury stopping all 20 shots and getting an assist on Evgeni Malkin goal. This would be the only goal for Pittsburgh on New Years day. Mike Knuble answered with the first goal for the Caps in the second period. The real star of the day was Eric Fehr. He picked a high profile game to let the world know that he is a force to be reckoned with scoring both of Washington’s other goals to make the final score 3-1 Caps. This was such an important win for the Capitals. They emerge victorious, the month long HBO special, that didn’t start out well, ended with the big win in front of millions of hockey fans worldwide. Not only did the Capitals steal the Winter Classic title from the Pens in their own backyard…literally, but they also presented themselves as a team that doesn’t need to rely on their star player to win games. People are thinking this could be the year for the Caps to bring home the coveted Stanley Cup that has eluded our Nations Capital to date.
One of the best parts about the Winter Classic is the nostalgia of playing hockey outside in the elements where hockey originated. And what old time hockey game would be complete without two bruisers squaring off and dropping the gloves. In a fight that will be carried on hockey channels for years John Erskine unleashed the fury with Pittsburgh’s Michael Rupp. These two hockey players fought it out old school style, blow by blow. At one point it looked like Rupp had the upper hand as Erskine lost his footing. The seasoned Capitals veteran regained his balance and landed some massive blows to the Penguins center. The fight ended in a draw as the two exhausted players were subdued by the officials and the game continued to the applause of the crowd. This is real raw hockey.
The word has trickled down from Ted Leonsis that the most exciting game in hockey, the NHL Winter Classic, will come to Washington, DC in the next two to three years. Places being considered for hosting the event are Nationals Park, Fedex Field, M&T Bank Stadium, Camden Yards and RFK Stadium. Nationals Park seems to be the favorite candidate with M&T Bank Stadium as a viable option possibly increasing the Capitals fan base. National Park holds 41,000 fans, RFK Stadium holds 46,000, Camden Yards holds 48,000 M&T Bank Stadium holds 71,000 and Fedex holds 91,000. Caps fans have been trying hard to BRING THE NHL WINTER CLASSIC TO DC and it looks like we may get our wish.
Emme Porter, Bruce Porter Jr celebrating the 2011 NHL Winter Classic win
EmmeGirls is a national promotional marketing agency headquartered in Washington, DC. We staff elite models for various events including, trade show models, spokesmodels, producing in-game entertainment at sporting events, runway fashion shows, hot promotional models and dancers from DC to Las Vegas. The agency is led by CEO Emme Porter. She is former Miss Massachusetts, Bella Vita REAL Reality TV Star and a three time member of the Washington Capitals Cheerleading squad called the Red Rockers. She was recently featured on www.HockeyBuzz.com. You can read the article here: Getting to Know Your Fellow Red Rockers: An Interview with Emme Porter
EmmeGirls represents a new breed of hybrid marketing agency that uses smart, beautiful models in viral grass roots advertising campaigns and the management of social media through networks, search engine optimization, and clever marketing techniques to create the social buzz for advertising and branding. Call today 202 436 5114 and visit our EmmeGirls Promotional Models website.
If you were at the 2011 NHL Winter Classic you can send your photos to have them featured on our websites: Email to Emme@EmmeGIrls.com with photo credit information
EmmeGirls Trade Show Models at North American International Auto Show 2011 NAIAS COBO Center Detroit (via EmmeGirls Blog)
Promotional Models
The EmmeGirls Trade Show Models will be in Detroit this January 10th – 23 for the North American International Auto Show 2011. Staged at the famed COBO Center in Detroit, Michigan this is one of the most prestigious Auto Shows in the world. In it’s 23rd year as an International Show NAIAS plans to exceed expectations for Detroit’s 100+ year auto show tradition. “Smarter Living in Michigan” will be presented by Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) and Detroit legends “The Rockets” will play a live show during the Charity Preview black tie gala event on January 14th. Bar none, this is the place to be for all of the latest innovations in the automobile industry. Come experience the next generation of transportation and network and mingle with the brightest minds in the industry.
Make sure you have the professional event staff on hand to increase your ROI in Detroit. EmmeGirls staffs elite CEO level spokesmodels and hot promotional models to provide the social buzz and attention you need to succeed. EmmeGirls is a national marketing agency led by CEO Emme Porter. She is former Miss Massachusetts, Bella Vita REAL Reality TV Star and a three time member of the Washington Capitals NHL cheerleading squad called the Red Rockers. Call today to book the best talent 202 436 5114 and visit our EmmeGirls Promotional Models website.
EmmeGirls Models at World Shale Gas Conference and Exhibition (via EmmeGirls Blog)
EmmeGirls staffs the most elite Promotional Models in the Las Vegas. Call today 202 436 5114 and Google EmmeGirls
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Washington Capitals Season Opener (via EmmeGirls Blog)
EmmeGirls is pleased to staff Models for FanSpeak’s big Washington Capitals Season Opener Viewing Party. Coming on the heals of an exciting Washington Capitals Convention held at the Washington Convention Center kick off the season right with fellow Caps fans as the Capitals begin their journey for the coveted Stanley Cup! This year even HBO is in the mix featuring a reality show about the matchup of the NHL’s two marquee players Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby in the NHL Winter Classic. They will be shooting footage at Kettler Capitals Iceplex today, the home of the Washington Capitals and the Washington Elite Ice Skating School. EmmeGirls and the wonderful Capitals Fans tried hard make Fedex Field a Sea of Red and BRING THE NHL WINTER CLASSIC TO DC but in the end our beloved Capitals will have to bring home the win from Heinz Field in Pittsburgh against the Penguins. At least our boys are getting to play in this exciting cash cow event! This year Alex Ovechkin, Mike Green, Nicklas Backstrom and the rest of the veterans look good and the word is that Bruce Boudreau is happy that the Caps signed Michal Neuvirth and Tom Poti with two year extensions. In the pre-season the boys have looked stellar, I think this may be the year for DC’s golden boys to bring the Stanley Cup to our Nations Capital!
“Voice Your Passion” is the FanSpeak tag line. This Washington Capitals Season Opener viewing party features FREE BEER, Capitals Cow Bell Give-Aways for the first 100 attendees, Raffles for autographed gear and the beautiful FanSpeak Models provided by EmmeGirls. The Viewing party will be held in the party room at McFadden’s in downtown DC. The game starts at 8 PM against the Thrashers so sport your best Capitals gear, arrive early and enjoy the free beer, great hockey and live entertainment. EmmeGirls is a National Promotional Marketing Agency led by CEO Emme Porter. She is former Miss Massachusetts, Bella Vita Reality TV Star and three time member of the Washington Capitals cheerleading squad called the Red Rockers. EmmeGirls uses beautiful models, Search Engine Optimizations and Social Networks Management for advertising and branding. Call today 202 436 5114 and visit our Promotional Models website.
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EmmeGirls Models at Philadelphia Sports Law Conference (via EmmeGirls Blog)
EmmeGirls Trade Show Models will be at Temple University in Downtown Philadelphia this November 11th representing high profile law firms. This is the place to be for sports law professionals. Come mingle and learn from the best minds in the industry. The distinguished group of panelists includes NFL team executives, college Athletic Directors, NFL Players Association representatives, licensed athlete agents, sports lawyers, and other professionals in the sports world.
Do you have the professional staff to make the most out of your time at Sports Law Conference? EmmeGirls Spokesmodels are a great way to provide the buzz and the image you need to succeed in Philadelphia. EmmeGirls is led by CEO Emme Porter. She is former Miss Massachusetts, Bella Vita Reality TV Star and a three time member of the Washington Capitals NHL Cheerleading squad called the Red Rockers. Trust the hottest promotional marketing agency to know the best male and female talent. Call today 202 436 5114 and visit our EmmeGirls Promotional Models website.
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EmmeGirls Models at ArcSight Protect 2010 (via EmmeGirls Blog)
EmmeGirls Trade Show Models will be at the sixth annual ArcSight Protect Conference. Staged at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center September 19th – 22nd this is the best educational symposium for security and compliance training in the country. Learn, Collaborate and Innovate with the best minds in the security business while enjoying the all that Washington, DC has to offer.
Do you have the professional staff needed to make the right impression at ArcSight? EmmeGirls is a national promotional modeling agency headquartered in DC. It is led by DC’s own Emme Porter. She is former Miss Massachusetts and three time member of the Washington Capitals NHL Cheerleader squad called the Red Rockers. Trust the hottest local company to know the best male and female talent. Call today to book the best models 202 436 5114 and visit our Spokesmodels website.
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EmmeGirls Models at SAP for Utilities (via EmmeGirls Blog)
EmmeGirls Trade Show Models will grace the Hyatt Huntington Beach Resort and Spa in Huntington Beach, CA this September 19th – 23rd representing our cutting edge clients. Touting their Sustainability for the New Energy Era campiagn SAP for Utilities is the place to be for the utility industry. Expect round table discussion and subject specific workshops on AMI/Smart Grid, CIS/CRM, Business Intelligence, Performance Management and Enterprise Asset Management. Mingle with the best minds in the industry and develop valuable relationships while embracing new technologies, fresh ideas and innovative solutions.
EmmeGirls provides Elite level SpokesModels to provide the buzz and attention you need to get the most out of your time in Huntington Beach. EmmeGirls is led by CEO Emme Porter. She is former Miss Massachusetts and is a three time member of the Washington Capitals NHL Cheerleading squad called the Red Rockers. Trust the hottest marketing agency to know the best male and female talent. Call today to book the best models 202 436 5114 and visit our Promotional Models website.
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EmmeGirls Models at JavaOne 2010 (via EmmeGirls Blog)
EmmeGirls Trade Show Models will be at the Moscone Center for JavaOne this September 19th through 23rd representing international clients. JavaOne 2010 is the most important conference of the year for the developer community. Advertising their come as you are campaign bring you jeans because developers run the show this week. Stay at the Hotel Nikko, Hilton or Parc 55 while enjoying the best education, engaging activities and hands on sessions. Network with the best minds in the business and share information about Java, PL/SQL, rich internet application development, SOA communities and more.
Make sure you have the professional staff on hand to get the most out of you time in San Francisco. EmmeGirls provides CEO level SpokesModels to give you the buzz and attention you need to succeed. EmmeGirls is led by CEO Emme Porter. She is former Miss Massachusetts and three time member of the Washington Capitals NHL Cheerleading squad called the Red Rockers. Trust the hottest National Promotional Marketing Agency to know the best male and female talent. Call today to book the best models 202 436 5114 and visit our Promotional Models website.
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EmmeGirls Trade Show Models at Dreamforce 2010 (via EmmeGirls Blog)
EmmeGirls Trade Show Models will once again be at the Moscone Center in downtown San Francisco representing international clients for the Cloud Computing Event of the Year. Dreamforce 2010 is the place to be this December 6th – 9th to learn how to build new applications with the Force.com Cloud Platform, see partner demos, network with the experts, learn best practices and more.
Make sure you have the professional staff needed to make the right impression at Dreamforce 2010. EmmeGirls Spokesmodels are a great way to get the most out of your time in San Francisco this December. We provide a list of talented and beautiful models for you to pick from to promote your company, products, after parties and more. EmmeGirls is led by CEO Emme Porter. She is former Miss Massachusetts and a three time member of the Washington Capitals NHL Cheerleading squad called the Red Rockers. Trust the hottest promotional marketing agency to know the best male and female models. Call today to book the best talent 202 436 5114 and visit our Promotional Models website.
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