The Lobbyists beat the Lawmakers in a hard-fought game at the Verizon Center last Thursday evening. But more important than the result of the third annual Congressional Hockey Challenge was the announcement afterward by Lawmakers right wing Senator John Kerry (D-MA) that this year's event raised more than $100,000 to support the Fort Dupont Ice Hockey Club and the Fort Dupont Ice Arena.
Located in the predominately African-American community of Southeast, Fort Dupont is the only indoor ice rink in Washington, DC and provides a safe place for young people to learn the game of hockey and take part in constructive activities during non-school hours.
Here are some pictures taken at the event followed by a video of Kerry speaking to the crowd after the game.
Brad Dayspring, press secretary for Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA), warming up before the game. Between periods the Verizon Center crowd sang Happy Birthday to Dayspring, who was born on March 10, 1977.
Senator John Kerry waits his turn to take shots during warm ups at the Verizon Center. Kerry earned the second star with one assist.
Willie O'Ree, the first black player in the NHL. O'Ree played winger for the Boston Bruins and is known as the "Jackie Robinson of ice hockey" for breaking the color barrier.
The man behind the mask is Representative Anthony Weiner (D-NY). Every time he made a save the crowd chanted "Weiner! Weiner!"
Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane paying a visit to the Lawmakers bench. Kane was in town for the White House ceremony honoring the team's Stanley Cup victory last season and also for Sunday's game against the Washington Capitals.
Before I mount heaps of praise upon the Chicago Blackhawks for reaching the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1992 by sweeping the San Jose Sharks, I have to make a comparison that might make Washington Capitals fans like myself question why Mike Green is on defense instead of being a forward.
The reason being is that Chicago forward Dustin Byfuglien started out as a defenseman and was moved to the forward position -- an experiment that has been wildly successful. Byfuglien scored the game-winning goal the past two games against San Jose, none more important than his third period tally at United Center this Sunday afternoon that capped a 'Hawks rally after being down two goals and sent 23,000 fans at the Madhouse on Madison into a frenzy and the Blackhawks into the Stanley Cup Finals.
Perhaps Green is better suited as a forward and could have the same kind of success as Byfuglien has had with Chicago. But that is a decision the Capitals will have to make. Maybe seeing the 'Hawks skating into the Stanley Cup Finals will make them consider changing things up a bit.
Chicago will be playing for its first championship since 1961. While a lot of that is due to Byfuglien's heroics, goaltender Antti Niemi deserves a lot of credit for keeping the 'Hawks in every game with save after spectacular save.
And with young stars like Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, the NHL couldn't have asked for a better representative from the Western Conference. Chicago will play the winner of the Flyers-Canadiens series, which could end as early as Monday night in Philadelphia with the Flyers up 3-1 against Les Habs. Of course, tell that to the Caps and Pens.
NHL legend Wayne Gretzky is holding his fantasy camp at the Bellagio in Las Vegas this year and he was gracious enough to sit down with NHL Live! interviewers E.J. Hradek and Craig Button to talk shop.
Here are a few gems from the Great One:
On what it will take for the Washington Capitals to win the Stanley Cup this year (hint: it has to do with the same position played by Grant Fuhr when the Edmonton Oilers and No. 99 were a Stanley Cup dynasty):
On the Phoenix Coyotes' cinderella season and Ilya Bryzgalov for MVP:
On what L.A. Kings defenseman Drew Doughty brought to Team Canada's gold medal run in the Vancouver Winter Olympics:
On Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane's great play in the Olympics and his teammate Jonathan Toews being a modern-day Bryan Trottier:
The Chicago Blackhawks are hitching onto the popularity of the Chicago Bears and the NFL franchise is riding the winning ways of the NHL team.
The Bears and Blackhawks have entered into a marketing partnership, reports ESPNChicago.com. The deal will include commercials, appearances at United Center and Soldier Field, and other cross-promotional activities.
Blackhawks stars such as Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews will join Bears players such as Jay Cutler and Devin Hester in the spots.
Quebec City is making an aggressive push for an NHL franchise.
Mayor Régis Labeaume recently announced the city is building a new arena to lure a team and the NHL's top brass are taking notice. Both commissioner Gary Bettman and deputy commissioner Bill Daly have both stated that a new arena will help Quebec City's cause in its competition with Kansas City and Las Vegas for a team.
The city lost the Nordiques to Denver (Colorado Avalanche) which could hurt its cause, but it also could be a positive as Daly stated: "Both Winnipeg and Quebec have already done that (supported an NHL team). We'll see how things evolve."
Title: NHL 2K10
Rating: E 10+
Price: $49.99
Release Date: September 15, 2009
Publisher: 2K Sports
Developer: Visual Concepts
Platforms: Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2
Trailer:
Title: NHL 10
Rating: E 10+
Price: $59.99
Release Date: September 15, 2009
Publisher: EA Sports
Developer: EA Canada
Platforms: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Trailer:
Both games reviewed on Xbox 360
Ice hockey video games have come a long way since the 1979 release of "Hockey!/Soccer!" for the Magnavox Odyssey² console, as this screen shot proves.
Thirty years later the video game industry "is all growns up," to borrow a quote from Vince Vaughn in "Swingers." Remember the scene when Trent and his buddies are playing "NHL 95" on the Sega Genesis? That was a big deal for a game to be featured in a major motion picture. Now, games such as "Halo 3" and "Guitar Hero" have a bigger budget then some indie films and according to market research firm NPD Group, game sales reached $21 billion in 2008.
Two companies have come to dominate the sports videogame market -- EA Sports and 2K Sports -- and both have rival releases on shelves in anticipation of the NHL season beginning in October. Electronic Arts has eight years on 2K in making hockey titles and it shows. "NHL 10" is quite simply not only the best hockey game ever but one of the greatest sports games period. That is to take nothing away from "NHL 2K10," which is a solid title. But "NHL 10" is superior in nearly every aspect, and while both titles are worth the purchase price, spending ten more dollars on "NHL 10" is a good investment.
MARKETING
2K Sports nabbed the greatest hockey player in the world as their cover athlete -- Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin (they also scored Kobe Bryant for "NBA 2K10"). But they didn't just slap him on the cover.
At the NHL Awards in Las Vegas, Ovechkin participated in a motion-capture session for the trailer. If there is an award for videogame trailers then this one should win -- the trailer magnificently captures perhaps the greatest goal ever scored -- Ovechkin's "The Goal" against Phoenix. We also get to see Ovie's controversial too-hot-to-touch stick celebration after scoring his 50th goal last season at Tampa Bay. And the tagline for the game plays on Ovie's Russian-inflected English -- "Is Party Now."
Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane is the cover athlete for "NHL 10." The slogan? "Is punch cab driver now."
Advantage: NHL 2K10
GAMEPLAY
"NHL 10" offers agile and realistic gameplay, with a helpful tutorial to adjust to the controls. A new function which works very well is the ability to pin a player to the boards on defense and kick-passing the puck along the boards and out of trouble on offense. Also, if the controls are too complicated, gamers have the ability to play with simpler pass and shoot controls and even use the original "NHL 94" controls. The in-game action feels realistic in the way the players skate, stick handle, shoot, pass and play defense.
The gameplay is the weakest part of "NHL 2K10." One wishes the developers spent as much time on the controls as the bells and whistles during the pre-game warmup. The playability actually took a step down from "NHL 2K9," as the players are sluggish in this version. It can be frustrating when the players skate around so slowly because it is hard to set up plays. Even Ovechkin doesn't skate fast. The deke moves aren't very effective, and tend to slow down the players even more. There are also too many penalties called for infractions like boarding and hooking, which slows the pace of the game down even more. Plus, there is too much lag time between faceoffs and sometimes the instant replays will drag on after the action ends.
Advantage: NHL 10
GRAPHICS
Visually both games are stunning. "NHL 2K10" enhanced their arena introductions and each venue looks spectactular with attention paid to details and vivid colors. The ice also looks amazing, with the crisp reflections of the scoreboard and the realistic wearing down of the surface as the period goes on. While the inside of the buildings look great, there isn't enough detail in the crowds or the players. The camera always keeps somewhat of a distance from the crowd and even the players on the ice.
This is in contrast to "NHL 10," which zooms in on the crowd and the players often, which in turn makes the game more compelling to play. The fans are drawn out realistically, for example there are even visiting team jerseys scattered throughout the stands, and the crowd cheers at the appropriate time. And the details on the players down to the stubble on their chins is amazingly realistic, making the instant replays a joy to watch.
Advantage: NHL 10
SOUND AND MUSIC
Veteran commentators Gary Thorne and Bill Clement provide insightful analysis and play-by-play coverage for "NHL 10," while San Jose Sharks commentators Drew Remenda and Randy Hahn are the voices again for "NHL 2K10." Remenda and Hahn do an excellent job with the material they are given. And that is the problem. Their commentary is too generic and repetitive, which after a while gets to be annoying. And sometimes they will send it rink side to John Shrader where he will say something like "I just finished talking with the coach of the Washington Capitals and he wants to see more forechecking" or some other generic statement.
On the other hand, Thorne and Clement are a pleasure to listen to, as they provide historical context to a rivalry, pepper in some color commentary about the host city, or talk about a player's stats from last year. In other words, it is way more specific to each team, each player and even each matchup.
The music soundtrack is good in both games, with the usual pop punk and hard rock suspects. An odd selection in "NHL 2K10" however is the inclusion of hip-hop song "Superstar" by Lupe Fiasco and Matthew Santos. It is perhaps more appropriate in a soccer or basketball game. The "NHL 10" standout is "Know Your Enemy" by Green Day.
This past Memorial Day weekend my parents visited Los Angeles from Washington, DC and I wanted to show them the renaissance taking place downtown so we hopped on the subway (no Jack Bauer sightings to report) and ventured into the heart of Lakerland -- the Staples Center and the adjacent L.A. Live entertainment complex. My parents are still following the NHL playoffs despite the disappointing end to the Caps' season at the hands of the hated Pens and we were determined to find that elusive channel called Versus since, like many other basic cable subscribers, I don't receive the former Outdoor Life Network (but I do get three ESPN channels!).
Following an excellent guided walking tour of the historic core, we went on a journey to find a single TV showing the Pittsburgh-Carolina game in a sea of purple-and-gold clad Lakers fans clamoring for a good vantage point of the Los Angeles-Denver game in the bars and restaurants surrounding Staples.
Now, the fact that every television set within a 50-mile radius of Los Angeles was showing the Lakers game is entirely understandable (we finally found one TV showing the Pens-Canes game at a downtown hotel thanks to a couple of Avs fans from Denver who weren't much into the Nuggets).
But it is what happened the previous night that convinces me that if the NHL has any intention of spreading its fan base beyond traditional puckheads, the league must re-sign with ESPN when its contract with Versus expires in 2011.
The Blackhawks-Wings series should have garnered the national attention at least somewhere close to the level of the Cavaliers-Magic NBA playoffs series. The matchup featured two of the NHL's Original Six teams. One: the defending Stanley Cup champs. The other: a proud franchise making a comeback in the third-largest media market in North America behind rising young stars Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews.
So, you would think a large sports bar in Los Angeles would be showing Chicago-Detroit Game 3 (which the 'Hawks won in OT) on at least one TV screen amongst at least 30 showing the Cleveland-Orlando game. Nope. I asked the server why every single TV was showing basketball and she responded with an emphatic and assured "It's the playoffs!" before calling the manager over to change the channel to Versus.
When we finally settled in to watch the game I overheard a couple of buddies asking what channel Versus was on: "Isn't Versus on channel 9,000?" said one friend to the other in a mocking tone.
"While I think Versus is doing a nice job with the NHL playoffs, and their production has been terrific, having the games over there lacks the buzz that hockey so desperately needs had the action been on ESPN. Like it or not, ESPN is the sports behemoth and anything telecast on there will usually get more play and coverage -- whether it's worthy or not."
Levine added: "If Alex Ovechkin vs. Sidney Crosby was on ESPN, it would've been huge, and made a big impression beyond traditional hockey cities, i.e. the West Coast and Midwest towns."
For years hockey fans have complained about the sport playing second fiddle on ESPN, but until Versus gets the penetration of ESPN and is picked up by every cable provider and hotel, classic games such as Caps-Pens game 2 in which both Ovechkin and Crosby scored hat tricks, will not generate much excitement outside of Washington, Pittsburgh, Canada and Russia.
And yes at least some of the playoff games are televised on NBC. That's great. But it's not enough. Not when Versus is carrying Games 3 and 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals, meaning many won't be able to watch what is possibly the final game if one of the teams sweeps. All the Stanley Cup Finals games should be on NBC. And Versus can keep Professional Bull Riding while the NHL goes to ESPN and gets the national attention it deserves.
Detroit center Darren Helm scored the game winner four minutes into the extra session, ruining a valiant effort between the pipes by the Blackhawks' backup goaltender Cristobal Huet, who stopped 50 shots out of 52 he faced. Huet replaced injured starter Nikolai Khabibulin. Red Wings goalie Chris Osgood was also solid behind the net, making 30 saves.
Detroit's Dan Cleary scored the first goal in the third period and Chicago's Patrick Kane tied it with 7:07 left in regulation.
The first game of the Stanley Cup Finals takes place Saturday, May 30 at 8 pm EST/5 pm PST on NBC.
Brad Dayspring, press secretary for Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA), warming up before the game. Between periods the Verizon Center crowd sang Happy Birthday to Dayspring, who was born on March 10, 1977.
Senator John Kerry waits his turn to take shots during warm ups at the Verizon Center. Kerry earned the second star with one assist.
Willie O'Ree, the first black player in the NHL. O'Ree played winger for the Boston Bruins and is known as the "Jackie Robinson of ice hockey" for breaking the color barrier.
The man behind the mask is Representative Anthony Weiner (D-NY). Every time he made a save the crowd chanted "Weiner! Weiner!"
Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane paying a visit to the Lawmakers bench. Kane was in town for the White House ceremony honoring the team's Stanley Cup victory last season and also for Sunday's game against the Washington Capitals.
Before I mount heaps of praise upon the Chicago Blackhawks for reaching the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1992 by sweeping the San Jose Sharks, I have to make a comparison that might make Washington Capitals fans like myself question why Mike Green is on defense instead of being a forward.
