February 16, 2005: The NHL Season Is Canceled

February 16, 2005, 20 years ago: National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman cancels the 2004-05 season. In so doing, he becomes the 1st boss of any of North America's "Big Four" major sports leagues to cancel an entire season.

Previously:

* 1972: Major League Baseball players went on strike. It was quickly settled, but each team had its 1st few games of the regular season canceled, between 6 and 9.

* 1973: MLB team owners locked the players out, prior to the start of Spring Training. It was quickly settled, and no games were lost, not even Spring Training exhibition games.

* 1974: National Football League players went on strike. The team owners used all-rookie teams as replacement players, and then settle the strike. No regular-season games were lost.

* 1976: MLB team owners locked the players out during Spring Training. It was settled, and no regular-season games were lost.

* 1980: MLB players went on strike. The last week of Spring Training was canceled, but the strike was quickly settled, and no regular-season games were lost.

* 1981: MLB players went on strike in mid-season. It took 2 months to settle it, and each team lost between 51 and 59 regular-season games.

* 1982: NFL players went on strike. This time, 7 regular-season games were canceled before it was settled.

* 1985: MLB players went on strike in mid-season. The strike was settled in 3 days, and all but 2 of the postponed games were made up.

* 1987: NFL players went on strike. One regular-season game was canceled, and then the team owners used replacement players, or "scabs," for 2 weeks. The fans hated it, and the strike was settled.

* 1990: MLB team owners locked the players out in Spring Training. It was soon settled, and the regular season got pushed back a week, but all games were played.

* 1992: The NHL owners began their 1st lockout, late in the regular season, which ended up canceling 30 games, but was resolved in time to have a full Stanley Cup Playoffs.

* 1994: MLB players went on strike, and Commissioner Bud Selig ended up canceling the last 1/3rd of the regular season and the entire postseason. It was settled the following April, resulting in a delay of both Spring Training and the regular season, and the cancellation of the 1st 18 regular-season games.

* 1995: Another NHL lockout, before the start of the season, not resolved until the New Year, shortening the 82-game season to 44 games.

* 1995: National Basketball Association team owners locked out the players. It was settled before any regular-season games could be postponed.

* 1996: There was another NBA lockout, but it lasted only 2 hours. The regular season was not seriously threatened.

* 1998: There was another NBA lockout. This one lasted into the New Year, and turned the usual 82-game season into a 50-game season.

None of these was as damaging as baseball's Strike of '94, which canceled the postseason. But the 2004-05 NHL lockout was worse: It ended up canceling the entire season, something that had never happened in North American sports, and hasn't happened since.

Why did it happen? The team owners wanted a salary cap, and the NHL Players Association didn't. Their alternative was revenue sharing. The owners held firm: They would rather lose all the revenue of an entire season than give up on the salary cap.

Those owners included Wayne Gretzky, who from 2000 to 2009 was a 10 percent owner of the team then known as the Phoenix Coyotes; and Mario Lemieux, who, due to his contract making him the Pittsburgh Penguins' biggest creditor, was made that team's majority owner upon their bankruptcy declaration in 1999. Since Lemieux was now a team owner, he had to resign as a member of the NHLPA, due to the conflict of interest.

To their credit, both Gretzky and Lemieux -- arguably, 2 of the 5 greatest players who have ever played -- tried to settle the lockout peacefully, without looking like they were betraying the players. Gretzky didn't have his team's vote in the ownership meetings. Lemieux had his, and was willing to accept the salary cap, if it was structured like the one the NFL had adopted. In the end, though, both men gave in to the other owners. Today, Lemieux remains the Pens' majority owner. And, as far as I'm concerned, both men have a cloud over them.

The players did not lose much in the short term: Most of them went to play in the various European leagues: Russia, Finland, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Germany, Switzerland, France.

The lockout was settled on July 22, 2005, allowing the 2005-06 season, both pre- and regular, to begin on time. In the end, both ideas went into effect: The players caved and allowed the salary cap, and the owners, knowing they'd won, accepted the revenue sharing.

Bettman thus cemented himself as the worst Commissioner in sports history. True, in 1994, Bud Selig canceled a postseason, 1/3rd of a regular season, 1/9th of another, a Spring Training, and screwed up an All-Star Game that was played in the ballpark he himself got built. But he didn't cancel an entire season. Bettman did.

There has since been another lockout, with the 2005 CBA having run out, resulting in a new negotiation that delayed the opening of the 2012-13 regular season until January 13, and the season shortened to 48 games.

Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame Marcel Aubut for the Quebec Nordiques Moving to Denver

July 1, 1995, 25 years ago: The deal to move the Québec Nordiques to Denver is made official, approved by the National Hockey League. They become the Colorado Avalanche.

Previously, Denver had been home to the Denver Spurs of the World Hockey Association in the 1975-76 season, then the Colorado Rockies of the NHL from 1976 to 1982. The Spurs failed after 1 season, the Rockies after 6. The Rockies moved to the Meadowlands, becoming the New Jersey Devils.

Starting in the WHA in 1972, the Nordiques reached the Finals in 1975, losing to the Houston Aeros. They made the Finals again in 1977, and beat the Winnipeg Jets. They made the Playoffs in their last 5 seasons in the WHA, and were 1 of the 4 teams that were absorbed into the NHL in 1979.

They didn't do so well. They only won 2 regular-season Division titles, in the Adams Division in 1985 and the Northeast Division in 1995. They got to the Conference Finals in 1982 and 1985, but fell apart by 1987.

They went 12-61-7 in 1989-90, by which time Marcel Aubut had gone from team president under their ownership group to majority owner; 16-50-14 in 1990-91, and 20-48-12 in 1991-92. They got back to the Playoffs in 1993 and 1995. But even though they were once again finding success on the ice, they were losing money, and ended up moving.

The Avalanche have been considerably more successful than their predecessors, either the Nordiques or the previous Denver teams. In just their 1st season, 1995-96, they did something they never came all that close to doing in Québec City: They won the Stanley Cup. The players did the right thing: They took the Cup back to Québec City, where it hadn't been won by a native team ever, except for the 1912 and 1913 Quebec Bulldogs.

The Avs won another Cup in 2001, beating, with some irony, the former Denver NHL team, the Devils. They've also reached the Conference Finals in 1997, 1999, 2000 and 2002. After a down period, they won a Playoff round last season, and got to Game 7 of the Conference Semifinals.

Québec City, meanwhile, has done their best to get a new team. They've built a new arena, the Videotron Centre. They've got a fan movement going. And they've seen several NHL teams have pathetically low attendance, including, in recent times, the Avalanche. But also the Carolina Hurricanes (who used to be a WHA-NHL team, the New England/Hartford Whalers), the Arizona Coyotes (who used to be a WHA-NHL team, the original version of the Winnipeg Jets), the Atlanta Thrashers (who moved to become the new Winnipeg Jets), the Florida Panthers, the New York Islanders, and, alas, the Devils.

But NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman hates Canada, and knows that a team in Québec City won't generate as much revenue as, say, a Sun Belt team. He's been proven right with the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Dallas Stars, the Anaheim Ducks and, ugh, the Vegas Golden Knights. But he's also been proven wrong with Miami (the Panthers), Atlanta and Arizona.

As for Québec City hockey, they have the Québec Remparts of the Québec Major Junior Hockey League, reaching that league's Finals in 2006 and 2015, although they lost both times. They've reached the Playoffs every season of their existence, since their establishment in 1997. And, by QMJHL standards, they're very well-supported.

Maybe it's time to move a team to Québec. The NHL overlooked Bettman's love of the Sun Belt and his hatred of Canada, and righted a wrong, and allowed the Atlanta-to-Winnipeg move of 2011. And, while Minnesota isn't in Canada (no matter how cold it gets there), they allowed an expansion team to replace the North Stars, who had moved to Dallas, righting a wrong there. Maybe they can do it again, for Québec City.

The move of the Nordiques was wrong, wasn't it? Sure, the Avs have done well at times, but shouldn't Denver have waited for the expansions of the end of the 20th Century? It was just 3 more seasons for the Nashville Predators, 4 more for the Thrashers, and 5 more for the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Minnesota Wild.

It was wrong for Aubut to sell the Nordiques to someone who would move the team out of Québec City, right? T-shirts reading "Marcel Aubut: Wanted Dead or Alive" were often seen in Québec in the late 1990s. And he walked away with $15 million from the sale (about $25 million in today's money). All Nordiques fans got was... those lousy T-shirts?

Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame Marcel Aubut for the Québec Nordiques Moving to Denver

First, some reasons that didn't make the final cut: The Best of the Rest.

Marcel Aubut. He had already kept them afloat once, and gotten them what should have been their biggest break: Surviving the WHA and entering the NHL.

Not every good WHA team survived. The Houston Aeros made the Playoffs in each of the league's 1st 6 seasons, making the Finals 3 times, winning 2 titles, but they didn't even make it to the last season of 1978-79, much less to the merger.

The Cleveland Crusaders, the Minnesota Fighting Saints and the San Diego Mariners each made the Playoffs 3 times. So did the franchise that began as the Ottawa Nationals, and became the Toronto Toros and the Birmingham Bulls, once in each city. But none of these teams got to the final WHA season.

The Cincinnati Stingers, the Indianapolis Racers, and the Philadelphia Blazers/Calgary Cowboys franchise each made the Playoffs twice. The Chicago Cougars, the Los Angeles Sharks and the Phoenix Roadrunners each made it once, but none was still in business for the final WHA season.

The Nordiques were defending champions in 1977-78, but were still on the verge of folding when they were bought by the Carling-O'Keefe Brewery. They appointed Aubut, then a noted Québec City lawyer, as their new president.

To his credit, since 1995, he has tried to get a new team for the city. He was instrumental in helping get the Videotron Centre built. He does seem to be sorry for what he did, unlike most team owners who cause their team to move, due to either their greed, their mismanagement, or factors beyond their control. Keep that in mind as we go on: Sometimes, there are factors beyond the team owner's control.

He was respected enough to have been elected President of the Canadian Olympic Committee -- the 1st Francophone ever so honored. He was re-elected in 2014.  He resigned in 2015, after allegations of sexual harassment. He has apologized for his behavior, and has never been criminally charged, nor sued.

Gary Bettman. If he wants an NHL team to move, it moves, as we have seen.

However, for once, an NHL team moved from a cold weather city, especially in Canada, to a city in America's South or West, and Bettman was not the person most responsible. No question about it, he didn't want the Nordiques to stay in Québec City. But even if he had, I'm not sure there's much he could have done about it. There were other factors at work, as you will soon see.

The Montréal Canadiens. The rivalry between the Habs and the Nords was vicious at times, peaking in a long, nasty fight in a Playoff game at the Montreal Forum on April 20, 1984, known as the Good Friday Massacre.

In French, it is known as La Bataille du Vendredi Saint.

The Nords beat the Habs in the Playoffs in 1982 and 1985; but lost to them in 1984, 1987 and 1993. And they just couldn't compete with them for the hearts and minds of the Province of Québec. All those Stanley Cups the Canadiens won before the Nordiques were even founded. All those legends, including Georges Vezina, Howie Morenz, Maurice and Henri Richard, Doug Harvey, Jacques Plante, and Jean Beliveau, who grew up near Québec City. He and Plante both played for the Quebec Aces of the old Quebec Senior Hockey League.

And even when the Nords were succeeding in the WHA, the Habs won 6 Cups in the 1970s. Yvan Cournoyer, Ken Dryden, Guy Lafleur, Larry Robinson. Finally, Québec City native Patrick Roy starred for them in goal -- and then, to rub it in, Roy joined the team after the move to Colorado, and helped them win 2 Cups. (Lafleur ended his career with the Nords, but it was hardly the same thing.)

No matter how much the media tried to make the Nords the team of French speakers and Québec
nationalists, and the Habs the team of English speakers and Canadian nationalists, it just didn't work in the Nords' favor. The Canadiens would always be the Province's favorite team. Or, being that it's Canada, its favourite team.

It was pretty much the same thing as New England: The Whalers would never be as popular as the Boston Bruins, not even in Connecticut. Even in North and Central Jersey, the Devils still haven't eliminated fandom for the New York Rangers. The Anaheim Ducks have the same problem, with many people in Orange County not yet giving up on the Los Angeles Kings.

Eric Lindros. If he had signed with the Nords, would they have stayed? Maybe not: Eventually, he would have demanded a salary that Aubut probably could not have paid. Or, maybe his presence would have driven up revenues enough to pay his salary and save the team.

But it was never going to happen. Whether it was his decision, or that of his parents, Carl and Bonnie, who would later drive the Philadelphia Flyers' management nuts (and Ed Snider and Bob Clarke didn't need the help), Lindros wasn't going to play for the Nordiques. Upon his election to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2016, he told ESPN he didn't have a problem with the city, or with its fans, or with having to learn French. It was all about Aubut: "I was not going to play for that individual, period."

Eric Lindros, making peace with Québec City, 2017

Now, the Top 5:

5. Le Colisée de Québec. It had been built in 1949, for the Quebec Aces of the Quebec Senior Hockey League, with 10,034 seats. When the Nordiques arrived in 1972, capacity was roughly the same.

A condition for them entering the NHL was a larger arena. An expansion got capacity up to 15,750, but it remained an old-time arena. By the time the Nords left in 1995, only the Montreal Forum, Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, and the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium were older; the Gardens was the only one of those left at the start of the 1996-97 season, and in the 1998-99 season, even that was closed.

The arena in its last years, known as Colisée Pepsi

A new arena was necessary, and it was not soon in coming. Denver had that part of the answer:

4. Denver. If an NHL team was going to move in 1995, Denver was a great place to go. It was a city of about 600,000 people with a metropolitan area of about 3 million. It had the McNichols Sports Arena, built in 1975, and by 1995 having a capacity of 17,171; and a plan to build a new arena, which became the Pepsi Center (ironically, having the same sponsor that the Colisée would have in its last years), which opened in 1999 and seated 18,007 for hockey. (UPDATE: In 2020, it was renamed the Ball Arena. Good name for an NBA venue, not so much for the NHL.)

Pepsi Center

True, both the NHL and the WHA had failed in Denver in the 1970s. But the 1990s had seen the city embrace baseball, with the Colorado Rockies name revived; and keep its interest in football with the Broncos and basketball with the Nuggets. Colorado was ready to try hockey again.

3. The Québec Major Junior Hockey League. It's not just the Remparts. It has teams from all over the Province, from Gatineau on the Québec side of the Ottawa River across from the national capital to Rimouski in the Gaspé Peninsula, a span of 456 miles. Because of the QMJHL, the people of Québec don't really miss the Nordiques.

LHJMQ (Ligue de hockey junior majeur du Québec) also includes teams in the Provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. That nearly doubles the span, to 835 miles. 

2. Demographics. Québec City is home to 532,000 people. There are cities in North America with fewer people and at least one major league sports team. But, as is the case with pretty much every major Canadian city except Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver, the metropolitan area doesn't have much in the way of suburbs. What suburbs it does have makes the overall population rise to only about 800,000.

Québec City

It simply isn't big enough of a metropolitan area to support a major league team, in any sport. Certainly not in the NHL, with 41 home games a year to sell to fans, in the cold Winter months.

But the big culprit is politics. And I don't mean NHL politics, led by dictator Gary Bettman. I mean actual politics. A very nasty form, which is tinged by national pride (for both a real country and a proposed country), language, and even religion, all of it carrying accusations of discrimination:

1. The Parti Québecois. First, they won the Provincial election in 1976, and launched a sovereignty referendum in 1980. It failed by a vote of 60 percent to 40. Then they lost the 1985 election. But they regained power in 1994, partly due to the federal government's alleged slights to the Province and its culture.

Behind party leader and Premier (like the Governor of one of our States) Jacques Parizeau, the PQ (or "Pequistes") launched a new referendum in 1995, and both sides campaigned very hard for it, including with competing rallies in downtown Montreal, the city where it was always going to be decided, and with ugly charges on both sides. In the end, on October 30, 1995, the vote was nearly an even 50-50 split.

Jacques Parizeau, Premier of Québec 1994-96,

very nearly the 1st President of the Republic of Québec

It just barely failed. With a turnout of 93.5 percent of registered voters, here was the result: Non, 2,362,648 votes, or 50.58 percent; Oui, 2,308,360 votes, or 49.42 percent. The number of spoiled ballots, ballots that could not be accepted for whatever reason, was larger than the Non side's margin of victory, 54,288 votes -- shades of what would happen in Florida 5 years later.

That was 4 months after the Nordiques moved. That was the PQ's only concern in 1995: Separating from Anglophone Canada. Prior to the move, or to the rumors of a move, the PQ were not the least bit interested in building a new arena to keep the Nordiques, or modernizing the old one. They just wanted to stick it to the federal government in Ottawa, to "protect the French language," and to promote Québec's status from that of a "distinct society" within Canada to an independent nation of its own.

Anything else was simply pas notre département. This would also include building a new ballpark for the Montreal Expos: They weren't willing to do that, either, any more than the City of Montreal was.

The PQ was more interested in stepping to Ottawa than in stepping up for its own people. Said people finally accepted this in 2003, and restored the Liberal Party to power in the Provincial election. By then, restoring the Provincial capital to the NHL had ceased to be a priority.

VERDICT: Not Guilty. Marcel Aubut is no saint, but he's also not a major reason why the Québec Nordiques moved. And he still has a chance, and apparently still has the desire, to get the city restored to the NHL.

Martin Brodeur, Hall-of-Famer

On the new Hockey Hall of Fame inductees:

Martin Brodeur of my New Jersey Devils: No surprise, totally deserved. He is, statistically, the greatest goaltender who ever lived.

Martin St. Louis, longtime star of the Tampa Bay Lighting: Also no surprise. Also totally deserved.

Willie O'Ree, the 1st black player in the NHL, in 1958, 60 years ago: What took them so long? Probably only looking at his playing, and not seeing what he'd done in terms of inspiration. Hence, his election was in the "Builders" category, not in the "Players" category.

Alexander Yakushev: I never saw this Soviet star of the 1960s and '70s play, but his international record is exemplary.

Jayna Hefford: I will take the word of those who know women's hockey better than I do.

Gary Bettman: A disgrace. Never mind that, unlike players, the Commissioner doesn't have to be retired to be elected: No one has done more to besmirch the game. Then again, the Baseball Hall of Fame elected Walter O'Malley and his puppet Bowie Kuhn.

*

Days until the next Yankees-Red Sox series begins: 2, this Friday night, at 7:05, at Yankee Stadium II.

Days until the New York Red Bulls play again: 4, this Sunday afternoon, away to Toronto FC, the defending MLS Champions.

Days until the Red Bulls next play a "derby": 11, a week from next Sunday, July 8, at Yankee Stadium II. Unless it's forced to be moved to Citi Field, East Hartford, or, this would be funny, Red Bull Arena. Their next game against the New England Revolution will be on Saturday, July 21, at Red Bull Arena. Their 1st game against D.C. United, and their 1st game ever at the new Audi Field, will be on Wednesday night, July 25. Their next game against the Philadelphia Union will be on Sunday, October 21, at Talen Energy Stadium.

Days until The Arsenal play again: 29, on Thursday, July 26, against Atlético Madrid in the International Champions Cup, a glorified friendly, at the National Stadium in Singapore.

Days until the 2018 trading deadline, after which we won't have to fear Yankee general manager Brian Cashman trading any proven good players for "prospects": 34, on Tuesday, July 31. Under 5 weeks.

Days until Arsenal play a competitive game with a manager other than Arsène Wenger: 45, in the 2018-19 Premier League season opener, on Saturday, August 11, home to defending Premier League Champions Manchester City. A little over 6 weeks.

Days until Rutgers University plays football again: 68, on Saturday, September 1, home to Texas State University. Under 10 weeks.

Days until East Brunswick High School plays football again: Unknown. The 2018 schedule hasn't been released yet. But the season opener is usually on the 1st Friday in September. That would be September 7, which is 72 days from now.

Days until the U.S. national soccer team plays again: 72, on Friday, September 7, a "friendly" against Brazil, at MetLife Stadium at the Meadowlands.

Days until the New Jersey Devils play again: 101, on Saturday, October 6, against the Edmonton Oilers, at... Scandinavium, an arena in Göteborg (Gothenburg), Sweden. Yes, that will be a regular-season game, part of the NHL Global Series. The Mulberry Street Marauders will warm up for it on October 1, with an exhibition game in Switzerland against SC Bern; while the Oilers will visit Kölner Haie in Cologne, Germany on October 3.

Days until the New Jersey Devils next play a local rival: 115, on Saturday afternoon, October 20, against the Philadelphia Flyers, a.k.a. The Philth, at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. The 1st game against the New York Islanders, a.k.a. the Fish Sticks, will be on Saturday night, November 3, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The 1st game against the New York Rangers, a.k.a. The Scum, will be on Thursday night, January 31, 2019, at the Prudential Center.

Days until the next Congressional election, when we can elect a Democratic Congress that can impeach and remove Donald Trump from the Presidency: 132, on November 6. A little over 4 months.

Days until the next Rutgers-Penn State game: 143, on Saturday, November 17, at High Point Solutions Stadium in Piscataway, New Jersey.

Days until the next East Brunswick-Old Bridge Thanksgiving high school football game: 148, on Thursday, November 22. A little under 5 months.

Days until the next North London Derby: 157, on Saturday, December 1, at the Emirates Stadium.

Days until a Democratic Congress can convene, and the impeachment process can begin: 190, on Thursday, January 3, 2019. A little over 6 months.

Days until the Baseball Hall of Fame vote is announced, electing Mariano Rivera: 210, on January 23, 2019. A little under 7 months.

Days until the next Women's World Cup kicks off: 345, on June 7, 2019, in France. A little over 11 months. The U.S. team, as 3-time and defending Champions, has, as usual, a better chance than the men's team would have had in 2018 anyway.

Days until the Yankees and Red Sox play each other in London: 367, on June 29, 2019. A shade over a year, or a little over 12 months.

Days until my 50th Birthday, at which point I can join AARP and get discounts for travel and game tickets: 539, on December 18, 2019. A little under a year and a half, or a little under 18 months.

Days until the Baseball Hall of Fame vote is announced, electing Derek Jeter: 574, on January 22, 2020. A little over a year and a half, or a little under 19 months.

Days until the next Summer Olympics begins in Tokyo, Japan: 758, on July 24, 2020. A little over 2 years, or under 26 months.

Days until the next Presidential election, when we can dump the Trump-Pence regime and elect a real Administration: 860, on November 3, 2020. Under 2 1/2 years, or a little over 28 months.

Days until Liberation Day: 938, at noon on January 20, 2021. Under 3 years, or a little under 31 months. Note that this is liberation from the Republican Party, not just from Donald Trump. Having Mike Pence as President wouldn't be better, just differently bad, mixing theocracy with plutocracy, rather than mixing kleptocracy with plutocracy.

Days until the next Winter Olympics (after the current one in Pyeongchang, Korea) begins in Beijing, China: 1,318, on February 4, 2022. Under 4 years, or a little over 43 months.

Days until the next World Cup for which the American team will be eligible is scheduled to kick off: 1,609, on November 21, 2022, in Qatar. Under 4 1/2 years, or under 53 months. The charges of corruption against Qatar may yet mean that they will lose the tournament, in which case it will be moved to a nation where it would not be too hot to play it in June and July.

How Long It's Been: A Canadian Team Won the Stanley Cup

On June 9, 1993, the Montreal Canadiens beat the Los Angeles Kings at the Montreal Forum. The score was 4-1, and that was also the Canadiens' margin of victory in the Stanley Cup Finals. Thus did they win their 24th Stanley Cup, far and away the record.

Gary Bettman was in his 1st season as Commissioner of the National Hockey League.

No team based in Canada has won the Stanley Cup since.

In the immortal words of NCIS' Leroy Jethro Gibbs (played by ex-football quarterback Mark Harmon), "Rule Number 39: There is no such thing as coincidence."

1994: The Vancouver Canucks reached the Finals, and came back from a 3-1 deficit against the New York Rangers to force a Game 7, but lost.

2004: It had taken 10 years for another Canada-based team to reach the Finals. (The Buffalo Sabres reached in 1999, and even they kinda got screwed, but, despite various circumstances that make such confusion understandable, Buffalo is not in Canada.) The Calgary Flames led 3-2, but got screwed in Game 6, and lost in Game 7.

2006: The Edmonton Oilers reached the Finals, but lost Game 7.

2007: The Ottawa Senators reached the Finals, but lost in 5 games.

2011: The Canucks made the Finals again, but lost Game 6 after the Boston Bruins let the ice melt a little at the TD Garden, slowing things down. Not officially "cheating," but the sort of thing the Boston Celtics did at the old Boston Garden. The Bruins won Game 7 in Vancouver.

Meanwhile, such Southern and Western U.S. teams as the Colorado Avalanche (1996 and 2001), the Dallas Stars (1999), the Tampa Bay Lightning (2004), the Raleigh-based Carolina Hurricanes (2006), the Anaheim Ducks (2007) and the Los Angeles Kings (2012 and 2014). In addition, Sun Belt teams reached the Finals but lost in 1996 (the Miami area's Florida Panthers), 2000 (the Stars again), 2002 (the Hurricanes), 2003 (the Ducks), 2015 (the Lightning again), 2016 (the San Jose Sharks), 2017 (the Nashville Predators) and 2018 (the Vegas Golden Knights).

Of those 10 Southern and Western teams, only 1, Los Angeles, had played in their current city prior to 1991. Much of that tilting of the NHL away from the country that gave birth to it has been Bettman's doing:

* 1993: The Minnesota North Stars were moved to become the Dallas Stars.
* 1995: The Quebec Nordiques were moved to become the Colorado Avalanche, and a rumor went around that the New Jersey Devils would be moved to Nashville, but that didn't happen. It was a rare back-down by Bettman.
* 1996: The original Winnipeg Jets were moved to become the Phoenix Coyotes, now the Arizona Coyotes. This was only partially mitigated by one of Bettman's Sun Belt teams, the Atlanta Thrashers, failing, and moving to become the new Winnipeg Jets.
* 1997: The Hartford Whalers were moved to become the Carolina Hurricanes.

Does Bettman really believe that the future of the NHL is in the Sun Belt, rather than in Canada? It is true that the Stars, the Lightning, the Predators, and all 3 California teams have done well for a while, and the early success of the Golden Knights suggests the same.

But the Coyotes, the Hurricanes and the Panthers are failing in the Sun Belt. But Bettman hasn't allowed any of them to move to Quebec City (which has a new arena), Hartford (which doesn't), or Seattle (which, at least, is working on it).

UPDATE: Bettman allowed an expansion team for Seattle, to begin play in the 2021-22 season, rather than let one of the failing Sun Belt teams to move there.

Meanwhile, no Canadian team has won the Cup since the Canadiens, on June 9, 1993, 25 years ago today. How long has that been?

*

The Canadiens featured 2 players who are already in the Hockey Hall of Fame, goaltender Patrick Roy and center Denis Savard; and 5 others who should be seriously considered: Centers Guy Carbonneau and Vincent Damphousse, left wing John LeClair, and defensemen Mathieu Schneider and Eric Desjardins.

Ties were still possible in NHL regular-season games. The penalty shootout was not being seriously considered. NHL players were not yet eligible for the national teams in the Winter Olympics.

Madison Square Garden in New York and the Saddledome in Calgary are the only arenas still in use by NHL teams that were in use in the 1992-93 season. The only ones in the NBA were Garden and what's now called the Oracle Arena in Oakland, and that's got only 1 more season before the Golden State Warriors move back across the Bay to San Francisco. Only 7 NFL stadiums in use then are in use now (and one of them is used by a different team), and 9 MLB stadiums.

The New York Rangers hadn't won the Stanley Cup in 53 years. They now have. The Detroit Red Wings hadn't won it in 38 years. They have since won 4. The Chicago Blackhawks hadn't won it in 32 years. They have since won 3. The Boston Bruins hadn't won it in 21 years. They have since won 1. The Toronto Maple Leafs hadn't won it in 26 years. They... uh, let's move on.

The Devils, the team then known as the Quebec Nordiques, the team then known as the Minnesota North Stars, the Tampa Bay Lightning, the team then known as the Hartford Whalers, the Anaheim Ducks, the Los Angeles Kings and the Washington Capitals had never won the Stanley Cup.

The Devils, the Nords, the Kings, the Florida Panthers, the Whalers, the Ducks, the Caps, the Lightning, the new Ottawa Senators, the San Jose Sharks, the Nashville Predators and the Vegas Golden Knights had never reached the Stanley Cup Finals.

The North Stars hadn't yet moved to become the Dallas Stars. The Nords hadn't yet moved to become the Colorado Avalanche. The Whalers hadn't yet moved to become the Carolina Hurricanes. The Winnipeg Jets hadn't yet moved to become the Phoenix, now Arizona, Coyotes. The Panthers, the Ducks, the Predators, the Atlanta Thrashers, the Minnesota Wild, the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Golden Knights didn't even exist yet. And the Thrashers hadn't yet moved to become the new Winnipeg Jets.

All those facts have since changed.

Hockey legends Murray Murdoch, Red Horner, Mush March, Toe Blake, Lorne Carr, Syl Apps, Harry Watson and Maurice Richard were still alive.

Most of the defining hockey figures of my childhood were now in the Hall of Fame: Bobby Orr, Ken Dryden, Phil Esposito, Bobby Clarke, Darryl Sittler, Mike Bossy, Denis Potvin, Guy Lafleur. Larry Robinson was newly retired, and Bryan Trottier was wrapping up his career.

Martin Brodeur had just finished his rookie season with the Devils. Patrik Elias and Zdeno Chara were in Czechoslovakia's version of high school -- and the country had just split up into the Czech Republic (Elias) and Slovakia (Chara).

Henrik Zetterberg was 12 years old, Henrik Lundqvist 11, Andy Greene 10; Rick Nash and Marc-Andre Fleury 8; Alexander Ovechkin and Jonathan Quick 7; Evgeni Malkin and T.J. Oshie 6; Sidney Crosby, Carey Price, Claude Giroux and Jonathan Toews 5; Sergei Bobrovsky, Patrick Kane and P.K. Subban 4; Keith Kinkaid was about to turn 4; Ryan McDonagh and Steven Stamkos 3; John Tavares 2; Aretemi Panarin and Taylor Hall 1 1/2; and Connor McDavid and Nico Hischier hadn't been born yet.

Doug Weight, the recently-fired and not-yet-replaced the head coach of the Islanders, was playing for... the Rangers. David Quinn of the Rangers was playing for the minor-league Cleveland Lumberjacks. John Hynes of the Devils was in high school. So was Mickey Callaway of the Mets.

Pat Shurmur of the Giants was an assistant coach at Michigan State. Todd Bowles of the Jets was playing for the Washington Redskins. Kenny Atkinson of the Nets was playing in Spain's basketball league. Aaron Boone of the Yankees was at the University of Southern California. Jesse Marsch of the Red Bulls was at Princeton University. David Fizdale of the Knicks was at the University of San Diego. And Patrick Vieira of NYCFC was in the youth system of French club Tours FC.

The defending World Champions were the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Toronto Blue Jays, the Dallas Cowboys and the Chicago Bulls. Riddick Bowe was the Heavyweight Champion of the World. The Olympic Games have since been held in America twice, Norway, Japan, Australia, Greece, Italy, China, Canada, Britain and Russia. Soccer's World Cup has since been held in America, France, Japan, Korea, Germany, South Africa and Brazil.

The idea that corporations were "people," and entitled to the rights and protections thereof, was considered ridiculous. Then again, so was the idea that two people of the same gender could marry each other with all the rights and protections of marriage. Of the 9 Justices then on the U.S. Supreme Court, only 2 remain: Anthony Kennedy and Clarence Thomas, although Ruth Bader Ginsburg was days away from being appointed to the vacancy in the seat of the retiring Byron White.

The President of the United States was Bill Clinton -- who, of course, was married to Hillary Clinton. Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, their wives, and the widows of John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson were all still alive.

George W. Bush was 47, failing as owner of baseball's Texas Rangers, already a 3-times-failed businessman and a once-failed candidate for Congress, and was wondering what he was going to do with his life. Barack Obama was a civil rights attorney in Chicago, who had not yet run for public office. His wife Michelle was running a nonprofit organization.

Donald Trump was preparing to divorce Wife 1, Ivana Trump, and marry Wife 2, Marla Maples. Guests at the wedding included Rosie O'Donnell and O.J. Simpson. That's how long ago this was: Not only did The Donald have only 1 wife by this point, but he was still friends with both Rosie and O.J., and nobody thought that was a bad thing. Melania Knauss was modeling and in college.

The Governor of the State of New York was Mario Cuomo; his son, Andrew, now Governor himself, was then Assistant Secretary of Housing & Urban Development. The Mayor of the City of New York was David Dinkins, but he was about to lose the office to Rudy Giuliani; the current Mayor, Bill de Blasio, was then an aide to Dinkins.

The Prime Minister of Canada was Kim Campbell, who had just taken office, and was thus left to take the battering in a federal election because outgoing PM Brian Mulroney was a coward. Jean Chretien would soon be Prime Minister.

The monarch of Canada, and of Great Britain, was Queen Elizabeth II -- that hasn't changed -- but the Prime Minister was John Major. Manchester United had won England's Premier League the previous spring, while Arsenal became the 1st team ever to take both domestic cup competitions: The FA Cup and the League Cup.

There were still living veterans of the Spanish-American War and the Easter Rising. The last veteran of the Boer War had just died. There were still living people who had survived the Johnstown Flood of 1889, the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906, and the sinkings of the PS General Slocum, the RMS
Titanic, the RMS Empress of Ireland, the SS Eastland and the RMS Lusitania.

The holder of the Nobel Peace Prize, perhaps dubiously, was Rigoberta Menchú. The Pope was John Paul II. The current Pope, Francis, was Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Bishop of Oca in Spain. There have since been 4 Presidents of the United States, 5 Prime Ministers of Britain, and 3 Popes.

Major novels of 1993 included Honor Among Thieves by Jeffrey Archer, Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha by Roddy Doyle, Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel, The Client by John Grisham, Death In the Andes by Maria Vargas Llosa, and Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh. Historian Stephen Ambrose published Band of Brothers, immortalizing a U.S. Army unit marching through Europe in World War II.

Stephen King was writing Insomnia. George R.R. Martin had begun writing the 1st book in his A Song of Ice and Fire series, whose title would be given to the entire HBO series based on the books: A Game of Thrones. J.K. Rowling was working on her 1st Harry Potter novel, and about to have her 1st child. No one had yet heard of Bridget Jones, Robert Langdon, Lisbeth Salander, Bella Swan or Katniss Everdeen.

Major films premiering in the Spring of 1993 included the baseball-themed The Sandlot, the Presidential take on the "Prince and the Pauper" story Dave, the video game adaptation Super Mario Bros., Indecent Proposal, Lost In Yonkers, Cliffhanger, The Last Action Hero, and, most notably, Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park.

The James Bond franchise was in transition, with Pierce Brosnan about to be cast. The Doctor Who franchise was also in transition, and Sylvester McCoy was still the most recent Doctor. Superman films were in "development hell," while Michael Keaton would not be brought back for a 3rd film as Batman.

Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, Homicide: Life on the Street, Beavis and Butt-head and Walker, Texas Ranger had all recently debuted. Doogie Howser, M.D., Major Dad, Reasonable Doubts, Quantum Leap, The Wonder Years, Knots Landing, Cheers, Saved by the Bell, Life Goes On and Designing Women had all aired their last first-run episodes.

No one had yet heard of Andy Sipowicz, Ross Geller & Rachel Greene, Doug Ross, Xena, Carrie Bradshaw, Tony Soprano, Jed Bartlet, Jack Bauer, Omar Little, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, Michael Bluth, Michael Scott, Don Draper, Walter White, Jax Teller, Richard Castle, Leslie Knope, Sarah Manning or Jane "Eleven" Hopper.

The Number 1 song in America was "That's the Way Love Goes" by Janet Jackson. Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir and Vince Welnick of The Grateful Dead had recently sung "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the San Francisco Giants' home opener. Donald Trump couldn't be reached for comment.

Paul McCartney headlined an Earth Day concert at the Hollywood Bowl, where he'd performed with the Beatles in 1964 and 1965. With him were fellow former Beatle Ringo Starr, former Eagle Don Henley, and Steve Miller. A Broadway musical version of The Who's rock opera Tommy opened. Susanna Hoffs of the Bangles married screenwriter Jay Roach, and they're still together; while Mariah Carey married her boss, Tommy Mottola, but it didn't last long; and Lisa Bonet divorced Lenny Kravitz.

Frank Sinatra was just about to begin recording his last great album, Duets. Elvis Presley's stamp was newly-released. Bob Dylan was recording his album World Gone Wrong. Michael Jackson launched the last tour he would have before the black cloud that would hang over the rest of his life would arrived.

Inflation was such that what $1.00 bought then, $1.75 would buy now. A U.S. postage stamp cost 29 cents, and a New York Subway ride $1.25. The average price of a gallon of gas was $1.17, a cup of coffee $1.65, a McDonald's meal (Big Mac, fries, shake) $5.30, a movie ticket $4.12, a new car $16,829, and a new house $148,900. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed that day at 3,507.78.

The tallest building in the world was the Sears Tower in Chicago. Personal computers were now everywhere, but most people still hadn't heard of the Internet. There was America Online, but no Netscape, no Facebook, no Twitter, no Instagram, no Pinterest, no Wikipedia, no Skype. There were mobile telephones, but they were still of the flip-open variety, and roughly the size of the original Star Trek series' communicators. There were birth control pills, but no Viagra.

In the Spring of 1993, the entire national soccer team of Zambia was killed in a plane crash. Eritrea declared independence from Ethiopia. President Ranasinghe Premadasa of Sri Lanka was assassinated. Mongolia held its 1st direct elections. Juan Carlos Wasmosy was sworn in as the 1st democratically elected President of Paraguay in 39 years. And New Jersey Nets star Dražen Petrović was killed in a car crash in Germany.

In America, auto racer Alan Kulwicki was killed in a crash -- not of a race car, but of a plane, in Tennessee. And outside Waco, Texas, David Koresh, a pedophile, bigamist and gun nut with a messianic complex ordered the murder of his 75 remaining Branch Davidian followers, and committed suicide, rather than accept arrest by the federal government.

Pat Nixon, and Conway Twitty, and Roy Campanella died. Ariana Grande, and Miguel Sanó, and Romelu Lukaku were born.

June 9, 1993: The Montreal Canadiens won the Stanley Cup. In the 101 times that the Cup had been awarded, it was the 74th time it had been awarded to a team in Canada.

It has not happened since.

Will a team in Canada win it in 2019? In 2020? At any time during whatever remains of Gary Bettman's tenure as Commissioner? I wouldn't count on it.

One Legend In, One Legend Pre-empted

Yesterday, Derek Jeter returned to the Yankee lineup to lead the big tough nasty city slickers of N'Yawk against those Kay Cee country boys, rednecks, farmers, sheep-shaggers.

On the one hand, as a certain thief from Texas would say, MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. He got a hit and an RBI in 4 trips to the plate, and the Yankees beat the Kansas City Royals, 8-4.

Two hits each by 3 guys you wouldn't expect to do it: Eduardo Nunez (who boosted his batting average to .222), Austin Romine (.153), and the rookie Zoilo Almonte (not yet a "rookie sensation," but he is batting a fine .284).

Old man Andy Pettitte wasn't great, but good enough to win (7-6) with that kind of run support. The Yankees smacked around Ervin Santana (5-6), while 3 Yankee relievers -- Shawn Kelley, not-quite All-Star David Robertson, and, managing to not blow a 4-run lead in the 9th, Boone Logan -- held the Royals to just 2 baserunners over the last 3 1/3 innings.

On the other hand, Jeter left the game in the 8th inning with a tight quadriceps. (That's the muscle on top of the thigh.) He may not have been fully ready. He was playing a game sooner than he was intended to, and perhaps keeping him out until after the All-Star Break would have been better -- keeping in mind that our 1st series after the All-Star Break is on Friday, in Boston, against The Scum.

Lisa Swan of Subway Squawkers went on a bit of a rant about Jeter's too-soon return, (potentially) yet another futzup of Brian Cashman's. Could it have been less about Jeter's bat in the lineup and his presence in the dugout and locker room (DJ's famed "intangibles"), and more about putting meat in the seats and boosting the YES Network's ratings? If Lisa's rant is correct, Cashman needs, at the least, a Gibbs-slap. (By all means, watch the clip to the end.)

Jeter had an MRI last night. As of this writing (10:31 AM), no results announced. He thinks he can play today. Well, he always thinks he can play. Much like his fellow Tri-State Area sports legend, Martin Brodeur, unless he's in too much pain to actually move, you need a crowbar to get him out of the lineup.

*

Which brings me to the subject of Brodeur's team, the New Jersey Devils. Brodeur is 41, and gives no indication of wanting to retire. Nor should he, as, still, "MAR-ty's BET-ter! (Clap, clap, clap-clap-clap)"

But Ilya Kovalchuk is 30, and he announced his retirement yesterday. He says he wants to spend more time with his family.

Uh... huh. When a politician says he's resigning, or not running for another term, because he wants to "spend more time with my family," that means "I did something wrong, and my wife found out about it, and I have to make it up to her."

Did I mention Kovalchuk is just 30 years old? This past season was shortened because NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman is an asshole and locked the players out, so Kovy only played 37 games and scored 11 goals. But look at this chart: Year, age he was when the season ended (his birthday is April 15), goals scored:

2002 19 29 (debuts in NHL with Atlanta Thrashers)
2003 20 38
2004 21 41 (leads league)
2005 22 0 (entire season canceled, lockout, Bettman's an asshole)
2006 23 52 (Jonathan Cheechoo led league with 56)
2007 24 42 (Vincent Lecavalier led with 52)
2008 25 52 (Alex Ovechkin led with 65)
2009 26 43 (Ovechkin led with 56)
2010 27 41 (1st season w/Devils; Sidney Crosby & Steven Stamkos both had 51)
2011 28 31
2012 29 37
2013 30 11

Total goals in NHL play: 417 (seemingly well on his way to Hall of Fame election)
Total goals with Devils: 89

In 2012, the Devils reached the Stanley Cup Finals, and in the Playoffs Kovy had a league-leading 8 goals, plus 11 assists.

He came from one of the great sports clubs on this planet, Spartak Moscow, better known for its soccer team, which was the most popular sports team in the Soviet Union from its 1935 founding to this day, well after the USSR fell and was replaced with the Russian Federation. He's also scored 6 goals for Russia in Olympic play.

What bothers me about Kovy's "retirement" is not that it happened, but how, when, and the appearance of why:

How: At the age of 30, when most hockey players are well in their prime. True, since the 2010-11 season began, he hasn't been what he was from 2002-03 to 2009-10. But he sure seems like a good option, especially since there are only 2 players on the Devils who scored more goals in 2013, and one of them, David Clarkson, has already buggered off to his hometown team, the Toronto Maple Leafs. (Right. Have fun trying to win a Stanley Cup there. It's only been 46 years.) The other is Patrik Elias, and he signed a new contract with the Devils, and at age 37 shows no sign of slowing down.

Indeed, this should be another sign: For whatever reason, hockey players maintain their peak longer than athletes in the other major sports. Dainius Zubrus just turned 35, and while he's not an out-and-out scoring cog, he's still a good all-around player, and shows no sign of slowing down.

When: After the NHL Draft, making it harder for Devils GM Lou Lamoriello to make the kind of moves that have Devils fans frequently saying, "In Lou we trust."

Why (apparently): The rumor is that he's sick of Bettman's assholery and the shenanigans of his puppetmasters, the NHL team owners, and would rather play back home in Mother Russia, in the Kontinental Hockey League. (That's not a purposeful misspelling, meant to tweak the Russkies: It is actually spelled with a K.)

On the other hand, playing in the KHL, which doesn't have a salary cap, means that he can pretty much make as much money as he can con someone into paying him. Considering that Spartak are building a new stadium for their soccer team, I'm guessing it won't be them. Anzhi Makhachkala, for the moment, only play soccer, not hockey, but if they start a hockey team, they can certainly afford Kovalchuk.

Ilya, you could have been a Devils Legend. Instead, you're a weasel.

Granted, there have been more hated former players. The most hated would have to be Scott Gomez, for going to the hated Rangers for more money. But he has done nothing since leaving the Devils: Not for The Scum (hockey edition), not for the Montreal Canadiens, not for the San Jose Sharks. Whereas, for the Devils, he appeared in 3 Stanley Cup Finals, winning 2 Cups.

Eventually, we should forgive Gomer. But Kovy? He's a rat jumping off a ship he thinks is sinking.

In the short term, we're going to have to come up with a player, or players, capable of scoring 30 goals in a season. In the long term, that's a lot of money we won't have to pay him.

But I'm reminded of something that Angelo Cataldi of Philadelphia sports-talk station WIP said of the only 2 coaches ever to lead the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl berth, and how Delaware Valley fans compare them.

In spite of winning more regular-season games, winning more Playoff games, reaching more Playoff berths, and reaching more NFL or NFC Championship Games, than any other Eagles coach, Andy Reid, now gone, is not as loved as Dick Vermeil, who was bossman of the Broad Street Birds for a comparatively brief time and left while he still should have had a lot of good years left.

However, but, by his own admission, Vermeil might not have had a lot of good years left if he had stayed, because he was running himself ragged. "Burned out" was the term he used. Since he's still alive, and, after a long layoff that included college football broadcasting on ABC, won a Super Bowl with another team, it's hard to say he made the wrong decision.

Cataldi: "Vermeil has friends all over America. Reid has money under the cap."

So, again, in another league, a salary cap dictates how competitive a team is allowed to be.

I hate salary caps. Sure, they give lesser teams a chance. But they don't give them much of a chance. And when your team does start winning, it means that winning has to stop sooner than it would have if you were allowed to make the adjustments necessary to stay on top.

So Kovalchuk is gone. He could have been a Devils Legend.

Instead, he's a reminder that, while our club is a good one, with a good history, it could have been so much better.

This is not the time to rip into the Cult of Saint Lou. There will be other times to expose Lamoriello as The Big Bald Cheapskate. This is not his fault.

This is Gary Bettman's fault, for being an asshole who has harmed the National Hockey League far more than he has helped it.

And this is Ilya Kovalchuk, for taking a bad situation, and making it worse, when he could have stayed and, at least for his own team, made it better.

The dirty Russian weasel.

Hockey's Back!

To the tune of "Welcome Back," John Sebastian's theme from the TV show Welcome Back, Kotter:

Another lockout is over. Remember: It was not a strike, it was a lockout. It was all the fault of the owners and their grinning lackey, Commissioner Gary Bettman.

Hockey's back!

A deal is at last all worked out.

Hockey's back!

Going after the Cup that we dreamed about.

Well, some names, they have changed since they've been around.

But the dreams, they've remained, and they've spun around.

And who'd have thought we'd see them?

(Who'd have thought we'd see them?)

Back here, where we need them?

(Back here, where we need them?)

Yeah, it sure feels so nice

that we got 'em on the ice!

Hockey's back!

(Hockey's back, hockey's back, hockey's back!)

(Hockey's back, hockey's back...)

Hockey's back!

So now, on ESPN

hockey's back

and NASCAR and the poker go home again!

And a season, we'll finally be getting in.

We'll see Brodeur and Crosby and Ovechkin.

And who'd have thought we'd see them?

(Who'd have thought we'd see them?)

Back here, where we need them?

(Back here, where we need them?)

Yeah, it sure feels so nice

that we got 'em on the ice!

Hockey's back!

(Hockey's back, hockey's back, hockey's back!)

(Hockey's back, hockey's back...)

(rink organ replaces Sebastian's harmonica)

And we'll see Ranger goalie Henrik Lundqvist

who's still got a sore neck from the goals he missed

And who'd have thought we'd see them?

(Who'd have thought we'd see them?)

Back here, where we need them?

(Back here, where we need them?)

Yeah, it sure feels so nice

that we got 'em on the ice!

Hockey's back!

(Hockey's back, hockey's back, hockey's back!)

(Hockey's back, hockey's back...)

Yeah, it sure feels so nice

(Hockey's back, hockey's back...)

that we got 'em on the ice!

(Hockey's back, hockey's back...)

Yeah, it sure feels so nice

that we got 'em on the ice!

Hockey's back!

Hockey's back, hockey's back, hockey's back!

Hockey's back, hockey's back, hockey's back!

Hockey's back, hockey's back, hockey's back!