Bad night for Kovalchuk and vuvuzelas
So, what do Ilya Kovalchuk and a vuvuzela have in common? What’s that you say…they both have made themselves out to be an annoying nuisance this summer?
No, no, no…that’s not the answer I was looking for. What I was getting at was both of them got B-slapped in the NHL community Tuesday night.
League Says No-No To Kovy’s Contract
In the case of Kovy, the league office nixed his newly inked 17-year, $102 million contract with the New Jersey Devils. As TSN reports, the league rejected the deal saying that it circumvented the salary cap rules.
Under the contract, Kovalchuk was to earn $10 million per season over the next eight years, $7.5 million for the following two seasons then one mil per year throughout the course of the final seven years.
I guess The Great Kovy Signing Saga of 2010 continues.
No Vuvuzela For You, Sir!
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…the Atlanta Thrashers banned the use of vuvuselas in Philips Arena. In case you don’t already know, vuvuzelas are those obnoxious sounding long stadium horns that gained notoriety during the recent World Cup tournament that was held in South Africa.
The horns were fashioned after a kudu horn, which was used to call out to surrounding villagers to gather for community events. But they sounded like giant bees swarming overhead while watching an otherwise very entertaining tournament that ended in Spain hoisting the World Cup trophy for the very first time.
They made such an “impression” in the wide, wide world of sports that the Thrashers organization are now telling Thrashers fans, “No vuvuzela for you”!
The banning of vuvuzelas at Thrashers games is...
- A good idea (81%, 152 Votes)
- A bad idea (19%, 35 Votes)
Total Voters: 187
Loading ...Located under the Fan Conduct heading on the Thrashers web site, fans are provided a list of items that will not be allowed inside Philips Arena for Thrashers game. The seventh bullet item down reads, “Prohibited entry items such as containers, food & beverage, airhorns, vuvuzelas, weapons and laser pointers. Cameras, video cameras and audio recorders are prohibited when posted for certain events”.
Some may disagree with me on this subject, but I for one welcome the news. It’s one thing for thousands of fanatic soccer fans…excuse me, football fans…gather in a large outdoor stadium and blast the bloody things for two hours or more. But it’s quite another to have these things buzzing your eardrums inside an enclosed hockey arena.
So, giving vuvuzelas the boot from Thrasherville is a good thing, in my humble opinion. And I think it’s something the NHL league office could support as well.
You know, unlike the Kovalchuk deal with the Devils.
And Finally…
Hey guys, you ever ask a young lady out on a date only to have her respond, “Yeah…when donkeys fly!” Well…here ya go.
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190 comments Add your comment
R. Stroz
July 22nd, 2010
7:41 am
WBF – I just think the Thrashers organization jumped the gun with the new vuvuzela rule or as Joe Bob Friday calls it, the “Stroz Rule.”
A couple of years ago, fans said they were going to come out in mass to protest the way the team was being run. On that date, only a few fans had the guts to follow through.
When Kovy was traded, fans said they were going to light Waddell up at the Towne Hall Meeting, and once again, only a few individuals confronted Waddell concerning his tenure as GM.
In other words, I’ve yet to see Thrasher fans really follow through with anything that is rather attention drawing.
I would have preferred for the ASG to wait and see if the “mass vuvuzela invasion” really happened before creating a rule to prevent a few fans from bringing them into the arena.
Oh well, I guess we continue to be a “proper” arena.
Will someone please pass the tea and crumpets?
kracker
July 22nd, 2010
7:53 am
Badger Bob, thanks for your answer. I was only seeking a clarification that C Mac’s FA status included Atlanta….that the arbitor’s $2.4M award applied only during the arbatration process and now the parties could talk again if they wished about a contract for other than the awarded amount.
Like you, I don’t expect, or particularly want, that to happen but who can say how things will look in a few days or weeks?
rob
July 22nd, 2010
8:23 am
only thing I can see the place banning vuvu’s for is this. you are sitting there, cheering as loud as you can and enjoying the game when the guy behind you suddenly blows this thing in your ear, and just like that your hearing is damaged. what happens next? well the team, building etc get sued because they have the deep pockets. so the team is protecting itself from this by being proactive. is it right? well if it means by doing this they wont have to raise ticket prices even more to cover the cost of a lawsuit…..they can raise them to pay for C-Mac’s 2.4!!!! hahaha
World Be Free
July 22nd, 2010
8:28 am
Stroz, we need to define what “en masse” means to the Thrashers’ fan base because this is still as small fan base by any other comparison. The fan base has shrunk to the point that even if we all showed up to protest an issue, our numbers would be barely enough to fill an IHOP.
You have been the one constant that I have seen when it comes to speaking your mind as we do on this blog. Please keep it up even after the management transition to Rick Dudley. Knowing Dudley, I think he will welcome your approach.
This team must rebuild the fan base to where they were in the first 4 years of the franchise’s existence. We also need direct access to Dudley, through a column or radio show. These guys have to know that the fans our here, they just have to reach out to them. Dudley has been a plus, but overall there’s still alotta work to do here.
Smoothie
July 22nd, 2010
8:50 am
WBF – right on. And if Kincade is our only hope on the radio in terms of drumming up support or a “buzz”, then we are in it alone. I’d prefer our games get carried by an oldies stn on FM. The Thrashers will get treated even less fairly now that Dickey Broadcasting has the Hawks’ rights. Have we signed our RFA’s yet? Sheeesh!
World Be Free
July 22nd, 2010
9:02 am
Smoothie-this team will get more press if it starts winning AND the stands are filled. Right now we are a novelty to many people in metro Atlanta, even with many of the northern fans that only show up when their team is in town. Could you imagine if 1/2 the Sabres’ fans converted over to being Thrasher fans like us? How many more people would be calling into local radio stations to talk hockey or show up at games to cheer the Thrashers? The numbers in the seats would be enough that hockey could no longer be igniored by the media. We are barely a demographic.
The work is far from being done folks; the recent trades are just a start.
J.B.
July 22nd, 2010
9:13 am
Birdwatchers Anonymous is reporting Ondrej Pavelec has signed.
Smoothie
July 22nd, 2010
9:20 am
JB – well that’s good if they have a valid source as opposed to the bogus rumor they posted last night in which we traded Ladd for Backlund to CGY.
WBF – I agree with you for the most part but the radio stns in this mkt do a horrible job of helping the fan develop its voice in an untapped market.
Rawhide
July 22nd, 2010
9:24 am
Opie re-signs for 2 years at $2.3 mil per.
Zombie Steve
July 22nd, 2010
9:27 am
Brendan – Thanks for sharing your input on the whole “Knights!!” debate. It’s given me a new perspective to consider.
Red Light
July 22nd, 2010
9:32 am
If the Thrashers wanted to avoid in-arena annoyances, they should start by changing the ridiculous stoppage-of-play promotions that we’ve seen for the past 10 years. I guess, people still like the tired old Kiss Cam segments, but Fan Feud, canned, “humorous” player interviews and the like should be given the same “flight” pattern as the Dough-Dough bird (no, that’s not a Kovy reference).
Personally, I’d like to see greatest moments in Thrashers history on the video screen during stoppages of play. By my calculations, those would last for a few games in October and then we’d actually be able to converse with our friends for the other 37-38 games rather than being incessantly “entertained.”
World Be Free
July 22nd, 2010
9:35 am
Smoothie-listen to ATL sports radio stations
On an average, 1 hour consists of-
40 minutes Georgia and SEC football
10 minutes Braves talk
5 minutes Georia TEch
5 minutes Hawks
We can discuss the numbers, but I think I am pretty close.
Red Light
July 22nd, 2010
9:37 am
Lost in Space Trixie!
Tom
July 22nd, 2010
9:38 am
World B Free – When I first moved to ATL from NY I was a Mets fan. Fortunately I arrived in 1991 just as the Braves took off. I still remember going to the games “just” for the novelty of moving down to dugout level for the price of cheap seats.
Once they started winning I was hooked and have cheered for the Braves ever since.
I truly believe it will take winning to expand the fan base outside of the diehards. I just wish ownership understood that.
Alan R.
July 22nd, 2010
9:58 am
Great news, Bill!
hockeymom92
July 22nd, 2010
9:58 am
WBF – I believe you are spot on with the sports radio analysis. I promise you it is not easy being a Tech fan in this state (much less this city) and expect any kind of equal air time with UGA. I have totally given up expecting anyone in radio to talk intelligently about hockey. It has been this way forever and since I have lived here my entire life, I don’t see it changing. Though one could always dream.
World Be Free
July 22nd, 2010
10:16 am
Tom- I think bringing in Dudley is a step in the right direction. But there’s a long way to go. As for winning, look what winning has done to Braves’ attendence this season.
H-mom-It is really no different in most big cities-the coverage is slanted to the sports and teams that draw the most fans and most revenue dollars. Georgia Football games always sell out and always will, that’s where the money is. We have to get people in the stands and calling before we will be heard.
The Smooth Spark
July 22nd, 2010
10:41 am
Good to see Pavelec was a bit humbled by his erratic performance last season. He obviously has a great deal of talent, but having a guy like Mason coming in will certainly help him elevate his work ethic and hopefully performance. Not to say there was anything wrong with his work ethic, but the presence of a guy like Mason will push him to be better as Mace seems like the ultimate team guy. Getting Pavs for 2 years at a TOTAL of $2.3 M is a great deal for both parties, but especially great for Le Thrash.
DWTOO
July 22nd, 2010
10:45 am
R/L – Don’t forget the Home Depot challenge!
As for local radio – haven’t listened in four years since I signed up for XM. Real hockey radio. One of the best moves I ever made. After the inital costs of the radio, instal, etc. it’s about $10/month. Was forced to listed to the fan a few months ago and there was a caller who wanted to talk hockey and the two afternoon pukes blew him off for the NFL combine. So I blew them off. AND THIS IS THE FLAGSHIP STATION!
And I want a vuvuzela choir in the rafters behind the 300 Level.
DWTOO
July 22nd, 2010
10:47 am
HM 92 – It was the radio that helped us become Tech fans when we moved here. It’s always Dawgs this Dawgs that – got so tired of hearing it we automatically started cheering for the Jackets. We like the underdog. Any jackass can cheer for a front runner.
Red Light
July 22nd, 2010
10:47 am
Suggestion: The next time the Thrashers make a newsworthy signing or trade, get a group of 10-20 together and call 680 at 3:00 pm when Buck and Kincade are on. You know Matt and Chuck won’t talk it, but Kincade will when prompted. That’s the lone way anything will get done on a regular basis when the producers and management understand that people will talk hockey if their station will give it the ample amount of time.
Dwayne
July 22nd, 2010
11:18 am
OK, no vuvu’s, how about the cardboard tube that is left over after using a roll of extra soft todd “charmin” white toilet tissue?
The Smooth Spark
July 22nd, 2010
11:18 am
R/L – Kincade will reluctantly talk hockey because he is a fan of the sport, but even the other day, after the interview of Chris Mason, Kincade shifted gears so quickly you would have thought their ratings had imploded in the 10 mins they actually afforded to Mason and Thrashers hockey. No follow-up discussion, no calls taken until later in the show after pissed-off hockey fans probably switched over to Sean Hannity or even Mike Bell and Pollack!
Dwayne
July 22nd, 2010
11:18 am
honk honk
Archie
July 22nd, 2010
11:30 am
They can take my vuvuzela away from me… but they can never take my Blackberry Vuvuzela App away from me!
Charlton Heston
July 22nd, 2010
11:53 am
You can pry my vuvuzela from my cold dead hands!
World Be Free
July 22nd, 2010
12:00 pm
Red Light-do you have Buck and Kinncade’s call in number?
The Smooth Spark
July 22nd, 2010
12:04 pm
404 – 231 – 1680 I believe is the number to call if you want to have Kincade treat you like a child and admonish you for making a valid point about our hockey team.
Alan R.
July 22nd, 2010
12:40 pm
I’m about ready to give 680 both middle fingers and get Sirius/XM, myself. They’ve even released an Android application, so I can listen to XM on my phone, from anywhere I get signal. I can even listen on my computer. On the other hand, I can’t even get 680 in Jonesboro.
And the worst part about it is, those folks don’t care. I don’t want someone reluctant to talk about hockey, I want someone who is enthusiastic about hockey. I don’t care if they talk about football, basketball, or what have you. Just devote some time to the great sport of hockey. And by “some time,” I don’t mean a couple minutes a day.
I remember when the NHL went with 790 for the all-star game back in 2008. 680 felt quite snubbed by that. I can see now why the NHL did it. If the people at 680 really give a damn about the sport, they sure do have a funny way of showing it.
Why did the Thrashers re-up with 680, again?
Dwayne
July 22nd, 2010
12:58 pm
XM RADIO IS THE WAY TO GO, SUBSCRIBER SINCE 2007
Jack
July 22nd, 2010
1:07 pm
Kincaid needs to be abonished. Too bad he can’t go back to Philly. He is a joke, how people still call in and get ridiculed on air is unbelievable
Adam
July 22nd, 2010
1:11 pm
This lineup is just by natural position and dollars…
I used a worst case for Ladd & high end for the rest of the RFA’s (Little may get a bit more)
FORWARDS
Andrew Ladd ($3.500m) / Todd White ($2.375m) / Nikolai Antropov ($4.062m)
Evander Kane ($3.100m) / Rich Peverley ($1.325m) / Dustin Byfuglien ($3.000m)
Ben Eager ($1.200m) / Patrice Cormier ($0.845m) / Nicklas Bergfors ($2.000m)
Eric Boulton ($0.650m) / Jim Slater ($1.000m) / Bryan Little ($1.800m)
/ / Chris Thorburn ($0.660m)
DEFENSEMEN
Ron Hainsey ($4.500m) / Tobias Enstrom ($3.750m)
Johnny Oduya ($3.500m) / Zach Bogosian ($3.375m)
Brent Sopel ($2.333m) / Paul Postma ($0.875m)
/ Boris Valabik ($0.762m)
GOALTENDERS
Chris Mason ($1.850m) /Ondrej Pavelec ($1.150m)
(these totals are compiled using the bonus cushion)
SALARY CAP: $59,400,000; CAP PAYROLL: $47,614,166; BONUSES: $4,700,000
CAP SPACE (22-man roster): $16,240,834
So does this roster give you the warm & fuzzies?
Other than the obvious, Charmin, who goes to make room for an UFA or trade?
Jack
July 22nd, 2010
1:13 pm
Need a defensemen and high power forward
Brendan
July 22nd, 2010
1:22 pm
Zombie Steve, you’re welcome. That’s all I ever asked. I try to provide some perspective.
Brendan
July 22nd, 2010
1:26 pm
Yay! Pavelec is back. 2-year dealie, right? He’s still restricted at the end of it?
World Be Free
July 22nd, 2010
1:31 pm
Thanks for the numbers Adam-good show
Smoothie-we need to all acll in a agroup and make these guys feel like the idiots that they are, as suggested earlier
World Be Free
July 22nd, 2010
1:31 pm
Use spell check next time
ChippersLoveChild
July 22nd, 2010
1:34 pm
I try to call and discuss hockey, specifically the Thrashers, on 680 from time to time… 90% of the time I get “We aren’t discussing hockey right now. Might want to try back a little later.” Very nice from the station that broadcasts their games. It’s sad… but really, what insight can Belue offer you anyway? He is a joke.
The Smooth Spark
July 22nd, 2010
1:44 pm
How many UGA fans read this blog? Can I ask y’all a question?
Do you really tune into 680 the Fan because Buck Belue is one of the featured talking heads? Does he really mean that much to you? Do you feel he provides real insight and cutting edge opinions? Does he inform you of things you might otherwise not know as an avid fan / graduate of the University of Georgia?
Just wonderin’.
Rawhide
July 22nd, 2010
1:46 pm
OK…I think we’ve successfully kicked Kovy’s Contract Confusion around enough…as well as blown the great vuvusela situation out of proportion significantly. Let’s return to discussing the Thrashers and the upcoming season.