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rickhorrow · 5 years ago

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15+5+5 To Watch : 81219

15 TO WATCH/5 SPORTS TECH/POWER OF SPORTS 5: RICK HORROW’S TOP SPORTS/BIZ/TECH/PHILANTHROPY ISSUES FOR THE WEEK OF AUGUST 12 with Jacob Aere

The NFL cemented more of its plans to celebrate 100 seasons. Initiatives surrounding NFL100 include “Experiences of a Lifetime” that include the exclusive chance to serve as a Madden NFL ratings adjustor at EA Sports, a trip to New York with friends for Commissioner Goodell to announce their fantasy league’s draft picks, having Chiefs Pro Bowler Travis Kelce attend your wedding, and the opportunity to work out with Giants sensational running back Saquon Barkley in his Quad Squad Quad Challenge. During the 2019 season, each team will also host a “Fantennial Weekend” – a three-day celebration of football – from Weeks 1-10 and Week 14. The homecoming-style weekend will include a high-school game on a Friday night attended by local NFL legends, a fan festival on Saturday, and the home game to close the multi-day extravaganza. For content, in addition to series such as ESPN+’ “Peyton’s Places” and the “NFL’s 100 Greatest,” programming will include NFL100 Sessions, which will premiere in-season on Thursday nights during NFL Network’s NFL GameDay Kickoff; NFL100 Minute; NFL Explained; NFL100 Rewind, and more. The gold standard of pro sports is definitely going for the gold with its centennial celebrations.

Raiders, Allegiant agree on a naming rights deal for Las Vegas Stadium. The Raiders and Allegiant announced an agreement for the naming rights to Las Vegas Stadium, the future home of the Raiders and UNLV Football. Sources said that Allegiant is likely paying between $20-25 million in "cash and in-kind services a year to put its name on the building." This partnership with the Raiders presents a global branding opportunity for the Las Vegas-based airline company as Allegiant will have its name showcased on the 1.75 million-square-foot, state-of-the-art domed stadium that will also host many world-class major sports and entertainment events. Said Raiders President Marc Badain, “As the hometown airline, Allegiant is the perfect partner to showcase the incredible support we continue to receive from the Southern Nevada community.” Allegiant Stadium will also serve as the home for UNLV football in addition to serving as the site of the Las Vegas Bowl beginning in 2020, as well as the 2020 and 2021 Pac-12 football championship games.

American Airlines will pay $90 million over 10 years to sponsor a plaza at the Rams' and Chargers' new Inglewood stadium, becoming the "first official partner" for the facility. According to Bloomberg, American Airlines "agreed to sponsor the 2.5-acre space that serves as main entrance" to the Rams' and Chargers' new $5 billion Inglewood stadium, which "doesn't have a naming rights partner yet.” Los Angeles Stadium and Entertainment District Managing Director Jason Gannon said that talks on this deal "began more than a year ago.” The American Airlines Plaza will stand 10 stories high and has a "capacity of about 15,000." It will be "open to the public year-round, along with event days." As part of the deal, American Airlines also will become the "official airline of the Rams and Chargers, and have prominent branding during games.” American Airlines will pay $90 million over 10 years to sponsor the area. American Airlines has "been the Rams' carrier since the team returned" to Los Angeles in 2016. American Airlines currently has naming rights deals with the NBA Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat.

Loudoun United christens new Segra Field home. D.C. United last Friday night opened the gates to a new venue for its second-division team in Leesburg, Virginia. USL club Loudoun United "announced a sellout crowd of 5,015" for its draw against the Charlotte Independence at Segra Field, according to the Washington Post. A week ago Saturday, however, the club welcomed numerous local dignitaries and representatives from D.C. United for an official ribbon cutting ceremony. Among the guest speakers at the event were Dave Johnson, longtime television voice of D.C. United, D.C. United CEO and managing general owner Jason Levien, Loudoun United Chief Operations Officer Adam Behnke, and Loudoun County Department of Economic Development Executive Director Buddy Rizer, along with almost every Loudoun County supervisor. Real estate firm JLL secured the deal to manage the venue, its fourth in the D.C. region. The stadium will be joined next year by a new training facility that will be shared by Loudoun United and D.C. United, with the $15 million development set to be completed next summer.

Joe Maddon’s Try Not to Suck Celebrity Golf Classic returns. For the fourth year, Chicago Cubs’ manager Joe Maddon will hold his annual “Try Not to Suck” Celebrity Golf Classic on Monday, August 19 at Bryn Mawr Country Club in Lincolnwood, Illinois. The event benefits Joe and Jaye Maddon’s Respect 90 Foundation which provides assistance to at-risk children and families in the areas Joe and Jaye call home including Chicago; Tampa, Florida; Hazleton, Pennsylvania; Mesa, Arizona; and Southern California. Respect 90 provides children and families opportunities to develop championship attitudes through sports, academics, and community involvement. The total proceeds from four years of the Maddon Celebrity Golf Tournaments (including this year) will approach $1 million dollars. The field includes dozens of former Cubs players, front office staff, and local and national celebrities – and Rick is proud to continue to participate in the event. On Sunday, the longtime Chicago skipper reassured Cubs fans that his level of optimism about returning to the Cubs is “very high” as he enters the final seven weeks of his current five-year deal.

The Pro Bowl is returning to Orlando. The NFL announced that Orlando will host the 2020 Pro Bowl at Camping World Stadium on January 26, marking the "fourth consecutive year" the city has hosted the event. While Florida Citrus Sports and city officials "hoped to bring the game back, the NFL was rumored to be exploring hosting it in warm weather Super Bowl cities," according to the Orlando Sentinel. In 2020, it could have "moved to Miami ahead of the Super Bowl scheduled to be played at Hard Rock Stadium." Continuing the game in Orlando was also made possible by the $200 million-plus reconstruction to the former Citrus Bowl stadium that was completed in 2014. An additional $60 million upgrade is in the works that will include additional seats, ground-floor operations upgrades, and other improvements meant to attract more games and concerts. Major sporting events, from the Pro Bowl to WWE’s WrestleMania, have increased visitation in Central Florida, drawing thousands of fans and generating more than $100 million in economic impact.

A frequent topic of discussion among Tennis Canada execs has been how to find a way to increase the women’s purse at the Rogers Cup to "make it equal to the men’s." According to the Globe & Mail, men playing in the just-completed Rogers Cup, won by Rafael Nadal for the fifth time, competed for a purse of $5.7 million this year, compared with the women’s purse of $2.8 million. Tennis Canada – the event's owner and operator – “foots the bill" for both of the tournaments’ prizes. They are "separate events, mandated by the two different tours that each have their own sets of guidelines for determining prize money." The men's Rogers Cup has a "higher classification" on the ATP Tour than the women's event does on the WTA Tour. WTA CEO Steve Simon said, "We all recognize that the money has to come from some place, and they have a lot of responsibilities and we respect choices federations have to make." Building up the WTA Rogers Cup is a "top initiative" for Tennis Canada, as "increased revenue at the event leads directly to higher prize money."

The first ATP/WTA Citi Open under Mark Ein’s management broke the 51-year old tournament’s attendance record, as more than 78,000 fans watched the tennis action in DC. Ein took over management of the tournament from the Washington Tennis and Education Foundation in late 2018. The WTEF still owns the Citi Open and is its charitable beneficiary; a $50,000 check was presented to the WTEF from funds raised on the grounds during this year’s tournament. Citi Open ticket revenue was 20% higher than the previous record. Six of the tournament's nine main draw sessions sold out and merchandise sales were up 100% from 2018, according to the Washington Post. Fifteen-year old Coco Gauff lost early in the singles draw, but her run to the doubles title with 17-year old Caty McNally was a huge boost for the event, while the personality of men's singles winner Nick Kyrgios likely drew fans through the tournament’s final day. “We set lofty goals, and it exceeded even our wildest dreams,” Ein said in a statement.

The payout for winning the FedEx Cup is now $15 million, an increase of 50% from last year. The Northern Trust Open was the first event of the new-look FedEx Cup Playoffs, which has been streamlined and improved to make for a more exciting end to the season. 122 golfers who compiled the highest point total from the season-long FedEx Cup standings (winning a PGA Tour event, for example, was worth 500 points) were in the Northern Trust Open field. After Patrick Reed won the event on Sunday, the top 70 golfers in the standings qualified for this week's BMW Championship in Chicago. After that, the top 30 golfers advance to the Tour Championship in Atlanta the following week. The Tour Championship is "expecting a sellout this year, with ticket sales up 15% from this time last year" for the PGA Tour's season-ending event. Premium seating areas like the 1904 Club are "already sold out" for the tournament, which starts August 22, according to bizjournals.com. The competition used to end in late September but has been shortened to three weeks so that it ends before college and pro football steal America's attention.

MLB’s third annual Players’ Weekend returns to ballparks August 23-25. During that span, according to Cynopsis Sports, players will showcase their passions, backgrounds, and interests by putting their own personal touches on what they wear and the equipment they use during Players’ Weekend. Players select nicknames for themselves to be on the backs of their jerseys, and are given the chance to design, wear, and use creatively colored and decorated equipment including bats, spikes, batting gloves, wristbands, compression sleeves, and catcher’s equipment. Thirty players, one representing each MLB team, have been named Players’ Weekend Ambassadors and will take the team-lead in championing the initiative and their teammates’ efforts. New to Players’ Weekend this year will be an expansion of mobile device usage. Before the National Anthem, players will be permitted to use their personal handheld mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, on the field or in the dugout to promote the event via social media. Similar to the NFL’s “My Cause, My Cleats” initiative, the MLB event allows players to showcase interests and issues that are personally meaningful, both giving them a say and spotlighting worthy causes.

Increased focus on media engagement and promotion within core markets sparks NASCAR turnaround. After several years of sharp ratings declines, NASCAR television viewership is on rise again. Nielsen reported that the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series averaged 4,076,000 viewers per race through the first half of this season, or about +2% year over year. JohnWallStreet visited Watkins Glen last week trying to find out what the drivers think the catalyst for the turnaround has been. The common theme among them was the belief that NASCAR president Steve Phelps’ increased focus on promoting the sport was driving it back in the right direction. While highly competitive racing has no doubt helped ratings, the consensus among NASCAR cognoscenti seems to be that the ratings increase is primarily the product of NASCAR's renewed focus on marketing. Like all businesses, everything starts at the top. NASCAR’s leadership – from Phelps on down – has once again gotten serious about promoting the sport.

Elsewhere in NASCAR, Discount Tire has signed a multiyear partnership renewal with Team Penske. The exact length and financial terms were not revealed for the deal, according to Cynopsis Sports and other sources, but Team Penske said the Arizona-based company will move from 10 to 15 primaries annually starting next season on Brad Keselowski’s No. 2 Ford in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Discount Tire, which sponsors drivers Joey Logano and Austin Cindric in addition to Keselowski, will also continue as an associate of multiple cars across the team’s operations in NASCAR and IndyCar. Fellow No. 2 primary sponsor Miller Lite has reduced its presence with the Penske team in recent years, going down to sponsoring 11 races as primary after having closer to double that in the past. Discount Tire will continue utilizing Penske drivers for in-store appearances, one of the hallmarks of its activation plans during its time with the team.

As the Little League World Series gets underway, it’s unsettling to hear that the average child today spends less than three years playing a sport and quits by age 11, according to a new survey conducted by the Aspen Institute and Utah State University. On top of that, only 28% of kids aged 6 to 12 played team sports on a regular basis in 2018, down from 45% in 2008, per the Sports and Fitness Industry Association. According to the survey, three of the main reasons kids quit sports are a lack of fun, bad coaches, and financial pressure. The youth sports economy has always been big business, but as competitive travel teams have crept into increasingly younger age groups over the past decade, the industry has doubled in size to more than $15 billion. The result is a world of private coaching, interstate travel, and mega-complexes full of families willing — and able — to spend as much as $20,000 per year on youth sports. Meanwhile, low-income families are being priced out, resulting in their children losing not only an opportunity to excel at a sport but also the chance to exercise, make friends, and stay off the streets.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has said soccer’s global governing body will exceed its promise to double the prize money for the 2023 Women’s World Cup to $60 million. In July, Infantino had confirmed that FIFA would increase the purse for the 2023 tournament, marking a second successive Women’s World Cup where the financial rewards have doubled, but with the size of the tournament going from 24 team to 32 the rewards would not have been as significant. “We have until 2023 to discuss about the prize money,” SportsPro quoted Infantino as saying. “I’m very confident, I’m sure we can go higher than doubling.” Despite Infantino’s commitment, FIFA has continued to face criticism for the disparity in pay between the women’s and men’s World Cups, with the latter’s prize money way ahead at $440 million for the 2022 competition in Qatar. Exactly by how much the prize money for the 2023 Women’s World Cup will surpass $60 million has not been reported. But with the success of France 2019 prompting FIFA to push through an expansion of the competition, Infantino has acknowledged this year’s tournament “really marked a before and an after for women’s football.”

Sony Music and FC Barcelona have inked a deal to collaborate on projects that combine big name football stars and mega music artists. Under the partnership, according to Billboard, FC Barcelona will also make use of the Sony Music catalogue for promotional content produced by the club. Under the two-year deal, the soccer club and music label will together promote the creation of entertainment experiences that combine two activities about which Barça fans and people of all ages are especially passionate: music and sport. “With this initial collaboration agreement we intend to improve the fan experience for our supporters through musical content and innovative audiovisual materials," said FC Barcelona President Josep Maria Bartomeau. The partnership between Sony and FC Barcelona gives both parties a unique platform to tell stories by combining music and sports and is the latest example of the emerging trend of sports + music tie ups.

Tech Top Five

USA Basketball commits to Twitch as an official international streaming partner. The deal commits USA Basketball to the streaming platform through 2020. This move brings even more live sports to Twitch, which currently plays host to the NFL’s “Thursday Night Football,” NBA minor league games, and co-streaming rights with the WWE, UEFA Champions League playoffs, and MLS, according to the Verge. Although the NBA’s media rights currently lie with ESPN, ABC, and TNT through its 2025 season, partnering with Twitch opens up new avenues and possibilities for the league’s digital partnerships. This new partnership allows for audiences outside of esports to flock towards Twitch, which traditionally showcases esports.

An all-female gaming partnership has formed from the dating app Bumble and esports organization Gen.G. According to Forbes, Gen.G signed female gamers Tina Perez and Madison “maddiesuun” Mann last October and created the first and only competitive all-female Fortnite duos team in the world. Now the global esports organization teamed up with Bumble to rebrand as “Team Bumble” to develop a community around female gamers, gaming influencers, and fans. In a competitive esports scene that is male dominated, the gamer population is 46% women, according to NewZoo. With females in esports, there is a fan base ready to be loyal to a team of the same gender and a targeted community desirable to sponsors in female gaming. Bumble is also partnering with Kristen “KittyPlays” Valnicek, Gen.G’s head of new gaming initiatives, who has over a million followers on Twitch. The three-year partnership between Gen.G and Bumble will also include a calendar of programming, events, and merchandise collaborations and will hopefully put a spotlight on women in esports.

The Washington Redskins’ first preseason game featured the first gambling element in an NFL broadcast. According to SportsBusiness Journal, the Redskins preseason game against the Browns this past Thursday was the first ever free-to-play “Predict the Game” telecast for the NFL. The telecast offered cash prizes of $1,000 per quarter and NBCSports Washington’s Plus channel will have “Predict the Game” telecasts for all four Redskins preseason games. NBCSports Washington has been a leader in gambling-related sports telecasts as it started producing “Predict the Game” telecasts in partnership with Monumental Sports for eight Wizards games in January. “Predict the Game” for the NFL has viewers guess about who will have the most rushing yards in a quarter or who will record the most tackles. NBC has honed in on the Washington area to become a leader in live-television gambling and will continue to find what is successful in the new market of television-integrated sports gambling.

Italy’s Serie A soccer league names Genius Sports as betting data partner. According to SportsPro, this means that Betgenius, the sportsbook arm of Genius Sports, will have exclusive data collection rights, enabling it to gather match data via its in-stadium pitch side technology, which is instantly sent via a live feed to licensed sportsbook operators. Serie A now joins England’s Premier League and the English Football League, as well as the Scottish Professional Football League, as major soccer leagues where Genius Sports owns exclusive betting data rights. The technology company also teamed up with NASCAR in May to deliver its first-ever live betting platform as the racing circuit tries to rebrand its identity for an optimally younger fan base. Genius Sports is making moves in Europe for sports betting and may soon try to deliver its platform into the U.S where live sports betting is just beginning to take off.

Kroenke Sports' purchase of Echo Fox' League of Legends franchise slot falls through. Echo Fox said that a deal for Kroenke Sports & Entertainment to acquire their League of Legends Championship Series slot "fell apart on Friday," according to ESPN. The future of the Echo Fox slot "remains uncertain." A source said that the team is "expected to assess its previous offers" and work "through a solution" with League of Legends developer Riot Games. The Kroenke group "came to terms to pay" $30.25 million for Echo Fox' slot. But sources said that that deal is "now dead," after esports organization Sentinels co-founder and CEO Rob Moore "filed suit" against KSE's esports arm on August 1. Meanwhile, Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick said that the game developer has "sold eight franchise slots for its new Call of Duty League." The new Call of Duty League will reportedly have at least 12 teams in all – a significant step forward in that franchise’s growth.

Power of Sports Five

Drew Brees partners with a youth soccer club. The Surf Soccer Club is one of the nation’s most storied youth soccer clubs and could soon become a destination for athletes in other sports. According to the Rancho Santa Fe Review, Surf Soccer Club announced a partnership with former San Diego Chargers quarterback Drew Brees as he made an investment in Surf Cup Sports, the storied soccer club’s parent company. Although not currently offering football, Surf CEO Brian Enge said the possibility of branching out into other sports will be one of the critical issues facing the company’s board. Surf Sports is also considering expansion into lacrosse and beach volleyball. Surf Cup Sports has 16,000 athletes in the nation that play under the Surf brand and the club hosts four major national tournaments each year that bring in tens of thousands of athletes across the country. Surf is known for its philanthropy, funding over $8 million in charitable contributions over the years and Brees, a man who won Sportsman of the Year for his charitable efforts after Hurricane Katrina, will help to expand the brand and its philanthropic endeavors for youth in sports.

A Guinness World Record soccer event will raise money for youth sports equipment for children around the world. According to The Garden City News, nearly 2,000 people are scheduled to participate in the event on September 15, which is put together by playandgive.org, and will have pairs of multiple players attempting to kick the ball back and forth to each other for up to a minute. The New York City event will attempt to break Hong Kong’s record of 1,218 people passing the ball back and forth to each other for a minute. Tickets for the event are $5 to participate in the soccer passing drill, with ticket prices higher for items such as T-shirts and new soccer balls. Event coordinators are charging $500 per ticket for people who want an official certificate from the Guinness Book of World Records and all of the proceeds from the event will go to the nonprofit organization Charity Ball. This event will help bring together the people of New York while giving back to the many children in need of soccer balls or other sports equipment around the globe.

Manny Pacquiao’s boxing shorts sell for over $24,000 in a charity auction. After “Pacman’s” showdown against Keith Thurman for the WBA welterweight title on July 20 earned big money for the Filipino politician-boxer, the funds from auctioning his shorts will be sent off to charity. According to Sports Inquirer, the white trunks worn by the Filipino boxing icon in his split decision win over the American boxer sold for a whopping $24,750 (nearly 1.3 million in Philippine pesos) at an auction by CharityBuzz and “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” The proceeds of the auction will go to a non-profit organization fighting against ALS, a progressive and terminal disease that destroys nerve cells leading to disability. The only eight division boxing champion is now 40 years old and is still trying to make change through charity and politics, as he currently serves as a senator of the Philippines.

The Cleveland Indians Charities Giveathon offers opportunity to support kids playing baseball and softball. The event took place during the Tribe’s home game against the Los Angeles Angels on August 2 and featured many opportunities for fans to contribute to Cleveland Indians Charities (CIC). A special game telecast on SportsTime Ohio highlighted the youth baseball programs supported by CIC. Some of those programs include providing over 300 students in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District with the opportunity to play high school baseball and softball. Additionally, CIC hosts the Senate League’s Championship game every year at Progressive Field. According to WKYC 3, they also support the Cleveland Baseball Federation, giving some 3,000 Cleveland youth under age 13 the opportunity to play baseball. On August 2, the Giveathon raised over $175,000 towards these programs in the Cleveland region, and the charitable organization also works on a larger scale to refurbish old baseball fields throughout Ohio.

Esports teams Misfits and Florida Mayhem partner with the charity Gift of Life. North American organization Misfits Gaming and its Overwatch League franchise Florida Mayhem work with the charity to educate their fans, through social media and live events, in an effort to recruit new marrow and stem cell donors at tournaments. According to Esports Insider, this deal commenced August 8 at the Blizzard Arena, allowing attendees at the esports arena to sign up to the marrow registry. Florida Mayhem is also involved with swab drives run by Gift of Life Campus Ambassadors across colleges and universities in Florida. Although a new incubator for philanthropy, esports are seeing more philanthropic partnerships. Esports has a young demographic and by utilizing social media, charitable acts could well produce a lot of positive changes for years to come.

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thrashermaxey · 6 years ago

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Ramblings: Yzerman Back In Motown, Flames Doused, Advantage Leafs (Apr 20)

There were two playoff games on Good Friday. As we like to say in Canada, both of them involved Canadian teams. One team had a good night. The other, not so much.

Leafs/Bruins

Both teams played a very conservative style through the first two periods, as each team had barely reached double digits in shots on goal midway through the second period.

Auston Matthews opened the scoring over halfway through the third period on a goal that the Bruins contested was goalie interference. It looked to me like the Bruins had a case, but in any event the call stood and it was a good goal.

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A week ago I discussed how Matthews was having a hard time scoring goals. Since then, Matthews has scored four goals over his past three games while taking 16 shots over that span. That matters because your best players have to be your best players in order to win. Now the Leafs have two chances to exorcise the Bruins demon, starting on Sunday afternoon.

Just over two minutes later, Kasperi Kapanen scored his first goal of the playoffs. He had also assisted on Matthews’ goal. The two points are his first points of the series.

David Krejci made it close, scoring with just 43 seconds left in regulation. It wasn’t enough for the Bruins, who will try to force a Game 7 on Tuesday night.

Don Cherry and Dobber agree on at least one point: Frederik Andersen is the best goalie in hockey. Andersen stopped 28 of 29 shots he faced to backstop the Leafs to the Game 5 victory.

Sean Kuraly was back in Bruins’ lineup after missing past four weeks with a broken hand. He was back on the fourth line with Noel Acciari and Chris Wagner.

Avalanche/Flames

The Avalanche are the third team that you I didn’t pick to advance to the second round, eliminating the Flames in just five games with a 5-1 win. With the addition of Cale Makar in this series and a high first-round pick via Ottawa as early as next season, the Avs are only going to climb the standings from here. If Philipp Grubauer can sustain his late-season success, this result could be a sign of things to come for Colorado next season and beyond.

Once the damage was done, Colin Wilson and Mikko Rantanen each scored two goals and added an assist. Nathan MacKinnon and Tyson Barrie each added three assists. Rantanen has racked up nine points (5g-4a) in this five-game series, while MacKinnon has eight points.

#Flames & #GoBolts are both eliminated.

This marks the first time in NHL history that the regular season champions from each respective conference have been eliminated in Round 1

— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) April 20, 2019

In addition, the Flames and the Lightning combined for just one win. It’s not as if these series were even close. This might be shaping up to be the most unpredictable Stanley Cup Playoffs in league history. Keep reading, because later on I’ve got something for you if your bracket is busted.

After Game 1 the Flames appeared to be a team that would roll all over the Avalanche, but since then the Avs have clearly been the better team, even though they had to go to overtime in Games 2 and 4. The Flames’ big guns were snuffed out in this series, in particular Johnny Gaudreau (1 point in 5 games) and Sean Monahan (2 points in 5 games). It was simply not Gaudreau’s night.

Wow. This has been some game for Johnny Gaudreau. Misses penalty shot, misses net on breakaway, scores but goal is disallowed for interference.

— David Satriano (@davidsatriano) April 20, 2019

In fact, Sam Bennett led the Flames in scoring in this series with five points in five games. He was rewarded with a spot on the top line in this game, so this could even be a case of his playoff performance improving his stock for next season. Better line deployment could be what is needed to push his career back on the upswing. After scoring 36 points in his rookie season, the 2014 fourth overall pick has failed to reach 30 points in each of his last three seasons.

James Neal was a healthy scratch for Game 5. As you might expect, he had no points in four games. Neal has quite simply been a bust for the Flames since signing a five-year contract worth $5.75 million per season last summer. His 19 points in 63 games is his lowest point total in his 11-year NHL career, and he doesn’t seem to fit into the Flames’ younger core going forward. Hopefully you didn’t draft him hoping he’d play on the Flames’ top line. We could now be seeing why Nashville left him unprotected in the expansion draft.

The Flames have a major decision coming up with respect to their goaltending. The series result is by no means entirely on Mike Smith (his 188 saves leads all playoff goalies), but he was easily considered the biggest question mark for the Flames entering this series. You’d have to think that the 37-year-old Smith won’t be returning and that the Flames would instead turn to a tandem with RFA David Rittich and a goalie that they find as a UFA (maybe they circle back to Smith?) There doesn’t appear to be anything waiting in the system, as the numbers for both Jon Gillies and Tyler Parsons don’t suggest that they’re NHL ready. Maybe a trade?

Stevie Y is coming home. To nearly no one’s surprise, the Red Wings are bringing their former captain back as general manager, with current GM Ken Holland moving to the role of senior vice president.

This move is a home run for the Wings, both from a hockey and a PR perspective. During his time in Tampa, Yzerman has taken a relatively unstable team in a non-traditional market and turned it into a Cup contender. In fact, the Lightning are perceived by many to be the NHL’s model franchise for its ability to develop players through its minor-league system, a trait that was associated with the Red Wings during their run as one of the league’s top teams.

Sure, the Lightning haven’t won a Stanley Cup with the current core group, and the recent four-game sweep at the hands of the Blue Jackets is still raw. However, Yzerman has left the Lightning in a position in which they should be one of the league’s top teams for at least several more years to come. I’d expect the Wings to be back in the playoffs within 2-3 seasons, although the 2019-20 playoffs are probably a reach with this group as it stands today.

Current head coach Jeff Blashill was signed to a two-year extension earlier this month, so his job for at least next season is secure. However, I’d think that Yzerman would immediately raise the bar for a former contender that has now missed the playoffs for three consecutive seasons. The Wings have some nice pieces centering around Dylan Larkin, but Stevie Y will need to add more in the way of draft picks. With some cap space, Yzerman could even dip into the free agent pool as early as this summer. Optimism abound in the Motor City.

For more detailed analysis, see Mike Clifford’s fantasy take.

As for Holland, there have been rumors abound that he is being considered for the GM jobs in both Edmonton and Seattle. But according to Darren Dreger, Holland has withdrawn his name from the Oilers’ GM search.

The Blue Jackets’ four-game sweep of the Lightning has easily been the surprise story of the NHL playoffs so far. The Islanders’ four-game sweep of the Penguins will come in as a not-too-distant second in that department. As of tonight, there’s the Flames as well. That isn’t good news if you’d built your fantasy playoff roster around the likes of Nikita Kucherov and Sidney Crosby.

There’s the old expression “when you lose, don’t lose the lesson.” So can fantasy owners learn anything from these surprise quick exits of the Lightning and Penguins, two teams that have been on the short list of Stanley Cup contenders over the last few years? I can think of at least three takeaways.

The playoffs aren’t fair

Tampa Bay’s record-setting regular season of 62 wins didn’t matter in the end, as they failed to post even a single win in a season that they were picked by many to win the Stanley Cup. This is a problem not unlike that in head-to-head fantasy leagues, where a team with a strong regular season can be eliminated quickly because of a down week, an unusually strong week by the opponent, or a combination of both.

To ensure fairness, some fantasy leagues give first-place teams a bye in the first round. That is something that probably won’t be made possible in the NHL unless the league decides to adopt a one-game playoff similar to what MLB currently uses. A complete first-round bye might make a team more well-rested than they should be, but the real reason the league will probably never use it is that it would generate less playoff revenue for teams than simply playing the games.

So what can fantasy owners do about this? Even first-round byes don’t ensure deserving first-place teams win championships, although they make the path a little easier. You can look at your fantasy league’s playoff schedule to confirm that you don’t have key players on one- or two-game weeks (the Dobber Midseason Guide has an article on this topic). Even if you examine the schedule, it doesn’t guarantee against trades or injuries changing the course. It doesn’t hurt to draft with your playoff schedule in mind, although your first priority should still be to get to your league’s fantasy playoffs.

If the whole idea of a successful regular season going up in smoke in one week bothers you, perhaps rotisserie scoring is for you. Like the English Premier League, the team with the most points at the end of the season wins the title. Fair and square.

You won’t be the only one

Like many, I was hit with the losses of Tampa Bay players from my playoff pool (6 of the 25 players I picked were from the Lightning). However, note that I said “like many.” In spite of this loss, I’m still in fifth place among 70 teams in my playoff pool (pick any 25). All the teams in front of me also lost players with Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay being eliminated.

Not all playoff pools are constructed the same way, but many use the “pick any X number of players” model. If you play in a smaller group and perhaps use a draft, then you’re okay to diversify with players from different teams. So the key to winning might be not to miss on some of your other playoff picks. Regardless, the net effect for individual fantasy owners might not be as disastrous as you might assume.

By the way, did you know that you will be able to submit a second-chance playoff bracket over at NHL.com? Just call this the “Tampa Bay rule”, as this is the first time that the league has created this do-over bracket.

Zig when the others zag

The one writer on the Experts Panel who picked Columbus over Tampa Bay looks like a genius right now. (That was Capped writer Alexander MacLean, in case you were wondering.) It’s a high-risk strategy, but one that can pay off if the expected result doesn’t happen. Just because everyone is doing something doesn’t mean you have to. This strategy makes a little more sense in a larger pool, where picking a similar team to others won’t help you stand out. Or you could simply be the contrarian to challenge your friend’s wisdom.

The Islanders will be without a significant top-4 defenseman for their second-round playoff series. Johnny Boychuk is expected to miss the next 3-4 weeks with a lower-body injury, which resulted from a blocked shot during the Isles’ first-round series against Pittsburgh. Boychuk was third among Isles’ defensemen in total icetime (18:50) during the regular season. Thomas Hickey is expected to enter the Isles’ lineup to replace Boychuk.

Cam Robinson’s 2019 NHL Draft Rankings for the month of April are out. Is Jack Hughes still projected to go first overall? Which player is projected to be picked when your favorite team steps up to the podium? Cam has the answers to these and more.

For more fantasy hockey information, or to reach out to me directly, you can follow me on Twitter @Ian_Gooding.

from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-rambling/ramblings-yzerman-back-in-motown-flames-doused-advantage-leafs-apr-20/

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