I had been hoping to have installment two of the Arena Saga up by now, but the draft, free agency, and the Rick Nash brouhaha got in my way, and that darn work stuff did the same. So, I am off for 8 days of vacation with the family, heading to Ft. Lauderdale, Cozumel, Costa [...]
July 3rd, 2009 | Jeff Little | 1 comment | ContinuedArchive for Jeff Little
A native of the SF Bay Area, my first exposure to hockey was the SF/Oakland/California Golden Seals, including Charlie Finley and the white skates. Fast forward to the late 1980's when Gretzky and the Kings came up to the Bay Area for an exhibition game at the Oakland Coliseum Arena, for which we had glass seats. I was at the first San Jose Sharks game in the Cow Palace, and followed them for their first few pathetic years, before moving to Columbus in 1994. I attended the first pro-NHL rally downtown, and have been a season ticket holder since Day 1, wife & I are active in the Jacket Backers, and son is an avid fan as well. I cover the Jackets for Inside Hockey, and contribute regularly to a variety of hockey sites. I maintain contact with the Jackets organization, and like to dig into stories, bringing a fresh, and sometimes irreverent perspective to hockey.
Progress Reported
Per Aaron Portzline on Twitter: “CBJ makes progress toward contract extension with Rick Nash, but no deal likely tonight” Good to hear!! I am still sticking with my prediction for a deal by the time of the Red, White & Boom parade tomorrow.
July 3rd, 2009 | Jeff Little | 0 comments | Continued
Step Away From The Ledge People . . .
The key signings of Sammy Pahlsson and Mathieu Garon were unfortunately overshadowed last night with the dislcosure that Rick Nash was “disappointed” with the package the Blue Jackets put out as their initial offer. The responses have ranged from disdain for Nash’s comments and severely taking him to taks, to roasting Howson over the coals [...]
July 2nd, 2009 | Jeff Little | 6 comments | Continued
Free Agency, Rich Nash, Phoenix & Other Musings
July 1, and a young man’s heart turns to thoughts of . . . lots and lots of cash.2 hours and 13 minutes until the annual feeding frenzy known as free agency formally begins, but indications are that this will be a much leaner meal than in years past. Economic conditions, the prospect of a [...]
July 1st, 2009 | Jeff Little | 0 comments | Continued
Draft Day Guesses. . . . I Mean, Prognostication
Draft Day has arrived, and there are enough Mock Drafts and draft predictions out there to choke even the most ardent, Mullett-wearing hockey analyst. Puck Rakers alone has Mock Drafts from everyone except the copy boy, and even he may be in on the action under an assumed name.This is a different draft experience for [...]
June 26th, 2009 | Jeff Little | 1 comment | Continued
This Phoenix May Not Rise From The Ashes . . .
In my first piece on the Phoenix court case, I noted that the recent ruling appeared to be a “tenuous” victory for the NHL, Glendale and some of the Coyotes’ creditors. I then embarked on a quest to find a copy Judge Baum’s actual ruling, as I was curious why he devoted 21 pages to [...]
June 22nd, 2009 | Jeff Little | 5 comments | Continued
The Arena Chronicles — Part I — The Present
Well, at long last my fingers have made it to the keyboard, and my take on the Blue Jackets/Arena situation is underway. While my tardiness has been due in part to work commitments, I have also spent a lot of time digging into the details and background, to the extent possible, in order to paint [...]
June 19th, 2009 | Jeff Little | 5 comments | Continued
Congratulations Steve & Rick!!!!
Unless you were vacationing in Antarctica this evening, or whiling away the time in a Sensory Deprivation Chamber, you have heard that Steve Mason was named the winner of the Calder Trophy tonight, signifying his status as Rookie of the Year in the NHL. He also was named to the All-Rookie Team, and to the [...]
June 19th, 2009 | Jeff Little | 0 comments | Continued
Almost there . . .
Beginning to feel like the teaser for a new TV series here, but this has been a slow and more complex process than I thought, combined with an extraordinarily busy time at work. Lots of reading, lots of research, but I think I now have a fairly balanced pool of information to present. Thanks for [...]
June 16th, 2009 | Jeff Little | 0 comments | Continued
Balsillie Foiled Again
It appears that Hamilton will have to wait a bit longer for an NHL franchise. Gary Bettman outmaneuvered Jim Balsillie in the United States Bankruptcy Court, with Judge Redfield Baum ruling tonight that there is insufficient time to adequately address the complicated legal issues attendant to a franchise move before Balsillie’s self-imposed June 29 deadline. [...]
June 16th, 2009 | Jeff Little | 0 comments | Continued
Tardy — But With A Note . . .
OK, so I have not lived up to my targeted publication dates for the Arena discussion pieces. Guilty . . .with an explanation. In the course of my researching, I have run across some additional sources of information that have taken some time to track down, but which are important to fleshing out the full [...]
June 11th, 2009 | Jeff Little | 3 comments | Continued
The Arena Manifesto — Prologue
I have now completed my discussions with Greg Kirstein, Sr.Vice President and General Counsel for the Blue Jackets, reviewed data furnished by both Greg and VP of Public Relations Todd Sharrock, and have done some independent review of data, assembled my thoughts, and now tackle the task of putting some perspective and context on the [...]
June 6th, 2009 | Jeff Little | 4 comments | Continued
More Arena News On The Way
As many of you may have heard, the Blue Jackets held a Roundtable last night for members of the blogging community that regularly cover the CBJ. While I was tied up in meetings, and did not become aware of the invitation until the event was underway, the Blue Jackets have come to the rescue. Todd [...]
June 3rd, 2009 | Jeff Little | 0 comments | Continued
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