In light of the heightened buzz surrounding advertisements on NHL jerseys, the Jets very own Blake Wheeler decided to wander into the fray and make his feelings known:
An NHL uniform is a sacred thing and it’s an honor to wear one. Putting corporate sponsors on the front would tarnish that. Don’t do it
— Blake Wheeler (@BiggieFunke) August 18, 2015
Before folks all went beating the anti-ad drum, blogosphere wunderkind Jeff Veillette felt compelled to give the issue additional perspective:
Hockey Night in Canada is a sacred thing and it’s an honor to be broadcasted on it. Putting commercials between.. https://t.co/1xnbNK1HoQ
— Jeff Veillette (@JeffVeillette) August 19, 2015
Don’t care if you’re for or against jersey ads, the commercialization of hockey has evolved so fast that screaming “TRADITION” is impossible
— Jeff Veillette (@JeffVeillette) August 19, 2015
Also, ads on jerseys can be a lot of things. This debate isn’t no ads vs. walking billboards. Ads could mean a single upper-chest patch.
— Jeff Veillette (@JeffVeillette) August 19, 2015
Actually, scratch that, you guys are right. Look at how angry @Breeze2Greeze is that he has to be a WALKING BILLBOARD pic.twitter.com/LyM2r2CFw6
— Jeff Veillette (@JeffVeillette) August 19, 2015
I presume Jeffler then proceeded to drop the mic, turn around and walk away from the explosion. Booyah.
And now the news.
Central Division
It feels like we've talked about this before, but Marcus Kruger remains unsigned and is being a rather good sport about it. (Yahoo! Sports)
The Blackhawks also made official their signing of Nolan Valleau. (NHL)
The alumni game between Minnesota and Chicago will feature vets from both the Wild and the North Stars, and this will apparently be reflected in differing jerseys. (FOX Sports)
Per source, within Wild something “like this” will be worn for ONLY the alumni game February 20th not the actual Stadium Series
— Vintage MN Hockey (@VintageMNHockey) August 18, 2015
Vlad Tarasenko spoke to Russia's Sport Express about how great living in St. Louis is, as well as the differences between Russian and North American humour. (St. Louis Game Time)
Alex Burmistrov had only positive things to say about Paul Maurice and Winnipeg's playoff atmosphere. (TSN)
And in case you missed it, Episode 5 of the AIH Superfans podcast is up and ready for your listening pleasure!
Episode 5! We’re joined by Superfan @KitKat_P Sound quality isn’t the greatest but our mediocrity makes up for it http://t.co/e3Wr1EQ3DB
— AIH Superfans (@AIHSuperfans) August 18, 2015
And A Few Scattered Others
Jeffler referenced the accelerating progression of hockey's commercialization. Ryan Kennedy goes for a different angle: "corporate tie-ins actually go way back in hockey’s North American history". Also, how have I never realized that the Halifax Mooseheads are essentially Moosehead Breweries. (The Hockey News)
Allan Muir wants Anaheim to add still more to their embarrassment of riches, this time focusing on the defence and another winger for Getzlaf and Perry. I’m guessing Kevin Bieksa and Patrick Maroon do not meet his satisfaction. (Sports Illustrated)
The Boston Bruins are fighting tooth and nail to fully deduct player meal expenses, "because fueling world-class athletes for competition is a fundamental part of their business." (ProHockeyTalk)
Jack Eichel is actually enjoying August's dog days of hockey summer, with the calmer atmosphere and schedule helping him focus on offseason training. (ESPN)
It was mentioned as a possibility yesterday, and now here it is: the grand reveal of Calgary's proposed arena complex, including four hypothetical sources footing the bill. (Calgary Herald)
For more information on #CalgaryNEXT, follow @CalgaryNext and visit http://t.co/uwxacDsaAg! pic.twitter.com/FKdDWLiXNh
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) August 18, 2015
Jets menace J.J. Regan speculates that this might be the year Detroit finally misses the postseason. We’ve been saying that for a while now, haven’t we? (CSN Washington)
Dave Stubbs penned an ode to Daniel Briere's rather odd season as a Montreal Canadien. (Montreal Gazette)
And finally, Adam Gretz reminds us that: a) Mike Babcock probably won't turn around the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2015-16; and b) he really doesn't need to. (CBS Sports)
Thanks for reading! Be sure to say how much you hate the idea of sullying NHL jerseys with corporate logos in the Comments section below!
