Rangers: One Win in the Finals Parade will be Tuesday morning on 33rd Street between 7th and 8th avenues

Sather

SATIRE

NEW YORK CITY —

Rather than causing a big scene along the Canyon of Heroes, the New York Rangers today announced they will host a “One Win in the Finals Parade” along 33rd Street between Seventh and Eighth avenues on Tuesday, with a 10 a.m. stepoff.

Madison Square Garden Chairman James Dolan made the excited announcement Saturday.

“It’s been 20 years since we were in the Finals,” Dolan said. “And our fans were just wonderful in the first three rounds — which, you know, we won. And while we all were pretty sure the Kings would win the final round, we wanted our fans to be able to celebrate and savor that one win, Game No. 3.

Butch Goring will be
on hand for the parade.

“Which, I might remind you, was also Henrik Lundqvist’s first and only Finals victory.”

To be feted will the Lundqvist for his one win, Brian Boyle for his goal, Rick Nash for nothing, Brad Richards for nothing, the power play for its two successful goals in 21 tries and John Amirante for singing the anthem and twirling those towels like no one else ever has before or will do again.

Fans are invited to bring effigies of NHL referees. It doesn’t matter what the number is on the back of the sweater, Dolan says. Just bring anything that resembles an NHL referee and that can be hanged from a stick like a puppet.

Devs are stuck on MSG-network until 2024

Welcome back to what we all hope will be a much better NHL season for our New Jersey Devils. We at NJDevsBlog.com are excited about the upcoming season — and it’s our hope, as usual, to deliver unique Devils’ and NHL content — via parody, commentary, video and audio. 

What you won’t find here — again — are game recaps, or, for that matter, anything you’d find elsewhere. 

We’ll also continue with our popular Attendance Watch series, a look around the league, each day, at which games did and didn’t sell out.

We start this season off with a complaint, I suppose, of sorts.

So often, I’m asked, “Why aren’t the Devils on SNY?” And each time I’m asked, it makes me sick, really, because as much as I’d love to see the team on SNY, it’ll be a long time before that’s even possible.

The Devils’ current contract with MSG doesn’t expire until after the 2023-24 season. A few years ago, the Devils signed a massive deal with the network to continue to televise the team’s games.

The money, though not announced, was believed to be astronomical and more than any other networks offered.

Here’s the problem though.

The Devils are always going to be second- or third-class on this network. Take this pre-season for example.

Every single Rangers pre-season game is to be televised.

One Devils pre-season game will be — and shocker — it’s against the Rangers.

Perhaps the most disturbing is the game on Sept. 21 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn against the Islanders isn’t on TV.

A friend of mine with inside knowledge of the reasoning tells me the suits at MSG say televising that game would have caused “significant losses.”

And that’s nonsense.

And precisely why, to this day, I still cannot believe Lou would have signed such a long-term deal with MSG when the Devils could have been a major focus of SNY’s winter programming. (Let’s face it, there’s only so much “Beer Money” one can take in the cold-weather months, right)?

Instead, they continue to play step-child on the MSG network. And that, my friends, is a shame.

We can only hope that in 10 years, when it’s time to re-up, Lou (or whomever the GM or decider is) realizes it’s time to go elsewhere for better coverage.

Odds and ends

• The Devils will be on WFAN again this season. What’s not clear is what will happen if there’s a conflict. Will one game go on 660 AM and another on 101.9 FM? 

Chances of a split are slim since WFAN is a complete simulcast — which means no deviation from programming or advertising from AM to FM.

• Be sure to check back regularly now — we’re back and we hope you are, too! 

A letter to Lou Lamoriello (first in a series — and not for what you'd probably think this first time). Can we please stop the MSG commercials?

Sunday, 4 April 2013

Mr. Louis A. Lamoriello
General Manager/New Jersey Devils
Prudential Center — 165 Mulberry St.
Newark, N.J., 07102

Dear Mr Lamoriello:

I know your contract with MSG is pretty lucrative — and it lasts for a long time. But please, could you ask the folks at the network to stop bombarding us with commercials for Rangers documentaries, Knicks playoff games and Boomer and Carton?

I mean, we clearly couldn’t care less about the documentaries. And Boomer is the biggest Rangers fan on the planet. Plus, all they ever talk about on that show is, well, anything BUT the Devils.

So respectfully, I ask — can you ask them to stop?

Or, do what you should have done in the first place? And that is, to sign a deal with SNY for our games? They need winter programming — and unlike on MSG, we’d be the winter centerpiece of the network — and not relegated to MSG-+2 on some nights, where HD isn’t always an option.

Thanks, Lou,

Sincerely Yours,

Kevin

Port St. Lucie, Fla.

Find the mistake in the graphics here and win 5 points

This is a screen-grab from Doc Emrick's all-time favourite Devils' moments. The first person to find the error in the graphic — in the comments section, on Facebook or Twitter — wins five points. Carry on.

Where's the mistake here? First correct answer wins you five bonus points. 

Some MSG Network commercials stink; this one ... doesn't

Press the arrow to play the video.

Not pretty in Montreal ... so did you know ...

Hasn't been too fun thus far in Montreal. So, did you know there's a full NHL website in French? And a French NHL (LNH, LNH.com) logo? Have a look here.

Oh, and one last thing — is there anything more irritating than having to see (Rangers fans) Boomer and Carton commercials ever TV time out?

Click to enlarge.

The pain of a Flyers-Rangers game and more

The Canessa Commentary

By KEVIN CANESSA Jr.

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — 

Haven’t written a column where I do snippets — small musings — about things going on in the NHL in a while. So here it goes.

• I must admit — there’s not much worse than when the Rangers play the Flyers. Before each game, I struggle. Who do I root for now that there aren’t ties anymore? And then, when the games begin, it becomes as apparent as it did when the Yankees played the Phillies in the 2009 World Series — I wind up rooting for Philly. 

And not just that, over the last few years, I’ve met some of the nicest people, who happen to be Flyers fans — Bill Scardefield, Marc Eisenberg, Skip Babinski, Tim Ronaldson, Bob Linnehan, the Wiz (though I am not sure he’s a full-fledged Flyers junkie). I’ve come to learn — and perhaps it’s just that I am getting older — that not all Flyers fans are dicks. Seriously.

• It’s very painful to see what’s happening in Glendale. My buddy, Bill Scardefield, says it’s about 95 percent certain the Yotes will be sold and will remain in Arizona. And yet, in Game 2 of the season, the fans haven’t exactly shown much concern for the team — about 8,300 showed up after selling out Opening Night.

For Bill’s sake — and the sake of the fans who do care (I generally hate seeing teams bolt one town for another … the exception being when Atlanta rightfully moved to Winnipeg) — I hope Arizona keeps its team. And yet, I can’t help but wonder — don’t kill me for this Vin Witel — whether the organization would be better suited, financially, moving to Seattle?

• Speaking of attendance, the league had a great first week. With a few exceptions — Florida, Buffalo (close), Phoenix, Long Island (close) — crowds were tremendous and full.

Hell, even our Devils sold out for the 14th-consecutive time. 

Steve Cangialosi, right, with Chico Resch.

• Having NHL Gamecenter allows me to watch our Devils with either the away broadcast, or the home broadcast. What I’ve noticed is Steve Cangialosi is starting to grow on me more in his second full season as play-by-play announcer. And, that MSG’s audio is far superior to any of the other regional sports networks, like Comcast, Fox Sports, etc. The sounds of the game are important — and MSG mics certainly pick up a lot — including a ton of stuff the FCC would probably prefer the mics didn’t catch.

• The Panthers are doing a great job trying to woo fans back after the lockout. They’re offering fans a chance to buy full-season tickets for just $7 a game — with parking to every game included and a free Panthers’ home jersey.

The Devils, meanwhile, are touting full-season tickets for “Just over $500 a seat.”

Some deal that is.

I’ve searched high and lo, and haven’t found a single worthy enticement for non-season ticket holders. And were I in New Jersey, I seriously doubt I’d even consider going to a game. 

At least back in 1995, there were $1 dogs at every home game.

Doesn’t appear that way this time.

I suppose that’s what happens when the demand for tickets is already high. The Devils have had crowds of 17,625 for both home games thus far.

• As much as I’ve been enjoying Gamecenter Live, the blackout restrictions are stupid — and should have been re-examined after the lockout.

If a game is on NBC Sports Network, it’s not available on Gamecenter. I understand that. But if a game is on NHL-N (US), it’s also blacked out. When you try to watch the game, this message appears: “Thus game is being broadcast on national television in your area and is not available in NHL Gamecenter Live at this time. Please tun in to the NHL Network to watch live.”

Thing is, it’s NOT on TV in my area.

AT&T U-verse hasn’t had NHL programming for over a year. And there’s been no indication it’ll be back anytime soon. Greedy sons of bitches — get a deal done already. Haven’t the fans suffered enough after this frigging lockout?

• Also heard the Devils-Flyers game was blacked out on DirecTV on Tuesday. It should not have been.

There’s been debate as to why — and it’s clearly human error.

In Philly, that game was being broadcast locally on CSN — and as such, it should have been blacked out only on NBCSN in the Philly Market. In North Jersey, NBC Sports had an exclusive window to show the game in the New York market. It should have been available everywhere in the market.

Someone at DirecTV didn’t realize the game was permitted to be shown in North Jersey, with the NBCSN feed. (MSG did not have broadcasting rights for this game).

And no one else seemed to realize this — including those who cover the team professionally.

Also saw people lamenting this might happen again next Flyers-Devils  game. It shouldn’t. NBCSN and Comcast (owners of the Flyers) can’t just arbitrarily say the game can’t be broadcast in North Jersey as some have suggested.

Thorne

• Speaking of NHL broadcasts, how Gary Thorne isn’t doing any kind of NHL broadcasting is mind-numbing. He was honestly the reason I became a Devils fan back in the late ‘80s. I loved his work with the Mets — and he made me want to watch hockey … he was that good. 

Having heard some of the guys who do play-by-play across the league on Gamecenter, it makes me wonder how some of them are doing games, and Thorne isn’t.

I’d hoped Lou Lamoriello would consider bringing him back when Doc Emrick retired from MSG-N. No such luck.

I’d also say the same for Bill Clemente. He still has a limited — very limited — role with the Flyers. But no solid national work. And yet, the likes of Mike Milbury and Barry Melrose are gainfully employed to talk hockey.

• Now that Scott Gomez is playing again — for San Jose — we can’t help but wonder: Will he score a goal?

• Speaking of San Jose — Patrick Marleau — this guy’s the very early MVP frontrunner. As I write this, he just scored his second goal v. Colorado — his fourth-straight two-goal game.

• In the past, Devils game always took precedence over Nets games. Not so far this year. Friday’s game was bumped from WFAN to Bloomberg 1130. I’m wondering if this is simply because of the change in schedule/shortened season?

• That’s all for now. Big one in Montreal tomorrow. Will be cool to see brother v. brother for what I think is the first time ever — when Stephen outplays his brother, Brian Gionta.

Trying to decide whether to like the new MSG score bug

NEW YORK CITY —

So every year, it seems networks like to tinker with their score bugs.

And I'm trying to decide whether I like the new one used by MSG Networks for Devils, Islanders, Sabres and Islanders games. It's very simple — but it also runs deeper into the left part of the screen, while others — including the ones used by Comcast's regional sports networks — are narrow and don't run deep at all.

I know I like the Comcast ones. Not a fan of the Fox Sportsnets'. But it's the MSG ones — I'm still debating.

Here's a look at a few examples.

MSG Sabres

MSG Islanders

FSN Panthers

Comcast SportsNet Capitals — I like this one the most

Wish List Updated: No Goldie or Moller

Goldie

Moller

Thought I'd just give a quick update to my Doc Emrick replacement wish list. Found out, for certain, it won't be any of the Florida Panthers guys. Steve Goldstein and Randy Moller are both happily staying in South Florida for the foreseeable future. Talked to Moller for a while today -- and he's more than content. And a buddy of mine confirmed Goldie is just as happy in Miami. Should be fun to see what happens next.

Doc's Leaving the Devils Is Like Losing a Friend

Mike 'Doc' Emrick,  Ph.D.

Back in 1993, I left New Jersey for Newport, R.I., having transferred from Seton Hall University to Salve Regina University. Mind you, this was well before the days of NHL Ticket -- and the only way to see Devils games in Rhode Island was when they played the Bruins or Whalers -- or in going to Bobby Valentine's sports pub in nearby Middletown, R.I.

So it came as a huge disappointment in October 1993 when I learned Gary Thorne was no longer the Devils' play-by-play announcer, having been replaced by the already-immortal Michael "Doc" Emrick. I couldn't believe it -- my first year away, Doc was back with the Devils, and I'd barely get to hear him.

Regardless, because of breaks and because those years the Devils were often playing late into each post-season, I got my share of Doc. And after graduation from Salve, it was the same. First it was with Peter McNab. Then with Doug Sulliman for a year. And finally Chico Resch.

Yet it didn't matter who he was paired with, Doc was the best at what he did -- and was, to me, the best in all of sports.

His words have stuck with generations of Devils fans. Who could forget 1995.

"The championship to New Jersey. The Devils win the Stanley Cup!"

It was the first of three Cups for the Devs, and sadly, the only time he got to call a Cup winner for them. ABC covered the Finals in 2000 and 2003, and it was Gary Thorne who had the honors.

For nearly 20 years, Doc's voice came into our living rooms -- every October through as late as May. He called a game like no one else could, a true wordsmith.

When I found out he was leaving the Devils to work only with NBC and whatever they call Versus in the coming months, I felt like I lost a dear friend. His voice was a part of some of the greatest memories I've ever had. And now, come October, he won't be there, save for the rare occasion NBC or Versus carries a Devils game.

I'll miss him -- and thousands others will, too.

Yet rather than being upset with the move, it's a time to remember just how fortunate we were to have the best announcer to ever put on a headset. And if you don't get that, simply turn on a hockey game from anywhere else around the country.

Maybe then it'll all make sense as to just how lucky we were.

Emrick Resigns From Devils Broadcast Booth

Dr. Michael Emrick, who has called two stints of Devils games -- including the last 18 seasons in 19 years -- has resigned from the Devils' broadcast booth to have a lighter schedule.

He will continue to call games on NBC and whatever the new name of Versus becomes later this summer. Here's a letter Doc wrote to the fans and here's Stan Fischler's reflections on Doc.

Later tonight or tomorrow, I'll have a column on this move which is very, very saddening.