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Hartley Miller's Slap Shots - November 4th Edition

By Hartley Miller

The “new” but not necessarily improved NHL is trying something this season that the Cougars have been subjected to since they arrived in Prince George; back to back home games against the same opponent. 

This season, the Cougars’ schedule includes 12 home double-headers which accounts for two-thirds of their CN Centre dates. They wrap up their fourth double against Kootenay tonight (Friday). 

Earlier this season, the Cougars played back-to-back contests against the Seattle Thunderbirds, the Vancouver Giants and the Tri-City Americans, all ending in splits. Last season, the Cats played 11 back to back games in their own building, splitting nine of them. 

The Vancouver Canucks have several back to back games on their schedule, including three straight against the Oilers; March 21st in Edmonton and March 23rd and 25th both in Vancouver. 

So far, the Canucks split in Minnesota, and lost twice in Colorado (although they gained a point because the second game went into overtime). 

There are advantages in scheduling double-headers in the same city. Obviously, costs are reduced and there is less travel. For instance, it makes economic sense for the Americans to face Prince George twice on the same road trip rather than play, leave and travel back again later in the season.
One could argue these games better prepare teams for playoffs. However, judging by the Cougars performance since they arrived in PG in 1994, this theory needs to be thrown out the window. 

On the other hand, there are downsides to this type of schedule. After all, if there wasn't, the schedule makers would have slotted “double dips” decades ago. Fans generally don't want to watch the same visiting team twice in a row, especially if they lack “star” players, and as a result many spectators pick one game or the other. By the way, isn't it interesting that the Cougars have only one road double-header in the same city and that's on the last weekend of the regular season March 17th and 18th at Tri-City? 

In addition, more often than not, the result is predictable (look at the evidence). In other words, the losing team from game one has that extra motivation and generally responds with a victory in game two. 

Because of PG’s location, the Cougars home double-headers against the same opponent aren't going to change. That's understandable.
However, isn’t the “new” NHL about the fans? If that's really the case, the league will scrap this idea next season. And we know there's about as much chance of that as there is of Derek Boogaard winning the Lady Byng trophy.

? The New York Rangers have a roster consisting of seven Czechs, six Canadians, four Russians, three Americans, two Swedes and a Finn (I'm still not sure about a partridge in a pear tree)

? Brian Jackson has been fined $300 for impersonating Pittsburgh Steelers quarterbacks Ben Roethlisberger and Brian St. Pierre while dating Pittsburgh women. According to Jeff Gordon of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "But police are still looking for the man who impersonated quarterback Tommy Maddox with disastrous results during the Steelers loss to Jacksonville.''

? Life magazine spoke to Sheryl Crow about her plans to marry Lance Armstrong in the spring of 2006. "Someone asked me the other day if I was going to wear a yellow dress (at the wedding). Not unless Lance rides his bike down the aisle”.

? Scott Ostler, of the San Francisco Chronicle, looking back to last month with some of the non highlights and lessons learned. "Nobody gets a free drop. Not Michelle Wie with her golf ball, not Josh Paul with that third strike, not the Minnesota Vikings with their pants."



And, how is your week?

--Hartley Miller is the sports director for radio stations 94X and the Wolf@97FM. 
  He also writes for the PG Free Press, and is author of "You Don't Say" (Andrews-McMeel, 2005). 







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