The Mizzou–Kansas Border War hockey showdown – one of the few places you can still see Mizzou and Kansas play each other – will take place in Independence once again on January 17th, 2013. It's true. No official word yet, of course.
The January 17th meeting will be the third and final meeting between the two rivals this upcoming season. Mizzou is the defending Mid-America Collegiate Hockey Association Division II champion. MACHA is a collection of college level club hockey teams throughout the United States.
"As soon go kindle fire with snow, as seek to quench the fire of love with words... and hockey." --William "Gordie" Shakespeare
Ah, Valentines Day is nearly upon us. Can't us just smell the love in the air...underneath all of the snow? Well, never mind.
Anyway, enough small talk. I have a confession to make. During the Kansas-Mizzou Border War hockey game a few weeks ago, a certain someone caught my eye. No, it wasn't the 'Dave' guy from those Staples commercials, although I swear some guy that either was him or looked like him was chillin' at the IEC dining area in-between periods. It was a much lovelier beauty, with a name unknown. She was the equipment girl/towel girl/bench bunny for the Jayhawks squad. Her beauty unmatched by any other in the arena. Her flowing golden hair moved with ease with each graceful step she took across the ice to the bench. You should have seen her, you guys. Here is a totally unflattering photo:
She is the one in the middle
You can also see a video of me totally not being a creep here.
Her presence was magical, really. Something you notice, and cannot look away.
But, I have a problem, you guys. Well, not so much me, but its her. As a great man once said, "There is no excellent beauty than hath not some strangeness in the proportion." This is true, for you see, she does not smile. For three periods of hockey, not once did could you see a dimple in her cheek, or her lips upturn in a show of sudden emotion. So stoic and unflinching, it makes me sad to think about. Sure, she could have been "all business," taking a cue from Vince Lombardi's "act like you've been there before" motto, but it still makes me feel helpless. If she cannot enjoy a hockey game, what can she enjoy?
So, I wrote a poem, you guys. I wrote it because I think she speaks for all of us as hockey fans. But, I mainly wrote because she's attractive.
(Note: for the sake of this poem, NHL is one syllable)
Ode to a Blank Faced Bench Beauty
The "Coolest Game on Earth" does not compare, With thee beauty, much greater than the NHL. Sweet, sensuous shock straighter than Smyth's hair. Though your stare is as icy as Smashville.
For some, to kiss the Cup is one great wish, For others, it is merely to kiss your cheek. And plus, the Cup does not pucker its lips, Or smile weak. Though your smile is what one seeks.
But, longer loveliness than a season, Somatic seduction. A souvenir? Rather, thou give hockey fans a reason To want its charm and grace for all the year.
Even the cute girl with a face of stone, Cannot build a Seattle team a home.
The lowly life of the backup goalie of a winless team. Hold your head up, big guy. At least you are on an organized team.
You saw part one, now it's time for the thrilling conclusion of the Mizzou-Kansas Border War photo and video journal. Will Kansas regroup in the third period, staging an amazing comeback, and avenging the 2007 Border War football game? Will Mizzou pull a Philadelphia and bleed the entire period skating around in their own end? How many players will get kicked out for fighting? The answers to these questions and more can be found after the jump.
By this point in the game, it was getting hard to tell whether or not either team was called getting for a penalty during stoppages of play. Four KU players on the ice became the norm at this time.
The third period fight, the icing on the fight cake, resulted in six game misconducts.
The resulting confusion after the fight. Twenty minutes later they resumed play.
Continued confusion. Ilya Kovalchuk is not pleased.
Jus' chillin.
"Hey, uh, no one will blame you if you want to get out of here. Follow me to freedom."
The Kansas bench after the misconducts. There are four guys on the ice, two goalies, and eight guys on the bench.
The Missouri bench by comparison.
Midway through the third period. Not everyone seems to have the same focus as the two players taking the faceoff.
Your final score. Mizzou wins the Border War, 14-3. The game, mercifully, comes to an end.
Mizzou celebration.
Mizzou skate-ebration.
Team photo with the odd trophy in the background. Truman didn't break this one, apparently.
Photo with the trophy. Quick question: who are these photographers and where are their photos?
Coaching staff with the trophy
Thus concludes another hockey night in the Kansas City metro. I would say that the IEC was about 70% full. That may be a little generous, but that's still about 4,000+ people for an arena that holds about 5,800. It wasn't a great game (14-3 final and very chippy throughout), but it's still hockey nonetheless. And honestly, isn't that what really matters? Thirty-three Mavs games plus games like this each year make Kansas City a hockey town of sorts, even though it's not on the same level as a Winnipeg, or Seattle, or even St. Louis. Still fun, though.
If you didn't make it out to the IEC Friday night, you missed a lot of fights, a lot of penalty minutes, and a lot of goals. Mike Genet at the Examiner has the only write up I have seen so far, so check that out.
Without further ado, here is the Lost City of Bettman official grainy photo and video diary of the 2012 Mizzou-Kansas hockey Border War.
There are, in fact, family restrooms located throughout the arena.
Pre-game festivities. Props to all of you people who shelled out the extra cash to sit behind the benches. And props to the IEC and club hockey programs for selling the cheaper tickets throughout the arena. Not like that dumb thing back in the day at the Outlaws games where most of the arena was $18, but the first three rows were $40. That was dumb.
This guy is an usher, but he reminds me of someone...wait, is it this guy? Maybe that's a stretch.
Missouri and their damn product placement!
Score after the end of the first period. Mizzou 3. Kansas 0. Mizzou scored two goals in the first two minutes. And the route was on...
Everyone just kind of standing around, probably following the fifteen or so game misconducts. Oh! That reminds me.
Yeah, so that was one of two very real fights that resulted in (I think) six total misconducts.
Ah, the innocence of the intermission. I really hate to say this, but is "Linus and Lucy" (also known as the Peanut theme) just really getting old when the mites play in between periods?
Zamboni-mania returns!
I'm not lying when I say there were many misconducts. Oh, and it's sad, but this is the only goal I captured throughout the duration of the entire game. But, the more important issue is the health of the PA announcer. Lozenges work wonders, but let's hope he doesn't have some lung problems.
So, this game got out of hand. Mizzou scored something like four goals during their odd, unannounced powerplay. We were not told the whole story after the penalties, I fear.
Here's a crowd shot.
The score at the end of the second period. Mizzou 12. Kansas 2.
It's good to see about 1/8 of Mizzou's pep band showed up for the game. Actually, it would have been cool to see Kansas's band as well. If anything, they would have helped out the arena music guy from playing "Blitzkreig Bop" one hundred times.
Just a reminder that this Friday, January 20th, the University of Missouri and University of Kansas club hockey teams are holding their annual Independence Events Center Border War game at 7:05. You can get tickets here.
According to the Mid-America Collegiate Hockey Association website, Mizzou hockey is 9-2-1 so far this season, while Kansas hockey is 0-14. So, come on out and see if Kansas wins their first game of the season...or see how badly Mizzou beats the Jayhawks into submission. The choice is yours, really. Just GO! (Plus, if you are into fights, hhhoooooooo boy let me tell you, these teams fight! It's all in good fun though, so just sit back and enjoy the carnage. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll learn something about yourself.)
Speaking of collegiate hockey, as explained by pucKChaser, tickets to the October 12th-13th IceBreaker Tournament are ON SALE NOW. I think he explains the fun and importance of the tournament in KC better than I could, so just click on that hotlink at the top of this paragraph. You can also learn more about the tourney and get your tickets here.
Also, just a personal note, I am humbled to be mentioned by two KC hockey blogs that have been at it for a long time and have done and continue to do awesome jobs. Aaron Stilley at the NHL in Kansas City and pucKChaser's blog ("blogger" sounds so formal) both know their KC hockey history and understand the current climate of not only NHL hockey, but local hockey too. Please read these folks if you have not already. Read their archives, read any other stuff they do. They know what they are talking about. It's like I'm Charlie Brown and they are two different "little red-haired girls" that just noticed me...um, not saying that they are little red-haired girls or anything, err, nor does that imply they are two-dimensional cartoon characters... umm...yeah, disregard that last comment.
But, really, it is a thrill to be a part of the volatile but hopeful Kansas City hockey online community. Please, if you have opinions, comments, suggestions, etc. please do not hesitate to post them here. All suggestions are welcome.
Here is a picture of Craig Anderson looking at ice girls as a thanks for your patronage:
There are an awful lot of honkeys in this picture. (Screen cap via)
Just a reminder that the hockey version of the Border War continues Friday, January 20th, 2012 at the Independence Events Center (home of the Mavs). I cannot promise the hockey will be top notch Division I caliber stuff, but I can promise a good time will be had by hockey fans, Mizzou fans, Kansas fans, and all sports fans alike. Go here to get tickets.
Also, there is speculation that Craig MacTavish, the current head coach of the AHL's Chicago Wolves (the Mavs affiliate), is a possible candidate for the recently vacated Los Angeles Kings head coaching position. His only head coaching gig in the NHL was with the Edmonton Oilers from 2000-09, going 301-252-47-56 and losing to Carolina in the 06-07 Stanley Cup Finals. He is in his first season with the Wolves, and as of this date he is 11-9-4. He currently coaches two-way Mavs Charlie Effinger, J.P. Testwuide, and Dustin Friesen. He is also the last player in the NHL to play without a helmet. Just thought you should know.
Oh yeah, by the way, Mavs goalie extraordinaire "F-bomb" Effinger was called up to the semi-big leagues the other day. This means the Mavs will once again use their insurance policy, Gerry Festa, in net for the time being. Brian Mahoney-Wilson will also see time between the pipes.
Hey, how about some NHL stuff? Sure, why not. Continue...
Recently, the NHL mulled over an idea to realign the current divisions and conferences setup instead of moving a few teams in the wake of the Atlanta-to-Winnipeg relocation. You may have heard a lot about this already. If not, I encourage you to peruse this article from NHL.com. Basically, the NHL will operate with four geographic-based division/conferences, two with seven teams and two with eight teams. The top four teams of each div-con will make it to the playoffs, facing off in the first two rounds and then filtering into a final four semi-finals of teams that do not see much of each other. There are some schedule balancing things in there too, and the article does a good job of explaining how that works. You may ask, "Why does this matter to Kansas City?" Well, the optimist in me would love to show you. Plus, who doesn't like to look at maps???
Let's imagine, "pretend" if you would like, that Phoenix relocates to Kansas City. Well, according to CBC Sports, KC continues it's role as outcast.
3. Phoenix: The NHL wants to keep the Coyotes in Arizona and will likely adopt the "Atlanta timeline," ie. waiting until the last possible minute before announcing any move. It's been reported the four potential sites are Seattle, Las Vegas, Quebec City and Kansas City. (Technically, the league can't talk to another city until Jan. 1). If it is one of the first two, the team wouldn't have to switch conferences. If it's Quebec, you're looking at the Montreal grouping. Kansas City? No idea.
Let's have a look-see, shall we?
Here is the proposed realignment:
Pittsburgh is highlighted because they are upset about something or another...I don't care and neither should you.
Here is a scenario with the city of Kansas City in the mix:
There, I fixed it.
The whole problem with rearranging teams has to do with rivalries being destroyed, reiterating the fact that Detroit could essentially be placed in any one of these divisions (let that be a lesson to all of you; if you are good at something, others will consider you their rival). If Detroit must remain a Western team in the div-con of Chicago and Minnesota that will henceforth be known affectionately as the Big Ten, then Nashville or Columbus could be bounced to an Eastern division (possibly Toronto and Montreal's, thus helping their attendance issues), or KC could just be a lone wolf out west, staying in the same division and basically solving nothing. Or be an independent. But no, Quebec City will get their precious NHL team back because of snow and tradition or some such nonsense.
Before we get to the fifth and final NHL team for Kansas Citians, let us first look at a few that did not make the cut but still hold some connection to Kansas City.
Honorable Mention: Other teams to enjoy because of some KC connection
Vancouver Canucks
The Missouri Mavericks are the CHL affiliate of the ‘Nucks AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves.Also, the Blades acted as their IHL affiliate in 2000-2001.
Chicago Blackhawks
Location, I guess.If you don’t like the Blues, then there are fewer cities than Chicago that dislike St. Louis more.
New York Islanders
Because, you know, all of that stuff that happened recently, and junk.
San Jose Sharks
Blades affiliate from 1991-1996.
New Jersey Devils
Kansas City Scouts begat the Colorado Rockies, whom then begat thrice time Holy Grail coveters the New Jersey Devils.
Now, on to your (potential) favorite team (maybe)!
YOUURRRRR PHOENIX COYOOOOOOOTTTEEEESSSS
(It's hard to type how that would be phonetically yelled without writing in IPA)
Village West Best Potential Award:Player that brings the most to the team
Defenseman Keith Yandle, only because Jason LaBarbera and Mike Smith are the Coyotes goaltenders.Yandle is not specifically known for his defense, but he is a +12 overall coming into the season.On offense, Yandle will have to do a lot to duplicate his 48-assist output of a year ago.The Coyotes added a scoring option this year in Raffi Torres, but other than Shane Doan and the usual cast of characters, Yandle does not have many options to pass to in the offensive zone.That being said, he will need to prove his worth this year.And who knows, I could be totally wrong.He could bring absolutely nothing.I offer you this picture as a token of my forgiveness.
Sorry Harrison Mooney, this is only racially insensitive if this is as well.
Union Station Biggest Burden Award: Player with least upside and carries a big financial burden
Daymond Langkow.$4.5MM this year for a player who played four games last season.And, he only had 30 points the season prior to that.It’s tough to lure players to an unorganized franchise without over-spending (*cough* Royals *cough*), but GM Don Maloney could have gone after a few mid-range free agents without worrying about Langkow’s bloated salary and questionable production.
Eric Hosmer/ 2004 2008 2012 Royals Hope Award: Reason for Optimism
No ownership prospects.Poor goalie situation.Less depth than previous years.It’s hard to pull anything positive out of this organization.But, if you look at what head coach Dave Tippett has done with this team after the LEGEND Wayne Gretzky resigned before the 2009 season, there is reason to believe Tippett will bring out the best in his players.He has gone 93-51-20 in two seasons at the helm, losing in the first round of the playoffs each season.The team had not been to the playoffs since the 2001-02 season.Give this guy some players and stability and let’s see what happens!
Katie Horner Scared-Sh!tless Award:Reason to Worry
There is no way to know where this franchise will be when next season starts.It feels like the Thrashers sale/purchase/move all happened within about a week, setting precedence for any future relocation.This franchise could be in a new city by the end of the night after the last game of the season.
Buck O’Neil Positive Attitude Award:Reason to cheer them
Mark Funkhouser Memorial Trophy:Reason to Hate Them
Simply put, if you have a hang-up about “non-traditional” hockey markets.Which means you probably don’t like Kansas City hockey.So, go away.
Worlds of Fun Ride that Best Describes the Franchise:Zambezi Zinger
Wait, that’s not there anymore.Oh... actually, it’s been relocated.Huh, never mind then.
Number of Floating, Disembodied Jack Harry Heads:
Four out of five
Look, would Jack care about this team?No.Are the Phoenix Coyotes, with all of the baggage and lack of real history (most of it left in Winnipeg), what Sly James would call the “right situation?”No.But, as a Kansas City hockey fan, can’t you feel for the Coyotes just a little?I mean, as an NHL fan all I can say is “screw them” and “screw Bettman” for allowing this Glendale/ lack of ownership thing to drag out, but think of those fans in the city.No, I’m not trying to pull at your heartstrings like Greg Wyshinski (because seriously, screw that.Where are the sad kid photos in Atlanta, Greg?Where are the sad kid Kansas City Scouts photos?So you are saying, if a team is financially inept it’s wrong to move them because people will be upset about it?And underreported, what does that mean?Now media outlets have to interview children about their thoughts on relocation?I bet if their team moves they might be upset.It sucks, but, I mean, I get it what you are trying to do, but, ya know, yeah...), but I’m want to relate this to the feelings of a city that doesn’t have an NHL team and the constant claim by much of the hockey world that KC is not a hockey town.The Phoenix metropolitan area is better for having a professional hockey team.It would be unfortunate for the NHL to have them move.But, like Mizzou moving away from historic rivalries in the Big 12, the sun will come up tomorrow, we will run faster, stretch out our arms further... And selfishly, maybe that means a hockey team in KC (but I wouldn’t count on it).
So, what is my process in selecting the teams that I did?Well, here you go.
Lack of Notoriety:
I did not want to suggest Kansas Citians follow any traditional powerhouses because they have their followers.We here in the Midwest can feel left out sometimes, so why not support one of the many franchises that struggle to market themselves.Yes, the Blues are fairly established in the region, but they have never won the Cup.That brings me to my next criterion.
Lack of Success:
If I have not already pounded this into everyone’s head, Kansas City has not won a major sports championship (sorry Sporting KC Wizards and the Blades) since the mid-1980’s.That’s troubling.If you go by the “top four” mantra of major professional American sports (football, baseball, hockey, and basketball), Kansas City has had franchises at the highest level of all of these sports since the 1950’s.The Chiefs have two AFL championships, and one NFL championship.The Royals have one MLB championship, and the A’s had zero.The Scouts and Kings combined for zero NHL and NBA championships, respectively.
Chiefs: 48 seasons in KC
Royals: 43 seasons in KC
Athletics: 12 seasons in KC
Kings: 13 seasons mostly in KC
Scouts: 2 seasons in KC
118 professional major sports seasons in the history of Kansas City, and two major championships.Sorry to go off on a tangent, and I'm not saying anything that we don't already know, but do you see why Kansas Citians can identify with these Cup-less franchises?
Hope for the future:
The Royals have hope year in and year out.That is our nightmare as Royals fans.Every now and then, we poke our heads out from the last place hole, and say “well, there are some solid guys in the minors that will change things!”And sometimes they do for a season, and then go to the east coast.
These five NHL teams are meant to have some kind of hope to build on in the coming future.
KC Connection:
Well documented: the Kings are owned by AEG, and thus we see them play exhibition games every now and then.It’s proximity with the Blues.The other clubs have been mentioned in relocation, but we all know they aren’t going to be relocated here.But, couldn’t you totally see yourself supporting those clubs if they came to KC for some odd reason?No?Then you must be waiting for the “right situation.”
The Jack Harry thing:
It really has nothing to do with anything.Jack Harry just exists, and it’s hard to not acknowledge that fact.Also, it is a vessel to further compare the franchise to other sports in our fair city.
Enjoy your Thanksgiving, and impending Christmas music on the radio.
A day after the EPIC Kings-Pens overtime game that decided the best hockey team in the history of the world (or something), Kansas City has even more hockey news. Even the KC Star is getting into the act, after the jump of course:
Randy Covitz sat down with Darth Leiweke (and presumedly KC mayor Slyyyy James). Just a fun little interview talking about Kansas City hockey fans and the thrill of the crowd and all of that fun stuff...right? Uh, oh no, no no. Don't say that...
“Kansas City can take its time,” said (Tim) Leiweke, whose company manages the Sprint Center, where an announced crowd of 17,779 saw the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Los Angeles Kings 3-2 in an overtime shootout.“The key is you can chase a team, but you’re going to end up not making a great deal and maybe being disappointed. Or you can wait and not only try to find the right situation, but economically make the right deal.“We’re not chasing, and I love the mayor’s attitude, which is: ‘Under our terms.’ ”
Oh, that's not good.
“Right now there is not an urgency,” Leiweke said. “This building is doing phenomenal. When we began this process, if we would have known this building could stand on its own two feet and be one of the top five buildings (for concerts and family shows) without an anchor tenant, we would have been going around telling people, ‘If there is an anchor tenant that makes sense, we’ll get it, but we don’t need it.’“We’re fine without one, and we probably make more money without one. And the city makes more money without one. That said, if we can make the right deal and find the right team, I definitely think that’s what we have to do here.”
Uh, well, at least no one will freak out too much about this. Nothing to see here, right? Please tell me I'm RIGHT!!!!
Really, should we be too surprised by Timmy "Living a Lie" Leiweke's statements? This is the same jargon that anyone and everyone close to AEG has said for the past two years. Of course, it's good to see some members of the media and blogosphere reacting to such statements, but when does that become blown smoke? The media can only be angry for so long, but, and I'm sorry to say, the best thing they can do is just keep being angry and mad until that one day the NHL comes to KC for some reason or another. Is any news good news? In this case as long as people in Kansas City are talking about hockey (even in a pessimistic light), then I will be happy. It's unfortunate that everything reported by the media about hockey is usually panning Leiweke (although there is a reason), but as long as they feel slighted, then keep up the talk. It good to keep the discussion going.
So, the positivity train lasted about two hours after last night's game until Covitz's article came out online. Good deal...
But, in other positive hockey news, there are a few special games coming to the area that you should know about if you don't already.
Initially reported by pucKChaser, the NCAA's 2012 Ice Breaker Tournament was formally announced yesterday and is coming to KC's Sprint Center October 12-13 2012. You can learn more here, but the tourney will feature Nebraska-Omaha, Army, Notre Dame, and historical powerhouse Maine.
Also, if you stuck around after the game last night and watched the Mizzou-Kansas club hockey game, or even if you didn't, you get another opportunity on January 20th, 2012 at the Independence Events Center. I have been to one of these Border WAR games in the past, and they are damn fun to watch.
