Ranking the NHL's Best "We're Sorry" Promotions

Now that the lockout is a thing of the very recent past, NHL teams have employed various promotional strategies to help ease their fans' pain over lost time. But what kind of promotion or giveaway could possibly reach the average hockey fan in a meaningful and lasting way you ask? Oh how about half-priced nachos? No? Well then what would you say to free team schedule magnets? They do that every year!?

Reuters

Not all NHL teams' marketing departments lack creativity. While $25 per person family packages, discounted concession items and $20 student deals seem to be status quo, some teams have gone above and beyond for their fans. As you can see, six teams don't make the list. I decided to follow the same procedure for finding each team's promotions, and some were easier to locate than others. If there was no obvious ad on a team's website, I would check the Tickets section for special offers, then the Schedule tab for a promotional schedule. If those both failed I would search the News archive for any press releases regarding home opener promotions or giveaways. Therefore the six unranked teams may well have had special post-lockout offers but if I couldn't find them with relative ease on their website, it's safe to assume some of their fans couldn't either.

1. Chicago Blackhawks

The Blackhawks earn the top spot in the rankings due to a wide range of freebies and contests. Chicago fans will enjoy 18 giveaway nights including free schedules, hats and bobbleheads and 16 autograph nights with Blackhawk legends from Denis Savard to Eric Daze. This is all in addition to the season-long Fan Salute contest that will see 1000 signed jerseys, 250 signed pucks and 100 signed sticks, 50 "unique experiences" and free tickets go to lucky fans. Everyone loves free stuff, and coupled with the team's hot start, Blackhawk fans are probably wishing there was a lockout every year.

Why the Raptors Need to Acquire Rudy Gay

As I was watching the Raptors on Monday night, I knew they were going to lose. The Warriors were up just 2 points heading into the 4th quarter, but the game was already over. This Raptors team is clueless in crunch time, routinely throwing games away late, so I already knew how the story would play out. Needless to say, Golden State outscored Toronto 30-20 in the final frame. The Raptors lost.

Getty Images

Over the last 5 games, Toronto been outscored in the 4th quarter by an average of 7.6 points. This isn't a new trend either. The Raps have lost a ton of tight games this season, and it always seems to be the result of a collapse in the final few minutes. Toronto simply doesn't have the personnel to win games late. DeMar DeRozan, for all the improvements he's made this season, is not the type of player to put a team on his back and lead them to a win. Jose Calderon always looks to dish in late-game situations rather than shoot himself. Kyle Lowry just hasn't found his role yet. For the Raps to really develop into a playoff threat, they need to make a splash. That splash should be Rudy Gay.

The Rudy-Gay-to-Toronto trade rumors have been flying around for about a month now, but seem to be heating up as of late. The current iteration of the deal has Toronto shipping Jose Calderon and Ed Davis for Rudy Gay and (depending on which report you listen to) Darrell Arthur. There are some pros and cons to this proposed deal—to be sure—but Toronto has to pull the trigger.

Hitting the Links: January 25, 2013

Today's links feature some buzzer-beating Canadian content, more of the First Take Tebow agenda, and a former NFL cornerback urinating on himself. Sounds fun!

On The Field:

• DEMAR DEROZAN!!!!
• Carmelo Anthony had a big game last night, leading the Knicks to a 89-86 win over the Celtics.
• In the other NBA game, the Clippers lost 93-88 in Phoenix. Luckily, Blake Griffin did Blake Griffin-y things.
• Oilers rookie Nail Yakupov scored a late goal to send last night's game against the Kings to overtime (Edmonton eventually won), which is good. He then busted out one of the most obnoxious celebrations to date, which is bad.
• Here's the rest of the NHL scoreboard from Thursday night.

Outside The Lines:

• Man, am I sick of the Harbaugh-bowl/ Ray Lewis retirement storylines for the upcoming Super Bowl. Luckily, ESPN stepped up and tried to give the big game a little more Tebow:

Hitting the Links: Januray 24th, 2013

A lot of NBA action last night is followed up by a slow day of off-court action. Try to enjoy some links regardless.

On the Field

• Joakim Noah came up with a classic Joakim Noah-esque play, assisting on Marco Belinelli's game-winning bucket. Why was it Noah-esque? Well it was ugly, awkward and somehow got the job done. Sounds like Joakim to me. The Bulls won 85-82 over the Pistons.
• In Denver's 105-95 win over Houston, JaVale McGee did something awesome. I mean, what a finger-stache!
• The Heat beat the Raptors 123-116 in overtime. Terrence Ross had a nice dunk though!
• J.J. Barea and C.J. Watson "battled" in a flopping contest. Sounds terrible. The Nets beat the Timerwolves 91-83 in the actual game.
• Here's the rest of the NBA scoreboard from a busy Wednesday night.

Outside the Lines:

• This story still weirds me out a bit, so there's no witty lines for this one. Here are voicemails left on Manti T'eo's phone from "Lennay".
• Anyone need a fat bust to suit up at QB?
• Who you got in a one-on-one? LeBron? Or the POTUS?

Check back in tomorrow for more goodness.

"Let's Hope the Kids Can Play": The Raptors at the Halfway Point

As a sports fan, is there any worse position for your team to be in than no man's land? When your favorite team isn't a true contender, but isn't in rebuild mode either, it's tough to really get behind them. Are we playing for a not-too-distant future in which we make the playoffs? Or are we closer to the Washington Wizards?

Unfortunately, no man's land describes the Raptors all too well. At the halfway point of the season, Toronto is in 11th place in the Eastern Conference, 5 1/2 games out of the playoffs and 5 games out of last place. If you had to make a life or death decision, and predict the Raps to either make the playoffs or finish as the worst team in the conference, which would you pick? It's tough, right? That's not good.

Since we're at the halfway point, let's take a close look at the team. We'll start with some current storylines, move to some best-case scenarios going forward, and wrap up with a general prediction for the rest of the season. Full disclosure: it's not looking great, Raptors fans.

Associated Press

Where We're At:

It's been a weird year for the Raptors: they started off poorly, strung some wins together, and then lost a bunch more. Here are the three biggest storylines currently afoot.

Hitting the Links: January 23rd

In today's edition, we learn that Kyrie Irving is sick, that Kevin Durant can dunk and that Joe Maddon cares a lot about his players. Enjoy.

On The Court:

• Kyrie Irving went full beast-mode, scoring 40 points in a variety of ways in Cleveland's 95-90 win over Boston.
• The Milwaukee Bucks topped the 76ers last night, 110-102. Really, all you need to see is this sick bounce pass from Monta Ellis. If ever there was ever a player who should attempt the behind-the-arc-to-the-opposite-block one-handed skip pass, it has to be Monta.
• In a battle of top teams in the West, the Thunder topped the Clippers 109-97. No one in L.A. was happy, not even the refs.
• Oh, and Kevin Durant did this.

Outside the Lines:

• Bless the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Manti Te'o Kiss Cam:

Via SoleCollector

Hitting the Links: January 22, 2012

After a bit of a break, we're back with some tasty links from on the court, and even better ones from outside the lines. There's a deep buzzer-beater, a terrible ex-NBA player crushing average Bostonians one-on-one, and a 20-year old college student partying with Rick Ross. Sounds like a really weird and really awesome dream a sports fan might have.

• Let's start with this tasty story. Actually, it's not much of a story... you just need to see this picture of Heisman Trophy winner Johnny "Football Boss" Manziel partying with Rick Ross:

Ballin'!

• In actual sports news, the Washington Wizards have managed to turn themselves into a competent team, against all odds. Jordan Crawford hit a sick buzzer beater to beat the Blazers 98-95 last night.
• Rudy Gay also hit a buzzer beater to win... or almost did.
• Former NBA player Brian Scalabrine was tired of hearing guys off the street saying they could beat him so he issued a one-on-one challenge to the city of Boston. He then swept the 4 games, outscoring opponents 44-6. Don't do 'em like that White Mamba.
• Apparently, some NBA arenas have nails jutting out from the court... Kawhi Leonard found that out the hard way.
• Saints fans just don't like Roger Goodell.
• Not a link, but just so it doesn't fly under the radar: the Super Bowl will feature two coaches WHO ARE BROTHERS! (In case you haven't heard, it will also be Ray Lewis' last game).

NFL Conference Championship Preview

San Francisco 49ers @ Atlanta Falcons - Sunday January 20, 3:00 PM

Seemingly everybody has the 49ers in the Super Bowl after they tore apart the Packers on Saturday, and are facing an Atlanta team who were extremely close to choking in yet another home playoff game. It's hard for me to believe that this one will be a blowout though, as the past five NFC Championship games were decided by less than 7 points and three of the games went to OT.

First of all, these teams go about their business in different ways. San Fran gained just seven yards per game less than the Falcons this season, but were remarkably better balanced offensively. The 49ers rushing attack made up for 43% of their total offense compared to Atlanta's ground game which accounted for just 23.5% of their offense's yards. San Fran's fourth-best rush D should be able to stop Michael Turner and Jacquizz Rodgers with relative ease, leaving Matt Ryan to do most of the heavy lifting. Unfortunately for Matty Ice and his formidable corps of Gonzalez, White and Jones, the 49ers pass defense was also fourth-best this season.

10 Thoughts going into the 2013 NHL Season

After 113 days of frustration and uncertainty, the NHL lockout came to an end on January 6. What once seemed like a lost season will now feature a 48-game schedule crammed into 99 days starting January 19. Here are some thoughts on the end of the lockout and some of the bigger headlines leading into Saturday's opening night.

1. Shortened season will favour rivalry games, leave out inter-conference matchups

Much like this year, the NHL salvaged a 48-game season after the 1994-95 lockout. The difference between now and then is that there are 4 more teams in the league, meaning no time for out-of-conference games and leaving teams to play two of their division rivals 5 times and the other two division teams 4 times. That means teams will play within their division in roughy 38% of their games. In a normal 82-game NHL season, teams play 24 division games which works out to 29% of their schedule. Will this have a significant effect on this season's standings?

2. Expect strong teams in weaker divisions to dominate regular season standings

 This might seem a tad obvious as it happens to a certain degree every season, but I expect teams like Boston and Vancouver to shoot to the top of their respective conference standings faster than usual. Vancouver was the only playoff team in the Northwest division in 2011-12, and the only team with over 90 points in the regular season (Calgary had exactly 90, the lowest total for teams finishing second in their division). While I expect Edmonton and Minnesota to improve their records I still think the Canucks are far and away the best team in the division. Likewise, Boston will likely benefit from playing a large portion of their season against the likes of the Canadiens and Maple Leafs, two young teams who I expect will be among the worst teams in the Eastern Conference. Using the same logic, weak teams in stronger divisions will suffer through worse-than-usual seasons. The Blue Jackets and the Islanders were the only teams in their respective divisions to miss the playoffs last season, and with the shortened schedule it will seem like these teams will be getting crushed by their strong division rivals every other night.

NFL Divisional Round: QB Lessons

What a great weekend of football, eh? After a disappointing wildcard round, the NFL Gods smiled down on us and provided a really exciting slate of games this time around. There was a lot to take away from the divisional round but I learned the most about the quarterbacks. Here are the 5 big things I learned this weekend:

1. Colin Kaepernick is... pretty effing good.

Two words sum up Kaepernick's performance on Saturday night against the Packers: holy shit. Let's not delve too deep into this and just look at the raw numbers: 17-for-31 for 263 yards and 2 touchdowns through the air; 16 rush attempts for 181 yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground. Again, holy shit. Kaepernick accounted for 444 yards, while Green Bay as a team netted just 352. Every other team should be terrified by the mere thought of playing this guy.

One last time: holy shit.

Associated Press

2. Joe Flacco is... gonna get paid this off-season.

NFC Divisional Round Preview

Green Bay Packers @ San Francisco 49ers - Saturday 8:00 PM

The QB Battle: The Biggest 49ers Story This Season
(AP)

For my money, this is the game of the weekend. While technically a rematch of a Week 1 affair (which the 49ers won 30-22), in reality both teams are vastly different than the teams that squared off in on September 9.

The biggest difference for San Fran—of course—is at quarterback. Alex Smith started for the 9ers in Week 1, but handed the reigns to Colin Kaepernick mid-season (had the reigns wrestled away from him?) and the team hasn't looked back since. By now you know the differences between Smith and Kaepernick, but let's list them here anyway: Kaepernick is more mobile than Smith, has a bigger arm than Smith and takes more shots downfield than did Smith. It was highly debated for weeks, but the change at QB has made the 49ers offense more explosive.

Let's be real here, though. No matter who plays under center for San Francisco, this team is all about defense. They are undoubtedly the most physical defensive unit in the league, and were in the top-3 both in terms of total yards allowed, and points allowed. From the line through the secondary, these dudes can flat out play. Even better for the 49ers, defensive tackle Justin Smith is expected to play in this one. Smith is essential to the defense, calling stunts and opening up holes for the San Fran pass rushers (notice how Aldon Smith's production steeply declined when Justin Smith was out?). The D can keep San Francisco in almost any game, and will manage keep this one close.

AFC Divisional Round Preview

Baltimore Ravens @ Denver Broncos - Saturday January 12th, 4:30 PM

I've got this weird feeling that this one will be close, even though Denver is the better team in almost every way. Close or not, the Broncos should win this one and advance to the AFC Championship.

Peyton Manning, it turns out, is really quite good. Who'd have thought? Manning has transformed the Broncos into one of the most explosive teams in the league on offense and he should be able to tear up a poor Ravens secondary. The running game will add a bit, but to me this game comes down to Denver's passing attack. I'm thinking 70-ish yards for Knowshon Moreno as the lead rusher, and over 300 for Manning.

Getty Images

10 Things I Think I Know: The NBA Season So Far

The 2012-13 NBA season is quickly approaching the halfway point, and now that I've watched approximately 500 games—give or take—I think I'm starting to figure the league out. Here are 10 things I'm pretty sure I know about this NBA season.

1. The Heat and Thunder will be the top seeds heading into the playoffs

Sorry to start the list off with this one, guys, it's pretty boring. The Heat and Thunder have been the class of their respective conferences for a couple years now, and I really don't see that changing. The Heat will almost certainly be wire-to-wire winners of the East, while the Thunder may have to fight it out with the Spurs and Clippers. Still, I expect Kevin Durant and co. to end up as the number 1 seed in the West going into the playoffs.

2. LeBron James will win another MVP Award

My notes for this list actually had "Durant as MVP", but the more I thought about it, the more convinced I became that LeBron will take home the hardware. He's the best player in the world, he's putting up ridiculous numbers and his team hasn't played their best ball yet. Watch LeBron improve his game as the playoff push heats up, and watch him run away with the MVP votes.

NBA: Western Conference Stock Report

We've hit the point in the NBA season where we can begin to read into teams' records, and decide who's a legit contender, and who's just faking it. To help weed through the current playoff landscape, rsfreshmen gives you the stock report: which teams should you buy as a contender, sell or hold onto for a couple more weeks.

Western Conference

1. Los Angeles Clippers (27-8; 1st Pacific) - SELL

Getty Images

This is a tough one, because I really like this Clippers squad, and feel they could make some noise in the playoffs. I'm really only selling them because I think the Thunder will end up as the top-seed (and, yes... I know the Thunder just lost to the Wizards...).

Honestly, there really is a lot to like about this team. Chris Paul is the best point guard in the league, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan form the most athletic duo of bigs in the game, and they have the deepest bench going. Again, I just think the Thunder will end up as the first seed.

There are a couple red flags for the Clips too. Paul has been playing a ton of minutes and—because his body kind of fell apart late last season—LA might want to consider resting him a bit. Also, although the bench is a strength, it'll be hard to give all of the guys on the squad meaningful minutes since there are so many quality players riding the pine. A deep bench is definitely a good problem to have, but I can totally see coach Vinny Del Negro mucking up the rotation a couple times.

Buy the Clippers as a strong playoff team. But sell them as the top-seed. I think that spot goes to...

2. Oklahoma City Thunder (26-8; 1st Northwest) - BUY

Remember when fans and pundits were worried that, by trading James Harden before the season, the Thunder were handing over the Western Conference crown to the Lakers? How hilarious does that seem know?

The Thunder—even without Harden—are the best team in the league. They pace the league in terms of offensive efficiency, while allowing opponents to shoot only 42.9% from the floor, good for second-best in the NBA. In fact, go look up just about any team statistic, and you'll find the Thunder resting comfortably in the upper-half. Go ahead, check the stats... I'll wait...

See? OKC is awesome (ok... so they are below the league average in offensive-rebounds-per-game...). They score and defend with the best of them, while rebounding and passing at an above-average rate. Seems like a successful blueprint for a team to me.

Buy the Thunder.

NBA: Eastern Conference Stock Report

We've hit the point in the NBA season where we can begin to read into teams' records, and decide who's a legit contender, and who's just faking it. To help weed through the current playoff landscape, rsfreshmen gives you the stock report: which teams should you buy as a contender, sell or hold onto for a couple more weeks.

Eastern Conference

Miami Heat (23-9; 1st Southeast) - BUY

Every time I watch the Heat, I feel like they are leaving something in the tank, like they have another gear which they're only going to touch come playoff time. This has got to be absolutely terrifying for every other team in the league.

Miami is comfortably in the top-tier of NBA teams in terms of offensive efficiency, and have the best player in the world in LeBron James. While their defense has been a little lacking, and while their rebounding has been flat-out bad (probably the only red-flag this team has), I would be shocked if anyone else ends up with the top-seed.

I know it's boring, but buy the Heat.

2. New York Knicks (23-11; 1st Atlantic) - SELL

Getty Images

My buddy and I were talking about the Heat's above-mentioned ability to turn it on at any given moment, and it made me think about the Knicks: as far as I'm concerned, they've already maxed out; they don't have that second gear.

This isn't to say that they won't put together a couple more good runs or win the division or anything. But c'mon. Their play at the beginning of the season was as good as it's going to get, right?

I mean nobody thought they could shoot 3s as well as they did at the beginning of the season (a feature of the team which is already slipping a bit). Nobody thought they were going to be a defensive force, like they were early in the year (again, a facet of the team which is disappearing). Nobody thought Carmelo Anthony would be gunning for LeBron's MVP title (... this one's still going on).

I like the Knicks, and they are definitely one of the best teams in the East. That said, I just can't help but think they will head into the playoffs fondly thinking back to their hot start.

Buy the Knicks as a top-tier team in the East; sell them now if you still think they're one of the best teams in the entire league.

NFC Wildcard Preview

Minnesota @ Green Bay - Saturday, January 5th 8:00 PM

Saturday night's NFC North matchup pits two teams that are all too familiar with each other. This game will mark the third time in six weeks that the Packers and Vikings will square off, and could very well be the most even matchup of the entire Wildcard round.

It was exactly one month ago when the Packers defeated their division foes at Lambeau in Week 13. Only two players really stood out in that contest: Adrian Peterson, who has been exceptional all year, and Packers' safety Morgan Burnett. Burnett picked off Christian Ponder twice in the red zone in the 2nd half, both turnovers leading to Green Bay field goals. Peterson rushed for 210 yards, including an 82-yd TD, making Peterson's effort the fifth-most rushing yards by a player on a losing team in the Super Bowl era.

While we can expect AP to put up more beastly numbers, I wouldn't count on Ponder to throw the game away like he did in December. Ponder has thrown just one pick since those two at Lambeau, and it came in the Vikings' next game against Chicago, a defence who led the league in INTs and overall takeaways. And if regular season stats are any indication, Minnesota should go to the ground early and often. The Vikes ranked 2nd in rushing yards and second-last in passing yards. This fits well with the conventional wisdom when facing an elite QB; keeping it on the ground will limit how much time Aaron Rodgers and his O has the ball.

AFC Wildcard Preview

Cincinnati @ Houston - Saturday, January 5th 4:30 PM

Just 3 weeks ago, Houston was the run-away favorite to begin the playoffs as the top seed in the AFC. Then, their defense completely fell apart, Matt Schaub laid a couple stinkers and Arian Foster was held out with an irregular heartbeat. Needless to say, they struggled. 

And yet, I fully expect the Texans to win on Saturday.

No doubt, Arian Foster will get plenty of touches, as he has all year. His 351 carries this year are the most any back has had since 2009 (Chris Johnson had 358), and while Foster has been less explosive than in recent years, the Texans' run-game is always relentless, and often wears teams down. 

NFL Pick'ems - Week 17 Results

Mike wins Week 17 and finishes the season with a 7-game lead over Simon. Peter King's late-season surge lands him just shy of second place, one game behind Simon. Pete Prisco struggled down the stretch and finds himself in the basement to end the season.

Stay tuned for the RS Freshmen Wildcard round preview which will include our playoff predictions.