You will notice that the rhythm of the Club will slow down a little during the holiday season, a moment to give our journalists the opportunity to breathe a little. But there is no question of stopping completely!
New advertisements!
Hello, I have noticed that some NHL venues have a new system of changing advertisements on the rink boards. Is this the same for all the ice rinks on the circuit? Does this affect club revenue? And since all the amphitheaters seem to have this new system at the same time this season, has the League taken some control of it?
Stephane Monarque
Response from Guillaume Lefrancois:
This technology is used in all 32 NHL arenas. It is used entirely by broadcasters, because it is only during the televised matches that it is noticed. On site, in the arenas, they are still traditional advertisements; we still see them on television on certain close-ups, because the virtual advertisements only appear on the shots of the main camera.
This technology allows each network to deliver advertisements relevant to its market, and teams can keep the advertisements that suit them in the arena. This therefore makes it possible to avoid crazy situations like what we saw a few years ago, when the Caisses Desjardins displayed advertising in Raleigh when the Canadiens faced the Hurricanes there. According to the latest news, the Caisse Populaire du Center de Lotbinière has never had a service center in North Carolina.
As for income, it is impossible to know for sure, since these data are not public. But if the NHL has invested in such technology, it is because it saw an opportunity to increase the income of its teams.
The strategy of sling shot
PHOTO ISAIAH J. DOWNING, USA TODAY SPORTS ARCHIVES
Montreal Canadiens center Anthony Richard (90)
Can you tell me who was the very first team to adopt this strategy observed in almost all formations in the NHL for a few years on the power play, i.e. the back pass to the player who will then attempt to enter the opposing zone at high speed ?
Francois Racine
Response from Simon-Olivier Lorange:
Our searches for an exact moment unfortunately remained in vain regarding what our English-speaking friends call the drop passa tactic intended to create a slingshot effect – sling shot – for the puck carrier. But we have a lead for you. In an exchange of messages with The Press, Jack Han, consultant and analyst in game tactics, draws our attention to the famous game of December 31, 1975 between the Red Army and the Montreal Canadiens. In the following sequence, the Soviet players multiply the back passes to an accelerating player, which leads to the goal of Valeri Kharlamov.
Mr. Han points out that the Canadian only sends an attacker on the forecheck in the neutral zone, which leaves four passive players on the blue line. They can’t help it when Kharlamov explodes and accepts a pass from Vladimir Petrov. Note here that the sequence takes place five against five, and not on the power play, phase of the game where we see more of this strategy today. Modern outnumbered formations are much more refined, the analyst further notes, although the drop pass remains an effective weapon against a defense stationed at the blue line… as long as the carrier of the puck has enough speed to take advantage of it.
question of logos
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Jake Allen’s jersey features RBC sponsorship for a Montreal Canadiens game against the Tampa Bay Lightning at the Bell Center on December 17th.
Has the Royal Bank logo been removed from the Canadiens jersey since the start of the season? We now only see the CIBC one on the helmet of the players.
renaud
Response from Simon-Olivier Lorange:
You must have based this impression on a match played abroad. The RBC sponsorship on the CH jersey is indeed still present, but only for games at the Bell Centre.
One helmet at a time
PHOTO ELAINE THOMPSON, ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, whose helmet displays the name Breonna Taylor, in September 2020.
I noticed this year that NFL football players had text written behind their helmets. These texts are brief. They send messages of love and peace like “Choose Love”, etc. Is it new this year? I also noticed that not all teams however wrote these messages of peace on their helmets. I think it’s a very nice gesture though, like the fact that players shake hands after a game. You don’t see that often in other team sports.
Laval-Doucet
Response from Nicholas Richard:
These messages behind the helmets of the players appeared during the 2020 season, when the Black Lives Matter movement was at its height in the United States, in particular after the wrongful death of George Floyd in May 2020. In support of the movement, the NFL allowed players to place a message behind their helmets, after the Pittsburgh Steelers announced that their players would wear the name of 17-year-old Antwon Rose, who was killed by police, on their uniforms. Other teams have followed suit and now the NFL offers seven messages of hope that players can proudly wear on their helmets, at the discretion of athletes and teams.