'Remember the very eerie sounding voice in the movie “Apocalypse Now,” in the whispered words, that offers the unforgettable utterance, “the horror”, the horror.”(Marlon Brando as Colonel Walter E. Kurtz, in the 1979 Francis Ford Coppola production.) Those same memorable sounds are being uttered by large segments of the hockey media, after they heard comments that they never wanted to, from Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis, who also owns the NBA’s Wizards. Much to the chagrin of the doom and gloom hockey media, Leonsis employed some reality shock therapy, on the long line of hockey hysterics,by informing them that that the NBA, is in worse financial shape than the NHL.
It’s almost everyday and twice on Sunday, that we’re boringly reminded during the NHL season, of which hockey teams have poor crowds at the arena. Of course, if there was any fairness in the media, the public would also be reminded of the often brutal attendance figures at many NBA games in traditional basketball markets, like Indiana, Philadelphia, as well as Sacramento, Detroit ( lots of complimentary seats given away there, in the past.) and Minnesota. Instead, the Canadian sports fan, gets to hear and read about the latest yawn inspiring tweets from Chris Bosh. “Should I stay or should I go now ?” Oh, sorry , that’s the lyrics from a popular song on the radio and music television. That’s about what we usually hear and read, about the NBA’s very real financial woes. Thank goodness ,we finally learned about something other than the latest war room briefings, as to who said and did what, today in Phoenix, and what it all means for the Coyotes, Winnipeg, and mankind around the world.
From Prince Rupert to Prince Edward Island, from Pensacola to Penticton, hockey fans all over the world, were left scratching their heads, when they heard and read the quotes from Washington, that were spoken by somebody other than President Obama. Leonsis told the heartbroken hockey media: “I’d honestly have to say at this point in time that the NHL is stronger than the NBA, clearly because it has a CBA in place that protects owners from taking stupid pills….there's a lot of basketball teams who are losing a lot of money.” ( Associated Press )
Leonsis even had some devastating news for those hockey fans, who still don’t believe in the importance of building through the draft, in order to construct a contending team. “The Washington Capitals plan is now one that is being best- practiced by lots of other teams. And I believe in young players that you can mold and teach, and they’ll know that if they play well, they will be the ones who are rewarded with your loyalty and money- not strangers who have been productive for another team.” Gee whiz, I wonder who he is referring to, when talking about acquiring young players through the draft, as opposed to someone else's productive players ???