Yes I am Canadian. Yes I think the NHL has become a clown sport. Get off me.

Well I learned through facebook this weekend that the NHL playoffs are underway. I've been greeted with some scorn for being more interested in how the Mariners and even the Daegu Samsung Lions are doing than the Canucks, who are apparently in the playoffs. I'm really at the point where when I'm in Vancouver, I'm just happy when they get knocked out so I can go to a pub or have a conversation with someone without hockey dominating. I was annoyed that my visit last year coincided with the Canucks making the finals. But here's the thing. I used to be a passionate fan. I'm not a guy who has disliked the NHL from the get go. In fact I used to watch every game, listen to games through internet radio when I was out of town. I was glued to it. But back then it was a real sport, not some quasi-WWE with sticks. It lost me when it was locked out and came back with goofy, semi-enforced rules, ridiculous overtime and playoffs for all.

First off I remember when I was a kid a penalty was a rare thing. Maybe 2-3 a game. A five minute penalty (usually for fighting) was an event. These days there's more 4-3 hockey in a single game than I used to watch in a season. I mean, you get two minutes for diving but the guy that didn't hit you can still get two minutes for roughing? Let's all get shorthanded for half the game, it may generate more offense but it's more akin to WWE two on three tag team matches than the NBA or MLB of which it's compared.

Goons. There's always been guys who can hit (Flyers of the 70's anyone?) but it seems that the goon level is through the roof. Every month there seems to be some hit that ends a career or sends a guy to the hospital and everyone gets in a roar about how that needs to be taken out of the game. Except of course when it's there team. A four game suspension in the Stanley Cup Finals, not fair! (actually not enough if you actually want to get that stuff out of the game). MLB wanted steroids out of the game. First time use is a 50 game suspension of a 162 game season. FIFTY, for CHEATING. The NHL's average suspension for intentionally driving a man's head in to the boards? Well since there's no set standard we can't really have an accurate count, but 2-3 games seems the norm. I mean if you whack a guy over the head with a stick you are kicked out but anything else is trivialized. So why not throw Zdeno Chara out of the league? Money. He's the only chance the NHL has of making the highlight reels on ESPN.

Overtime. So the winning team gets 3 points, but if they take more than three periods to win the losing team gets one. So there's four points now? Shouldn't the winning team just get 2? That complaint aside overtime is so comically ridiculous it has to be a Vince McMahon idea. Tied after 3, lets do 4-4 hockey for five minutes, and if that doesn't work, a shootout. A Shootout? It's a joke in soccer and it's a joke in the NHL. I can only imagine if the NBA said, "okay, after four quarters we're going to play 2-2, and after that, a slam dunk contest". Or MLB, "so after 9 innings we're going to play 3 innings where you need 5 strikes to get a batter out and 5 outs and if that doesn't settle it, home run derby." If that doesn't sound stupid to you then you probably don't understand anything I've written, and may I suggest you go back to Monday Night Raw now. If it does, then why does it not sound stupid to you when the same thing is done in hockey? The NBA or MLB would never do that because they take themselves seriously. Gary Bettman does not treat the NHL the way Bud Selig treats MLB, as a serious sport. If he did they'd play til there was a winner, as is done in MLB or declare a tie game.

Playoffs for all. 30 teams, 16 of which make the playoffs? I mean I know the NBA does that too (and it's dumb there as well) but at least they haven't earned points by losing games. I mean, the playoffs are supposed to be the best of the best, not the mediocre of the mediocre. The entire regular season is essentially one long, gooned up, shootout filled playoff round. The NFL currently has 12 of 32 teams making the playoffs, MLB will have 10 of 30 as of this year (which has drawn a lot of criticism from fans). 16 of 30 is over half, in a playoff that runs from mid April until mid-June. JUNE. Who wants to watch hockey in June?

New rules every season, and selectively enforced. One year you can't have you foot in the crease, until its the Stanley Cup Finals, then it's no problem. One year you get overtime loses and ties, leading to teams with a 13-12-3-6 record, then you don't. Penalties for everything in the regular season, but none of it's called in the playoffs because we have to "let them play" (a tacit admission that the regular season isn't really hockey at all). So one set of rules applies in the regular season and another in the playoffs? Well no, but the rules are just selectively enforced in the playoffs, there by changing the nature of the game (no wonder the team that finishes first never wins the Cup, they played by regular season rules). In the NFL an illegal tackle is an illegal tackle, whether in the first game of the season or the Superbowl. By "letting them play" you open the league to constant criticism of cheating, bias officiating (American teams always win, must be Bettman) and suspect calls. The fact is, if the referees had a set of solid rules to follow and enforced them with consistency then there'd be no accusations like that. The same penalty should be called every time. Why is roughing not roughing after April? the only other "sport" where rules are not enforced the same every game? WWE.



So why has it all been done? In a desperate bid to win U.S fans over to the game. I mean, sure it does well in Canada and a few U.S cities in the northeast, but you'd be hard pressed to find anyone in L.A who cares (the Dodgers having an unexpectedly good start this year gets more attention than the Kings in the playoffs). Heck even in the northeast it's not like it's the big sport. Look at a city like Boston, the teams to watch are:

1) Red Sox
2) Patriots
3) Celtics
4) Bruins

But at least it's on the sports radar. But what about the rest of the U.S? Look at Dallas 30 years ago:

1) Cowboys
2) Rangers
3) Mavericks
4) we don't have an NHL team

compare it to today:

1) Cowboys
2) Rangers
3) Mavericks
4) we have an NHL team?

of course I could also throw in college football, basketball and baseball, NASCAR, UFC and possibly even Major League Soccer above the NHL... and Dallas is a success story. Phoenix, Nashville, Atlanta (sorry, Winnipeg now ;) ) are all proof that the league can set up outside of Canada and the northeast U.S, but no one will care. How many years have the Kings been in Los Angeles anyway?

The Onion gives a great "article" that sums up the U.S view of the NHL. All satire is based on reality.

But it's not like Americans don't take to new sports, the growth of UFC, NASCAR and arguably Major League Soccer all suggest that new sports can take off. While the growth of MLS has been minimal it does apply soccer rules consistently, so either you find it boring and full of diving or you don't, but either way it is what it is and it gets enough fans to justify more seasons and some expansion. No changing it every two years in a bid for new fans. UFC has offered real martial arts with set rules, weight classes and a structure for enforcing these rules. While it has been called glorified gladiator fights by some it does have set rules and tactics. Some matches are two guys rolling around on the floor making us all feel a bit uncomfortable with our own sexuality, but that's the nature of it. It has a set of rules it's been following since it came to the U.S and it's managed to build a solid fan base with its product.


As fans of the NHL as it existed for 70 years, the new NHL should disgust you. Is hockey better now than it was when the Montreal Canadiens were winning all those Cups in the 1970's? Are teams more fun to watch today than the early 80's New York Islanders or the mid-late 80's Edmonton Oilers? Heck imagine the 1988 Oilers in last years NHL finals. Rome or Chara would both try to break Gretzky's neck and Messier would be criticized for his clean body checks. The game that I grew up on has become a clown sport. I've been sold out by a league more interested in what fans in Phoenix think of its product than in what I do, despite the fact that I grew up supporting that product and those fans won't support it when given a chance. All of my favourite NHL memories, when I really enjoyed the game. 1992 Pittsburgh Penguins? 1993 Montreal Canadiens winning the Cup? 1994 Canucks run to the final?


I would throw in that this is the NHL I'm talking about, World Juniors, Olympics etc. still makes for a great hockey game and I'll get very excited about Team Canada doing well there. But until the next World Juniors, I'm more interested in watching Ichiro Suzuki than Sidney Crosby.

North Korean Headlines this Morning: Rocket Huge Success, Has Better Orbit Than American satellites. Weather To Be Broadcast in Chinese for No Apparent Reason

because of course the reality is that the rocket was a complete failure.

Kim Il Sung's 100th birthday rocket came at a huge cost. They lost food aid from the U.S. They spent million in a country who's national budget comes up about 12 billion shy of the state of Oregon and they even had their long time friends, the Chinese, openly criticize this move. All of it was for a rocket that failed. The U.S, Japan and south Korea have already threatened a response, but exactly what they can do is unclear.

I feel like my blogs on north Korea are all reruns. The Kim's do something nuts, south Korea and Japan threaten a response, the U.S media starts playing out worst case scenario's and war tactics (scary AND riveting) and the U.S government threatens undisclosed responses. Ultimately it will be up to China. They gave Kim II a proper spanking in 2009 after the last set of rocket tests and my guess is that they will do it again. My guess is that Kim III or other high level government officials will go to Beijing or northern China on an "invited tour" and have a "meeting" and the rocket program will be suspended. U.S media and unfortunately even a few policy makers seem too thick to pick up on these subtleties, but the Japanese and south Koreans are not. Diplomacy, Confucian style.

As to the DPRK satellite, well I guess it'll be a few years before Kim TV is available in our satellite packages. Shame to, I hear their new drama, 'The Working Dead', isn't half bad.

The Korean Parliamentary Elections Are Over

As far as the election goes, you can read about it here. The ruling party of President Lee Myung-bak won 152 of 300 seats, losing a few but retaining a majority. Voter turnout was 54% even though the day was a national holiday. While Presidential turnout is higher, the impression I've got is that most Koreans just can't be bothered with either party. One was led by a guy who killed himself rather than face corruption charges and the other, the ruling party, is led by a guy who's pro-business legislation makes Ronald Reagan look like a socialist. There are a few third party guys but I get the impression that most Koreans would rather just enjoy a day off. I haven't yet talked to one who voted. In 25 years Korea shed off its dictators and became a real democracy and then became sick of the rampant corruption and back door dealings between lobbyists, business, and politicians and are now just as cynical as westerners. It's really a beautiful thing :)

This despite massive and noisy campaigning by those seeking office. In my district we had vans blaring music, candidates in bars chatting to people and some fantastic names such as Seo Young deok (say it in an Australian or NZ accent) and Kim Boo Gi.

here's Young deok. He has power.

Boo Gi's party van and giant inflatable head.

Here's Kim Won Lee, he's number 3.

It's actually nice to see the candidates out meeting people and chatting, though vans blasting voting music from 10-9 is a bit much. Also, every candidate has a number, so if you're not sure who to vote for, pick your favourite number and go. Although I guess it does prevent some election misadventures such as those that happened in Florida in 2000. I also like that most jobs give you the DAY off, or at least the morning (like 9-2). In Canada you get a four hour block at your employers discretion, though it is not enforced and in the U.S, well better do it on your lunch break or don't bother at all (really keeps the poor from voting too much). I had to work but many didn't. I didn't lead to much of a turnout, but as I said that may be a reflection of the choice of candidates rather than a lack of interest on the part of the average Korean. Also, not voting is still seen as a sign of protest, rather than apathy which it as seen as in the west. I actually really like that. Give me someone who isn't in bed with lobbyists and I'll vote for them, otherwise I'm staying home or going out for a beer.

As to the mechanics: Presidential elections are once every five years and the presidents are limited to one term. This has the advantage of getting bums out quickly but the common accusation is that once a leader is in he doesn't care about anyone but the guys lining his pocket, which has an element of truth to it. The legislature (done on the British system of candidates in ridings with 40 something given seats based on proportional representation and they don't represent a district but "the people") has elections every four years and you can be re-elected. This is the first year that both Presidential and senatorial elections have happened in the same year.

The ruling conservative party is led by Lee Myung-bak but his successor will be the daughter of former military dictator Park Chung-hee. President Park, while a vicious dictator at times, was much better than the dictator he replaced (Syngman Lee) and the guy who killed Park and became the dictator,Chun Doo-hwan. Park was the man most responsible for Korea's transformation from a country on par with Cambodia to a member of the G20. His tenure was also seen as a time when, if you worked hard, you could get ahead even if you weren't the son of a Samsung executive; this is not the case now. His daughter, and the party, are hoping to cash in on his popularity and a bit of voter nostalgia to win re-election (something they are not otherwise predicted to do). The opposition is in shambles despite the fact that they could be making huge gains.

An Eventful Spring in NE Asia

well lets start with the biggest news, Kim III is planning a "satellite" launch to coincide with Kim I 100th birthday. After making a deal with the U.S for food they have already broken the deal by planning a launch around April 15th, or Kim I birthday. Now I'm usually calling the U.S the great colonialists, having an army 7 times bigger than anyone else's while their people lack proper education and healthcare, but in this case I'm on board with them, and really everyone else. The Japanese have threatened to shoot it down if it enters Japanese territory and the South Koreans are saber rattling (though to what effect I don't know). The topic dominated the Nuclear Summit held in Seoul last week and even though Kim III has agreed to allow IAEA inspectors back in to the DPRK it doesn't seem like enough for most people. Even China has expressed concern (read: launch it and we'll smack you down SOOOOO hard) over the launch. The Chinese have been supporting the DPRK as a buffer to U.S, South Korean and Japanese forces for decades but as those three countries are now China's largest three trading partners that buffer seems less and less necessary. On a side note China has also claimed that an ancient Korean kingdom, Goguryo, was actually a Chinese kingdom. It seems silly to argue about events that happened 1500 years ago except that the mainland Chinese have also vowed to hold all territory that is (or ever was) Chinese (this has thrilled the Vietnamese). Many see this as a flimsy excuse to occupy the DPRK should it fall or get too rowdy. Anyway, I'll write more when/if the north launches, but it's a north Korean event that is dominating politics here.


Elsewhere Hong Kong has a new Chief Executive, Leung Chun-ying. Pro-business and pro-Beijing (shockingly :P) he is seem as a gap to full democracy in the city-state, something that is was promised in 2017. He's already been met with fierce protests but it looks like he's in to stay. With Beijing leadership transitioning next year it seem unlikely that they will allow a reformer in Hong Kong. Hard to say much else here, Hong Kong's strange place as a centre for business, revenue and modernity will continue to be at odds with Beijing and the mainland's decidedly Marxist and conservative agenda.

Samsung Lions on a Sunday Afternoon

With the weather finally getting warm we decided to take in a ball game. Geoff came, along with his good friend Jarrod, Jarrod's girlfriend Hailey and a friend of Hailey's. Opening day was actually Saturday, and the Lions opened at home to Seoul based LG Twins. The Twins had previously been involved in a match fixing scandal that was he subject of my last blog and so were not expected to do much. However they are so far 2-0 against the reigning Korean and Asian Series Champions after a three run bottom of the 7th led to an eventual 3-2 win. Samsung rallied in the bottom half of the 9th but only managed two. Despite the loss it was a solid game.

By far the biggest draw was Lee Seung-Yeop, who I had blogged about earlier this year and who didn't disappoint, going 3-5 and scoring a run. It was a great game in great conditions despite the loss. After wards we went out for all you can eat bulgogi and we ate all that we could. It was a lot of meat and even though we didn't have a lot of beer after being out in the sun all day it hit me fairly hard so after food we called it a night. I was home and in bed by 11 :)

Korean Sports Match Fixing Scandals continue

Well last year Korean soccer was dealt a huge blow with news of its match fixing and this year Korean volleyball and baseball were hit by similar, though less wide ranging match fixing. As far as volleyball was concerned, this event led people to ask questions such as "we have a volleyball league?". For the Korean Baseball Association however, this is serious as the KBO is arguably the fastest growing league in the world. It set a record for attendance last year and is already looking at more growth for 2012. Korea also has the Asian Series Championship for the first time and is hosting said competition this year in Seoul. While it's only two pitchers playing for Seoul based LG Twins, it's serious and the KBO is treating it as such. Both players have received lifetime bans from the KBO, which may well end their careers. To be fair to the KBO this is the first such circumstance since the league began in 1982 but when one looks at what has happened to the Taiwan based Chinese Professional Baseball League with match fixing leading to the demise of four of the eight pro teams and attendance down to the 3000 or so a game on average (from 10,000 in the early 2000's) one can see how match fixing can and will destroy a league's reputation. Also, as the league crashes major players will move out. While the best of the best will end up in MLB regardless, many Korean players have had solid careers here and up and comers can expect the same thing. In fact most KBO players opt to stay in Korea unless they can get a major league contract in the States or the NPB League in Japan. In Taiwan any player that can get in to MLB or the NPB does, even with minor league contracts.

The KBO is also unique in that, unlike soccer and basketball, fans prefer the local game to the overseas leagues. Soccer fans in Daegu are avid Manchester United or Real Madrid fans but give Daegu FC a miss. The NBA get more television time than the KBA. This is not so with the KBO. While overseas teams that have or had prominent Korean players get some interest (LA Dodgers and Cleveland Indians of MLB or the Yomiuri Giants of NPB) the real interest is in watching Daegu based Samsung Lions thrash Busan based Lotte Giants. Match fixing could change all that (it did in Taiwan, where today the MLB and NPB get massive television time).

I do hope this is limited to two young idiots and I'm glad to see the KBO moving so quickly to stamp that sort of thing out.

Korea Did have Hair Metal

well it took a while to find, but Korea did indeed go through it's own version of Deep Purple, Ozzy Osbourne inspired hair metal. There's Sinawe, Baekdoosan, and BuHwaul (translated as Born Again but Resurrection is a more accurate translation). These bands were apparently huge in the late 70's and 80's. I'm actually surprised at the level of subversion, Baekdoosan had a hit called Banmal, which is lost in cultural translation but basically it's what they call informal speech. If that's not enough, they even had Poisonesque love ballads like this one by a band called Black Hole.

Heck this one could be an Iron Maiden track.

Just when I think I'm starting to figure this place out. I know that Korea in the 80's had pop/dance music which gave way to Kpop idols which is the basis of the Kpop music of today. I understand that dance music became THE huge thing in the 90's (they missed the whole grunge thing) and I guess that spawned the whole Kpop thing. This stuff kinda got forgotten.

However, it's cool to think that Korea used to have something besides Kpop. Where they had to play instruments and write music and stuff. Not that hair metal was the pinnacle of western music, but it's cool to see a bit of diversity, something Korean music is sorely lacking today.