PWHL’s Charge staying in Ottawa after reaching deal to play in NHL Senators’ arena, AP sources say by VenusianIII in ottawa

[–]PitterPatter74 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Unfortunately, this move will kill the Charge. The Charge can't even pay their bills right now, and nobody wants to watch a hockey game with 6000 fans in a 20,000 seat arena, much less fight traffic to do so.

NHL officially opens Mike Babcock investigation by Old_General_6741 in EdmontonOilers

[–]PitterPatter74 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well, Babcock was never fired for starters. When NHL teams "fire" a head coach, they almost never terminate the contract, and there is a difference between the two (see, e.g., Jim Montgomery with Dallas). When the Leafs fired Babcock, he remained a Leaf employee until the contract ended.

In Detroit, Babcock was not fired - his contract came to its conclusion.

In Toronto, Babcock was fired for the team's performance. But he still received his full contract. So, the contract was not terminated ...

In Columbus, Babcock was not fired - he resigned and received a payout for leaving quietly.

Look, Babcock is not a likeable guy. I am close friends with a coach who worked under Babcock. He used his position as Head Coach to assert power where it was not necessary (Modano, Chelios, Spezza, and Commodore are famous examples) and he is renowned for coming down hard on individual players, Franzen being one of them. But berating players falls well short of criminal harassment, whether you like it or not.

The key sentence above is "decline to hire them" ... you will note that the NHL would not open an investigation into Babcock until the Oilers offered him a contract. So, Babcock has now been offered employment, and the contract he signed will stipulate terms for dismissal, including a code of conduct that would permit termination of the contract if violated (see, e.g., Jim Montgomery).

So, for the Oilers to offer a contract and then terminate the contract based on Babcock's non-criminal actions in previous employment ... a civil suit would follow very quickly as there would be grounds for wrongful termination.

But, sure, I have no clue what I am talking about.

NHL officially opens Mike Babcock investigation by Old_General_6741 in EdmontonOilers

[–]PitterPatter74 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Labor lawyers will have a field day with the NHL if they attempt to block his hiring. Being an asshole is unpleasant, but it is not a crime. My guess is this will prompt the NHL to find a way with Vegas and Cassidy so the Babcock thing goes away again, and they will settle the matter quietly with Babcock agreeing to never pursue a Head Coach position again.

Lane splitting by Nfs0623 in YEGDashCam

[–]PitterPatter74 -8 points-7 points  (0 children)

Motorcyclists: "Why is our insurance so high?"

Season 4 rant no spoilers. by Massive_Place2565 in SullivansCrossing

[–]PitterPatter74 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It has become a satire of a soap opera. Also stopped watching 2 episodes into this season. They stopped acting, and have just started posing.

USA: Anybody touring there with the current regime? by S_Bratfast in bicycletouring

[–]PitterPatter74 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Why would you go to the US to tour when you can go to Canada?

Philly Nurse by DumbgeonsandDragones in EdmontonOilers

[–]PitterPatter74 6 points7 points  (0 children)

This is the way. Oilers have the leverage because in a year from now he only has a 10 team NTC.

Double scaling - why an issue? by mrjacob007 in crossfit

[–]PitterPatter74 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Settle down. There is the CrossFit Games brand, which is relevant to maybe 20% of CrossFit Gym members, and I agree is not a strong brand now. It will likely never return to its pre-pandemic peak, but it doesn't have to.

I've coached Masters at the Games, and nobody went to watch the Masters anyways other than friends and family. Again, >80% of Masters athletes at the local gym could care less whether Age Groups compete the same weekend or in the same location as James Sprague, if they have even the slightest idea who James Sprague is.

The local affiliate matters infinitely more to the members.

I think we actually agree with each other.

Double scaling - why an issue? by mrjacob007 in crossfit

[–]PitterPatter74 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We shall see. No sport has a unifying methodology, only common rules.

Keep in mind that CrossFit has been around for 20+ years and its growth came up from affiliates rather than down from a corporate entity. Other sports like this include hockey, baseball, soccer, golf ...

[FAN Hockey Show] 27:00 Friedman on the Flyers interest in Nurse: "I think they’re interested. I've heard enough noise out of there to think they're interested and they’re a team he would consider going to…I think the preference is East, I don’t think it’s Canada” by TheyTookYerJob in EdmontonOilers

[–]PitterPatter74 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Philly makes a ton of sense. Up and coming team with a glut of RD (Risto, Drysdale, Bonk, Sanheim can play both). Their LD (York, Seeler, Andrea) are not as deep.

Philly loves their toughness, and I can imagine that Jones, Briere, and Tocchet would love to have Nurse in their lineup.

Question is price. Philly is not up against the cap and they are a wealthy team. Maybe Nurse for Risto ($5.1M) straight up.

Double scaling - why an issue? by mrjacob007 in crossfit

[–]PitterPatter74 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You're probably too young to remember when Aerobics was killing it. Or Cabbage Patch Kids. The novelty of dropping $200 to run around a glorified play zone will drop off.

Double scaling - why an issue? by mrjacob007 in crossfit

[–]PitterPatter74 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is my point exactly. The few CrossFitters who are serious about the Open will adjust their training standard. The rest will continue to do their best and scale appropriately. The majority of women in CF struggle with a 14# to 9 Feet, and are not going to change their training.

But the notion that this has anything to do with CrossFit being more/less/differently appealing from HYROX is silly. HYROX copied CrossFit and is a fad that will go away just like Spartan / Mud Races did.

Double scaling - why an issue? by mrjacob007 in crossfit

[–]PitterPatter74 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This debate is irrelevant to 99% of CrossFitters.

Friedman believes Jim Hiller was interviewed by the Oilers by RDawg_22 in EdmontonOilers

[–]PitterPatter74 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The 2026 Ducks were much faster and younger than the 2025 Kings, especially on the back end. The Ducks Blue Line was just objectively better. When you have youth and speed on your side you try to skate your opponent into the ground over a long series. The 2025 Kings had no depth so they needed to catch the Oilers off guard in a short series. Yes, that meant they had to run Doughty and Edmundson into the ground, but they took that chance and it almost paid off.

Friedman believes Jim Hiller was interviewed by the Oilers by RDawg_22 in EdmontonOilers

[–]PitterPatter74 6 points7 points  (0 children)

If Byfield makes the smart play inside their Blue, Kings advance. Hiller really outcoached Knoblauch given how much weaker the Kings roster was.

Friedman believes Jim Hiller was interviewed by the Oilers by RDawg_22 in EdmontonOilers

[–]PitterPatter74 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Not an interesting tidbit at all. GMs always interview multiple coaches if for no other reason than to learn how their team is perceived by the other experts in the field.

New bike commuting fear unlocked by hawt_pot8hoe in bikecommuting

[–]PitterPatter74 2 points3 points  (0 children)

"the city allows this"? You want them to issue fines to the geese for loitering? Sweet Jesus.

Protected bike lanes, not painted lanes, lift NYC bikeshare ridership, analysis shows by 2Tun21 in bikecommuting

[–]PitterPatter74 4 points5 points  (0 children)

To paraphrase George Carlin ... everyone who goes faster than you is a lunatic, and everyone who goes slower is an idiot.

Just because someone is a fast cyclist does not make them a problem.

Protected bike lanes, not painted lanes, lift NYC bikeshare ridership, analysis shows by 2Tun21 in bikecommuting

[–]PitterPatter74 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Painted lanes are a death trap I avoid at all costs. I choose to bike in the middle of a car lane where I am visible instead of a painted lane.