The Trade That Wasn't Made

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
PHOTOS BY CANDICE EBLING

During NHL All-Star Weekend in Tampa Bay from January 27-28, Detroit Red Wings Defenseman Mike Green found himself answering a lot of questions about where he could find himself at the trade deadline at the end of February.

Would he be happy to return to the Washington Capitals?

Green politely answered every question in a 25 minute media session.

But one thing remained consistent during his questioning.

He kept telling the media how much he enjoyed playing for the Detroit Red Wings and really never wanted to leave.

Green does have a full trade clause in his contract and would later indicate that the only teams he would waive it for were the Capitals and Tampa Bay Lightning.

But there was one major thing which prevented a possible trade.

Green sustained an upper body injury which caused him to miss games, therefore, teams wouldn't trade picks for an unrestricted free agent rental which could be damaged goods.

Red Wings GM Ken Holland still managed to trade Goaltender Petr Mrazek and Forward Tomas Tatar as he stockpiled draft choices for the next two seasons.

During Green's Press Conference, I did manage to slip in some questions as he provided some insightful thoughts about different subjects.

Q: Do you relish the opportunity that you can be a veteran player to mentor and teach a lot of these kids since you've been a Red Wing?

A: I just think it's a matter of understanding the game. I don't think you can teach these guys much because they're so skilled and talented. My approach is getting them to understand how to be consistent. To be honest, I've learned a lot from them too. This next generation of young guys is incredibly talented, incredibly focused and it's great to see.

Q: The one thing I've noticed with these young guys is they play with an incredible amount of energy. Do you draw from that energy?

A: It's definitely helped me. It's caused me to change my workout routines and approach because these guys are so fast now that I have to keep up. But playing with guys like Dylan Larkin create so much energy the way he skates, moves the puck up the ice, along with Andreas Athanasiou, Anthony Mantha and some of the other kids coming up. So it does create a lot of energy. I think that's what's exciting about Detroit is that they have a lot of the great energy young players coming up and will be good.

Q: In the new NHL, enforcers are not as common but the Red Wings have one in Luke Witkowski. When he does play, how would you describe what he's meant to the Red Wings this year?

A: I think immeasurably. At times, when we come out and have played with high energy, it's because Luke's in the line-up. He creates that sort of energy for us when he is there. Not only that, he's an utterly great teammate and player. It's been a pleasure playing with him so far.

Q: When you look at the banners in the rafters and all the great players who have played for Detroit, and the town itself, how does it feel to be playing in "Hockeytown" compared to other cities?

A: I don't know if you can compare it when you're with an "Original Six" team. Obviously, I've played on a different team. You can't compare it with Detroit. Walking in the dressing room, all the pictures of all these old players, captains, and obviously the amount of Stanley Cups they've won on the walls. It's pretty special. You have to take a moment to kind of respect and appreciate what that organization has done.

Q: Tell me what it's like to play in Little Caesars Arena (LCA) and give me your thoughts about Joe Louis Arena?

A: It's been great. The facility is incredible. We're fortunate as players that we have this incredible work out facility and spoiled in that sense.

Comparing to "The Joe," it's different and interesting starting the season at LCA. We wondered what kind of energy it would bring knowing what Joe Louis had and represented, which with it's history in itself and you could feel it. It's about creating the energy now here at Little Caesars Arena and building a legacy there.

Q: Do you know much about the old Olympia Stadium?

A: I respect it because when I first got to Detroit, I read this book on the history of all the buildings, and the history of the Olympia building at the time was creative and was pretty cool. When you're in Detroit, it's a pretty incredible city and what's transpired over a long period of time.

Whether the 32-year Green gets a contract remains to be seen. He definitely does embrace the history of Detroit Red Wings Hockey. Anybody that researches previous stadiums comes across as a traditionalist which is tough to find nowadays.

When you're rebuilding, it's vital to have veterans to provide a positive influence on the younger players that demonstrate leadership, plus lead by example.

But as we stand right now, The Trade That Wasn't Made could pay dividends in the immediate and foreseeable future.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at www.scottsports33.com and is a member of Detroit Sports Media.

A Must See!

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
PHOTOS BY CANDICE EBLING

During my last trip to Detroit in early December there was one major sports priority, and that was seeing Little Caesars Arena (LCA) in "The District."


On December 5, 2017, George Eichorn, Myself and Candice Ebling worked the Red Wings vs the Winnipeg Jets.

We arrived at the venue around 4 pm and Red Wings Public Relations Assistant Kyle Kujawa was really super about giving Myself, Eichorn and Ebling a tour of this Magnificent Crown Jewel.

What made this trip neat was Kujawa took us down to the Red Wings practice rink (pictured below)
on a different floor and when I saw this, the only question which came to mind is how can anybody not come across impressed?

Not only do the Red Wings use this for practice but it's used for youth hockey.

To try to dig this deep underground for a venue in Florida, one would go on a date with a shark.

Kujawa gave us the personalized tour of everything in the arena.

If he ever leaves the Red Wings for a job in the hospitality field as a tour guide, he would easily get my recommendation.

All of us were able to walk around before the game and took some neat pictures.

Even Eichorn, who had covered a couple of games before our visit got to see some new things.

Eichorn and I sparred and even though Don King Productions wasn't paying us money for a main event, it was neat taking this type of photo.

I was truly amazed at all the restaurants at the arena as well as the souvenir stores.

But what floored me the most were the man holes of all the names which have been a part of Detroit Sports History.

As you can see in the photo on the left, the man hole of late Red Wing Owner Mike Ilitch, is the reason why this arena is standing as he's been the true catalyst as to why Detroit has made an incredible comeback.

He's the main reason the Red Wings won four Stanley Cups and reached the playoffs 25-consecutive seasons.

To embrace Gordie Howe, Joe Louis, the great Pistons teams, LCA was like walking into an actual Sports Hall Of Fame.

When we were there, there was work being done on the office space. The area around the stadium is still being developed.

Being around the Red Wings my entire life, first as a fan than as a member of the media, it was great to see Olympia Stadium's letters on display in this "New Gem."

While I enjoyed Joe Louis Arena, to me, Olympia will always rank amongst the best stadiums I've ever witnessed a sporting event in.

When you go into a new arena, you expect the media lounge, locker rooms, and press box to be first class, therefore, I will not spend much time talking about this.

For the media people complaining about how high the press box is above the ice, those comments will be heard on deaf ears.

As long as I have sufficient space to connect my computer, spread out, and go over my notes, I'm happy with that.


I have to admit that it was neat hearing an Organist at LCA.


But the Red Wings finally caught up with the
times having an attractive female interacting with the fans as visualized on the big scoreboard. I've seen that for years at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, FL., covering the Panthers.

What was different about this Red Wings home game was not hearing a tape recording of late PA Announcer Budd Lynch talking at the end of the period.

But I understood that it was in with the new and out with the old indicating a new building and era of Red Wings Hockey.

At least the Red Wings had Karen Newman singing the National Anthem.

Over the years, I've traveled to some of the newer arenas around the USA.

Some of the impressive ones include: Staples Center (Los Angeles, CA), America West Arena (Phoenix, AZ), United Center (Chicago, ILL), Bradley Center (Milwaukee, WI) which will be replaced next season, Target Center (Minneapolis, MN), Nationwide Arena (Columbus, Ohio), AT&T Center (San Antonio, TX) Amalie Arena (Tampa, FL), American Airlines Arena (Miami, FL) and as aforementioned the BB&T Center in Sunrise, FL.

Some of these venues had practice facilities right next to or connected to the stadium. I was impressed with what I saw in Phoenix and Columbus.

Each are different and special in their own way whether they're part of a downtown revitalization or near water.

But the one thing that stands out about Little Caesars Arena is it's located within a half a mile from Ford Field and Comerica Park.

It's unheard of to have all four major sports teams play in that close of a proximity.

If Major League Soccer passes on Detroit as a future expansion area, playing at Ford Field, not only will it miss on three billionaire owners and an excellent fan base, they'll lose a large TV Market and a chance to be part of a downtown area making a huge comeback.

You won't find a more sound ownership group than Tom Gores, The Ford Family and Dan Gilbert.

But let's face it, for $862.9 million dollars to construct, you're going to build an arena for the ages.

To use the word potential for not only the arena's finished product and surrounding areas describes what Detroit has to bring me back wanting more when I return home.

Seeing this place figures to be an annual opportunity to cover the Red Wings.

I guarantee that by the time LCA gets outdated many decades later, I will be long deceased and never see its replacement.

There are some cities which will tear down buildings inside of 30-years old.

It will be unfortunate to see the Palace of Auburn Hills give way to the wrecking ball.

I'm still puzzled as to why a State Of The Art Building such as this one can't be utilized for some purposes especially since it's paid off.

There are other metropolitan areas which have multiple arenas in use.

Los Angeles has Staples Center, and The Lakers former home The Forum, New York has Madison Square Garden and The Barclays Center.

In Minnesota, the Wild play in St. Paul while the Timberwolves play in downtown Minneapolis.

My home area is the best example.

In Downtown Miami, The NBA's Heat play at The American Airlines Arena meanwhile in the suburbs, the Florida Panthers of the NHL, play in the BB&T Center in Sunrise, and therefore, there are enough events to hold in each building.

I love the BB&T Center! This place is more centrally located to Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties and the Miami Marlins should have built their new stadium in Sunrise, FL.


Nonetheless, in an age where every city is trying to out do each other with their State Of The Art Creations, objectively speaking, it will be tough to top LCA, especially with the

underground practice facility.

For youngsters to be able to practice, play hockey games, tournaments on a rink for which its own NHL team uses creates its own "Ice Of Dreams."

As of this post, the prospects don't look good for either the Red Wings or Pistons making the playoffs.

From what I've been told, there have been a fair amount of empty seats at their games.

Whether that's attributed to each teams' struggles or the newness of the arena where fans want to check out the numerous things to do, restaurants, etc... is subject to ones opinion.

I have a feeling that the louder crowds will come in time when the honeymoon phase of the arena wears off and these teams are winning.

By the way, the Detroit Red Wings defeated the Winnipeg Jets 5-1 in my only and initial trip to the arena.

Yes, there was a game played and what was even more special was seeing many old friends again that I haven't seen in a long time since I don't get home as often as I like.

Health permitting, I expect that to change.

I look forward to covering the Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the not so distant future.

I do spend money on the NHL Center Ice Package and these guys have been involved in a lot of one goal games, but are fun to watch.

It will be interesting to see how this team grows together with a nucleus of Dylan Larkin, Anthony Mantha, Tyler Bertuzzi, and then the eventual retired jersey of Henrik Zetterberg when it gets eventually raised into the rafters.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at www.scottsports33.com and is a member of Detroit Sports Media.

Red Wings GM Ken Holland

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
PHOTOS BY CANDICE EBLING

On Monday February 24, 2014, I decided to put Detroit Red Wings General Manager Ken Holland into My Detroit Mt. Rushmore for Detroit Front Office Executives.

On Wednesday, Holland proved why he deserved to be on this list by acquiring Center David Legwand from the Nashville Predators in the final minutes of the NHL's trade deadline. It was a move designed to bolster a position which has been decimated by injuries. It showed the city and his team that he wants to maintain the winning tradition. No fire sales and selling, just buying.

Before the Olympic Break, I had the opportunity to speak with Holland in this Q & A Interview about some of the latest developments with the Red Wings when Detroit played the Florida Panthers at the BB&T Center.

Q: Are you relieved that the Red Wings will be taking future face offs in a new stadium?

A: Yes. It's a big step. It's really important because it allows our organization, franchise and city to remain competitive in the NHL.

Q: What do you think the new facility should look like?

A: One of the benefits of being one of the last buildings built is the opportunity to tour a lot of the buildings. I know the people from the Ilitch family and the people they have hired have taken the opportunity to go tour, plus the hockey people like Myself and Coach Mike Babcock, have suggested some of the good things we like in certain buildings.

Hopefully, we can take the best of all the buildings. I know they've asked other buildings if you could do things differently, what would you do? A state-of-the-art stadium would be fantastic not only again for our team and city, but it will really help in the re-vitalization of Downtown Detroit.

Q: Ken, I'm an old school guy, have you heard anything about Olympia being used in the name of the new arena? Olympia Stadium would sound great!

A: I haven't gotten involved in the conversations. I will say this. The history of the Red Wings is very important to our ownership. We're one of the few franchises that we don't have a third jersey. We've done very little tinkering with our jersey.

When the Ilitches bought the team in the early 1980's, they wanted to have the history and respect it. So I'm sure those things will be discussed and talked about. The history of our team will be up front first and foremost.

Q: But do you have a gut feeling, and I'm just asking you for a gut feeling, whether Olympia would be a part of the name?

A: I don't really know. At the end of the day, you can name some rooms and other parts of the building different things. In this day and age there is naming rights. I don't know if they're looking at naming rights.

My thing is to keep the Red Wings competitive on the ice. We do go to regular meetings. They've asked our input in the designing of the locker room. We want a state-of-the-art locker room as we go on the road and see other locker rooms.

They ask us what I like about different rinks in the NHL. It's not my job on a day to day basis.

Will Olympia be in the name? I really have no idea.

Q: Since I live in South Florida, the Miami Marlins recently built a new stadium on the site of the historical Orange Bowl. Did you ever hear if the old Tiger Stadium site was ever considered?

A: I don't know. I'm sure the planning started 4,5,6,7 years ago. I'm not sure what was ever considered. Someone did there work that made the current location the best sense. I'm sure there were a lot of great areas and opportunities. You have to buy land, the city made a major move by doing some re-zoning, had to put parcels of land that they owned with the development package. I'm not sure what was ever considered.

One good thing about this location is it's close to Comerica Park, Ford Field and more of these big venues brings people downtown. You can start by having bars and restaurants then younger people start moving downtown. Build out from there. One of the advantages of this location is it's closer to other locations.

I moved to Detroit in 1994, and what's good about this is we can start by bringing energy and different businesses. The city can go from there.

It's important to have a Downtown District in every city in the USA and Canada for that matter.

Detroit is on the way back. It takes time to kind of lose your sex appeal and it takes awhile to build back your sex appeal. The people of Michigan and Detroit are going through the process to get Detroit back to what it is. It's one of the great cities in America.

Q: Now we can move on to some easier hockey questions and we'll start with the Red Wings move to the Eastern Conference. Some thoughts?

A: It's going to be fantastic for us. It's going to take time. Other than Toronto, Montreal, and the other "Original Six" teams, (Boston and NY Rangers) to go along with the Pittsburgh Penguins, whom we played in the finals twice in 2008 and 2009; the other teams we played once a year and in some years we didn't play them.

Even though Anaheim is on the West Coast, we had a good relationship/rivalry with them because of the playoff match-ups through the years. I think it's going to be awesome with us being in the Eastern Conference. It's going to take 2-4 years to build up relationships and rivalries with some of these cities beyond the "Original Six."

Q: Now that you're not switching time zones as much, would you say that the team will benefit with more practices with less travel wear and tear?

A: I don't know that the 82-game regular season in the Western Conference was that bad. We have our own private airplane. The schedule makers did work with us.

The wear and tear was in the playoffs. In a seven game series in California, you're flying back and forth. If you're fortunate enough to win the series, there could be another seven game series to Western Canada going back and forth.

As we go forward, and we're able to make the playoffs, there will be less wear and tear in the Eastern Conference. We'll build up more rivalries, plus there will be more road games in prime-time on TV for our fans in Detroit. Fans love rivalries. We have Toronto and Montreal that go back in the beginning of time.

Hopefully, over the next 10-15 years, we'll have playoff series with Tampa Bay, Florida, Washington, and another with Pittsburgh. The more playoff series you're in with both cities, there is a build-up of emotional energy for that team which is good going forward.

Q: Would you say that the early returns to the Eastern Conference are good?

A: I love it!

Q: Let's talk about your Coach Mike Babcock. With a 22-year playoff streak on the line trying to reach 23, is this one of his best coaching jobs?

A: He did a tremendous job last year with a lot of people out. He kept us afloat structure.

This year, he's played a lot of kids. This has been a great year for our team because we're set-up going forward. If we didn't have the injuries, we wouldn't know about Riley Sheahan, Tomas Tatar, Gustav Nyquist, and Tomas Jurco.

They've had opportunities. We count on these guys night after night after night. Hopefully, our organization will be much deeper in March than we were in November. When we head into the off-season, we have to make a decision about our team. We've watched these kids play.

We played in Vancouver and Sheahan went head-to-head against Ryan Kesler a world class player. You normally don't get that opportunity to watch these players play in those situations.

But this year, we have.

The Red Wings (29-21-13) get to showcase their young talent on Sunday as Detroit faces the New York Rangers (34-26-4) in Madison Square Garden on NBC at 12:30 pm.

Another "Original Six" match-up with both teams driving to make the playoffs in The Big Apple.

Despite the fact that Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk will be out for an extended period of time, this team will only get scarier in the playoffs upon their return.

The only curiosities that I have at the moment are the progression of these kids and how much Legwand contributes. But being a hometown player despite Legwand's pending free agency, I couldn't imagine Holland making a trade for a rental especially for a guy that waived his no-trade clause to come home.

As much as I used to enjoy watching Lions Hall of Fame Running Back Barry Sanders march to the top of the all-time rushing chart, I am looking forward to seeing how many teams the Red Wings pass if they're able to get a a red hot streak.

We've all heard the phrase being "Thrown into the Fire," these kids are definitely getting "On the Job Training" at the highest level in the NHL and the rest of the teams know it.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at www.scottsports33.com.

Holiday Sports Traditions

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

There are just a few hours left in 2011 as we get ready for another calender year.

So what better time to break down the Top Holiday Sports Traditions than now.

Which sports own what particular holidays?

1) New Years Eve in Detroit is big for Red Wings fans that began at the Old Olympia Stadium and carried over to the Joe Louis Arena. When I'm back in Detroit, I make it a point to cover the New Years Eve event but when I'm not at home, then I usually stay inside to avoid the crazy drunk drivers.

One New Years Eve I'll never forget was on December 31, 1990. The Michigan State Spartans defeated the USC Trojans 17-16 and I really enjoyed covering this game. I was in the midst of a cross country drive and it worked out where I could fit this in on the schedule. The Sun Bowl in El Paso Texas has been a New Year's Eve tradition on CBS for many years.

2) When there is no conflict with the NFL on Sunday, New Years Day or January 1 has always been a day to watch College Bowl Games. There used to be several bowl games played including the major ones, The Rose, Orange, Sugar, Fiesta and Cotton, in addition to the Outback, Gator and Capital One. This year the Rose Bowl and Fiesta are on the same night while the Sugar, Orange and Cotton will be played in prime time on other evenings. Nevertheless, if you're a college football junkie, this is a great day to stay home and have multiple TV's running.

I've had the good fortune to cover a Rose, Capital One and Orange Bowl. I enjoyed covering the Rose Bowl Parade and Game in one day. It was a long day but a lot of fun.

3) A new tradition that is on NBC is the NHL Winter Classic on January 1 or 2 depending on the NFL schedule. These outdoor contests, which features snow falling on the players thus forcing them to make adjustments in their games, are played in baseball or football stadiums. I'm looking forward to the day that the Detroit Red Wings get to host one and hopefully they'll play the game at Michigan Stadium (The Big House) before 100,000 fans to set new attendance records.

4) Christmas Day belongs to the NBA and this year there were five games played on three networks. If a new labor agreement wasn't reached and the Christmas games were canceled then there would have been no regular season because of the amount of money and exposure lost.

5) The Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys own Thanksgiving Day. I am glad that the NFL added a prime-time contest to complete the holiday.

6) Sunday, Memorial Day Eve, goes to Auto Racing as fans can enjoy the Indianapolis 500 followed by NASCAR's Coca Cola 600, the longest race of the season. If there is a rain out then the races are run on Memorial Day.

7) Memorial Day Weekend also features the NBA Eastern and Western Conference Finals match-ups, Pro Basketball's version of the Final Four.

8) NASCAR usually has a race at the Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, MI., in the Beautiful Irish Hills on Fathers Day. There are also a full slate of Major League Baseball Action.

9) July 4 belongs to Major League Baseball as fireworks shows follow after games. Tennis and Wimbledon usually play around this time, in addition to the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest on Coney Island in New York.

10) Labor Day is predominantly for Major League Baseball as the pennant races begin to reach their final stages. Fans also turn their attention to the start of the NFL Season with fall just weeks ahead.

I want to wish all of My Readers and Followers a Happy and Healthy New Year. Enjoy your sports and may all of your dreams come true.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com.

Home Sweet Home?

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

Are there any lakes in Los Angeles, let alone in California?

Do people really sing much Jazz in Utah?

What makes a good rivalry? Is it when a pair of teams win for many years, an inter-city or inter-state match-up? What about when they return to their old stomping grounds?

Franchise relocation has been a part of the American Sports Scene for years. Owners take teams in Smaller Markets and move them to Major Metro Areas. They also move them to play in State Of The Art Arenas.

In recent weeks, there has been talk about Los Angeles building a stadium downtown. With Denver Broncos Owner Pat Bowlen having health issues, Stan Kroenke, who owns the St. Louis Rams, in addition to the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche, would swap franchises with Bowlen, thus allowing Bowlen to move the Rams back to Los Angeles.

Time will tell if this happens.

But today, I'm going to list some of the most interesting Franchise Moves and I welcome your feedback.

1) Los Angeles Lakers (Minneapolis Lakers) returning to the Twin Cities to face the Minnesota Timberwolves.

2) Atlanta Braves (Milwaukee Braves) return to the Beer City to face the Brewers. Former All-Time Home Run King Hank Aaron retired with the Brewers.

3) Calgary Flames (Atlanta Flames) return to Atlanta to face the Thrashers. As a kid growing up in the 1970's, I remember when the Detroit Red Wings swept the Atlanta Flames out of the 1977-78 playoffs and Bill Lochead was the hero in this series by scoring a pair of goals in a 3-2 victory at Olympia Stadium.

4) Dallas Stars (Minnesota North Stars) return to the land of 10,000 lakes and face the Wild. I once told a Wild PR Guy when he asked me if there was anything missing in his media guide to add the franchises first victory over the Stars. The following year, the result was in the book.

5) Arizona Cardinals (St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cardinals) returning to face the St. Louis Rams and Chicago Bears.

6) Baltimore Ravens (Original Cleveland Browns) returning to Ohio to face the new Browns. Former Owner Art Modell never made this trip back to Cleveland, but in reality, to build the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame ahead of a new Browns Stadium, was a bad decision and I don't blame Modell for moving the team, which would eventually win a Super Bowl.

7) Tennessee Titans (Houston Oilers) facing the Houston Texans.

8) Atlanta Braves (Boston Braves) returning to Beantown to face the Red Sox during inter- league play.

9) Texas Rangers (Washington Senators 1961-1971) returning to the Nations Capital to face the Washington Nationals. It doesn't happen much but when it does, now that the Rangers are a good team, historians will mention it. The first manager in the history of the Rangers was Hall of Famer Ted Williams.

10) San Francisco Giants (New York Giants) last World Series title was in the Big Apple. But they return to New York to face the Mets every year and once in a great while will face the Yankees. My late Friend/Uncle Ernie Harwell called Bobby Thomson's the "Shot Heard 'Round The World" in 1951. The Giants last won a World Series in 1954. During the year Harwell dies, the Giants are champions again. Ernie must be smiling in heaven.

11) Los Angeles Dodgers (Brooklyn Dodgers) return to New York to face the Mets every year and have had some great battles with the Yankees in the World Series since there move out west. Does anybody remember the late Billy Martin versus Tom Lasorda? Reggie Jackson hit three home runs in the sixth game of the 1977 World Series on Oct 18 enabling the Yankees to win 8-4 and win the championship.

12) New Jersey Devils (Colorado Rockies) return to Denver to face the Avalanche periodically.

13) Minnesota Twins (Washington Senators 1901-1960) when they face the Washington Nationals. The Twins have three World Series Championships and their business model for a small market franchise is one many teams copy with their commitment to using their farm system. This season, they moved into a brand new outdoor stadium.

14) Oakland A's (Philadelphia A's & Kansas City A's) return to face the Phillies periodically during inter-league play and see the Royals every year.

15) Utah Jazz (New Orleans Jazz) face the New Orleans Hornets.

16) New Orleans Hornets (Charlotte Hornets) return to North Carolina once a year and face the Charlotte Bobcats.

17) Golden State Warriors (Philadelphia Warriors) return to Philadelphia to play the 76'ers every year. Hall of Fame Center Wilt Chamberlain played for the the Philadelphia Warriors and 76'ers. On March 2, 1962, Chamberlain became the only player in NBA History to score 100 points in a game with the Philadelphia Warriors, a 169-147 win over the NY Knicks. He also grabbed 25 rebounds.

18) Indianapolis Colts (Baltimore Colts) return to face the Baltimore Ravens. Thanks to late Colts Owner Robert Irsay, who moved the team in the middle of the night to Indiana, there is no love loss between these two cities. Their battles in the NFL playoffs get real emotional for the fans in Maryland.

19) Oklahoma City Thunder (Seattle Super Sonics) return to the Pacific Northwest to face the Portland Trail Blazers. Seattle may be two hours north but there are some Sonics diehards that take this commute to see their one-time championship franchise. In 1979, the Sonics were indeed Super.

20) Carolina Hurricanes (Hartford Whalers) when they return to New England and face the Boston Bruins. The Whalers were the one-time home of NHL legend and Hall of Famer Gordie Howe. These two New England teams had a nice rivalry but a new stadium in Raleigh, North Carolina sent this franchise south. Boston's last Stanley Cup Championship was in 1971-72 while the Hurricanes won their first title in 2005-2006.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com and his blog can be seen at www.scottsports33.com.

Who are the Phoenix Coyotes?

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

They are a team that once played in the worst NHL arena where I've ever seen a sporting event!

When the Phoenix Coyotes moved to Arizona in 1996, they played in the America West Arena for eight years which was barely large enough to fit a standard NHL rink. The building was hastily re-engineered to accommodate the 200 foot rink, and the configuration left a portion of one end of the upper deck hanging over the boards and ice, obscuring almost a third of the rink and one goal from several sections.

As a result, the capacity had to be cut down to just over 16,000---the second smallest rink at the time. For the fans to have to rely on the scoreboard to watch the action was absurd. The only thing that I gained out of my experience when watching two Red Wings games in The Valley of the Sun, was they had a tremendous following with snowbirds in the Southwest in 2000. After watching recent games, that hasn't changed.

With all due respect, the Coyotes should have played at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum which even though the building holds 13, 730 for hockey, it would have been a more fan friendly venue. The Coyotes could have charged more for the tickets but the fans would have gotten their money's worth because there isn't a bad seat in the house. In the late 1980's, I saw two Phoenix Suns games and this venue gave me a cushy feeling like the old Olympia Stadium in Detroit.

But the Coyotes are a franchise which was supposed to build a new arena in Scottsdale and even had a shopping mall demolished to accommodate the stadium. But those plans fell through.

The presence of Wayne Gretzky as a minority owner and coach had little impact as the Coyotes eventually went bankrupt.

This franchise has gone through numerous ownership changes, has had very little success on the ice as it finally made its first playoff appearance since 2002. Even announcer Darren Pang bolted for the St. Louis Blues amidst the instability.

Yet with all of these problems, I give the NHL a lot of credit for realizing it has a Sleeping Giant sitting in the Southwest as it purchased the Coyotes for $140 million from owner Jerry Moyes on October 26, 2009. The sale was finalized on November 3, 2009.

By doing this, Commissioner Gary Bettman has a first class hockey facility in the Jobing.com Arena which does hold 17,125 and cost $180 Million to build. Playing in the Glendale Sports Complex next to the Arizona Cardinals who play in the University of Phoenix Stadium, with winning comes the sellouts as both teams have experienced.

As I mentioned before, Phoenix could be a great hockey market with all of the transplants. There are plenty of "Winged Wheel" jerseys and fans in the area. The same could apply to other cold weather large market teams. Especially Chicago which does have both of it's baseball teams in the area during Spring Training.

With Bettman and the NHL buying this franchise and determined to keep the team there, he's been able to maintain rivalries with the Dallas Stars, LA Kings and the Anaheim Ducks. These three markets also have teams that make their Spring Training homes in Arizona.

But Bettman got the best break he could receive in this years playoffs. He has the Detroit Red Wings and the Phoenix Coyotes locked up in an excellent series which is tied 2-2. The Red Wings are the first ever playoff opponent for the Coyotes at the Jobing.com Arena.

I can't believe that Versus showed the Pittsburgh Penguins and Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night instead of the Red Wings and Coyotes. Even though Versus wanted Sidney Crosby, you don't bypass two USA based franchises in a competitive series.

However, Bettman does have the Coyotes and Red Wings on NBC for two Sundays in a row. It's a match-up that features a marquee franchise and a resurrected one which saw Gretzky resign as coach two weeks before the start of the regular season, yet managed to win 50 games and locking up the fourth seed in the Western Conference.

I never thought I'd see the Coyotes on the NBC Game of the Week. But the ratings intrigue is indeed there. You have two great media markets featuring a dynasty and a feel good story. The Red Wings always produce good ratings which is why they're constantly featured on NBC.

I'll never forget recently at dinner with my father and nephew Branden Morganroth that when we were talking about hockey, when I was growing up, the Red Wings rarely made the playoffs plus the NHL rarely got national television coverage.

My father reminded Branden that he's had it pretty good. I also know that the Red Wings success has motivated Branden into playing hockey himself as he pursues his dream looking to eventually attain professional status.

How things have changed. The Red Wings have made the playoffs 19 straight years and Branden's never seen his local NHL team ever miss the postseason. I hope Branden doesn't miss a post-season game and with Red Wings General Manager Ken Holland in charge, they're in good hands to keep the winning tradition in tact.

As for the Coyotes, even though their national appearances are at the Joe Louis Arena, any exposure figures to give them a boost!

If Jerry Reinsdorf is successful in purchasing the franchise and he's able to negotiate a sensible lease at the Jobing.com Arena, then Bettman looks like a genius for persevering and keeping this franchise afloat.

Even though the Coyotes have lost hundreds of millions of dollars and the greatest icon in hockey, I believe that if Reinsdorf lands this team, like the Chicago Bulls & White Sox, I'd predict they would be a consistent winner and championship contender. If the Anaheim Ducks, Tampa Bay Lightning, Carolina Hurricanes could hoist the Stanley Cup, there is no reason that Coyotes shouldn't be able to celebrate as well.

By the same token, if Reinsdorf is unable to save this franchise, then Bettman may find himself out of options and it will end up moving to another market with a fresh start and new ownership. Although I'm not a gambler, the safe money is on Reinsdorf to make it work and $180 Million for a stadium won't become a waste of money.

Since the White Sox train in Glendale at Camelback Ranch with the LA Dodgers and the Bulls make an annual appearance to face the Phoenix Suns, there is no doubt that Reinsdorf can multi-task without shoveling snow.

It would be an unbelievable accomplishment if he's able to win a championship in three major sports leagues, the NBA, MLB and the NHL.

But please Jerry, don't let the fans throw snakes on the ice. They give me an edgy feeling and even NBC Play By Play Commentator Mike Emrick said that he could handle octopuses but hated snakes.

Yet, for now, the Red Wings get a "Major Assist" in putting the once dormant Coyotes on the Hockey Map. The Coyotes even employ former Red Wings Announcer Dave Strader, who was at the beginning of the Red Wings long playoff run.

On Sunday, NBC will once again remind us that they couldn't be happier to have their "Real Business Parter" The Detroit Red Wings making another run at the Stanley Cup. The Red Wings won four Stanley Cups in an 11-year span and have made the playoffs in 25 of the last 27.

In a year where the Butler Bulldogs made it to the NCAA Mens Basketball Championship Game, the Coyotes success is just another feel good story and we're just four months into the new decade.

Scott Morganroth's Blog can be seen at www.scottsports33.com and he can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com.

Thirty Years Ago

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

As we approach 2010, it will be the first time that we enter a new decade with a vacant lot with plenty of questions but no answers, as to what the future holds where Tiger Stadium was a landmark at the Corner of Michigan & Trumbull.

But another anniversary passed that most baby boomers don't know about and many of us old school traditionalists find hard to believe that time does indeed fly.

On December 15, 1979, the Detroit Red Wings played their final game at Olympia Stadium.

It's been 30-years since legendary Red Wings Play-By-Play Announcer Bruce Martyn called this venue his home while his voice could be heard on radios in Southeastern Michigan.

The "Old Red Barn" which was located at 5920 Grand River Avenue, Detroit, MI, 48208, and is now the home of the Michigan National Guard Armory. The photo is on www.scottsports33.com.

Martyn was the voice behind the Red Wings 4-4 tie to the Quebec Nordiques on December 15, 1979 as a crowd of 15,609 watched for the last time.

I'd be curious to find out how many baby boomers actually know much about Martyn. I do know that the baby boomers are spoiled by the success that the modern Red Wings have had winning four Stanley Cups in the past 15 years.

But unless these kids study Red Wings history and look up at the rafters to see the numbers retired, then they should run a Google search so they'll be able to appreciate the building that "Mr Hockey" Gordie Howe made famous.

The link to Olympia Stadium to Joe Louis Arena does have an interesting historical significance. As I just mentioned, they closed the building playing Quebec which is the same franchise that relocated to Denver, Colorado and became the Avalanche.

The greatest goaltender in Red Wings history is a player who wore No.1 very proudly and had his number retired. In fantasy land, it would have been great to see Terry Sawchuk face the Avalanche's greatest goaltender No.33 Patrick Roy. Both are in the Hall of Fame.

Have to wonder if Sawchuk and Roy would have exchanged punches at center ice as the Wings tandem of Mike Vernon and Chris Osgood did when the Wings and Avalanche rivalry was at its peak.

The only thing that Red Wings Hall of Famer, "The Captain" Steve Yzerman didn't accomplish in his storied NHL career was wear his No.19 jersey in a regular season game at Olympia.

But when I think of Olympia Stadium 30 years later, it's hard to believe that using an old Ernie Harwell phrase, the building is "Long Gone."

Yet, the 15,000 seat building was the home to Stanley Cup Championships, NHL All-Star Games along with many other events.

During the lean years of the 1970's, the Red Wings were known as the "Dead Wings." All Detroit fans had to cheer about was when Bryan "Bugsy" Watson and Dennis Polonich would antagonize opponents.

The playoffs were a rarity. How many youngsters remember when the Detroit Red Wings swept the Atlanta Flames 2-0 in the 1978 playoffs and Bill Lochead was the star of that series?

I'll never forget when former Red Wings Center Marcel Dionne left an Original Six team to play in the sunshine for the Los Angeles Kings. When Dionne returned to the Olympia, a protected cover was created to protect him as well as the opponents.

But indeed the ironies in sports. The Nordiques/Avalanche were the ones that officially closed down Olympia and became their most hated rival in the Red Wings road to the recent championships in the modern NHL. I find that to be truly unbelievable to this day.

So the next time you watch the NHL on NBC, Versus, ESPN, etc. and they feature the Red Wings & Colorado Avalanche, it's amazing that the history of these franchises are connected by two stadiums with a championship connection.

The Red Wings won championships in the "Old Red Barn" & Joe Louis Arena. Louis was a proud heavyweight champion and this champion (Louis) has an arena named after him.

And it all ended in one venue 30 years ago and began in a new one on Dec 27, 1979, the same birthday as the first 50-goal scorer in Red Wings history & current broadcaster Mickey Redmond.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com and my full blog can be seen at www.scottsports33.com.