On Tuesday, the Nashville Predators suspended two of their late season acquisitions, Andrei Kostitsyn and Alexander Radulov, for missing curfew during a playoff series with the Phoenix Coyotes. The players, ostensibly added to the roster in order to strengthen the squad for the postseason, appear to have lost focus at a critical time as they were allegedly sighted at 4:00am in a Scottsdale bar the night/morning before a lopsided loss that placed the team at a 0-2 deficit in the series. When a group of people comes together to form a team, nothing is more disheartening than when a few …
Sport Management
Having recently read two books written by former General Managers – The Road to Hockeytown by Jimmy Devellano and The Inside Game by Wayne Embry – I have been pondering the importance of clear direction in sport. Whether it is the entire organization or specific individuals, integrity is as important as talent. Teams that change course every off-season are at a disadvantage relative to those who can commit to a strategic plan. Devellano built the Red Wings from a last place finish in to a four time Stanley Cup winner by the turn of the century. He stayed true to …
Choices and the Usual
Choices and consequences are consistently highlighted yet the message – on many levels – often struggles to get through. Recently, athletes have showcased self-evident and senseless decision-making during championship competition. During the Champions League final, Didier Drogba, one of Chelsea’s most skilled strikers, slapped Manchester’s Nemanja Vidić with minutes remaining in added time and metres in front of the referee and received a well-deserved red card. Drogba knew that penalties were imminent but he still chose to strike his opponent rather than the ball. Minus one of their top penalty takers, the Blues lost to United in sudden-death penalties. In …