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Readers of Metal Insider will know that Metal Blade president Brian Slagel is an avid hockey fan. But even we were surprised when he announced earlier this week via Facebook that he had officially become part of the ownership team of minor league hockey team the Trenton Titans. We reached out to Slagel to see if he would discuss how he became involved with the team. Here’s what he had to say.
Ok metal is by far my passion, but I also do love the sport of hockey. I know this is pretty common knowledge these days especially if you follow me on Twitter (brianslagel btw). That love of hockey has transitioned into business a couple of times in my life so far. In 2000, I was part owner of the Lake Charles Ice Pirates of the then WPHL. That was quite a story, but I will save that for another time. I still am a shareholder in the Central Hockey League and the company that builds small arenas connected with that league.
Recently a friend of mine, Rich Lisk, who is the GM and part owner of the Trenton Titans, sent me an email. I first met Rich with Paul Conroy who used to manage Cannibal Corpse, Behemoth, Unearth and Job For A Cowboy for us. His company Good Fight had a sports division and Rich was a part of it. Paul, knowing I was a big hockey fan, he thought Rich and I would hit it off. We did and talked from time to time. In that email Rich sent, the Titans were looking for people who wanted to be part of the ownership group of the team. He was reaching out to some local people and also myself as a hockey super fan. The opportunity was interesting because Trenton is close to NYC and he really wanted myself and Metal Blade to help the team in a marketing effort. We talked and it seemed like a good fit.
So here I am part of another ownership group of a hockey team. We are just starting up and I am really looking forward to working with them. At Metal Blade we do a lot of things with social media. This I feel is a really important part of the future and we have been able to really do a lot to help our artists through these avenues. I am curious to see if we can do the same for something outside of what we normally do. Also the team really is into us helping make them the official team of heavy metal! So we are working on some really cool promotions that will help us get to that level, we hope! I will be tweeting the whole time so come join me there and come join me at a game! If you have not been to a hockey game live, it is a blast!! Plus Trenton is really easy to get to from New York City or Philly via public transportation. Come on out and support the hockey team of metal!!
Here is where to go for more info:
www.trentontitanshockey.com
Twitter: @ttitans
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/trentontitanshockey
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/TrentonTitansHockey?feature=watch
He’s an iconic figure in and around the NHL, inspiring many players. Gretzky? Lemieux? No, we’re talking about Eddie. Chris Mason, now backup goalie for the Nashville Predators, has unveiled his mask for the new season. And much like his mask for last season, it features the eternally pissed off mascot of Iron Maiden, Eddie. Like last year’s, when he played for the Winnipeg Jets, the mask was custom-designed by Steve Nash of Eyecandyair, and it’s inspired by 1984′s Powerslave. Whereas last year’s featured Eddie as the pilot from the “Aces High” artwork, this year’s looks more like the pharaoh that was on the album cover itself.
And Mason isn’t the only puck stopper with Eddie The Head on his head. Roman Turek also featured a much more cartoonish-looking Eddie on his mask a decade ago. While that Eddie looked a bit like the one from Number of the Beast (y’know, back when he had hair), he somehow has Gene Simmons’ tongue. No offense to whoever the artist was for that one, but we’ll take Steve Nash’s design any day.
[InGoal Mag via Blabbermouth]
Well, another season of hockey is in the books, with the L.A. Kings hoisting the Stanley Cup for the first time. And while the sport is nearly as popular as reruns of Spongebob Squarepants, some people want to know the important questions, like what music the two teams that battled it out for Lord Stanley jammed to when getting pumped to skate. Luckily, Fuse has come to the rescue, and yeah, their answers are pretty disappointing. While Metallica gets a mention from both teams, that’s about as heavy as it gets.
As far as other genres, there’s a lot of country and electronic dance music mentioned. I have no idea who Calvin Harris or Avicii is, but they’re mentioned by both teams, along with Deadmau5, Kaskade, Tiesto and others. On the country side, Brooks and Dunn and Keith Urban are among those shouted out.
Other bands brought up? Kings center Colin Fraser gives a shout out to Nickelback, while the Devils’ Mark Fayne likes Hootie and the Blowfish. Both teams like Coldplay. Meanwhile, the Kings’ Matt Greene is made fun of for liking Bruce Springsteen. Really, there’s no other way around it: While the Devils and Kings might be the two greatest hockey teams in North America, their taste in music is pretty awful. And for such a physical, violent and sometimes bloody sport, it’s surprising how tame the music they listen to is. Check out the Devils’ clip after the jump. Read more »
You most likely know Brian Slagel as the CEO and founder of Metal Blade Records. But what you might not know about him is that he’s a diehard hockey fan as well. Slagel has given Metal Insider his NHL Playoff hockey picks before, and also helped explain to us the NHL’s realignment plan. Now with the second round of playoffs under way, Slagel once again gave us his predictions for the remaining playoff rounds and for the Stanley Cup.
Well, round one of the NHL playoffs are over and my brackets are shot! I picked the Penguins and Sharks to go to the finals and clearly I was way off! Anyway, the wonderful people at Metal Insider are going to let me try and redeem myself by picking the rest of the playoffs. So here it goes, this is how I see it might happen:
In the East we have the New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia Flyers. If you did not see the Flyers and Penguins series, you really missed out! That was one of the best I have ever seen, simply amazing hockey! Especially for the fans. If the Flyers can play close to that level and Bryzgalov stops some shots, I think the Flyers will take this one. The New York Rangers and Washington Capitals series should also be a good one. Both teams are playing well and coming off big Game 7 wins. The Rangers are the favorite and I think they will win, but if Ovechkin somehow finds himself this could be a long series. That would set up a Rangers/Flyers Eastern final and oh how great that would be! If you saw HBO’s 24/7 on these two teams, you know how amazing a playoff between them will be. If it gets that far, I am going with the Rangers to get out of the East. Read more »
You most likely know Brian Slagel as the CEO and founder of Metal Blade Records. But what you might not know about him is that he’s a die hard hockey fan as well. He’s given Metal Insider his playoff picks many times in the past. This time, though, we asked Slagel to give us his take on the NHL’s new realignment plan. Here’s what he had to say:
I actually really like the NHL realignment that will come into play next season. I think the pluses outweigh the minuses. Let’s look at both of those and see where we go!
Pluses- This does seem to make a lot of teams much happier in terms of rivalries and travel. I personally love the fact that Edmonton and Calgary are back in the same conference as the Kings and Ducks. Certainly with the Kings those were some great rivalries in the 80′s and 90′s! Colorado also comes back into it with San Jose and Vancouver. A big win all around for the way Western teams, I think. Clearly Detroit is happy to play more East Coast teams as well as Columbus. Even though the Florida teams have a bit more travel, fans should be happy to be in the same Conference as Toronto, Montreal, Buffalo and the likes since so many from those areas are in Florida during hockey season.
Pittsburgh, Washington and Philly in the same conference will be tough, but again great rivalries. Also, I love the fact that all teams play each other at least one home and away game. That really evens out the travel all around and great for fans to be able to see the start players live more often.
Minuses- One of the biggest minuses for me is the playoff scenarios. The first 2 rounds are in division and only the top 4 make it. That means there will be some teams not happy for sure. You will see some deserving teams not get in and others may take advantage. Also, the fact there are 2 seven team conferences and 2 8 teams mean it is a bit off balance there as well. Also, what happens to Phoenix if they move east? I suppose that is one reason why there are 2 seven teams conferences in the east.
Overall, though, I do love the way it looks. Nothing is perfect these days, but I think this does address a lot of the current problems. Also, I would love it if we went back to the old school Conference names from the Hockey Greats! How about Howe, Gretzky, Orr and Lemiuex? I am in for that! Meanwhile enjoy the current NHL season!!
Metal and hockey surprisingly make a great combo, as proven by both the NHL and metal’s elite. And now that relationship is taken further in a new commercial for the annual Bridgestone Winter Classic outdoor hockey game.
According to The Big Lead, Testament guitarist Alex Skolnick’s rendition of the traditional New Year’s song “Auld Lang Syne” is being used in a TV spot for this coming year’s outdoor hockey game. Skolnick himself confirmed the news and shared his excitement for being a part of NBC and NHL’s Winter Classic campaign via Twitter. While this may not be as metal as say a NHL goalie wearing an Iron Maiden-inspired mask during a season, it’s still pretty awesome to hear a member of Testament playing in a commercial for a sports game (let alone Hockey). Plus, Skolnick’s cover of the Scottish anthem “Auld Lang Syne” is pretty solid.
You can check out the commercial after the jump. This coming year’s Bridgestone Winter Classic will be between the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers (the rivalry!), and will take place on January 2 at Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park. Read more »
Need more proof that hockey is truly a heavy metal sport? Well, the NY Islanders are asking fans to help them choose the song they’ll play every time they make a goal during the NHL 2011-2012 season. Fans can choose one of the following songs:
“Kickstart My Heart” by Motley Crue
“Hell Yeah” by Rev Theory
“Heaven Can Wait” by Iron Maiden
“Crowd Chant” by Joe Satriani
Personally, our vote would go to Iron Maiden’s “Heaven Can Wait.” Seriously, how awesome would it be to hear an entire arena of sports fans chanting the song’s middle section together? However, the Winnipeg Jets’ goalie may still be the biggest Maiden fan in the NHL.
So head over to the Islander’s website to cast your vote for which of the four you want to be their goal song during the season (*cough* MAIDEN *cough*). Even if you’re a fan of another NHL team, vote for a song you like the least just to screw with the Islanders (fellow Flyers fans, we’re talking to you!).
As if hockey wasn’t metal enough, Winnipeg Jets goalie Chris Mason has revealed his new Iron Maiden inspired goalie mask. The mask’s design is taken from the artwork for the “Aces High” single (the one where Eddie is flying a fighter jet).
In an interview with InGoal Magazine, Mason has the following to say about his new mask (painted by Steve Nash of Eyecandyair):
“We went back and forth, lots of phone calls, and I sent Steve some sketches and he did some art and sent him back and we mulled over a bunch of different ideas, and then he came up with the Iron Maiden Eddie in the old fighter jet and I thought it was perfect and I loved the image and thought that was really appropriate for the Jets.
“I’m a fan of a few songs and ‘Aces High’ is one song I really like too, so it’s kind of perfect I like the song and the artwork for the single was this Eddie in a plane.”
Mason will be wearing the Maiden mask throughout the entire NHL 2011-2012 season.
You most likely know Brian Slagel as the CEO and founder of Metal Blade Records. But what you might not know about him is that he’s a diehard hockey fan as well. Slagel has given Metal Insider his NHL Playoff hockey picks before. So now that we’re down to the final four, Slagel once again gives us his picks for the Stanley Cup, as well as insight into what he expects to happen next year in the NHL.
Here we are with the final 4 of the NHL season. Now I do have to pat myself on the back a bit as I predicted a Vancouver vs. Boston final in January, but really any of the final 4 teams can win it all. I think the Sharks have it a bit tougher by letting the Red Wings take them to a game 7, but the Canucks play a similar style to the Wings and the Sharks beat them. In the East, Tampa is on a hot streak, but do not count the Bruins out. They lost the first 2 to Montreal AT HOME and still came back to win. Either way I think both series will be good and entertaining. I am still sticking with my Canucks/Bruins final with the Canucks hoisting the Cup. That said I would love to be in Tampa if they win it again! Or with Hetfield and Lars if the Sharks win it!
For the teams that did not make it this far, the look towards next season has already begun. Lots of work to do for many teams and I think it should be an interesting off season. Philly and Detroit need to get younger and the former champs Chicago need to find a better balance and a goaltender. Goalies will be a hot commodity in the off season as the Caps, Flyers, Hawks all need help there. For that matter no matter how far the Lightning go, they have to look for a goalie as well. Plenty of good young goalies are out there, but they won’t win you a Cup in the short term. The West still will have Canucks as the front runner as long as Luongo is there, but the rest of the West is still very close. A player or two here and there can make the difference. Speaking of goalies, how far would the Ducks have gone if they had a healthy Johan Hiller? Also don’t count out the Oilers next year. Another height pick and they already have a ton of great young talent. The East will be much different in Crosby and Malkin can come back to 100%. The Penguins did great WITHOUT the biggest stars of the game. Imagine if they had been healthy? Look out next year. As we saw with the quick rebuild the Lightning did a few key players can make a huge difference.
5 coaching vacancies will be filled as well. Retreads or young coaches? How long can Ron Wilson stay in Toronto? Many questions will be answered soon. Also will Winnipeg get their team from Atlanta? Looks like that may happen as well.
Enjoy the last part of the season. Then we have the long hot off season. Also a new CBA needs to get done as well after next season. Hope Donald Fehr is easier to work with this time. If we do not have the NFL in September, the NHL pre season is where you may find me!
As 2009 was drawing to a close, we asked Metal Blade Chairman/CEO and huge hockey fan Brian Slagel to write about his favorite pasttime other than metal. While it was only about a third of the way through the season, the teams he picked as the two most fun to watch (The Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals) have made it into the playoffs, which means you should probably listen to what he has to say about the sport. With the NHL playoffs beginning tomorrow, here are Slagel’s thoughts on the final 16 and what to look for in the NHL post-season. Do you agree with him? Disagree? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
Playoff time in the NHL. Always interesting to see how things unfold.
Last year was a great year for my Pittsburgh Penguins, but it will be very tough to repeat. They open up against Ottawa and should win that series, but it will get tougher. Especially since they did not win the division and will not get home ice after the first round most likely. Now the Washington Capitals had a great regular season and if the goaltending stands up and Ovi does his thing, they will be hard to get by as well. Don’t discount the defense-oriented New Jersey Devils in east either. Ryan Miller should take the Sabres out of the first round, but beyond that it will be the Caps, Devils and Penguins leading the way. Dream conference final would be the Penguins and Caps, but if all 4 top seeds win they play in the next round. My pick is the Caps with the Devils as a dark horse (kinda).
Out west it really will be the wild, wild west during the playoffs. Any team can win any series here and do not be surprised by some upsets. The Sharks are notable playoff busts and the pressure will be on here big time. They draw a young Avalanche team that if goaltender Craig Anderson stays hot, look for an Avs upset. The Red Wings are peaking at the right time and will easily oust the overachieving Coyotes. Both the Blackhawks and Canucks will take them as far as the goaltending will allow. Big question marks in goal for the Hawks and that could lead to their demise. Tough call in the west, and I’ll go for the Blackhawks, but the Wings or Canucks could easily get to the Stanley Cup finals.
Now Hawks vs Caps is my dream series with the Caps winning it all. But the Canucks, Wings, Pens or Devils could easily win as well…
Should be good as always, enjoy!!
Posted by Bram Teitelman on Fri, Feb 1, 2013 at 2:20 pm
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