Much like Melissa Kellerman’s disappearance, the reason for Paulina Gretzky’s departure from Twitter are uncertain. The Associated Press weighed in, and speculated the elder Gretzky didn’t appreciate his daughter’s “friendly” approach with her Twitter followers. You see, unlike the Dallas Cowboys cheerleader, who didn’t really say anything warranting a removal — apparently, Jerry Jones wants his cheerleaders seen and not heard, or, at least, un-tweeted — the younger Gretzky used her now-defunct Twitter account to post images like the one leading this article.

The Big Lead has more of her Twitter pictures, if you’re interested in further investigation.

There may be more to the story than just a dad not wanting his daughter to post such images, however. According to a story quoted by WithLeather.com, a potential business deal may be what motivated her Twitter removal:

Paulina’s Twitter feed has been discontinued, and the Toronto Star is speculating that her father’s involvement in a potential purchase of the Toronto Maple Leafs might have something to do with it.

According to the Star, before shutting down her feed, Paulina tweeted, “Having a nice sit down dinner with my dad about social media..haha #SIKEEE.” She then signed off on Saturday, writing, “Taking a break from Twitter for a bit. Happy Holidays!!! xoxo.”

So, is this a case of a mad dad not wanting his daughter revealing her partying ways on Twitter or is this case of the elder Gretzky trying to protect a business deal by hiding the fun-loving behavior of his daughter? To be honest, both postions make sense, but considering Paulina’s Twitter account survived her previous image postings, one begins to lean towards protecting a business deal.

If you’re interested in seeing a collection of the images we’ll be missing now that Paulina has stopped tweeting, make sure to check out the following slideshow. So long, Paulina. Your liberal approach to showing skin will be missed, especially by the sports blogs, and the Associated Press.

Or Kenny Britt’s F*ck you, Roger Goodell on Facebook…or Santonio Holmes telling followers to go kill themselves on Twitter…

I’ll stop, as that could go on for a while. The point is, professional sports organizations have attempted to reign in the social media activity by instituting polices that a.) usually black out certain times as “social media free” and b.) spell out generic quality guidelines that keep athletes from saying things that reflect poorly upon the league.

Whether or not you agree with the social media restrictions, you have to admit that the league has an interest in doing so.

It appears the the NHL has become the latest major sports organization to institute one of these social media policies.

According to a release on NHL.com, the new policy will bar players and “operations staff” from posting during a certain window surrounding games. It also makes the same generic claims that we’ve seen before about holding players responsible for their communications, even when on their own time.

From the release –

The policy, the NHL Social Media Policy for League and Club Personnel, governs both players and hockey operations staff and is designed to promote the value of social media as a tool for communication with fans. It also highlights issues surrounding social media, as well as limits the use of social media by players and hockey operations staff on game days.

As per the new policy, there is a total “blackout period” on the use of social media on game days, which for players begins two hours prior to opening face-off and is not lifted until players have finished their post-game media obligations. The suggested blackout period for hockey operations staff is longer, beginning at 11 a.m. on game days.

Also, the new policy makes it clear that players and club personnel will be be held responsible for their social communications in the same manner in which they are held responsible for other forms of public communications. As a result, discipline is possible for any social media statements that have or are designed to have an effect prejudicial to the welfare of the League, the game of hockey or a member club, or are publicly critical of officiating staff.

A couple of players have put their opinion out on Twitter –

The new NHL policy went into effect last night.

The NFL’s social media policy, which was implemented in 2009, is pretty similar to this new NHL policy. Players, coaches and staff are not allowed to tweet or Facebook post within 90 minutes of kickoff or until post-game interviews are complete.

NBA’s social media policy shortens the pre-game window to 45 minutes and includes halftime as a banned period. It allows for individual teams to make their own determinations involving additional guidelines.

After the success YouTube enjoyed from streaming of cricket from the Indian Premier League, Google’s online video service is looking to expand its reach by including the NBA and NHL in their sports stream lineup.

While there’s a lot being made about how such agreements would potentially increase YouTube’s revenue stream, making them a viable with such services like Netflix’s Watch Instantly, Amazon and Hulu Plus, the fact that YouTube continues to pull in incredible amounts of traffic makes these concerns somewhat unfounded.

And these are almost a year old
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Nevertheless, there’s no denying how much stronger such features would make the already-powerful YouTube, but there more significant, non-business related issues at hand:

First off, there are no dedicated streams of NBA or NHL games.  Yes, these many of these games can be found through unauthorized streaming services, but having a legitimate, powered-by-YouTube, service that offers legal streams would be a windfall both financially and as a method that further strengthens YouTube’s dominant user base.

Considering the way the NBA and the NHL have embraced YouTube, such a partnership seems quite natural, not to mention, beneficial for all parties involved. 

Furthermore, when you take into account the NBA’s labor issues, an additional revenue stream as powerful as the Google/YouTube platform would certainly benefit the NBA’s coffers as much as the platform offering the streams.

Not only is YouTube looking to add the NBA and NHL, they also have their sites set on European soccer; but their vision doesn’t stop there.  According to Bloomberg, Gautam Anand, Google’s director of content partnerships for Asia Pacific, says:

Spokespersons for both the NBA and NHL were fairly mum on the topic.  The NHL offered no comment and the NBA offered a compulsory response saying they’re glad YouTube recognizes the value of live sports. Hopefully, David Stern, Gary Bettman and any other sports commissioners involved in these negotiations recognize the potential value partnering with a service as powerful as YouTube can provide.

Earlier this month, MLB.TV went on sale with its full-season package (March-October 2009) for $109.95, a $10 discount off the 2008 price. NHL will launch its standalone Race for the Cup service on February 16 for $79.95. The bundled subscription for the two leagues will be available February 16 for $139.95.

The content partnership will allows subscribers to watch every regular season game, more than 100 spring training games and the first two rounds of the World Baseball Classic on MLB.com.

NHL.com will offer 40 out-of market games per week for the rest of the current regular season as well as select Stanley Cup Playoff games.

"We believe this partnership with the NHL is an important initial step in the future of online subscription programming for valuable content providers," said Bob Bowman, MLB.com President and Chief Executive Officer.

MLB.com is introducing an improved MLB.TV video player with high-definition video. Technology by Swarmcast will detect the speed of a user’s Internet connection to adjust and control the quality of the video.

The player will offer DVR functionality, multi-game viewing options, game radio option and real time player tracker alerts.

"MLB.com has built a great business by engaging their audience with a best-in-breed product," said NHL Chief Operating Officer John Collins.

"This partnership is all about our mutual commitment to deliver world class digital sports experiences to sports fans everywhere."

We have to give credit to the witty Ya-Bing Chu of Yahoo Search. Despite his unfortunate devotion to Boston sports teams, he provided a clever little riff while discussing the NBA side of Search Shortcuts:

Looking for other NBA players to try? Let’s not forget Luol Deng-that’s-a-lot-of-money-to-turn-down! I don’t blame him, he’s gotta feed his family, or perhaps try to help with Travis Henry’s.

Nice little zinger to toss at Travis Henry. Who said search geeks are boring anyway?

The Sports Shortcuts work as do others in Yahoo Search. Do a query by a player’s name, and when a Shortcut (should they be called Sportcuts?) is available it will appear in the usual place, with stats and relevant Yahoo Fantasy Sports rankings as well.

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No Online Video For NFL

Broadband technology has opened the flood gates of streaming video content, to the point where the web is virtually inundated with various clips that take the shape of advertisements, music videos, or even the latest episode of Grey’s Anatomy.

Last week’s NFL highlights, however, are nowhere to be found.

Choosing between protecting copyrighted content and garnering free publicity is a delicate balance that the major sports are currently facing. The NFL and the NHL represent the two most opposite ends of the online video spectrum.

The NHL, beleaguered by poor television ratings and coming off the heels of a recent labor stoppage, has decided to throw caution to the wind and embrace Google Video as a vehicle of re-engendering public interest in the product by signing an exclusive content deal with the video sharing site in early November.

“When web users are searching for diverse video content, Google Video is the first place they go, just as NHL.com is the first place hockey fans go when they want NHL video,” said Keith Ritter, President of NHL ICE.

“The combination of our content and Google’s massive reach is a terrific pairing, and we’re excited to add fan-generated content to the mix.”

The NFL, however, has taken a drastically different stance on the free distribution of its video content. Around the same time the NHL locked up deals for content distribution of its games, the NFL kindly (or perhaps not so kindly) asked YouTube to remove more than 3,000 clips from its site that featured NFL game footage.

David J. Warner hopes this is just a posturing move by the league:

Another blogger eyes a different approach:

Most people would agree that the NFL is the new king of all professional sports, annually topping the charts in television and merchandising revenue. Perhaps the league isn’t as desperate for viewership as the NHL, but is its harsh stance toward video sharing a step in the wrong direction?

The youth of America is fickle, and if the league wants to appeal to the next generation of consumer, it would be best served by looking at ways to make the game an interactive experience for the new, Internet savvy fan base. Online video portals such as YouTube and Google Video represent just such a platform.

I envision a bevy of MySpace profiles from avid fans, featuring clips of their team’s finest moments. This should be a dream scenario for the NFL, free user marketing of the product.

So here’s wishing the NHL much success in its visionary endeavor with Google Video, if only to spur the suits at the NFL to get a clue.

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That’s the first sound marketing idea the NHL has had since Gerry Cheevers (surely he was dreamt up the marketing dept.?).

My cabbie in Las Vegas — who has the Ducks to take it all at 19 to 1 — noted he first started watching hockey back in 1992-93 when the Kings made it to the final. He got riveted when they defeated the Leafs in the semi-final and there were a “lot of scraps and head butts and stuff”.

OK.

I was in Montreal the day after Montreal won that one. One of the local papers had something like a 50-page feature section on the victory. The popularity of hockey has been sliding ever since, not only in non-hockey places, but in core areas like Montreal. Something to do with there being lots of other things to do, and the fact that all the players are Russian and the Forum is now called the Bell Centre. And people are spending Saturday nights on their Blackberries, or renovating their kitchens.

It seems to be an uphill battle for the NHL, but following on the heels of the intelligent rule changes to make the game faster, maybe this YouTube idea is a sign that the NHL brass are smartening up.

Go Ducks!

Not really. I’m a Habs fan. I bleed bleu, blanc, et rouge. Or at least I used to, back when #10, Guy Lafleur, smoked before games, and flew down the right wing, hair in perfect sync, blasting a laser-accurate shot just inside the left post. Half the defencemen in the league could barely skate backwards, which made the skill players look that much better. Half the coaches couldn’t read, and Roger Nielsen had yet to pioneer the use of video. Those were the days. I doubt we’ll ever see them again.

Go Sabres!

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Andrew Goodman is Principal of Page Zero Media, a marketing consultancy which focuses on maximizing clients’ paid search marketing campaigns.

In 1999 Andrew co-founded Traffick.com, an acclaimed “guide to portals” which foresaw the rise of trends such as paid search and semantic analysis.

Still, Google Video users get something better, because it is free: The NHL is now available on Google Video. Not only can you watch a ton of current season hockey games, plus some great classic games, full length and commercial free on Google Video, but you can also download the videos for permanent ownership as an iPod/PSP MP4 file, or a .GVI/AVI freako hybrid video. The only thing I don’t like is that the videos can’t be embedded on other sites.

Ever since the strike ended and most hockey games moved to networks I don’t have, I haven’t seen a lot of games. Thanks to Google, I may watch more hockey this year than since the last time the Rangers were competitors.

Speaking of which, the two super-classic games from the Rangers’ 1994 Stanley Cup championship run are among those available:

1994 Stanley Cup finals, Game 7 Canucks@Rangers
Watch all the Goals, saves, and hits from some of the National Hockey League’s most historic play-off matchups.
NHL.com – 2 hr 2 min – Jun 14, 1994

1994 Eastern Conference finals, Game 6 Rangers@Devils
Watch all the Goals, saves, and hits from some of the National Hockey League’s most historic play-off matchups.
NHL.com – 2 hr 5 min – May 25, 1994

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“Not only can you watch a ton of current season hockey games, plus some great classic games, full length and commercial free on Google Video,” wrote WebProNews contributor Nathan Weinberg, “but you can also download the videos for permanent ownership as an iPod/PSP MP4 file, or a .GVI/AVI freako hybrid video. The only thing I don’t like is that the videos can’t be embedded on other sites.”

There’s still the question of what happened between Google and the NBA, however. Google Watch’s Steve Bryant surmised that it might have “something to do with the maturation of the NBA’s Web video strategy.” He provided an old quote from NBA Commissioner David Stern that supports that theory.

“Those are, in the short run, experimentation to say that we’re there and to test it,” Stern said in reference to the Google deal and a partnership with iTunes. “I don’t think the story is yet written on the long-term strategy of those endeavors . . . . We haven’t to rest on this one yet.”

Garrett Rogers also suggested that the split “probably wasn’t the result of a heated dispute between the two companies,” noting that “the original deal only spoke about the 2005 and 2006 seasons to begin with.”

It’s still kind of sad to see the NBA left with “empty” Web pages like this one, but Google’s arrangement with the NHL should be great for hockey fans.

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Most of the NHL pundits talked about how the Detroit Red Wings – who had to cut a lot of their stars, and get under the salary cap – were going to be cellar dwellers, and not do well. Heck, they might even struggle to make the playoffs. Even a Detroit pundit worried (just a little bit) about the team in the new season.

Well, the pundits – and, just exactly who are they anyway – were wrong. The Wings won the President’s Trophy this year, and are now fifth on the list for most points in a season. They are in the playoffs, and hopefully can bring home another Stanley Cup to Hockeytown.

It always comes down to pundits. Who are these pundits, how do you become a pundit. It’s the proverbial they that always is amusing, like “they say.” Great, but who are they? Last year, Slate had a half tongue-in-cheek expos on how to become a pundit, but while it was all in jest, it was also true. I know people that have used such tactics to get on television news … and it works.

The pundit world is part of the industry analyst world. We have all seen how analysts are being attacked as paid shills, and the past few weeks analyst Rob Enderle has been under fire. The San Francisco Chronicle’s blog had a piece on Enderle, which started with a Register article and Sun questioning his impartiality. And, well, those that follow Apple know the animosity against Enderle – heck, just look up Enderle’s name on Google and the first couple links are critical pieces on Rob.

Sam Whitmore did interview Enderle, who was able to give his side of the story – and let’s not forget that while Sun is not happy with Enderle, he was called often for his viewpoint on the recent management change at Sun.

How do these pundits become pundits, and is the analyst/pundit game changing because of blogging and consumer generated media. Some would say yes – go read the post, as it says alot about changing roles of analysts and influencers – and that it is not a bad thing. That while analysts are going to have influence, bloggers are also becoming influential, particularly those that are writing on specific issues.

And, well, I would say yes also. But, influencers have always been a valuable part of a PR campaign, whether they were enthusiasts, influential reporters or industry analysts.

Well, am I a pundit? I have no real idea how I am presented to new or prospective clients, or if I am positioned as a pundit (please, no) or an expert (please, no, but that’s at least more palatable). I have been blogging for close to three years now, and I don’t celebrate my blog birthday because my blog is not who I am. It’s just one part of my skills – I am a PR person that specializes in blogging (but can still pick up the phone and pitch with the best of them).

But, it amazes me that there are blog pundits, people that have been blogging for, oh, two years and then pass themselves off as CGM pundits. Why? How? Give me a break – it’s all way too new for any of us to pass ourselves off as pundits, or even experts. We are all learning, and it’s such a small part of public relations, it should just be part of public relations, not a whole new practice area.

One small anecdote. I was lunching at Coco500 (highly suggested), and since it is SoMa, I ran into Mena Trott. We quickly discussed the Economist survey on New Media … and while it said nothing new, it’s the pure gravitas of being in the Economist that says that new media is here, and that it is influencing how people are interacting with the media and each other.

That’s what is important – how PR can work in a changing media landscape, not how we can pontificate about the changing landscape. If we fall into that pundit role, it’s just like Pogo: We Have Met the Enemy and He Is Us. We should present case studies, present examples of good and bad practices, and help companies because we understand blogs … as much as you can. That’s why you hire PR firms: to be experts in key areas.

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Jeremy Pepper is the CEO and founder of POP! Public Relations, a public relations firm based in Arizona, USA.

He authors the popular Musings from POP! Public Relations blog which offers Jeremy’s opinions and views – on public relations, publicity and other things.