In a testament to the power of fans on the internet, Vancouver Canucks defenseman Rory Fitzpatrick as a write-in candidate received 550,177 votes but finished third in the contest for the two starting Western Conference defenseman for the 2007 NHL All-Star game scheduled for January 24 in Dallas.  Fitzpatrick was just 22,892 votes out of a starting spot, and just 41,500 votes behind first place This blog has contained comprehensive coverage of the Rory Fitzpatrick campaign. As of the release of week 6 voting results, Rory was 35,000 votes behind, but his 64,000 votes in the final week were not enough to close the gap

Media and blog coverage

Coverage of the Rory campaign mushroomed quickly after the campaign kicked off November 19. From November 20-January 12, I’ve catalogued with direct links 119 stories and links to audio and video coverage of the phenomenon, and 278 blog posts.

Technorati has generated a neat updating graph that shows blog posts that mention Rory Fitzpatrick for the last 60 days.

and that mention the NHL All-Star game in the last 60 days.
 

The HF Boards

The campaign jumpstarted on November 19 with a thread started by Sabres fan Steve Schmid on HFBoards. By January 12 there were 13 discussion threads there with a total of 11,973 posts and 368,738 views. Another good Rory discussion thread is at the official Canucks.com message board, which as of January 8 had 1,757 posts and 57,940 views. Of course, there is also the original Something Awful thread, which as of January 13 has 1722 posts and 66,042 page views

VoteForRory.com

Steve Schmid’s website VoteForRory has great links on the left side of his page to YouTube videos, and the Facebook and MySpace groups devoted to the campaign. Check it out. By the end of voting on January 2, the site had received over 339,000 hits, and had climbed over 375,000 hits by January12.

Facebook and MySpace

As of January 2, 2007, a Facebook.com campaign group with 4,576 members and a MySpace.com group with 727 members were actively supporting the Rory campaign.

Rory on YouTube

 As of January 10, there were 31 different Rory Fitzpatrick videos up at YouTube, the most famous being two satirical attack ads posted December 10, one focused on Nicklas Lidstrom and viewed 44,256 times, and the other focused on Scott Niedermeyer and viewed 47,075 times.

In late November 2006, an online write-in campaign began supporting Rory Fitzpatrick for the online balloting for the 2007 NHL All-Star game.  In final voting results, Rory finished in third place among Western Conference defensemen with 550,177 votes. The top two finishers got starting spots. Voting ended January 2, 2007.  There has been extensive media and blog coverage of the improbable campaign.

General coverage

I’ve put together a general post on the Rory Fitzpatrick campaign.

This entry covers stories December 1, 2006-present.

It does not cover more than 280 blog posts, for those, go here

Here’s a sampler of general media coverage, with 121 links as of January 14, 2007 (link on left is to the general website of the media outlet, link on right is to the specific story):

(updated January 14)

Delawareonline.com (1/14) Crosby keeping pace with expectations

Slam Sports (1/12) Saluting NHL’s lunchpail crew

MySA.com (1/12) David King: Vote for / votez pour Tony Parker (covers Rory, then links to a French site with both French and English versions boosting NBA Spurs player Tony Parker for the NBA All-Star game, including screensavers, videos, and a contest to win a trip from Paris to San Antonio. Voting ends January 21, if you are suffering NHL voting withdrawal)

Winnipeg Sun (1/12) Moose are ‘cookin

USA Today (1/11) Fitzpatrick glad he missed All-Star mention

The starting lineups for the NHL All-Star Game were announced Tuesday night, but the Vancouver Canucks defenseman had already received word that he wasn’t headed to Dallas. “It’s fine with me,” said Fitzpatrick, who is a lifelong resident of Irondequoit, N.Y., outside Rochester. “It’s over and that’s probably the best. The game will be played and will have all the stars in it.” Fitzpatrick was unwillingly thrust into the national hockey spotlight when Vote For Rory grew from a website message-board suggestion to an obsession for some fans … “It just continued to grow and grow,” Fitzpatrick said. “I didn’t try to encourage it or discourage it. I was more amazed at how it kept gaining momentum.” … He was never quite sure how to react to it all and felt awkward because he isn’t among the NHL’s elite players. But he was hurt when Don Cherry lashed out against him personally on a Hockey Night In Canada segment, calling him a freak and a joke. “That’s his gig. He likes to cause a commotion and he did,” Fitzpatrick said. “But that was just someone who wasn’t informed about the whole thing. It wasn’t my campaign. I wasn’t telling people to vote.”

Sports Illustrated (1/11) The 10 Spot

Edmonton Sun (1/10) Roar for Rory best all-star hype ever

Now that the whole goofy thing is over and nobody got hurt or seriously embarrassed, it’s amazing to step back and recognize that the NHL could have spent millions in publicity and never in a thousand years have gotten so much positive attention for the sport and for the all-star shindig as they did by accident. In a year – make that a century – when the NHL is suffering from the chronic indifference of a large segment of the American public, Fitzpatrick made more headlines south of the border than Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin and Marian Hossa, combined.

Vancouver Sun (1/10) Rory’s shot a glory was a gory prospect for NHL

SportsIllustrated.com (1/10) Luongo credits Fitzpatrick for All-Star start 

With 24 wins already this season, few would argue that Luongo deserved his place in the Jan. 24 showcase but the Canucks netminder believes he benefited from a rousing grassroots internet campaign to get the unheralded Fitzpatrick voted into the all-star contest. “Definitely, that’s given I think, anybody that’s a Canucks fan and voted for Rory probably threw in a vote for me at the same time,” Luongo said during a teleconference on Wednesday. “I definitely think it had a big influence.” Getting Fitzpatrick into the All-Star game had mushroomed into a North American-wide obsession when a fan set up the voteforrory.com Web site.

Washington Post (1/10) Luongo gets all-star start with a little help from team mate

Calgary Sun (1/10) Sid the Kid’s Star Rising

The Chronicle Herald (1/10) Vote-in candidate Rory Fitzpatrick falls short for spot on Western blue-line

Los Angeles Times (1/10) Niedermeyer elected to start

Canada.com (1/9) vote for Rory circus running out of steam

Edmonton Journal (1/9) All-star conundrum for coaches

usatoday.com (1/9) Internet voters about to weigh in on All-Star game 

cbc.sports (1/9) The Instigator

canada.com (1/9) Vote Rory? We’re so sorry

The Province (1/9) Moment in sun nice while it lasted

Vancouver Sun (1/9) It’s Sorry, Rory, but hello Roberto

Sportsfan Magazine (1/9) Rory Story Ends Short of NHL All-Star Game

Sports Illustrated.com (1/8) Fitzpatrick cuts little ice time

sportsnet.ca (1/8) Rory results unveiled Tuesday

Reuters (1/8) Fitzpatrick to see little ice time if voted to All-Star game

Star-Telegram (1/5) Please Block the Rory Vote

Slam Sports (1/4) There is Still Glory for Rory (reports the week 6 results as if they were final totals)

NBCSports.com (1/3) Winging It: What’s next for the NHL All-Star Game

13wham.com (1/3) Former Amerk at Center of NHL Voting Controversy

espn.com (1/2) This column’s for you, the hockey-mad masses (John Buccigross column)

The Post-Standard (Syracuse) (1/1) Agitator of the Internet

USA Today (12/31) Notes: Orr, Brashear suspended, Fitzpatrick has a point

The Province (12/31) ALL-STAR GAME; 10 reasons to make ‘histoRory’

espn.com (12/30) Sedin’s two goals, assist, pace Canucks past Oilers Game notes (end of story)

tsn.ca (12/28) Hodge on WJHC points, Rory, and Sid

Calgary Sun (12/28) ‘Net loss for Fitzpatrick some good Fitzpatrick quotes on Cherry

Canada.com (12/28) Fitzpatrick feels sting from Cherry, falls to third in voting

Canada.com (12/28) If Rory can, so can Woz

Vancouver Sun (12/28) No. 1 in fans’ hearts, No. 3 in fan balloting

Toronto Sun (12/28) Cherry’s comments hurt Fitzpatrick

Chronicle-Herald (Halifax) (12/28) Defenceman Fitzpatrick falls in NHL all-star voting

Kansascity.com (12/28) Write-in candidate slips

Mercury News (12/28) Stars captain sidelined after surgery on wrist

Akron Beacon-Journal (12/28) More injured Ducks

espn.com (12/27) Fitzpatrick falls to third in All-Star voting

sportsnet.ca (12/27) All-star fortunes failing

Sports Illustrated (12/27) Defenseman Rory Fitzpatrick falls to third in NHL all-star voting

The Province (12/27) Fitzpatrick stung by Cherry’s remarks quotes from Rory, reporter calls Cherry mean-spirited

tsn.ca (12/27) Fitzpatrick falls in all-star voting

NHL.com (12/27) Fans have their say on Rory

Victoria Times Colonist (12/27) Hey Cherry, look in the mirror (subscription required for full story)

Globe & Mail (12/26) Fitzpatrick’s campaign still going strong (this story repeat’s last week’s numbers as if they are new, a product of the NHL’s confusing 12/26 news release)

Detroit News (12/25) Fitzpatrick backers have run amok

News & Observer (Raleigh NC) (12/24) “Vote for Rory” critics are kidding … right?

The State (Columbia SC) (12/24) NHL write-in campaign nears its goal

Star-Tribune (Minneapolis) 12/24 Sunday insider and continued

Edmonton Sun (12/24) Grapes says Fitzpatrick campaign is “a joke’

cNews (12/23) Don Cherry blasts fan campaign to send journeyman blue-liner to all-star game

CBC (12/23) Hockey night in Canada Coaches Corner with Don Cherry and Ron McLean (video clip)

Canada.com (12/23) NHL should listen to Gretzky and intervene in ‘Vote for Rory’ Internet all-star game campaign

Los Angeles Times (12/22) He’s a bit out of place as an all-star also page 2 of story

Rocky Mountain News (12/22) NHL Lineup -December 22 (second story)

Dallas Morning News (12/22) All-star campaign reveals system’s flaws

Canada.com (12/22) Online masses embrace Canucks player

Globe & Mail (12/22) Internet rebels boost unlikely NHL all-star (front page story in print edition) A MUST READ

Northern Life (Sudbury) (12/22) Internet campaign revolves around former Wolves captain

Detroit News (12/22) Lidstrom OK with write-in

Buffalo News (12/22) Tallinder should be back soon

Arizona Republic (12/22) Vote for Rory All-Star push irks Gretzky

ESPN TV (12/21) The PTI boys wonder about the Rory Fitzpatrick All-Star campaign (Video clip from the 12/21 PTI TV show)

USAToday (12/21) NHL fans clicking to VoteForRory in waves | THIS STORY ALONG WITH A PICTURE OF RORY APPEARS ON PAGE C-1 OF THE DECEMBER 21 PRINT EDITION OF THE USA TODAY

The Province (12/21) League likes Rory for ‘fun’ factor A MUST READ

CBC Sports (12/21) Rory Fitzpatrick an all-star? So funny I forgot to laugh

Sports Illustrated (12/21) The 10 Spot (Item 10)

MSNBC.COM (12/21) Journeyman has shot to be All-Star starter

Los Angeles Times (12/21) Canuck’s Fitzpatrick is an All-Star with this fan

Ottawa Citizen (12/21)  NHL pulling for Rory, too (subscription required for full read)

Toronto Star (12/21) Internet campaign affects all-star voting (2nd story)

Express-News (San Antonio) (12/20) Click and Scroll: Online campaign for Fitzpatrick successful, but still in jeopardy

Sportsnet.ca (12/20) ‘Vote for Rory’ Gathers Steam 

tsn.ca (12/20) Fitzpatrick 2nd in Western Conference voting

NHL.com (12/20) Joe Thornton leads Western Conference vote-getters … (official story from the NHL that Rory Fitzpatrick is #2 among NHL defensemen)

The Province (12/20) Fitzpatrick makes move worthy of an all-star

NHL.com (12/19) Head to Head two stories: Respect the Process and Get on the Bandwagon

SportsFanMagazine.com (12/19) Rory Fitzpatrick: All-Star Starter

Versus (12/18) All-Star balloting Update. TV coverage of this week’s voting totals. Click on “VERSUS Exclusive – All-Star Balloting Update” for the video. [update 1/3/2007: 12/18 update no longer available online] Screen capture of week 5 cumulative voting totals:

Edmonton Sun (12/18) Let’s hope NHL can have fun with Rory story

NBC Sports (12/18) The Fitzpatrick Campaign Goes Negative (third story)

StarTribune.com (MN) (December 17) Internet gets out vote for journeyman Fitzpatrick

New York Daily News (December 17) Rory Glory (second story)

Toronto Sun (December 17) And Another Thing – Vote For Rory

espn.com (December 15) Rocking the vote (second story on the page)

fanball.com (December 14)  Sid, Alex, and Rory

espn.com (December 13)  Rocking the Boat in St. Louis; Rocking the Vote Out West

espn.com (December 13) Vote early; vote often

Rochester Democrat & Chronicle (December 13) Fitzpatrick Gains ground in votes for All-Star Roster

The Province (December 13) Sharks fans take a big bite out of Fitzpatrick all-star drive

Newark Star-Ledger (December 13) Dowd Deflection Nearly Tips Balance

Edmonton Journal (December 13) Letting fans vote online unsatisfactoRory

Westmount (PQ) Examiner (December 12) C’mon, vote for Rory!

nbcsports.com (December 11) The Fitzpatrick Campaign Picks up Speed (2nd story)

Sports Illustrated (December 11) The 10-spot

Maksymum Hockey Radio (Rochester NY based) (December 11) Maksymum Hockey Radio interview with Rory and voteforrory founder Steve Schmid mp3 (60-minute hockey show some discussion at 3:36, interview with Steve Schmid from 13:32 to 19:56, interview with Rory starts at 31:49)

New York Times (December 10) Vote for Rory (2nd part of story)

Charleston (S.C.) Post and Courier (December 10) Rory Who? NHL voting giving new meaning to crashing the net

usatoday.com (December 9) Rink Report: Fitzpatrick fans packing All-Star ballot box

Montreal Gazette (December 9) Fan voting for Canuck’s Fitzpatrick latest laugh in joke of an All-Star Game

Democrat & Chronicle (Rochester NY) (December 9) Hockey fan’s All-Star campaign snowballs

Calgary Sun (8 December) Journeyman’s ‘Net’ gainsGlobe and Mail (8 December) Vote for RoryRadioCanada.ca (8 Decembre) La LNH coincée par les internautes (French)nhl.com (December 7) Canuck defenceman Rory Fitzpatrick uncomfortable by all-star voting limelight

tsn.ca (December 7) Fitzpatrick gaining All-Star momentum

Sports Illustrated (December 7) Fanfare for the common Canuck: Web movement making Rory Fitzpatrick an all-star

The Province (December 7) Turns Out We Are All Rory Fitzpatrick

Globe and Mail (December 6) Mirtle: The ‘Vote for Rory’ campaign gains steam

RadioCanada.ca (4 Decembre) Votez Rory! (French)

nbcsports.com (December 4) Winging It: NHL and Fitzpatrick get an All-Star surprise

espn.com (December 1) All-Star Rally

SportsCentral.org (December 1) Rory Fitzpatrick: NHL All-Star?

Canucks.com (December 1) Time to vote

fourthperiod.com (December 1) The Rory Details

Blogs 

This entry does not cover blog posts, for those, go here

In late November 2006, an online write-in campaign began supporting Rory Fitzpatrick for the online balloting for the 2007 NHL All-Star game.  In final voting results, Rory finished in third place among Western Conference defensemen with 550,177 votes. The top two finishers got starting spots. Voting ended January 2, 2007.  There has been extensive media and blog coverage of the improbable campaign. The first blog post on the Rory Fitzpatrick campaign appears to be from Boltsmag on November 20, 2006.

General coverage

I’ve put together a general post on the Rory Fitzpatrick campaign.

This entry covers blog posts November 20, 2006-present.

It does not cover general media stories, for more than 115 of those, go here

Here’s my catalogue of blog coverage, with 286 entries as of January 16, 2007 (link on left is to the blog, link on right is to the specific post), along in some cases with an excerpt from the post:

(updated 16 January)

James Mirtle (1/16) Rory as Vural Marketing

Kingdom of Fear (1/14) The NHL is a Joke … Especially the All Star Game … Vote for Rory

The Musings and Prophecies of Metstradamus (1/14) My Campaign

The Puck Stops Here (1/13) The Rory Fitzpatrick Affair

James Mirtle (1/13) NHL all-stars announced

Tom Benjamin’s NHL weblog (1/12) Rorygate

mc79hockey.com (1/12) Jewish Retirees for Pat Buchanan

A Bit Conciliatory (1/12) Not the Coolest Thing on Ice

Kukla’ Corner (1/12) Conspiracy Theory – All Star Edition

Off Wing Opinion (1/12) Did 100,000 NHL All-Star votes for Rory Fitzpatrick just disappear?

Out of Left Field (1/12) Hockey Last Night

Western College Hockey (1/11) I totally did not see this coming (copycat crime)

Wild Puck Banter (1/11) The Rory Hangover

Two for Elbowing (1/11) James Mirtle: Rory falls short – A hockey journalist’s blog

Deadspin (1/11) Vote for Rory Falls Short; Is There Something (Ice) Fishy Going On?

False Gods (1/10) ‘On the Kwan’ Special: Rory Fitzpatrick

You conducted yourself with exemplary grace in a situation that snowballed into circus-like proportions. You endured the barbs and brickbats of jerks such as Don Cherry and Wayne Gretzky with nary a retort (though we did love the one jab you allowed yourself, about how a couple of months ago no one cared about the all-star game and now it’s “so precious.”) Cherry went so far as to call you a “freak,” saying your fans were laughing at you, not with you. In typical fashion, his Coaches’ Corner rant was full of mistakes (like when he said you haven’t played all year). Gretzky said you didn’t deserve to be there, even if the fans did vote you in. Others said the campaign made a mockery of the all-star game.We tip our hats to you. By taking the high road, remaining modest and understated, you showed us all why so many were willing to try and get you into the starting lineup.

TossInTheTowel.com (1/10) #18 on the ice, but … er … #3 in our hearts?

Dan Murphy (1/10) Demanding a recount

James Mirtle (1/10) Rory falls short

Globe and Mail (1/10) Mirtle: Consider this a Vote for Rory

Globe and Mail (1/10) Duhatschek: The Fitzpatrick campaign, all in good fun

Orland Kurtenblog (1/10) Vote for Me and All Your Wildest Dreams Will Come True … Not

Jes Golbez’s Hockey Rants (1/10) Rory Fitzpatrick: All Star Dreams … Shattered

canspice.org (1/10) Rory Fitzpatrick, NHL All Star …

Aaron (1/10) NHL Fan Voting

Globe & Mail (1/10) Mike Brophy: it’s good to see Vote-for-Rory failed

Hockey Nation (1/10) Sorry, Rory!

Cancucks Hockey Blog (1/10) Close but no Cigar

Kukla’s Corner (1/10) No Rory – Good

FanIQ.com (1/10) Vote for Rory Fan Campaign Falls Short. Who’s Next?

Dan Shanoff (1/10) Wednesday 01/10 A.M. Quickie

The dream is over for Rory Fitzpatrick: The NHL’s story of the year – the write-in All-Star candidacy that earned a staggering 550K votes – fell 23,000 votes short. But it set a new standard for grassroots phenomena in the NHL and across fan-balloting in sports.

hlog {Hockey’s Ladies of Greatness} (1/10) If you didn’t vote for Rory, you let the enemy win

WarMojo.com (1/10) NHL All-Star Starting Line-Ups

Randball (1/10) Wednesday (Lebowski) Edition: Wha’ Happened?

Yorio’s Sporting Blog (1/9) Fans get NHL All-Stars Right – Even Rory

Finally, if the league has a heart and a conscience and a bit of a sense of humor, it sends Rory Fitzpatrick as well. The people have spoken and if you start Cheechoo over Selanne because of it, you put Fitzpatrick (who finished third in voting for defensemen in the west) on the team. It’s the right thing to do and for those in the league offices looking for a little media attention, this is a great story for outlets that don’t normally cover hockey and are looking for a little fun and human interest.  All in all, it was a job well done by the fans and the league just needs to round it out now for this year’s All-Star Game to have some pretty exciting potential.

Bleeding Blue and Gold (1/9) Sabres Dominate With Three All-Star Nods

Off Wing Opinion (1/9) Top Stories of the Night

Randball (1/9) The Man is trying to keep Rory down

Canucks Hockey blog (1/9) D-Day for Rory and Other Tidbits

stick in rink: a hockey blog (1/9) No more Rory

stick in rink: a hockey blog (1/9) NHL All-Star Eve

(Next year, can we see a way to vote in the refs? I want McGeough to know just how much fans do not appreciate him.)

Hockey Leaks (1/9) Rory’s No Star

The Voice in My Head Can Finally Speak Out (1/9) I had a girl; she was the best around (puts it all in perspective)

Kukla’s Corner (1/8) All Star coaches talk

ThePensblog.com (1/8) The Gatorade, Old Spice … Pensblog Recap … brought to you by Adidas

MNSpeak. com (1/6) All-Star Shenanigans (writer assumes Rory is in the starting lineup)

Cuddy Shark (1/5) Fans for Rory May be Delivering Payback

Warped (1/5) 2006 – the Year in Review: The Power of the Internet Award – “Vote for Rory”

Elliot Silverstein: Politics, new media, the mass media, and communications (1/4) Voting for the Underdog

“Critics like the CBC’s Scott Morrison have been vocal, stating that fans have exploited a “flaw” with the NHL’s voting system by casting ballots for someone who is “unworthy”.  Hockey Night in Canada’s Don Cherry even shared his thoughts recently calling the support of Fitzpatrick a joke. In this context, I disagree.  First and foremost, this is a ballot for an All-Star game, not a general election.  The process in place allows for multiple votes, and as such the results could be skewed by those who take the time to vote often.  The intention was for fans to vote for who they wanted to see in the lineup.  If the purpose was for only the “deserving” players who are having a good year to appear, then it defeats the purpose of the NHL allowing fans to select a write-in candidate.”

American Hockey Fan (1/4) Funnier All-Star campaigns than “Vote for Rory”

Sean Dwyer: Media Bytes (1/4) Media Bytes: Jan 4, 2007

Off-Wing Opinion (1/4) Time to Overhaul the NHL All-Star Game

Canucks and Beyond (1/4) Rory All-Star Drop

hLog [Hockey’s Ladies of Greatness (1/4) My Mom Thinks I’m Cool!

“I think this year’s All-Star Game will be a success all because of one, Rory Fitzpatrick. The fans discovered a flaw in the system and they exposed it, instead of the League or mediots getting all up-in-arms about the whole thing, they should learn from this and make the necessary changes. However, considering how much publicity this whole campaign got, the League couldn’t have bought better publicity. Fitzpatrick was on ESPN talking about the campaign for crying out loud, and ESPN usually hates hockey like it’s the red-headed stepchild of major sports … Critics of this campaign need to chill the heck out about the fans making the All-Star game seem like a joke when everybody already knows it’s a joke.”

hLog {Hockey’s Ladies of Greatness} (1/3) Hey Now, You’re an All-Star (the excerpt below from HeatherB’s hLog blog post is a succinct prologue to my upcoming analysis that Don Cherry’s rant on HNIC two weeks ago energized the base and turned the undecideds)

“When the ‘Vote for Rory’ campaign first started, I hated it for a couple of reasons. First of all, for me Rory will always be the guy who failed to clear the puck that Henrik Tallinder, Teppo Numminen, Dmitri Kalinin, or Jay McKee would’ve cleared in the last game of the ECF last year. (I know, I know. It’s possible none of those guys would’ve cleared it before Brind’Amour got to it. Let me have my whiny moment, people!) … No matter how much meaning people have tried to put behind the “Vote for Rory” campaign, to me it just seems like a joke that got out of hand…
However, once the Wayne Gretzkys and Don Cherrys of the world started complaining about ‘Vote for Rory’ and what a joke it was and how embarassing it was, I started to like it. (Contrarian at heart!) Come on, guys… It’s an exhibition game! … It’s never really been about who’s having the best season or who’s the most deserving. It’s about who the fans want to see. … All the signs and videos people have created to go with the Rory campaign are great – funny, entertaining, clever. I especially love the anti-Lidstrom, Pronger, and Niedermayer videos. Are you seriously going to tell me that it’s bad that people are talking about and noticing hockey? Lighten up and have some fun, guys! It won’t hurt, I promise!”
 

Canucks Blog (1/3) Henderson – Vote for Sami

 ”I also believe it might be a good idea to require voters to answer a series of randomly selected hockey questions before they are allowed to have their say. This might eliminate the type of fans who vote year after year for Mike Modano because, you know, he’s so cute.”

But Seriously (1/3) Two Minutes for Popularity

“Hockey guru and fashion disaster Don Cherry referred to Fitzpatrick’s popularity as ‘a joke’ and insisted that people are laughing at the
Vancouver defenseman (and Cherry should know a thing or two about being laughed at).  When asked about the situation, Phoenix Coyotes head coach Wayne Gretzky said that Fitzpatrick getting into the all-star game would be ’100 percent wrong.’  There’s no word yet on whether or not Gretzky’s wife is taking bets on Fitzpatrick’s situation.”

Wikinomics (1/2) The Ongoing Rory Dilemma (a great read)

“In a previous post, colleague Mike Dover talked about how journeyman NHL defenseman Rory Fitzpatrick is currently a contender for the all-star team … Many hockey fans, commentators and other experts with varying degrees of knowledge have expressed outrage at this development … But when you take a step back and look at the whole thing, it really isn’t that bad. It certainly highlights how powerful the Internet can be for engaging people, and may in time prove just how wise we can collectively be. Experts are deriding these voters as idiots that are corrupting the all-star game and ruining it for true fans. But it might actually be true fans – those that appreciate all the different contributors to a hockey game – that are driving this. Through the power of the Internet, the people may just be selecting a ‘behind the scenes’ player to show their appreciation to them all, and the game itself. Is there really anything wrong with that? Have the fans come up with something good for the game that no expert would have thought of?”

Pulled My Groin (1/2) One Last Push For Rory

FanIQ.com (1/2) Last day of ‘Vote for Rory’ Campaign

Runaway Future (1/2) Vive la Roralucion

“Regardless of whether or not he ends up going to Dallas, the VoteForRory effort serves notice on a new world of professional sports. In most cases, the major sports in North America have used the Internet as a complimentary medium to their sport, not going as far as to take the next step to market their game to the fullest via the new online world.”

Life and Times of a Caniac (1/2) Cole v. Orpik #2 TONIGHT

Oregonlive.com – Blogs (1/1) Don Cherry Doesn’t Like Rory Fitzpatrick

Eyes on the Prize (12/31) Bloggers Can Aim Higher than Rory (excellent focus on what to do after January 2nd)

Bloggin’ The Philly Sports Scene (12/31)  The Phanatic Needs You!

Innovation in a Networked World (12/30) Rory Fitzpatrick’s Own Internet Bubble

IDENTICAL ENTRY:

Wikinomics (12/30) Rory Fitzpatrick’s Own Internet Bubble

Rory Fitzpatrick NHL All-Star Blog (12/30) Fitzpatrick on Facebook

Crazy Jokes (12/30) Hockey World (Canada.com)

Backseat Blogger (12/29) Is Rory Fitzpatrick an NHL allstar?

Maxwell’s House (12/29) Sour Grapes (includes link to the YouTube video of the coaches corner segment where Cherry goes after Rory)

“As has become his custom, Don Cherry has run his mouth off about something he knows absolutely nothing about. During last week’s “Coach’s Corner”, the cantankerous one railed against the campaign to make Vancouver Canucks’ defenceman Rory Fitzpatrick an all-star … Said Cherry: ‘The league is not a joke. This is a joke. This is supposed to be funny.’ So far, no problem. Unfortunately, Cherry took it a step further and continued his attack by going after Fitzpatrick personally. ‘They got him as a jerk. This is a guy, who from now on, he’ll be known as … the jerk, the freak,’ he said. Cherry’s idiocy was magnified by Fitzpatrick’s calm and reasoned response to the attack. ‘I think there’s probably a lot of reasons I shouldn’t be on the all-star team, I don’t think ‘freak’ and ‘jerk’ are two of those reasons. I don’t know why anybody would attack me personally. I haven’t done anything.’

Out of Bounds (12/29) Rory Fitzpatrick is Not an All-Star, but Neither is the Voting System

Spector’s Blog (12/29) Pre-New Years notes

Super Rookie’s World (12/28) Vote for Rory! Down to the Wire

the AuditOrk (12/28) Vote for Rory

A BCer in Toronto (12/28) Make Rory an All-Star

The Supreme Unknown (12/28) Vote for Rory

Dan (12/28) Random Stuff

One Red Paperclip (12/28) Vote for Rory

Hard Drive Life (12/28) Drugs, sports, and sports writers a bad mix

Face Off Hockey Show (12/28) Around the Rink 12.28.06

Kukla’s Corner (12/28) Golbez on Fitzpatrick Saga

Out of Left Field (12/28) Hockey Last Night: Northwest Passage

Off Wing Opinion (12/28) Time to Stop Complaining About Rory Fitzpatrick

Fauxrumors (12/28) Rory Fitzpatrick Will Be Denied!

Buzz Canuck (12/28) Rock the Vote – Vote for Rory

HockeyNation (12/28) The Rory conspiracy  (excellent tongue in cheek piece)

Jes Golbez’s Hockey Rants (12/28) Rory Fitzpatrick Falling on Hard Times

Randball (12/28) Thursday edition: Wha’ happened?

Ryan Northcott (12/28) Vote for Rory

James Mirtle (12/28 ) Why Rory won’t go

Fark.com (12/28) Espn followup (not exactly a blog, but the comments are priceless)

Hockey-Madness (12/27) Rory Fitzpatrick falls to 3rd

Rory Fitzpatrick NHL All-Star Blog (12/27) Rory Fitzpatrick 3rd in West

Two for Elbowing (12/27) Kukla’s Corner (a must read)

Big marketing for small business (12/27) Vote for Rory viral campaign is winning

Dispatches from the Night Desk (12/27) Vote for Rory

Musings About Center Ice (12/27) Grinders: the superstars of the NHL

I’m a ****ing 100 dollar bills (12/27) Well spoken girls in stilettos are something to fear

Canucks Hockey (12/27) Rory slips to 3rd and that CBC thing

Gouche’s Corner (12/27) All-star or No-Star? By the Fads

Out of Left Field (12/27) Rory campaign losing steam

Hockey Nation (12/27) Crosby’s Star Shines Brightly

850 & 620 The Blog (12/26) Live from the RBC Center

Jo2’s blog (12/26) Don’t vote for Rory and how I became middle-aged overnight

Rory Fitzpatrick NHL All-Star Blog (12/26) Fitzpatrick campaign overview

Vancouver and Beyond (12/26) Vancouver in Flames (Arena) Again

Brad Touesnard (12/25) Merry Christmas Rory fans

Razor With an Edge (12/25) Christmas

West Coast Chaos (12/25) Vote for Rory

Tiny Chunks of Empire (12/24) A Vote for Rory is a Vote for All of Us

Olie’s Blog (12/24) Merry Christmas

Buzz Canuck (12/24) The Top 11 Word-of-Mouth Stories of 2006 (#7)

Out of Left Field (12/24) Kelly Hrudey did wear a helmet when he played, right?

NHL Audio (12/24) A Foot in the Crease – Episode 2.16

Caterwauls (12/24) Vote for Rory! 

The Unofficial Anaheim Ducks Blog (12/24) In this weeks episode we recap

Kukla’s Corner (12/24) Fitzpatrick campaign a joke

Puck Podcast (12/24) Puck Podcast – December 24, 2006

NHL Analysis (12/23) Vote for Rory Fitzpatrick?

Leon .westbrook (12/23) This may be old news to some … but vote for Rory!

Strategist’s Personal Library (12/23) Anything that gets Don Cherry mad has to be a good thing

FromCork2Toronto (12/23) Don Cherry – The Grinch that Stole Rory Fitzpatrick’s All-Star?

Larkin – MySpace Blog (12/23) Keep Voting for Rory Fitzpatrick!

Out of Left Field (12/23) Where’d the Year Go … November 

Level 20 Necromancer (12/23) http://www.xanga.com/item.aspx?user=woozie0&tab=weblogs&uid=558023147

Stephen Smart Online (12/23) All Star Game Voting

End To End Hockey (12/23) Episode 16 is Public

OfficiallyScrewed.com (12/23) Vote for Rory and Teach Wayne Gretzky What democracy is

X marks the spot… (12/23) Vote for Rory

The Third Edge of the Sword (12/23) How’s Rory Doing?

ThePensBlog (12/23) Jingle Pucks 

brad.touesnard.com (12/23) Vote for Rory Helper

Dan Murphy (12/22) To go or not to go

The 4th Star (12/22) Wayne Gretzky hates Rory Fitzpatrick

James Mirtle (12/22) Rory hits the front page (Mirtle links all his Rory blog coverage and has an image of the front page of the 12/22 Globe and Mail with a Rory story)

 Dejuiced (12/22) The Internet isUnbelievable Now

Hockey Hearsay (12/22) Vote for Rory irks Gretzky

Burl’s Blog (12/22) Hockey News

The Influence Peddler (12/22) The Power of the Internet

Deadspin (12/22) Year in Review: November

Net Crashers (12/22) Rory will own the all star game and here’s why

The Spin on Sports (12/22) Mario and Rory

un gars normal ouais (12/21) Votez Rory Fitzpatrick

Gorilla Crouch (12/21) Views from Red Wings Bloggers

SlantyNet (12/21) Good old negative campaigning..

Gajordan Online (12/21) NHL All-Star Voting 07

Blog… Phlog… Phils’ Blog (12/21) Vote for Rory!

Shadow Duet Website (12/21) Rory Fitzpatrick Update

My Take on Tampa Sports (12/21) Vote or SHOOT THE PUCK

Fatdaddymacworld (12/21) Vote for Rory

Net Crashers (12/21) TSN endorses Rory Fitzpatrick all-star campaign…

House of Sports Blab (12/21) Writing off the Potential Write-In

Hockeyhype.ca (12/21) Vote for Rory!

Lowetide (12/21 ) A few things (good read)

Tiny Chunks of Empire (12/21) He’d Vote for You

Boltsmag (12/21) Now you’re just being silly

Hockey Hearsay (12/21) Sabourin gets nod, Rory gets USA Today cover

John Bollwit Blog (12/21) Make Rory Fitzpatrick an all-star

FC Now (12/21) Vote for Rory

The Infamous Dinghy (12/21) Vote for Rory

The Pink Seats (12/21) Rory doesn’t belong on the top of my Christmas tree

Fan IQ (12/20) Vote for Rory Campaign Might Actually Work

I Heart Vancouver Canucks (12/20) Fitz campaign picks up steam

Modsuper (12/20) Keep voting for Rory

Net Crashers (12/20) Grossman easily defeats Roarke in Rory debate

Fasthack! (12/20) Vote For Rory

Kara Yorio (12/20) Fans are pushing Fitzpatrick to All-Star Game

NASN blogs (12/20) Rory Who?

Kukla’s Corner (12/20) Rory #2 

Rory Fitzpatrick NHL All-Star Blog (12/20) Rory Fitzpatrick #2 in Western defensmen

Yes, you should read this (12/19) Vote for Rory

Net Crashers (12/19) Rory will smash all-star voting records…

Deadspin (12/19) Vote for Rory Campaign Proving Frighteningly Successful

Off Wing Opinion (12/19) Fitzpatrick Passes Lidstrom, Niedermeyer Within Striking Distance

Andrew’s Dallas Stars and NHL Blog (12/19) Ducks; Rory Fitpatrick 

Original Six Hockey League (12/19) Impressive

BFG Blog (12/19) Vote Early and Vote Often

Jes Golbez’s Hockey Rants (12/18) Nicklas Lidstrom: The Truth is Exposed

Canucks Hockey Blog (12/18) Rory Fitzpatrick: 2nd in All-Star voting

Deadspin (12/18) You Can never get Rid of Matt Millen. Ever. 

Rory Fitzpatrick NHL All-Star Blog (12/18) All the HFBoards threads

Off-Wing Opini0n (12/18) Fitzpatrick Moves into #2 Slot in Western Conference Voting

Net Crashers (12/18) Rory served his country, now he needs your help

Road Apples (12/18) Vote early, vote often, vote Rory

Hockeybird.com (12/17) Leafed

James Mirtle (12/16) Burnside Backs Rory Campaign

The Sports Fanatic (12/15) The “Vote for Rory” Campaign 

Net Crashers (12/15) Sports Illustrated Covers Rory all-star mania

Bettman Hates Hockey (12/15) Sadly, It’s come to this

The Shoebox (12/15) Vote for RoryTais-toi Donc! (12/14) Votez Rory Fitzpatrick

Donnny’s Photo Blog (12/14) Vote for Rory Fitzpatrick? Why the Hell Not? LOL

Crawl Across the Ocean (12/14) The Circus

Sabre Rattling (12/14) How I Became a Space Monkey and Voted for Rory 

End to End Hockey (12/13) Vote for Rory Fitzpatrick!Thoughts on Goal (12/13) Vote for Rory!

2-minute minor (12/13) Vote for Rory! 

BumfOnline (12/13) Talk About Being a Schmuck (excellent response to the Edmonton Journal hit piece)

Cape Cat’s Blog (12/13) Vote for Rory

Sportstunner.com (12/13) Please don’t vote for RoryCanucks Hockey Blog (12/13) Fitzpatrick Gains 70,000 on Lidstrom 

Rookie Whites (12/13) Vote for Roryeveryday faith (12/13) Vote For Pedro…um…Rory 

James Mirtle (12/13) Fitzpatrick Set to Make Return 

The Politic.com (12/12) Vote for Rory!Waiting for Stanley (12/12) Vote for Rory clip

Lone livejournal of the Apocalypse (12/12) Vote for Rory!

Battle of Ontario (12/12) Do it for Rory, do it for all of us

Pulled My Groin (12/12) What Could be the Coolest NHL All-Star Game Ever 

James Mirtle (12/11) A Vote for the Little Guy

James Mirtle (12/11) The Insanity Grows

James Mirtle (12/11) Vote for Rory: the NHL speaks

The Matthew I Never Knew (12/11) Vote For Rory

Chris Nadeau Weblog (12/11) The Internet Really Does Work

Erik’s Saga (12/11) Vote for Rory Fitzpatrick 

from the edge (12/11) Rink report: Fitzpatrick fans packing All-Star ballot box

Battle of Alberta (12/10) Big Deal. I am Very Professional. 

Every time a synapse fires (12/10) n All Out Assault Net Crashers (12/10) Rory Fitzpatrick needs your votes nowIshka’s blog de jour (12/10) Vote Rory Fitzpatrick into the 2007 NHL All-Star game!!!
Tom Benjamin’s NHL Weblog (12/10) Dump the SchmoozefestRunaway Future (12/10) Vote for Rory, he would vote for youPieraksti (12/10) Vote for RoryTed’s Hockey Emporium (12/9) Rory Fitzpatrick

Net Crashers (12/9) If Havlat can be 3rd in all-star forward votes…

BlogTrot (12/9) Send Rory Fitzpatrick to the All-Star Game

Online social networking groups with 5303 members boost the Rory campaign 

NHL all-star game voting is entirely online this year, so it’s fitting that both major social networking groups have large groups pushing Rory Fitzpatrick’s improbable write-in campaign.

Rory on Facebook 

The main facebook group ‘Vote in Rory Fitzpatrick at the NHL All-Star game’ (site registration required)  had 4,576 members by the end of voting on January 3. The facebook group was created by Riel Gallante of Universite Sainte-Anne, with both Gallante and Steve Schmid as admins.  The groups nine officers hail from seven different (mostly Canadian) schools.  The group page features a short bio of Rory, voting instructions, links to articles, audio, hfboards discussion threads, YouTube videos, and a link to the MySpace Rory group.There are 73 photos posted, 1014 wall posts, and a discussion board with 29 discussion threads with 292 posts. The group has even an offshoot Facebook group Cry Baby Don Cherry. In addition to the main Rory group at Facebook, there are 10 smaller Rory facebook groups with between 3 and 94 members each.

Some of the good wall posts at Facebook

Here’s a selection of some of the better wall posts on the Facebook group:

I say we all keep voting and when it comes down to crunch time we all have a mass vote where everybody on the internet absolutely unloads votes for rory moving him from 3rd to 1st in an unexpected, go for gold, explosion to the finish line that will leave bettman baffled. 

Teams made up of all highpriced all-stars dont ever do anything , look at Canada’s team in the Olympics, couldn’t have been better. Teams need the Rory’s because they are what holds the team together and wins games

Better 3rd now then next week. I think him being third woke everyone up and reminded ppl to vote. LET’S DO IT!

At first I was apathetic to this whole movement, I didn’t care that people were writing him in, but I wasn’t going to do it. But now I’ve got people all the way from Wayne Gretzky to the nobodies on message boards telling me that I shouldn’t want Rory in the game, and that voting for him would make me less of a hockey fan. Well I’ll be damned if anyone’s going to tell me who I want to see in the all-star game. I think this is a good oppritunity to show that it’s the fans of this sport that should have the say in what they want to see out there. It’s not going to hurt the game, in fact it might make it better. A lot of these “unskilled” guys have some cool tricks (think Marek Malik’s shoot-out goal last year) and if that’s who the fans want to see then that’s who should be there!

Don’t let that wannabe Lidstrom beat Fitzy, Screw you Don Cherry. Lets vote.

Rory at MySpace

Over at MySpace, the Rory group has 729 members (including fan websites for many other NHL teams). The site has pictures, quotes, some links, some embedded YouTube videos, and a wall with 192 comments. The group moderator has sent out four eight bulletins to members in the last two five days reminding members to vote for Rory. There is also a Rory MySpace message board with 74 posts.

Vote often through January 2

With just one week left in voting for the 2007 NHL all-star game, the improbable write-in campaign for Vancouver Canucks defenseman Rory Fitzpatrick is in sight of victory. Week 6 voting totals released by the NHL December 27 show Fitzpatrick in the #3 spot, with the top 2 vote getters after voting concludes January 2 getting a starting spot in the lineup.

Voting totals for defensemen in the West:
Scott Niedermayer       Anaheim              540,380
Nicklas Lidstrom          Detroit                 522,345
*Rory Fitzpatrick            Vancouver          486,842
Chris Pronger                Anaheim            389,342
Dion Phaneuf                 Calgary              359,071
Scott Hannan                 San Jose           357,619
Mattias Ohlund               Vancouver         297,307
John-Michael Liles        Colorado           215,450
Robyn Regehr                Calgary              209,018
Sergei Zubov                   Dallas               202,685
Mathieu Schneider         Detroit               170,675
Rob Blake                        Los Angeles    163,659
Lubomir Visnovsky         Los Angeles    162,350

* write-in

Media and blog coverage

For extensive links to media and blog coverage of the Rory Fitzpatrick campaign, see my separate blog post.

Vote often through January 2

Voting runs through January 2

There’s a direct link to the English language US ballot for the 2007 NHL All-Star game, or you can use http://tinyurl.com/yzu27e. Remember to vote Rod Brind’Amour, Erik Cole, and Eric Staal for Eastern conference forwards, and Cam Ward for Eastern Conference goalie.

In All-Star game voting totals covering the first six weeks of balloting, Carolina Hurricanes candidate Erik Cole was in 8th place with 245,049 votes, Rod Brind’Amour in 9th place with 233,347 votes, and Eric Staal in 14th place with 155,831 votes. There are 32 forwards with vote totals reported. Last week the 3 Canes candidates were 8th, 9th, and 13th.

Cam Ward still 4th in goalie votes

In goal, Cam Ward remained in 4th place of 9 candidates with 187,374 votes.

Vote often through January 2

Voting runs through January 2

There’s a direct link to the English language US ballot for the 2007 NHL All-Star game, or you can use http://tinyurl.com/yzu27e. Remember to vote Rod Brind’Amour, Erik Cole, and Eric Staal for Eastern conference forwards, and Cam Ward for Eastern Conference goalie.

I’ve tried to put together a blog with comprehensive coverage of the Rory Fitzpatrick campaign. As of the release of week 6 voting results, Rory was in third place among Western Conference defensemen!

Media and blog coverage

Coverage of the Rory campaign has mushroomed. From November 20-January 9, I’ve catalogued with direct links 105 stories and links to audio and video coverage of the phenomenon, and 245 blog posts.

Technorati has generated a neat updating graph that shows blog posts that mention Rory Fitzpatrick for the last 60 days.

and that mention the NHL All-Star game in the last 60 days.

The HF Boards

The campaign jumpstarted on November 19 with a thread started by Sabres fan Steve Schmid on HFBoards. By January 9 there were 13 discussion threads with a total of 11,442 posts and 352,776 views. Another good Rory discussion thread is at the official Canucks.com message board, which as of January 8 had 1,757 posts and 57,940 views.

VoteForRory.com

Steve Schmid’s website VoteForRory has great links on the left side of his page to YouTube videos, and the Facebook and MySpace groups devoted to the campaign. Check it out. By the end of voting on January 2, the site had received over 339,000 hits, and had climbed over 361,000 hits by January 9.

Facebook and MySpace

As of January 2, 2007, a Facebook.com campaign group with 4,576 members and a MySpace.com group with 727 members were actively supporting the Rory campaign.

Rory on YouTube

 As of January 31, there were 31 different Rory Fitzpatrick videos up at YouTube, the most famous being two satirical attack ads posted december 10, one focused on Nicklas Lidstrom and viewed 42,407 times, and the other focused on Scott Niedermeyer and viewed 45,303 times.

Why this blog?

I started this blog on November 10 as part of a project for a graduate school journalism class on “Writing for Digital Media” My initial plan was to cover the Carolina Hurricanes all-star game nominees. I averaged 40-60 hits per day on the blog. I did my first post on Rory on November 27, and quickly realized that Rory Fitzpatrick was going to be the #1 story in the runup to the 2007 NHL all-star game in Dallas. My peak traffic so far has been 1,137 daily hits on December 21. As part of a marketing phase of the class project, I placed an ad at VoteForRory, making a donation to the Canucks for Kids fund in return for the ad placement. I’ve been getting between 100 and 250 hits a day to this blog from that ad.

Rory’s media coverage

With the official announcement from NHL that Rory Fitzpatrick is the #3 vote getter among Western Conference defensemen, media coverage has accelerated.

Here’s a sampler of coverage (link on left is to the general website, link on right is to the specific story or post):

(updated December 31)

Media

USA Today (12/31) Notes: Orr, Brashear suspended, Fitzpatrick has a point

The Province (12/31) ALL-STAR GAME; 10 reasons to make ‘histoRory’

espn.com (12/30) Sedin’s two goals, assist, pace Canucks past Oilers Game notes (end of story)

tsn.ca (12/28) Hodge on WJHC points, Rory, and Sid

Calgary Sun (12/28) ‘Net loss for Fitzpatrick some good Fitzpatrick quotes on Cherry

Canada.com (12/28) Fitzpatrick feels sting from Cherry, falls to third in voting

Canada.com (12/28) If Rory can, so can Woz

Vancouver Sun (12/28) No. 1 in fans’ hearts, No. 3 in fan balloting

Toronto Sun (12/28) Cherry’s comments hurt Fitzpatrick

Chronicle-Herald (Halifax) (12/28) Defenceman Fitzpatrick falls in NHL all-star voting

Kansascity.com (12/28) Write-in candidate slips

Mercury News (12/28) Stars captain sidelined after surgery on wrist

Akron Beacon-Journal (12/28) More injured Ducks

espn.com (12/27) Fitzpatrick falls to third in All-Star voting

sportsnet.ca (12/27) All-star fortunes failing

Sports Illustrated (12/27) Defenseman Rory Fitzpatrick falls to third in NHL all-star voting

The Province (12/27) Fitzpatrick stung by Cherry’s remarks quotes from Rory, reporter calls Cherry mean-spirited

tsn.ca (12/27) Fitzpatrick falls in all-star voting

NHL.com (12/27) Fans have their say on Rory

Victoria Times Colonist (12/27) Hey Cherry, look in the mirror (subscription required for full story)

Globe & Mail (12/26) Fitzpatrick’s campaign still going strong (this story repeat’s last week’s numbers as if they are new, a product of the NHL’s confusing 12/26 news release)

Detroit News (12/25) Fitzpatrick backers have run amok

Blogs

Eyes on the Prize (12/31) Bloggers Can Aim Higher than Rory (excellent focus on what to do after January 2nd)

Bloggin’ The Philly Sports Scene (12/31)  The Phanatic Needs You!

The Best Damn Sports Blog – Period (12/31) What’s This Vote for Rory Crap?!

Innovation in a Networked World (12/30) Rory Fitzpatrick’s Own Internet Bubble

IDENTICAL ENTRY:

Wikinomics (12/30) Rory Fitzpatrick’s Own Internet Bubble

Crazy Jokes (12/30) Hockey World (Canada.com)

Backseat Blogger (12/29) Is Rory Fitzpatrick an NHL allstar?

Maxwell’s House (12/29) Sour Grapes (includes link to the YouTube video of the coaches corner segment where Cherry goes after Rory)

Out of Bounds (12/29) Rory Fitzpatrick is Not an All-Star, but Neither is the Voting System

Spector’s Blog (12/29) Pre-New Years notes

Super Rookie’s World (12/28) Vote for Rory! Down to the Wire

A BCer in Toronto (12/28) Make Rory an All-Star

The Supreme Unknown (12/28) Vote for Rory

Dan (12/28) Random Stuff

One Red Paperclip (12/28) Vote for Rory

Hard Drive Life (12/28) Drugs, sports, and sports writers a bad mix

Face Off Hockey Show (12/28) Around the Rink 12.28.06

Kukla’s Corner (12/28) Golbez on Fitzpatrick Saga

Out of Left Field (12/28) Hockey Last Night: Northwest Passage

Off Wing Opinion (12/28) Time to Stop Complaining About Rory Fitzpatrick

Fauxrumors (12/28) Rory Fitzpatrick Will Be Denied!

Buzz Canuck (12/28) Rock the Vote – Vote for Rory

HockeyNation (12/28) The Rory conspiracy  (excellent tongue in cheek piece)

Jes Golbez’s Hockey Rants (12/28) Rory Fitzpatrick Falling on Hard Times

Randball (12/28) Thursday edition: Wha’ happened?

Ryan Northcott (12/28) Vote for Rory

James Mirtle (12/28 ) Why Rory won’t go

Fark.com (12/28) Espn followup (not exactly a blog, but the comments are priceless)

Hockey-Madness (12/27) Rory Fitzpatrick falls to 3rd

Two for Elbowing (12/27) Kukla’s Corner (a must read)

Big marketing for small business (12/27) Vote for Rory viral campaign is winning

Dispatches from the Night Desk (12/27) Vote for Rory

Musings About Center Ice (12/27) Grinders: the superstars of the NHL

I’m a ****ing 100 dollar bills (12/27) Well spoken girls in stilettos are something to fear

Canucks Hockey (12/27) Rory slips to 3rd and that CBC thing

Gouche’s Corner (12/27) All-star or No-Star? By the Fads

Out of Left Field (12/27) Rory campaign losing steam

Hockey Nation (12/27) Crosby’s Star Shines Brightly

850 & 620 The Blog (12/26) Live from the RBC Center

Jo2′s blog (12/26) Don’t vote for Rory and how I became middle-aged overnight

Vancouver and Beyond (12/26) Vancouver in Flames (Arena) Again

Brad Touesnard (12/25) Merry Christmas Rory fans

Razor With an Edge (12/25) Christmas

West Coast Chaos (12/25) Vote for Rory

This blog entry covers media and blog stories December 25-present. Complete December 1- present media coverage is here, complete December 1-present blog coverage here. 
Vote often through January 2

Voting runs through January 2

There’s a direct link to the English language US ballot for the 2007 NHL All-Star game, or you can use http://tinyurl.com/yzu27e. Remember to vote Rod Brind’Amour, Erik Cole, and Eric Staal for Eastern conference forwards, and Cam Ward for Eastern Conference goalie.

With just two weeks left in voting for the 2007 NHL all-star game, the improbable write-in campaign for Vancouver Canucks defenseman Rory Fitzpatrick is in sight of victory. Week 5 voting totals released by the NHLDecember 20 show Fitzpatrick in the #2 spot, with the top 2 vote getters after voting concludes January 2 getting a starting spot in the lineup.

Voting totals for defensemen in the West:
Scott Niedermayer    Anaheim         447,502
*Rory Fitzpatrick     Vancouver       428,832
Nicklas Lidstrom     Detroit         427,364
Chris Pronger         Anaheim         340,941
Scott Hannan        San Jose        333,610
Dion Phaneuf        Calgary      317,576
Mattias Ohlund         Vancouver       263,592
John-Michael Liles     Colorado        187,493
Robyn Regehr        Calgary         183,667
Sergei Zubov         Dallas          172,334
Mathieu Schneider    Detroit         144,782
Lubomir Visnovsky     Los Angeles     139,012
Rob Blake         Los Angeles     136,001

* write-in

Media and blog coverage

For extensive links to media and blog coverage of the Rory Fitzpatrick campaign, see my separate blog post.

Vote often through January 2

Voting runs through January 2

There’s a direct link to the English language US ballot for the 2007 NHL All-Star game, or you can use http://tinyurl.com/yzu27e. Remember to vote Rod Brind’Amour, Erik Cole, and Eric Staal for Eastern conference forwards, and Cam Ward for Eastern Conference goalie.

In All-Star game voting totals covering the first five weeks of balloting, Carolina Hurricanes candidate Erik Cole was in 8th place with 225,006 votes, Rod Brind’Amour in 9th place with 207,329 votes, and Eric Staal in 13th place with 137,052 votes. There are 32 forwards with vote totals reported. High write-in candidate was Thomas Vanek with 133,195. 

Cam Ward still 4th in goalie votes 

In goal, Cam Ward was in 4th place of 9 with 158,627 votes. Cristobal Huet was the highest write-in candidate with 90,859 votes.

Vote often through January 2

Voting runs through January 2

There’s a direct link to the English language US ballot for the 2007 NHL All-Star game, or you can use http://tinyurl.com/yzu27e. Remember to vote Rod Brind’Amour, Erik Cole, and Eric Staal for Eastern conference forwards, and Cam Ward for Eastern Conference goalie.