tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57405332011-06-21T23:44:54.310-04:00Get PuckedRamblings off the top of my head about the NHL and the best game in the worldDaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.comBlogger1961100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1112294333130591842005-03-31T13:38:00.000-05:002005-03-31T13:38:53.130-05:00Thoughtful column from Damien Cox in the Toronto Star asking that the NHL put goalies, snipers on level ice. The crux of his argument:Whereas a prime scoring chance once came from a launching pad of approximately 1,500 square feet in the offensive zone, that area has, over the past decade, shrunk by almost 50 per cent. Letting goalies get huge, in other words, has artificially shrunk the rink.
DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1112109654358590272005-03-29T10:20:00.000-05:002005-03-29T10:20:54.356-05:00First, an apology. I haven't been posting much since Blogger seems to be very much a hit or miss thing these days.
As usual, Stan Fischler, maybe the ultimate NHL writer, has a lot to say and a lot of insight as he says it. His current piece on FOXSports.com show that the latest NHL move may pay off. More importantly, it exposes the NHLPA leadership for what it is: a rich-boys club that isDaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1111770052270569872005-03-25T12:00:00.000-05:002005-03-25T12:00:52.270-05:00Here's what I like about this piece from Pittsburgh - the writer almost got it right! As you can see in Penguins left to ponder draft position, the NHL DID NOT, repeat after me DID NOT cancel the draft, which this writer understands, sort of:The league canceled the draft yesterday primarily because Ottawa hotels could no longer hold the roughly 4,500 hotel rooms booked for the event. NHL DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1111585276223260682005-03-23T08:41:00.000-05:002005-03-23T08:41:16.223-05:00My favorite line in this article : "nice work Bob Goodenow." Amen. NHL players are kicked in the seat as they are widely ignored trying to play "exhibitions" outside of the NHL. While there is no doubt the players make the game, the game is bigger than any set of players - hey, they all retire at some point - and putting on just any sweater isn't going to get it done. Good lessons here. You DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1110289619448254412005-03-08T08:46:00.000-05:002005-03-08T08:46:59.450-05:00Over the last couple of days, I've seen more and more columns like this one in USATODAY stating the NHLPA needs to cut its losses and get back on the ice. They are not really taking a side as much as they are accepting reality. That reality is that the longer this lockout goes on, the more damage is done to the game and the more damage that's done, the worse off the players (because they're DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1110124746795669872005-03-06T10:59:00.000-05:002005-03-06T10:59:06.796-05:00Much as I hate to admit it, Larry Brooks is setting the right tone in this morning's piece. While some of his proposals aren't quite right, I applaud is tone and agree thatThis is also the time for all of us to lower our voices, myself included. Each of us who loves this game has an obligation to it. Each of us has an obligation to stop dragging it — and each other — through the mud. Good for DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1109968087731977572005-03-04T15:28:00.000-05:002005-03-04T15:28:07.730-05:00The Bruins' owner does a good job of putting it all out in terms so simple even an NHLPA leader can understand them. While I think the entire article is insightful, this struck me in aprticular:"We've got [Joe] Thornton and [Sergei] Samsonov playing for 10 cents on the dollar [in Europe] right now and they're not insured for it, or if they are, they're paying for it," he said. "It's silly. They DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1109777968488564012005-03-02T10:39:00.000-05:002005-03-02T10:39:28.486-05:00Funny piece today in the St. Louis Post-Dispatchsaying that players just want to play. Oh, wish it were so! Well, that's a bit strong - I do believe that had they been under some leadership that cares more about them than it does about "the union", we'd be looking at the NHL Trade Deadline now instead of at an empty schedule.
The players do want to play but unless they make that clear to their DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1109685183299827172005-03-01T08:53:00.000-05:002005-03-01T08:53:03.300-05:00What the hell kind of fantasy land do people like Al Strachen and Larry Brooks live in? Here is Al's piece about today's NHL board of governors meeting. Yes, they will laud Gary and they should. But Al, and the other NHLPA spokesperson, Larry, write today about the way the BOG operates and chooses to share revenue. Both make the BOG to be 30 inept people, at best, and sneaky evil-doers at DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1109625631926579442005-02-28T16:20:00.000-05:002005-02-28T16:20:31.926-05:00Lemieux says players misled him and what else do you need to know? Wouldn't you love to be a fly on the wall at the PA meetings? Hopefully, Mario's words are what is discussed:"The longer we wait, the more challenging it's going to be for us to generate enough revenues. At the end of the day, you can only afford to pay the players so much. The longer we wait, the smaller the pie's going to be DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1109520488265965632005-02-27T11:08:00.000-05:002005-02-27T11:08:08.266-05:00This is a pretty funny piece about the "Just Say No Players' Association" on MSNBC called NHL players deserve most of blame. Duh!DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1109366060064635042005-02-25T15:58:00.000-05:002005-02-25T16:14:20.066-05:00Is there anyone out there who believes for a second that any active NHL player truly cares whether or not he plays under a salary cap? Why, then, do the members of the NHLPA keep parroting their leader's drivel?Where does Bad Bob take his troops now? There is a scene in The In-Laws (1979) (and don't even dream about the remake) in which Peter Falk and Alan Arkin are facing a firing squad. "DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1109252750754578202005-02-24T08:45:00.000-05:002005-02-24T08:45:50.753-05:00The New York Daily News reports that Holik sees more NHL chill ahead and when you read the piece you get a fascinating insight into what may be the problem. Holik, whom one can argue is a poster child for what has been wrong with the old NHL CBA, wonders how a deal didn't get done last weekend when the NHL has clearly won the big battle - that of that salary cap.I don't want to tell the owners DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1109035505356938602005-02-21T20:25:00.000-05:002005-02-21T20:25:05.356-05:00FresnoBee.com: National Hockey League: BOB SMIZIK: Bettman deserves round of applause and I'll join in. Interesting perspective.DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1109035279192878042005-02-21T20:21:00.000-05:002005-02-21T20:21:19.193-05:00As the National Post says, the NHL owners are hell-bent on fiscal reform and the NHLPA had better wise up.DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1109000459296458492005-02-21T10:40:00.000-05:002005-02-21T10:40:59.296-05:00It was only a matter of time before the details of what went down Saturday came out. They're starting to today, and it's pretty apparent that the NHLPA blew it yet again. I can't understand how you as a union drag two of the best, if not the two best, men ever to play this game into a meeting to "mediate" and then refuse to negotiate. Yet that is what the NHLPA did, and you know it's true whenDaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1108758099081378412005-02-18T15:21:00.000-05:002005-02-18T15:21:39.080-05:00I guess it takes a billionaire to fully appreciate what a billion dollars is all about. Mark Cuban writes all about How to Lose 1 Billion Dollars in his blog and it's a must-read.DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1108649164747162162005-02-17T09:06:00.000-05:002005-02-17T09:06:04.746-05:00You know that it's all over when NHLPA stealth spokesperson Larry Brooks surrenders. Even he finally admits that the NHLPA blew it and that they will now face a deal with a cap and linked to revenues that is worse than what they could have negotiated even 2 weeks ago. Now if we can only get Larry to admit, along with the NHLPA, that the league's books aren't cooked and that the losses are real,DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1108585654190465372005-02-16T15:27:00.000-05:002005-02-16T15:27:34.190-05:00I can't, for the life of me, believethat it has come to this and that we won't have hockey this year.
It took the NHLPA way too long to realize a lot of things. First, that the NHL Board was serious about constructing a new financial model for the NHL. Second, that Gary Bettman was acting with full board support. Third, that the NHL and its teams have way more resources to fight this battle DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1108393854348019982005-02-14T10:10:00.000-05:002005-02-14T10:10:54.350-05:00I think this story from the LA Times - A Late Bid to Break the Ice - may require registration. Here's the gistAbout a dozen influential owners, general managers, players and agents held "serious" discussions Sunday to shape a new labor agreement and save the NHL season but were losing a battle with the clock, a source familiar with the talks said.
The source said the group, whose members he DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1108392071233818592005-02-14T09:41:00.000-05:002005-02-14T09:41:11.233-05:00You ever want to beat the walls and scream? Well, as the hockey season teeters on edge I sure want to. Despite the rumors of players in revolt and a willingness on their parts to try the NHL's system to get the business back on its feet, the NHLPA remains steadfast in its refusal to consider a cost-certain solution. I find it offensive that the NHL has made almost a dozen proposals now (going DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1108218835933504132005-02-12T09:33:00.000-05:002005-02-12T09:33:55.933-05:00This is unbelievable! Larry Brooks of the New York Post writes a conciliatory column which doesn't place blame and which states that the NHLPA has to make the next move. WOW!
For those of you who aren't in NY or familiar with Larry, he is pretty much the NHLPA's press agent and very little of what he writes isn't a direct reflection (if not a verbatim lift) of the NHLPA's thinking. If this isDaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1108218355242993382005-02-12T09:25:00.000-05:002005-02-12T09:25:55.243-05:00This AP article is pretty much where we are on the surface. We won't have another weekend of wondering, that's for sure. And this weekend would have been All Star weekend in Atlanta, the one time where the NHL family gathers to celebrate the game and the players as one. Gone.
There are a lot of rumors out there that much will happen this weekend and I hope they're true. If they are, and the DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1107957513640542012005-02-09T08:58:00.000-05:002005-02-09T08:58:33.640-05:00Here we go again, hopefully to a decisive end this time. The Wayne and Brett discussion is interesting as well but not newsworthy.DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1107789049562307162005-02-07T10:10:00.000-05:002005-02-07T10:10:49.563-05:00Finally this morning, Mike Ulmer in Toronto asks Bad Bob to Say the season is over because, as he says, "it won't bring NHL hockey back, but it might save your butt. The public won't love you but I guarantee, they'll hate you a little less."DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1107788721578760232005-02-07T10:05:00.000-05:002005-02-07T10:05:21.580-05:00Mark Cuban weighs in on the lockout and, more importantly, on the new realities of the sports business. He thinksNHLers are 'Out of Their Minds' and I'm not sure I disagree.DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1107784943231623962005-02-07T09:02:00.000-05:002005-02-07T09:02:23.233-05:00Steve Simmons in Winnepeg has great vision. As he asks in this column: Does Bob Goodenow realize how asinine he appears to the general public with this bully-like body language and ignorant attempts to intimidate camera people and those holding microphones? He may be able to run his membership with shoves and threats -- having been undefeated in negotiations until now -- but in a hockey fight heDaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1107784093765165872005-02-07T08:48:00.000-05:002005-02-07T08:48:13.766-05:00Here is a good overview from the Dallas Star-Telegram that summarizes a number of the issues the lockout has engendered. Will the NHL use replacements? What happens if there's no draft? Good piece.DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1107725643599172472005-02-06T16:34:00.000-05:002005-02-06T16:34:03.600-05:00Dumb question of the day:Can the NHL season be saved? Hell yeah it can - soon as the NHLPA quits standing on ideology and deals with the practical reality. They are working in a business whose model doesn't work. It's broken and the management of the league is trying to fix it before hockey jobs are lost (you remember - those things unions are supposed to protect?) Enough posturing: make a DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1107458428936123602005-02-03T14:20:00.000-05:002005-02-03T14:20:28.936-05:00Sounds like Derian Hatcher wasn't accorded the best of receptions, either by the fans or his fellow players as he scored in his Mechanics debut. Gee, could it be the hypocrisy involved? Playing under a cap? Taking another man's job?
There will be a bunch more NHLPA members playing in the UHL as of today. Too bad - could be playing in the NHL for more money under a bigger cap and not riding DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1107457475692098972005-02-03T14:04:00.000-05:002005-02-03T14:04:35.693-05:00Very good point made in this morning's Calgary Herald. While the NHL/NHLPA battle is about a lot of things that are visible and public, there are a number of other organizations and issues whose battles are being waged as well. MLB and its union, in particular, have a vested interest in how this all turns out. Good piece!DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1107391851094248252005-02-02T19:50:00.000-05:002005-02-02T19:50:51.093-05:00How do you know when you're really barking up the wrong money tree? When the President of one of, if not the, greediest organizations on the planet calls you on the carpet, which is just what happened as MSNBC - the IOC president criticizes NHL players. How come it's so obvious to everyone but Bob?DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1107361555971330462005-02-02T11:25:00.000-05:002005-02-02T11:25:55.970-05:00This is really a great story - if only these guys stay away from the NHLPA and remember why they play.FAU hockey heating up talks about guys who just want to play: With the economic battle taking place in the NHL, this is hockey at its purest form. It's a club, meaning it's not affiliated with the FAU athletic department. The team gets no use of the school's fitness facilities, no financial DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1107361128611634562005-02-02T11:18:00.000-05:002005-02-02T11:18:48.610-05:00I love this. While the fans are ga-ga over three Wings joining a UHL team, the UHL guys have a different perspective. In fact, the addition of the Red Wings irks some in UHL and I couldn't have said it better:The hypocrisy of it is unbelievable," Kerr said. "They don't want a salary cap, but they'll come to a league that has a salary cap and take someone else's job."DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1107184303406690682005-01-31T10:11:00.000-05:002005-01-31T10:11:43.406-05:00It keeps going on and on as The Globe and Mail reports contract talks are expected to resume. They will but they won't drag out. I'm not a believer that we're out of time but I can do the math. 60 days for playoffs. 65 days for a 30-game season. A couple of weeks to get tickets sold and players in camp. We still have a week or 10 days to get an agreement and get it memorialized. That's theDaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1107012351129150732005-01-29T10:25:00.000-05:002005-01-29T10:25:51.130-05:00So I guess it's just watch and wait. This is down to one issue - the same issue as always: will the NHLPA accept any form of cost-certainty or will they refuse? It's been pretty apparent for weeks that the NHLPA's refusal to come off this issue is going to bring them down and now it's really a time when the NHL needs to show mercy on the union. Personally, I wouldn't except that it's the onlyDaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1106846366254407022005-01-27T12:19:00.000-05:002005-01-27T12:19:26.253-05:00There wasn't a whole lot to write about yesterday. One could pick up and repeat a lot of Hockey Rumors but I'm not sure that it does anything more than add to the general air of uncertainty. Optimism, very cautious optimism, seems to be the operative mode just about everywhere although this piece on Sportsnet seems more pessimistic than most. For what they're worth, here are my two cents: I DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1106662479180944552005-01-25T09:14:00.000-05:002005-01-25T09:14:39.180-05:00Well, the season may not be lost. According to this report on TSN.ca, Chellie is making nice and that can only be with Bob's blessing. Chris has been one of the more vocal PA members throughout this fiasco and now he's saying the season is on. Let's hope he's actually right about something for a change.DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1106594620624902142005-01-24T14:23:00.000-05:002005-01-24T14:23:40.626-05:00It really is like the song at the end of Dr. Strangelove - you know: We'll meet again, don't know where, don't know when.." Let's just hope that everyone checks their ego at the door and, for the good of the game, something gets done.DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1106579011916778782005-01-24T10:03:00.000-05:002005-01-24T10:03:31.916-05:00While I hate the thought, this piece from Newsday titled Kill NHL season, make fresh start is thought-provoking. But maybe we can take some of the ideas without losing the whole season? Guess we'll know soon!DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1106576226590197502005-01-24T09:17:00.000-05:002005-01-24T09:17:06.590-05:00I think the Boston Globe gets is exactly right when it says it's Hard to see how the players can win this time. They can't. I'm hoping that a lot of the nonsense the NHLPA reps put out on Friday was the venting of frustration as they came to that realization and not them digging in further. If it is the latter, there is going to be, or should be, a wholesale revolt among the rank and file. DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1106432141515788782005-01-22T17:15:00.000-05:002005-01-22T17:15:41.516-05:00Things are either looking really grim or not too bad, depending on if you're a "glass half empty" kind of a person. Why? Because we have arrived at the point of no return. Either there will be a deal done with a cap, and this is now very clear to the NHLPA, or many guys will throw away a good piece of their hockey careers as well as money. After Trevor Linden, who is showing a lot of guts in DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1106244331801877852005-01-20T13:05:00.000-05:002005-01-20T13:05:31.800-05:00When you find yourself wondering why the NHLPA distrusts the NHL leadership so much, you don't have to go much further than Alan Eagleson. Yesterday, Eagleson plead guilty to bilking hockey stars, while he was head of the NHLPA. If you believe in the concept of institutional memory, that, in part, is what you're seeing in the NHLPA's unwillingness to accept the NHL's numbers or just about DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1106228040397861682005-01-20T08:34:00.000-05:002005-01-20T08:34:00.396-05:00It's so close you can hear the sound of steel on ice. The Winnipeg Sun reports there's a deal on the table to settle the lockout but the article left me confused. On the one hand, there seems to be an acceptance by the NHLPA that the deal has to contain some sort of cost certainty. On the other hand, it says the NHLPA once again says it will not accept a cap.
I guess it doesn't matter what DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1106097913397322802005-01-18T20:25:00.000-05:002005-01-18T20:25:13.396-05:00This is why Espo is in the Hall Of Fame - he's always been a leader on and off the ice. So when he saysthat he doesn't agree with the NHLPA's stance it carries a lot of weight. Let's hope enough that some progress is made tomorrow!DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1106062778549593002005-01-18T10:39:00.000-05:002005-01-18T10:39:38.550-05:00Could peace be breaking out? The Union and the NHL are going back to table even if the table is a little smaller (no Gary, no Bob). Personally, I believe that this is a sign the rank and file are speaking out to their leaders and letting them know that they recognize where this is all leading: the deal the NHLPA can cut today is better than the one they'll be able to cut in a year and there isDaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1105910858146663072005-01-16T16:27:00.000-05:002005-01-16T16:27:38.146-05:00We can only hope that this rumour of a meeting on The Province is true. Time's almost up, boys.DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1105720417560332592005-01-14T11:33:00.000-05:002005-01-14T11:33:37.560-05:00Good question raised by Wojo in the Detroit News:Is the NHL headed to the Ice Age? Who knows? I'm so sad about (but in agreement with) his rhetorical question - so this is how it ends? I hope not. It doesn't have to. And while I know the fan base is solid and, for the most part, in agreement with the NHL that this needs to get fixed permanently, we're very much getting to unexplored DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1105663766607201532005-01-13T19:49:00.000-05:002005-01-13T19:49:26.606-05:00Frankly, among the things I don't understand is the NHLPA's attitude. The NHL responded to the NHLPA's offer, accepting some things, asking for others, such as the 24% roll-back, to be structured differently. Yet, as shown in this piece on TSN.ca, the PA continues to say the NHL won't negotiate. Isn't negotiation a back and forth? Didn't the NHL respond in great detail and point by point to DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1105634042431621212005-01-13T11:33:00.000-05:002005-01-13T11:34:02.433-05:00Mike Modano has been around the NHL long enough that when he speaks, people do pay attention. That's what makes the current controversy over yesterday's remarks so interesting. Under the headline "Players' Resolve is Finite: Modano" the National Post reported yesterday that he holds out little hope for a resolution to the lockout in time to play this season and feels the resolve of the 750-DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1105633927851011582005-01-13T11:32:00.000-05:002005-01-13T11:32:07.850-05:00Mike Modano has been around the NHL long enough that when he speaks, people do pay attention. That's what makes the current controversy over yesterday's remarks so interesting. Under the headline "Players' Resolve is Finite: Modano" the National Post reported yesterday that he holds out little hope for a resolution to the lockout in time to play this season and feels the resolve of the 750-DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1105546272731301052005-01-12T11:11:00.000-05:002005-01-12T11:11:12.730-05:00This is EXACTLY what I'm saying. This is millionaires vs. billionaires and at the end, the Players will lose.DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1105545832819460932005-01-12T11:03:00.000-05:002005-01-12T11:03:52.820-05:00The Los Angeles Times (reg. required) has an excellent piece that is headlined Forecast: Ice Cold. What is becoming very apparent is this "The league is willing to cut a business that became a $2.1-billion industry to $1 billion and grow it back again." Exactly, and precisely why the NHLPA can't win. The owners are rich guys, most clubs are saving money by not playing, and if this becomes a DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1105457399380446622005-01-11T10:29:00.000-05:002005-01-11T10:29:59.380-05:00This piece from the Calgary Herald (reg. required) lays it out more clearly than just about anything I've read over the course of the lockout. Here's the crux of the open letter to Bob:What should be concerning the point man for the players at this very delicate point in time, instead of digging his heels ever deeper into the quicksand, is resuming negotiations, working past the semantics and DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1105365868297284342005-01-10T09:04:00.000-05:002005-01-10T09:04:28.296-05:00A sad, but good overview of where things stand as the clock is ticking on the NHL.DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1105364779203612012005-01-10T08:46:00.000-05:002005-01-10T08:46:19.203-05:00Good piece by Scott Burnside on ESPN.com. He says it's the players' turn to try and save the game and themselves. Recognizing that the NHL has repeatedly said there is wiggle room on every issue except one, the players should tell Bob to shut up and go make a deal which takes advantage of the leeway the NHL is offering. Better free agency, etc.DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1105116794766188112005-01-07T11:53:00.000-05:002005-01-07T11:53:14.766-05:00MICHAEL ROSENBERG says it all in today's Detroit Free Press: Boys, it's time to give up and play hockey. He does an excellent job of summing up what I and a number of others out here in the blogsphere have been saying. We all know where this ends so why not end it now, collect your salaries and move on. Our game needs to heal and tearing it apart over some ideologue's misplaced sense of DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1105036887689312102005-01-06T13:41:00.000-05:002005-01-06T13:41:27.690-05:00Stan Fischler has his finger on the pulse, as usual, as he reports that the looming NHL Governors' meeting is setting all the papers ablaze. The best line is this:Public opinion won't be a factor in settling the CBA war, but it's apparent that fans — even in blue collar cities such as Buffalo — are totally on the NHL owners' side.
"I'm still looking for someone out there who thinks NHL playersDaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1105032735409353692005-01-06T12:32:00.000-05:002005-01-06T12:32:15.410-05:00The thing I love about some of these comments made by NHLPA members is that they reveal how utterly uninformed they are by the union. As you can tell from this piece on TSN.ca, the NHLPA will characterize anything but a blanket acceptance of thier offer as bullying. To say "we made what we thought was a good offer and the league didn't engage in any kind of discussions to try to make something DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1104941462627830502005-01-05T11:11:00.000-05:002005-01-05T11:11:02.626-05:00Every GM in the league was at the World Juniors - normally it's just scouts. However, they' like all of us, Can Only Watch and Hope. Mike Milbury says it best : "I don't think anybody has given up hope. We are hopeful that something can be done, but someone is going to have to come up with a master plan in a hurry. " Meanwhile, everyone on both sides deny new any offer is pending. How's it DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1104849217053281962005-01-04T09:33:00.000-05:002005-01-04T09:33:37.053-05:00Seems like the NHLPA is now posturing that they've gone about as far as they're going to go. Oh really?
In this LA Times piece (reg. required), Steve Rucchin, who is the Ducks' rep, says the NHL Players Aren't Preparing An Offer. This is the key quote:
Rucchin said that the players went as far as they were willing to go in a proposal Dec. 9, which included a 24% salary cut, a luxury tax and DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1104847819571328572005-01-04T09:10:00.000-05:002005-01-04T09:10:19.570-05:00Good thinking, Rene...IIHF will be patient. You need the best in the world a lot more than they need you!DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1104761672623095792005-01-03T09:14:00.000-05:002005-01-03T09:14:32.623-05:00Different perspective from Damien Cox who asks Do we want New Year's resolution to NHL mess? His point might be worth considering - whether total destruction, and then reconstruction, will actually accomplish more in the long run.DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1104759963295777892005-01-03T08:46:00.000-05:002005-01-03T08:46:03.296-05:00This is getting more interesting by the day. It appears that the lies of the NHLPA don't stop at just Roy Ray and that he has company on the union pay issue. Andreas Dackell, Adam Oates, and others aren't getting paid either. The best tidbit is that to qualify for lockout pay a player must have been on a roster at the end of last season and have 400 games of NHL experience. That's 5 full DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1104426404738676992004-12-30T12:06:00.000-05:002004-12-30T12:06:44.736-05:00Bobby Clarke always spoke his mind as a player and backed it up on the ice. So when he says that what he and his peers did for today's players and their sacrifices are being hurt, we, and more inportantly all members of the NHLPA should sit up and listen.DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1104334489655474742004-12-29T10:34:00.000-05:002004-12-29T10:34:49.656-05:00Two pieces this morning from the Buffalo News sort of encapsulate the whole situation for me. The first is about how hockey fans flock to the side of the owners and that's really one big reason why the NHLPA should realize it can't win this ridiculous battle about guaranteeing the "cost savings" they project.
The second article goes on to talk about how the NHLPA is making an example of Rob RayDaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1104161759564860622004-12-27T10:35:00.000-05:002004-12-27T10:35:59.563-05:00"We want a free market!"
What a load of crap. The last thing the NHLPA wants is the market to work as it is doing in Philadelphia. SinceKeith Primeau's deal inadvertently sets a salary cap for the club, the NHLPA is all angry with him. They think he signed for too little - he did what he felt was right for himself and his family as well as for the long-term health of the club. Just as they DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1104115076198236852004-12-26T21:37:00.000-05:002004-12-26T21:37:56.196-05:00Out of the mouths of babes...Sydney Crosby, maybe the next Great One for real, is following his dream and not going to let the NHLPA get in his way. Good for him!DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1103819441877167012004-12-23T11:30:00.000-05:002004-12-23T11:30:41.876-05:00Nice to see we're back to personal attacks from the NHLPA player reps. This one from Bryan McCabe seems particularly useful as he rips the NHL Commissioner for scheduling a board meeting (which the NHL and most businesses do have on a regular basis - they haven't had one since September. I love how the fans respond to the "he's a basketball guy" quip.DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1103819025470534782004-12-23T11:23:00.000-05:002004-12-23T11:23:45.470-05:00Say it ain't so:January meeting could augur season's end: South Florida Sun-SentinelDaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1103818903725543092004-12-23T11:21:00.000-05:002004-12-23T11:21:43.726-05:00 The 100 things we miss about hockey. AMEN.DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1103730900131722262004-12-22T10:55:00.000-05:002004-12-22T10:55:00.130-05:00An ominous article from Buffalo about how NHL's tensions deepen. Scariest notion: that two seasons are lost.DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1103720375321820292004-12-22T07:59:00.000-05:002004-12-22T07:59:35.320-05:00In Canada, at least, thefans remain on the owners' side according to this poll from TSN. DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1103642330248741882004-12-21T10:18:00.000-05:002004-12-21T10:18:50.250-05:00Buccigross gets it about right inthis piece on ESPN.com: Don't stop believin'. I guess we're all trying hard to keep the faith but as we're now "Deep in December" (as the song goes), it's late in the third period and the fans are down 3 goals. Comebacks do happen though...DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1103560490929771162004-12-20T11:34:00.000-05:002004-12-20T11:34:50.930-05:00As the man says, With losing hand, Goodenow should cash in. You've got to know when to fold 'em....DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1103553201734960552004-12-20T09:33:00.000-05:002004-12-20T09:33:21.736-05:00It doesn't have to be this way, boys. As the Toronto Star writes, a number of NHL-ers are coming Home for the holidays because hockey in Europe isn't getting it done.DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1103464138826696002004-12-19T08:48:00.000-05:002004-12-19T08:48:58.826-05:00There is no depth to which Larry Brooks of the NY Post won't lower himself. I'm not linking to his column because it is so filled with vitriol and stupidity that doing so would be a disservice to those legitimate journalists to whom I do link. However, here is the conclusion of this morning's brilliant screed by the NHLPA's NY-based mouthpiece:Finally, this just in. Slap Shots has learned that DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1103295708516089092004-12-17T10:01:00.000-05:002004-12-17T10:01:48.516-05:00A little bit of sanity from FOXSports.com in this piece: Proposals offer chance to compromise. This guy clearly should be running the NHLPA.DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1103295383967632912004-12-17T09:56:00.000-05:002004-12-17T09:56:23.966-05:00Here's the proof that the NHLPA either just doesn't get what's going on or is ignoring it. The fact that the NHLPA disputes league's projections of players' proposal and that they're spending time doing press to say that shows how they're continuing to deny the issue. It doesn't matter what the numbers are. Take the cap and fight for a bigger share of a bigger pool. That and only that will beDaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1103169427656829572004-12-15T22:57:00.000-05:002004-12-15T22:57:07.656-05:00Funny how once they get out from under the NHLPA's spell the players can recognize the truth, just as does Patrick Roy in this story.DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1103132492552583992004-12-15T12:41:00.000-05:002004-12-15T12:41:32.553-05:00AMEN!
Great column about how out of touch the NHLPA has become and how at least one player is lacking class...DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1103132084401872752004-12-15T12:34:00.000-05:002004-12-15T12:34:44.400-05:00The folks in Boston DO get it. The Boston Herald piece - Bruins: Impasse starts at top - is just spot on.DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1103117667256406712004-12-15T08:34:00.000-05:002004-12-15T08:34:27.256-05:002%. That's not really a big difference and I'll bet that the NHLPA doesn't consider it a major impediment to settling this thing right now. That's how far apart the NHL and the union are are what percentage of revenues ought to be paid to the players. No, the big issue - the ONLY issue - is the NHLPA's refusal to guarantee that amount or any amount. When you look at the details of the two DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1103059276535161932004-12-14T16:21:00.000-05:002004-12-14T16:24:41.110-05:00Yeah, but you'll take their word that your overstuffed checks will cash, right you $*%&^! This is the sort of crap that never comes out of the mouths of real hockey players, just jerks like Holik....DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1103033683356508732004-12-14T09:14:00.000-05:002004-12-14T09:14:43.356-05:00 "[Today] is going to be a very dark, bleak day for hockey," said an NHL source in this Newsday piece. In one sense, if the rumors are true and the NHL is going back to the NHLPA with a cap response to their bogus 24% PR ploy, it's going to be a long, cold, hockey-less winter. That is "dark and bleak" but in another sense, it's the darkness before the dawn. The NHLPA has to get it and get it DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1102953630305784312004-12-13T11:00:00.000-05:002004-12-13T11:00:30.306-05:00The Buffalo News has a piece this morning entitled Players' offer leaves much to be desired that I think is about right. Best line: " This was a bag of pucks, a Band-Aid for a heart attack." Exactly.DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1102865045097828372004-12-12T10:24:00.000-05:002004-12-12T10:24:05.096-05:00Maybe the most accurate piece written since the NHLPA's offer the other day. Selena Roberts this morning in The New York Times writes Hockey Fans Are Silent, and Union Is Listening. You may have to register to read it but here is the key part in my mind:Goodenow's calculated offer preys on the quick-fix addictions of undisciplined owners who, with a little extra money in their wallets, will DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1102818367071659772004-12-11T21:26:00.000-05:002004-12-11T21:26:07.070-05:00Maybe they're thinking even at 24% less it's better in the NHL than in Sweden?DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1102801552238991862004-12-11T16:45:00.000-05:002004-12-11T16:45:52.236-05:00This story in the Buffalo News got me thinking. It talks about Chris Taylor whom I gather is the lowest paid guy in the NHL. He has to take the same 24% hit that Jagr does which doesn't seem right. Sure Jagr pays a lot more into the pot, but why couldn't the NHLPA make the rich pay disproportionately more? Guys like Taylor should pay nothing - they're not the problem. Maybe under a million DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1102700318978006422004-12-10T12:38:00.000-05:002004-12-10T12:38:38.976-05:00You never know where hockey is going to pop up as a part of the news. Take yesterday's shooting of Pantera's Dimebag. Who would have thought that there was a hockey connection? But there is since Panterawrote the Dallas Stars' theme and as the Stars say on their web site the club connection is pretty solid. Shame.DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1102686238222264252004-12-10T08:43:00.000-05:002004-12-10T08:43:58.223-05:00Yesterday provided a glimmer of hope but clearly there isn't the "cost certainty" the League has been asking for in the NHLPA proposal to end the lockout. I think McKenzie has it about right- this is a good first step by the PA in admitting there's a problem (always a first step to solving a problem) but this isn't going to go far enough towards assuring the overall health of the NHL. In my DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1102611120108280212004-12-09T11:52:00.000-05:002004-12-09T11:52:00.106-05:00Yikes!
Savard gets cut by Swiss team. DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1102610909516626832004-12-09T11:48:00.000-05:002004-12-09T11:48:29.516-05:00Don't know why the NHLPA keeps saying the owners don't know what's going on or are going to crumble. This piece on Bruins' ownership shows that Sinden and Co. believe the lockout necessary to save game for future. Where does the PA get this stuff?DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1102602661184329442004-12-09T09:31:00.000-05:002004-12-09T09:31:01.183-05:00Please! Please! Please!
Today may be the first day of the new season or the last day. Let's see how offer goes over but hopefully the response to it and the response to the response get us HOCKEY!DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1102533059732945682004-12-08T14:10:00.000-05:002004-12-08T14:10:59.733-05:00There is a great piece by Damien Cox in the Toronto Star. You may have to register to get to it but I'll start you off with the first bit:"As long as the (luxury) tax plan is on the table, there won't be a season ... the tax plan is a non-negotiable thing."
—Jeremy Roenick
"There will be no season if there is a tax."
—Patrick Roy.
"If they insist on a tax, it'll kill the whole year."
—LarryDaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1102532635863164012004-12-08T14:03:00.000-05:002004-12-08T14:03:55.863-05:00This is not good at all! Beer sales off big time in Canada. Yet another reason for the NHLPA to wise up!DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1102432714560125682004-12-07T10:18:00.000-05:002004-12-07T10:18:34.560-05:00Some interesting thinking out of Pittsburgh. They've done a little research and they think if new CBA is struck, the NHL season could start sooner than later. Let's not get our hopes up, but WOO HOO!!DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1102432402913651752004-12-07T10:13:00.000-05:002004-12-07T10:13:22.913-05:00This is something that affects a number of players and something that they may want to consider as they offer their support to the NHLPA. Just as the lockout could be end of Yzerman's career, so too could it be for others. Shame. Classy guy like Stevie Y should go out with a farewell tour.DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1102371408437169272004-12-06T17:15:00.000-05:002004-12-06T17:16:48.436-05:00According to multiple reports, here's who's in the room on Thursday (and hopefully Friday and beyond!):NHLPA executive director Bob Goodenow will be joined by senior director Ted Saskin, associate counsel Ian Pulver, outside counsel John McCambridge and the executive committee of active NHL players: president Trevor Linden, and vice presidents Bob Boughner, Vincent Damphousse, Daniel Alfredsson, DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740533.post-1102347078146700172004-12-06T10:31:00.000-05:002004-12-06T10:33:36.190-05:00Darby Hendrickson reports on how playing in Europe was an eye opener. You don't really have to wonder why the NHLPA is looking to get this thing settled now - I'm sure the boys are tired of eating tongue and going to the bathroom without toilets. Ah, the glamorous alternatives to the NHL!DaCommishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352488974967972733noreply@blogger.com0