The official NHL thread

[chungasrevenge]

Supposedly the plan is for training camps to open on 12/14 with start before Christmas. That would give a week or so for free agency, trading and scheduling.

[NeverSurrender]

Tomorrow at 1, Bettman is going to say that they're still "far apart"!!!

Yep.

[chungasrevenge]

They're setting up the podium for a press conference. Done deal?

Steve Burton is my hero.

[Aerosmith87]

Let's hope so! If so, pretty quick turn around huh. Even though they've been saying once they can come to terms it'll be quick. I bet they were holding out for some deadline.

[chungasrevenge]

Let's hope so! If so, pretty quick turn around huh. Even though they've been saying once they can come to terms it'll be quick. I bet they were holding out for some deadline.

Yeah, the owners had a pre-determined date from the start as expected. Charlie Jacobs told Steve Burton that the owners were going to conceed enough for a deal this week. By Friday at the latest.

[johnk5150]

The Slap Shot showing at the Music Box theater is a sellout for tonight. I'm gonna get drunk.

[NeverSurrender]

The Slap Shot showing at the Music Box theater is a sellout for tonight. I'm gonna get drunk.

Hanrahan!!! Susan licks pussy!! She's a dyke!!

[Anne_Thrax]

The Slap Shot showing at the Music Box theater is a sellout for tonight. I'm gonna get drunk.

I didn't get tickets in time

Dude the Wolves games are AWESOME!!

[Aerosmith87]

This entire lockout thing is beyong fucked up. Fuck these guys.

[NeverSurrender]

This entire lockout thing is beyong fucked up. Fuck these guys.

Never get your hopes up with these clowns. I just lol at them and ignore all of it. I only find out the news from you guys. I unfollwed all owners, media and players on twitter September 15th and haven't looked back. Minors are great, imo.

[WOLF]

I'm taking my son and dad to a major junior (QMJHL) game tomorrow; my second game this week.

The NHL is getting ridiculous. Two groups playing chicken with each other, all the while not realizing the game only matters to Canada and select markets in the US. They are pissing off sponsors, NBC, fans, everyone...

We're not far from elite players heading off to Europe and elsewhere (on a permanent basis), and the owners looking for scab players to start up the league with.

What a mess! Owners need to get their house in order and players need to drop the sense of entitlement. The owners DO lay out all the cash and should be the ones making the bulk of the $, with the players/product still seeing a healthy chunk.

[Aerosmith87]

I'd totally check out the AHL, but it's not on TV and I have a 2 1/2 hour drive to see the Albany Devils.

[alecjonsludge]

I'm taking my son and dad to a major junior (QMJHL) game tomorrow; my second game this week.

The NHL is getting ridiculous. Two groups playing chicken with each other, all the while not realizing the game only matters to Canada and select markets in the US. They are pissing off sponsors, NBC, fans, everyone...

We're not far from elite players heading off to Europe and elsewhere (on a permanent basis), and the owners looking for scab players to start up the league with.

What a mess! Owners need to get their house in order and players need to drop the sense of entitlement. The owners DO lay out all the cash and should be the ones making the bulk of the $, with the players/product still seeing a healthy chunk.

I'm seeing Patrick Roy and Nathan MacKinnon this weekend as The Remparts and Mooseheads both come to Saint John. Roy never fails to entertain when he comes to Saint John. He gets up on the boards and has a massive coronary over a simple offside.He'll turn around and give fans the business then sign an autograph for them outside the bus after the game.Two years ago he destroyed the visitors locker room just to motivate his team.Dropped a cheque off at the Sea Dogs offices while leaving the arena before arena officals even knew anything happened.

This will be my 4th time seeing MacKinnon this season and outside of a shutout loss to Moncton a couple of weeks back,he's been nothing short of dominant.No one in the Q holds a candle to him.This is also rumoured to be Huberdeau's last few days in SJ. With the World Juniors right around the corner and SJ in a rebuilding year,he's most likely going to be traded during the QMJHL Dec.trading period for some prospects.Patrick Roy is extremely interested and he would be helpful in a playoff matchup against the favored Mooseheads.A sure sign of Huberdeau being traded?-They've discounted all his Jerseys/t-shirts in the teamstore.

[WOLF]

I'm taking my son and dad to a major junior (QMJHL) game tomorrow; my second game this week.

The NHL is getting ridiculous. Two groups playing chicken with each other, all the while not realizing the game only matters to Canada and select markets in the US. They are pissing off sponsors, NBC, fans, everyone...

We're not far from elite players heading off to Europe and elsewhere (on a permanent basis), and the owners looking for scab players to start up the league with.

What a mess! Owners need to get their house in order and players need to drop the sense of entitlement. The owners DO lay out all the cash and should be the ones making the bulk of the $, with the players/product still seeing a healthy chunk.

I'm seeing Patrick Roy and Nathan MacKinnon this weekend as The Remparts and Mooseheads both come to Saint John. Roy never fails to entertain when he comes to Saint John. He gets up on the boards and has a massive coronary over a simple offside.He'll turn around and give fans the business then sign an autograph for them outside the bus after the game.Two years ago he destroyed the visitors locker room just to motivate his team.Dropped a cheque off at the Sea Dogs offices while leaving the arena before arena officals even knew anything happened.

This will be my 4th time seeing MacKinnon this season and outside of a shutout loss to Moncton a couple of weeks back,he's been nothing short of dominant.No one in the Q holds a candle to him.This is also rumoured to be Huberdeau's last few days in SJ. With the World Juniors right around the corner and SJ in a rebuilding year,he's most likely going to be traded during the QMJHL Dec.trading period for some prospects.Patrick Roy is extremely interested and he would be helpful in a playoff matchup against the favored Mooseheads.A sure sign of Huberdeau being traded?-They've discounted all his Jerseys/t-shirts in the teamstore.

Yup - sure sign. The Armada - team near me, is actually second overall in the league, but in search of some help. Their goalie, Etienne Marcoux, broke his collar bone last week, and it cost him an invite to the Canadian World Junior Camp. Xavier Ouellet, star D-man (Detroit pick) is already at the camp, and Stefan Matteau Jr., has been named to the US team. Even when those guys return, they will need some scoring punch to compete with Halifax and Quebec. I'd love to see Huburdeau here in Blainville.

AJS - you're lucky you get to see so much of McKinnon. He hasn't been here yet and wont be until the new year. Looking forward to seeing the kid in person.

[johnk5150]

The Slap Shot showing at the Music Box theater is a sellout for tonight. I'm gonna get drunk.

I didn't get tickets in time

Dude the Wolves games are AWESOME!!

The only problem with the event was everyone knew the words and felt free to spew every line of the movie as it happened.

I've taken my son to two wolves games. Good seats always available.

[alecjonsludge]

Wolf,I don't take it for granted,that's for sure.MacKinnon is a special player,and much like Crosby before him,it's a treat to see him before the rest of the hockey world gets to. Last year,I ventured to Moncton for a game and MacKinnon was a scratch due to injury.It just so happened that he was sitting in my section and he signed autographs for kids and adults alike(guilty!) the entire game.

[Royal Dudeness]

Wolf,I don't take it for granted,that's for sure.MacKinnon is a special player,and much like Crosby before him,it's a treat to see him before the rest of the hockey world gets to. Last year,I ventured to Moncton for a game and MacKinnon was a scratch due to injury.It just so happened that he was sitting in my section and he signed autographs for kids and adults alike(guilty!) the entire game.

That's cool and also hilarious. Grown men asking for the autographs of teenagers. Quite the world we live in

[alecjonsludge]

Wolf,I don't take it for granted,that's for sure.MacKinnon is a special player,and much like Crosby before him,it's a treat to see him before the rest of the hockey world gets to. Last year,I ventured to Moncton for a game and MacKinnon was a scratch due to injury.It just so happened that he was sitting in my section and he signed autographs for kids and adults alike(guilty!) the entire game.

That's cool and also hilarious. Grown men asking for the autographs of teenagers. Quite the world we live in

I wrestled with that exact notion for a period and a half,but followed the masses anyways.I kept telling myself it was for my girlfriend's nephew,but alas the program sits in the man cave still.I get that you wouldn't want his autograph,he's not a diver or a pussy like Burrows.

[NeverSurrender]

Wolf,I don't take it for granted,that's for sure.MacKinnon is a special player,and much like Crosby before him,it's a treat to see him before the rest of the hockey world gets to. Last year,I ventured to Moncton for a game and MacKinnon was a scratch due to injury.It just so happened that he was sitting in my section and he signed autographs for kids and adults alike(guilty!) the entire game.

That's cool and also hilarious. Grown men asking for the autographs of teenagers. Quite the world we live in

I get that you wouldn't want his autograph,he's not a diver or a pussy like Burrows.

does he bite?

[WOLF]

Kickass game tonight. Armada come back from a 4-0 deficit after one, and stole a point, losing in a shootout. 6-5, all four goalies played, 70 shots on net. Three generations of WOLF took in the game, and had a great time, for $50. Fuck the NHL!

[Blizzard of Cos]

Well, we finally got to the crux of the NHL labor problem. Actually, we were always there, but Thursday just cemented it.

This is not about money, or contract length, or any of the other minutiae that collective bargaining creates. It is about Boston Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs and NHLPA head Don Fehr, and it always was.

The owners demonized Fehr the day he took the job running the NHL Players Association because they were sure he wanted to destroy them – a neat trick since he’d never tried to do that in his years in baseball, and that sport has had labor peace for the last 17 years, most of which he was there for.

The players already demonized Gary Bettman, and by extension the hardline owners who had kept him secure as commissioner, and the hardest of the hardliners was, is, and will always be Jeremy Jacobs.

So it was Jacobs v. Fehr from the start, and negotiations are not done over personalities. They are destroyed over personalities.

And for this parlous state of affairs, we can actually ask a question: Why do the moderate owners in the league never step up and say, “We want to be the ones in the room”? Why did they do what they always do – sit back and expect the hardliners to get them the best deal possible? Why do they end up being the ones complaining the deal doesn’t work for them when they’ve done so little to craft the deal themselves?

We ask this because baseball learned that lesson 17 years ago, while Fehr was still in charge of the union. They realized that the deal is more important than the personalities, and the deals got done. Then Fehr moved on, replaced himself by a moderate figure in Michael Weiner, and the players and owners are now closer to actually being partners than ever before. There is now labor peace, the game has grown dramatically, and everyone seems quite happy.

Is this Fehr’s doing alone? Of course not. Owners had to realize that beating the union shouldn’t be the goal. Getting the deal should be the goal. And when baseball’s owners figured that out, Fehr no longer had to be the iron bar in everyone’s spokes.

Why then, you ask, did the NHLPA hire him? Because they’d been hammered in the previous deal when Bob Goodenow was their boss. He let it be about personalities, too, and the owners were only happy to oblige in kind, and with superior firepower. That cost a season, and a television contract. And that deal turned out to be bad for some owners too – not because the union crafted it so brilliantly, but because the owners circumvented it so often that it became not a contract but a footpath.

There is a reason why the distribution of wealth in the NHL is so top-heavy, after all. The few teams that can make money do, and don’t really like distributing it -- not to the poorest franchise who are in some cases beyond redemption, and definitely not to middle-class clubs who are trying to operate on the square and still gets their hats blocked year after year.

But come CBA time, they all unite around a common theme – hating the guy who runs the NHLPA. It is the hardliners’ song of choice, and it is so now.

It is interesting that talks allegedly went well when Fehr and Bettman were out of the room – although, bafflingly, Jacobs and Murray Edwards of Calgary, another fierce hardliner, were allowed to stay in. Then when the players wanted Fehr to return, owners said that could be a deal-breaker. And, as events showed, it was. A voicemail rejection is essentially saying, “We didn’t need your proposal to reject it. We needed only to know you would make one.”

And who handled that presser? Bettman. The designated bad-news-deliverer-for-hire. The money is that good that he would rather be equated for all time with the worst part of the sport than not do it.

So it goes. This season seems deader than dead now, because the hardline owners would rather kill Fehr than run their hockey teams. And the players cannot abandon Fehr without losing face and being worse off than they were after the Goodenow fiasco. This is indisputably true, and leaves us with the true issue dividing these two sides.

One side has Jeremy Jacobs. The other side has Don Fehr. Fehr isn’t leaving the room if Jacobs isn’t, and Jacobs is never leaving the room. Impasse-by-ass.

And the moderate owners– screwed again, by their own disinterest. They deserve it, too, because there are more of them than any other faction, but they don’t want to bother enough to crash the room and make the deal that can potentially enrich them all. They’d rather let the hardliners deliver them a contract, and then let the wealthiest clubs steamroll their way around it.

So for once it isn’t about the money. And at this point, the only way to save the season is to bring the hardline owners led by Jacobs and Fehr together, lock them in a room – and then negotiate somewhere else.

You do that, you get a deal. You don’t do that, and celebrity curling becomes the new hot TV property.

http://www.csnbayarea.com/blog/ray-ratt ... bs-vs-fehr

[alecjonsludge]

Great weekend of hockey in Saint John.The Sea Dogs lost both games by 4-2 scores but plenty of fireworks for both games.Huberdeau intentionally high sticked MacKinnon in the head with under 5 minutes to play and then wrestled and threw a linesman to the ice to fight a Mooseheads' player.He was given a 4 minute penalty for high sticking,a 5 minute penalty for fighting and a 10 minute game misconduct for abuse of an offical.Oddly enough,after the game the abuse of an offical charge was rescinded.Most likely to keep him eligible for the WJC.

MacKinnon didn't score, but he did pull this sweet move(around the 1:16 mark)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oz5yA8gafU

[WOLF]

Great weekend of hockey in Saint John.The Sea Dogs lost both games by 4-2 scores but plenty of fireworks for both games.Huberdeau intentionally high sticked MacKinnon in the head with under 5 minutes to play and then wrestled and threw a linesman to the ice to fight a Mooseheads' player.He was given a 4 minute penalty for high sticking,a 5 minute penalty for fighting and a 10 minute game misconduct for abuse of an offical.Oddly enough,after the game the abuse of an offical charge was rescinded.Most likely to keep him eligible for the WJC.

MacKinnon didn't score, but he did pull this sweet move(around the 1:16 mark)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oz5yA8gafU

MacKinnon only comes here once and my kid has a Novice game at the same time, so we can't go - DAMN! Oh well, going to check out the game Against Roy and the Remparts, and then see where Huburdeau gets dealt, though I'm hoping it's here!

[alecjonsludge]

Great weekend of hockey in Saint John.The Sea Dogs lost both games by 4-2 scores but plenty of fireworks for both games.Huberdeau intentionally high sticked MacKinnon in the head with under 5 minutes to play and then wrestled and threw a linesman to the ice to fight a Mooseheads' player.He was given a 4 minute penalty for high sticking,a 5 minute penalty for fighting and a 10 minute game misconduct for abuse of an offical.Oddly enough,after the game the abuse of an offical charge was rescinded.Most likely to keep him eligible for the WJC.

MacKinnon didn't score, but he did pull this sweet move(around the 1:16 mark)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oz5yA8gafU

MacKinnon only comes here once and my kid has a Novice game at the same time, so we can't go - DAMN! Oh well, going to check out the game Against Roy and the Remparts, and then see where Huburdeau gets dealt, though I'm hoping it's here!

So Huberdeau gets 4 games for tossing a linesman to the ice,even though the penalty was rescinded after the game.Furthermore,he's still eligible for the WJC,always thought that tourney honored suspensions,obviously not the case.

My buddy is the beat reporter for the Sea Dogs and says the hot rumor is Huberdeau heading to Moncton of all places. The Wilcats are playing beyond expectations this year and the do have a load of picks in the next few drafts but I don't see Huberdeau putting them over the top.Halifax,Quebec and your Armada are all strong teams that I can't see Moncton,even with Huberdeau,beating in a 7 game series.The only thing that lends this rumor creedence were the respective owners(McCain for Saint John and Irving for Moncton)sitting together at the game.

Wolf,Halifax is scary good.Along with MacKinnon and Drouin,they've got Frk,Fournier and Andrews,big bodies with top notch speed and skillful hands.Then you've got the likes of Ashley and Boudreau,who are even faster and more skillful and tenacious on the forecheck.Their goaltending is a little suspect but when the play is in the opposition end 75% of the game,the odd weak goal is understandable.

It's a shame you're going to miss him.The Mooseheads have 6 more games in my area,but the Dec 15 game against Moncton and the Dec 21 game against Saint John will be without Mackinnon and Drouin,due to the WJC camp.That still leaves me another 4 times to see him in action this year.

[WOLF]

/\

You're lucky! Curious to see if he goes #1, or if Seth Jones will get the nod. I suppose it depends who's picking. We may wind up with another Crosby-like lottery too!

I don't see anyone beating Halifax this year. I would think twice before emptying the vaults to acquire anyone, because as you noted, Halifax is so deep that nothing short of major injuries should be able to derail them.

[Aerosmith87]

So what's up with this desertification shit?!?!?!? I'm too lazy to read all the articles to understand, so someone dumb it down for a dumb guy!

[alecjonsludge]

So what's up with this desertification shit?!?!?!? I'm too lazy to read all the articles to understand, so someone dumb it down for a dumb guy!

They're thinking of decertifying so they can file anti-trust suits against the owners.Most of what happens in pro sports(the draft,trades,etc) is not allowed under labor laws. The only way to file would be to decertify.If this were to happen you can pretty much forget hockey for the next 3 years at least,as the courts work on their own timeline,not that of the plantiffs/defendants.Obviously they (the players) really don't want this to happen-they're using it as a scare tactic to see if the owners will blink,much like the NBA owners did when the NBAPA decertified last year.They had a deal 11 days after doing so.

If they were actually to follow thru with this I'd expect to see about half the players eventually cross the line and sign with teams.Right now Fehr is fighting for about 10-15 players and their big contracts that were signed last season.This is the sticking point in negotiations.He's not fighting for the 4th line winger or the 6th defenceman making $600,000.While everyone is showing solidarity now,I'd expect players,especially the ones not making "huge" bucks,to eventually fold their positions and look out for themselves.

Conversely,Bettman's fighting for 5 cities that shouldn't even have teams.The whole thing is a mess that doesn't need to be happening.

[Aerosmith87]

So what's up with this desertification shit?!?!?!? I'm too lazy to read all the articles to understand, so someone dumb it down for a dumb guy!

They're thinking of decertifying so they can file anti-trust suits against the owners.Most of what happens in pro sports(the draft,trades,etc) is not allowed under labor laws. The only way to file would be to decertify.If this were to happen you can pretty much forget hockey for the next 3 years at least,as the courts work on their own timeline,not that of the plantiffs/defendants.Obviously they (the players) really don't want this to happen-they're using it as a scare tactic to see if the owners will blink,much like the NBA owners did when the NBAPA decertified last year.They had a deal 11 days after doing so.

If they were actually to follow thru with this I'd expect to see about half the players eventually cross the line and sign with teams.Right now Fehr is fighting for about 10-15 players and their big contracts that were signed last season.This is the sticking point in negotiations.He's not fighting for the 4th line winger or the 6th defenceman making $600,000.While everyone is showing solidarity now,I'd expect players,especially the ones not making "huge" bucks,to eventually fold their positions and look out for themselves.

Conversely,Bettman's fighting for 5 cities that shouldn't even have teams.The whole thing is a mess that doesn't need to be happening.

Thanks for explaining. Like you put it, this entire thing is so lopsided between player/cities and unnecessary. I honestly don't know what it'd be like if NHL closed its doors for 3 years. Might as well fold as a whole at that point.

[RATTdrools]

So what's up with this desertification shit?!?!?!? I'm too lazy to read all the articles to understand, so someone dumb it down for a dumb guy!

They're thinking of decertifying so they can file anti-trust suits against the owners.Most of what happens in pro sports(the draft,trades,etc) is not allowed under labor laws. The only way to file would be to decertify.If this were to happen you can pretty much forget hockey for the next 3 years at least,as the courts work on their own timeline,not that of the plantiffs/defendants.Obviously they (the players) rs and their big contracts that were signed last season.This is the sticking point in negotiations.He's not fighting for the 4th line winger or the 6th defenceman making $600,000.While everyone is showing solidarity now,I'd expect players,especially the ones not making "huge" bucks,to eventually fold their positions and look out for themselvrsely,Bettman's fighting for 5 cities that shouldn't even have teams.The whole thing is a mess that doesn't need to be happening.

Thanks for explaining. Like you put it, this entire thing is so lopsided between player/cities and unnecessary. I honestly don't know what it'd be like if NHL closed its doors for 3 years. Might as well fold as a whole at that point.

Where'd you get 3 years from?? This year is not even gone yet though it's looking more likely.

[pieceofme]

So what's up with this desertification shit?!?!?!? I'm too lazy to read all the articles to understand, so someone dumb it down for a dumb guy!

They're thinking of decertifying so they can file anti-trust suits against the owners.Most of what happens in pro sports(the draft,trades,etc) is not allowed under labor laws. The only way to file would be to decertify.If this were to happen you can pretty much forget hockey for the next 3 years at least,as the courts work on their own timeline,not that of the plantiffs/defendants.Obviously they (the players) really don't want this to happen-they're using it as a scare tactic to see if the owners will blink,much like the NBA owners did when the NBAPA decertified last year.They had a deal 11 days after doing so.

If they were actually to follow thru with this I'd expect to see about half the players eventually cross the line and sign with teams.Right now Fehr is fighting for about 10-15 players and their big contracts that were signed last season.This is the sticking point in negotiations.He's not fighting for the 4th line winger or the 6th defenceman making $600,000.While everyone is showing solidarity now,I'd expect players,especially the ones not making "huge" bucks,to eventually fold their positions and look out for themselves.

Conversely,Bettman's fighting for 5 cities that shouldn't even have teams.The whole thing is a mess that doesn't need to be happening.

Which ones?