NHLOL Offseason

[Alidar Jarok]

That looks beautiful.

BTW, should we rename this thread to the NHL Non-season?

[Josan]

It is beautiful.

And yeah, we probably should rename the thread. Neither side is trying to get a deal done and it shows.

The legal challenges are interesting though, with the Montreal players hiring a lawyer to challenge the legality of a lockout under Quebec's labour laws. Apparently the Alberta based players did the same then withdrew the challenge.

[Alidar Jarok]

The NFLPA did the same thing for the NFL Labor Lockout. Certainly, if the Players' Association disbands, there's a valid labor law claim in the United States as well. The NHL might be in a precarious position because they have to deal with two countries' labor laws.

That being said, lawsuits aren't going to save Hockey. They still need to work something out.

[Mach5]

Alidar Jarok wrote:

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That looks beautiful.

Game one postponed for an hour due to terrible weather, and chances are it's gonna be canceled.

[BigFoot]

The game started about 10 minutes ago.

In other news, Canucks have re-signed Alex Burrows to a four-year 18 million contract (4.5m cap hit).

[Gil T.Azell]

Doan Stays in Phoenix,

Deep down I knew the Canucks wouldn't get him but I'm glad the Rangers didn't end up with him.

[Timby]

The NHL has stated that its most recent offer to the NHLPA is final, and it has informed the union that there will be no further official bargaining sessions in advance of the deadline.

T-minus 7.5 hours to lockout.

[Danny99]

Why are they stopping negotiating? Argh!

Bettman and Daly need to go, unfortunately both of which are beloved by the orders.

I again give credit to the players in this battle of millionaires and billionaires. They came out and said "Heck, we'll play without a deal", where the owners and NHL brass have played the lockout card for weeks now.

[Timby]

Danny99 wrote:

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I again give credit to the players in this battle of millionaires and billionaires. They came out and said "Heck, we'll play without a deal", where the owners and NHL brass have played the lockout card for weeks now.

The case for the players is pretty simple:

A) After the '04 - '05 season was canceled and both sides began talking again in the summer of 2005, Bob Goodenow convinced the union to roll over and take the CBA that the NHL had written, up to and including the immediate 24 percent salary rollback across the board. It was an agreement written by the owners, designed to be in the owners' favor. They got everything they wanted.

B) In the intervening years, bolstered by dramatic increases in revenue, ownership begins spending more and more, including exploiting loopholes in the CBA to sign players to monster contracts once again.

C) Now pleading poverty despite constantly surging revenues, NHL owners demand that the union agree to significant concessions in a new CBA, including another massive salary rollback and a significant drop in share of hockey-related revenue. These demands are made because owners have been spending beyond their means.

Essentially, the whole thing boils down to the owners demanding that the NHLPA save them from themselves, and Don Fehr (who, unlike Goodenow, does not have a fatal case of having his head stuck up his ass) saying, "Fuck that, we're happy to continue playing under the deal that you yourselves wrote and specifically designed to be in your favor. It's not our fault that a few of you can't keep your dicks in your pants."

Fuck the NHL, fuck Bettman, fuck Daly, and fuck the owners, all of whom are willing to blow up the league that has just regained some measure of legitimacy after the last labor struggle, just because they can't keep themselves from opening their checkbooks.

[Danny99]

So the PR stunts have begun: TSN had a report on Sportscentre of Vancouver players practicing wearing their Canucks practice jerseys inside out (can't find a link anywhere). Kevin Bieksa comes out saying how they are no longer employed by the Canucks, so they aren't going to wear their uniforms.

Seriously?

Grow up! Find somewhere low key to skate, pick up one of those nondescript practice uniforms from a sporting good store and tell the media "We want to be in shape for when the season starts" and be done.

Fans don't want posturing, fans want hockey games.

[Delsaber]

I'm not sure if I see that as posturing so much as just downright silly. Reminds me of people who fly the US flag upside down as if they're making some kind of deep political statement.

They could just, y'know... not wear jerseys at all, practice in their civvie clothes. Or would that make too much sense?

[Danny99]

^^ That would be too easy and too smart.

[Timby]

Well, we've already lost the preseason, and now reports are coming out that after three days of talks over the weekend during which no core issues (one NHLPA source says that the league has followed through on its threat to actually take things off the table from its last formal offer) but rather only peripheral sideshow issues like drug testing were addressed, no further talks are scheduled and the first few weeks of the regular season will be canceled soon.

[Danny99]

It'll be another full season lockout; I don't expect to see them skate until next October at the earliest. Right now, there is still too much posturing going on between the two sides.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-pu...4345--nhl.html

These are the kinds of players I would feel bad for, if I feel bad for anyone between the two teams. This is not like a superstar who can go and play somewhere else. These guys have to sit at home and wonder when they'll have a job. That I can relate to.

[TheSeeker]

Could we have a season after all? Link